Diary for the Africa tour

26 + 27 October 2017

Flights from Copenhagen via Frankfurt, Addis Ababa to Cape Town. Checked in at the Lady Hamilton hotel below the Table Mountain. It's cool here in Cape Town 18 - 20 degrees C. (64 – 68 F)

Our guide is Amanda and she is africaaner Our driver is called Suki and she is black. They speak africaans among themselves.

October 28, 2017

Round trip on Cape Peninsula.
1. Hout Bay
2. Boulder Beach colony of African Penguins.
3. Breakfast in Simonstown.
4. Cap of the Good Hope
5. Visit the lighthouse.
6. Table Mountain. We stood in line for one hour before reaching the cable car. Up there was a wonderful view. There was a view of Robben island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 of the total of 27 years. We stood in line again one hour before we could get down. Meanwhile the sun went down and it became even colder.

October 29, 2017

We started at 10 o'clock and drove north. Stopped to take a picture of the Table Mountain from the north. We drove through very fertile valleys thanks to irrigation systems. Here are wheat fields that are ripe for harvest. Here are vineyards and orange plantations.
Our lodge is called Highlanders and they also sell wine. We were invited to wine tasting in the late afternoon.

October 30, 2017

Another day of driving. Here is 40 degrees C (104 F) and in Cape Town there was only 18 C (64 F). The landscape has changed to barren bush steppe. Late in the day we drove across the border to Namibia. We live at Felix Unite lodge where we can look across the Orange River to South Africa.

31 October 2017

We made a short trip to the next place called Canyon Roadhouse lodge. The landscape is now desert. In the afternoon, we drove out into the desert to the Fish River Canyon. Here we went along the rim for about an hour. There are no paths down to the river. Wine and snacks were served after the tour.

November 1, 2017

We had again a long drive where we ended up in Hammerstein Lodge. Lunch at the car. Now the wild animals begin to turn out. I have seen Zebras and Springbok. Photographed a colony of weaver birds.
Here at the lodge they have wild cats in some huge Cages. We were in the cage for a group of Caracal’s. The next cage housed a leopard and it was too dangerous to visit. The last was a cheetah, and we could visit it.
In the evening our two guides served barbecue for us.

November 2, 2017

We spent the entire day in Naukluft National Park, more specifically in the Sesriem area.
We drove as far as we could and were then transported in the National Park cars to the last point: Sossusvlei from which we could walk. The highest point was Old Daddy. I did not get there, but I was up on the second highest dune that lay in the foreground. It was incredibly exhausting to climb the sand. Later in the day we went for a walk down the Sesriem Canyon. It is not very long nor very deep, but we could walk in shadow. We stayed again at Hammerstein Lodge.

November 3, 2017

Today we had a very long drive that ended in Swakopmund. We passed a highland and a canyon called Kuiseb. There is more wildlife in this area. I took pictures of zebras and oryx antelopes. We had lunch with sea view in Walvis bay. Here were flamingos that we could see at a long distance.
Staying at Alte Brūcke Resort. The city is very German imprinted.

November 4, 2017

We stayed all day in Swakopmund. In the morning, I participated in a (paid) excursion into the desert. The excursion was called: The Living Desert. We saw the following:
1. Sidewinder snake
2. Dew collecting beetle
3. Legless Lizard
4. Sand Lizards
5. Desert Gecko
6. Tractrac Chat
7. Chameleon

In the afternoon, I walked alone in the city and took photos. I started at the city's Aquarium. Later, I photographed old German houses. Namibia was a German colony until the end of the First World War.

November 5, 2017

1. Cape Cross seal colony. The fur souls rest after a fishing trip. They have enemies both on land and in the sea. On land, the brown hyena chases small baby seals. In the ocean, they are chased by killer whales and sharks. I saw a single brown hyena in the neighbourhood.
2. The white lady is a prehistoric rock cut. It can only be seen if you walk 2½ kilometers on foot through a gorge. The bottom of the gorge was a dried-up riverbed. There was plenty of elephant droppings indicating that it was also a highway for elephants. We started in the middle of the afternoon in 45-degree C heat (113 F), but had to give up before we reached the lady. It was simply too hard.
3. We live in the white lady lodge, where we had to accept an annex. The main house was totally sold out.

November 6, 2017

1. Twyfelfountain (questionable source). Prehistoric rock carvings and paintings.
2. Strange rock formations called organ pipes.
3. The petrified forest. Here I forgot my camera. Unfortunately, the phone was running dry, so I did not get any pictures.
Stayed at Khorixa's lodge.

November 7, 2017

On our way to Toshari lodge we were shopping in Outjo town. We were at the Toshari lodge at 11 o'clock. The rest of the day we went game driving in Etocha National Park. We ate lunch at another lodge that had its own watering hole

We saw the following animals:

1. Lots of zebras.

2. Lots of springbok.

3. An elephant with a broken tooth.

4. Several oryx antelopes

5. Several Wildebeests.

6. A lion couple at a very large distance.

7. Several giraffes.

8. Kori bustard.

November 8, 2017

We were on photo safari all day. We started at six o'clock before breakfast. We should be out at sunrise. We brought a packed breakfast.

New animals and birds

1. Several Kudu antelopes.
2. Secretary bird.
3. Egyptian geese.
4. bat-eared fox
5. A rhino in the distance.
6. Brown Hartebeest.

In addition, we saw
1. A lion in the distance, and another roaring lion at our new lodge.
2. Several giraffes
3. Kori bustard
4. Wildebeest
5. Francolin Chicken

Lunch at another lodge.
Our new lodge is Namutoni Bush Chalets. It is next to a large white castle dating back to the time Namibia was a German colony.

November 9, 2017

Driving to the next lodge, called the Kaisosi River lodge. It is located on the banks of the Kaisosi River, which also borders Angola. We drove through a poor agricultural area. The villages are simple tree huts or canopies. There are cattle breeding and a little corn is grown.

November 10, 2017

Traveled across the border to Botswana. It's rained a bit today but now the sun is shining again. We are at Drotsky's lodge located at Okavanga Panhandle. Tomorrow we will sail on the river.

November 11, 2017

There were two boat trips today.

In the morning, we saw:

1. A hippo.
2. Lots of crocodiles.
3. Hammerhead bird.
4. Several Kingfishers:
5. African Skimmer
6. White-breasted Eagle

An evening trip that ended in the rain and where we saw:

1. Snake Bird.
2. Hammer head.
3. Five to Six Hippos.
4. A drowned cow and a crocodile who had killed it.
5. Bee-Eaters.

November 12, 2017

Our next goal was Thebe Lodge, which is also located in Botswana. The best route goes through the Caprivi Strip which is Namibia. We had to cross the border twice before we were back in Botswana. We drove through several national parks without stopping. When we entered Botswana again we saw a group of elephants crossing the road, and later we also saw a group of sable antelopes. There have been several rain showers along the way and now it's raining heavily. When we had dinner, a proper rainstorm came along. It has not been raining here for four years.

November 13, 2017

There were two tours today, In the morning we drove into Chobe National Park.

Here we saw:
1. 2 dead elephants who died of anthrax
2. A group of baboons.
3. Warthogs
4. Marabou storks
5. Lots of impala
6 Several Mongooses

It was a little disappointing trip.

In the afternoon we sailed on Chobe River, which borders Zimbabwe.

Here we saw:
1. A large group of elephants who came out of the woods and down to the river to drink.
2. A large group of buffalos grazing on the meadow down to the river.
3. Hippos both in the water and on land.
4. Kudu antelopes.
5. A few Waterbucks

It was a much better trip.

November 14, 2017

It took two hours to cross the border to Zimbabwe. There were 4-5 busloads of tourists and only one person to service them. We drove south to Hwange National Park. Here we visited a reserve for the wild African dog (Painted dog). Here they take care of wounded animals for later to set them back into nature. The wild dog is an endangered species.

After the visite we drove to our next residence Gwango Heritage resort.

November 15, 2017

We were on photo safaris all day in Hwange National Park. We ate lunch in a picnic area in the park. Here we heard the first rumors that President Mugabe had fallen.

We saw:
1. Lots of giraffes
2. Some elephants
3. Waterbucks
4. A Gold Jackal
5. Impalas
6. A large male lion lying hidden under a bush. I managed to get some (bad) pictures of it. It was clear to see in the binoculars.

November 16, 2017

Drive to Victoria City, located by the waterfall.
1. Registration for a helicopter trip tomorrow
2. Roundabout along the waterfalls for two hours without a guide.
3. Check in at Lokuthula lodge.
4. Had dinner with Ron and Liz downtown.
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As we drove back from the city in the dark, there were three elephants on the roadside.

November 17, 2017

In the morning, I flew in a helicopter over the waterfalls. Later we had lunch at a restaurant located right on the edge overlooking the waterfalls. In the afternoon, I went alone in the center of town to buy gifts.

18 + 19 November 2017

Return: Victoria - Addis Ababa - Stockholm !!! - Copenhagen.

Return.