Namibia & Botswana

Entering Namibia, we were immediately overcome by thirst by just looking at the dry landscape.

The fantastic Fish River Canyon ( a mini Grand Canyon) was overrun by holidaying South Africans. Aside from the National Park, we stayed at Fish River L.O.D.G.E (Louis' Own Desert Great Experience- there is no "lodge"). It is private land with road access to the canyon floor, great canyon camping and walking for a fee. You pay more than in National Parks, get less in terms of facilities but it was worth it.

It was up to Keetmanshoop- the Quiver Tree forest camp owner feeds cheetah daily (sad to see them in captivity) but we were more impressed with the meerkats that lived in and around his house. Keetsmanhoop also spelled the end of Beastie's engine (the 1971 Kombi) and a rebuilt engine was trucked in from CapeTown.

Next we headed for Sesriem and the dunes around Sossusvlei. We "changed horses" at the world's highest dunes. Cousin Wayne (who we cycled with for 3 weeks last summer and obviously wanted to right a wrong) was joined by Kathy who we had last seen 17 years ago. The star arrival was "Magnum", our 4WD twin cab bakkie (pick-up truck). Magnum took over as we bid Chris and Gabrielle adieu.

We worked our way through the impressive Namib-Nauklauft (very dry mountain-desert scenery) through places a long way from nowhere and on through Swakopmund where tap water costs 2 USD a cubic metre.

Up at Cape Cross, home to a hundred thousand fur seals (hold your nose, penguin colonies seem odourless by comparison), we headed inland for the great adventure.

Our first stop was the Ugab river and the Salvadora Widerness Camp (on the White Lady road, 200 metres beyond the 'Goas' sign) in the dry Ugab river bed amongst camel thorn trees. Beautifully situated and spaced campsites with a tastefully done (flush) toilets and hot showers (we were roughing it!) provided an incredible backdrop to the arrival of two desert elephant herds that arrived that evening. With morning coffee in hand, we experienced a very excited trumpeting young bull charging through the camp who had been chased off by a larger bull. Bushman paintings, tire repair in the sad town of Uis, then we scrambled up the top end of a canyon amidst the pink granite ("so many counter tops" per Kathy) of the Brandberg Mountains.

After a couple of days at the Ugab, we passed through Twyfelfontein (Petroglyphs) and then down the sand bed of the Hoanib river in time for lunch with a herd of desert elephants (10) digging for water then drinking and bathing in it (the elephants, not us). We passed nearby many elephant in the riverbed but we remember the desert giraffe walking over a sand dune. Remarkable.

An overnight (very wild camp) in the middle of nowhere (game and scenery) and onto Purros (the destination is as good as the journey). Camping under trees in a dry riverbed (delightful shower), an elephant came to our cocktail hour, throwing in a mock charge (less than 10 paces away) for no extra charge. After watching the incredible giraffe herds, the following morning found us accidentally amidst a feisty elephant herd (trapped from behind by another bull that had mock charged us and ahead by another elephant with young). After applying the "sit still, we were here first" theory, a side charge by a young aggressive bull forced us to pull out quickly. We were leading 3 charging elephant by about 20 metres through 4WD bush, narrowly escaping. Thankfully, we had locked the 4WD hubs in the middle of all this. Adrenaline surge!

Thankfully, the "exciting moments" subsided for the next couple of days before reaching Etosha National Park. Etosha is indescribable. Where else can you come face-to-face with a zebra or kudu then watch a jumbo saunter by your vehicle (a burst of adrenaline for the occupants)?

FOR THE RECORD

Year to date tent nights: 85

Kilometres travelled in Namiba and RSA (by vehicle): 10,500

Indonesian Banana Index: 10 kilos for 1 USD (a submission from Rocky touring in Indonesia)

Additional mammals seen and identified since our last e-mail: - Hhartman's mountain zebra, klipspringer, slender songoose, small grey mongoose, round eared elephant shrew, steenbok, giraffe, gemsbok, ground squirrel, blue wildebeest, cheetah, leopard, bat eared fox, scrub hare, wild cat, cape fox, damaraland dik-dik, cape hare, lion, black-faced impala, warthog, spotted hyena, black rhino, banded mongoose, honey badger

After Etosha we stayed near Windhoek at the Daan Vijoen Game Park then, we headed for Bushmanland via the Waterburg National Park (a bit of a dud for we casual visitors).

In Bushmanland, we camped under the fantastic Holboom baobob (upside down tree) and were mock charged by yet another elephant at the Gura waterhole (no fault of ours!). We went for a walk with the local bushmen who collected their breakfast from the local flora. Later we gave the bushmen a lift into "town" (Tsumkwe) and they flipped through our animal field guides, licking their chops. Sheila was unimpressed by their culinary glee of looking at guinea fowl pictures.

We headed for Kaudom National Park, one of the wildest in Africa, ignoring the rule requiring a minimum of 2 vehicles (we had Magnum, the toughest 4WD around). we drove through plenty of deep sand, enjoyed the best shower in Namibia at Sikereti camp, often waited for elephant herds to cross the sandy track and visited the very wild Isau waterhole with its elephant herds, giraffe, roan antelope, vultures, etc. At the incredible northern Khaudom campsite overlooking a waterhole, Glenn earned the name "showering with elephants" as a bull elephant tore apart the septic tank a few metres away from his bush shower. Not for the weak at heart!

Entering the Caprivi Strip (Namibia), we found all the borders were closed because a seperatist group had stirred things up by trying to capture the main Caprivi town (Katima Mulilo). We slept while hippos grazed along the Okavango river at Ngapi camp. After visiting the delightful Mahango reserve, we re-routed into Botswana and followed the western edge of the Okavango Delta (the size of Switzerland) into Maun.

At nearby Nxai Pan (the "x" is pronounced as a "click"), we drove through more Kalahari sand to visit the gorgeous savannah and acacia trees in the pan. For 6 hours, we watched a pride of lions constantly chase down thirsty springbok and impala; we found ourselves rooting for the lions (unsuccessful that morning).

Further north along the Chobe waterfront (near Kasane & Victoria falls) we were stunned by the quantities of wildlife; it took 2 hours to travel 2 km due to the continuous animal viewing stops (lions eating a buffalo, giraffe, grazing hippos, sunning crocs, elephants passing by us within 5 metres, antelope herds, birds, etc.).

At the Linyanti campsite (Chobe National Park), elephants grazed our campsite at dusk. we passed through elephant alley and plenty more deep sand in the west Savuti area as we made our way to the Moremi Reserve. Hippos grazed a flashlight beam away (noisy eaters) and lion roars awoke us during the night at Moremi North Gate camp.

In Moremi, Magnum (our 4WD) made an exciting amphibious crossing (water above the hood) and led us to a cornucopia of game. One day we watched a male cheetah for 4 hours while he hunted Impala and warthog; demonstrating the acceleration that Formula I drivers would envy. The most amazing Moremi sight was a colourful saddle-billed stork catching and devouring a crocodile (honest; it was a baby croc).

Finally after plenty of time in the bush, we headed back to Windhoek via Ghanzi. We were re-acquainted with civilization sharing a campsite with a group of touring Italians (lovely people but sometimes a little too lively) and the thump-thump of the disco, reminiscent of our nights in Slovakia. Kathy left the tour at Kasane (Vic falls) and Wayne headed back to med school. We stayed with Rudi and Shirley and then caught a bus to South Africa.

THE RECORD

Number of lions seen to date this year: 24

Leopards: 3

Cheetah: 3

Wild Dogs: none

Desert elephant: about 40 (total population is 50-70)

Year to date African kilometres: 15,000

Year to date vehicle punctures: 2

Year to date thermorest punctures: 1

Year to date tent nights: 103

New mammal species spotted: sable, roan antelope, tree squirrel, hippo, bushbuck, lesser bush baby, waterbuck, puku, lesser genet, topi.