No Footprints: Salt Pans

Elephant grazing in the Chobe river, Botswana

By Vicky · Published Jul. 7th, 2021 · Updated Aug. 22nd, 2022

No Footprints in the Night book cover from Victoria Stevens.
Available on Amazon*

This post shows photos from my book, No Footprints in the Night, available now on Amazon*.

From Rakops we drove to Nata and its bird sanctuary. We then tried but failed to visit Chapman’s baobab near Gweta before heading through Makgadikgadi and Nxai pans to Maun.

Rakops ⇾ Nata Bird Sanctuary ⇾ Gweta ⇾ Makgadikgadi PansNxai PanMaun

Nata Bird Sanctuary

Water and wildebeest, Nata Bird Sanctuary, Botswana
Person and water, Nata Bird Sanctuary, Botswana
Wildebeest, Nata Bird Sanctuary, Botswana
Spoonbills, Nata Bird Sanctuary, Botswana

Gweta

Donkeys near Gweta, Botswana
On the way to Chapman’s Baobab
Birds and water near Gweta, Botswana
The watery end of the track
Baobab in Gweta, Botswana
Gweta Baobab
Baobab in Gweta, Botswana

Makgadikgadi Pans

Baby zebra in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Zebra in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Gemsbok in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Salt pan in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Camping in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Sunset over water in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Birds and water in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Gemsbok and yellow flowers in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Bee-eater in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Water lillies in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
River in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Kudu and zebra in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Running kudu in Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana

Nxai Pan

Herd of wildebeest in Nxai Pans, Botswana
Elephants at a waterhole in Nxai Pans, Botswana
Elephants at a waterhole in Nxai Pans, Botswana
Wildebeest and sunset in Nxai Pans, Botswana
Sunset reflection in water, Nxai Pans, Botswana
Giraffe and sunset in Nxai Pans, Botswana
Gemsbok and springbok in Nxai Pans, Botswana
Springbok in Nxai Pans, Botswana
Water in a salt pan in Nxai Pans, Botswana

About the Book

No Footprints in the Night book cover from Victoria Stevens.
Available on Amazon*

South Africa was kicking us out so we had to make a plan.

‘What about Botswana?’

My boyfriend couldn’t think of any objections so a few days before we overstayed our visas we hit the road in our trusty Defender and sped north.

The Kalahari welcomed us with vast empty spaces and gorgeous wildlife. We spent weeks camping in a true wilderness barely touched by man.

The character of the landscape changed in the waterlogged north but our encounters with dangerous animals didn’t stop.

We eventually returned to civilization after many weeks on the sandy road and I already can’t wait to go back.

No Footprints in the Night chronicles this journey of exploration through Botswana. We narrowly managed to escape being eaten by lions, killed by a puff adder and marooned on the Chobe River.

I came back with dirty clothes, an even dirtier car, and memories to last a lifetime. I hope my book will help you do the same. While on our adventure, I wrote travel journal updates to send back to friends and family, stuck in European lockdowns. This formed the basis of my new book. Available to buy now on Amazon*.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *