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Published: October 8th 2009
South Africa-->Botswana-->Namibia
Wednesday, Sept 30 - High 28, low 16 - Nata to Kasane, Botswana 320 kms
Last night was our first night in Botswana. Botswana has a population of 1.6 million people. It peacefully gained independence from Britain in 1966. Shortly thereafter, diamonds were discovered making it the fastest growing economy in the world every year for the next 20 years.
After breakfast at Nata Lodge, we headed out on our bikes. We had been warned that on route to Kasane, we might encounter ostrich, giraffes, baboons, and possibly elephants on route. Sure enough, shortly outside of town, we see our first wild animal, an elephant at the side of the road making a meal out of a good size tree (see photo). We pulled over probably about 100 feet from him. It was just crazy to think that these animals are just wandering around without being fenced in. A couple of the bikers left before us and told us that when they encountered this same elephant they got of their bikes to take pictures and the elephant charged them. Needless to say they immediately got back on their bikes and took off.
The road
was in very bad condition, marked by potholes, sand and gravel. It made for a challenging ride, but took the monotony out of riding straight paved roads. By the time we reached our destination the
Mowana Lodge we had encountered elephants and Giraffes crossing to road right in front of us, as well as baboons, zebra, and other wildlife.
After checking in, we went on a wildlife cruise on the Chobe river. It was unbelievable the amount of wildlife; crocodiles, Hippos, Elephants, our first water buffaloes, lizards, wildebeest, and various species of antelope. This was a whole new perspective viewing them from a boat.
Thursday, Oct 1 high 28, low 19 - Mowana Lodge, Kasane
We are at the Mowana Lodge for 3 nights as there is so much to see in this area. This morning we went on a game drive in the
Chobe National Park. This again was a totally different experience from anything we had seen before. We drove through the park in open Land Rovers, once again seeing many of the larger animals. The highlight of the drive was seeing a Leopard. It had recently killed an impala about the same size as itself, and
carried it about 25 feet up a tree and draped it over a branch so that no other predators or opportunists could get at it. There were 2 leopards that proceeded to eat it. It was quite a site to see through the binoculars. Unfortunately, with my camera I could not get a good shot of it. After going back to the lodge, I spent a few hours working on my blog. I had no idea what I was getting into when I decided to do this blog. It is so much work, but also very rewarding. It keeps me organized and is a welcome change from being a tourist. I bought an HP net book before I left for $300 and it has been invaluable.
After the game drive, we went back to the lodge and 4 of us decided to play a round of golf on the 9 hole course that was part of the same property.We had 3 caddies that were from Zimbabwe a neighbouring country. It was very relaxing, playing golf with warthogs and baboons on the course.
Friday, October 2 High 29 Low 16 Victoria Falls
We hired a driver to
take us to Victoria Falls for the day. This involved crossing the border into [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe Zimbabwe. The driver gave us a history lesson, telling us about his country and all of its problems. Since President Robert Mugabe took over, he has run the country into the ground. in 1979, the Zim dollar was stronger than the US dollar. I have a trillion dollar note that I got in town that is worth nothing. Unemployment is at 90%!a(MISSING)nd most of the other 10%!l(MISSING)ive in poverty. Everyone we talked to was unhappy about their leader and the state of the country.
It took longer than expected, and we didn't arrive there until 11:30. A few of us had planned to bungee jump off the bridge joining Zimbabwe and Zambia. Fortunately for me, we ran out of time and couldn't fit it in. We did the walking tour of the falls and took a half hour helicopter ride over the falls and the surrounding area.
Saturday, Oct 3 High 27 low 16 Kasane to Maun, Botswana - 610 kms
Our longest day of the trip. We left at 8 am in the pouring rain. To make matters worse,
we had to travel on gravel roads with potholes. Actually I quit enjoyed it. At one of our gas stops, there was a young fellow from Zimbabwe, Fanual (see photo), selling necklaces. I bought one from him and struck up a conversation. He told me that he had a 2 week visa to come into Botswana. He was selling jewellery that his family made. He was trying to make enough money to support his family back home. He was very engaging, and I ended up buying 4 necklaces. He asked for my address in Canada so he could send me a note. It will be interesting to see if he does.
We arrived at the
Motsentsela Tree Lodge in Maun about 5 pm. Maun is a thriving town with many safari outfitters as it is a point of departure for the famous
Okavango Delta , the only delta in the world that does not empty into another body or water. The lodge was very unique in that we stayed in tents. Luxury tents, of course, with all the comforts of home.
Sunday, Oct 4 High 30 Low 20 - Maun to Ghanzi, Botswana
In the morning, 4 of us chartered
a small plane, a 1969 Cessna Skywagon 6 seater. It was the oldest plane in the area, but very comfortable. We flew over the Delta at an elevation of 500 feet. It was a spectacular view of the delta, seeing how it went from a large flowing river that starts in the mountains of Angola and gradually breaks down into tributaries that eventually dissipate to nothing. We saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, hippos, and wildebeest. Pretty awesome.
After lunch we headed out for a relatively short ride, 290 kms, to Ghanzi. On route, we stopped for a rest at a massive
Baobab tree . These trees can live thousands of years and can attain a girth of 40 feet. Just before entering town, we stopped at a taxidermy. it was interesting to see how they made mounts of the
Big 5 - Lions, Leopards. Elephant, Water Buffalo and Hippos. They are known as the Big 5, not because of their size, but because they are the most dangerous animals to hunt.
Monday, Oct 5 High 32 low 19 Ghanzi to Windhoek, Namibia 530 kms
Another relatively long day. One of the highlights for me was seeing 2 wild ostriches along
the side of the road. These birds can run up to 50 km per hour. Also on this ride, there were a few interesting things. Along the 2 lane highway, there were all sort of domestic animals, including goats, horses, donkeys, and cows. At first we were quit cautious as they would wander onto the road at will. However after a while, we just flew by them at 130 kms, trying to anticipate when one might come onto the road. The land in this part of the world is very dry land used mostly for grazing. There were driveways every once in a while that were entrances to farms. People would mark their entrances with old car parts. For example hanging a blue bumper from a branch, or nailing an old car door to a tree, or putting a few old tires on a stick in the ground. Very clever.
We crossed the border into Namibia. It was like night and day. The roads were great. There were no animals on the sides of the road. Farms had proper signs marking their entrances. Namibia has a population of about 1.7 million. Namibia, formerly a German state, was granted independence
from South Africa in 1990. We really roughed it in
Windhoek, staying at the beautiful Windhoek Country Club Resort. Unfortunately we arrived there late and left early the next morning, not really getting to enjoy all of its facilities.
Tuesday, Oct 6 - High 39 (about 104 Fahrenheit!) Low 20 Windhoek to Etosha National Park 530 kms
Another long ride, but it was definitely worth it. We stayed at the
Mokuti Lodge in the famous
Etosha National Park . The accommodations were outstanding, the service was outstanding, and the people were extremely friendly ( in contrast to many of the places we stayed). We relaxed by the pool, had a lovely dinner, and had a few shots of tequila before retiring for the night.
Wednesday, Oct 7 and 8, High 38, low 20
We went on an early morning Safari. I was starting to get a little cynical about viewing wildlife, as we had seen so much already. But this was the absolute best so far. We went into the park and stopped at a Water hole. It was incredible! I have included many photos from this area. There were so many different kinds of animals coming and going.
It is difficult to describe, but this is what Africa is all about, The rest of the group went out for another safari this afternoon, but I decided to stay at the hotel and get caught up with the blog. I am also in the process of planning the rest of my trip as we are quickly coming to the end of the motorcycle portion.
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Travis
non-member comment
Giraffes
Awesome Giraffe video!