Southern Africa Safari 2017 - D day plus 122 days

Southern Africa Safari 2017 Route Map

As a matter of interest we thought you may like to see our route through Southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana and Namibia) and above is a high level map of our proposed journey. The total distance is +/ 8000kms

I must confess that this was mapped as the fastest route on "Tracks for Africa" and we will be most unlikely to take the fastest route as we have a tendency to go off the beaten track and have now and again been accused of taking the scenic route or toughest route and most of the time I am guilty as charged.

 As the saying goes "It's about the journey not the destination that matters" and we are often asked "why do you do all that travelling why don't you rather go to one or two destinations and explore the surrounding areas and avoid the stress of long drives and border crossings"

It has been our experience that indeed it is the journey that is most enjoyable, seeing a lot more of the countries we travel through, meeting wonderful people, both local and travellers like us and as for the borders, build in a time factor, be patient and above all keep your cool and be polite and if one gets impatient let the other take over, believe me it works.
 

Southern Africa Safari 2017 - Planning Phase - D Day plus 124 Days

One of the time consuming tasks in the trip planning phase is finding the right accommodation on your planned route and not forgetting you have a budget, I have seen prices from R360 per person a night to R14500 per person a night, but I guess you get what you pay for, however I would question justifying the top end and its real value.

In a similar vein have you noticed that on checking out a place to stay and reading the travellers reviews, on Trip Advisor for example, the views expressed vary so widely you wonder if they are reviewing the same place, but perhaps it is about perception and expectation. To illustrate this here are the reviews of one establishment.

Staff not motivated, miserable and unhelpful - vs - Excellent service smiling and helpful staff
Food terrible and totally unacceptable - vs - Superb food
Good price, value for money - vs - Very expensive
Rooms clean and bright - vs - Rooms gloomy

These views expressed over two months January and February 2017, and it is the same place, that's people for you. Warning, in Botswana in particular they use the term "Lodge" which can also mess with your expectations.

Pleased to say we have all our bookings confirmed and when I told Denise (my better half) she said "What are we waiting for lets pack and go"

We have found someone who will baby sit "Snuggles" for the month of August, a couple of ladies who have a couple of African Grey parrots themselves and have been involved in bird rehabilitation so there is a few orphans of other bird species. Snuggles wont mind he speaks most bird languages and if he doesn't he picks it up very quickly.

So we have made good progress and can tick off a couple of key tasks.

We are spending 6 days in the Chobe and Caprivi area of Namibia and thought I would load some photo's of our last trip to Chobe.

The Green-Grey Greasy Limpopo River at Martins Drift

Elephant Sands north of Nata in Botswana

A rather large specimen of the Nile Crocodile

A beautiful Kudu in Chobe National Park

A rare sighting of a Sable Antelope in Chobe

Southern Africa Safari 2017 - Planning Phase - D Day plus 141 Days

We are in the planning phase of our Southern Africa Safari later this year, which will take in Wild Coast of South Africa, Southern Drakensberg, Botswana, Namibia and West Coast of South Africa from 1st August to 27th August a trip of +/- 7000kms.

We left planning later than we normally do and have had to re-route and re-plan where and when we stop over. Be advised if you plan to stay in lodges and hotels especially in the popular tourist spots like Chobe in Botswana for example, make sure you make reservations a minimum of one year ahead of time, when we did our Africa safari in 2013 we were doing the planning up to 2 years in advance, very necessary for places like the Masai Mara in Kenya and the Serengeti in Tanzania.

We are just waiting for 3 places to confirm our bookings and then we will be able to slow down the surfing on the internet, that will be a relief, although it certainly gets one in the mood, the problem is, it is still another 141 days before we depart, however, we know how fast time travels and there will still be a lot to do.

Stay with us and we will share the trials and tribulations in preparing for travel into Africa. 

Day 26 – Namibia/Botswana Safari 2015. Serowe to Pretoria via Martins Drift Border Post

Our Namibia and Botswana safari sadly comes to an end today although we will have a few days in Pretoria/Johannesburg seeing friends and family before we head off for home in Knysna.

Last night I asked Denise what was her highlight of the trip and she quite rightly said you cannot pick out one or more highlights as every day had its highlights and it was another adventure of note, full of highlights.

We get an early start and cross the Limpopo River and the border at 09h00 the Botswana side was very efficient and we were across in 15 minutes when we get to the South African side there was one official dealing with arrivals and departures, which takes us another hour.

We have breakfast at a little pad stop and go through a very busy and growing Mokopane (Potgietersrus). I remember this as a one horse town and it shows what a newish Platinum Mine can do for a town, on the downside is what happens when the mine closes.

We arrive at Michael’s house in Centurion at 15h30 thereby ending another wonderful adventure.

We trust you have all enjoyed following our trip as much as we have sharing it with you, we have around 1500 photos and so many memories and now all we have to think of is where to next?

Van Zyls Pass Namibia

Epupa Falls on Kunene River Namibia

Desert Elephants of Namibia

Baines baobabs - Botswana

Makgadikgadi Pans

White Rhino in Khama Rhino Sanctuary Botswana

Proud Granny with her three grandaughters
Sinead, Amber Lee and Naomi

Day 25 – Namibia/Botswana Safari 2015. Khama Rhino Sanctuary

We are up at 05h30 to be ready for a pick up at 06h00 to go tracking rhino, we are on the back of this game viewing vehicle and it is freezing, we drive around for one and a half hours and as it gets light we are searching for recent rhino tracks crossing the sandy road. Eventually our rangers see tracks of a mother and baby and we dismount cracking our icy joints and start to follow the tracks. There are times when I think we have lost them, but our tracker keeps us on track by following other signs, grass bent by their passage, grass eaten, area where they have laid down, dung and finally in dense bush we get see a movement and a large grey shape, but getting closer is too dangerous and they have already got our scent and are on the move.

We liked the experience and spotted other wildlife including Zebra, Wildebeest, Mongoose and a carcase of an Eland that has probably died of old age, there are 52 White Rhino and 4 Black Rhino in the sanctuary and the only predators are 10 Leopards, Spotted Hyena, Caracal and African Wild Cat.

After a late breakfast we go on a self drive and at a bird hide waterhole we come across two White Rhino, Warthog, Impala and a wide variety of bird life.

In the late afternoon we go on a game drive and we see another six White Rhino one with a month old baby. The place is used as a Rhino breeding ground and the Botswana Defence Force are involved in protecting the Rhino and anyone caught killing a Rhino is jailed for 10 to 15 years and have to pay a fine of Pula50, 000.

Another interesting point is that all hunting has been banned in Botswana by the current President Ian Khama who is an avid conservationist; this will obviously be to the advantage of South African Game Farms and to a lesser extent Namibia. 

Khama Rhino Sanctuary our first sighting at the Bird Hide

A Nice Warthog Specimen

Mum and baby going home

A flying Banana according to our guide (Southern Yellow Billed Hornbill)

A Serowe chicken I am battling to identify this bird, the closest I can get is an Orange River Francolin

The endangered species; Mum and baby boy.
In the sanctuary they have named all the Rhino and a male called Jack thinks the swimming pool is his private bath

Day 24 – Namibia/Botswana Safari 2015. Gweta to Serowe (Khama Rhino Sanctuary) via Makgadikgadi Pans

Getting out of Gweta to the Ntwetwe Pan was en exercise in frustration, on loading our first destination our Garmin takes us to the town graveyard and when we finally find a road it is sometimes on the Garmin and sometimes not, which is not surprising as there are so many roads, in the end I tell Denise who is driving just as long as we are heading South or South East we are going in the right direction and sure enough after at least an hour we have travelled 25kms and are at the pans.

To describe the pans is difficult and our photos do not capture the splendour of the landscape. The theory is that these are all part of a huge inland lake and were formed when the rivers Okavango and Limpopo were diverted by a huge shift and fault that cut off this area from the rivers feeding into it. Travel on these pans is a pleasure although it is not recommended if they are even slightly wet as is evidenced by the deep ruts caused by vehicles that have been bogged down in the black cotton soil.

Upon exiting we also get confused by the many roads, sorry tracks/paths, heading into the bush, again we follow our travel South mantra and we eventually arrive at Mmatshoumo and onwards through Orapa, Letlhakane. Paje and 25kms West of Serowe we arrive at the Rhino sanctuary at 16h30.

It is thirsty work 

At last we arrive at Ntwetwe Pan 

In the middle of the Makgadikgadi Pans  

Picture a huge sea

Salama crossing the Pans

What the road looks like before the pans

Day 23 – Namibia/Botswana Safari 2015. Maun to Gweta

We have another Wimpy breakfast, fill up with fuel and head out for Gweta a journey of over 300kms as we want to see Baines Baobabs and a bit of Nxai Pan. We enter Nxai Pan National Park just off the A3 some 120kms from Maun and Baines Baobabs that on all map books appear to be right alongside the main road proves not to be the case and the first 13kms the road is the worst I have ever been on, again there is tracts of thick sand then corrugations that were made in hell they are a metre apart and half a metre deep and then you get sections where it is like you are in a rodeo on a bucking bronco and it throws your car back across the road, my poor car, let alone my nerves

Kudiakama Pan

Black and white coming for a drink

Elephants stomach ripped open, Ranger said nothing they could do it was probably a lion attack or a fight with a peer that caused it and it was a case of survival of the fittest 

What fun they had

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We reach Baines Baobabs which are very impressive and then we head for the waterhole at North Camp and on our way there we see a group of 4 elephant, clearly on a mission to the waterhole.

We arrive at the waterhole before the elephant , but they and a couple of bull elephants arrive along with Kudu, Oryx, Zebra and a couple of Black Backed Jackals and they put on quite a show for us. We had to tear ourselves away as we have to drive back on the helter skelter road from hell with me driving this time.

Our first priority at Gweta Lodge, yes another establishment that has the cheek to call itself a Lodge, but it is fine, we down 3 St Louis Beers with sprites a very nice dinner that included a superb Pavlova dessert. A very satisfying if exhausting day.

Baines Baobabs

Spraying themselves with mud

A few of the Gemsbok (Oryx)

Nxai Pan

Twins

Kudu male with one of his 8 females

This one was a real character and full of tricks like this slip slide into the waterhole