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Not everybody likes them, but you’ll have to dress like an onion when on safari – and if you can keep your outer skin shades of brown and wind-proof more’s the better.
Unless you arrive late, your first game drive starts mid-afternoon and your novice safari Barbie will turn up in a nice-fitting jumper that shows his pecs and brings out the colour of his eyes. After this he will turn up wearing his entire wardrobe and yesterday’s shirt wrapped around his head.
The semi-arid desert produces scorching heat by day and withering cold by night and while we wouldn’t presume to offer a list of what to pack – this is a gay website after all – there are a few essentials that will a) keep you comfortable and b) help you retain a modicum of dignity.
Item 1: a very warm hat and remember, looks are out so don’t be too proud to get something from the Arctic section – that wind chill can sting your nose into a slushy pink blob and then who’ll look like a fool?
Item 2: long-sleeved cotton shirts – unless you like being electrocuted in which case go for pure nylon and rub your head a lot
Item 3: a warm fleece top – okay you can get a little cute here if you must
Item 4: a good wind-proof parka
Items 5, 6 and 7: scarf, gloves and a wide-brimmed hat – accessorise at will
The rest is up to you but please, do us gays a favour and resist the urge to buy an entire safari outfit from the airport curio shop with a matching chino and fishing jacket ensemble – the hippos will snort, the hyena will laugh and birds will say ‘Go-way’.
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The game viewing is best in the dry months from May to September when the land is parched, the bush has thinned out and the animals congregate at permanent sources of water. The days are dreamy and warm with clear blue skies but temperatures plummet when the sun goes down.
Summer rains from November to March make for difficult game viewing when the bush gets thick and lush. But the thunderstorms are spectacular, the animals give birth and migrant birds flock home. Daytime temperatures can hit 40°C and nights are warm and saucy.
Autumn flashes by during April and early May when the rains subside and the temperature drops; game viewing improves as the bush begins to thin. Spring comes crashing in even faster and by October, the so-called suicide month, temperatures approach the 40 mark and there’s no rain to cool things down.
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While homosexual activity in Botswana, whether in private or public, is illegal and considered a taboo by the government and its mindless offshoots, only two charges have been raised to date and no convictions have been made.
That bombshell is out the way, now you can relax. The nature of your Botswana safari will be such that you swoop in from outside, get whisked off to your lodge in the middle of nowhere - whose clientele will be mostly from the liberalised western world - and then whisked back to the airport for your departure. In other words, the only locals you’ll meet are the guides and the lodge managers all of whom will exercise discretion and some of whom may well be gay themselves!
So – unless you intend to lead a Human Rights riot - exercise discretion when in doubt or when you are in a public place. Just in case, you should note the contact details of the local human rights centre, Ditshwanelo http://www.ditshwanelo.org.bw/ and you while you’re at it lend a helping dollar to their cause.
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Coffee – $1.50
Men’s Health – US$5
Heineken – US$2.50
Car Hire – US$45/day |
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South Africa Standard Time is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+2). This is ideal for European clients as the time difference is minimal. South Africa does not operate Daylight-Saving Time. International Dialling Code for South Africa is 0027.
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Combine one of the best safaris experiences in the world with a trip to the spectacular Victoria Falls - The Okavango Delta joins the Chobe National Park, which borders with Zimbabwe and Zambia.
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The Savuti channel has inexplicably dried up several times in 100 years - it has been dry now since 1982
Chobe National Park has the world’s largest elephant population
The delta is at its fullest when the rest of the area is at its driest
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