Around the World with TPI travel blog

Mating couple strolling down the road together in Etosha National Park, Namibia

Waiting as she has a drink - Etosha NP

Lioness having a drink from a rain puddle

Springbok having a drink

Kudu in Etosha National Park, Namibia

Zebra - Chapmans race, Etosha National Park, Namibia

Vultures drying their wings in the sun

Zebra in Etosha

Gemsbock

Giraffe crossing the road in Etosha

Social Weaver's bird nest

Rhino at the waterhole in the night, Etosha National Park, Namibia

Evening gathering in our chalet

Petrified wood - feels just like a rock!

Scenery along our desert drive, Namibia

Male and female Rockagamma

Desert walk at Twelfelfontein

Local kids

Desert scenery as we hike tracking the desert elephants

Hornbill bird

White Lady Painting hike

Monica standing in the desert stretching out to the Skeleton Coast

At the seal colony at Cape Cross with thousands of seals

Seal pups - Cape Cross Namibia

Group dinner in Swakupmond, Namibia

Pink flamingos just outside Swakupmond

Stretch break in the Namibian desert

Dusty desert roads

Another famous line crossed

News Board in the desert

Desert automobile art

Dangerous scorpion at our camp site

Roadside ostriches

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

Flat tire in the desert with 40 degree heat!

Pushing the stuck canoe truck and trailor from the soft sand

Paddling down the Orange River - Namibia/South Africa Border

Canoeing the Orange River

Extreme heat at the Orange River - and this is in the...

Final Group Photo and the end of our 20-Day Overland Safari

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Dameron Click Language

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Massive seal colony at Cape Cross Namibia


20-Day Overland Safari - Victoria Falls to Cape Town

HIGHLIGHTS: Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, Western Caprivi, Okavango Delta, Etosha, Swakopmund, Sossusvlei, Fish River Canyon, Orange River, Cedarberg, Cape Town

COUNTRIES VISITED: Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa

SAFARI TYPE: Participating Mixed Camping and Basic Chalet

SAFARI GUIDE/DRIVER/COOK: Chantel, South African

TRANSLATOR (GERMAN/ENGLISH): Monika, German

PASSENGERS: Shirley - Australian (only with us for 14 days L rather than the full 20)

Stephi and Anjou - German (East Germany)

Audi and Elizabeth - German

Andreas - German

And us of course making a total of 8 passengers and 2 guides

The safari experienced was packed with so much I have had a challenge in working out how to record our experience and hundreds of pictures we have taken over the 20 days. So, what we have done is split it up into 4 different sections:

Part 1 - Victoria Falls, Zambia to Okavango Delta, Botswana

Part 2 - Kavango River, Caprivi Strip Namibia to Cape Town, South Africa

Part 3 - Sossusvlei, Namibia - World's Highest Sand Dunes and Awe Inspiring Views

Part 4 - An Unforgettable Touching Lifetime Experience

PART 2 - Kavango River, Caprivi Strip Namibia to Cape Town South Africa

ITINERARY

Day 5 & 6 - Okavango Delta to Kavango River, Namibia (Detailed in Part 4)

Day 7 to 9 - Etosha National Park, Namibia

Day 10 - Finger Rock, Petrified Forest, Twyfelfontein, Burnt Mountain, Namibia

Day 11 - Desert Elephants and Brandberg, Namibia

Day 12 - Cape Cross Seal Colony and Skeleton Coast, Namibia

Day 13 - Swakopmund, Namibia

Day 14 - Namib Naukluft National Park and Kuiseb Canyon to Sesriem, Namibia

Day 15 - Sesriem and Sossusvlei, Namibia (Detailed in Part 3)

Day 16 - Fish River Canyon and Hobas, Namibia

Day 17 & 18 - The Orange River, Namibia (South Africa border)

Day 19 - West Coast of South Africa

Day 20 - Cape Town, South Africa

More Safari Highlights:

· Kavango River chalets overlooking Angola and our life changing visit to the local village, school and church meeting the people and children and experiencing how they live their daily lives .... more to follow in Part 4

· Spending about 20 minutes watching a male and female lion strolling around Etosha Park as the male was eager for a mating opportunity but the lioness kept him back waiting until she was ready

· Viewing so much wildlife in Etosha such as kudus, black backed jackals, zebras, giraffes, rhinos in the evening by the waterhole, the unique sociable weaver birds, zebras and much more

· Shirley teaching Eric how to make Lebanese food and cooking dinner for everyone

· Leaving the wildlife behind and moving into the Namibian desert with its mass expanses of nothingness, petrified forest, traditional Bushman art rock paintings and getting startled to death as a snake darts out from a bush beside a walking path shooting out in front of me and over Andreas' foot as it rapidly slithers to safety....but really, I was much more afraid of him than he needed be of me!

· Teaching Andreas (who was German) when to use the word 'shade' vs 'shadow' and 'take a picture' vs 'make a picture' and hearing him practice as he suggests we 'go stand in the shade and take a picture' rather than 'standing in the shadow and making a picture'.

· Desert camping at the foot of the Brandberg Mountains home to the unique desert elephants and spending a morning tracking the desert elephants on foot, unfortunately without success except finding their massive footprints in the sand and heaps of elephant dung amongst the unique desert scenery

· Hearing the Dameron Tribe speak with the 'clicks' that form letters and words in their language - so incredibly unique!

· Out of the desert and to the Namibian Skeleton Coast, with the cool Atlantic sea weather and a visit to the Cape Cross seal colony with thousands and thousands of seals and their young pups, barking, swimming in the crashing surf and lounging in the sun

· A full free day in the town of Swakupmond where we had the most civilization we have experienced since we left the middle east - cafes, shops, pubs, restaurants, internet cafes and a creepy visit to a snake park to face my fears!

· Off the coast and back into the desert travelling over many miles of dirt roads into the middle of no where to experience the world's tallest sand dunes at Sossusvlei and an incredible desert walk with Boesman - a definite highlight of the whole 20 days for us...more in Part 3 of the tour

· Flat tire enroute to the Orange River in desert heat of over 40 degrees with a car jack that wasn't working quite right and no cell phone service - but we got it changed and it was all part of the adventure

· Canoeing down the Orange River that forms the border of Namibia and South Africa in the intense heat of 40 plus degrees with a plunge into the river to try to beat the heat

· Driving into Cape Town and getting the first glimpses of famous Table Mountain and Lion's Head with eager anticipation of our upcoming 9 day stay



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