Our Travels: Part 2

Our Travels: Part 1 |Our Travels: Part 3|Our Travels: Part 4|Our Travels: Part 5|Our Travels: Part 6

Day 6: Sunday, 29 July 2012
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

The plan for today started at 8am, when the Botswana tour guide collected us at 8am from the hotel to transfer us to Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean side. The Falls spread over to Zambia too, but we decided to just see them from one side. The problem with going to see the falls is that you have to get visas for Zimbabwe and Zambia. You don’t need visas for Botswana or Namibia, so travelling between these countries on our passports is pretty easy. The tour guide had said that it would be $30 for the visa into Zimbabwe (and we were only going for the day). When we arrived at the border, the guys were very friendly and then said that Esben’s visa was $30 and mine was $55! We weren’t sure why we would pay a different price, as we’re both on European passports, but then the guy said that passports from Ireland, Britain and a few other countries including Canada pay a higher amount. He then joked and said that maybe I should inquire about getting a Danish passport – a possible argument for, I guess ;o)

Once over the border we were greeted by two Zimbabwean guides who drove us to Vic Falls. It’s about an hour’s drive from the border. We saw many animals along the way, as the road runs through a wildlife area. The town of Vic Falls is very nice, quite small, and has a few shops and restaurants. There are tourist police walking around the town and they are very helpful. They also like to bring/direct you to the craft market, but we decided not to go this time. We got something to eat and headed to the Vic Falls National Park. The Victoria Falls are very impressive – on the Zimbabwean side you can get a good perspective of the size of them. They say from the Zambian side people can get up more closely to the water (and the spray coming from the water). You can also do loads of water-based activities and bungee jumping on the Zambian side. But we were happy to stay on the Zimbabwean side and to walk along the few kilometres of walkway, which give the visitor different views of the falls. Both Esben and I have visited Iguazu Falls in Argentina/Brazil, and I have also been to Niagra Falls. The Victoria Falls are definitely up there with the best and we weren’t disappointed one bit by our day trip.

Near the last photo spot at the falls, a Namibian man (Tinosy) offered to take our photo. He was visiting the falls with his family (wife and two children) from northeastern Botswana (Katima Mulilo). We then offered to take a photo of them, but they didn’t have a camera. So we used our camera and plan to email them the photo. The children were a little unimpressed with the fact that we were being soaked by the spray of the water, depending on which way the wind blew the spray. At least it was very warm out and we dried off quickly. Although at a few points along the way, we did need our rain ponchos (which we had for Northside), so they came in handy again. There’s one photo in which Esben’s poncho is inflated by the wind – well that’s what he says, I’m guessing it might be the big camping dinners we make :o)

Before our guide collected us, we had a bit of time to relax and we stopped at the café in the park for something to eat. They had unusual meals on the menu, and we went for warthog (not endangered) in a pita, as they were out of ostrich. It tasted very like pork, which is not surprising, but I was a little unsure of whether I would eat it at the start. I had just seen really cute warthogs playing with each other on the walk around by the falls. But in the end I tasted it, and well, it was yum! We decided to opt for a yummy dessert – the slices of cake were enough for two people and a bargain at US$4 each :o) Zimbabwe only deals in dollars, and along the road, some locals came up to us to try to sell some old currency as a souvenir.  Our guide collected us at 3.30pm and we headed back to Botswana. We saw some more wildlife on the way back, and were able to take a few good pictures.

The guides were very friendly and helpful, giving us some history on the falls and Zimbabwe. We arrived back at our hotel in time for another sunset. We might actually get to see 30 sunrises and sunsets while on holidays! We made a cup of tea on the stove, and were in bed by 9pm, given that we have to be up for 5am tomorrow for the morning game drive in Chobe National Park.

 

Day 7: Monday, 30 July 2012

Chobe National Park, north eastern Botswana

We were up at 5am for a 6am pick-up from the hotel. It was still dark, as sunrise is at about 6.30-7am. While we waited at the reception area, other tour groups headed off to the park, and by 6.15am there was still no sign of our guide. Hmmm…. doubts started to creep into our minds. Is this a scam? Will they come at all? It was the same tour group as the day before, and we knew where their offices were, so we didn’t think they could get away with anything. So we asked at reception to ring the mobile number on our receipts. Oh, the guide is on the way – just picking up some people. 10 minutes pass by, and still no sign of them – oh the guide is on the way, just getting some petrol in Kazungola (they have run out of petrol in Kasane and you have to drive 10km to Kazungola). 15 more minutes pass by – oh, the guide is on the way, just picking up some people. It’s 7am. Guide arrives. Well at least the tour is here and it isn’t a scam. There is a group of Chinese tourists on the game drive truck too. The guide says that he’ll still run the tour for three hours – I’m just glad we’re going to Chobe NP and not back to our tent! We start the tour by driving down by the riverfront, which I had expected from reading the guidebook. But I had also expected to see elephants everywhere. I said to Esben, from the description in the book I would nearly expect the elephants to be an all singing, all dancing herd of entertainers!

But alas, the trustworthy impalas were there to entertain us. One of the guys from the other group was getting a little impatient and asked the driver to go back up inland into the park, as we only seemed to be driving along the riverfront. We weren’t sure if the guide was that experienced or knew his way around the park, but he seemed to keep wanting to drive along the riverfront. That said, we got to see a hippo (our first!), cape buffalo (supposedly you don’t mess with these guys), many species of birds, and elands. We went inland for a brief tour and then back out again onto the front. The Chinese guy was getting more and more frustrated, and mentioned that it is too cold for lions and leopards to be roaming along the waterfront. After about 2 hours we stopped for some well-needed coffee/tea and biscuits. Esben asked the driver at this stage would it be possible to drive more inland into the park and our guide said yes, but once we started again he was out to the riverfront. Then he said that he was looking for a lion, but I think everyone was a little sceptical of him. 

Well, basically, the tour that started badly ended very well. While bumping along in our 4WD on the riverfront we came across a female lion – lying down and looking out towards us. It was fantastic! She left after about 5 minutes and we were unable to find her again. We thought we might be able to find the rest of the pride, but they were nowhere to be found. However, across the river, we could see something going on. We took some photos, but our lens wasn’t strong enough to get a picture in focus. We could work out from the photos that there was a pride of lions over by the riverside, and they were feasting on a cape buffalo. A hippo was in the water watching on. It was unfortunate that we couldn’t get any closer, but we could work out from the (slightly blurred) photos what was going on. A boat came along the river at that moment, and they got the best view of the lions and their prey. Then we turned for home and were very lucky to see different animals along the way. First of all we drove by a herd of elephants – it was like a family day-out! The baby elephants were so cute, and the mother and father were very protective – this was great to see. Then we came across a group of giraffes, and in particular there were two giraffes with their necks up against each other. We weren’t sure if it was a mating position or a fighting position, but our guide told us that they were two males fighting. I had never seen anything like this before, so it really made our day. By the time we got back at 10.30am, we had had a very enjoyable morning game drive filled with many good surprises.

We had a few hours during the day to relax before our boat cruise along the Chobe river at 3pm. So it was time to get some clothes washed, recharge camera batteries, transfer photos, reorganise the car and also realise that the local wildlife (monkeys) had gotten into the front part of our tent and bitten into the milk carton. We hadn’t planned on leaving it there, but had forgotten to put it away before leaving this morning. At least that was the worst they had done. When we got back, they were emptying the main bin, picking out food and leftovers they would like to eat. Esben took some video of them, and they are well able to open packets of any kind and take a look in. I left the boot open for a minute and walked away – someone else on the campsite was calling over to me – one of the monkeys was in the boot, but I got back in time to stop him from doing anything. A little while later, Esben left the boot open (he had forgotten the previous incident!), and the monkey got two bananas and snacked on one of our oranges. Oh well, you learn the hard way!

This afternoon (3pm) we went on the boat cruise. As we had gone through a smaller agency and not the lodge, we knew the boat would be smaller. However, to our surprise, when our guide came along she said that we were the only two on the boat today. So as the crowds boarded the boats run by the lodge, we stepped on board our private boat – well it looked like that to everyone else, but we had actually paid less to go on this tour. Our guide Vincent was very friendly and very informative. He could also spot wildlife from a good 0.5km away. He brought us right up to the wildlife once he had spotted it, and he also told us a bit about the history of the area (it is at the border of Namibia and Botswana) and gave us tips on how to spot different animals and whether they are male or female. We saw crocodiles up close – which was a little scary and exciting at the same time. You never think that crocodiles just want to relax in the sun, as they are always portrayed as human-predators in films. I have to say, when I saw them first, I might have mistaken them for mechanical crocodiles, which were put on the side of the bank for tourists. That would have been funny. And then Vincent said that he brought a group of Chinese tourists out two days previously and he was showing them the crocodiles. They said that they didn’t believe the animals were real. He tried to convince them, but they just wouldn’t believe him. Then he turned his back for a second to show them something else, and when he turned back, they were prodding the crocodiles with a stick! He immediately got the motor running and got out of there!

After seeing the crocs, we saw an elephant herd heading back to land across the channel. After they came to land, they went into a pool of mud where they rolled around in it to cover themselves. This layer of mud helps to protect them against insects. Some of them didn’t want to leave the mud pool – it was hilarious! The tour was very enjoyable and we would highly recommend the NWSE booking agency in Kasane (along the main street, just before Marina Hotel). Even though this morning got off to a late start, it ended up being two days of really good fun, and we got to see some of the most amazing wildlife. I have to say, I could sit and watch elephants playing around in the mud all day long and not get bored!

Day 8: Tuesday, 31 July 2012

Kasane – Ngoga, Camp Kwando, Namibia

 Today we left Kasane and Chobe National Park behind and headed into Namibia. We had read in the guide book that there is a transit route through the park which is suitable for 2WD (which we have), so we were hoping that this was the same still, as you need a 4WD to go through Chobe NP. Luckily this was the case, and the road was very good all the way to the border. While driving through the park we saw more wildlife – a real zebra crossing, about 6 zebras in total walking from one part of the park to the other side across the main road. Unfortunately didn’t get a photo, but great to see! All went smoothly at the borders, and it was nice to find out that we didn’t have to pay anything to bring the car from Botswana to Namibia – we had to pay from South Africa into Botswana. The roads leading to our destination were all pretty good.

 Along the road there are picnic tables every few kilometres, with shaded tables and seats, which is a great idea. So we stopped off at one of these. It was around the time when the children were coming home from school and it was along a road where there are many villages consisting of mud huts and wood fences. So we were sitting at this table and these children were running along the road, home from school. Don’t ask me how they were running in full uniform – it was 26 degrees C! We said hello as they passed by. They were just staring at us and then laughing. We weren’t sure what they were laughing at, but we took it to be that they were interested in us. Esben asked if we could take a photo of them and they all started laughing and smiling and lined up for a photo. Esben showed them the photo to them afterwards and they were smiling.


We met a lot of children along the road as they were finishing school around the same time. It was very interesting to see the various villages – they seemed so basic, like something in Ireland from the early 1900s. Most children were waving at us as we drove passed and we waved back. We were heading in the direction of Kongola, and then turning off to stay at a camp near to a traditional village. We had decided that it would be nice to meet some locals in both Botswana and Namibia, in addition to going on safari and seeing other parts of the countries.

We had read about a traditional village in Lizauli and then picked a place nearby where we could camp. The camping area is actually part of a lodge, which has more expensive chalets. So once again we get the benefits of an up-market lodge, and pay camping prices :o) This afternoon we called down to the traditional village but it was closed. We were reading the sign outside, when this guy came running up to us to tell us that it was closed at this time (4pm), but we could come back. He seemed like he really wanted us to come back – that’s no problem, we can call in the morning as we’re only staying up the road. It sounded really interesting, and we are looking forward to the visit. This man left, and then we decided to take some photos of wildlife and the river, when another man came running towards us. He hadn’t seen us talking to the first man, and wanted to reassure us that the people would be there the next day. We reassured him that we would be back and we were sorry that he had to run all the way (he was totally out of breath).

As we drove back, we  passed by many traditional villages, and it was a real eye-opener to see how people live in this area. Many people were carrying food and straw on their heads  - something which really amazes me. When we got back to our lodge it was still warm enough to enjoy the sunshine, so we went for a swim in the pool. As it’s my birthday today, we decided to eat dinner at the lodge instead of starting up the stove. The dinner was top class: really tasty butternut soup for the starter, minced warthog with couscous and vegetables, and then sticky toffee pudding for dessert. The staff were really friendly and attentive, which made the dinner even more enjoyable. By 8pm I felt really tired and was ready to call it a night. Before we left the lodge for our tent, we sat by the fire and relaxed a little bit. There is something very special about sitting at an open fire!

Day 9: 1 August 2012

Camp Kwando, Ngongo, Namibia – Mbiro Camp, Seronga, Botswana

We left our campsite this morning to go back to the Lizauli traditional village. When we got there, it seemed to be locked up still, but we stood outside and waited. Soon after a girl (carrying her baby on her back in a sling) came along and explained that the guide was sick, but that we could look at the handicrafts that they sell. We had a look around – it was very impressive, and couldn’t resist buying our families some bread baskets. We asked if we could have a look around the village anyhow, even without a guide, and that was ok. It was a pity that we couldn’t get an explanation for everything, but we were able to work out some things for ourselves. Esben found some musical instruments and we have some video of him playing them. We also took a picture of a map which described what happened in each of the mud huts.

While we were waiting outside the traditional village some locals came along with their cows, who were pulling a wooden cart of sorts. And then they started loading straw bales (very long ones) onto the cart/trailer. We were able to take some video of this, and it was interesting to see all the women at work.

We left the village at about 9am, and headed back on the dusty road towards Kongola. We then headed along a sealed road (the Golden Highway) in the direction of Rundu. We wanted to turn off at Divundu to drive along the Okavango panhandle. It isn’t the ‘real’ Okavango delta, but an extension of the inner delta, but it does enable you to do a morkoro trip (gliding across the waters in a shallow-draft dugout canoe, now made from fibreglass to save the environment) at a fraction of the price quoted in the Moremi game reserve. We wanted to stay at a campsite and do the morkoro trip with a trust, set up by the local community. This is located near to Seronga, which is about 77km from the border between Namibia and Botswana.

So our trip today involved driving along nice, sealed roads, then turning into the Mahango Game Reserve (which we plan to visit properly in two days’ time) and then reaching the border. The road through the reserve was a gravel track, which is ok to drive along. The border located at Mohembo is clearly a very relaxed one! When we came in the Namibian side, there was one other tour group outside, who had set up their lunch table, while they waited for their forms to be processed. We got through the border very quickly, and then there was no one at the exit gate, so we had to open it ourselves!

We then drove over to the Botswana border point and we filled in the car registration book, but there was no one in the office. I had to go outside to get something from the car, and a lady was on her mobile. She looked like an official, and probably worked here. So Esben is inside calling to get someone’s attention. I can hear ‘hello, hello?’ from outside. When I went back inside, there was still no one there, and the music was still playing loudly from the radio. Soon after a guy arrived along, and he was very friendly, and gave us the forms to fill out. Then the lady from outside arrived back, and she was in charge of arrivals. So she stamped our forms while chatting away to the others. At least it went very smoothly.

Our next destination was the ferry crossing. We weren’t sure how this would go, as there wasn’t much written about it anywhere. We had seen a youtube clip before we left, so we had an idea of what it looked like. There weren’t many cars there when we arrived, which was a good sign – it meant we might get on the next one. Only about 4 cars fit each time, plus about 20 passengers. When the ferry arrived back, most of the cars were 4WD, so we were happy to see another 2WD going onto the ferry in front of us. We got on without any problems (only 2 cars on it, and 9 passengers), and the whole trip took about 5 minutes.

While reading in the guidebook about the road from the ferry to Seronga, it described it as a ‘good sandy road (suitable for 2WD)’. This was very reassuring, as many of the places around are only suitable for 4WDs. Well, it was a sandy road, I’ll admit. A good sandy road – not sure what that’s meant to mean. And yes it was possible for a 2WD. But I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint-hearted. The most interesting thing was seeing all the villages along the way. Esben commented that at times you didn’t know what century you were in.  We were driving along bumpy roads for a while, and then it became sandy, and we thought ‘oh, this is what the guide book meant’. But we didn’t realise how sandy it was, and as we came up a hill and tried to find out which way we should drive, we got totally stuck in a pile of sand. The car was going nowhere.

Luckily at this spot, there were about 6 local men and boys, and they all came over immediately to help us dislodge the car. I got out to help them too, and Esben looked after the driving. The guys had to rock the car at one point to get the sand back into the hole under the wheel. After a few minutes they had it sorted, and we were able to drive on and avoid the huge sand pile. We couldn’t thank them enough, and they said not to worry, it had happened them the day before! After that incident, we drove very caustiously.  One of the guys who had helped us warned us about the road ahead, and that we should take it easy, as the road didn’t improve. What was that we had read in the guidebook?!

Anyhow, we thought that we were much nearer Seronga, but then saw a sign for 67km to Seronga. Ok, this will be a long, bumpy drive, and Esben and I really had to be alert. On the way we passed by many more villages and locals, and we finally arrived at the village by 5pm. We saw a sign to our campsite and headed out there. We assumed that the road from the village would continue out to the campsite, but then we had to turn off down a road filled with sand. Oh no! These roads are just not suitable for 2WDs! But we made it down (somehow!). The lady at the campsite even commented on the fact that we had made it here at all driving such a ‘small car’!

We organised our morkoro trip for tomorrow. We start at 9am and will be gone all day. There is no one else staying at the campsite, and perhaps just one other group staying in a chalet. The campsite goes right down to the delta, and the lady laughed when we decided not to camp too near to the delta. We can hear a lot of activity in the delta as I type – I wouldn’t like one of them (hippos, crocs) to wake us up tomorrow :o)

We cooked our dinner on the stove (camping dinners are great; they are always a mix of things you have with you!), and enjoyed it with a glass of red wine (a lovely find in the supermarket last week – South African red, Laborie shiraz, 2010). We think we might look for another bottle at the next supermarket. And now it’s bed-time I think. Poor Esben – he drove the whole way today and I definitely think he’s feeling the tiredness now. While the delta remains active for the evening (we could hear frogs calling to each other), I think we’ll retreat for the night!

Day 10: Thursday, 2 August 2012

Seronga, Okavango Polers’ Trust – Mokoro trip

We met our poler, "Snaps", at 9am at the campsite and we set off in a mokoro from there. Two people sit in a mokoro and the poler stands and poles from the back (quite like a gondola). Esben was sitting in the back and I was in the front. The minute we set off it was like what I had imagined, and it was a great feeling being so close to the water and moving in between the reeds and water lilies. It is tiring for the poler, so we stopped a few times along the river bank. He certainly knew his way around the river (which is part of the Okavango Delta). At times we were in among the reeds, and there didn’t seem to be a way out, but then we would weave along the river and come out into an opening in the river bed. We stopped for lunch at 1pm and while we stretched our legs, Snaps took a deserved rest from poling. Then after lunch we continued on along the river and turned back at about 2pm.

The flora and fauna are wonderful to see – we saw numerous birds up close, and many of them were new species to us. Just to see the insects jumping along the water was amazing. And I’ve always liked looking at water lilies, so it was a joy to be floating by so many. We certainly weren’t shy about taking photos during the trip, and that was even without seeing any large animals! You would have to be much further into the delta to see any of the big five, as it is too shallow in the area we were in. That said, the same flora and fauna is visible throughout the delta. We got back at about 5pm, and it was truly a day to remember.

Afterwards, over dinner, I was reading about the lodges that you can fly to in the Moremi Game Reserve (the most central part of the delta and where you are guaranteed to see the big five, practically from your bedroom). At the prices they charge, you should probably be able to rub the chin of a lion! While we were out in the mokoro, a few planes flew overhead, and I assume they were clients being flown in and out. The Dutch guys we met had spent some time there too, but as they had their own 4WD, they were able to do a self-drive and just camp at the national park run campsites. Perhaps that could be a possibility for the next time we’re back in Botswana :o)
Read more at Our Travels: Part 3