Blogs from Swakopmund, Namibia, Africa - page 10

Hi everyone from Swakopmund, Namibia. Since leaving Victoria Falls a couple of weeks ago we have now finished the westward leg of our journey and are on the Atlantic coast in the old German colony town of Swakopmund. On our way here we initially had a brief stop at Botswana's Chobe national park (Thebe river). Here we had an evening cruise up the river into the national park, this stop was unfortunately only very brief as we were back on the road the following day. However, this cruise gave us a taste of the start of the rainy season as we were head by a torrent of cold water while out cruising and checking out the local hippo and elephant population. Our first substantial stop after Victoria Falls was however in the Okavango Delta. The delta ... read more

Today’s drive turned out to be the longest we have so far done in one day - over 330 miles with one fuel point en route. This was at Palmwag, a rather smart tourist lodge setup where there was also the fuel pumps and a cold drinks shop to water the tourist minibuses that pass frequently. Full tanks again was a blessing as we turned westwards towards the Atlantic and the Skeleton Coast National Park. We entered the park at about noon , where the road continued westwards with the desert getting more and more bleak with increasing views of mirages until we could see the Atlantic in the far distance. I have only once seen a shore line so hostile, and that was in Peru where the Pacific laps the coastline desert. Here the Atlantic ... read more

We're in Swakopmund, Namibia. The majority of our group was eager to arrive in this adrenaline sport hotspot, and we all immediately booked 4-wheeling, sandboarding, and sky diving excursions. Less than an hour after arriving in this town, we were already seated on our 4-wheelers (or 'quad bikes')! I (foolishly) thought that the 125cc automatic quads were too wimpy and selected a 250cc semi-manual with a kick shift. Steve weighed enough to be permitted the use of a 350cc automatic. We listened to the thirty second explanation of how the beasts work and (again foolishly) hopped into the fast group. The leader took off at a ridiculous speed and I struggled to follow, kicking through the gears without the slightest clue as to which was best. I think the bike was a bit too powerful for ... read more

Wow!!! I've covered a lot of ground since my last entry. I joined an overland tour in Livingstone and over the past couple of weeks we have driven through Botswana and into Namibia. After leaving Livingstone, Zambia we crossed back into Botswana and headed for Chobe National Park for a game drive and a cruise. Botswana has so many elephants, thanks to their anti-poaching laws, that they are now culling them, so in Chobe I saw lots of elephants and giraffes as well. Seeing them on the islands in the river was especially nice. From Chobe we headed to Maun, our jumping off point for the Okavango Delta (I believe the largest inland delta in the world). Even though it is the dry season in southern Africa, the delta is currently in flood. The water comes ... read more

We left Cape Town on time Wednesday morning, 5 days ago. Our first stop was in the Cederburg mountains north of the city. It was cold at night and dew formed, making it feel even colder. It's winter here, the sun sets early and we always eat around the camp fire in the dark. There are 21 of us in this truck, a truck built for overland travel. We sleep in tents, on a mat and in sleeping bags. It can be quite cold at night, but I've got a true Canadian sleeping bag rated at -12 degrees Celcius, so I can sleep in shorts and a T shirt. On the tour are Canadians, Americans, British, two Japanese who don't speak much English, one Australian, a German, Swiss and the guides are from South Africa. We've ... read more