Rain and Reeds in Botswana

We have just endured 24hrs of non stop rain. The locals think the rains have arrived 2 weeks early as they are not due until mid November! We were on a 2 day Mokoro trip into the Okavango Delta. We had a nice sunny day being poled along through the reeds by our local guide. The mokoro is essentially an African version of a British punt where poler pushes along the boat with a long pole watching out for hippos and crocs along the way. We had an enjoyable 3hours of punting to get to our Island for the night and set up camp. The weather had been hot, October / November are the hottest months in the Delta, 46 degrees in the sun, but we were well aclimatised by now.
The rains began during the night and were welcomed as they masked the sound of the Hyena sniffing around our tents for any left over food. However when morning broke it was still raining. A 3hour dawn walking safari later it was still raining and we realised we were to have a cold and wet 3hour journey back to town. Alex didnt bring his rainjacket or anything warm, no one did, its the middle of summer. So we all froze and even had to use the silver emergency blanket that has lived in our pack since adventure racing days. All warmed up we now walk around camp with fleece and beanie on. It is freezing, all of 20 degrees!




The sunnglasses are to prevent the eye being poked out by the low level flying reeds.