We
arrived in Africa some ~37 hours after we left Tibet.
What
a journey and talk about stress levels.
We
had 4 connecting flights - Tibet to Hong Kong via Chongqing and then Hong Kong
to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe via Johannesburg. The
following day we start our Absolute Africa overland tour. As
a result of bad weather and our flight being redirected our 1 hour 50 minute
flight to Hong Kong took 6 hours, then Lesley's bag hadn't arrived now
with less than two hours until our departing flight and no fixed abode in
Africa Lesley's stress levels were rising.
The
staff didn't seem to get that this was a problem and that getting the bag
through to our location in Africa would be almost impossible, after some
interesting conversations they realised the predicament.
They
found the bag (unsighted by us) 45 minutes before our flight departed and after
giving Lesley a baggage tag assured her it would be in Victoria Falls with us when
we landed.
When
we landed in Zimbabwe first bag off the carousel was Lesley's so with
everything back in order we could relax. Off
to Shoestring
Camp where our 21 day overland tour was to begin from. That
evening we were introduced the truck and a number of our new
overland "family" before calling it a night.
The
next day is a free day for us before the official tour starts so we headed to
Victoria Falls (neither the tallest or the widest but classified as the largest
in the world due to the combined height – 107 meters & width – 1,737 metres
resulting in the largest sheet of falling water).
We
headed in towards the Livingstone Statue and got our first glimpse of the
Zambesi River and the Falls. The
volume of water (1,100 cubic metres per second) going through these is
something else and quite unreal.
We
followed the viewing track around walking in and out of the "rain"
(the mist coming from the falls) until eventually we were walking in torrential
rain (on a gorgeous sunny day). The
water falling on us (and we were above the falls) was literally like walking
through a downpour. We
made it to the end of the walkway, which gives a great view of the bridge that
joins Zimbabwe with Zambia.
That
evening we booked a Sundowner Zambesi river cruise. A really relaxing and lovely
afternoon spent having a few drinks, spotting wildlife and watching the most
spectacular sunset. We saw vultures, a large crocodile, large lizard and a number of
hippos. Adding those to the Impala, Wart Hogs and Baboons we saw on the
way to the boat, it was more than we could hope for on our first "African
excursion".
Next
morning our overland adventure began.
A
great group (including us 14) of people (although somewhat younger than us!),
they seemed to be unconcerned about the newbies joining the group and made us
feel more than welcome. We
left at 7.30am
and headed straight for Botswana.
Eeyore
(our big yellow truck) is our home for the next three weeks and after sorting
seats out and getting comfortable we had a few hours’ drive, a couple of
immigration duties we arrived at
camp by 11.45am.
This
is a camping tour so first job is to put the tent up (our moveable bedroom for
the next 3 weeks) then our first adventure of the day is our inaugural game
drive. We
jumped into an open 4 wheel drive and headed to Chobe National Park ~12,000
square kms. Wow
- this was something else. Within
minutes we were in really close proximity to a herd of elephants, including the
cutest babies, then around the corner a large lioness that had earlier made a
kill (water buffalo). Then another 4 female lions came out, crossed the
road in front and behind our vehicle, and made their way to the kill. Looking
around a crocodile is chilling on the river edge and vultures
are circling above all waiting for their piece of the prize. Four
different types of antelope (Impala, Kudu, Puku & Sable) were in abundance,
as were the Helmeted Guinea Fowl, Cape Buffalo, Giraffe, Wart Hogs and Baboons.
We
drove around the park for a couple of hours and we were really encouraged by
what we saw - so many breeding elephant herds, so many babies (sooooo cute!).
On occasions they got within a metre of the car and were so close
you could have touched them.
Directly
after this we transferred to a boat for 3 hours cruising the Chobe River.
This
whole area is beautiful. The
landscape, river, scenery and wildlife all make up a stunning picture.
Treats
not yet done we again came in close proximity to a crocodile and water monitor
lizard, a Fish Eagle, loads of hippo and loads of elephant.
To
top the cruise off we had a really special sunset.
The
day after we drove 620km to Maun where we did a couple of game drives
through Moremi National Park. We were up at 4.45am for the two and a
half hour drive to get to the park entrance and by the time we got there we
were almost frozen solid (open sided 4x4). We
were on a lion hunt so the guide was on the lookout for tracks, of which we saw
many, but the big cats themselves were in hiding.
The
drive lasted all day and we departed the park around 3pm, getting back to camp
around 5.30pm. The second
day was much the same no cats although on both
days we did see lots of wildlife including some new species - African yellow
and red billed hornbills, Wildebeest, Zebra, Red Lechwe (antelope), Hippos,
Ostrich, Jackal as well as the favourites Elephants, Giraffes and Impala.
The
elephant herds at "Dead Tree Island" in the park were a real treat
with some very tiny babies in tow.
We
were lucky enough to see more Sable (they are very rare to spot), a Saddle
Billed Stock, Water Buck and Vervet monkeys.
There
is so much wildlife everywhere you look and you can be sure you're only seeing
a small percentage of what is watching you.
The
next day we took a flight over the Okavango Delta this involved 45
minutes in the air literally getting a birds eye view (from 500 metres) of the vast
area that makes up the Delta (thousands of square kms). From here it’s
easier to understand why the game is so hard to spot on the ground – the
animals have such a huge expanse of land to utilise and they are sporadically
scattered around it. Along with great scenery we saw cape buffalo,
elephants, zebra, hippos and the odd giraffe.
The
next two days were spent travelling ~670kms from Maun to Grootfontein. We
said goodbye to Botswana and entered Namibia (the most sparsely populated
country in the world). The scenery was much the same as we’ve seen so far –
lots and lots of uninhabited and sparsely covered dry land. The very
small villages and/or dwellings we passed were pretty humbling as most are
living in mud or straw thatched huts. They are quite tiny and likely the
size of a bedroom in NZ. The kids are gorgeous and most wave out to our big
yellow truck as it passes by.
We
drove another 166kms the next day into the Etosha National Park – 22,000 square
kms of land designated for the protection of wildlife, including the rare Black
Rhino, Cheetah and Black Faced Impala. We have spent 2 ½ days inside the
park and spent the first doing a game drive from the truck, followed by an
early dinner and our first 4x4 night drive on which within the first 30 minutes
and the first waterhole we saw our first Black Rhino and numerous Elephants as
well as a Hyena.
The
next full day in the Park consisted of more game drives (morning and afternoon)
and our first daytime Rhino (as well as lots and lots of favourites including
an elephant who took a rather cross view of the car parked next to us running
really close and flapping its ears). We’re sure the occupants’ hearts
skipped a beat or two!). A group of dwarf mongoose were spotted that were
really comical and looked so much like Mere Cats racing across the plains and
standing up on their hind legs. Gary also spotted our first Etosha
Lionesses (this is no mean feat as they are almost invisible in the
environment) who must have just eaten as they were relaxing in the sun.
Our
next stop was the Etosha Salt Pan (4,700 square kms) where we all had a play
taking perspective photos before we headed to camp to set up at the Namibia
Wildlife Resort that is famous for its waterhole. The waterhole is really
close to the grounds (so much so that the grounds are fenced off from it) and
what a spectacle. It’s under soft spotlight so you can see what is coming
and going and just after dark we were treated to an initial view of 7 lionesses
drinking and lazing about in the cool of the evening. Without batting an
eyelid a Black Rhino came along, followed shortly thereafter by a mother and
baby. After dinner wrapping up for the cold it was back to the water hole when
we arrived there were 2 elephants quenching their thirst, then from the left in
came a family of ~20-25 elephants of various sizes and if that wasn’t good
enough about 10 minutes later another family of ~20-25 elephants arrived from
the right. Watching their behaviour was fun as they greeted each other with
flapping ears and wrapping trunks, drank what seemed like the bulk of the pond,
The youngsters played rubbing their heads in the sand and playfully kicking
each other the way you might expect 3 year old boys to do just to annoy each
other. The head of the family appeared to be a huge Bull with enormous
tusks that no-one dared to mess with. We headed back to camp for some zzz’s
around 10pm but were up again at 3am after listening to Lions roar and numerous
people’s footsteps around the tent prompting Gary to get up first and it was
well worth it as we got our first view of male lions. All but one of the
Lionesses went off to hunt and once they had killed they roared to which the
male lion answered and then got up and went off to feed. When we returned to
bed at 4am (were getting up at 5am anyway) we got to hear them roaring and
talking to each other which seemed to be right outside our tents. What an
amazing moment and how much better does that alarm clock get! Our time at
the waterhole wasn’t nearly long enough but it was the most special time we’ve
had with the wildlife in Africa so far.
The
next morning we had another drive through the park, another Black Rhino (really
encouraging the number that we’ve now seen), the normal pack of favourites and
right before we left the park Dave (our driver) spotted 2 male Lions.
They looked as though they had just eaten as their bellies were super full and
they were lazing about sleeping in the shade of two trees. They were
amazingly beautiful (even from a distance). We have most definitely had our
fill of the most rare, beautiful and wonderful wildlife at Etosha.
Along
the way we often saw huge nests that are made by the sociable Weaver
birds. They are shared nests by multiple birds and get so large that they
can topple a tree!
Saying
goodbye to Etosha we travelled for ~200kms, stopping for lunch and dinner
supplies before heading to Cheetah Park where we had some close up encounters
with the big cat. They are threatened as in the wild they attack livestock so
farmers kill them. Here they are well fed and away from any chance of
getting into trouble. There were three Cheetahs living at the house which
is where we got to pet them and get up close and personal.
After
spending half an hour or so with them we then went out on the truck into the
very large reserve where the others are housed and after wondering why they
were following the game vehicle, all was revealed when the guide starting
feeding them. It was a great way to see the cats as they are almost
impossible to spot in the wild – even in the long grass in the reserve only
metres away from us they disappeared into the landscape. We stayed at the
camp inside Cheetah Park (safely fenced away) and enjoyed an evening sitting around
the camp fire.
Day
11 of our tour and just over half way, another big drive day ~400kms. Our
first stop was in Damaraland where we got to spend time with the semi-nomadic
pastoral Himba tribe. The Himba tribe is fighting hard to retain its
heritage and there are ~50,000 of them remaining. The woman were really
unique and dressed traditionally (in not much) with amazing hair and bead
decorations. They maintain their traditional beliefs but now also send a
proportion of children to school (the naughty ones :o), use hospitals when
necessary and utilise the city if required. They have flawless skin and
the women do not shower – they clean by using smoke and ochre. Men can
have multiple wives as long as they can afford it - their currency is
cows. It was an amazing visit and a really unique experience.
We
continued the journey into the Namibian Desert and the landscape became more
sandy and dusty. Just prior to our final destination we started to see
some of the mountains of the desert which really changed the look of our
surroundings. We stayed just outside a small town (Twyfelfontein) in the
middle of nowhere otherwise known as Spitzkoppe and also got to view Brandberg
Mountain, the highest in Namibia. The rock formations around us are 180
million years old and are so grand in stature, making our huge truck look like
a spec at the foot of the mountain. We went to view some 2000-4000 year
old rock paintings with a local guide which were of animals and people -
historically they were used to indicate water sources for the nomadic people
that lived here. Then it was a hike up the hill to get 360 degree views
of our surroundings. The night was spent up the hill sleeping on mats in
our sleeping bags under the stars. The stars here are nothing short of
spectacular and we felt not so far from home with the Southern Cross shining
down on us. Our unusual sleeping quarters meant we also got beautiful
views of the sunrise before heading down for breakfast and then on our way again.
 |
| First attempt at night sky photos |
Our
first stop the next day was the Cape Cross Seal Colony, which is a huge
breeding colony of ~200,000 Cape fur seals. You could well smell it
before you could see it and the numbers were staggering. Even with
predators both on land and in the sea this colony is in extremely good
shape. As always the babies are very cute and the adults huge – much
larger than the seals we experienced in the Galapagos. From here our journey
continued to Swakopmund, which everyone is excited about as we get three nights
here (out of tents) and have time to do some laundry!
Swakopmund
was fantastic, first up Sandboarding. We were driven about 15 minutes out
of town to the huge sand dunes of the Namibian desert. After receiving
our board (piece of MDF), gloves, elbow pads and helmets we had a short
briefing and then headed up the dunes. The first one (about 55m from top
to bottom) was pretty daunting and scary, although using your feet as brakes
enabled you to go as slow or fast as you liked. By the time we had
finished we were doing the big dune (95m) and hitting speeds of up to
71km. Gary had the most spectacular wipe-out of the day and everyone had
a great time. In between board rides we got to watch the rest of the
group who were stand up sand boarding as you would on a snow board.
That afternoon we were off quad
biking through the dunes for an hour, after familiarising ourselves with the
bikes were split into the fast and more daring group versus the happy to go
slow group. Gary was in the fast group and Lesley in the slow one but we
both had a great time, with a stop half way through on the dunes for photos. It
was fun and the dunes in the diminishing light were really beautiful.
When we returned there was a quick opportunity for a photo shoot with the two
huge resident Parrots (one of them taking too much of a liking to Lesley’s
jumper and putting a hole in it!) and then before we knew it we were back at
the hostel again, and glad to get into a shower and get the sand out of places
that we didn’t know you could hide it.
Back onto the truck we headed
to Sesriem. We drove through the Namibian Desert for what seemed like
forever with changing landscapes – all dry, sandy and dusty but at first very
flat then later on more like a mini canyon with large rock formations (moon
scape). We stopped for afternoon tea at Solitaire, famous for its apple
pie (how weird it is that there is a McGregor’s Bakery selling famous (and
delicious) apple pie in the middle of the oldest desert in the world!) and then
headed to Sesriem Canyon for some exploring.
The following day 4.45am we
were dressed and ready for our hike up Dune 45 (~120m high) to watch the
sunrise. Dune 45 is located 45kms away from camp (hence its name) and is
a prime spot to view the landscape and see in the day. Surrounded by dunes
you’d think it was just all sand but the colours, contours and peacefulness are
really beautiful. After we’d watched the sun come up it was back down to
the truck for breakfast.
After breakfast we headed
another 20kms to Sossuvlei where you take 4x4’s into the dunes to visit
Deadvlei – this area is really unusual and surrounded by ~300-400m red sand
dunes with a flat white salt pan in the middle dotted with petrified
trees. Not what you expect to see in the desert at all.
Another large travel day, not
something you think about when you book an overland trip in Africa but one that
becomes very clear when you realise how big this country is and the miles you
have to cover to get from A to B. We headed through the Namibian Naukluft
region on route to Fish River Canyon which proved a real highlight. This canyon
is the second largest canyon in the world (after the Grand Canyon in the US) at
160km long, 27km wide and 550m deep. The views were spectacular as the
beautiful landscape was edged by a super blue sky. We walked a couple of
kms around the brim of the canyon before meeting the truck. From here we
travelled to our camp at Ai Ais and got to enjoy the warmth of the hot
springs. The natural hot springs are 65 degrees so off limits but the
pools heated by them are lovely and the entire camp ground is surrounded by
beautiful rocky outcrops. Again Namibia is treating us to another
stunning landscape.
200 km's to Orange River, the
river that marks the border between Namibia and South Africa and then
another two days to get from Orange River to Stellenbosch, our next stop
(678kms). We sadly departed Namibia and entered South Africa. The camp
"Highlanders" was the name of the winery it was on. We set up with
the most amazing views over the vineyard and valley beyond. There was a
short wine tasting in the early evening (more a wine drinking exercise than
wine tasting!). This is arguably the most picturesque camping spot to
date.
Unfortunately when we arrived
into Stellenbosch it was absolutely pouring and freezing as well.
Everyone headed indoors and spent the rest of the day curled up around the
fireplace attempting to keep warm. The next day the majority of the group
had a wine tour booked and thankfully the weather wasn’t quite as bad. We
toured around the Stellenbosch (2nd oldest wine region in South
Africa) visiting four wineries – Simonsig, Fairview, Dieu Donne and Franschhoek
with lunch squeezed in between. Tastings were had at all and a couple of
bottles purchased so all in all a fun and successful day. The whole area
is really beautiful and the town of Stellenbosch is very colonial and pretty –
it certainly seems to be an area you could easily lose a couple of days
in.
Itinerary pressing we quickly
found ourselves on our way to Cape Town only being a short drive away meant we
were easily there by lunchtime and now finding ourselves in beautiful weather
we decided to head up the iconic Table Mountain. After a short taxi ride
we headed up the very steep cable car to the top and instantly found ourselves
with the most beautiful views of Cape Town itself and the peninsula. The
mountain is 1067m above sea level and has been named “a new 7th
wonder of nature”. While we were there we were treated to a quick glimpse
of a “Dassie”, an African rodent that lives in rocky outcrops and had great
views of Robben Island.
Today is officially the last
evening of our Namibian Nomad overland tour so the group went out to a
restaurant for dinner together. It was a special evening (somewhat tame
surprisingly), but a great way to complete stage one. Everyone is leaving
at different times over the next few days so goodbyes were staggered and we
spent the rest of our time in Cape Town doing our own thing.
Best moment – night time waterhole
viewing, Etosha National Park
Worst moment – the rain in
Stellenbosch ruining our changes of checking out the town
Most special – the tiny baby
elephants with their Mums and Dads at Moremi National Park
Most surprising – first game
drive, Chobe National Park
Things we will remember about
Southern Africa:
Safaris/game drives
Beautiful wild animals
Baby animals
Giant sand dunes
Stunning desert landscapes
Huge rocks
Foot and mouth check points
Mud huts and thatched roofs
Long straight roads
Dirt roads
Dust!
Sparse crops
Simple life
Warm people
Open fires
Bush toilets
 |
AFRICA!!!
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment