KalahariLog

We climbed the highest peak in Botswana yesterday. It sounds slightly more impressive an achievement than it actually is, given that the peak's altitude is only 1491 meters (about 4900 feet). As Gaborone and the surrounding valley are at about 1000 meters, the climb can be described as invigorating rather than difficult. It was also slightly challenging, as there are no signs anywhere, and of course, there are no trails. I would estimate the distance from the the last 2WD navigable spot near the Gaborone-Lobatse highway to the peak at about 5 kilometers.

We began our walk in a riparian woodland with a seasonal stream. There were a few pools full of water but no running water higher up. The easiest route to the top was to follow the river bed, which was a mix of rocks and sandy patches. Nearby, ubiquitous cows provided ambiance with their jingling bells. While there are no official hiking trails, plenty of animal tracks were to be found.

The dry river took us to a saddle from which the highest peak was clearly visible. Here there were few trees but plenty of shrubs, grasses, and flowers. These days the temperatures are in the low 30's C (low 90's F) but on and near the top there was a nice breeze. After a good bit of scrambling we made it to the top from where the 360-degree view of the area was spectacular. We could see the Gaborone Dam 40 KM to the north-east, and the outskirts of Lobatse 30MK to the south-west. South Africa's Limpopo and North-West provinces are to the south-east and the Kalahari desert to the north-west.

In the wildlife department we saw at least 5 different kinds of butterflies, a couple of lizards and a few beetles and birds. There were lots of indications that bigger wild animals visit the area but they were all hiding well. Mostly there were cows, not only in the foothills but even near the top, and a group of donkeys.

Otse peak is at one end of the smallish Otse Mountains and walking back towards the highway offers a nice view of the other end. The peak there is called Baratani and is associated with a local legend. Baratani means "lovers" in Setswana and the long name of the peak is Lentswe La Baratani meaning "rocky hill of lovers". The story is that many years ago a pair climbed the hill and disappeared. Since then, the Batswana don't go there as it is considered a sacred place. The name is used for many restaurants and motels and a local writer has suggested that the Republic of Botswana should be renamed to the Republic of Baratani as some Batswana consider the related words "tswana", "motswana", "batswana", "botswana" to be disrespectful/spiteful/etc. This comes from a linguistic argument based on the language of one of the many tribes that make up the local population. The way the above four words are used and the subtle differences between them are interesting topic too.