August 2016 – Page 2 – Couple of Boots

August 5th, 2016

Day 127: Zimbabwe

Today was a LONG travel day. We rolled out of bed at 5AM and hit the road, eating Oreos as our breakfast on the way. It took us 3½ hours to drive down the Caprivi Strip to the Ngoma border crossing into Botswana (during which time, we did not see a *single* elephant or buffalo – kinda disappointed). Leaving Namibia was easy, but as this border crossing was busier than the Mohembo border (which is mostly tourists), it was a LONG wait. It was especially frustrating to see two open counters with border agents *doing nothing* who refused to let us complete our car registration until our passports had been stamped…or, you know, maybe help out the Immigrant agent as she has a line of about 20 people? There was a suggestion box in the office – we considered giving them our advice and entertained ourselves with other outrageous suggestions like a welcome drink – but since we would need to reenter the country one more time, we decided against it.

Once we were in Botswana, we drove a short distance through Chobe National Park to the town of Kasane, where we would be leaving our car while we got a transfer to Zimbabwe (apparently the traffic police in Zimbabwe are *really* corrupt and the hassle of bringing a rental car into the country is just not worth it). We made a quick stop at the Money Exchange office to get rid of all of our Namibian dollars for USD. Why USD? Because that is the *official currency* of Zimbabwe! If you go to any ATM in Zimbabwe, it will give you AMERICAN DOLLARS. How crazy is that? Apparently their inflation rate went so out of control that 350 TRILLION Zimbabwe dollars equals USD $1. We were approached several times by hawkers trying to sell us 3 Trillion Dollar notes as “souvenirs” during our stay.

We arrived at the Chobe Safari Lodge (where we would be parking our car for the next three days) at 12 noon on the dot – perfect timing as our transfer van had also just arrived and was looking for us. We grabbed our bags and locked the car, and finally sat back and let someone else do the driving for a change!

At the Zimbabwe border, we got double entry visas (since we would be visiting the Zambian side of Victoria Falls as well) for USD $45pp, then walked across the border where we switched vehicles. About 2hours later, we were finally dropped off at the Gorges Lodge – a luxurious paradise where we discovered we had another all-inclusive package! All drinks, transportation, and two activities! Yay!

Sunrise on the Caprivi Strip – we’re already 30min into our drive

Two border crossings in one day! Into Botswana, then directly on to Zimbabwe

Welcome drinks and a fantastic view at the Gorges Lodge are welcome luxuries after a LONG travel day

Another ultra-luxury safari tent! Africa is spoiling us! J

We were so comfortable when we arrived, we had a lazy afternoon, enjoying the Wifi *in our tent*. We finally decided we had to do at least one fun thing before the end of the day, so we asked for a ride into town to see the sunset. Since the Gorges Lodge is located a good 40min outside of Victoria Falls proper, our driver told us we didn’t have quite enough time to catch the sunset, but he knew of another hotel nearby that had a bar overlooking a waterhole which would be perfect for sundowners.

Sundowner drinks at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge bar, overlooking the waterhole

It was a stunning sunset, with a large herd of elephants at the waterhole. Once the sky started to darken, a sliver crescent moon appeared

Back at Gorges, and ready for a steak dinner and fine South African wine!

August 4th, 2016

Day 126: The Okavango Delta – Day 3

We jumped out of bed with our second 5AM wake-up call in order to finish packing our bags before our last game drive. The Delta sent us off in style, with another fantastic lion encounter, and plenty of time for a 10:30AM departure back to Jumbo Junction. Our stay at Kadizora Camp in the Okavango Delta has truly been the highlight of our trip so far – a magical experience that we will never forget!

Our final sunrise game drive in the Okavango Delta. It’s chilly, so we get heavy parkas to wear during the drive, although by the time our second breakfast rolls around, it’s warmed up a lot

Our guide, Pat, finds the two lions we heard but couldn’t find the day before!

The male is fully grown – look at that mane! And his lady has a GPS tag! We heard there were some lions tagged as part of a study to see how many lions actually attack the cattle on nearby farms. Hopefully this girl resists the temptation for a beef dinner!

This lovey-dovey pair is a little kinky. After the male shows his interest to *get it on*, the female pees on the ground, and he starts drinking it up!

Yeah, I’d have that face after drinking someone’s pee, too.

It’s hard to top a lion sighting, but we did see many other animals too: head-butting impalas, zebras, and giraffes

Driving through the hippo pool on our boat ride back to the shore

Making our way through the hippo trails – a beautiful farewell to the Okavango Delta

Once we reached land, the serenity of our delta stay broke and the rest of the day descended into chaos. We planned to meet up with Russell from Green Bushpig at 2PM back at Drotsky’s Cabins in order to swap rental cars with him (in an attempt to avoid one-way fees and keep the rental costs down, he would return the CRV to Windhoek, where he would be picking up new clients for another safari, while we would take a Britz SUV back to Johannesburg). However, by the time we got back into our car at Jumbo Junction, it was already 11:30, giving us only three hours to complete a 4hr drive. Igor was positive he could shave some time off our ETA by speeding down dirt roads at 90KMPH – that worked for about 45min until he flew over a pothole and finally popped one of our worn-out tires (honestly, it’s a miracle they lasted this long, with the punishment we’ve been putting them through).

Igor pulled out the jack and tried to make quick work of the tire change, only to find out that the jack we had was too short for the CRV! The tire was still on the ground when the jack was fully extended! We hoped we were just parked on an angle, so we turned the car around and tried again. A local guy sitting in front of his nearby village was watching our struggles and soon walked over carrying a very large rock, which he used to help prop up the jack. Once Igor got all the bolts off the wheel, he tried to pull it off the spoke, but it wouldn’t budge – even with both Igor and our helper guy pulling it! Luckily, one of the cars we had blown past earlier rolled up, and the driver stopped (curious to see what was going on) – turns out he had a tool box on him. He pulled out a rubber mallet and gave the tire one good WHACK!, and the tire fell off!

After the tire was safely changed, and we tipped our Good Samaritan for his help, we drove as quickly as we dared to the Mohembe Ferry. While we were the only car crossing on the way out at 9AM, there was a long, LONG line waiting to return at 1:30PM! The ferry took 10 minutes, each way, and could only carry 3 cars max with each trip – we calculated that we would be waiting at least another hour just to cross! Our SIM card didn’t work in Botswana, so we had so way to call Russell and warn him that we were running late, either.

A flat tire and a ridiculous line at the ferry. What else can go wrong?

We were so relieved when we finally crossed the river at 3PM and saw a white guy standing next to a Britz Fortrunner waiting on the other side – Russell! Clearly, he’s used to the craziness of African travel and realized we must be stuck at the ferry when we were over an hour late. “I was watching you through my binoculars!” he said laughing. We followed him back to Drotsky’s for a late lunch and to wrap up a few loose ends regarding the final leg of our trip. At 5:15PM, we packed up and jumped into our *new* Fortuner and sped down the (tarred) road to the Namibian boarder, as we needed to get across before it closed at 6PM sharp! We all made it through just before sunset, and Lindsay and Igor started their long drive to the next lodge – 3hrs down the Caprivi Strip.

We finally meet Russell in person! While the CRV was a great beater car, we are so psyched to trade her in for a 2016 Toyota Fortuner – it still has new-car smell!

About 15min down the road, a car behind us starts flashing their lights. Annoyed, Igor slows down to let the guy pass – when he does, we are surprised to see Russell! He tells he feels uncomfortable letting us drive 3 hours in the dark in Africa (in the Caprivi Strip no less, which is notorious for elephants and Cape Buffalo crossing the street). He asks us to forgo the next lodging and come back to Nunda Lodge with him instead. We’d have a longer drive the next day, but it would be safer. He insists that he would be able to reuse the voucher for that night with a future client, so we finally agree. Besides, it gave us an excuse to break bread with him and hear crazy stories about his career in the safari biz!

Once we reached the lodge, Igor logged onto their Wifi to warn his mother that there was a change in plans. Good thing he did, as Inna was apparently watching our Spot’s GPS signal in real time, and had already sent a frantic email asking why we had “deviated from the itinerary.” Don’t worry Inna, we’re safe. 🙂

While Igor would have braved the drive in the dark, Lindsay was glad when he agreed to play it safe and spend the night at Nunda Lodge instead. While they were totally booked, Russell generously gave us his bungalow and took a guide room instead. Thank you, Nunda Lodge and Green Bushpig Safaris! You guys may have saved our lives.

August 3rd, 2016

Day 125: The Okavango Delta – Day 2

We had a 5AM wake-up call for our morning game drive. Since it was still dark and we are not allowed to walk from our tent alone, the staff knocked on our doors to wake us up at 5, then returned at 5:30AM to bring us to breakfast. After some yogurt and coffee, we hopped into our private safari vehicle with our guide, Katy, and drove off just before sunrise.

A herd of zebra graze as the sun rises over the Okavango Delta

A herd of giraffes appear in the mist

All the giraffes are at attention! Our guide, Katy, knows this is a sign that a predator is nearby – sure enough, when we follow their eyesight, we spot a mother lion and her two cubs! We start to follow them, until a pair of loud roars in the bushes scares the lions off – apparently this threesome is new to the area, and a male and his mate were warning the newcomers to back off. We searched for the dominant pair, but lost them in the bush.

More animals grazing on the delta grasses – a lone ostrich and a solitary elephant

More lions! This female and her two cubs are regulars in the area. The cubs are about 2 years old – the male is starting to grow a nice mane!

Yawning lions

Brother and sister lion play-bite a little, before settling down together

A family of lions, enjoying the beautiful morning

After viewing 6 lions (and hearing another 2), we already thought the game drive was a smashing success, but Katy wasn’t done yet! He got an alert on the radio that a pair of cheetahs had showed up next to the Kadizora camp! Since we were about 2.5 hours into our game drive, we were not close to camp – Katy apologized in advance, “I don’t usually drive this fast, but we have to catch those cheetahs!” What followed was the craziest, speed-demon drive through the bush we could have imagined! It’s like we got an African rollarcoaster ride as a bonus to our game drive! Katy got us back to camp in under an hour, and we were rewarded with a magnificent view of two cheetahs.

A pair of cheetahs looking out over the plains

This cheetah is still waking up

We could have watched them for ages, but the cats eventually got hungry and got up to start hunting. We would have followed them, but Katy was worried that the safari vehicle would scare off their prey. Since the cheetahs looked like juveniles, he thought it would be better for their wellfare to hunt in peace.

It’s only 10:30AM, and we feel we’re had a very productive day! Time to relax at the Kadizora Camp

After a delicious al fresco lunch, Lindsay decides to catch up on her book and take a dip in the (freezing!) pool

Igor can’t sit still that long, so he and Katy head out to the riverbank to try some fishing. If you ask Katy, a hippo caught the line and dragged the safari vehicle into the mud – that’s how it got stuck and needed to be towed. Oh, and I guess we are supposed to believe a crocodile ate Igor’s fish, too?

For our afternoon activity, we joined two other couples on a motorboat ride along the river for some bird watching. The Okavango Delta is home to 400+ types of birds – a bird watchers paradise! Igor and Lindsay like birds OK, don’t get us wrong, but we couldn’t quite match the enthusiasm of our fellow tourists. Hopefully we weren’t being too rude with our snarky attitude.

Lots of birds. White ones and black ones.

Marabou Stork (part of the “Ugly Five) and Saddle-billed Stork

A regale Fish Eagle, some type of goose, and another stunning Lilac-Breasted Roller

More storks.

CROCODILES! Now *these* are interesting! Especially when the guy in the water snapped at one of the storks.

Lindsay and Igor just can’t get *that* excited about birds – unike the rest of the group. All the birds are just standing there…it would be so much more interesting if something scared them and they all started flying away…gee, what would happen if Lindsay jumped up and suddenly raised her arms?!? Ooops! Did I do that? J

Sundowner drinks on the Okavango Delta

The sun turns the sky red, and slowly sinks behind an acacia tree – breathtaking

Back at camp, Benjamin the elephant wanders by at dusk – yup, we need an escort back to our tent!

Turn-down service, complete with hot-water bottles in our beds! LOVE this camp!

August 2nd, 2016

Day 124: The Okavango Delta – Day 1

We had a bit of an adventure on our journey to the Kadizora Camp in the northern part of the Okavango Delta. We had yet to pick up any Pula (the local currency), so we stopped in the nearest town, Shakawe to hit up the ATM. When we drove by the night before, there was a line of about 50 locals waiting to money, so we were relieved to see that we were the first ones to show up when the bank opened at 8:30AM. Lindsay waited in the car while Igor made his transaction – she started to get worried when 15 minutes went by and he was still in front of the machine. He came back to the car laughing – apparently the ATM was busy installing Windows Updates!

We continued on to the Mohembe Ferry – a tiny, ramshackle hunk of floating metal that somehow supports 2-3 cars at time across the river. Luckily for us, there were no cars waiting when we arrived at 9AM, so we drove directly on board for the 10min ride.

Travel delays: ATM installing Windows updates and 2-car ferries

This ferry is ancient, and operated by two motorboat engines jerry-rigged to the side

View of the Okavango, as it quickly starts to spread across the land, transitioning from a river to a delta

Since our next camp was located on an island within the delta, Russell from Green Bushpig arranged for us to park our rental car at a nearby camp where the Kadizora boat could pick us up. The only problem is, the camp – Jumbo Junction – is not used to self-drive tourists (most guests are part of overlander groups), and there is *no sign* for the turn off to the camp from the gravel road. However, according to Russell’s instructions there was supposed to be a flag on the right hand side of the road indicating the turn-off, “about 30KM outside of Seronga”, the nearest town.

Well, we drove about 35KM outside of Seronga without seeing a flag. We figured we must have missed it, so we backtracked about 10KM – still no flag. We pulled over when we saw some road workers and asked them if they knew where the turn for Jumbo Junction was – everyone always pointed us in the right direction, and estimated the same distance as our original instructions, but STILL NO FLAG. Cursing Russell under our breath, we finally accepted that the flag must have been taken down, so when we saw a trail of tire marks heading off the road in approximately the correct location, we decided to drive down the sandy driveway and see if we were right.

We weren’t. It was just some guy’s farm. And we nearly got stuck trying to turn around! We asked him for directions too, and he shook his head. “You’ll never find it.” Apparently the flag is down, and there were zero landmarks for him to give us directions. However, this guy was super nice and offer to come in the car with us and guide us to the turnoff, as long as we promised to drive him back to his farm. We happily agreed, and even gave him N$100 for his trouble.

When we finally got to the Jumbo Junction Campground, the place was empty, except for the kitchen staff, who clearly weren’t expecting us. Apparently the camp managers were out, picking up an overlander group and would be back in about an hour. Since it was about 12:30PM by this point (we should have been here an hour ago!), we decided to relax in the camp bar and have a little lunch while we waited.

A sausage tree, with seed pods that weight up to 15lbs! Bad luck to anyone standing underneath one when it falls…

Waiting for our boat transfer at the Jumbo Junction Campground, where we discover a small colony of fruit bats sleeping inside the bar’s thatched roof

About an hour later, a huge group of 20-somethings arrived as part of the Nomad overlander group. We waited patiently while the managers introduced them to the camp and served them lunch. About another hour later, we finally reminded the managers about our transfer to Kadizora (apparently they had mistaken us for part of the Nomad group) – it was a long, LONG morning, but finally we were on our way…to paradise!

Our boat has arrived, to take us into the Okavango Delta

Serene and stunning – the Okavango Delta in Botswana

Wildlife sightings on the way to camp: a hippo in the “hippo pool” and a grazing elephant

Disembarking in a community concession in the delta, about 50KM from the next lodge – truly remote!

When we arrived at the Kadizora Camp, our jaws dropped – this was by far and away the most luxurious place we have *ever* stayed. Not just in Africa. Not just on this trip. EVER. It was seriously like being inside a movie-set safari – the camp was made of canvas tents that had gorgeous wood tables and leather sofas inside. On the outside? Elephants. Just wandering through the camp (we were forbidden to walk from our tent to the common area alone at night). Oh, and our stay was ALL INCLUSIVE. All the excursions, all the food, and all the BOOZE was included.

Russell, you did good.

That’s not a picture frame, nor a TV. It’s a *window*. And THAT is a HUGE ELEPHANT WALKING THROUGH THE CAMP!

Our safari tent – ultimate luxury in the middle of the bush. And here’s the real kicker: THERE’S WIFI IN THE ROOM. J

Heading out for an afternoon mokoro ride

A couple of boots in a mokoro canoe on the Okavango Delta

Floating through a sea of lily pads

A handsome bull elephant gives us a side-eye as we glide by

We spot a local in a traditional (wooden) mokoro in the distance

Beautiful scenery in the Okavango Delta

Thousands of birds take to the sky as we pass by

Stopping on an island for sundowner drinks

Birds, birds, and more birds!

Heading back to camp after a lovely sunset

Campfire in the Kadizora Camp – producing a lovely atmosphere and hot coals for our venison braai!

August 1st, 2016

Day 123: Mokoro Ride on the Okavango & BOTSWANA

Even though it got cold at night, we decided to sleep with the canvas tent door open so we could wake up to our beautiful river view! After breakfast, we headed down to the river for our first mokoro ride. A traditional mokoro is a wooden canoe made from digging out the inside of a tree trunk – very typical in the Okavango Delta. The pilot stands up as he or she drives the boat and steers with long pole – similar to Venetian gondolas. Since mokoros rides have become popular with tourists, the industry has moved toward fiberglass mokoros (mostly to prevent thousands of trees from being cut down!).

Our excursion starts with boat ride up river to the Popa “Falls”, where we disembark and explore the rapids a bit, before coasting downstream with the current back to the hotel. It was a nice hour and a half on the water – we did see some hippos, but sadly not as close as Igor wanted. (Of course, if Igor had his way, he’d get close enough to stick his thumb up the hippo’s ass.)

View of the Okavango River from our safari tent

We take a boat cruise upriver to the starting point, so we can just float downstream in the mokoro

A couple of boots heading down the Okavango River in a (fiberglass) mokoro

We pass a bull hippo and his harem on the river – he raises his head to make sure we known these are *his* bitches

The Popa Falls – not really a waterfall, more of a cascade…

Hopping over a few rapids to get a close-up view of the “falls”

With a little photographic trickery using the zoom lense and the GoPro, Igor makes the little cascade look like a towering waterfall!

The rushing water of Popa Falls!

A cormorant dries its wings in the sunshine, and a GORGEOUS Lilac-Breasted Roller perches atop a tree

We check-out of Nunda Lodge around mid-day, and head back into the Mahango Game Park, this time driving straight through to the Botswana border. We followed all of Russell’s instructions regarding taking the rental car out of the country, and passed through without any problems (although we did find out that the Botswana border no longer accepts Namibian dollars or Rand for the travel fees – probably due to the declining value of both currencies, so we had to use our credit card).

Once we were through, it was a short drive to Drotsky’s Cabins – another riverside lodge known for great fishing. Igor was game, but the manager warned us that he might not catch anything as it wasn’t fishing season yet. Grateful for the honesty, we spent a lazy afternoon wandering around the property, and indulging in some movies (a rare event – we actually had a TV in our room!) until late in the night.

Crossing into country #7 on our adventure: BOTSWANA

Kicking back at Drotsky’s Cabins in Botswana

A peaceful afternoon sitting by the river

A quiet riverbank view, near the edge of the Okavango Delta

20160802_080324

Igor playing on an old tractor sitting by the side of the trail. If only there was a coin slot to make it move up and down! When we get back to the lodge, he makes a beeline for the Labrador.

DSC09668-p

Our first Botswanan sunset

July 31st, 2016

Day 122: Mahango Game Park

Around 4AM, Igor wakes up. We didn’t set our alarm until 7AM, so he is really pissed off. “Is someone watching TV?!?!” Yes, yes they are. Some inconsiderate “guest” checked into their room in early hours of the morning, and started blasting their TV. Lindsay can usually sleep through anything in the morning, so she gave Igor her earplugs and told him to go back to sleep. However, soon she started to realize that our new neighbors were not just watching TV. They were having sex. No, let me rephrase that – they were fucking. Loud, porno-style fucking.

After listening to the woman’s moans and screams for 20min, Lindsay finally got out of bed and found a second pair of earplugs.

Our second wake-up call, at sunrise. We did NOT sleep well.

When we came downstairs for breakfast at 7AM, we noticed only one other car parked outside our block of rooms – the noisy neighbor! He was already packing his car. When we walked by again after breakfast, housekeeping was already going into his room to clean up. Now, we’re not saying that his guy brought a hooker to this nice lodge in the middle of the night…but it seems like a very short stay for the average tourist…

Drinking a strong dose of coffee at breakfast

A handsome peacock, just roaming around the lodge

We had a short drive to our next stop – the Nunda River Lodge – also along the Okavango riverbank. When we saw our accommodations, we were super psyched: it was a canvas tent with a river-view! An outdoor bathroom was set-up next to the rear of the tent (walled in for privacy, but no screens!), and the tent had canopy beds with mosquito nets for our glamping comfort.

Our river-view safari tent!

We are in hippo territory now! Our host, Cameron, tells us to be careful when walking back to our room at night, and to ask us if we want an escort!

Since we had just done a sundowner river cruise at the previous lodge, our host Cameron suggested that we do a self-drive game drive at the nearby Mahango Game Park (which we would also be driving through the next day, as we cross into Botswana). While the main road through the park is a free public road to the Mohembo Border, there are two additional game trails that cost about USD $7 to visit. We registered at the park entrance, and headed off toward the river trail, in search of hippos, which we soon found in abundance!

Heading out for a short afternoon game drive in the Mahango Game Park

HIPPOS!!!!!

The Big Baobab Tree! While it is not dead (just dormant for the winter), it’s such a funcky, unique shape that Igor falls in love!

The Okavango River

Two camera-shy animals: trying to sneak up on a warthog along the riverbank, but just as we pulled out the camera, he got starteled and took off – scaring a poor impala in the process! The hippos were no better – we had our lenses pointed at the surface of the water for ages, waiting for this guy to pop his head up.

A herd of running elephants getting chased off by a lone hippo. Gotta admit, it was satisfying finally watching someone put these big bullies in their place!

A bit of birding: a Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill and a far off silhouette of a vulture

Our first Sable Antelope! They are proving to be a bit shy. Unlike the Kudu, who feel like posing for us today!

Since the park gates close at 6:30PM, we headed over to the second game trail to visit the waterhole around 4PM. The trail was a bit challenging: 4×4 only, with a really soft, sandy one-lane road! We were keeping a sharp eye out for leopards – checking all the tree-tops, searching for the “prince of shyness.” No luck – just a bunch of antelope and a few monkeys.

Two very photogenic Kudu getting groomed by some friendly Oxpeckers while enjoying a drink at the waterhole

More residences of the Mahango Waterhole: Vervet Monkeys and Zebra

On our drive out of the park, Igor’s eagle-eyes finally spot leopard evidence! An antelope skull high up in the tree is proof that a leopard was in the area, as they often drag their kill into the trees to protect their food from scavenging lions and hyenas.

We have another three-course African dinner at Nunda Lodge (we are gaining so much weight on this part of the trip…) paired with a delicious bottle of wine from the proprietor’s wine cellar (WANT!), before drifting off to sleep in our safari tent to the melodious sound of hippos grunting.

Sunset at Nunda River Lodge

Three-course dinner at the lodge

Toasting a great day with another fine bottle of South African Shiraz

July 30th, 2016

Day 121: Driving to the Okavango River

Today was a travel day, as we had about 450KM to drive in order to reach the Okavango River and the beginning of the Caprivi Strip. We requested an earlier breakfast seating so that we could hit the road early. While we were waiting for tea and coffee, Igor made friends with Mufasa – the owner’s huge Boerboel (not a Ridgeback after all – he’s a unique South African bullmastiff breed), while Lindsay made friends with the chef’s young son, who gave her a plastic gun to help him with his “military drills”.

Musfasa – the appropriately named Boerboel – a HUGE sweetheart!

The chef’s little boy was looking for a playmate, and Lindsay got recruited into the “Namibian Army”

In our itinerary from Russell, he mentioned a “new” road that goes straight up to the river from Tsumeb, however, even though the road was completed in 2013, Google Maps still does not register that it exists, nor does the Tourism Road Map produced by the Namibian government! We asked our hostess for directions, and she drew the location of the road onto our paper map, and told us follow signs pointing to Katwitwi until we hit the river, then to turn right towards city of Rundu.

The 270KM, “new” tarred road from Tsumeb and Katwitwi – straight easy going with little traffic, unless you count the donkey carts on the side of the road

This is the first day we have seen “traditional” villages, with huts made of wood, clay and straw! They all look so pretty (and some even have solar panels and satellites sticking out of them!). As we get closer to the river, we see fishermen selling smoked fish by the side of the road.

Once we hit the Okavango River, we turn right towards Rundu and the beginning of the Caprivi Strip

Driving on the Caprivi Strip can be dangerous, due to the farm animals that constantly wander into the street! The speed limit is 120KMPH, but we were often going much slower to make sure we had time to brake for cows, goats, and donkeys

We checked into our lodge in the early afternoon, giving us plenty of time to unpack, and check emails before heading out on the river for a sundowner cruise. While the boat could easily accomdate 20 people, we were the only ones booked for the cruise that day, so we had a private excursion! Our guide told us that hippos and crocs are rarely seen in this section of the river, so we didn’t see much wildlife. However, Igor did get an eyefull as we drove past some young women bathing on the Angolan side of the river! Yowza!

A private Sundowner Cruise on the Okavango River

Toasting the sunset with some sparkling wine

While the sun blazes during the day, we’ve found that a lot of African sunsets tend to be very dull red by the time they reach the horizon

Kaisosi River Lodge, along the Namibian bank of the Okavango River

July 29th, 2016

Day 120: Etosha National Park – Day 4

Once again, we wake up before the sunrise on our last day in Etosha. For once, we have a short “commute,” as we head over to the Halali Waterhole in camp, but we were disappointed to see that there are zero animals. We’re starting to suspect that the whole “animals are active at sunrise” thing is a myth.

After a buffet breakfast, we check out and make our way through the eastern side of the park. While the waterholes on this side are supposed to have the most wildlife (according to TripAdvisor), nothing tops what we had seen at Rienfontein, west of Halali. However, we take our time and enjoy the scenery and the animals, before heading out of the park at 2PM to make our way to the next lodge.

After three days of pre-dawn wake-up calls just view empty waterholes, we’re starting to think our time is better spent sleeping in…

Since the waterhole is quiet, we decide to check-out and drive on through the park. Some of the snarky comments in the guest book give us a chuckle on the way out.

The dry, cracked surface of the Etosha Salt Pan

We screech to a halt as Igor spots a huge rhino! There has been some debate as to how close we were: 50 meters? 100 meters? Let’s put it this way, we were close enough that Lindsay did not turn off the engine, and kept the car in drive…just in case…

Turns out this rhino is not scary – he’s just chowing down on grass

A herd of zebra, chillin’ on the Etosha Salt Pan

A majestic Red Hartebeest photo-bombs the zebras

Namibian antelope: Impala, Kudu and a female Dik-dik

It seems we can’t get enough elephants, nowadays! They are everywhere!

Warthogs! We’ve seen these guys several times in the past few days, but they are so shy, they always run away before we can get a picture

The Twee Palms Waterhole, near the exit of the park. While very scenic, there wasn’t much activity in the early afternoon, beyond a few warthogs and an Oryx

A final giraffe sighting at the Klein Namutomi Waterhole before leaving Etosha for good.

A few short hours outside the park, we reached our home for the evening: Ohange Lodge – a lovely guesthouse run by fifth-generation Dutch-Namibians with beautiful, private cottages set within a tranquil desert garden. They had five friendly dogs (four Jack Russells and a huge Ridgeback), which we showered with attention. Dinner was a delicious steak BBQ under the stars, with a view of the flood-lit waterhole.

There are two types of lodges we’ve come across in our travels: those that encourage one to be social, and those that protect your privacy. While we would always select the later, we often find we enjoy the places that force us to be social. The dinner at Ohange was not only communal seating (Hey! We were paired with yet another German couple!), but the hosts each sat at a table to help break the ice and get conversation flowing. We felt like we were guests at a dinner party, with great company.

Our lovely, secluded cabin at the Ohange Lodge

“Madame” – a sweet old Jack Russell Terrier who does not wait for permission to jump in guests’ laps. If she wants a cuddle, she gets a cuddle!

The Ohange Lodge installed their own waterhole – not only does it have a floodlight at night, but you can see it from the dinner table! Smart.

Getting ready for a lovely al fresco dinner, and game viewing!

Kudu T-bone steak and South African Shiraz for dinner under the stars! When it gets cold at the end of the meal, our host gives Lindsay an “African seat-warmer”!

July 28th, 2016

Day 119: Etosha National Park – Day 3

Happy Birthday, to Lindsay! Lindsay got a pre-dawn wake-up call on her Special Day – birthday or not, we had animals to see! We were packed, fed, and on the road well before sunrise, however, the staff at the park entrance apparently didn’t get the memo that today was Lindsay’s birthday. There was a line of about a dozen cars and overlanders waiting to enter before us this morning! Since our day pass had expired at sundown the day before, we had to stop to re-register (twice!), and buy new overnight park passes before exploring the waterholes.

On our way to the Etosha Park entrance at sunrise!

We may be on time, but there’s a hold-up at the gate causing along line. Hey, don’t birthday-girls get priority?!?

Once we got all the park fees settled, we started to make our way towards Halali – the campground in the center of the park where we would be staying the night – hitting a few waterholes along the way. Lindsay really wanted to see a leopard for her birthday, so when the western waterholes didn’t pan out, we bypassed Halali and started to explore new territory in the eastern part of the park. We found some scenic waterholes, but sadly no leopard.

Ostrich and jackals near the Salvadora Waterhole, next to the Etosha Salt Pan

We returned to Rietfontein since we were so successful there the day before. Sure enough, after a little patience, a HUGE herd of zebra showed up…then another…then another! It was like a zebra convention!

They may not be as exciting as predators, but zebras are very sweet to watch – especially when they snuggle!

Before too long, the elephants showed up at Rietfontein again, but without the drama from the day before

Driving along the pan’s edge, exploring new territory on the eastern side of the park

It’s a quiet afternoon, with just a few grazing antelope here and there and another pair of napping lions

Some stray elephant and giraffes wandering the vastness of Namibia’s Etosha National Park

Even though we were staying within the park that night, we still had a 5:30PM curfew, as the gates to the Halali Camp close at sundown as well. However, the silver lining was that each of the park’s three campgrounds are adjacent to waterholes that you can view from within the camp. The waterholes even have floodlights all night long, so you can watch the nocturnal animals that come out for a drink as well! We quickly checked into our cabin (a two-bedroom family suite – nice!), and headed straight for the waterhole to catch the sunset. The place was already busy with three rhinos, who kept picking fights with each other. Then, the elephants showed up…then the lions! It was really cool to see the interactions between all these Big 5 animals. The only disappointment was that Lindsay’s leopard never showed up. Oh well, gotta leave something to look forward to for the rest of the Africa Trip!

A huge crowd has already gathered at the Halali Waterhole for “sundowners” (drinks at sundown)

Unlike the two kissy rhinos the day before, these guys couldn’t seem to get along. We couldn’t figure out who was mad at whom, or why – we think the rhinos were just irrationally attacking anyone who got within their eyesight

Animal activity was not limited to the waterhole, as a pair of hungry Honey Badgers raided the trashcan, and an adorable little African Scops Owl flew back and forth searching for some dinner

After watching elephants for the last few days, we’ve come to the conclusion that they are big bullies! Doesn’t matter who is already at the waterhole, when they come along they walk as if they own the joint. A herd of about a dozen ellies swaggered in at dusk, and chased off all but one ballsy rhino who held his ground, despite the mock charges

The elephants finally decided to leave once the lionesses showed up. The rhino tried to be brave when there were one or two lions, but by the time five show up, he decided he’d had enough to drink!

We could have stayed at the waterhole all night, but Lindsay wanted her birthday dinner! The park had a very tasty buffet including a meat station serving beef and eland tenderloin! Yum! We cracked open the bottle of red we had been carrying since Swakopmund and toasted to Lindsay advancing age…DON’T ASK HOW OLD SHE IS.

July 27th, 2016

Day 118: Etosha National Park – Day 2

Breakfast started at 5:30AM, and we were the first people to arrive. Animals are supposed to be most active at dawn and dusk, so we wanted to make sure we were the first ones through the park gates when it opened at 6:30AM. Since our park pass from the day before was valid for 24hrs, we were able to drive right through the gates without registering, and we headed straight for the Okondeka Waterhole – the waterhole that was the furthest West and was known for lion sightings.

7AM in Etosha National Park – a small herd of giraffes cross the road just ahead of us

Just as quickly as they approached our car, they disappear into the horizon

Just down the road, we see evidence of a kill! Poor giraffe. Africa can be magical…and deadly.

Our first waterhole of the morning is on the edge of the salt pan – where a large herd of wildebeest are chowing down on grass and butting a few heads

After about an hour, the wildebeest take off, and a few Springbok are the only animals left. We soon see why as a female lion slowly walks onto the scene. One lone Springbok stares down the lioness for a few minutes, before slowly backing off.

Turns out the lioness was only thirsty – no kill for us today!

Since the lion chased off all the antelope from the Okondeka Waterhole, we started the car and headed back toward the center of the park to check out all the waterholes that had a reputation for leopards. Still no luck, but we did find some very scenic spots with lots of playful animals (clearly no predators were nearby).

A Springbok mid-spring, two Springboks fighting, and a close-up of a Springbok.

A pretty, but empty waterhole next to the Etosha Salt Pan

A busy waterhole with lots of antelope, and a very chubby Springbok

Around noon, we decided to park out at the Rietfontein Waterhole, which Russell from Green Bushpig had recommended as “usually rewarding”. We shut of the engine, pulled out the snacks and laptops and settled in for a long wait. It wasn’t long until we were rewarded with another first: a huge herd of ELEPHANTS!

I have a view of elephants fighting next to an African waterhole as I type up my travel blog. Not bad for my temporary “office”!

We can’t get over how BIG these elephants are! Sure we got to wash elephants in Indonesia, but they were little puppies compared to these guys. Especially *that* bull heading right for us. OK, Lindsay is getting a little nervous now…

Wait, who just showed up to the waterhole? A RHINO! One of the most endangered species in all of Africa, wow!

OMG! A second rhino! And they kiss each other hello? Oh, Africa, this is just adorable.

The big bull elephant makes sure the rhinos know he is boss around this waterhole, by strutting by and staring them down. Look at the size of this guy compared to the rhinos – he’s MASSIVE

The elephants were really cool to watch…from a distance. After about an hour or so, another herd of elephants showed up. The big bull from the first herd decided he was feeling a bit crowded. And who can blame him? Not only does he have rhinos, and a wall of ellies taking up his waterhole, the parking lot next to the waterhole has slowing been filling up with SUVs and overlander vehicles. Apparently, he’s gotten tired of all the attention, so he starts to leave.

However, he decides that the path he wants to take is DIRECTLY THROUGH THE PARKING LOT. The fact that the parking lot if full of PARKED CARS each with their engine turned off doesn’t bother him. “They’ll move for me,” is what he must be thinking. He decides the car he likes least is a gigantic overlander bus. He starts heading towards it – rather fast! When the bus doesn’t move, he starts to flap his ears and shake his head – all clear warning signs he is about to charge…which he does! The bus driver pulls away at the last moment, as does everyone else in the parking lot – yours truly included. Of course, our mobility is limited as other cars have parked us in – Lindsay is FREAKING OUT – convinced that the entire herd is going to stamped at any second, while Igor is yelling at her to stop trying to drive away as he is filming the entire encounter.

The path finally clears for the big bull to walk by…with the rest of the herd soon to follow!

A smaller bull keeps eyeing the cars after the big guy has left – he seems to want to show off he is a big shot too, as he knocks down a tree – just for the hell of it! The rest of the herd takes their time drinking water and having a dirt bath before following their leader.

We start to drive away from the waterhole, only the realize that the road out is also directly in the path of the elephant parade! Oh boy, here they all come!

It’s too late to back up! There are *literally* dozens of elephants in front of and behind our car!

The rest of the afternoon was pretty uneventful, save for a pair of sleepy lions near the park exit. We were so disappointed when we looked at the clock and had to leave! Really looking forward to tomorrow – Lindsay’s birthday! – when we would be spending the night *inside* the park.

Poor zebras – they want to get a drink of water, but the sleeping lions are blocking the waterhole

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: