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Africa

kwietnia - lipca 2023
96-dniowa przygoda według Elaine Czytaj więcej
+6
  • 48ślady stóp
  • 14kraje
  • 96dni
  • 339zdjęcia
  • 10filmy
  • 29,6kkilometry
  • 18,2kkilometry
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Data rosnąco
  • PodróżnikAfrica
    Dzień 38

    Etosha National Park

    21 maja 2023, Namibia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    I was excited to be heading to Etosha National Park for more safaris. Our camp was 93km from the entrance gate so when we arrived we had the opportunity to find animals in our truck. We spotted springbok, zebra and oscriches. At one point we saw a rhino in the distance and spent about ten minutes trying unsuccessfully to find it again as it had ducked behind some scrubs. When we arrived at our camp we set up our tents and went to the waterhole which was located five minutes from the camp. At this waterhole you can sit and wait to see what animals may come and visit. This spot was also a beautiful spot to watch the sun setting. The colours in the sky as the sun set over the national park landscape was breathtaking. Just as we were about to leave for dinner one rhino appeared and spent time drinking from the waterhole. It was a beautiful moment because we also had the background colours of the dusk skyline.

    After dinner we went back to the waterhole to see what animals arrived. We were shocked to spot not only one rhino but now ten rhinos at the waterhole. Rhinos are mainly solitude animals so it is rare to see so many rhinos together. We sat for hours watching the rhinos drink water and head butt play together. Some of the rhinos had their horns while others didn't. It was difficult to decide when to go to bed as we didn't want to leave this unusual sighting.

    The next morning we met Isaac our guide who brought us around the national park in a 4x4. We were lucky to spot two lions resting together in the grass. What surprised me about this sighting was that there were hundreds of zebra, wildebeest and springbok grazing around the lions. I was not expecting these animals to be so close to their predators. Isaac explained that lions spend 20 hours resting and only four hours moving around per day. He also explained that these two lions were in mating so every twenty minutes they try and mate over a two week period. Once mating has finished then the female goes hunting for food. We drove around the national park spotting giraffe, elephants, rhino and plenty of antelopes. Unfortunately the leopard was still hiding from us. Isaac told us he spots a leopard once or maybe twice a week as they are difficult to find.

    Once back at our camp we had dinner before heading to the waterhole for our evening entertainment. We saw six rhinos playing at the waterhole including a baby rhino. The baby rhino chased away the zebra and an oryx from coming to drink at the waterhole. At one stage we heard the roar of lions in the distance. They do make a sound that brings goosebumps to your skin. Again it was hard to decide when to leave and go to bed as we didn't know if anymore animals would arrive at the waterhole.

    Finally I decided it was time for sleep so I walked back to camp. After brushing my teeth I was just about to get into my tent when Ethan, from our group, popped his head out of his tent to say we got word that there was a leopard at the waterhole. Originally I thought he was messing and it was a joke until I realised he was actually getting out of his tent and putting on his shoes. We ran as fast as we could back to the waterhole to hopefully see the leopard. When we arrived the leopard had been chased away by the baby rhino. However a few minutes later the leopard came snuck back to the waterhole. We all stood there in awe for about 90 seconds watching the leopard before it ran away again. It was a magical moment and one that is unforgettable. Eventually I headed back to bed but it took a while to fall asleep after all the excitement of the day.

    On the drive out of the park the next morning we spotted three more lionesses and a rhino grazing in the grass. As a whole Etosha National Park didn't disappoint as we got to see all the big animals in the park.     Czytaj więcej

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  • PodróżnikAfrica
    Dzień 40

    Windhoek

    23 maja 2023, Namibia ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Windhoek is the capital city of Namibia. It was very strange driving into a capital city at 4pm without any traffic jams or stoppages. We did a little bit of shopping before heading to our lodges for the night. Here we were saying goodbye to the French couple, Fabrice and Sylvie. They have been a couple with great characters so their energy will be missed among the group. They hosted a little goodbye party at their lodge before dinner.

    The next morning we had a late start so Crispen cooked us a beautiful brunch. He had omelettes, Spanish omelette, fruits, yogurts and buns. We felt like we were spoilt and well rested for the next few days ahead.     Czytaj więcej

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  • PodróżnikAfrica
    Dzień 41

    Zelda Farm, near Gobabis

    24 maja 2023, Namibia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Our last night in Namibia was spent at Zelda Farm near Gobabis. When we arrived at Zelda farm we had a walk with the local native San people they walked around the farm pointing out footprints of animals such as zebra and Oryx. They showed us plants that they us for medicines and they explained how they use animal skin to make clothing and shoes. It was a very interesting walk however it was sad to hear that their tribes are getting smaller and landowners have kicked native San people off their lands making their lives a lot more difficult. Czytaj więcej

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  • PodróżnikAfrica
    Dzień 42

    Okavango Delta

    25 maja 2023, Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Driving through Botswana very quickly felt different compared to Namibia as it is more farmland with chickens, donkeys, goats and cows grazing on the side of the road. The roads were smoother and very straight. We stayed overnight in Maun before heading on our excursion to Okavango Delta.

    The Okavango Delta is a wetland which spread into a wide flat inland delta. We were picked up by a 4x4 and we drove two hours to the delta. We were met by our polers who introduced themselves before we got into the boats. The boats are called mokoro, which are long narrows boats and are rowed by polers. The polers use three meter long wooden poles that touch the bottom of the river to push the mokoro along in the water. We travelled through long reeds, long grass and lily pads. On our mokoro journey we spotted a few groups of hippopotamus in the open wetland areas. The journey lasted over an hour before we arrived at our camp. Thankfully this camp was premade so we didn't have to put up any of the tents. We shared stories while having lunch before having multiple games of uno in the afternoon.

    At 5pm we meet together for our evening nature walk. The guides showed us the footprints of elephants and zebra. We spotted elephants, zebra, pelican birds, clover birds and antelopes. We watched the sunset over the delta before returning back to camp. After our dinner we sat around the fire listening to Crispen telling us about the Mozambique culture. They definitely have a lot of different cultural beliefs in comparison to us.

    The following morning we woke at 5:30 for coffee before heading on a morning walk around the delta. We watched the sunrise over the delta and listened to the sounds of hippos, elephants and lions in the bushes. We spotted a group of zebra migrating through the water to another land inlet. There were a few impala and oryx grazing in the grass before we spotted a buffalo only a few meters away. This made our guides nervous and they quickly ensured that we headed back to our camp. At the camp the guides told us that the buffalo are the most dangerous animals to hurt humans. The guides told us stories about near miss injuries they had when the interacted with a buffalo.

    They also told us that if an elephant kills a human the elephant will remember and feel guilty for this action. The elephant will bury the body underground and then they will return every few days or months back to the grave to pay their respects. If their fellow elephants learn about the elephant killing a human they may disown them from their elephant herd. We were all stunned by this information and it makes me even more fascinated by elephants.     Czytaj więcej

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  • PodróżnikAfrica
    Dzień 45

    Elephant Sands

    28 maja 2023, Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    It was quite an adventurous drive today to Elephant Sands. Firstly we stopped at a disinfectant road stop. We had to get out of the truck with our spare shoes and step into disinfectant buckets. The truck then drove through a large disinfectant puddle. This is to prevent foot and mouth disease spreading through areas of the country. As we drove we saw a group of elephants at the side of the main road drinking from the water mains. We slowed down to take photos. It was crazy that the elephants were not worried about us being so close to them and they continued on drinking. At other spots there were zebra, kudu, oscriches, cows and goats grazing close to the road.

    Elephant Sands was our accommodation for the night. It has a waterhole and the lodge pump fresh water into the hole every day. There were signs around the accommodation site to "give way to wild elephants". When we arrived we were surprised to see over thirty elephants at the waterhole. The elephants would walk straight by the accommodation to the waterhole for a drink and then walk pass again when they went searching for food. When I went to the bathroom I had to check right and left to ensure there was no elephants passing by before crossing over the path. It was crazy.

    We sat beside the waterhole for hours observing how the elephants interacted with each other. The seating area was only two meters from the elephants and it was breathtaking to be so close to them. Elephants are known to be quite intelligent animals. Instead of letting the water fill up the whole pond, the elephants drank directly from the tap to get the fresh water. This meant that the elephants would shove each other to try and get their trunk to the water tap. Some elephants even stuck their ivory tusks into other elephants bums to get the other elephant out of their way. It was also funny watching an elephant running from a distance towards the waterhole and try to figure out the best route to get to the water tap. At times there would be a roar from an older elephant to warn the others to stop messing. The roar from the elephant was surprisingly very loud. After drinking some elephants would spray themselves with muck. Other elephants stood to the side resting their trunk on their ivory or standing on three legs having a rest. It was difficult to decide to go to bed as the elephants were so entertaining.

    I woke up at 5am to watch the elephants before our breakfast. This time there was only one elephant drinking at the waterhole. It was fascinating hearing them vacuum the water into their trunks before they place the water in their mouth. It was a special moment to be alone watching the elephant move around while the sun was rising. I thought seeing all the rhinos at the waterhole in Etosha National Park was going to be hard to beat but staying so close to wild elephants was incredible.     Czytaj więcej

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  • PodróżnikAfrica
    Dzień 46

    Chobe National Park

    29 maja 2023, Botswana ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    The drive from Elephant Sands to Chobe National Park took three hours. The plan of the day was a three hour safari drive in Chobe National Park followed by a three hour cruise along the Chobe River. We were told we had to be at the camp for midday to start our tours. Once we arrived at the camp we had a few minutes to set up our tents before we were collected by our safari guide Kobo. We were all concerned that we would not see many animals during the safari drive as most animals can be hiding from sunlight during the middle of the day, however we were very wrong.

    Upon entry into the park there was a noticeable difference in appearance compared to previous national parks that I have visited on this trip. The roads were sandy so only 4x4 jeeps could use the park making it quieter. There were more trees and less grass but this made spotting the animals a little bit easier. Kobo told us that the park has been protected for 35 years and is only open during daylight hours so animals are very used to seeing people and 4x4 jeeps.

    Within a few minutes of entering the park there was a group of giraffes hanging out together. Next we saw a group of vultures resting on a tree. They were looking at an impala who was slowly dying on the ground below. Kobo told us that the vultures were waiting for the impala to die before having their feast. That is the circle of life!

    Next we saw large groups of baboons, kudu and zebra together. We went down to the water edge and saw two male elephants trying to impress a female elephant. However, the highlight of the safari was when we came across thirteen lions feasting on a buffalo further down the river. Kobo explained that the lions had paralyzed the female buffalo yesterday by the riverbed. The group of buffalo stayed with it's injuries all night until it died, then the buffalos left this morning. This gave the lions the opportunity to move in and enjoy their feast. It was funny to see how the hierarchy of feeding occurred as the male ate first followed by the young lions and then everyone else. There was also ten to fifteen vultures waiting at the side to take any leftovers although Kobo was unsure there would be much left due to the size of the lion herd. We sat and watched the lions from across the riverbed which was only about twenty meters away. It was amazing to be so close to a large herd of lions and watch them being active.

    As we returned back to the entry of the park we saw the large group of buffalo, who had lost their family member, taking shade under trees. There must have been nearly one hundred buffalo. We saw large groups of elephants crossing the river to the other side for more food or water. There was also a few crocodiles near the river edge and a group of hippo lying on the sand. I was surprised how close we were able to get the animals without them moving away.

    Kobo dropped us to the river where we got onto on river cruise boat. After the excitement of the safari, the river cruise was more chilled and relaxed. The Chobe River splits Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. We learned that there was previous conflict between Botswana and Namibia about an island in the river as Namibia felt it should be theirs however Hague did a review and declared the island to below to Botswana. We cruised along the river for a few minutes before spotting an elephant in the middle of the river eating grass. The river was about five meters deep and the elephant had found an area with plenty of grass to eat. It took the grass in it's trunk and shook the grass around to get rid of the moss before eating. Kodo explained that elephants can hold nine liters of water in their trunk before drinking.

    We saw plenty of birds such as heron and swallows flying over the river. We saw another crocodile and a lizard by the river edge. We also saw a group of buffalo that stay on the island in the middle of the river for nine months of the year as they have enough water and grass to fed on. The only reason they leave the island is to find new mating partners. We watched the beautiful sunset over the river before heading back to camp for our last night in Botswana.     Czytaj więcej

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  • PodróżnikAfrica
    Dzień 47

    Victoria Falls Zambia

    30 maja 2023, Zambia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We crossed over the Botswana border into Zambia for our last day on this leg of the trip. There is a beautiful bridge that crosses the Chobe River to Zambia however to be honest it looks out of place compared to the basic surroundings. Once across the border we stopped in Livingstone for a half an hour stop at the supermarket before proceeding to the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park. Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park is where you can visit Victoria Falls on the Zambia side. The month of May is high water season for the Zambezi River. The difference between the volume of water falling per second over Victoria Falls in high season is fifty times higher than in low season. This means that during high season the volume of water at the waterfall produces a huge amount of spray as it falls.

    We were warned by Crispen to not bring any valuables and to wear quick drying clothes. We entered into the park and got a distant view of Victoria Falls. We took pictures of the waterfall wearing our dry clothes not knowing how wet we were going to get. As we got closer to the waterfall the spray volume increased so much so that every item of clothing was dripping within a few seconds. The waterfall felt like it was only ten meters away from us and the sound of the water flowing was extraordinary. There was a lovely bridge that crosses over into a headland that had a good view of the waterfall. This bridge provided us with great fun as it was nearly all within the waterfall spray cloud. We all had a great laugh running into the water spray and then taking a few steps backwards back into the dry sun heat.

    The surprising but nice part of our visit to Victoria Falls was the lack of tourists. We were able to walk around the park and take our own pictures without having to wait for other tourists to move or other tourists photobombing our pictures. According to Crispen it seems like Africa tourism hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels which is a shame as it is a very beautiful location.

    We finished our trip at the Victoria Falls Waterfront and had a lovely dinner together while watching the sunset over the Zambezi River. We remembered the funny parts of the trip and shared our highlights and lowlights. Three of us are continuing onto Nairobi and unfortunately we don't have anyone else joining our group so it will be a very small group. Nevertheless I am really glad that I got on so well with the group and we had some amazing experiences. There is a possibility that I may meet some of them again further along in the trip depending on their travel plans too but I must say visiting Victoria Falls and having a good laugh running through the waterfall spray was a great way to finish this leg of the trip.     Czytaj więcej

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  • PodróżnikAfrica
    Dzień 48

    Victoria Falls Zimbabwe

    31 maja 2023, Zimbabwe ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Victoria Falls can be viewed from both the Zambia and Zimbabwe side of the Zambezi River. There is a debate about which side of the river is best to view the waterfall. While I was in the locality I wanted to visit both side to see the waterfall completely. Courtney had previously seen it in the low water season three years ago but was interested in visiting it again during May's high water season.

    We got a taxi from Victoria Falls Waterfront lodge to the Zambia border and got our exit stamp out of Zambia. We walked over the bridge into Zimbabwe. From online research there was a conflict of information regarding the price of the Zimbabwe visa for an Irish citizen. Some official website said we didn't need one while other websites said I did and it would cost $30. Both websites were incorrect. Courtney got her visa for $30 as she is traveling on an Australia passport however my visa turned out to be $55. I was a little bit surprised but wasn't going challenge the officer on it. Once we got our Zimbabwe stamp we walked to the entrance of Zimbabwe's Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park. Crispen had told us the entrance fee to the park was $30 but it actually was $50. Nevertheless as I was in Zimbabwe I had to pay the fee as I wasn't going to turn around now.

    Once in the park we walked around for about two hours seeing the waterfall. The view of the waterfall was slightly more distant than the Zambia side however there was still a lot of water spray from the falls which made it difficult to see the scale of the waterfall. At times it reminded me of being at the Cliffs of Moher with the rain battering in from the coast however at Victoria Falls you could take a step or two backwards out of the water and the sun would be shining down again.

    Courtney and myself came to the conclusion that in high water season the Zambia side is better as you are closer to the waterfall to get wet however in low water season Courtney said the Zimbabwe side was better as you don't get wet much but you get to see the scale of the waterfall. I would like to come back during low water season to see Victoria Falls and compare for myself the difference. One disappointment was that Devil's Pit swimming area was closed because the water was too high so I would like to swim there too.

    After our visit at the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park we met the American couple, Karen and Craig at the local market. We spent a little time trying to haggle items without much success before we crossed back over to the Zambia side to complete our short but sweet visit to Zimbabwe.     Czytaj więcej

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  • PodróżnikAfrica
    Dzień 50

    South Luangwa National Park

    2 czerwca 2023, Zambia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    We had a very long drive from Lusaka to South Luangwa. We left at 5am and arrived at 18:30 to our camp. We noticed the poorer houses along the way as the houses were made from wood with a straw roof. We came across a few flea markets where locals were gathering to buy their supplies. There was a lot of children waving at the truck and this helped to pass some of the time on the truck.

    There was an optional safari drive leaving at 5am however as we had a long drive the day before nobody fancied getting up early for another drive. Instead we used the morning to relax and recovery. The camp was located beside the Luangwa River and we saw sixteen hippos lying on the sand bank in the middle of the river. We sat for an hour or two watching them lying on the sand bank and occasionally spotting an elephant coming down to the river on the opposite bank to drink some water. It was funny how the hippos barely moved for the time we watched them.

    WiFi was available for two hours at reception between 12-2. While I was connecting to the WiFi, I noticed local people setting up chairs and drums in front of me. At 1pm a music show started, the locals started singing and dance before introducing a play. The play was about a daughter who wanted to leave her tribe and go into the city however the chief of the tribe showed her the lessons nature has to teach natives. The best part was seeing how creative the actors were at demonstrating the animals of the safaris. It was like our own Lion King play, we were very impressed and recommended it as a optional activity for all trucks that visit the camp.

    Included in our trip we had a night time game drive in South Luangwa National Park. Our tour guide picked us up at 4pm and we saw crocodile, hippos, puku, kudu, impala, zebra and a few elephants before sunset. It's crazy how every safari looks different and although we spot the same animals, the animals are in different surrounding or different situations and that makes the safaris so exciting. We stopped in the middle of the savannah to watch the sunset while eating popcorn. The sunsets in Africa are beautiful as the colours in the sky is very vibrant. We also saw the full moon rising nearly at the same time which was very cool.

    Once the sun had set we continued on to search for more animals. We first saw a family of lions lying in the grass resting. There was one male and two females with eight cubs who looked so small that they must have been only a few months old. We were able to drive within a few meters to see the lions and their cubs without them moving. They didn't even seem bothered by us. It was amazing. On our way out of the park we came across four impala who seemed on high alert. There was a few other 4x4 around us with their headlights off. After a few minutes one of the 4x4 switched on their headlights and we noticed a leopard creeping closer to the impala. The impala also spotted the leopard and they scattered in all directions avoiding their predator. The leopard then sat and looked around for a minute before walking slowly along the road ahead of us. He was not bothered by the headlight tracking him and it was very cool to be so close to the leopard and to see it move. The leopard then ducked back into the bushes out of our line of sight. When we got back to camp we were very excited to tell Crispen about all the animals we spotted over dinner and it took us a while to come down from the high of the safari.     Czytaj więcej

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  • PodróżnikAfrica
    Dzień 53

    Kande Beach

    5 czerwca 2023, Malawi ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    We had another long driving day that included a border crossing into Malawi. There was a lot more to look at in comparison to the long drive through Zambia. We saw more activity in the villages and people were working in the fields or at the local markets. We saw some people playing soccer and cycling along the road. There were women walking with buckets of water on their head and men fishing in the rivers. There was a lot of police and military check points along the way checking Harmony's driving license or checking our passports. When the local people heard the truck driving by they would stop and look at the truck. When the children noticed we were white people they would shout "Muzungo (white people)" and wave at us. It was fun seeing their smiles and hearing them cheer when we waved back at them.

    The following morning a local guide George invited us on a village walk. When we left our camp George introduced us to three of his friends who also walked to us individually as our personal guides. We were shown the village chicken hut and pig stye. We went to the local school and once the children saw us they ran out of their class to greet us. It was a mad experience as a lot of the children gave me high fives and then took my hand and wanted to touch my white skin. We then went into one of the classes to meet the principal who explained the school subjects and told us that the school had twelve teachers for 1390 children. This means younger children go to school in the morning and the older children attend school in the afternoon. He informed us that passing English is mandatory in order to be able to progress into secondary school and university. He asked for a donation to help build a dinner program to allow all children to have a meal to eat at school as some children go to school hungry due to lack of food at home. As we walked out of the school the children again were hanging out of us which was funny but I felt a little bit strange. I'm not a celebrity but I felt that was how I was being paraded around the village.

    We then attended the local health center and we were shown around by the general manager. The health center has a maternity service along with HIV testing and immunization. They explained that all other health problems are treated in the hospital 70km away. Again they asked for a donation to help purchase mosquito nets and to fix they water pump. On the way back to our accommodation the personal guides showed us their art. We realised when they took us all aside separately to show us their own art that the main point of them to give us personal guides was to earn money themselves. We also had to pay the head guide for the village tour so we felt a little bit conflicted when we got back as a $10 village walk turned into a lot more money than our budgets were expecting. It was nice to be able to meet the local people and donate money to them as they are a lot poorer than we are. It was a strange feeling to have children wanting to touch my arms because of my skin colour. We had conflicting feelings about the whole thing afterwards and I am still not sure how comfortable I feel about the whole experience.     Czytaj więcej

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