Southern Africa--On Safari
Our Scrapbook
It's very difficult to give a complete picture of our Southern African Safari, but I hope to give a snapshot of our January-February, 2007 trip to South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. Our nearly three week adventure was orchestrated by Overseas Adventure Travel who did a fantastic job with accommodations, transportation, meals, and most of all, the great people who led our safari including our group guide and leader, Chamu. Our trip began with our arrival in Johannesburg, South Africa, and was followed by a day tour of Soweto. During the following several weeks we stayed in four different tented camps: Baobob Lodge in Botswana, Lianshulu Lodge in the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, Wilderness Tented Camp in the Okavango Delta of Botswana, and Linkwasha Camp in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. We ended our adventure in Victoria Falls where we spent our last two days relaxing, shopping, and enjoying one of the world's great natural wonders. The photo above shows my wife Kathy and I at Kisane Airport in Botswana getting ready for one of our short flights between tented camps.
This former electric generating tower in Soweto, South Africa, once supplied the area with electricity. When the tower was abandoned, South African artists took the opportunity to record a collage of paintings that pictured some of their struggle against apartheid.
Our guide O.P. gets ready to lead us on our first game drive in Chobe National Park in Botswana. The open vehicle gave us the opportunity for some great photos. The animals never even thought about climbing in to join us.
All of our tented camps had a central gathering area where we could socialize, enjoy some refreshments, listen to informative lectures, plan our day, and eat our meals. Our guides ate all their meals with us, and would then give us a heads up as to the day's adventure.
This elephant in Chobe National Park in Botswana took a special interest in us. If the elephant is especially agitated with our presence, he/she will engage in a mock charge. This is to let us know that we are getting a little too close.
Nothing goes to waste in the bush. Here are a pair of dung beetles taking care of business. The male, pushing the ball of elephant dung, is courting his female friend riding on the top. They will take the dung back to the nest and use it as food, and eventually the female will lay her eggs in it. This provides the offspring with instant food.
Early one morning in Chobe, we were surprised to see a small pack of wild painted African dogs, one of the continent's most endangered species. Loss of habitat and disease have contributed to their plight.
This magnificent female lion, came out of a thick forested area, walked past us without giving us much notice, and headed back into the bush. The female lions do most of the hunting while the males eat, sleep, and make baby lions.
After a short flight to an airstrip in northern Botswana, Chamu is giving us a few directions before we cross the Kwando River into the East Caprivi Strip of Namibia.
This interesting bird is the ground hornbill. It can live up to 60 years in the bush, and may walk up to seven miles a day looking for food. An unusual bit of trivia is the fact that the ground hornbill is considered bad luck in Botswana.
The African darter is drying its wings along the Kwando River in Namibia. Sometimes the darter is called the snake bird. You can figure that one out.
There were no shortage of hippos in the Kwando River. Sometimes they announced their displeasure with us as in the photo above. Sometimes they took aggressive action and chased our boat as in the photo below. Since hippos can weigh 8,000 pounds and are considered the most dangerous animal in Africa, it is wise to give them plenty of room.
Our guide Philip is showing Kathy the marriage necklace. It is made from a water lily from the Kwando River. A young man may give this to a young girl showing his intention of marriage.
On our last night at the Wilderness Tented Camp in Botswana, the staff gave us a great sendoff. They found out that one of our campanions (Joanne with knife in hand) had a birthday. Joanne had a hard time trying to cut the cake, which turned out to be made from elephant dung. Good thing nobody put their hand in it to give it a taste. Later on, the guides brought out a real birthday cake.
It was all smiles in the Okavango Delta. In the first row are my wife Kathy and her sister Kris. George and Diane in row two, and sisters Joanne and Carol in row three made up our game drive group for much of the safari.
This was home while we were in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. It was typical of the accommodations during our safaris. The tents were quite comfortable with showers and toilets inside, along with two beds and electricity. The Okavango Delta itself is quite the natural wonder. This inland delta covers roughly 6,000 square miles. Much of the water comes from Angola. It takes about six months for the water to reach the delta. November rain in Angola brings May water to the delta. However, about 96% of the water is lost through evaporation.
An early morning adventure consisted of exploring part of the Okavango using a mokoro. Originally, mokoros were cut out of a single log by the local people. Now, in order to conserve the trees, many are made from fiberglass. Our guide, Matusi, competently leads the adventure.
My favorite photo above was taken as we were entering Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Notice in the center of the photo is Africa's most endangered species, the white rhino. This was the only rhino we saw during our expedition. There are probably less than 17,000 rhinos left worldwide.
The photo above, taken in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, shows the magnificence of the African elephant. The photo below has our guide Obie showing us the result of poaching. A snare is used to snag the elephant who eventually dies from the wounds as it tightens around the elephant's leg. All that was left of this elephant was the trunk and the body, minus the ivory tusks.
Zebras are surveying the area using a termite mound to offer them a better look. Notice the baby zebra in the background. Its legs are as long as the adults. This is nature's way of making it harder for predators to spot them.
During our stay in Zimbabwe, we were able to visit the Ngamo School. The seventh graders sang for us during our visit. The Ngamo School has 7 teachers and 261 students in seven grades. Many of the students walk miles to school through the bush. Eleven subjects are taught by the teacher. These subjects include English, Dibele, math, social studies, art/design, home ec, physical education, music, environmental science, religious moral education, and AIDS education. One would have to be well versed to teach in this school.
A rare day photo of a hippo out of the water. Hippos stay in the water most of the day. At dusk, they move inland to graze, returning before dawn. It's very wise to make sure the hippos are back in the river or waterhole before gathering water for home use. Standing between the river and a hippo can be a very compromising situation.
We had a chance to pump water at one of the wells near a village in Zimbabwe. Villagers do not have the luxury of running water in their homes, so they walk to the well each day. It's not as easy as it looks. First about 20 or 30 pumpings are needed before water flows. Then, of course, one has to carry it back to the village.
A small group of elephants venture to the waterhole for a drink. Mother is very protective of the new-born. Many of the wells in Hwange National Park have been drilled by the government to allow animals to remain in the park year round.
Victoria Falls is one of the world's great natural wonders. The falls, which is part of the Zambesi River, straddles two countries, Zimbabwe and Zambia. During the wet season, more than 550 million liters of water flow over the 900 foot falls every minute.
One of the reasons our trip was such a great adventure was because of our guide Chamu. Chamu was with us during the entire trip and provided valuable information, great organization, and a great sense of that Zimbabwe humor.
Four ladies of the bush: (l to r) my wife Kathy, her sister Kris, and sisters Carol and Joanne. Traveling with these four ladies was quite an experience.
Here the sun sets in Zimbabwe. The trip was the trip of a lifetime, although I hope it will not be my last trip to Africa.
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