BOTSWANA – from Delta to Desert

 

The film ”BOTSWANA – from Delta to Desert” begins in Zambia. That is where explorer Livingstone set foot at the Victoria Falls as first European. Now his visit is repeated by a fast motor boat.

 

At great speed shallows and treacherously rapids are overcome. Heading for the small Livingstone island, that only will dry during this season. Amidst the Zambezi river, right at the side of the 100 meter high rim. Although even some elephants fell down here, a human disaster is about to unfold when someone slips in the water.

 

Trucks are waiting 5 days (!) to cross the river, where it took the film crew only 10 minutes to get to Botswana with their small motor boat.

 

Water holes attract both friend and enemy. Leopard, ungulate and many of the 400 different bird species just need to drink.

 

Chobe is above all a paradise for elephants. By filming from the water special video footage was recorded of swimming elephants.

 

On the shore giraffes make a run for it when a big male lion just made a kill. The Sable antelope is not generally well-known, but is surely very pretty.

 

In Pom-Pom the general rule is S.O.S.  (”Stretch Or Starve”), meaning ”move to survive”. Flying over the Okavango delta in small airplanes is an adventure as such. Punting in Mekoro  (digging out the trunk of a large straight tree), rapid motor boats and very powerful 4×4 wheel drives were used to capture the action and the most beautiful moments in the delta.

 

Small Reed frogs, hippo, eagles, kingfisher, tsessebe, lion, cheetah and of course angry elephants.

 

”No fence; no offence”. Great and small were posing for the camera.

 

Our trackers follow the big cats even by foot. Lions are hunting buffalo and a furious monitor lizard wildly swings his tail in anger.

 

We were also filming at night. Not only hyena and giant male lions at the prowl, we even captured the rare Side-striped jackal feeding.

 

Rarely filmed was the baobab in bloom. Tracker by the name of  ”Shoes” explains how bushmen communicate during hunting using hands only.

 

Two hunting cheetahs make a kill and drag the dead springbok to a sheltered place as quickly as they can.

 

After the rains Botswana is transformed into a green oasis already after 1 day.

 

The film ”BOTSWANA – from Delta to Desert” shows all aspects of life in the delta and the desert.

 

A fantastic experience!

 
 
 
 
Title: ”BOTSWANA – from Delta to Desert”
Running time: 50 minutes
Language: Dutch
Voice over:  Arda Konings
Recording year:  AVP © 2012
Format: High Definition 16:9
Price: EUR 14,95