|
|
North America South America Caribbean Europe Asia Africa Australia Antarctica Itineraries African Journal Entries |
June 3, 2002 - Quality, Not Quantity (Botwana)
... is Botswana's official policy on tourism. They officially 'discourage independent travel', resulting in a completely incomprehensive public transit infrastructure and exclusive (and prohibitively expensive) luxury lodges making up 99% of accommodation opportunities. Sounds like something to cross off the backpacker's list of destinations, but the attractions of the peaceful Okavango Delta, the elephant packed Chobe National Park and the desolation of the vast Makgadikgadi and Nxai Salt Pans were too alluring. We decided to join an 'overland' tour to see Botswana - affluent, stable and economically sound, the country said to be Africa's success story.
Overland tours are a uniquely African tourism phenomenon. Groups of spirited travelers climb aboard a truck and, with the aid of a guide and driver, tour their chosen part of the continent. Groups vary from about 6 to 30 people, typically aged 18 to 30. Trucks vary from specially designed, fully kitted get-ups with comfy cushioned seats to dirty, converted transport trucks with canvas walls, plastic windows and two benches along either side, facing in. Trips last from a few days to a few months, covering one country or a cross-section of the whole continent. Risking the worst of these variances, we somewhat wearily signed up. We had a great trip. Nomad Tours had some of the best trucks we had seen and offered an itinerary that matched what we were looking for. We had only four other tour mates, allowing us each a window seat for the long cross-country drives ahead. We all got along and had fun camping in big canvas tents and cooking and eating LOTS of great food. The best part was our little driver/guide named Dudu; at about five feet tall, this native of Zimbabwe was sweetly scatterbrained but packed a punch of experience, thoughtfulness, organization and generosity. Best of all, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not, he was wildly entertaining. He loved to talk and did so of how e-mail gets gone if you don't use it, how flies fly into candle soup and get stuck, and how when you are hungry your intestines move like mopane worms trying to escape from your plate. He respectfully called each of us girls 'Mama' and each of the boys 'Bro', took regimented votes on whether he was to brew coffee after dinner or not, constantly kept track of the enemy (time), and lamented on the fact that if he ever moved to New York City, he would have to be radio collared to avoid getting lost (or something like that! :o) ) On day one of five we set off early from Victoria Falls and drove straight to the Botswana border at Kazungula. After passing through passport control, we had to subject the bottom of every pair of shoes we had with us, as well as the wheels of the truck, to a disinfectant bath at the veterinary cordon. These measures are taken to protect the country from foot-and-mouth disease, as are the miles and miles and miles of 'buffalo fence' erected throughout the country in the 1950s. Somewhat effective at separating buffalo from mingling with domestic cattle, these now fast-becoming decrepit fences also disrupt the migratory patterns of many wild animals and consideration is (slowly) being given to tearing them down. We spent the afternoon in Chobe National Park, situated on Chobe River. Chobe is deservedly renowned for its vast elephant population and we saw herds upon herds of them from our little open-backed safari truck. Walking around in the sand, chewing on trees, drinking from, bathing in and crossing the river; they were everywhere. The river was also home to lots of hippos and we got some great close up views. We got our first look at lots of kudu, a gentle looking large antelope with big ears and long spiraling horns. We took a sunset cruise on the river and enjoyed most the views of giraffe partaking of their evening aperatif by crookedly splaying their legs to get a drink from the river way down at their feet. Day two was a driving day. Our trip from Kasane to Maun via Nata and the salt pans was estimated to take 8 hours. We knew this estimate was a dream when, on a 400km stretch of road with no people or villages to be seen, we stopped for a 'bathroom' break and couldn't start the truck again. Uhoh. Fortunately, it wasn't long before a mini-van splashed with the logo 'Executive Express' appeared in the distance. We flagged it down and out poured a dozen or so suit-clad cell-phone and briefcase wielding Tswana business men. Various attempts to restart the truck failed and we ended up with an attempt at a push start. With Dudu at the wheel and the rest of us summoning all of our might, the truck sputtered, shuddered and coughed black smoke and finally started. Thank goodness! For the rest of the day, the truck would NOT be turned off. It idled while we grabbed lunch from a gas station in Nata before heading off on the next 400km stretch of highway, nearly as isolated as the last. It also remained idling while we pulled over and spent about an hour changing an inner back tire that had a slow puncture. With just the seven of us, we didn't have the strength to hoist the removed tire back on to the truck roof and had to settle with a new seat mate inside. We continued on, past the eerily flat, white and still salt pans with their mirages and sizzling heat, and arrived in Maun as the sun was setting. Days three, four and five were spent in the Okavango Delta. At this time of year, following the rainy season, the delta is gradually filling up with water emptying from the Okavango River which flows 1300km south from Angola and Namibia. About a foot of water is average for this lush green 15,000 square kilometer maze of island, channels and lagoons. We set off from shore in a speed boat which the driver encouraged to truly live up to its title. We sped unbelievably through narrow channels of tall umbrella reeds that moved rhythmically in our wake. We were forced to duck many times to avoid getting slapped in the face with the thick reeds. We landed on a small sandy island and transferred into mokoros (dugout canoes), the major (and only viable) method of transportation around most of the delta. Polers took us over the peaceful waters to 'wilderness camp' where we set up camp miles from civilization. A sandy clearing by the water was home for the night, as well as home to myriad non-human footprints. These footprints belonged to lions, elephant, hippo, baboons, warthog and various antelope. With these creatures about, camping could be a little scary, but we were assured that we were only at risk if we got up at night and left the tent. Needless to say, we didn't! We went on a walking safari the next morning - a little nerve-wracking after our last safari (on horseback!). Our guides told us to stay very quiet and walk in single file; they seemed very knowledgeable and were expert trackers. We did encounter one elephant but kept our distance, peeking at him through the bushes. Lion droppings (furry!) were about, as were hyena's (white from their high bone intake) and hippo's (large and spread around with their feet), but we only caught sight of some warthog and a couple of herds of red lichwe, a medium sized antelope native to the Okavango Delta region. Before leaving wilderness camp, we got to try our hand at poling the mokoros. Definitely not as easy as the local people make it look! We spent the second night at an established camp on the edge of the delta. While we set up our tents, Dudu politely told us not to 'park in Papa Hippos path' - apparently a large old male hippo has made it his nightly ritual to climb out of the water and use the campground's established walkways to pass to his favourite grazing areas. We willingly obliged. What impressed most upon us about the delta were the sounds; constant bird calls due to a flourishing population of colourful and lively birds, the deep grunts of hippos, the thumping of elephants and the plaintive moan of hungry lions calling to each other. Hanging out at wilderness camp, a distant crashing, splashing and squealing symphony made all of the locals stop and turn towards it - they postulated that the noise was a lion making a meal of a poor unsuspecting warthog enjoying a drink of water. Another thundering rush of water in the distance sounded like the rise of the wind in the trees but turned out to be a herd of red lichwe escaping from a lion in foot-deep water. We slept to an orchestra of various grunts, snorts and splashes. Despite all this noise, it felt like the most peaceful place on earth. We left the overland tour early, stopping in Maun while the truck returned to Victoria Falls. We took a day in Maun to relax - swimming, reading, throwing the frisbee and taking in some World Cup football action. Early Monday morning we headed for Windhoek, the capital city of Namibia. It took a full day of driving, but arriving in Windhoek was exciting. This modern and developed city nestled amongst arid hills was lively and felt very European thanks to its previous status as a German colony. From here, we would organize the rest of our three weeks in Africa. > See photos from the whole Africa trip. > See photos from Botswana. > See other Africa journal entries. Back to top |
|
| advice site / links / last updated / contact / home | ||