Preparing for this trip has been especially fun as I have had time to do some of the research and reading leading up to the trip that I missed on past excursions.
I have gotten to read more about the different areas through which we'll be traveling:
--The Okavanga Delta which is an area not dissimilar to the Everglades but much more extensive and less developed;
--The Drakensburg Mountains, a World Heritage site due, in part, to the rock paintings found throughout the area;
--The St Lucia Wetlands, another World Heritage site due to the importance of the area to the survival of a large number of birds.
Of course, sometimes a little knowledge is a scary thing. While researching the route for the last half of the trip, I found the South African equivalent of the AAA. I expected to read about detours and lane closures due to construction, but the road adviseries contained references to rock slides, sink holes, blasting and problems with animals and people in the roads.
Then looking at the itinerary for the Zambia segment, I found an obscure little footnote I had not noticed before. It said, "Fitness: You should be able to run at least 30 meters fast." WHY????
At the start of every adventure or major challenge I have this feeling that I am invincible and can conquer anything. Sometime after I commit, I always have this moment when I ask myself: "What were you thinking???!!!" I must say that the running 30 meters fast thing has me wondering.
Here is the plan for part of the next six weeks- (Jill gets credit for putting together much of the detail on the first two weeks.)
Monday, August 14th -- Airport to Airport
I start the journey and embark on a ridiculously convoluted route derived to make this trip via first class (because it is grueling in coach) and as cheaply as possible. The good news is that I hope to meet up with friends along the way as I hopscotch from Charlotte to London to Paris to Johannesburg. I will arrive with a day to rest up and take care of some logistical stuff for the second half of the trip. This all presumes that flying is back to normal after today's events!
August 18 -- Sweet Home, Botswana
The fun starts! Jill joins me on the 17th and Friday morning we leave Johannesburg at 10 a.m. on the infamous Air Botswana arriving (with any luck) in Maun, Botswana after a 1 hour 40 minute flight. ( I actually consider this the riskiest part of the trip. AB is likely to decide to change their flight schedule on a whim and not tell anyone).
There we hook up with Tony Reumerman, our guide for the third year running. From Maun we are transported on light aircraft to Xigera Camp (pronounced "keejera") in the Okavango Delta where we spend the next three nights.
Photo of Tony checking to see if there were any animals around that were interested in him. Xigera is a permanent tented camp (Hilton tents as Kim refers to them because while they are tents, they are also pretty comfortable!) in the Moremi Game Reserve which is in a remote corner of the Delta I have not visited before.
Xigera is on an island of riverine forest with a wooden footbridge connecting to the island next to it. Views can be had of lion, hyena and leopard padding across the bridge as they move between islands. If we miss the show, the camp "newspaper" (a sand pit built into the bridge to capture paw prints) is "read" each morning and provides information on unseen nightly visitors to camp.
Photo from the Robin Pope Safari siteOne of the animals I hope to spot here is the sitatunga antelope as the area boasts the highest density of this rare and elusive animal found anywhere in the Okavango Delta. Even the professional guides can count on one hand the number of times they have spotted a sitatunga.
August 21 - 23 -- The Roar of the Lion
From Xigera, we'll be transferred by light aircraft to Duma Tau Camp where we spend the next three nights.
Duma Tau (meaning "roar of the lion") another tented camp in the 125,000 hectare Linyanti Wildlife Reserve, which borders the western boundary of Chobe National Park in northern Botswana. The camp is under a shady grove of mangosteen trees and overlooks a large, hippo-filled lagoon within the Linyanti waterway system. We stayed at a neighboring camp during the first trip to Botswana and it was terrific. The area has large concentrations of elephant along with wild dogs, cheetah and lion.
And there is nothing like being "sung" to sleep by hippos frolicking in the Linyanti River!
August 24 -- Zambia
We leave Tony and Botswana today and head for Mfuwe, Zambia and another new area for me. (While Mfuwe has an international airport, I can't find evidence that it has any people!)
The real destination is the Luangwa National Park where we are staying one night at Nsefu Camp which was the first photographic safari camp in Zambia and dates back to the early fifties. (Kim, this may be more like Motel 6 tents.) Despite its age, the camp sounds unique (aging has that effect on me, too) There is a great view of the river and a terraced area where game grazes during the day. The bar, tucked in beside a huge extinct termite mound, overlooks a waterhole that is very productive for game, especially leopard at night.
August 25 -- Run 30 Meters Fast
Now we get to the "run 30 meters fast" part. Today we walk from Nsefu Camp to a "Fly Camp" where we'll stay the night. Generally, the fly camps are set up about 5 - 6 km from the previous camp and are ever changing. Hence, no amenities like running water, electricity or beds. (Kim, tent tents.)
It is called a Walking Safari. The brochure said nothing about running. In fact, on past trips the guides have always said, don't run. You just look like dinner to a predator if you are running. And fast is relative -- are we talking cheetah fast or hippo fast? One is twice as fast as the other -- but maybe that doesn't matter as both are faster than I.
Assuming I outrun whatever is chasing me, this is a beautiful area. The river is rapidly changing course in this section of the Luangwa Valley and the resulting channels and lagoons host spectacular game.
We do three days of walking (or running as the need arises) which will be very different than my past experiences. In a jeep, the animals are aware of you but not impacted by you. They know what to expect from a jeep. They have become habituated to the presence of the odd jeep coming by - you're almost like a tree -- big, out there, but just part of the scenery. On foot, you are an unknown in a place where everything is either prey or predator.
August 27 - 28 -- Run/Walk to Tena Tena
Tena Tena Camp is in a grove of mahogany trees on a sweeping bend of the Luangwa River and overlooks favorite watering spots for elephants, hippo and antelope. There is a lagoon, Buca Buca, that can be watched from the camp where many animals come to drink. I think after three days of running 30 meters fast, I'll be ready for a little "sit on the deck and veg" time.
August 29 - 30
We leave Tena Tena and the Luangwa National Park to move on to Nkwali Camp for our last two nights in Zambia.
Nkwali Camp is located on private land, overlooking the South Luangwa National Park. It is a beautiful area of Ebony woodland and open grass plains. Elephants often cross the Luangwa River into the area and come to the waterhole near the thatched dining room. The area is also famous for leopard and giraffe sightings.
August 31 -- Back to South Africa
Jill and I make the multi-flight trip back to JNB where Jill heads home and Miriam, providing she hasn't been frightened off by the road advisories, will fly in from London for the next leg of this adventure.
Independent Travels!!
Up until now all of my experiences in Africa have been fabulous – unique, exciting, awe-inspiring and, totally not of my doing. Someone else has taken care of me, arranged for me to have indescribable experiences and seen to my every need. I had care free travel, trackers to suss out the locations of the animals I wanted to see and hot water bottles at my feet on cold nights.
A classmate, Jeff Smith and his lovely and patient wife, Trish, gave me the inspiration to try traveling independently in Africa. They have meandered through the Garden District along the southern coast of South Africa and rave about it. They seem totally comfortable about their ventures and so, have given me the courage to give it a try. Tony's encouragement helped, as well.
I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I would not have had the guts to do this totally on my own – Thank you, Miriam!! If you hadn’t signed on for this jaunt, I’d still be looking through guide books and dreaming.
September 1 – Drive on the left, drive on the left….
We pick up our car first thing and head out of Johannesburg and one of my biggest fears is remembering to drive on the left side of the road! Being a Brit, Miriam ought to be better at it than I am but then there’s part about me not being too good with maps –
Our first destination is in the Royal Natal National Park in the Drakensberg Mountains. We'll stay at Thendele Camp for some hiking to take in the majestic scenery.
September 2 -- The Giant's Castle
The areas of the Drakensberg Mountains have such descriptive names like the Cathedral, Dragon's Back, the Amphitheater. J.R.R. Tolkien is from this area and so my thoughts of what it looks like are infused with the fantasy scapes of the Lord of the Rings.
Tonight we stay at a camp in the Giant’s Castle area and will hike into the caves to see the bushman paintings. I should add, "weather permitting." It is teetering between winter and spring in the Drakensbergs and with the altitude, it may be REALLY cold which we all know is not my favorite condition!
September 3 – Babanango Valley
We will be staying in a bush camp near Babanango which is in the Kwazulu-Natal area of South Africa. There is a rich Zulu heritage and close proximity to the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi (pronounced something like “we she-shweli”, I think.) Reserve. I picked this spot because the people who run the camp also run guided drives into the Reserve which will give us a chance at seeing the wildlife without needing to worry about driving. Also, the family that owns the is gradually buying up land and developing a wild animal reserve which intrigues me.
September 5 -- We’re going to the beach!
Cape Vidal is a camp in the St Lucia Wetlands and we’ll be over the dunes from the Indian Ocean. With luck, we’ll spot humpback whales, avoid the crocs and hippos and soak up a few rays. I am also hoping for the chance to go kayaking here.
September 8 – To Mhlambanyatsi, Swaziland
Actually, we begin to wind our way toward Kruger National Park and decided to take a bit of a jog in the route to go through Swaziland. Surrounded by South Africa, it apparently has a different cultural and approach to modern life -- they still have a king!
September 9 – To the gates of Kruger
After Swaziland we will head for Kruger National Park, the highlight of the trip. We need to be ready to enter the park the morning of the 10th and head for Bateluer Bushveld Camp toward the northern end of the park. The park spans over 200 miles and, because of the animals, the speed limits are very low so getting to our starting point before the camp gates close (again because of the animals!) is a bit of a challenge.
We stay in Kruger until Monday, the 18th, moving to different areas of the park and different camps every couple of days. Through the park there are distinct ecozones each supporting different wildlife. I’m hoping to spot a black rhino – a species I haven’t seen before
and, my favorite in the bush – the wild dogs.
September 18th – Dullstroom
Known for trout fishing and the fact that it supposedly reminds the Brits of Scotland, this town makes a convenient stop off on the way back to Johannesburg.
We’ll also stop at a Raptor Recovery Center run by friends of Tony.
September 19th –
Back to JNB to begin the long trip home which is, again, a hopscotch from airport to airport but with enough time for me to do some sightseeing along the way. I’m home again on the 21st.
I will try to update my blog along the way, if possible. I'll be reliant on internet cafes we happen across -- and I don't expect to find many!! So, if you don't hear from me, no news is good news!!
Credit for the small photos on this post and the last go to people who have posted pictures of their travels to Kruger, the Drakensberg, and Zambia on the site Webshots.com. I can't wait until I have my own to post!
See you soon!
