Field Notes from a Safari Veteran: What You’ll See and What to Expect

Sitting in an open-sided 4×4 on the banks of the Chobe River a little before 6 in the morning is breathtaking even if the only animals in sight are a handful of little waterbirds pecking for insects in the sand. But when you’re nearly surrounded by a herd of cape buffalo softly snuffling and snorting as they graze leisurely on the wetland grasses and, occasionally, turn a direct (wary? contemplative? menacing?) eye in your direction, it’s spellbinding.