Category Archives: Africa

Game Viewing at Chobe National Park, Botswana

Posted on by
1

Day 6

FullSizeRender4A long morning drive from Namibia found our safari at Thebe River Safari Lodge early in the afternoon. We quickly set up our tents and prepared for our evening activity; a Chobe National Park sunset cruise on the Chobe River. We boarded the pontoon style boat which had plenty of room for our group and situated the cooler full of drinks right in the center. We cruised up the river towards Chobe National Park in search of more wildlife.

FullSizeRenderAs soon as we left the dock, one of the Aussies notified everyone about a snake in the water. Our driver turned for closer inspection and we all saw a Monitor lizard swimming across the river. There were actually quite a few on the banks along with some crocodiles bathing in the sun. We ventured further into the park and were greeted by grazing elephants. They were in the shallow waters pulling up the grasses and whipping them around to get the soil off before popping them in their mouth. As our boat inched closer and closer, Continue reading →

Meeting the Locals in Divava, Namibia

Posted on by
2

Day 5

FullSizeRenderWe said goodbye to the serenity of Okavango Delta and drove north from Jumbo Junction Campsite. The bumpy dirt road ended on the bank of the Okavango River where a ferry awaited. As we boarded the ferry, we watched cows and donkeys graze the banks and as we crossed, we spotted hippos upstream. Once across, we were greeted by our truck, Jimi, on the other side of the river.

Our adventure continued north crossing the Namibia boarder five minutes later. After two quick stops visiting the government offices, we drove on as the road entered Bwabwata National Park. Our guide, Jojo, said that vehicles transits through the park are timed to ensure they do not Continue reading →

Serenity on the Okavango Delta, Botswana

Posted on by
5

image

Day 3

Two hard days of driving brought us to Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta. It’s the largest inland delta in the world! Essentially, at this location the Okavango River abruptly ends by seeping into the desert. There was an optional scenic flight providing aerial views of the delta – several people went but we decided to save our money. We hung out watching the coming and goings of the small international airport. After leaving, we had about four hours in the truck before actually getting into the delta.

FullSizeRender32Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, there were two 4 wheel drive pickups waiting for us. We unloaded from our truck, Jimi, and hopped in. They took us to a speedboat for a scenic ride to our camp. The delta reminded me of the Louisiana bayou. We wound our way through narrow channels among the grasses and saw lots of birds. We even stopped for a close-up view of a huge Continue reading →

Meeting our Safari Family, South Africa

Posted on by
2

Day 1

FullSizeRenderI woke up before the alarm excited to start our 29 day Safari! Our hostel in Johannesburg still didn’t have any electricity so we packed in the dark. The taxi ride was shorter and cheaper than I expected arriving at the departure point, Boulevard Estates, very early. While killing time walking around, we saw chickens with baby chicks wandering around the lush green grounds. We noticed guests of the estates and figured they must be joining us in the tour. Looking around, it seemed like Sara and I would be the youngest couple on the trip until two college students showed up last minute. We all filled out some paperwork for the Nomad Safari and approached the truck. It was massive! It seats 24 plus there’s room for three up in the cab. There are storage areas under the floor and in the back of the truck creating plenty of space for days worth of supplies. We packed up and hit the road for a full day of driving with a destination of Botswana. Continue reading →