Victoria Falls Hotel. (Courtesy: Jean-Marie)
The trip
Below is a very rough sketch of my recollection of our
African itinerary. Some of the exact events may be recorded
in the wrong days or missed and places may be confused. But
it does provide a broad indication of the trip.
Saturday 5/7: TGV Train
Brussels-Paris Airport, Paris-Frankfurt,
Frankfurt-Jo'burg, Jo'burg-Victoria Falls
(Zimbabwe)
Sunday 6/7: Arrival. 8 on trip
met by French guide (a formidable 52 year old French woman
who lives in Zambia and spoke both EN & FR), African
driver and African cook. Into Mercedes high truck with
windows. Drive out of Zimbabwe into Botswana, first of many
elephants seen, camp in bivouac at camping site.
Monday 7/7: Longish drive across
North Kalahari, stop in Nata, then to Maun. 1 hour flight
over Okavango Delta in two six seaters, ours with an
intermediate stop to deliver supplies at a pretty basic
landing strip. See many zebras, elephants, hippos, etc.
from the air. Camp in Maun.
Tuesday 8/7: Drive to Tsodilo
Hills. Only hills for hundreds of miles. Camp.
Wednesday 9/7: Climb hills at
Tsodilo with Bushman guide and inspect rock art. Buy first
baskets at museum. Camp.
Thursday 10/7: Tsodilo-Makwena.
Camp beside Okavango river. Boat trip on river. Friday
11/7: Taken in pirogues (carved out tree trunks - two
seaters with driver standing and propelling with pole -
ours a lady driver) along channels in delta. Set up camp in
wild. Fire maintained all night by drivers. Lions and
elephants noisy at night.
Saturday 12/7: 2 hour walk in
wild. Giraffes, elephants, hippos, viewed. Drive into
Namibia. Even rougher dirt roads. Popa Falls. Kongola. Camp
on banks of the Kwando River
Sunday 13/7: Visit traditional
village. 4x4 vehicle in Muduma Park. Animals. Camp in same
location.
Monday 14/7: Drive along strip
of Namibia beside Angola (and occupied by them until
recently pursuing UNITA rebels). No pictures allowed. Many
soldiers. To Katima Mutillo. Pretty wild market - dried
fish (with extra protein!), various teas etc. meat with
flies. Camping in wild near river. Many hippos. Great
noises at night. Guide exceedingly nervous of hippos.
Tuesday 15/7: From Katima back
into Botswana to Kasane. Camping in Lodge at Chobe River.
Bit away from river since crocodiles have been know to pull
tents with inhabitants into river if too near.
Wednesday 16/7: Morning in fast
boat on Chobe river. Thousands of animals and exotic birds.
Afternoon in a 4x4 in Chobe National Park. Elephants,
various types of antelopes, giraffes etc. all over. First
cats seen. A pride of lions finishing lazily a water
buffalo. Night in same camping.
Thursday 17/7: From Kasane to
Victoria Falls. Changed money at unofficial rate 1900 Zim$
to 1US$ (official rate 600). But our leader needed a sack
for the proceeds of the $200 from the group. Afternoon on
retired polo horses in bush. Interesting that animals
(impala and water buffalo) don't notice humans on
horses. Group decided to eat in style. Went to the
magnificent Victoria Falls Hotel. Had the buffet which
worked out at about $15 each. Tried individually cooked
crocodile and impala, passing on the more usual choices.
Two other tables occupied, so as many waiters as clients.
Great hilarity in group counting out wads of money at the
end. Evening in bungalows in Victoria Falls and actual
beds!
Friday 18/7: Rafting between
rapids 10 and 25 after the falls on the Zambese. Scary.
Nearly as scary getting down the cliff face to the rafts.
Ours was, thankfully, the most unadventurous raft with the
most senior driver. Did we want to flip. No thanks. And we
didn't. In our raft, only Patrice fell in after a rapid
change from forward paddle to backward paddle. But I
suspect our paddling was academic and the driver was doing
all the work with his two big oars. Afterwards visited
Victoria Falls on the Zambian side. More impressive than
Niagra. Much spray. Two rainbows. Got very wet for the
second time in day. Walked back over bridge into Zimbabwe,
meeting up with other 4 in our group who had chosen to fly
in microlites over falls instead of rafting. As always in
Zimbabwe braving all those trying to sell carved hippos
etc. or wanting to change money or get us a taxi. Evening
dinner in another nice place eating same exotic animals.
Back to bungalows.
Saturday 19/7: Shopping in
Victoria Falls and disposing of all Zim$. Everything cheap.
Airport at midday and long trek down to South Africa (more
shopping there), up to Frankfurt, across to Paris and
eventually back to Brussels arriving at 2p.m. Sunday.
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