Camping Chronicles: Mbudi – A Welcome Oasis

Camping Chronicles: Mbudi – A Welcome Oasis

In this article:

An unexpected stopover

Mbudi campsite was an unexpected and unplanned. We started the day with grand plans to hit Xakanaxa early, sip drinks at at sunset, with maybe sneak in a quick jaunt to Third Bridge. Well, none of that happened after we overturned our trusty trailer in the Savuti Marsh. We rolled into Khwai later than a sloth on a Sunday, only to find the mechanic had since worked in another trip to get more fuel. I suspect he sells more fuel than fix cars. We could reach Xakanaxa, but we’d be out of gas and barely holding our trailer lid together with our last ratchet straps. So, we opted for Plan B: find a place to crash in Khwai, fix the trailer, and fuel up in the morning.

Bridge over the River Khwai
Bridge over the River Khwai

The Great Accommodation Hunt

First stop: guest houses and resorts. You’d think we were looking for the Holy Grail! Every place was either booked solid or priced as if it came with a diamond-encrusted toilet seat, or if your home currency is Rands, that’s what it felt like. Next, we tried the campsite at Moremi North Gate, but surprise, surprise—they were full too! Thankfully, the lovely lady at the desk decided to play matchmaker and made a few calls.Mbudi had space! We just had to drive a few kilometers back on the road we came in on and we’d find our oasis.

The Road Less Traveled

We found the turn-off board (thanks to the photo from the North Gate lady), and turned off the main road onto yet another dry, dusty unassuming road. At first, I was a little sceptical about the prospects – was this the road to that nice place in Texas Chainsaw Massacre? But then BAM! We hit the clearing and it was as if we stepped into a postcard.

The vegetation opened up and a lush green oasis next to the river greeted us, complete with elephants sipping water and waterbuck frolicking about. Talk about a welcome! We drove carefully as some of these grey giants also crossed the road right in front of us.

There is a stark contrast between the dry vegetation we just drove through and the green grass and vegetation on the bank of the river. Besides the elephants, there were also waterbuck.

Reception Shenanigans

We were tired and fed up with the drive here, stopping every few minutes to readjust straps to keep the trailer lid on and forgo taking photos, which in hindsight was stupid, as the ellies were leaving for the evening and we pushed on to the reception, which was well marked.The reception was an unassuming little wooden structure, next to the ablutions, which consisted of a small dark wooden building and a deck. And on the deck, just a table and a chair and the official. The official there looked as confused as a cat in a dog park when we mentioned our reservation. But after some successful bartering (and a wheelbarrow of wood instead of change), we were in!

Sunrise Mbudi Botswana
Sunrise at Mbudi

Our new friend laid down the law: no wandering after dark, and if nature calls, drive to the bathroom. Apparently, sitting by the campfire was the safest bet against any curious wildlife. With that, he hitched a ride on our rock sliders to show us our campsite. Meanwhile, the elephants were wrapping up their evening drinks, and other travelers were gliding by in Mokoros.

Trailer Troubles? No Problem!

As I wrestled with the trailer lid, when another official arrived with a wheelbarrow of wood offered a lending hand. A god save as the lid is hard to manage by myself and the womenfolk. He assisted with removing what was left of the hinges, we hammered them straight and replaced them. We used the snatch rope and the Scorpio to straighten the front panel of the trailer as best we could and used the jack to straighten out some other parts. We fit the lid back on and “IT FITS!”. We drove the pins into the hinges and with relief the lid functioned as intended. We open it, prop it up with a pole and remove some time that we need for that evening’s dinner.

Tralier fixed after crashing it on the Savuti Marsh Road
Camp is up at Mbudi

Dinner and a view

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the moon rose over the river, we opened our rooftop tent—thankfully intact! We may have lost our lucky lighter in the marsh, but my eldest daughter was quick to channel her inner survivalist with flint and steel and lit the fire in our Konka. The tent was up, the fire was burning and we could still have a sip of whisky enjoying the dying of the light at this beautiful campsite. With the tent up, fire crackling, and a sip of whisky in hand, we were finally ready to relax. My eldest took pity on me and offered to cook our chicken biryani for dinner. We dined while listening to the elephants nearby, and then the night was punctuated by a clucking sound from the river. Turns out, it was the night guard in a mokoro, ensuring everything was shipshape.

Ablution Adventures

Before hitting the hay, we took the official’s advice and drove to the ablutions. The ablution “complex” is a raised structure, with stairs leading to the main deck. Since the camp wasn’t packed, we enjoyed a nice solar-heated shower to wash off the day’s dust. On either side of the shower stalls, you will find toilet stalls with flushing toilets. The middle stalls contained the showers and there is ample privacy in each stall to dry and dress. Shelving would have been nice to be able to put clean clothes down, so we just hung it over the door. For a family with a mix of dad and girls, sharing stuff like shampoo was quite easy as you can just hand it over the stall wall. High enough for privacy, and low enough to share soap, towels and stories about the day.

Stepping out of the showers (or toilet stall) you are once again on an open air deck, with the “guard rails” lined with basins with running water, which makes cleaning teeth easy and if you need to do a cleaning and cream ritual, there is more than enough space to lineup those products. The facilities are modest but well-maintained.

The Scullery

On the ground level, between the ablution and reception, we found a basin for washing dishes. Cold water only, but it was spacious enough for our collapsible tub used for washing dishes. As I filled it, I noticed the water had a slight yellow tint—probably river-sourced. So my suggestion would be to bring clean drinking water for quenching your thirst or make sure you boil before you drink the provided water should your reserves for freshwater run a little low.

Departure

The next morning it was time to depart this oasis, fuel up and head for Xakanaxa. After breakfast, the first took the Scorpio for another ablution run, while I repacked the trailer, a lot more dusty than when we started, but everything was back in its place. As I was packing, a troop of baboons showed up, keeping a careful eye on me. I made haste and packing was completed without further incident.

Our unexpected adventure at Mbudi turned out to be a delightful oasis filled with elephants, camaraderie after a few hiccups along the way. This is definitely a campsite we will return to for an extra day in future and hitch a ride in a makoro!

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