The Final Part; Botswana and Zambia

Our final evening in Namibia was spent in Windhoek which is evidently a pretty rough city; we weren’t even allowed to walk the 300m back to the hotel from the restaurant. That being said we were staying at a really nice “hostel” where we were essentially glamping (camping in tents big enough for beds!!)

We also treated ourselves to a medley of meats at the restaurant for dinner which included zebra, crocodile, kudu, oryx and Springbok. Of the five, Springbok was definitely the best.

This marked our final night in Namibia and the following morning we headed to the Botswanan border. In comparison to the Namibian border crossing it was pretty quick, although we did experience some minor issues with the bus on route. We caught a glimpse of a steenbok very close to few camp-site just before the sun set. For a nice change, we set up camp on sand rather than stones which made for a very comfortable nights sleep in comparison to tell previous week or so.

Our first full day in Botswana was one to remember that’s for sure. We awoke early to have a bushman walk whereby a few of the local bushmen introduced us to some of the plants they use for medicine and daily life, as well as lighting a much needed fire (it was a very cold morning and they were wearing very few clothes!)

Our journey to Maun was only meant to take 3 hours and a number of us had booked on to do a scenic flight over the Okavango delta in the afternoon….unfortunately that did not happen. Instead we spent 8 long, boring, delirious hours at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere with a broken down truck! It did however enable one of the guys to have his rabies jab (one of the girls in the group is luckily a nurse and he had been bitten by a jackal in Etosha) which provided some great entertainment for the rest of us. After about 6 hours we were all digging into our shacks and all alcohol was being consumed; it got so classy that we started drinking wine directly from the bottle. The photos below were taken in the delirious state so do not be deceived by our smiling faces.

Eventually we got picked up by transport sent from the hostel in Maun. The bad news (as if it could get any worse!) was that this transport was in the form of game drive vehicles; no sides so it was absolutely freezing going 100km/h at 8pm from 3 hours. On arrival to the hostel we were pleased to eat warm food and find we had been given a free upgrade to nice warm rooms considering we didn’t make it to bed until 1am.

The following day we did not need the truck luckily as we were heading into the delta to spend a night there. We started off back in the game drive trucks but thankfully it was warmer and we weren’t going as far or as fast. After an hour we switched from the truck into canoes where we were rowed to our campsite an hour into the delta. It was so relaxing and the scenery was amazing.

After setting up camp and having lunch we headed out on a bushwalk. This did concern me somewhat as the guide had no rifle; what if we came across lions?! Fortunately this did not happen! We did however see warthog, common reedbuck, red lechwes and a fish eagle. We also stopped off at a baobab tree and were shown a sausage tree which were originally used to be make the canoes we arrived in.

For sunset we headed back out in the canoes for a sunset cruise. On route one of the pulas (rowing the canoes) spotted some elephants so we went on shore and headed over to the elephants. We were in pretty close proximity but it was also amazing to be that close and not in a truck or car; it gives you a real sense of just how big they are.

After getting back to the campsite and having dinner we were treated to some very good traditional singing an dancing which was a great way to end our day in the delay. Another bushwalk took place in the morning but unfortunately wasn’t as successfull as the previous days as we only saw red lechwes, although the view of the sunrise was pretty good.

After canoeing back to where we begun, those of us who wanted to do the scenic flight two days earlier were able to do this in the afternoon. The flight was absolutely incredible and I loved every second of it, even if at times it did make my stomach churn. We got to see a huge herd of buffalo, elephants, hippos, giraffe, zebra as well as various antelope. Quite frankly the photos do not do this justice.

After the flight we heard the news that the truck was still not fixed so the game drive vehicles drove us to our next destination where we slept under baobab trees.

The following morning was a very relaxed one as we awaited some transport to take us to the next destination. On arrival to our hostel we headed straight out onto a cruise into Chobe national park. To say it was incredible was an understatement. We saw buffalo, elephants, hippo, crocodile, Impala, baboon and kudu as well as watching the sunset. I loved watching the sunset behind the elephants!

We headed back into Chobe in the morning on our game drive. We were so incredibly lucky because the previous day a pride of lions had taken down a baby elephant (very sad!!!) so we headed straight there to see the lions devouring the elephant remains. It was an absolutely amazing sighting! We also saw hippos running into the water after woke them up, kudu, Impala, giraffe, warthog, buffalo, baboon, vervet monkey, hooded vultures, jackals, Kori bustards and a lot of Guinea fowl.

After an awesome morning it continued to be great as we were greeted to a fixed truck when we returned from our game drive (woooooohoooooooo!) After lunch we headed across into Zambia on the shortest ferry ride ever. If we thought the Namibian border crossing was slow then we were very mistaken. I dread to think how long we waited as I stopped checking my watch after a while.

Eventually we made it to Livingstone just in time for some of us to head out on a river safari. This was, like the other river cruise, incredible. The difference with this one, other than not being in Chobe, was that it was a much smaller boat so we got very up close and personal with a lot of animals, and we got food and as much alcohol as we wanted. On this safari we encountered crocodile, monitor lizards, hippo eating, elephant (who mock charged the boat!), Egyptian geese, bee eaters and many other birds. After disembarking on a small island and having a few snacks we watched the sunset on the way back to the hostel.

The following day we got up very early to get to Victoria Falls and beat the crowd. We were very successful as we were the first through the door. We spent around 3 hours doing the various walks around the falls so got to see the falls from numerous angles. Due to it being winter the river is in full flow resulting in large amounts of most from the falls. This means one of the walks is exceptionally wet; I may as well have just jumped into a swimming pool fully clothed quite frankly. I was glad it was hot as it meant I dried off pretty quickly, not that that lasted.

We had a quick look around the market at the falls and managed to exchange some clothes for some good souvenirs befoee heading back to the hostel to have an hour or so relaxed sunbathe. This was followed by taking part in the Victoria falls bridge slide which is a zip line across the gorge at Victoria falls. Despite being initially petrified I absolutely loved the whole thing and the views were incredible. Unfortunately there is no photographic evidence as I was not going to fork out for a few photos so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

After the slide we had to rush over quickly to our final activity for the day, a trip over to Livingstone island. After eventually getting my passport back from the Zambian officials (the slide is in nomans land between Zambia and Zimbabwe – we did step on Zimbabwean land for about 20 seconds!) We made our way to a posh hotel where the boat for livingstone island left from. On the island we were able to walk right up to the edge of the falls and also swim in the river on the edge of the falls; this is where we got wet again but it was totally worth it as it was absolutely awesome! After drying off we were treated to high tea and drinks overlooking te edge of the falls; it was definitely a day to remember!

Back at the hostel after we had packed we decided to head over to the posh hotel next door to treat ourselves to some cocktails and a buffet desert.

Our final morning was spent at the market in town trying to exchange the final items that didn’t fit in our bags suck as a pillow. We were very successful and have returned to the UK with a good amount of souvenirs. Eventually we headed for the airport where a lot of us were on the same flight to Johannesburg where we all spent 5+ hours before catching flights to our respective countries.

It was sad to say goodbye to everyone I’d met and also to Africa. It truly was an insanely exciting and incredible 11 weeks that I will never forget.

Being back in the UK and back at work is really quite depressing and I miss waking up knowing that I will see either animals or incredible landscapes during the day. The weather here is unsurprisingly rubbish and work is, well work; accountancy is far from volunteering in a game reserve. I think its time to start planning my next adventure so I know there is a light at the end of the work tunnel!

Part Two: Namibian Adventures

After a long time spent trying to cross the border into Namibia (African time = no rush necessary!) we drove up to the Fish River Canyon where we watched the sunset over the canyon with champagne and cheese and biscuits before setting up camp at the local campsite. During the drive we finally saw some animals (yay!) and some of them were new to my tick list; Oryx (Gemsbok) and Springbok were the new additions with Kudu and Steenbok sightings increasing.  

  
The following morning we got up early for a long drive up to the Namib Desert where we stayed at Sesreim Camp near the canyon. We set up camp and had a chilled evening round the fire with drinks and food before hitting the sack for an early morning the next day.  During the long all day drive we saw more animals; kudu, oryx, springbok, ostrich, mountain zebra, bat eared fox and a light chanting goshawk. We also stopped on route where we were able to buy oryx biltong which was the best biltong I’ve had to date! During our evening braai at the camp site we were joined by a couple of hungry cape foxes who were very cute. 

   
    
    
    
    
 
The following morning we headed over to Dune 45 for a short hike to the top of the dune where there were some amazing views! We chilled at the top for a while taking in the scenery and some photos before descending back down to a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon and beans; not a bad start to the day at all. 

   
    
 From here we drove over to the biggest dune in the Sossusvlei dunes (aptly named Big Daddy!) where we jumped on a 4 X 4 truck for a short drive through the dessert which was very bumpy (not as bad as one Karongwe though!) but enjoyable none the less. Once we’d jumped off the truck we went for a short (but very sweaty as it was now approaching midday) walk to a marsh land which is in the middle of the dunes; it had been formed from rock deposited when the area used to be an inland sea. It looked very out of place being surrounding by sand dunes and was home to a fair few trees that were in the process of being petrified. 

   
 In the afternoon we visited Sesriem canyon where local tribes used to tie 6 kudu skins together in order to lower a bucket into the canyon and collect water. Now there is very little water left in the base on the canyon meaning we could walk down to the bottom of it. As if our day hadn’t been busy enough already, on arrival to camp a few of us went for a short run out in the bush. We spent the night sleeping under the stars without our tents and admiring the wildlife that visited the watering hole in front of us during the night. 

   
    
 On our drive to Swakopmund the following day we saw zebra, steenbok, oryx, baboons. Just before we reached the city we stopped at Walvis Bay which is home to a huge flamingo population with both the greater and lesser flamingoes living there. The afternoon in Swakopmund was adrenaline fuelled as a number of us opted to do a skydive. Despite having done one previously I was still pretty terrified. The flight up was a slow one (about 15 minutes) so by the time we reached altitude I was pretty relaxed and was able to it enjoy it more than previously, although the views across the desert are very different to those across a lake surrounded by mountains as was the case in New Zealand. 

   
    
    
   
Our time in Swakopmund was mainly free time meaning we could embark on whatever activities we wanted to, or just explore the town and the beach. Some of us opted for a dolphin and seal cruise in the morning which was quite a contrast to the adrenaline fuelled afternoon the day before but was very enjoyable. We got some great sightings of Pelicans and seals who joined us on board the boat, although the seal did try to bite me when I went for a selfie! We were even luck enough to see both Bottlenose and Haviside dolphins, before being treated to champagne, oysters (although these are vile!) and snacks on board. Our afternoon as just as lazy, having a wander round the town and tucking into some ice cream before heading to a reasonably posh (in comparison to what I’ve been used to here) seafood restaurant which was amazing and still so cheap. 

   
    
    
    
 
From Swakopmund our route took us to Sptizkoppe which was luckily a fairly short drive which meant we got some in the afternoon to explore. It was recommended we visited the rock pool and rock bridge which were about a 40 minute stroll away and were totally not worth it! The rock pool had basically no water in it and the rock bridge was not all they impressive either. As we were walking back to the tents it started to drizzle and we could see a thunderstorm approaching from the distance. Luckily the thunderstorm managed to avoid us during dinner and didn’t hit us until the middle of night. It was pretty big thunderstorm and at some points we did think the tent might blow away but it passed reasonably quickly although one of the guides was sleeping outside at the time and had to make a quick run into the bus to stay dry.  

   
    
 
The following morning we headed further into Damaraland to camp. On route we stopped at Uis town which is the capital of Damarland (although still tiny) to stock up on supplies. Evidently Tuesday morning is the time when the entire town goes to the Post Office based on the queues coming out the door and blocking the supermarket entrance. Just outside of Uis are one of the Himba tribes where we stopped briefly. The Himba don’t wash by instead use animal fat to protect their hair and skin. We were extremely luckily as we came across some desert elephants on the side of the road which was awesome (I clearly got very excited!) After the elephants we stopped at the Damara living museum to learn about the way of living for the damara people which was really interested and we were treated to a traditional song and dance. After lunch the plan was to go on an optional engravings tour which half of us opted for. On arrival to the tour start we learnt that a lot of workers in Namibia are currently on strike so the tour wasn’t possible. Julian, our driver, had an alternative plan for us though; drive to a posh lodge where we could get a drink, go for a swim (admittedly fully clothed!) and still see a few rock engravings; all in all a very good afternoon! 

   
    
    
    
   
Finally the day had come for us to head to Etosha so we got up early to ensure we would have time for a short game drive in the afternoon. After a few hiccups along the way (such as finding out myself and a few others had had our credit cards cloned) we were able to drive around for a few hours before the gates at the campsite site closed. We had quite a lucky afternoon with elephants and lions being the main sightings. At the camp we set up tents before heading to the watering hole viewing spot for the night where we saw black rhinos, a pride of 6 lions, and at one point third herds of elephants; it was pretty incredible.

   
    
    
    
   
Our early start to get out of the gate when it opened the following morning back fired when our truck broke down within 5 minutes and we had to head back to the camp. Luckily Julian was able to fix it in rapid time and we were back on drive within an hour. It was quite a slow day; Etosha is a lot drier and arid than Kruger so the wildlife is pretty sparse. Luckily we had a great ending to the day at one of the watering holes where there was a rather full lion, an elephant that was later joined by the rest of the herd resulting in the lion leaving, and giraffe who were pretty chilled considering the closeness of the lion. In the evening some of us went on a night drive where we saw an elephant and 5 black rhinos at the same watering hole, lions from a distance and the highlight, hyenas drinking and running. Overall a good day in Etosha and a great experience. 

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 From Etosha we head to the capital of Namibia, Windhoek, which doesn’t have great reviews so I doubt they’ll be much to say there, before crossing the border into Botswana tomorrow for some Okavanaga Delta and Chobe fun which I’m really looking forward to!