Jan Cochran\u2019s love of journey was evident from a younger age. As a toddler, she was particularly fascinated by Africa, and he or she went on her first journey to Kenya by way of a pupil alternate program at solely 17.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat just reinforced how much I loved Africa, and I\u2019d always wanted to go back,\u201d Jan says. She and her husband, Dennis Matthews, acquired that probability just a few years in the past, after they went on safari in East Africa.<\/p>\n
Jan and Dennis continued their travels, together with a Lindblad Expeditions cruise to the Galapagos Islands<\/strong><\/a> in 2018, however they nonetheless felt the pull of Africa. For their subsequent journey, nevertheless, they needed to attempt one thing completely different.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had friends who visited Botswana, and they raved about it,\u201d Dennis says. Most importantly, the nation had an abundance of one thing the couple hadn\u2019t seen in East Africa: African wild canines<\/a><\/strong>, an animal on the high of his wildlife bucket listing.<\/p>\n The couple found Natural Habitat Adventures on-line and booked two spots on one of many conservation journey firm\u2019s Botswana safaris<\/a><\/strong> in August 2021. Jan says Nat Hab\u2019s small group sizes had been what attracted them to the corporate.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe really like traveling with small groups rather than the big tour bus trips,\u201d she explains. The couple\u2019s Botswana journey group included simply eight folks, together with their Expedition Leader, Richard Avilino<\/a><\/strong>, and a Nat Hab videographer.<\/p>\n As they set out, they crossed their fingers. They knew Botswana can be lovely, however would they get a glimpse of the animals they\u2019d traveled midway all over the world to see?<\/p>\n \u201cThe very first thing we really saw was the wild dogs,\u201d Jan says in a brief movie produced throughout the journey. \u201cAll these pups, different ages, running around and playing. In my heart I was thinking, \u2018Oh my gosh, I can\u2019t believe it! The first day out: wild dogs!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The remainder of the journey would carry extra much more wildlife experiences. Their first evening at camp, they watched a bunch of lion cubs\u2014and even some adults\u2014wrestling on the shore. Over the following few days, they\u2019d have up-close encounters with leopards lounging in gnarled timber and elephants and giraffes ambling throughout the savanna.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve never been as close to the animals as we were in Botswana,\u201d Jan says. \u201cAnd because they\u2019ve been protected for so long, they didn\u2019t pay any attention to us whatsoever!\u201d<\/p>\n Another spotlight was a trip although the reedy marshes in a mokoro<\/em>\u2014a conventional poled dugout canoe\u2014the place they had been in a position to spot hippos rising out of the waters of the Okavango Delta.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was so different from anything else we\u2019ve ever done,\u201d Jan says.<\/p>\n Jan and Dennis would like to return to Africa, however within the meantime, they’ve loads of adventures deliberate nearer to residence. Dennis went Yellowstone National Park this winter on Nat Hab\u2019s Ultimate Wolf & Wildlife Safari<\/a><\/strong> (Jan opted for a seashore journey with girlfriends, although it sadly fell by way of as a consequence of COVID-19), and the couple is already booked on an upcoming Lindblad journey to Costa Rica<\/a><\/strong> and one other Nat Hab journey to Alaska<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n But regardless of the place the couple ventures subsequent, Botswana will at all times maintain a particular place of their hearts.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt a connection to Botswana that I really can\u2019t explain\u2014there\u2019s just something about it,\u201d Jan says. \u201cThere\u2019s a certain kind of happiness when you\u2019re in a place that touches you so deeply that you cry. It\u2019s powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery day was new and every day was great,\u201d Dennis provides. \u201cIt was our dream trip.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch our video that includes Jan and Dennis: Exploring the Okavango | A Botswana Traveler Story:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A Safari With a Mission: African Wild Dogs<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Making Dream (Trips) Come True<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n