Oct 2009

⁃ Etosha National Park
⁃ Cheetah Park
⁃ Spitzkoppe
⁃ Swakopmund
⁃ Soussevlei
⁃ Fish River Canyon

Chloe's Namibian Photos
Roland's Namibian Photos

Everyone kept on saying to us; "wait until you see Namibia". Well it certainly does not disappoint. It is a massive desert, yet it seems to cram in all of the best that a desert can offer - huge sand dunes, striking rocky outcrops, vast canyons and great wildlife.

We entered the fantastic Etosha NP and immediately came across a dozen giraffe doing their crazy leg-splitting drinking manoeuvers. We spent two days visiting the various watering holes, salt plains and scrublands. The highlight was definitely the 60 or so elephants all taking turns in their 20-strong family groups drinking and playing in the water.

Pulling into the next camp site, a sign read "Do not enter!" on the gate, and looking down you see why. Two cheetah's patrolled the parameter... We stayed the night and had the chance to pat and play with the 3 pet cheetahs, very cute and somewhat friendly. We went out into the paddocks with the owners and fed the remaining 16 or so of the amazing animals. It was a great experience - Chloe has decided she now wants one as a pet.

Moving further south we pulled into the fantastic area of Spitzkoppe. Remarkably like the rocky outcrops of Arizona, we quickly fell in love with the area. Deep red rock contrasts against the bright blue sky, yellow grasses and crazy rock formations. I set off to claim a mountain in the name of Australia and Chloe wandered the outcrops finding ancient rock paintings, natural bridges and funny shaped boulders.

After days 25 odd days in a tent, we were relieved to have a bed for a few nights in Swakopmund, a tourist town on the coast. The weather was completely different as the town is engalfed in a dense sea fog for most of the day and the temperature barely reaches 15 degrees C. We wandered around town and took a great day out sea kayaking to the local seal colony. The inquisitive little fellas came and swam next to us, you could tickle them and some even let us grab their fins and move them around. Paddling back to the car and only 15 meters from the kayak a humpback whale breached! We quickly paddled to it, but it submerged again. Then, a second whale appeared only 5 meters off the back of the kayak - a truly magical experience that I will never forget.

Next stop was Soussevlei, home to the worlds highest sand dunes (400m). Over 500 km wide and 100 km long it is a LOT of sand. We drove into the centre of the dune field on the only road and joined a local bushman on a hike through the desert and learning a great deal about the area, dune formation and how to find food. We walked into Soussevlei and were amazed by the area, snow white clay pan, 800 year-old dead trees, burnt orange sand dunes and a deep blue sky made for a very photographic setting. We climbed a dune for sunset and watched another day end in style.

Our last point of call in Namibia was Fish River Canyon - the worlds second largest canyon. We sat on the edge and went for a quick walk along the rim. A great place and some more amazing scenery.

All in all, we both loved Namibia, as far as scenery and natural beauty goes it is number one in Africa for the the two of us. The desert is well and truly deserted of people, the natural formations are unique and yet there are still plenty of animals to see. So, our advice when coming to Africa is: wait until you see Namibia.

⁃ Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
⁃ Lake Malawi, Malawi
⁃ Zambezi River, Zambia
⁃ Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
⁃ Chobe National Park, Botswana
⁃ Okavango Delta, Botswana

Chloe's Photos
Roland's Photos

This is Africa. This is Africa. We kept repeating this mantra as the return ferry from Zanzibar back to the mainland was the obligatory 4 hours late. With our new travelling companions in tow, we set off on another adventure across this massive and varied continent. We have a lot more driving in this section of the trip as we work our way across the continent from east to west and then hitting the coast in Namibia we head due south to the much anticipated Capetown. 36 days, 12,000 km, 24 companions – it was bound to be an adventure.

Driving quickly across Tanzania we passed some great highland tea-growing regions, giraffe and elephant in the middle of nowhere and plenty of locals waving as we passed, shouting 'Muzungu' into the wind. We crossed into laid-back Malawi and straight onto the coast of the huge Lake Malawi where we spent the next 5 nights on the sandy beaches of the very picturesque and tranquil shores of the massive inland sea. We spent the days sun-baking, playing volleyball, walking through the villages and entertaining the local kids. We had a truck fancy dress party that went way out of control and the fallout of the night was hot discussion for days, if not weeks to follow. The only downside of the lake is that it contains some crazy bugs that can take years to effect you. We liked Malawi and found the people friendly and the landscape fantastic. Oh, and if you go there, take lots of pens for the kids.

Onto yet another border crossing and this time I had a real 'cultural experience.' My doctor before I left did not sign my Yellow Fever form, so after some nervous moments and waiting I was called into the back office with Kath the guide and the border police, and it was suggested that instead of holding up the truck I could pass through for a small transaction fee - K50,000 (Or ten dollars.) With a sour taste in my mouth we entered Zambia and headed almost directly across the country at full pelt for the Zambezi river and the next border at Victoria Falls. We did stop one night and managed a self guided walking safari and came across a family of giraffe and zebra. Zambia was but a blink on our journey across the continent.

After a night on the Zambian side of Vic Falls, we crossed over into Zimbabwe and had our first and very disappointing view of Vic Falls. The rains had subsided and the curtain of water had greatly decreased from full capacity. We set up camp in Zimbabwe for the next 3 nights within ear shot of the 'smoke that thunders'. Walking along the edge of the falls on the Zimbabwe side, we quickly erased the early disappointment and fell in love with the magnificent natural wonder. The mist, the spray, the permanent rainbow and the sheer awe of the place makes it one of those places you have to see with your own eyes.

We went on a fantastic and definitely unforgettable walk with the lions. It was quite an experience walking next to a 95kg cat through the bush – just like walking your dog around the block, except at any moment they can turn around and mame you. At one stage they climbed up a tree and sat on a branch above our heads, a little hard to smile for the camera with Kanu licking his lips above your head.

After a bit of time deciding, Chloe came rafting with me on the mighty Zambezi River. This world renown rafting river starts at the falls and then decends along the tight canyon through 23 wild rapids (eight grade 4 rapids, three grade 5 and one grade 6 – above the commercial rafting level). A hair-raising walk into the canyon and then a quick paddle up stream and a great view of the falls from river level. We turned and then the ride really began. We were doing well until the first grade 5 and we both went overboard but managed to hang onto the boat. The second grade 5 (rapid #7) and we hit a massive wave, the people from one side of our boat came crashing down on top of us, and we all went in – including the guide. A massive, powerful, human washing machine took us down the long rapid. Luckily I found Chloe in the chaos and we swept through the huge turbulence together, just missed a bolder and after several dunkings we emerged into the clear water just before the next rapid. I had a huge smile on my face, Chloe was shaken. It was a great day out and despite spending some of the day underwater it was good fun and a great view along the canyon, even passing a few crocodiles on the sides.

There has been a lot said about Zimbabwe in the news recently, and yes it has been hit hard by a meglomaniac president and fallen into financial ruin, but the people we met there were super friendly. The people in town were very poor though and wanted to swap absolutely anything with us, from socks to pens to shoes or t-shirts, shampoo or soap. Anything you had – they wanted, and our most amusing swap was an old shirt of Chloe's for 400 trillion Zimbabwe dollars. A true bargain! Now that US$ are the official currency, their economy seems to be stabilising somewhat and things are definitely looking up.

Back into the truck after farewelling some of the passengers and gaining some new ones, we set off for Chobe National Park in Botswana. We spent a good day out in the park and found some lions, gazelle, baboons, herds of elephants and hippos. For the afternoon we boarded a boat and had a great sunset cruise through the waterway, getting nice and close to the hippos, crocs and elephants whilst we drank some beers and watched the sun fall behind the water in a red blaze. At night the sounds of hippos seemed to be mere metres away from where our tents were on the river banks. Definitely not somewhere you want to go to the toilet at night...

The next adventure had us on a 3 hour mokoro ride (traditional dug-out canoe, operated with a pole Venician style) into the depths of the Okavango Delta – a massive inland delta that spreads out over 18,000 km. It was nothing but peace and quiet as our guide moved us deeper into the wilderness. The reeds parted at our bow and small frogs jumped aboard for a short ride. Camping for 3 nights on a island about 2km square we went out on walking hikes at sunrise and sunset and found some elephants, zebra, giraffe and baboons. During the day we chased the shade and tried to come up with ways to stay cool. We had a couple of trips to the 'swimming hole' near our camp, with perfectly clear water, naturally filtered through the reads and 10 metres of sand. One afternoon we canoed up to a hippo pool for a nice close encounter and then found 5 elephants crossing the water right in front of the canoe at sunset. Quite a special moment.

Botswana has felt quite different to the other East African countries, and you can definitely feel the effects of a stable government and a strong economy. The people are better looked after, there are less people living in poverty, and although HIV/AIDS is still a massive problem, it seems like Botswana has a chance of becoming an African success story. Towns began to feel more civilised, and the importance of the tourist industry has been realised. Botswana has a lot to offer in terms of diverse experiences. From the largest inland delta to the vast Kalahari Desert, it is a country with something for everyone.

After the Delta, we continued heading west towards Namibia.