The Okavango Brothers
A deathbed, a promise,
So I am Frits.
I have been traveling to Botswana every year since 1992. During one of my first safaris I met a special man there: Galé. He became my permanent guide and good friend. We spent days, weeks, months together in the Okavango Delta.
In 2007, Galé and his wife Moquoqua died shortly after each other. On Galé's deathbed I promised to take care of the future of his three young sons.
Galé and I dreamed that these boys would be able to develop their own project in their own world, so that they could make full use of their talents and origins.
That dream is now coming true.
Today, many years and many journeys together, the brothers are ready to follow in their father's footsteps.
They offer people the chance to discover the unparalleled beauty of the Okavango Delta.
The three brothers of Okavango Brothers are Lemcha, Phillip and Li. Together they grew up in the heart of the Delta. From their father they inherited a wealth of traditional knowledge about nature and how to live among and with the animals.
Li (28) is team leader. He helps organize the safaris. During the trip in the delta, he is the camp manager and the cook. He bakes bread with glowing leadwood charcoal, knows the tastiest traditional preparations for freshly caught fish, and knows better than anyone how to spoil his guests.
Li is the quiet, sweet power of the Okavango Brothers project.
Lemogang or Lemcha (32) is the official tour guide and boat driver. He sails his guests into the delta in a motorboat and accompanies the walks as a guide. He is also the man who casts the fishing nets.
Lemcha has the cheerful heart of a kingfisher in the body of a buffalo.
Phillip (30)is an official guide in training. During the journey and in the camp he takes care of all kinds of jobs, such as collecting wood, digging wells for the toilet and organic waste, installing the shower and pitching the tents. He also goes on the walks.
Phillip is the rock you can build on.
Gotsela (22) is Li's wife. She helps in the kitchen and does many other chores in the camp. She and Li have a cloud of a daughter: Corlia.
Gotsela is charming modesty herself, always in a good mood and always ready to help.
Sometimes other people also travel along...
Balé (45) is the best tracker you can find. He has been hiking in the delta with Frits since he was seventeen. He works as a freelance guide, including for the world's best nature photographers and videographers.
Balé is a white kernel in a rough husk. Not talkative, sometimes a bit stiff. But there is no such thing as a more loyal friend. And if there is a lion in the distant surroundings, he will find it.
Hydro (45) is also a professional guide. You can build a cathedral on Hydro's shoulders. He also finds the beauty in every human being.
Hydro is a warm, cheerful man. He strengthens the cohesion of the team and brings life to the camp.
Fernand went on safari with Frits in the Okavango Delta for the first time in 2019 and lost his heart. He lives alternately in Belgium and Botswana and takes care of the logistical organization and support for carrying out the safaris.
Frits has been traveling to the Delta for 30 years, gaining experience in walking in the wild and searching for tracks. He is in close contact with the local people and 'reads' the animals. Frits is the mental coach of the Okavango Brothers and also accompanies some of the safaris.
Het Nieuwsblad described him as follows: 'Frits has become the man he wanted to be as a child. Sturdy, calm, immovable. A Limburgian Clint Eastwood.'
