(above: April 2006. Our camp on the cutline, a few meters off the tack.)"Cutlines" can be found all over Botswana, particularly in areas around the national parks. Because they're graded and cleared they can easily be mistaken for roads. To the best of my knowledge, they serve two main purposes. Firstly and I think most importantly, they act as firebreaks. As much of Botswana is incredibly dry most of the year round, you can imagine the constant risk of fire. Cutlines are also used as "borders", demarcating provincial boundaries, farm lands and reserve areas. The cutline we'll be discovering on our trip to Khutse is occasionally patrolled by the BDF and parks officials, but don't worry, we've never been questioned and I'm sure we won't be this time either. None the less, it's a good idea to be discreet and to set up camp a little way off the track. Last time we were there, we actually saw a little red VW Fox chugging its way through the thick sand! In 2006, the cutline was very overgrown and may not even be visible anymore. If this is the case, I suggest we back track a little and look for another spot that'll suit our purposes.
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