We woke early this morning at 5.30 am and up and about by the time Bibi delivered our early-morning hot water. Our usual light breakfast followed, eaten around the bonfire in the pre-dawn darkness, and then it was on to the truck for 7am and our morning game-drive. Fish eagles again featured prominently - a very handsome and photogenic bird. The African fish-eagle  sports a pure white head and neck, and, like the Scottish white-tailed sea-eagle feeds by plucking live fish from the water's surface. The fish-eagle however is very approachable in comparison to its much rarer Scottish cousin, and we were

able to get quite close to them without too much risk of putting them to flight. On this morning's list - buffalo, vervet monkeys  baboon (with young!!) whilst other birds included saddle-billed stork, yellow-billed stork, tawny eagles and another member of the eagle family - the colourful bataleur. We were back at camp for 10 am, and our usual brunch of scrambled egg, bacon, sausage, beans and bread. Time again for a bucket-shower, always welcome, and later that afternoon we prepared ourselves for our afternoon boat safari on the Chobe River, which, for all of us was going to provide the highlight

of the trip, but more of that later. First of all we had a drive into Kasane to stock up on water, and an opportunity to buy fruit and soft drinks for the cooler. We tried to telephone home (really quite cheap at 20 pula (about £2) for 3 minutes - even to a UK mobile) but we could only get the answer-phone - typical!!
A short trip took us to our flat-bottomed aluminium boat, and for our three-hour river safari. Very soon we were navigating our way along the river, and nosing our way towards groups of elephants drinking and bathing on the shores, and we were amazed at how close we were able to get. They were obviously

well-used to the comings and goings of river traffic and safari boats. Sitting at the front of the boat I was catching the spray of a young elephant as he was washing water over its back, and it really was a privilege to be able to see these magnificent beasts at such close quarters. African eagles were perched in the trees, hippos basking on the riverbanks, and the colourful little bee-eaters provided yet more photo opportunities. We encountered crocodile basking on the shore - motionless and, seemingly, totally relaxed. We were able to draw in to obtain some close-up photographs, not only of its fearsome jaws,

but the fine and intricate patterning of its back. Further down river, and once more we encountered elephant . On this occasion, as opposed to bathing at the shore, they were setting out on a cross-river swim, using their trunks as snorkels. An egret hitched a ride on the back of one as we tracked them to the far side of the river, having crossed from Namibia to Botswana in the process. A short time later our attention was drawn to a 4 x 4, stationary on the shore. The occupants appeared to be watching something. We had just a fleeting glance of the creature at first, as it moved amongst the

trees, but as we drew closer, the object of their - and now OUR attention was unmistakable. I fired off a couple of quick photographs, anticipating that this may be my only opportunity of capturing the moment. Little did I realise that the subject of our attention, normally so elusive, was to present us with a quite extraordinary photographic record. I later  recounted to Karen and Rik - "If I were to see nothing else on this trip, I would go home happy." On reflection,  it was perhaps a touch exaggerated, but such was the excitement at the time, it seemed a fair assessment of  our encounter. For scurrying

down between the trees - a leopard !! Our skipper slowed the boat down to a crawl, keeping pace as the cat edged its way shoreward. Gradually, she came more into view - giving brief tantalising full-body glances as she progressed between the trees. The views became more prolonged, until she edged her way from the trees towards the waterline. Total silence - save for the endless sound of camera shutters, and the occasional gasps of disbelief ensued as she made her way to the water's edge. She began to drink. None of us could believe our good fortune. It seemed like an age that she remained within a

stone's-throw of our boat. The silence was broken by the sound of a boat approaching at high speed, the occupants of which were obviously aware that we were watching something special. The leopard however was not too impressed, and our time with her drew to an end as she clambered up a riverside tree, and by the time the offending boat arrived there was nothing to be seen. Countless photographs must have been taken. Both myself and Rik were keen photographers, and had taken around 200 shots between us. A truly memorable wildlife encounter, the experience of a lifetime, not only for us, but for 

guide that he believed us, and he too was equally impressed when we showed him our digital images of the leopard. He told us how lucky we were to have obtained such sightings of leopard. And so, a quite remarkable day drew to a close, and to go with it, a quite remarkable sunset. We settled around the bonfire after a meal of spicy chicken stew, macaroni and stir-fried vegetables, followed by peaches and cream. Bibi gave us a talk on the leopard, saying what a patient beast it was, willing to stalk its prey at length, and once again, he expressed how lucky we were to have seen one so close. Indeed !!