deel 3

Zondag 4 June 2017

Divundu - Kasane: 428km

 

Tonight we were kept awake by a cicade who made a terribly loud monotonous high pitched noise. Earbuds did not help and even my headphones did not offer 100% effect. We finally fell asleep. At 5 o'clock the animal finally shut up. Then the hippos started again, but that is much better to endure. After breakfast we drive through the Bwabata reserve to the border with Botswana. The road to the east is straight and long: over 400km. The route extends largely through the Bwabwata National Park and we are constantly warned of crossing game. For a long time we do not see any wildlife at all, but suddenly there is a Cheetah or cheetah! We are too surprised to take a picture straight away. Cheetahs are hard to find. They live alone and often in remote areas, where they have the space to hunt at high speed. We turn around, but the animal has already left. Later we see a number of antelopes and baboons.
The border crossing goes a lot slower than we hoped, because we accidentally skip the window for the Namibian exit stamp . We drive through a of no-man's land and only to be returned by the Botswana immigration officer. Without exit stamp, entry stamp. We cross for a second time through no man's land to get the stamp and back again. For the import of the car we pay N$ 220 or about 30 euros. Then we continue to Kasane, on the edge of the Chobe National Park. Here we will stay for 4 days at the Chobe Bush Lodge. Kasane and especially around our hotel is swarmed by baboons and warthogs. We book a game drive for tomorrow and a trip to the Victoria Waterfalls for Tuesday.
We dine at the hotel, which is a great pleasure. The service and the food are good.

Weather: Cloudy with occasional sunshine. Up to 27 degrees.

maandag 5 June 2017

 

We are keeping a slow pace in the morning. We take our laundry to the Itenge laundry. They are behind the Mandela bar, opo have coffee at the Coffee Buzz, where they serve real Capucino. The first in many days. Next stop is the post office to mail some postcards. Next is the Mascom store for a prepaid sim card. Mascom is the largest mobile carrier in Botswana. We need to show a passport and before we can be connected to Botswana's mobile network.
We have lunch at the hotel and at 3pm we are collected for the afternoon game drive in a safari vehicle. The entrance to Chobe National Park is 4km from the lodge. Soon we see some buffalo and along the Chobe River many bathing elephants. Several groups of elephants take a bath in the river. These are groups of male animals. They play with each other. After the bath, they throw sand over their backs to protect them against insects and the sun. The kudu's are also present, but also some puku's. They are quite rare and are threatened by extinction. They have a thicker fur, but are fairly defenseless. Impala's are abundant here. In the distance we see buffalo on the banks of the river. We see more elephants, but also striped mongoos. These little animals eat the most toxic snakes. We also see the guinea fowl that appears to have very tough meat. The African sea eagle is sitting in the tree and we also see some vultures. Zebra's are not so abundant here. After a lot of effort we discover three of them. At the end of the drive, when we are already on our way to the exit, the guide apparently receives a message via his radio about a sighting. We take a turn and come face to face with a lonely lioness. The sun has already set, but I can make beautiful pictures. The afternoon has been a total success.
Back in Kasane we eat at the Old House. Simple restaurant, but nicely situated in a garden. We eat burger and pizza.

Weather: Sun, 28 degrees.

Tuesday 6 June 2017

We get up early because at 7.50 our day trip to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe will depart. In the bus we have 12 passengers. An Australian family of 8, a French couple and a Rotterdam couple. We drive first to the Zimbabwean border. That's only a quarter of a mile. We are getting an exit stamp from the Botswana border police without too much effort. We need to fill out a form. Then we drive to the Zimbabwean border post. We need to get out of the bus and are met by Tash, the Border Passage Co-ordinator of the tour organizer. He shows us the way to the right window. We queue for about 1.5 hours . There are only two officers available for visa applications. They are working allright, but the procedure is cumbersome and almost entirely manual. There is a big French group in front of us. Between stamping passports, the officials also look at a repeat of the Champions League final. A day visa costs US$ 30 per person. To be paid in cash and there is no change. When we are all through, we mee our Zimbabwean guide Smart, who is waiting for us with  a Zimbabwean bus of Shearwater tours. Victoria Falls is one hour's drive away. On the way we see an elephant on the side of the road. Victoria Falls is a place that is aimed entirely at tourists. We immediately drive to the waterfalls, where we arrive at 11.30am. Smart gives a a rain poncho, because the waterfalls are splashing quite a bit. We have booked the Guided Tour, meaning that the guide stays with us and arranges a lunch for us. The Rotterdam couple does this too, but have a helicopter flight at 14 o'clock. The national park is very easy to navigate. The waterfalls are very wide and consist of 8 waterfalls. There is a walk along the shore with 16 viewing points. We go along them one after the other. Smart tells us something about it, but we could easily have done this without a guide. At lookout point 7, Smart goes forward with the Rotterdammers to get them on time with the helicopter and we have to fend for ourselves. The waterfalls are beautiful to see. The second half is wetter. It sprays more here. It's almost fog like and the wind is in our direction. In spite of the ponchos we get pretty wet  pants and the shoes. Making photos is no longer possible and you can not see much because of the fog either. We walk to the view to the bridge over the Zambezi. This is also the border post with Zambia. Bunjee jumping is offered on the bridge. We watch it, from a relatively dry position. We walk back to the exit and run into Smart again. We walk through the rainforest to the exit. We have lunch at the Rainforest Café. The food is not so bad. After lunch, Smart brings us to the open Craft Market. The other guests are also coming along. We are being ambushed by sellers who are very active selling there handicraft to a point it gets anoying. They even want to trade their wood carvings for clothes like a hat, socks or shoes. There is a hall where only women are selling. Those are a little less obnoxious but try to work on our sentiments. We buy a bowl for 3 dollars. Then we go for a drink. I take a looki around the corner at another Craft Mall and there is a very different atmosphere. You can look around quietly without anyone bothering you. We should have gone there right away.
All in all, we would have been better off with transport only. That would have been US$95 pp and we paid $212.
At 15.20 we go back to the border again. The exit is extremely smooth. We get our stamps and within 10 minutes we are through both border posts. Then another fifteen minutes and we are at the lodge at 16.40.
In the evening we eat at an Indian restaurant PPCC. The food tastes excellent. The serves leaves room for improvement.

Weather: early cloudy, but later sunny. About 21 degrees.

 

Thursday 7 June 2017

 

After breakfast we have to do some shopping. Then drink coffee at Coffee Buzz. A large group of Messiah College students come in to drink coffee and discuss their journey. We take Capucino and Erik a rosewood pie, which turns out to be huge. Then we want to go to the Shell gas station, but they out of Diesel. We have to drive 4 kilometers to the Puma station, where they have plenty. From there we drive to the Choppies to get grohtime. We lunch on the hotel's terrace and at three o'clock we go across the road to the Chobe Safari Lodge for the Sunset River Cruise. It's a big boat with which we go up the Chobe River. We see elephants, crocodiles, hippos, kudu's, lechwe's (very rare antelope species), water buffalo, african skimmers (extinction threatened, spoonbills, storks, iguana, african osprey and many other species. Finished with a beautiful sunset on the Namibian horizon The Chobe River is the border between the two countries. The guide is very informative. We are seated at the front of the boat and have great views. There is also a top deck where a limited number of passengers can stand at the same time, but that's not worth the effort.
We dine at the hotel's restaurant. The food is delicious again. Special of the day is Impala chops. Erik takes sirloin steak. The wine is a Hill & Dale Shiraz 2014 from South Africa.

Weather: Cloudy start, but it's clearing up. 24⁰C

 

 

Thursday 8 June 2017

Kasane - Maun: 320km, 4:10 uur

Today we drive to Nata, more than 300 km to the south. The road runs approximately parallel to the border with Zimbabwe. There is only one small village on the route. We arrive at Nata around 12 o'clock. The village does not amount to much. The Nata Lodge is 8km south and owned the same company as the lodge in Kasane. Much smaller though. We have a cottage on poles with a large room and an outdoor shower. We have lunch and laze about at the pool, far too cold to take a swim. At 4pm we go on the Pan Drive to the Sua Pan in the Nata Sanctuary, where many birds can be spotted. We see Northern Black Korhaan, Southern Crowned Cranes, a Double Banded Courser and pelicans. We see, while enjoying a drink, a beautiful sunset over the water of the Sua Pan. When the sun is under the sky, the sky turns red and it is time to go back over the sandy roads of the sanctuary and then over the paved road with many deep potholes. Around seven  we are back in the hotel. We dine at the hotel restaurant. The portions are generous. Too generous for us. The quality moderate.

Weather: sunny 25 degrees. At night it cools down to 12 degrees

Friday 9 June 2017

Nata - Maun: 300km, 3,5 hrs

We wake up in the icy cold room. Under the blankets it was nice and warm, but the botswana nights are cold. We have to shower in an outdoor shower. Nice when the weather is hot, but now it is a bit of a challenge. Although ... the water is hot. After breakfast we drive towards Maun (pronounced: Ma-oen). However, in Nata we see a sign telling us that the road is closed. But how do we get to Maun? We ask the locals and they say you can drive there, but you have to take a diversion. The road is very bad. Terrible with many and very big potholes. After about 40km it becomes very bad and we spot a tiny sign saying deviation. We take the turn off and get on a sand road leading to a gravel road. This one runs parallel to the A3 and we follow it for 20 minutes until we reach a village. Here the road is tarred and we turn right onto the A3. The road is a bit better, but still very bad. After 200km we arrive at a checkpoint where a police officer asks for our origin and destination. We can drive after a short chat. Then there is a sign that we must drive carefully because of the uneven road surface. Better late than never. We arrive at Maun around 12 o'clock. We drive first to the DNWP, the government organization that runs national parks to get a permit for tomorrow, so that we can drive through the Moreni Wildlife Reserve. Then we continue to the Sedia Riverside Hotel. The hotel is located 8 km north of Maun. It's not to bad, but quite worn and tired. The wifi is very good though.
In the afternoon we do some shopping and laze at the pool. In the evening we want to eat at the Sportsbar, but it turns out to be closed. French Connection is not open in the evening and Bonne Arrivee no longer exists. We then end up at Capello opposite the airport. A kind of cocktail bar annex nightclub which also works as a restaurant. The service is very friendly, but the food is moderate.
Back to the hotel.

Weather: sunny 28 degrees.

Saturday 10 June 2017

Maun - Khwai: 124km, 3 hrs

Today we drive to Khwai Guest House just outside the Moreni Wildlife Reserve. It is on the other northern side. So we have to go through the Reserve to get there. We bought a transit permit at the DNWP office in Maun yesterday, but we realise that this is only valid for one way. We return to the DNWP. There they tell us that we can also pay at the gate itself. This delay has cost us an hour. Then on our way to the South Gate of Moreni. The first 30km of the road is tarred, but it becomes gravel after that. After 50km we reach the Vetenerary checkpoint, but that amount to very little. We are kindly waved through. Further on we turn left towards Moreni and the road becomes bumpier and sandier. We cannot go faster than 35km/h. We do encounter wild animals. A large group of elephants is drinking and bathing at a large pool and we also see a quartet of giraffes eating from the trees. We arrive at the South Gate. Here we have to enroll yet again in the big book before we can go to Khwai for the last 30km. The road is very sandy here and we do around 30km/h through the reserve. At the North Gate we leave the reserve over a wooden bridge. Then it's a short distance to Khwai village and the Khwai Guest House. We are welcomed by Ruben, who has the overall lead here. He is very friendly. The layout of the Guest House is simple, but it has good quality. There are 5 chalets with double bed, toilet and outdoor shower. In the central building there is a dining room and lounge where you can eat under a roof, but in the open air or have a drink. We have booked full board and two activities. An afternoon game drive from 15.30 to 19.30 and a morning game drive from 7 to 10.30.
We have lunch from the traditional buffet and take a rest in our room. At half past four we leave for the game drive. It starts easily with game we already know well: vultures, zebras, impala's. We see a dead elephant, who gets full attention of the of the vultures. They are joined by Marabou storks. Ugly birds, regarded to be one of the ugly five, together with vultures, hyenas, warthogs and the gnoe. Next we will see a number of elephants, herons, Cape vultures, copper tail coucal, spurwinged geese, egrets, sunbirds, crocodiles, vervet monkeys  and hippos. But that all is dwarved by  what we get to see just before the end. In a tree lies a leopard on a branch! This big cat rarely shows itself. He lives solitary and is very shy. He sees humans long before  we see  him and then he is usually gone. But this one is beautiful. After a while he gets up, climbs down the tree and walks off. We are following it for a bit. He does not seem to be disturbed by the car with 8 guests. He just looks past us. After a while he disappears in the bushes and we leave him alone.
Afterwards we enjoy a sunset at a pond in which some hippos swim. We enjoy it with a drink. When it gets dark we enter the car and the hippos come out of the water. They show us that they do not apreciate our presence by opening their mouths wide open showing their deadly teeth. We are going back to the guest house.
There we will eat a meal of rice and chicken, cooked in a steel pan (Dutch Oven) on a wood fire. After dinner we go to bed early. It's getting cold, but under warm blankets it's nice.

Weather: sunny 26 degrees

Sunday 11 June 2017

Khwai - Maun: 124km, 3,5 uur.

We are woken up at 6 o'clock. Breakfast is at half past six and at 7am we leave for the morning drive. We soon see a waterbuck. An antelope species with a characteristic white circle on its behind. It resembles a toilet seat. High in a tree is the African Sea Eagle. We drive for a while without seeing anything. That is when we encounter on a group of vervet monkies. Above them a family of baboons. The head baboon tries to intimidate us a little. The marabous are also present again. We also see two wattled cranes. These are seriously threatened because too many have been hunted in the past. It is the largest crane bird species of Africa and the second largest in the world. They rise to 1.72m high.
Then we see another group of antelopes, which we have not seen yet: the Tsesebe. They have high shoulders and a short neck. They are very muscular and are said to walk very fast. We also see a group of red Lechwe waterboks. They usually stay by the water because they like plants that grow in or near it. We break for coffee at  a lake before we go back. On our way to the Guest House, we are pointed two leopard cubs by a South African couple. But we can not see them well.
Back at the guest house we take our belongings, we pay the bill and go to Maun. We know the way, but it's still quite a journey. On the way we see elephants and giraffes as well as groups of zebras. A driver who drives towards us points to vultures circling around a dead giraffe. We see the vultures, but they are too far off the road to get to them.
In Maun we check in at the Island Safari Lodge. Beautifully located by the river, but a bit outdated. The restaurant is very disappointing. The beds are short and there is no mosquito net. The staff is very friendly though.

Weather: in the morning very cold, 12 degrees. It warms up to 28 degrees.

Monday 12 June 2017

We get up early: at 6.30 am the alarm clock sounds. We have breakfast at the restaurant. The breakfast is surprisingly complete and good. After breakfast we wait at the jetty for the skipper, who will take us to the Mokoro central. There is some delay because two outside guests are late. When arrive  - and had their coffee - we can take the motorboat to Boro where the polers live. Polers are the people who navigate the flat boats into the Okavango Delta. The boat trip to Boro takes 45 minutes, but it is very cold. It's only 12 degrees and the boat is quite fast. We get a blanket to shield us from the cold air. The polers have formed a collective and, take turns performing the mokoro tours into the concession area NG32. In this way, the revenue from the tours fully benefits the Boro community. African Secrets has given us lunch package and a liter of water. Our poler today is called Ronnie. His colleague is Kenny. Kenny takes the other two (German) guests. We glide through the reed of the Okavango Delta. First a bit through the main canal, and then through very narrow sideways. We glide through different types of reed and see a lot of water lilies that are just opening up to the daylight. After an hour and a half we arrive at an island where we go on land. After a brief briefing from Ronnie, we are heading for a walk of more than 2 hours. Ronnie has a knitted hat that is meant for Christmas (reindeer horns and a red nose). The sun is at its peak - it's already twelve o'clock - and there's no shadow. Ronnie leads us along a Lead Wood Tree and a palm tree. He tells about the preparation of the palm wine. In the distance we see elephants, giraffes, zebras and gnomes. Ronnie points them all out and tells about them. Each time he ends with "Any questions? Thank you for listening". These animals take to these islands to get out reach of the lions . But the lions can also cross the water and we find the tracks of lions as proof of that. We are happy when the walk is over and we can have lunch in the shade of a Lead wood tree. We are joined by a British couple living in South Africa. After half an hour we ready for the return journey. In about an hour we return to Boro. There we are awaited by the motorboat skipper, who takes us back to the Island Safari Lodge. On the way we stop to see a large crocodile.
In the evening we eat at the Thamakalane Lodge. The food in our own lodge was abominable and we want to eat something good now. It's a buffet dinner, but a very good one. We eat delicious food overlooking the river. Then we drive through total darkness to our lodge.

Weather: cold in the morning, but around the 28 degrees in the sun.

dinsdag 13 June 2017

Maun - Ghanzi: 285km, 3 hours

We drive from the lodge to Maun, where we refuel at Engen gas station. Then we drive  in one straight line to Ghanzi in the Kalahari Desert. It's actually not a desert but a semi-desert because it's raining a lot more than in desert areas. It is also green everywhere. There is grass, but also bushes and trees. Here and there there are also lakes and rivers. It is very empty. We see only up to 3 or 4 villages over a ride of almost 300km. We come pass two checkpoints, where we are checked for food and going through a disinfectant bath with the shoes and the car. After 3 hours we arrive in Ghanzi. It is a town and regional center, with many supermarkets and cheap clothing stores. In the middle of the village is the Kalahari Arms hotel. We have a spacious (family) room in a round chalet near the large pool. We first eat at the restaurant. I'm taking a Russian with fries. That's a sausage with a dry crust. After that we have a rest and then we explore the shops. We do some shopping at the Spar and visit the cultural center of the San people (bushmen) where we buy a souvenir.
The afternoon we spend relaxing at the pool. We're going in too, but it's cold. Not too cold to swim some strokes. We drink a beer that we bought at the neighboring liquor store.
In the evening we eat at the hotel restaurant. The food is not bad at all. Erik takes a mushroom soup and then beef. I have a shrimp cocktail (very small prawns) and a Delta bream.

Weather: in the morning 11 ° C. It then warms up to 26 °.

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