By Chuck & Claire
Ultimate Africa. Amazing. A truly wonderful experience.
We finally took another one of "those" trips, indulging life-long desires to see the wild animals of Africa in their natural habitat. Once again we decided that an organized tour would be the best way to see all that we wanted without all the drudgery of planning personal travel in remote, difficult areas--this view was buttressed by our reading of Paul Theroux's new book, The Last Train to Zona Verde: My Ultimate African Safari. We asked people who had used the services of OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) and determined to give them a try, especially since we would like to use someone who covers the globe, in order to use a known quantity in the future.
Elephants drink at a waterhole in Chobe National Park ... a village near Hwange National Park welcomes our small group ... the spray of Victoria Falls roars in the distance ... This is a partial record of our trip to South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Won't you join us for a brief while?
Staff singing a greeting upon our arrival at Baobab Safari Lodge. We were not only surprised by this welcome, we were overcome. The beautiful harmony of the African chant and the open-hearted welcome of the staff moved us greatly.
Our first home in the Bush. The rule, after dark, is that no one walks outside without a guide to lead you.
The decor was lovely. We really didn't need the mosquito netting. It was cold, 41 degrees in the early morning; so they used heavy layers of bedding to keep us warm. Even after un-tucking the sheets, it was difficult to turn over, but it kept us warm!
Our first sunset. Since we were typically up at 5:30 a.m. in the Bush, we were able to enjoy many sunrises and sunsets.
The view from our deck. We often were awakened or kept awake by animal sounds at night--baboons, elephants and hippos mainly.
We spent two days seeking out game in Chobe National Park, the second-largest (and first-established) national park in Botswana.
Chobe
National Park is home to
one of the world’s largest elephant populations—the present herd is estimated
at 50,000 animals. This enormous region offers variety in both wildlife and terrain.
Riverine forest, flood plains, and mopane trees are home to large and small game.
"Our safari days follow this general pattern: After our morning
game-viewing, we spent siesta time quietly during the heat of the day,
followed by teatime in the late afternoon. Next we headed out for our afternoon
game-viewing drive. In the evenings, just before sunset, we gather to soak in
the magnificent views of the golden sun sinking behind a nearby watering hole.
We then sit down to enjoy dinner together by candlelight."
"Large groups of giraffe amble about
the land, and hyena, cheetah, leopard, and wildebeest may also be glimpsed in
this thickly populated habitat. The birdlife here is spectacular, ranging from
eagles and bustards to plovers and rollers, and bee-eaters bustle near their
sandbank nests. There are also water birds, such as egret, ibis, and heron,
along the river."
Our first real game sighting. This hyena was gnawing on a cape buffalo carcass when we stumbled upon him early in the morning on our way to the game preserve.
One of the highlights of the trip was seeing this cheetah. This is the fastest land animal, in case you had forgotten; it can reach speeds of 70 mph.
We got to watch him for a long time. It had its kill and wasn't going to move for us. But cheetah are not particularly agressive and will not fight large predators to keep its prey.
Elephants were plentiful in Botswana. This mini-parade of mother and child simply passed in front of us.
This meditating baboon set the standard for mindful watching.
We were extremely fortunate to happen upon this leopard parked in the middle of the road.
There are several categories frequently used in Africa--the Big Five, The Ugly Five and the Small Five. The Big Five consists of trophy animals: Elephant, Rhinoceros, Cape Buffalo, Lion, and Leopard. We saw them all--but one was slightly cheating: The Rhinos were in a private reserve and we suspect that they may have been released for our viewing.
The Ugly Five consists of Wildebeest, Marabou Stork, Warthog, Hyena, and Hippopotamus. We were fortunate to see all five of these as well.
The Small Five consists of Elephant Shrew (rodent), Rhinoceros Beetle (insect), Buffalo Weaver (bird), Ant Lion (insect), and Leopard Tortoise (reptile). We saw the middle three.
This magnificent tree provided shade for our afternoon tea break. Plant and animal species have clever ways of taking care of themselves. Zebra fawn have long legs which helps them to disguise themselves from predators. Trees have bitter sap or thorns to keep browsers at bay; the mopane sends bitter tannin to its leaves on the western side once a browser starts to feed upon it. It also signals other mopane trees in the area that browsers are present. Clever browsers like the kudu start feeding on the west and then move to the eastern side.
Our guides provided us with coffee, tea, soft drinks, wine or cocktails. A gin and tonic, one peaceful afternoon, was a respite highlight.
Elephants sometimes did not mind our presence. But, they got testy--and noisy--when we were near their young ones.
Picnic in the Bush
Our first sighting of the infamous wart hog--one of Africa's Ugly Five. We saw a number of sounders of these.
Relaxing near a waterhole during our afternoon tea break.
This cute vervet monkey was curious about our accommodations and kept looking in on us.
A grazing herd of impala shelters on a protected spit of land in the river.
Tracking these young lions was easy at this point.
These siblings plot strategy as they consider whether to bother with the cape buffalo herd, nearby, or the impala further down the beach.
After interrupting our late afternoon tea time by walking down the beach, this fellow decided to cool off and enjoy the sunset.
Fording the stream
Our next lodge is a private Wilderness Tented Camp adjacent to the border of the Moremi National Park in the northern region of the Okovango Delta.
Our accommodations at our second lodge
Our complimentary laundry service, nicely returned to us. But, for cultural reasons, we had to wash our own "smalls" while in the Bush. We have no idea how that term came into use.
Typical African sunset
Next, we flew by aircraft to Kasane and transferred by road and boat to Livingstone, where we took a light aircraft transfer to the Lufupa Tented Camp in Kafue National Park in Zambia. One of Zambia’s
most impressive parks, Kafue is one of the
first to join an initiative to link the national parks of five African
countries into what will eventually become a 108,000-square-mile park, to be
known as the Kvango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (also the
Okavango-Upper Zambezi TFCA).
"Kafue is one of the continent’s largest national parks—at 8,600 square miles, it is roughly the size of the entire state of New Jersey. Kafue’s habitats span riverine forests, floodplains, woodlands, and dambos (open grasslands)."
Our sister plane during one of our internal transfer flights
Posing giraffe. We knew that many species of animal have group names. We discovered that giraffe have three: tower (when standing), journey (when walking) and stride (when galloping). A single male giraffe is a cop.
Our ride in a mokora (dugout canoe--actually fiberglass these days) in the Okavango Delta.
A dazzle of zebra and a herd of impala.
Chuck cruising on the Okovanga Delta in a Mokora
Cruising down the river in Zambia
One of the lovely birds we enjoyed--a lilac-breasted roller
Returning home after our river cruise
The top of a hippo. They are often found in groups called pods, rafts, schools or bloats. They are actually dangerous, accounting for many deaths in Africa. "The hippo is extremely aggressive, unpredictable and unafraid of humans, upsetting boats sometimes without provocation and chomping the occupants with its huge canine teeth and sharp incisors. Most human deaths occur when the victim gets between the hippo and deep water or between a mother and her calf." You are in danger from their ground-rumbling charges--if you find them bellowing loudly, swinging their heads like giant sledgehammers, the massive open mouth and jumping up and down.
End of a beautiful day floating down the Zambezi
Next, we transferred to Linkwasha Camp near Hwange National Park in
Zimbabwe via Victoria Falls. Our lodge
here is located on a private reserve and offers unrestricted views of a
watering hole, the broad, savannah grasslands, and acacia woodlands.
Our lodging in Zambia
The outdoor shower with a wide-open view of the savannah. We never used the inside shower.
The pool is often visited by elephants.
If you are quiet and on the far side, they sometimes walk up and take a drink; the pool is raised, so there is no chance they will step on you. But, you do need to keep your cool.
The view back to the veranda from the pool
Fashionable lounge-wear, provided by the camp
View from the veranda
In the lounge
Dining Hall
Morning omelets in 41 degree weather.
Part of the educational experience in Zimbabwe was visiting an elementary school partially supported by The Grand Circle Foundation, parent of OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel). We also enjoyed a Day in the Life of a nearby village.
Two charming boys at the village school
Sandile, one of the children, in her classroom
We also discovered the local culture and traditions in a Zimbabwe village by speaking with the Headman, whose first name is Johnson, and touring his homestead.
Our first glimpse of Headman Johnson of the school's village
Elephant ride on La Duma with Heritage, her trainer. More comfortable than we expected.
Claire feeding La Duma
Chuck gets a turn. Elephant trunks have a thumb and a finger at the open, grasping end; and, they do slobber a bit.
Our farewell evening in Zimbabwe was special. We first listened to the captivating rhythms of an African drum circle and watched the staff dance. Drum circles are communal events, regardless of experience, and we were encouraged to join in with our travel companions. This was followed by a tasty farewell dinner. Next day we moved on to Victoria Falls. When Claire first mentioned a trip to Africa, I said "Any trip that includes Victoria Falls."
Victoria Falls more than three quarters of a mile wide and is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
"These awe-inspiring cataracts, whose African name (Mosi-oa Tunya) means 'the smoke that thunders,' are nearly twice as high as Niagara, one and a half times as wide, and generate three [five?!] times as much water. On a clear day, you can see the mist sprayed into the air from these crashing waters from more than 50 miles away. At peak flood times, 1.4 billion gallons of water per minute pass over its edge."
Some of the viewing points of the Falls are quite misty. Thus, the need for the rain gear.I actually got soaked; fortunately, I dried out before our departure back to the hotel.
Stylish Rain Gear
More Stylish Rain Gear
Helicopter view of the Falls. We figured we'd never return, so we unexpectedly splurged at several points on the trip.
High Tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel
Lounge in the Victoria Falls Hotel. There was an excellent pianist in the (unseen) corner playing his stylings of African themed music--utterly delightful.
View from hotel grounds, looking back at the rear of the hotel and the High Tea patio.
The Zimbabwe-Zambezi Bridge, completed in 1904 as part of Cecil Rhodes plan to build a railroad from Cape Town to Cairo. The bridge still stands, but the project was never fully completed.
Claire, Lynn and Chuck gear up for a walk across the bridge catwalk.
The intrepid trio mid-way across the bridge.
Victoria Falls as seen from the underside of the bridge.
Our room at the Rainbow Hotel at Victoria Falls
Rainbow Hotel and pool
In addition, he logged many thousands miles of perilous travel at great cost to himself, his traveling companions and his (absent) family. "Livingstone was one of the first Westerners to make a transcontinental journey across Africa, Luanda on the Atlantic to Quelimane on the Indian Ocean near the mouth of the Zambezi, in 1854–56." Further, "He was the first European to see the Mosi-oa-Tunya ("the smoke that thunders") waterfall (which he renamed Victoria Falls after his monarch, Queen Victoria); he later wrote, 'Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.'"
Finally "his fame as an explorer helped drive forward the obsession with discovering the sources of the River Nile that formed the culmination of the classic period of European geographical discovery and colonial penetration of the African continent."
Our wonderful guide, Naume, introduced us to her lovely children our last night in Victoria Falls. She and her family live there. We were so sorry to leave her behind at this point. But, the Ultimate Africa trip was over and we were to leave for the Cape Town extension the next morning.
Kirstinbosch Botannical Gardens in Cape Town. Developed on land donated to the country by Cecil Rhodes. "With Table Mountain as its backdrop, a bevy of bays at its feet,
and the lushest foliage this side of paradise, Cape Town arguably occupies one of the most
spectacular natural settings on Earth." Botanist Ronald Good identified
six floristic kingdoms (Boreal or Holarctic, Neotropical, Paleotropical,
South African, Australian, and Antarctic), the largest natural
classification units he determined for flowering plants. Good's six
kingdoms are subdivided into smaller units, called provinces. According
to our guide, Ian, the tiny Cape Floristic Region of South Africa has more floral diversity than all of
Great Britain.
Table Mountain in the morning at 37 degrees
View of the Lion's head and tail, with Saddleback Mountain forming the body
African Penguin--short but cute, with interesting markings
More members of the colony at Boulder Beach, South Africa
Cape Point, South Africa, seen from the old lighthouse
Claire at the Cape of Good Hope. We also got to see our only pride of ostriches on the side of the mountain, here.
This was our second winery visit on an optional tour to the Stellenbosch Wine Country. Beautiful site.
A typical view of the Stellenbosch landscape from our first winery visit
We were able to do a driving tour of several Townships in Cape Town. It was raining, so we did not walk through any. South Africa is still somewhat race conscious, though there are areas where living is mixed, with income being a primary barrier to home purchase.
We were later privileged to have a home visit and meal with a family and friends of "Coloreds;" this was a scheduled part of the trip experience. They seem to believe that they have not really made any progress on the socio-politico-economic scale--they were in the middle of the racial classification scheme when Whites were politically dominant and are still there now that Africans are. The remaining category, Indians, is presumably in the much the same position as Coloreds.
"We have a vision of South Africa in which black and white shall live and work together as equals in conditions of peace and prosperity" ~ Oliver Tambo
