Posts Tagged ‘Botswana’

In some ways, night is my favorite time on safari.  As the campsite quiets down I lie in my tent reflecting on the day’s game sightings and listening for sounds of the African night.  I can make out the glittering constellations of the southern hemisphere through the tent’s mesh window.  Tired from an exciting day in the bush I fight off sleep, trying to remain alert to the calls and cries of Africa’s nocturnal creatures.  Far off I hear the roar of lions preparing for the night’s hunt.   Through the crisp night air, the plaintive howl of a hyena seems very close to camp.  In the mopane trees surrounding our cluster of tents an African Scops owl calls out with its repeating single note.  Krruup… krruup… krrupp… krrupp….  Then a twig snaps near the tent.  I immediately recall the story our guide told us after dinner and my thoughts race to identify the cause of the snapping branch.