Africa-Sally

AFRICA

In early October my travel buddy Alice and I headed for Africa. The trip to South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe had been on the schedule for a year. I am not sure we would have done this if we had known what type of adventure we would have.  After flying for 2 nights we arrived in Johannesburg, SA. After driving to another small airport we boarded a very nice small plane for an hour flight to Kruger National Park.As we spotted the dirt runway we could see Baboons and Impala scurrying in every direction.

We were met by our Guide, Enos, and his Land Rover. He drove us to Pafuri Camp where we were to spend 3 nights. Enos  had keen eyes and knew all about the social nature of the animals in the park and how to track them. Each day in this camp and all other camps began with a wake up call at 5:30 AM. Either the beating of a drum or someone telling you it was time to get up. A light breakfast of fruit, cereal or porridge, juice and coffee was served at 6:00 AM. By 6:30 we were off on a safari. The morning temperatures were cool . The air was dry.
 As in all game drives we were very quiet while  looking all around. The guide usually  found things first.
There were many birds.

some are beautiful and some are not.

Animals abounded

Zebra

Vervet Monkeys





A elephant who was none too happy that we were disturbing his peace. The mothers are very protective of the babies.

About 9:30 Am each day we would stop for a break and would have coffee, tea or a cold drink and a cookie. The guide would also find a bush that was safe to use for anyone that needed to relieve him or her self. The temperature began to rise about that time.

 The Safari continued :


Seeing

Maybe a herd of Buffalo
or



The Abundant Impala.

It began to get very hot by 11 AM so  back to the lodge for Brunch about 11:30. Brunch was eggs sausage, salad-such as beets and apples, butternut squash, polenta, and fruit.About 12 PM everyone dispersed to their lodging . Many days one needed a shower to stay cool while listening to the sounds outside-birds chirping, elephants trumpeting and animals crunching leaves and branches and getting one's attention like this elephant outside the door or a Nyala  right below.

Inside Tent at Pafuri

Nyala

 

Elephant in front of our tent coming up from the river toward us.

and


The Crocodile sunning himself  on the mud.

When the temp got so hot it was unbearable to stay inside. It was Diet Coke time in the lodge. Some did not have ice so it was take it anyway we could get it. At about  3:30 the group gathered for tea and a snack and then departed for the afternoon drive. We would look at birds, zebra, elephants, lots of impala, kudu and nyala and hippos.

 

Kudu

Or we would see some interesting trees

Like the Baobob tree which contains a lot of water and grow to be very old
The feverwood forest
 and the

Candelabra tree.

The Sundowner took place about 6:00 . Sundowner was a cocktail  an a light snack in a scenic spot to cool off  before the  sun went down and then we were off to try to spot the nocturnal animals before returning to the lodge for dinner.

  The nocturnal animals are  difficult to see. The sounds of the wild were everywhere. Baboons scattering the their hotels in the tops of palm trees. We did see a Serval, and a mother hippo and her baby scattering up a hill, spring hares, an always on the lookout for the wild dogs or cats

Dinner back at the lodges consisted of meat such as stew of lamb, maybe pork, kudu, or shredded beef, or chicken or grilled meats.  Starches such as polenta ,white potatoes, white sweet potatoes or rice. Veggies such as cabbage, green beans, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots,  Bread was excellent. Desserts such as a birthday cake, yogurt pudding with apricot sauce, caramel pie, fruit or chocolate mousse. After dinner it was time to go back to the tent or chalet. Always escorted by a guide to make sure we were not attacked by an animal. Once back in the tent it was time to go to sleep. And we were tired.

After 3 nights in Kruger we flew back to Johannesburg and spent the night. The next day we met the rest  of our group and flew to Victoria Falls and then drove to Baobob Lodge in Botswana. That is right outside of Chobe National Park. An amazing spot for game viewing. 3 nights  in tents on top of lava rocks.That is where were saw the hippos, elephants by the droves, herds of buffalo, many giraffes, zebras and lots of interaction between animals. 

 

Tent at Baobob Lodge

These are for real

 A very large herd of buffalo- perhaps 1000

The giraffes are such fun to watch.

Zebras are a type of antelope and they were plentiful.

Sometimes the animals are together

The baby was rolling in the mud to keep cool.

Hippos and Elephants grazing

 

Mothers and babies playing and drinking  in the river.

Alice celebrated her birthday here. The staff made her a lovely cake -the surprise it was made of elephant dung.

On to the Caprivi Strip in Namibia

To get to this camp we had to fly and then we had to walk for ¼ mile over  hot sand to a pontoon boat. We traveled for about an hour and did a border crossing by the side of the river.

This is the chalet where we spent the next 3 nights.
One morning there were elephants in the camp and we could see them very close to the chalet. We were told to stay inside. Staying on the marsh allowed us to hear  hippos and bell frogs in chorus at night.




 Dinner in the lodge where the table was always set very artistically.

More elephants

Baboons in the trees

And some of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen at sundowner

We also visited a local village and saw homesteads along the way. Here are some of the homes made from the cement of the termite mounds. 

From Namibia we flew to the Okavango Delta area in Botswana. The delta  is an amazing ecosystem.

The delta from the air

The only leopard we saw was sunning under a tree when we entered the preserve

A trip through the marsh on a mokoro

Bell frog

Hippos were  making sure we kept our distance.

The only snake we saw was a boomslang-highly poisonous

This tent is for real

One night there was a very loud noise. We inquired the next morning as to what the noise was. It was the sound of the hippos mating. LOUD. Lots of little bell frogs tingling at night.

After another beautiful sunset and

 At the end of each stay we had a celebration. The staff but on a little show with dancing and singing. We all joined in and then attempted to come up with a song to sing to them.  In the Delta the staff really put on a show.

  Next stop was Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. It took most of the day to get there. We had to drive to the airstrip and fly to Kasane, Botswana,then take a bus to Victoria Falls Airport to board a 5 seat plane . We flew over the bush for about an hour and a half. The landing was another dirt strip where we were met by out driver, Tremba and a guide named Tito and the  Land Rover. It took about an hour to get to the Linkwasha Lodge. On the way to the lodge we stopped to see the spotted hyena who had killed a zebra and were having a feast.

Linkwasha Lodge

Afternoon tea was a welcome site with temperatures approaching 110

At around 4 we set out on our first safari in Zimbabwe. We had been unsuccessfully looking for lions for 12 days.There is never a guarantee as to what one will see. The Kory Bustard is a type of bird that we saw many times in Zimbabwe.

AND THEN SUCCESS

A Pride of Lions

Father

Mother

Family

A lot of time was spent watching the lions and many photos were taken before we continued the Safari

SEEING

a sable

 

Wildebeests

 


Look who is in charge of the bush sitting atop of a termite hill. 


Mother and Baby



No fear here





Jackal

Zebras and Wildebeests

One Morning we took a Walking Safari

The gun and bullets were for real.





And so it went before returning to the lodge

Or to our room

The final night in the bush was a real celebration. Dinner consisted of grilled chicken, pork, beef, little gem squash, polenta, a salad of lettuce, avocado,  and apples. dessert was a caramel pie. Dinner was followed by a gathering at the campfire. We were entertained by the staff who put on quite a show. They played the drums, sang and danced for about an hour. Two of the men danced for what seemed like thirty minutes.

Off to bed to get ready for the journey back to Victoria Falls in the morning. Sleep came easily watching the starry sky and listening to a chorus of frogs riveting, elephants trumpeting, and other animals joining in. 

The Ilala Lodge and its air conditioned rooms was a welcome relief after another hot day.

While in Victoria Falls we took a Cruise on the Zambize River

Lots of Hippos

A drive though a wildlife park where we saw the black rhino which are being protected from poachers.

A helicopter ride over the falls gives great perspective of the size of the falls.

Later we  walked a path at Victoria Falls for a close up view.

CAPETOWN

The weather was perfect and the temperature was a wonderful 60-70.

A visit to the Kirstenbosch Gardens to see the spring flowers of South Africa

  

King Protea

    

Pincushion Flower



Yellow Bird-of-Paradise

The 360 degree cable car took us to the top of Table Mountain on a clear day

Nelson Mandela cell on Robben Island



Bo Kaap Quarters



The coast



Eland the largest of the Antelope

Cape Point

African Penguins at Simontown

Visiting the wineries at Stellenbosch

A final African sunset at Camp Bay and a glass of wonderful SA Savignon Blanc

As I reflect back on the trip it was a wonderful experience. I survived the heat of the bush and my fear of slimy crawling things. There is a lot to learn about nature and how the animals and plants depend on one another. Each is so  important to the other. The natives learn how to use what  is at hand. Learning how they do that and how they live with so little made me wonder why we need so much. Although,I am most grateful for Air Conditioning. Add the beauty of Capetown and it was a near perfect trip.


I hope you enjoy what I have shared.