On yet another journey of Explorers myself (Victor) and Iton had 11 adventurers to join us on our route from Cape Town to Victoria Falls Grand Explorer CVa21. Starting with the cape Peninsula, through the majestic Namibia off to the immaculate Okavango Delta and concluding the journeyin Victoria Falls. For most our adventurers it was an open mind the whole way and many good things that made great memories.

Visiting the Boulders Beach for the Penguins, set everyone into a mood of exploring as we had the chance to visit the largest inland colony of the African Penguins. It was quite interesting as we managed to see all breeding stages of the Penguins, from eggs to adults. Most of the Penguins have already had chicks which were over 30 days of age. At this time of the year one would really be enthusiastic to learn how the colony works as there were many nests within the breeding area with a lot of activity showing signs of a working colony. They still remain a threatened species but one would think twice with the number of flightless birds in Boulders Beach.

As we set off for Namibia on the third day we were greeted with a herd of Gemsbok treading through the Karoo veld, being quite gregarious animals they tend to be protective and more aggressive during the rut and luckily we saw a spar of two bulls which seemed like dominance activity as they begin to contend for mating rights.
Sesriem and Sossusvlei stood as our first visit to a monumental area with the majestic dunes that stand for millions of years. We had our morning walk in the dunes over the famous dune 45 standing at a height of 300 metres at the anvil. The red sands of the Namib Desert contrast brilliantly with the cloudless blue sky and memories that last a lifetime. The adventurers seemed to enjoy the windy cold morning and soon after the walk we had a warm English breakfast to prepare ourselves for the Deadvlei. We soon headed to the dead valley to view the dead trees lying at the bottom of one of the biggest dunes (big Daddy). At this time of the year the valley is not “as dead” as there are a lot visitors walking and some running down 250 metres down to the valley from the top of the dunes.
Looking on nature’s side we checked for beetles, geckos and the famous Nara melon which has just started flowering and not forgetting the Camel Thorn trees which are bearing pods that provide good protein reserves for the Springbok and Gemsbok. As the heat of the sun started catching up we walked out of the dunes to retreat to our accommodation.

  
On day 7 we headed to Swakopmund for a taste of civilisation. On route we drove to the famous lagoon in Walvis Bay for lunch in the presence of the Greater Flamingos. The lagoon supports vast species of birds and this just made a perfect afternoon for everyone. Soon after we headed off to Swakopmund were the school kids had finished their day they greeted everyone waving at the Red Elephant calling it a fire Brigade, it was quite hilarious for everyone” Sunway trucks do stand out from the rest”!!! Swakopmund offers excellent restaurants, coffee and there is a lot to do during the day. A walk along the beach also very useful to wind up a good day.

From Swakopmund we made our way to Brandberg White lady, the Petrified Forest and Etosha National Park. One of the pristine National Parks of Africa, Etosha did not disappoint with numerous Rhino sightings, Lions, Giraffes, elephants, kudu, zebra, springbok just to mention a few but not forgetting the Black faced Impala.

We concluded our excursion of Namibia in Windhoek after 11 days in the majestic Namibia. Unfortunately we also had to say goodbye to one of our adventurers (Michelle) who dropped in Windhoek. We made sure to make a good farewell dinner at Joe’s Beer house where after a good meal we retreated to our accommodation in Klein Windhoek
Into the land of the San, Botswana we stopped over in Ghanzi at the bushmen village for the night and the most informative nature walk with a bushman descendent who does a great job in sharing their culture with the world. The San stand as one of the few preserved cultures of Africa and one would definitely be amazed with the abundant bush knowledge the tribe possesses.

Going North into Botswana’s tourism capital Maun, we were getting ready for the Okavango Delta which stands out to be one of the major highlights of the tour. From the first time meeting the polers, going on a mokoro cruise into the flood plains of the inland delta, where our first sighting was pelicans soaring in the air, from there every minute became breath taking.
The Okavango Delta is an inland Delta that drains its water nowhere but the flood plains that surround the tributaries. It goes from the big game to the small mammals and how the whole ecosystem works and every visitor needs an open mind and enthusiasm to appreciate this amazing place. With a few walks and cruises in the area most of adventurers vowed to come back for the experience in the Okavango Delta.

All the way to Chobe national Park and Victoria Falls the expectations were still high. All this was made successful through good team work and great participation and enthusiasm from our 11 clients. Like they say, T.i.A…………………………..