Southern Africa = Summer 2014

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I went to Southern Africa for 3 weeks summer of 2014.

I traveled with a tour group called Acacia Adventures for 2 weeks. We went from Johannesburg through Botswana to Livingstone, Zambia and then back through Botswana a different route. Highlights included: Kruger National Park, Moholoholo Animal Sanctuary, Elephant Sands, Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, Okavango Delta, Khama Rhino Sanctuary.

After the two week tour I flew on my own to Cape Town for 5 days. I stayed at the La Rose Bed and Breakfast for about $50 per night. I highly recommend it! Gourmet grocery store nearby. And a yoga studio too! Highlights included: Cape of Good Hope, Boulders Penguin Colony, Robben Island tour. I tried so hard to join the Andulela food tour to learn how to cook Malaysian cuisine, but they didn't have availability until the day I was leaving so I joined them for the first hour.

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Photos

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Yes, I'm petting a cheetah! It lives in a sanctuary that protects animals that were previously harmed by humans.

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National bird of Botswana

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"Zazu"s from the Lion King were everywhere!

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Zebra up close!

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Giraffes were easiest to spot because most were taller than the trees!

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Cheetah in Kruger National Park

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Ostrich are farmed in Southern Africa and I was told that feathers are used for down, skin for leather, neck meat is tasty, and their eggshells are turned into crafts but eggs are terrible for eating. This ostrich is wild.

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I probably saw more elephants than any other animal on the trip. This pic is at Elephant Sands, in Nata, Botswana.

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In Chobe National Park we saw hundreds and hundreds of elephants, mostly in or around the river.

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Baboons were everywhere! This is next to Victoria Falls. See the baby? It was practicing standing up!

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Hippos spend the day in the water to avoid the sun and come up onto the land at night. They are most dangerous to humans if you are between them and their water. Hippos fight to the death over territory.

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Baobab tree (also in the Lion King)

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Meerkats live in the desert. They do not drink water. They get their fluid from the bugs they eat.

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Kudu are a type of antelope. Check out those antlers!

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White rhinos and black rhinos are both gray. These are white rhinos. The broad/wide snout (wide sounds like white?) is the shape for grazing on grass. Black rhinos eat leaves which means they are browsers (like giraffes).

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Cape Town. This is the Bo'Kaap neighborhood which is where the Malaysian people settled who were originally brought to Cape Town by the Dutch to be slaves.

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Boulders Penguin Colony outside of Cape Town

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Cape of Good Hope is behind me. This is where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.

Comments

[MargAndRob]

Great Blog
Loved your photos of the wild life. Very good. One should appear in the new photos list at the home page shortly. Rob

[eclecticescapes]

Photos
Wow! Absolutely beautiful photos, looks like a great trip!