Southern Africa: Week 2

Monday: We woke with anticipation of another big game drive in the Etosha National Park. The sun was just coming up as we ate breakfast and then headed out into the park; where we were greeted with another glorious day of bright blue skies and bright golden sunshine. Endless plains of yellow grass with scattered, Acacia trees providing some shade under the sun which soon would be blazing hot, merged seamlessly with extensive patches of bush and trees, a carpet of green and brown.

Once more we spotted loads of Africa’s classic mammal species, zebra, springbok, giraffe and numerous birds including hornbills, rollers and storks. The cameras kept clicking, capturing the moments, wildlife and scenes.
We pulled up to one waterhole to see it be invaded with hundreds of Black faced Impala.

As the morning grew late things became quiet as the wildlife sort shade from the heat, it was hard to stay alert. Suddenly by the side of the road we saw a herd of 10 African Elephants including young ones, we watched with delight as they ambled across the road ahead and then started munching on the vegetation on the opposite side.

Our safari continued along the edge of the Etosha salt pan, a white shimmering expanse at the heart of the park. Here we stopped at another waterhole and watched as a huge crowd of Springbok made their way down to the water, followed closely by half a dozen Wildebeest.

The sun’s heat was now intense and we headed for another of the parks campsites for a break and lunch. Just before pulling into the campsite we stopped at a large waterhole, and the scene left us speechless. Surrounding the water was a dense throng of zebra and springbok, with pockets of Red Hartebeest, Wildebeest, Giraffe and Impala. The herd covered the grassy plain surrounding deep blue waterhole, a few stood in the mud along the edges drinking the cool water but the pool itself was dominated by two massive bull Elephants tussling in the water. It was one of the most amazing scenes we have ever seen and felt like we had found the heart of Africa, alive with energy and passion.

Shortly three more elephants arrived, wandering round the edge of the pool heading closer to us, splashing about and sucking up the water. Amongst all the commotion of the elephants the other animals got on with their own lives, a zebra foal suckled from its mother, two male springbok locked horns in a brief clash, the rest quietly munched on the grass occasionally looking up cautiously at their surroundings.
It was an inspiring sight.

Soon it was time to make a move and we slowly made our way back through the throng, it was then that something caught our attention. The zebra and springbok had left a wide perimeter around an Acacia tree and there, sat beneath it in the shade’ was a young male Lion! We were blown away to have found another lion and in such an incredible setting.

We left the scene and continued down the road towards the camp site, but once again had to stop as three zebra crossed in front of us. Suddenly the zebra stopped looking intently ahead, following their gaze we saw three lionesses slumbering in the shade of some bushes! One sat up and gazed back at the zebra but none had any intention of moving in this heat. The zebra however were taking no chances and quickly trotted off in the opposite direction. We continued to watch the lions and closer inspection revealed a large, fully grown male lion sprawled out under another bush nearby!
Finally we left the lions and pulled into the camp with our tummy’s grumbling.

With a little spare time after lunch we headed for this camps waterhole, being the middle of the day it was pretty quiet but we did see a Black faced Impala, a very inquisitive tree squirrel and an array of brightly coloured birds.

The sun had started its descent in the western sky as we left the campsite and headed back into the park. We drove back down the road, briefly stopping at the group of lions that still slumbered in the same place we had left them a couple of hours before.

We continued down the dusty road, slowly scanning each side looking for more animals, suddenly Joel shouted “LEOPARD!” we all jumped out of our seats as the truck came to a halt and slowly reversed, looking out the windows straining for a glimpse of the leopard. Very soon it came into view and left us breathless, it was totally unexpected and yet there it was sitting upright under a bush, looking absolutely beautiful, powerful, wild and free.
We were extremely lucky to have seen one and were grateful for the height of the truck. Soon it yawned revealing a set of wonderful teeth, stretched and then padded off into the bush, it had to be the highlight of the day.

We now returned to the masses of springbok, zebra and other antelope around the waterhole, there were now 18 elephants ranging from two big bulls and females to a couple of small calves. They were all enjoying the water particularly the muddy parts, flicking and spraying mud over themselves and each other with their trunks and feet. It was another wonderful scene and we could have stayed forever but the sun was getting lower and we needed to get back to camp, so we left the elephants to their mud bath.

The light was beautiful, golden as we made our way across the park stopping a couple more times to watch Oryx before pulling into the camps gates. We made our way up the tower and watched the sun disappear in a blaze of colour behind the horizon. At the edge of camp we could see some giraffe and 4 elephants – had to be one of the best places we have been too and one of the best day’s wildlife watching we have ever experienced.

Once more we made our way to the camps waterhole, on arrival there was one elephant and a mother and calf Black Rhino at the waters edge. We were astounded when the calf then knelt down and suckled from its mother, touched by the intimacy of the moment. The elephant soon wondered off and another rhino arrived much to the displeasure of the mother rhino. Every time the adult got too close to the baby the mother would come over snorting and grunting, shooing him away. By the time we thought about leaving to go to bed there were 4 rhino at the pool with the inquisitive youngster creating problems for its mother. Each time the baby would go up to one of the other adults sniffing and nuzzling, but when they showed a little too much interest he would go running back to mum or squeal calling her to the rescue.

We are all sad to leave Etosha with its incredible wildlife but we have other places to go and things to see. So we left the rhino’s sniffing and snorting at each other and the jackals running through the campsite and made our way to bed ready to continue our trip through Southern Africa.

Tuesday: After a good night sleep, occasionally waking to hear the low rumblings of nearby elephants or the cackle and howl of jackals, we woke at 5.15am and prepared to leave Etosha. It was a struggle to get up after such a long, exhausting day yesterday, still we were soon up and watching the sunrise over the waterhole that had become one of our favourite places in Africa. We sat in the cool light of dawn watching various goings on as zebra came to and fro, jackals paced the waters edge and birds squabbled in the surrounding bush.

Returning to camp we had breakfast, packed and were soon ready to leave. The 17km back to the gate produced more giraffe, zebra, wildebeest and numerous birds including a Black Shouldered Kite.

Through the gates and we were once more driving though a flat and of scrub and small trees. The warmth of the sun, rocking motion of the truck and endless landscape lulled us into sleep as we continued our journey. A few hours later and a huge, flat topped mountain rose out of the plains and stretched along the horizon before us. We had reached the Waterberg Plateau, another oasis for wildlife in Namibia. The plateau loomed closer and closer as we drove down dead straight roads heading for it. In the shadow of its steep rocky walls we came to our camp, a green, lush oasis amongst the scrub and trees that covered the lower slopes of the plateau in a broad belt.

Under the Acacia trees we set up our camp and ate lunch with many little Banded Mongoose running amongst our tents! Afterwards we got our things together and set off for a walk up to the plateau. The sun was bright above, dappling through the trees as we headed for the path. However it took us over an hour to get out of the camp since there were new birds everywhere! Francolins, weavers, parakeets, shrikes, hornbills… it was paradise. Not to mention the numerous Ground Squirrels and Banded Mongoose basking in the sun, which were very obliging when it came to having their photos taken!

Finally we left the open campsite and picked up the trail, trees and bushes closed in around the sandy, rocky path that climbed steadily. Brightly coloured butterflies flitted around in front of us including a couple of African Monarchs. Suddenly we heard a rustling in the dense bushes next to the path, we stopped, holding our breath and slowly peered between the branches. There looking back we saw the delicate features of a Damara Dik-Dik a small antelope. Quietly we followed as it made its way down hill, pausing briefly before dashing across the path in front of us!

We continued up and soon came to the path at the very base of the sheer walls of the plateau that reared up in front of us, shadows played on the rock face, the deep orange of the rock vibrant in the bright sunlight. We started to climb, first over small rocks that gradually got bigger as the terrain got steeper. Suddenly we heard branches cracking, rustling, howling and chattering up ahead…Baboons! We froze, our hearts thudding in our ears, and watched as a troop of Chacma Baboons crossed the path in front. Slowly we walked forward, peaked round a corner and saw some of the Baboons sat on rocks and massive tree trunks. To be honest we were all a little scared knowing how dangerous baboons can be, we watched a big males stared back at us and little ones tumbled over each other. After a long pause the baboons moved noisily off and we continued up the slope. The boulders became massive as the path led up through a crack in the sheer walls; we scrambled up and soon came across a Hyrax sat on the path in front. The chunky rodent took no notice of us as we crept closer until we were less than a metre away!

On we climbed between towering walls of rock, we were getting closer to the top and all around us we could hear the scurrying feet of more Hyrax. Finally we came up out of the shadows of the gully and into the bright sunlight on top of the plateau. We scrambled up and sat on a huge boulder taking in the awesome panorama. Behind us the plateau top spread as far as the eye could see, undulating slabs and boulders of rock, a carpet of Acacia trees and a maze of dusty pathways between them, up here big mammals like Rhino can be found but we were right at the edge and not likely to come across one. The flat top then dropped abruptly to the plains below which stretched out in a sea of yellow. We sat watching as golden rays of light turned the rock bright orange and the trees vibrant green.

After a while we made our way back down, picking our way carefully amongst the rocks and tree roots. The whole area was now in shade as the afternoon drew into evening, ahead the suns rays still coated the grassy plains. Within 40 minutes we were back at camp, it had been a fabulous bird watching walk.

We spent the evening sitting round a roaring camp fire chatting with our fellow travellers.

Wednesday: It had been a cold night, we woke to the welcome sight of a roaring fire just outside the tent. We had another long drive ahead of us today, over 600km to the border of Namibia and Botswana.

Once more we drove through a flat land covered in densely packed Acacia trees, a few huge mounds of rock rose out of the plain, and for a while the massive Waterberg Plateau kept us company but that soon melted into the horizon as well. It was another clear, sunny day as we pulled into the capital of Namibia, Windhoek. A bustling town, we had two hours while new spare tyres we fitted to the truck. Here we also said goodbye to half our group, it was sad to say goodbye and it was strange with only 9 of us left.

Back on the truck and we continued our trip heading for Gobabis. After Windhoek the land turned much drier, we drove over a small area of higher ground, covered in dusty, yellow soil and a scattering of small, spindly bushes. Soon the ground flattened again and the Acacia trees returned, though this time they were more spread out and yellow, wavy grass filled in between.
Around Gobabis the yellow grass dominated and the few trees and bushes stood silhouetted against the deep blue sky, the shadows were getting longer and the grass shimmered in the golden afternoon light. Gobabis felt very rural and very African with not as much European influence here. Trucks and cars were piled high with bags, boxes and stuff or jam packed with people. There were many people sitting in the shade of trees with their crafts spread out before them for sale and many children running around or hanging onto the backs of trucks.

We continued through heading for Zelda’s Guest Farm a further 95km away. As we drove down the straight road a large, male Kudu ran across the road ahead, marking the only wildlife we had really seen all day. Finally we pulled into the guest farm where we were met by the camps ranger who led us immediately to an enclosure where three absolutely gorgeous Cheetahs were about to be fed. Once the meat had been thrown in the cheetahs grabbed a piece and ran off to eat it, returning a few minutes later to grab some more. They were well fed and a little chunkier than their wild counterparts. These three were here because local farmers will still shoot them and so these were caught and brought to the safety of the guest farm. We now moved onto a beautiful female Leopard called Tonaldo. Raised from a cub in the farm house she now had her own enclosure as she was too big and still a semi wild animal. The meat was placed on a metal platform but Tonaldo took a while to eat it, pacing around the platform and fence. Whilst everyone soon left to pitch their tents we stayed back watching the leopard a bit more, taking some photos, we got chatting to the ranger who had known Tonaldo since she was a cub. It was then that the ranger offered us to come back later tonight and maybe stroke her! Excitedly we agreed and hurried over to set up our tents before the light disappeared, brimming with excitement we dared not tell anyone else as the ranger did not want too much attention drawn to the leopard.

That evening we made our way to the lodge for dinner, it was like stepping back in time, the décor was all old 50s hunting lodge complete with the head of a massive male Greater Kudu with impressive horns and whose eyes followed you everywhere.

It was getting cold outside. It was not until later, when the ranger had closed the bar that he took us back to the enclosure to meet Tonaldo again. It was a cold, starry, black night as we made our way to the gate and waited. The ranger then took Rachael along the fence, calling and whistling softly while Laura and Lee waited at the gate. The half moon was really bright and we needed no torch as we made our way along the fence, listening for the leopard, we walked a short distance then turned and headed back still calling. Suddenly we heard a rustle of grass behind us and then Tonaldo bounded out of the night shadows and into view on the other side of the fence. She followed us as we headed back to the gate and once we stopped she started rubbing against the fence just in front of us! Laura and Lee came over and we spent quite a while stroking her through the wire, she was gorgeous, very soft. A couple of times she jumped up to the wire, spreading her big paws apart like she was giving us a hug! Then she sat back on her haunches, growled a soft purr, sticking her paw through the wire she started batting Lee’s shoes! It was a wonderful, exhilarating experience being so close and stoking such a beautiful and powerful creature, we felt so lucky and grateful. Soon Tonaldo wandered off into the dark and we headed back to our tents chatting with the ranger who teased us constantly with the tales of his electric heater!

It had been a memorable end to the day.

Thursday: It was still rather cold when we woke in the morning and we were still really exhilarated with our encounter last night. The sun turned the sky pink as it made its journey up over the horizon, starting to warm the cool air. We packed our camp and with a final goodbye to the ranger headed off for the Botswana border.

After exiting Namibia we crossed the Botswana border and entered our third country of the tour, it was yet another sunny and clear day that got warmer as the morning progressed. There was more livestock wandering close to the road and Joel mentioned some of the horses and donkeys were actually wild. We were driving through the dry, arid landscape of the Kalahari Desert which covers some 80% of Botswana. The flat land was dominated by red, sandy soil, yellowy dry grass, or gnarled Acacia trees. Every so often we would pass a small village amongst the trees and bushes, small round or square huts, very rural but it was good to see parts of Africa not dominated by European influence.

There was quite a bit of wildlife along the road, hornbills were everywhere and each time we saw them skimming across the road ahead we all started humming “kings don’t need advice from little hornbills for a start”! The Lion King was taking on a whole new meaning to us with our experience of Africa…
We also saw our first vulture, a White-backed Vulture perched at the top of a tree and a number of Ostrich.

Mid afternoon and we arrived in Maun, gateway to the Okavango Delta. Despite being a larger town and having many modern shops, Maun still held a very African feel and it bustled with people. We stopped briefly before continuing to our camp on the outskirts of town and having set up our tents on the dusty ground returned to Maun for the flight of a lifetime over the delta.

Our plane carried Laura, Lee, Rachael, Adrian and Matt, we all squeezed into the tiny six seater Cessna with Richard our pilot and were soon taxiing down the runway wondering how on earth this plane was ever going to take off! The rota blades span furiously so we could no longer see them and then the little plane started to pick up speed, faster and faster until we were suddenly airborne with only a little rattling.

The town dropped away below us and soon we could see the spectacular sight of the Okavango Delta. Only from up here can you gain a real perspective of the size of this oasis in the Kalahari. Great swathes of lush green trees and grass spread out like a blanket below, we were stunned by the verdant greenness of it all after weeks of dry, yellow, dusty soil and grass. Crisscrossing the green were arteries of life giving water (sorry to be so corny!), some were small, ribbons which then spread out into vast pools glinting vibrant blue in the afternoon sunlight. In other places the river was wide and meandering like a snake through the carpet of green. Amongst the trees, on the open plain of green grass, along the rivers edge and even wading in the water were numerous giraffe, zebra and various antelope species. Big herds of Elephant spread across the land; on a bend in the river we caught sight of the huge, rotund bodies of Hippopotamus! Pink blobs against the deep blue pools of water indicated huge flamingo flocks. The sight was spectacular. The whole delta was now bathed in golden evening light as we glided over the green haven below, we could not wait to get into the delta and experience it all on a closer level…this flight was all about getting a sense of scale and a glimpse of the delta’s secrets.

We touched down as the sun was turning deep red, thanking our pilot we returned to our camp to prepare for our trip into the delta, here we were going ‘bush’ no modern comforts, no running water, no toilets and we would be camping amongst nature that includes lion, hippo and buffalo – some of the most dangerous animals in Africa….

Friday: Another beautiful sunrise. We’d packed and loaded our gear onto a 4x4 that had come to collect us, leaving Joseph with 2 days peace and quiet.

The open 4x4 was good fun to ride in if a little breezey! We turned off road at a small village and headed down a sandy road that led past a small collection of huts and into the bush. Bouncing around we passed through spiky bushes and along side Acacia trees. There were many birds and we did our best to identify them as we bounced and swerved along the track.

We soon came to another small village next to a long wire fence and a gate, this fence was here to protect the people from the dangerous animals that live in the delta. Through the gate and we were into wild animal territory.
Deeper into the bush we drove, dodging the spiky bushes, until the bush opened up and we saw an endless land of green reeds. A crowd of people stood at the edge of the water, amongst numerous long wooden or fibreglass boats. Our journey into the delta would continue through the maze of waterways in these mokorros.

It was more than a little chaotic at the mokorro station with people milling everywhere, polers, tour guides and another group. However soon we were paired with a poler who would take us into the bush, we were with a young man called Lesh. Seated in our mokorro, Rachael in front, Lee behind and Lesh standing at the back we pushed off and followed the rest of the guys into the avenues of water surrounded by tall yellowy green reeds. In a long line we went, the heads and pole tips of the other guides could just be seen above the tops of the tall reeds. Tall trees ahead marked the islands of dry land, we kept to the channels, the water looked rusty red and was filled with reeds and lilies. The mokorro sat very low to the water as Lesh pushed us smoothly along. Ours being a traditional wooden mokorro it started to fill with water at the back so that we had to stop every so often to scoop the water out, we were fine though sitting on a bed of straw and then on top of our sleeping mats.

It was peaceful, quiet and wonderful, the sun was hot and high above glistening on the cool water that streamed past. We peered through and over the reeds at various birds and even at some Zebra, dragonflies and damselflies of all colours and sizes zipped around in front of the boat. After a short break to stretch our legs our mokorro ended up at the back of the group and we soon fell behind as Lesh stopped to let us get a good look at a few birds, we had an amazing close encounter with a Little Beeater sat on the reeds. Finally slightly later than everyone else we pulled up to dry land and our camp.

Once the camp was set up and we had lunch we were introduced to our guide and our bush toilet! We then had a few hours before our first evening walk through the delta. We were restricted to our small camp, with so many potentially dangerous animals around we could not go wondering without a guide.

From the cool shelter of our tents we watched small birds flit in the surrounding trees and dozed in the afternoon sun.

As the sun started to drop we headed along the rivers edge through the shade of trees and then out into the open grassy plains with clumps of spiky bushes and tall trees. Across the river in a small stand of trees we saw a rather large African Elephant!

We walked in a large loop around the camp as the sun made its way down to the horizon casting a golden glow over the delta, crunching through brittle grass and scuffing sandy soil. We stopped at a massive, solid termite mound and cast our gaze across the golden grass to a herd of Blue Wildebeest gazing back at us.

Before long the sun turned bright red, setting the sky ablaze with colour, once it had disappeared it became noticeably colder immediately, we hurried back to camp with the last of the light and spent the evening sitting round a roaring fire, watching hundreds of stars glitter in the velvet black sky above.


Saturday: Awake before dawn we huddled around the fire trying to keep warm; we ate a small breakfast and then headed off on another walk. The group was split today and once more Rachael, Lee and Laura were joined by Adrian and Matt. We headed away from the water and made our way across a plain of yellow grass and shoulder high green bushes. The red sun rose setting the sky on fire and started to warm things up, it was going to be another gorgeous day. Making our way through the long grass to a stand of tall trees near a large pool, nearer to it the grass disappeared and was replaced with flatten reeds surrounding the shimmering blue water. In the tall trees we spotted a troop of Chacma Baboons, who started sliding down the trunks into the dense bushes below. Little babies clung to their mothers and once on the ground a couple of large males started having a very noisy fight, barking and screeching at each other.

We made our way closer to the pool once the baboons had quieted and moved off. The pool was alive with birds, out in the water we saw the head of a reasonably sized crocodile and the nostrils of a hippopotamus!

We left the pool and headed into a burnt landscape of ash, dust and charcoaled trees. The land was a monotone of black and grey, the reeds and grass gone, the trees blackened, some still smouldering. The fine ask kicked up and coated us from headed to toe. We were a little shocked and disappointed, it was not what we had expected particularly after the flight that revealed a lush green wonderland. It was even more disappointing to find that it is the local people who burn the area on purpose so they can see wild animals like buffalo and lion, the guides said that in a few months the grass would have grown back and indeed in some areas little green shoots were already bursting out of the blackened earth. But this was little consolation to us and to the whole micro environment of insects and invertebrates destroyed by the flames.

Despite the ash we still saw quite a few mammal species including Reedbuck and whilst heading back, walking amongst a cluster of trees and bushes, a green oasis in the scorched environment we saw a lone bull African Elephant! Slowly we approached, getting as close as we dared, about 50m and we stopped to watch the old bull for a while, it was pretty magical being that close to such a huge creature…

It was hot, dusty and our tummies rumbled as we left the Elephant and continued back towards camp, soon we were back at the big pool and once again came across a troop of baboons, a big male came barking out of the reeds and then the whole troop moved noisily off. Across the far edge of the pool a mixed herd of zebra and Impala grazed keeping a wary eye on us. We stopped for a while at the pool, watching the crocodile and nostrils of the hippo break the still water of the pool.

Leaving the burnt land behind we returned into long yellow grass and tall green bushes, and after 5 hours solid walking returned to our camp, the other group had been back for over two hours!

After dinner and a siesta we headed out on a mokorro safari, the sun was hanging low in the sky, casting golden light over the reeds and water as we paddled down stream. After about half an hour we pulled into the bank and then followed our guide over more crispy land to another pool of water. Here we sat watching the sunset over the pool in which another crocodile swam, birds wandered along its edges, and not one but two hippos popping the nostrils above the water. The baby even stuck its whole head out, wiggled its ears then disappeared.

With the sun hovering over the horizon we returned to the mokorros and started back to camp, stopping briefly to watch the sun drop completely behind the horizon and then to watch a beautiful Fish Eagle fly just overhead.

That night with the stars twinkling across the sky we sat round the roaring campfire singing songs and playing word games with our guides, it was brilliant fun, dancing, telling jokes till it got late…

Sunday: 6am wake up; we had an hour to leave our camp. It was another cool morning and once breakfast was over we loaded the mokorros and left our little island camp.

As the morning light filled in the surrounding colours and detail we cruised slowly back to the mokorro station. It was quiet, peaceful, the only sound coming from the plop of the poles in the water, the breeze rippling the reeds and the early morning calls of birds. The sun rose behind the trees blinding us with its bright golden rays, making it difficult to see but this morning we did not mind, content to lie back, close our eyes, relax and listen….

The mokorro station was still bustling, new groups of people we arriving as we pulled up, unloaded our boats and then sat waiting for our 4x4 watching the animated comings and goings.

Once the 4x4 had arrived we loaded up our things, said a fond farewell tour guides and returned along the bumpy, sandy road to Maun waving at the people and children we passed in the villages. On returning Croc Camp we all rushed over and group hugged Joseph, we’d missed him in the delta! It was then a rush to the showers as we were all coated in dust and ash. Shame the hot water did last long enough for all of us!

After lunch we rejoined the Trans Kalahari Highway and once more the desert scenery rushed past endlessly, tall trees and scrub dominated the sandy soil then the trees would melt away into yellow grassy plains. We slowed a couple of times as donkey’s, horses and ostrich dashed across the road, but kept pushing on until we reached Nata, and pulled into our sandy campsite on the outskirts of town.

Settling down for dinner we enjoyed the sight of a Lesser Bushbaby bouncing from branch to branch and spent another delightful evening sitting round a glowing campfire, eating delicious food and gazing at a hundred stars above…

So many photos and such limited blog space

The view from Table mountain in Cape Town overlooking Lion Head.

After seeing the Sea lions Rachael and Laura had a look around the stalls. How much kit does someone need for a 30min boat trip?

These South African Penguins have decided to abandon the cold climate of their relatives and go to the beach to breed.


You have to have shops nearby just in case you run out of milk or something.

The middle of a Cape Gannet colony is a busy, noisy and smelly place but wouldn't this make the best jigsaw?

All three of us standing by a tree (rare in these parts). This species of tree was used for arrows but its now illegal to do so, easier to use a gun anyway.

Fish River Canyon is the second deepest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. I won't even bother trying to point out the people in the valley.

Dinner wasn't for another 3 hours but Rach and Laura didn't want to miss it. This campsite had rabid Jackals walking through... nice.

Sunrise on Dune 45 in the Namibian desert. Anyone got a bucket and spade?

This dried up river bed provided water for these trees for a while but is long gone now. With no moisture anywhere these trees don't rot.

The fight for the front seat was very violent, but the view from the back was fantastic.

Ostrich's roam wild in the area but they are farmed for food also.

With the desert in the back ground these Bottle-nosed Dolphins provided great photographic opportunities. We also saw Leather Backed Turtle and Heaviside Dolphin.

Southern Africa
Well here it is! The final few installments of the Big Huge Travel Blog. We apologise for the delay, afterall it has been over a month since we arrived home but a lot of things have been happening....

Anyways here is the first installment of our tales from Southern Africa....

Week One

After a 10 hour flight to Singapore, a couple of hours restless sleep on the floor of Changi Airport and a further 10 hour flight we finally arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa and began the final chapter of our big travel adventure.

Arriving in Africa is the strangest feeling, at some deep level it honestly feels like coming home...

Anyway first job was to fly to Cape Town where our tour would start in a few days. Johannesburg melted away into the hazy sunshine below us and then a brown flat landscape spread out below us. A river meandered its way across the dusty land.

As we came closer to Cape Town the land became more folded, dark shadows highlighting deep valleys and broad green valleys spread between fingers of mountain ranges. Blankets of white clouds built up so that only the tips of the mountains poked through. The cloud cleared and the land flattened once more as we made our descent into Cape Town; however it remained really hazy so that we only caught one brief glimpse of Table Mountain, like a ghost ship sailing in a misty ocean. As we came into land things came into clearer focus with buildings, hills and trees looming out of the surrounding mist.

On landing we took a shuttle to our hotel, the car wound its way through the traffic with city buildings old and new flanking each side of the road, the whole landscape however was dominated by a group of mountains – Signal Hill, Lions Head, Devils Peak and as we turned a corner the splendid Table Mountain.

In the shadow of Table Mountain lay the city of Cape Town and our hostel, here once more we were reunited with that other intrepid explorer Laura!

Table Mountain filled the view from our window and we spent quite a while chatting and bird watching from the window, unlike New Zealand where there are a lot of European introductions every bird was new and different here!

After a while the long flight and lack of sleep finally caught up with us and we retired to bed for a few hours before venturing out for food and then returning for an early night ready to explore Cape Town the next day.

Friday: We were greeted by a warm sunny but hazy day as we left our hotel and went exploring. The streets bustled with people and cars, street vendors we setting up their stalls, men walked between stationary cars selling newspapers, magazines or offering to clean windows.
After a busy morning trying to sort out money for our tour we jumped onto the open top bus that does a tour of the city and made our way up to the Table Mountain cable way. Table Mountain, Devils Peak and Lion’s Head rose up around us as the city melted into the haze, which unfortunately was smog hanging over the city waiting for a breath of wind to blow it away.

Once dropped off at the cable way, the mountain loomed above us the city sprawled below us; the sheer rock walls of the mountain climbed in front of us as we rode up in a cable car whose floor rotated giving everyone aboard wonderful views of the spectacular scenery.

True to its name the top of the mountain spread out flat like a table top, large rocky boulders with a path meandering between with small shrubs growing between them. The edges dropped sheer to the city miles below. The ocean was deep blue and sparkling in the bright sunshine, white frothy waves crashed against the coast below. Behind us the Cape of Good Hope disappeared into a hazy horizon. We spent a couple of hours wondering along the myriad of pathways taking in the views and watching a few birds including a beautiful male Orange breasted Sunbird with its bright vibrant breast and superb long tail. As we headed back to the cable car we saw a couple of Hyrax or Rock Dassies basking on the rocky ledges, small, sturdy rodents it’s incredible to think they are related to the elephant!

Back down the cable car and we rejoined the open top bus which took us back to Cape Town via the coastal road. Under the shadow of Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and the 12 Apostles, the Atlantic Ocean crashed onto giant boulders in white foaming waves. Round a corner and into another suburb and the coast changed dramatically now dominated by sandy beaches and jagged up turned slabs of sedimentary rock.

Soon we were back into the heart of Cape Town and if possible it seemed even more busy that this morning. We wound our way through the bustling crowds back to our hotel.

Saturday: Officially the first day of our Imaginative Traveller Tour however today was a free day giving people time to explore Cape Town. We headed off on a tour of the Cape of Good Hope with a lovely lady called Audrey. It was another glorious sunny day but the low haze remained along the coast and over the city.

Out of the city, along the coastal road and our first stop was Hout Bay, a beautiful blue green bay surrounded by green mountains. Here we got on a glass bottom boat that took us on a short trip out of the bay to Duiker Island where there is a colony of Cape Fur Seals. Turquoise and white waves crashed onto the rocks and rolled the boat as we approached close in. The island was covered in seals, many more including small pups twisted and played in the surrounding water, very close to our boat. The pups were especially playful, leaping clear of the water and throwing sponges around. The sight, smell and noise of hundreds of seals all on one small island was a little overwhelming but very very cool!

Back into the bay and we returned to our van, we then drove round the bay and down the coast along a narrow road that hugged the sheer rock walls of Chapman Peak. Cutting inland we crossed to the other side of the peninsula and the Indian Ocean loomed into view. Our next stop was Boulders Beach, a place we had been looking forward to visiting since the very beginning of our trip for here a colony of South African Penguins live right on the beach.
We made our way to the beach along a series of boardwalks, in the small bushes on either side a few penguins could be seen nesting close by. Round the corner and we came onto a beautiful beach, glistening turquoise water gently rolling up onto soft white sand, and everywhere there were penguins! Resting on the beach, waddling by the water, perched on the rocks and swimming in the surf! They came really close and we were all able to get some wonderful photos. At one point a large chick made a break for the ocean only to be chased and hounded back onto the beach by an adult!
It had to be our favourite place in the Cape Town area and we were reluctant to leave.

We continued on with our trip and now entered the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, heading for Cape Point. We were now in Baboon country and presently a whole troop crossed the road ahead of us, sitting by the road side as we watched on from the safety of our car having been warned of the dangerous and very clever nature of these animals, which have been known to open car doors and bite people.

The reserve was a flat landscape of rock low scrub and small sand dunes, amongst which we saw a small antelope species called the Bontebok.

Shortly we arrived at the Cape Point Lighthouse complex where we had time to explore, once we’d eaten lunch we made our way down to the actual Cape Point below. The path wound through rocky scrub, the lighthouse rising skywards behind us and the cliffs plunging to white sandy beaches. Huge waves of blue water crashed onto the beaches in a swirl of white water. The path climbed up onto a rocky headland and then down a steep path to the beach below, Cape Point the most south westerly point of the continent of Africa, where the Indian and Atlantic Ocean meet. We watched Cape Gannets circle above and Cape Cormorants stream by over a dazzling blue ocean.

We were now on our way back to Cape Town along the Atlantic coast of the peninsula through numerous small towns. We stopped briefly at an Ostrich farm and then returned to the city, rounding off a wonderful day on the Cape of Good Hope.

Sunday: This morning we met our guides from Wildlife Adventures, Joel and Joseph and the rest of the group on the Imaginative Traveller tour from Cape Town to Victoria Falls.

After a brief introductory meeting we were ready to start our tour, we made our way out to our absolutely massive truck that would take us and all our gear on the 5600km trip.

It was another sunny but hazy day as we left Cape Town and headed out along the Atlantic coast of South Africa. Our first stop was Table View, over a white sandy beach and deep blue ocean Table Mountain rose up out of the haze covering the city, here we said our final goodbye to Cape Town.
The land was flat, not a bump or hill to be seen, in the far distant highland appeared as a bluish purple line on the hazy horizon. The landscape around us was dominated by scrub and bush mixed with large boulders and rocky outcrops. The road headed dead straight through it all.
Further on and small stands of trees appeared, paddocks and farmland replaced the endless scrub. Sometimes the road we come in close to the coast, the ocean sparkled bright blue behind small dunes of white sand, then the road would veer away and the ocean would disappear from sight.

A few hours later and the road climbed and dipped over a series of ridges and then into higher hills. Dropping down from the higher land we turned onto a dusty road that once more hugged the coast and finally pulled into Lamberts Bay our stop for the night. A small low lying and sprawling town nestled right up against the ocean.

Once we had set up our large, heavy duty, canvas tents we had the rest of the afternoon free. Despite the clouds that had built up in the sky we made our way to Bird Island, a colony of over 20,000 Cape Gannets!

What a spectacle, the sight and smell of thousands of gannets covering this small rocky island. Above and around us hundreds more were swirling, zipping past or coming into crash land amongst the others! Behind were hundreds of Cape Fur Seals adding their voice to the cacophony of noise created by thousands of shrieking birds.

The sun finally disappeared blood red below the horizon as we joined the rest of our group for dinner.

Monday: An early start, there was no sunrise as the grey, overcast morning simply grew lighter. We packed our tents and bags, ate breakfast and were then back on the road making our way north along the west coast.
The land remained hilly with rocky scrub and fields of yellowy green grass, in the near distance more rocky hills rose up.

As we progressed the cloud cover broke up a little, blue sky and golden rays sunshine eventually broke through lighting the underside of the clouds and the sandy, rocky soil.

We drove for hours; the landscape became much drier, arid and rocky. Huge boulders tumbled across the rolling land, some piled into huge mounds of loose rock. In places the land would flatten out and then in the distance more hills would rise up against a sky that was sometimes a tempest of grey clouds and at others clear, calm and blue.
We made a few short stops along the way, the wind whistled around us before we continued along long, straight endless roads.

Finally we approached those distant hills, the rock and soil was more orange and small valleys of green bush hugged the Orange River that formed the border between Namibia and South Africa. Today we did not cross the border but instead drove along the river, winding our way between hills of solid rock, and made our way to a campsite along the banks of the river.

After 7 hours of driving we were glad to stop and put up our tents. We then headed for the river bank to enjoy the rest of the afternoon bird watching. The afternoon light lay golden over the hills of Namibia on the far side of the river, lush green reeds and trees flanked either side as we quietly sat watching an amazing array of striking colourful birds.

We watched the sun set, sending orange, pink and golden rays of light over the river and mountains and then retired to a roaring camp fire and delicious meal cooked by Joel.

Tuesday: We woke early and returned to the river bank where we were greeted with a wonderful sunrise. The river lay calm under a pinkish blue sky, the mountains and few wispy clouds above glowed gold in the morning light.
Once more there was an array of birds around the river, just starting to move and wake to another African day.
The cool morning was warming fast as we headed for breakfast, after which most of the group headed off canoeing while we decided to go bird watching around the campsite.
Slowly we headed along the dusty road with fields on either side, every bird was new and needed investigating, it was wonderful!

A few hours later we returned for lunch and with the rest of the group and then jumped back in the truck and crossed the river and border into Namibia. Our journey continued north heading for the Fish River Canyon. Solid mounds of rock rose up out of the dry, dusty land on either side of the very very straight road we were following. We drove through hills, into flat plains and then back amongst rolling hills with occasional green clumps of bush sprouting amongst the tufts of dried yellow grass. Suddenly something up ahead on the road caught our attention; a Black-backed Jackal sprinted away from us. We started seeing more Springbok and even a female Kudu. Eventually in the middle of nowhere, in a flat dusty plain with mountains hugging the horizon we came to our campsite.
Having set up our tents we drove back down the road to the amazing Fish River Canyon, the second largest in the world. Ahead the earth opened up into a massive, deep and wide chasm. Its sheer walls of weather shaped stone glowed in the afternoon sun, brownish red against a deep blue cloudless sky.
We walked along the edge of the chasm watching as the sun descended in the western sky turning the stone redder and redder, creating shadows that played in the canyon below. As the sun disappeared the sky glowed orangey yellow and in the east turned purpley blue, a stunning sunset over a stunning natural wonder.

With the sun gone a million stars started to shine out in a deep velvet blue black sky.

It was pitch black by the time we returned to our remote campsite. Tonight’s dinner was in the camps restaurant, where we tried Oryx and Springbok, both of which were very tasty.

That night while on a trip to the toilet Lee encountered a huge male Kudu, a large antelope with long spirally horns. Trembling with excitement he returned to show Rachael and although the Kudu was not to be seen, there in the pale light of our torches we saw the shining eyes, big ears and small shape of a Steenbok, a smaller species of antelope.

Wednesday: Another beautiful sunrise over the hills surrounding the broad plain of our camp, anther clear morning with not a cloud in the sky, another long day of driving ahead.

The landscape remained much the same endless dry rocky land with high hills that were sometimes distant and aloof and other times close in right next to the straight never-ending road we drove along.
Numerous Southern Pale Chanting Goshawks sat on telegraph wires that ran parallel to the road.

We passed through small villages that were few and far between, the landscape being dominated with dry arid land with tufty yellow grass and the occasional Acacia tree.
Finally we entered the Namib Naukluft Mountains, rocky slopes surrounded valleys of yellow grass with clusters of green bush and trees. After 9 hours of driving we pulled into our camp at Sessriem, situated on a plain of deep reddish brown sandy soil and yellow grass, surrounded by steep rocky mountains, old Acacia trees providing welcome shade from the hot sun.

After a refreshing dip in the swimming pool we watched the changing colours of sunset play on the grass, trees and mountains and felt we had found the real Africa.
With the sun gone the sky now brimmed with stars and the howl of jackals drifted in from the deep black beyond the glow of our campfire.

Thursday:
4.15am the alarm went, it was still pitch black outside, the stars still shone above.
5.10am we were in the truck at the gates to the Namib National Park waiting.
5.30am the gates opened and we drove 45km into the deep black night, nothing could be seen on either side of us.
Then the eastern sky became perceptibly lighter, slowly mounds of sand dunes could be made out silhouetted against the deep blue sky.
Finally we arrived at dune 45, and were confronted with a massive pile of dull orange sand that towered to 120m above us. We started to climb up along the ridge created by the meeting of two steep slopes of sand. It was extremely hard work as the sand was soft and shifting.
We climbed right to the top and then along the top ridge, the sky in the east was getting brighter and brighter, glowing yellow with the promise of the suns rays.

There sat on the top of dune 45 looking out over untouched slopes of dull orange sand with deep shadows, we watched the sun break the horizon and spill its golden light over the dunes turning them bright vibrant orange set against a vivid blue sky. It was one of the most magical sunrises we have ever seen.

Slowly the sun crept over all the dunes and we looked around taking in the view, we were looking out over a broad flat valley covered in sandy brown soil, yellow tufted grass and dotted with Acacia trees. Rising up on the far side of the valley and all around us, as far as the eye could see, were giant dunes of sand, 63 in total although we could not see each one.

The wind picked up a little as we made our way back down the dune, blowing wisps of sand over the crests of the dunes.
Once at the bottom we ate breakfast in the shadow of the sand dunes and surrounded by old Acacia trees. After this we drove even deeper into the desert and then transferring to a 4x4 pickup truck drove along soft sand until the road stopped, we could drive no more and had reached Sossusvlei, a sparse oasis in the midst of towering sand dunes.
Here we met our desert guide Franz who took us on a walk through the dunes telling us all about the area, how the dunes were formed, the fauna and flora and how to survive in such a hostile landscape.

Sossusvlei is where water flowing from the mountains reaches its final point in the desert, here large bushes and Acacia trees grow and bird and animal life is most obvious. The river originally ran all the way to the ocean but has been cut off by sand dunes encroaching on both sides. The water pools at this barrier and then either evaporates or seeps into the ground.
Sand dunes continue to grow towards each other across the river valley and eventually cut off the river again creating a new Sossusvlei. The plants in the old Sossusvlei shrivel and die from lack of water and it becomes known as Deadvlei. We walked through the high dunes of apricot orange and yellow sand to the last deadvlei, here black, dried up, dead trees stood stark on a flat white pan of limestone clay, surrounded by high sand dunes. It was an eerie and yet awe inspiring place…

On the way were saw various desert wildlife, grey backed finch larks ran over the sand, striped mouse climbed in the bushes, lizards that quickly buried themselves into the sand disappearing instantly, beetles that stood upside down letting water in the air condense on their back and run into their mouths and best of all a trap-door spider came out of its opened hole to close its door which Franz had carefully opened.

It was extremely hot amongst the dunes and we managed to get sand everywhere while running down a steep bank! After a few hours we returned to the shade of Sossusvlei and then back along the soft sand to the truck in the pickup. Tired, hot, sweaty and covered in sand we returned down the valley to the camp at Sessriem.

After a refreshing shower and welcome lunch, we spent the afternoon sat in the shade of an Acacia trees looking out over the plains of wavy yellow grass, watching small birds, ground squirrels and a striped mouse.

At around 4 o’clock we jumped in the truck and were driven a short distance down the road to Sessriem Canyon where a steep rocky gorge plunges dramatically out of a flat plain of bush and rock. We walked down into the 40m deep canyon, the walls towering above us eroded into various shapes and patters by millions of years of wind and rain. At the bottom we found a small pool of murky green water in which toads with huge hind legs sat.
We returned to the surface to watch the sun set over the plain and surrounding highlands, turning the grass, rock and withered branches of Acacia trees golden.

As the sun descended behind the mountains we returned to camp and watched the final glow of colour splash across the broad night sky from the comfort of our camp fire. A million stars began to twinkle across the heavens, and in the last bit of light we spotted a Giant Eagle Owl sat in the top of the trees. It had been a long and tiring day but filled with some of the most stunning landscape we have ever seen.

Friday: The sun was just above the horizon when we woke this morning, by 7.30am we were packed and ready to leave our sandy camp. Down a dusty, bumpy road through a landscape of flat plains of yellow grass with occasional green bushes that stretched to the base of orangey brown mountains with rounded or flat tops.

For hours we drove through the Namib Naukluft Mountains which at times crowded close to the road and at others rose up on the horizon surrounded by flat, barren plains of pale yellow grass through which herds of Springbok and Oryx moved.

The mountains had disappeared as we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn and entered a strange lunar landscape where two of the earth’s plates are dipping below each other creating rounded interlocking mounds of bare rock.
We turned a corner and came across a hidden valley, sandy soil with vivid green trees and bushes provided a splash of colour amongst the brown rocks that towered above it.

On leaving this valley we returned to plains of grass and sand that stretched as far as the eye could see. Kilometre after kilometre of flat, greenish yellow ground, the first clouds days bubbled up on the horizon, but the sun still blazed through the windows.
Finally we arrived in Walvis Bay, the largest town we had seen so far in Namibia. A coastal town with a large muddy lagoon between it and the ocean, which was a haven for birds including Lesser and Greater Flamingos. Lee and Rachael were in bird heaven, and they were close enough for Laura to take some wonderful photos. Amongst the Flamingo’s and other waders we even spotted a Damara Tern, a bird only found in this area.

Lunch was over looking this haven and then it was on up the coast to Swakopmund, our final destination for the day. The grey blue ocean rolled onto sandy white beaches to our left and golden sand dunes rose up and disappeared into the horizon on our right.

After a brief tour of the Bavarian style town of Swakopmund we were shown to our lodge, oh yes no tents for us tonight!

Dinner was at a restaurant next to the lodge which served the largest portions of meat we have ever seen, how Lee managed to eat two huge racks of ribs none of us will ever know….

Saturday: Many may not realise it but the continent of Africa provides some of the best whale and dolphin watching in the world. South Africa enjoys wonderful close up encounters with Southern Right Whales amongst others and along the coast of Namibia there lives a small dolphin found no where else in the world – Heavisides Dolphin. Well with the day to explore the coastal town of Swakopmund no one will blame us for going in search of this enigmatic species, and who knows what else we might find….

So at 8.30am we joined a small group of other travellers on a rather small boat and headed out into what was thankfully and beautifully calm silvery blue ocean with our skipper Kassie. After an unusual start climbing onto the boat and being driven down the beach and into the surf we headed on up the coast in search of Africa’s marine wildlife.

Hugging the coastline, mile upon mile of sandy beach merging seamlessly with high golden sand dunes, from the beach where waves tipped with white rolled onto the sand the ocean spread to the horizon in a blanket of bluey green shimmering in the sunshine.

We’d been zipping along for about 15 minutes when suddenly two Bottlenose Dolphins surfaced to the left of the boat! They zoomed straight for the bow, riding the pressure wave; we could just make them out through the murky water.

Soon there was about 7 dolphins surfacing around the boat and surfing in the wake behind us. After a spurt of frenzied, excited activity the dolphins calmed down, chilling out and surfacing a little slower. Amongst the adults was and small calf and young juvenile that still surfaced exuberantly. They headed really close to the beach making their way up the coast.

It was another magical encounter, these bottlenose dolphins were slightly smaller and a little more slender than those in New Zealand and Britain and seemed slightly paler grey.
We could have stayed forever watching and photographing these beautiful animals but we had other sights to seen and so we left them and continued down the coast even closer in to shore.

We were zipping along again when suddenly into view behind us loomed a large heavy bird – a Great White Pelican!

It flew closer and closer to the boat until it was within touching distance, we then noticed Kassie holding up a fish, the pelican moved in even closer until reached over and took the offered fish! Soon another 6 pelicans were flying in close to the boat seeking the fish and swooping in close to take them. Our cameras clicked rapidly as we enjoyed the scene before us.

The pelicans then settled on the water around us as we pulled in close to Bird Island, here amongst the Southern Black backed Gulls and Cape Cormorants were a couple of juvenile Greater Flamingos wandering along the waters edge.

From Bird Island we left the pelicans and headed across the bay for some container ships moored offshore, here we stopped and a couple of Cape Fur Seals came right over to the boat circling it with expectation. Years ago the company had found an injured seal and began feeding him, since then many of the other seals in the area have grown used to the skippers and become very friendly. While looking over the one side of the boat a sudden commotion at the back caused us to turn round, Lee turned and found himself looking into the eye of a huge male Cape Fur Seal! And so this was our first meeting with Cassonova, Lee’s face was a picture of shock and surprise!

Out of 9 seals regularly fed by the skippers Cassonova loved to be stoked and petted the most, and so bobbing in a tiny boat on a vast blue ocean under an endless blue sky we stroked and fed this massive Cape Fur Seal. It was amazing, only his outer fur was wet below that it was completely dry. Soon Cassonova slipped back into the water with barely a splash, for such a large animal he was surprisingly graceful when it came to swimming.

We now motored on across the bay heading for a long peninsula that creates a harbour around Swakopmud. Once again we were flying along at a fair pace when something caught Rachael’s attention, looking closer she spotted the characteristic shape of a dorsal fin! “Dolphins!” she shouted drawing Kassie’s attention to it. The boat slowed, nothing could be seen… just as we were beginning to doubt what had been seen and small dark, dolphin with a light patch on the side and a triangular shaped dorsal fin surfaced just behind the boat! A Heaviside’s Dolphin! Breathing a sigh of relief we watched as three dolphins surfaced a couple of times a short distance off the boat, one even breached briefly out of the wake. They soon disappeared; searching intently we caught one more brief sighting of them quite far away when suddenly Kassie exclaimed “turtle”. We moved over a little and after sometime managed to catch a glimpse of the head and back of a huge Leather backed Turtle as it dived back under the waves – we were all exhilarated.

Continuing on over to the peninsula we were confronted with thousands of Cape Fur Seals hauled out on the sand, still more leapt playfully from the foamy water. A couple came over to investigate the boat knowing there was a chance of free fish. Once again we were introduced to a seal known to the skippers, Sally. After giving her a couple Kassie started steaming away creating a big wake behind us, Sally knew the drill and suddenly appeared between the engines body surfing on the white frothy water of the wake, it was hilarious to watch.

After a while Sally left us as we moved further away from the peninsula, soon we stopped in the middle of the bay and ate lunch and drank some champagne surrounded by the beautiful blue ocean.

The wind had picked up a bit as we finally started to make our way back to Swakopmund, creating numerous small waves. We were racing at quite a speed when suddenly Kassie cut the power; we all lurched forward and looked up just in time to see another huge Leather backed Turtle dive under right next to the boat.

We returned then to the beach and as the boat was held on the beach in the surf we jumped off, after a brief wait for Kassie to pull the boat up onto its trailer he then returned us to our hotel. It had been another awesome trip, the weather, scenery and wildlife had all been perfect.

Back at the lodge we joined the rest of our group in the bar to watch the FA Cup final, a very strange feeling watching such a familiar game in a bar in Namibia; it almost didn’t feel like we were in Africa. Still it was good fun socialising with the rest of our group. Once the game was over we returned to the same restaurant with gigantic portions, it was then off for an early night ready for another days driving tomorrow.

Sunday: It was bright and sunny as we left Swakopmund and headed north for Etosha National Park and our big game drive.
We left the sand dunes behind and once more the landscape became arid, rocky and dry. We entered the mountains again, sheer, massifs of brownish black rock rose out of the flat valleys between.

A few hours later and once more the landscape began to change, the highlands spread out a bit and we began to see many more trees and bushes. Soon a blanket of brownish green treetops covered the flat land between the road and the mountains. Dotted amongst the trees were enormous termite mounds of orangey brown earth. Amidst the branches of the trees were numerous weaver nests, a small bird. Some were massive communal nests of the Social Weaver, others clung to the crook of the branches and more hung from them like Christmas tree decorations.

After about 6 hour’s drive we pulled up to the gates of the Etosha National Park, this was what we had all been looking forward to – the opportunity to see some of Africa’s most famous wildlife.

We now drove 17km into the heart of the Park to our campsite, and along the way saw some of the most amazing wildlife on this planet. A stop at a waterhole produced a multitude of birds and mammals such as Giraffe, Zebra and Oryx. Animals we had seen in the zoo but nothing beats seeing them in their natural environment, it was enchanting to watch and then right next to the road amongst the prickly trees we saw an enormous African Elephant.

Our camp was an oasis in the middle of a flat, dry and arid landscape covered with scrawny, prickly trees. A family of Ground Squirrels ran across the dusty ground as we set up our tents. We then had about 40 minutes spare while our guides replaced one of the trucks tyres that had ripped open! We spent the time checking out the camps waterhole and the various wonderful birds that flitted among the trees.

With the tyres replaced we headed out of camp for an evening game drive. The sun was dropping in the sky, casting golden warm light over the park as we made our way to another waterhole. Along the way we saw yet more classic African wildlife including Jackals and Wildebeest. The biggest and best surprise though was waiting for us at the waterhole; there by the edge of the deep blue water surrounded by dusty yellow soil and green bushes was a pride of LIONS!

It was stunning, there were 6 large lionesses and 4 of the cutest lion cubs ever to be seen! The family came over to the water and had a long refreshing drink, the adults then lay down basking in the last warm rays of golden light. The cubs however started to play, wrestling with each other and even dragging some of the adults into the fray, clinging to their ears and jumping on them! It left us all speechless, they all looked so healthy and agile and beautiful, it was magic.

With the sun turning deep red over the horizon we turned and returned to our campsite, but our day of wildlife watching was not over by far.
With dusk descending and the shadows growing we made our way to the waterhole. It was quiet at first; the lights cast an eerie orange glow over the water and surrounding rocks as we watched from behind a wall. Then 10 African Elephants appeared out of the black beyond the glow and made their way to the waters edge. It took our breath away to see such wonderful creatures so close and so at ease, there was even a tiny little calf! The elephants would huddle close trumpeting and spraying water over them selves and each other, then they would spread out drinking and wandering around the pool. We were watching the elephants trundle off in single file into the now black night when suddenly Laura exclaimed “There’s Rhino at the waterhole!” without us even knowing two Black Rhino had slipped in and were now quietly drinking from the black pool of water.

Unfortunately the orange light and lack of light meant it was difficult to get any good photos, however after a sudden brain wave we started taking pictures on the tripod in black and white, the effect was spectacular. As long as the Rhino stayed still we were able to get some fantastic photos!

A short while later and three more Black Rhino’s came to the pool including a young calf! They started tussling together, clashing horns and pushing each other, one even went for a swim!

After a delicious steak we returned to the waterhole, in the pitch black beyond the orange glow we heard zebra braying and jackals howling. One lone Giraffe stood cautiously in the shadows, as we sat watching it slowly edged its way towards the jet black water. By the time it reached the water it had been joined by three others. It was hilarious to watch these tall gangly creatures bend down for a drink, spreading their legs apart. More Giraffe turned up including a young one.

We were watching them as a stream of African Elephants turned up and from the opposite direction a Black Rhino. Within ten minutes there was about 20 Elephants huffing and blowing, pushing and shoving around the pool, some 15 Giraffe, 1 Black Rhino, numerous Jackals and countless bats flying in the floodlights.
The Elephants ranged from mammoth females to a couple of young calves. It was a memorable moment watching them all clustered together sucking up water, rubbing against each other or gently touching with the tips of their trunks. Their deep rumblings vibrated through the earth and right into our chests.

45 minutes later and the elephants filed out, their rumblings and trumpets could still be heard in the deep night. The waterhole was quiet.

A million stars twinkled in the deep black above. Most people had left the waterhole, it was just us and three other people left.

Then a massive lone bull elephant turned up and spent ages standing and drinking by the pool. Once he had left two more Black Rhinos turned up, this time a mother and older calf. The mother obviously felt it was time for him to fend on his own and kept trying to force him away, pushing him and ramming him often not so gently with her horn.

Gone midnight and we left the Rhino’s to it and after a number of close encounters with the jackals that ran around the camp our wildlife watching for the day was over.