Self-Drive Safari in Botswana, South Africa, and Namibiab

[Treepol]

@@KaliCA what wonderful lion interaction, and lovely photos of the cubs.

[Peter Connan]

@@KaliCA, is that a hide under the solar panels in post #125?

 

That could have delivered some stunning photos!

[KaliCA]

@@Treepol. Glad to hear you are enjoying my pics. Not best quality, but those lions and Cubs were a definite highlight of our trip.

 

@@Peter, hmmmm, a hide? It looks like a pump house to me. Wish it were a hide, come to think of it, that's what's missing in Etosha. Sanparks does well with hides. My first night at Punda Maria in Kruger, I saw a leopard and then again in KTP, Nossob hide.

[Peter Connan]

@@KaliCA, I know there are some hides in Etosha. @@Morkel Erasmus has posted some beautiful images taken from hides in Etosha, but the one he used is not available to the public.

 

There is no reason an electrical pump (and I assume this is one as it has solar panels) needs windows or openings. But perhaps if the pump-house was built for a diesel-engined pump, perhaps it would. But this looks like an observation slit rather than just air supply for a pump engine?

[KaliCA]

@ Peter, it's a mystery!

 

Post 16, I think

 

Okaukuejo to Dolomite, Wednesday, October 15

 

We woke before seven and were off to look for "our"pride one more time. But they were all gone. We should have learned by now that you can NEVER repeat a good sighting. But hope springs eternal, as we say. So we drove the long way to Olifantsbad, because DH wanted to check for lions there one more time. Good vibe: we found the whole Olifants pride present around the WH with some bigger cubs lying around and the beautiful male strutting twice around, before finally climbing up to the solar panel platform. The cubs were active as well and the females eventually went off to lie under a tree. So it had been well worth checking on this active WH one more time.

Back at camp we went to refuel, bought bread and chicken, and then headed west on the park road towards Dolomite Camp. On the way, we checked Okandeka WH again, since it was on our way, sort of.

Another good choice: more lions. One lioness was sprawled out under the single tree, while another lioness was lying on a patch of grass just before the pan, protecting a springbock kill. We must have just missed the kill.

Wow, 59 lions and ten Cubs.

Just after the Marais Dam, there was a WH jammed packed with animals, mostly zebra, oryx, springbock, ostrich, as well as three ellies. Seems that water was at a premium at this spot. Sonderkop WH had another bunch of herbies. (=herbivores)

Along the road to the western section of Etosha, there are a few WH that were not pumped anymore. The two closest to Dolomite barely had any water at all, and it was frustrating and difficult to see animals waiting around without being able to drink. At Dolomite WH we saw giraffe, oryx, and zebra and the chalets up on the ridge.

We parked, got our small bags and backpacks packed with items form the suitcases, and then were picked up with the golf cart and dropped off at the reception chalet. We got a scripted version of a welcoming talk, then met the golf cart up the stairs. After a very rough ride on the golf cart when I thought I would land head first in the boulders, we were dropped off at chalet number 10, before we noticed that we had not been given a key. Oops, had to wait a while for the key to show up. I would recommend to tell the golf cart driver to slow down. It was a hair raising ride and I'm not one to easily scare.

Later, I went swimming in the lovely infinity pool where I met a friendly SA couple who could not believe our luck with lions, while DH downloaded pics. We had showers, then went to dinner...long walk across the ridge at sunset. As it happened, the friendly couple invited us to their table for dinner. And we had some stimulating conversation. We then went to the bar area to use wifi, but alas, no luck, Wifi was not working at Dolomite.

This was our second stay at Dolomite Chalets and we decided it might be our last. It is really quite a pain to get up there and then to walk over the ridge down to the restaurant and pool. Also, only chalet number 18, I think, has an actual view of the waterhole. However, We love the expansive views and the chalets themselves are very nicely done and very comfortable. Food and service are only so so and the staff is not very enthusiastic.

 

Dolomite Camp to Hobatere Community campground, Thursday, October 16,

 

I had a wonderful nights's sleep, but DH caught another migraine. We had a nice BF with our new SA friends. This was our last day of game driving this trip. Kind of sad to see it come to an end.

Klipsdam WH had a fantastic amount of game and I got my wish and discovered the one and only eland of our trip. Yeah. In addition, there were 16 giraffe present at the same time, as well as zebra, oryx, hartebeest, springbock, piglets, ostrich, ducks, Kori bustard and two Kudu bocks.

Rateldraf WH had more zebra and ellies coated in red earth. Renostervlei WH boasted 16 giraffe and other herbies, while at Jakalswater, we had a tip of lion, but did not spot any, however, there was a dead young zebra lying in the mud, still in tact. Sad sight. It must have gotten stuck in the mud and died of starvation.

A fellow traveler pointed out a new type of zebra with many stripes on their legs and rounded ears called Mountain Zebra. They were mixed in with the Hartman's Zebra and it was quite easy to spot the difference, once we knew what we were looking for.

Okawao WH was a small lake with zebra drinking and many were fighting. There were two separate breeding herds of ellies who came to drink, and play in the mud before topping it all off with a dust bath. Here another highlight: two ellies trying to mate. What a sight. No success, though. Nice exclamation point to the end of our African journey.

After that, we left the park by signing out at Galton Gate. We found the sign to Hobatere campground just 200 meters north, up the road, and found the site between enormous boulders. We were the only visitors and payed Nam $ 240 for the night.

Before dinner, I did some laundry in the open-air sink (two sinks there) then walked up to the hide which overlooked a deep riverbed with an artificial waterhole. We spotted 3 giraffe, 5 zebra and 3 impala and also a rock Dassie in the morning from this hide. We had our last chicken dinner there and had a nice but cold night with lots of lion roaring going on. The attendant had warned us not to wander around after 8 pm.

Hobatere Public Campsite was the only place we stayed at without prior reservations. It's a good stop-over coming from the west and the next day you can enter Etosha park through the renovated Galton Gate.

 

Hobatere campground to Brandberg White Lady Lodge, Friday, October 17

 

It was cold in the morning and we were having BF sitting in our poofy jackets. We left Hobatere at 8:30 and stopped for some minor shopping at Kamanjab. On the way to Grootberg Pass we saw dik-dik, giraffe, Steenbock, oryx, and kudu, all outside the park. DH stopped along the road a few times to look for agate rocks, but did not find any.

Just before Palmar, he recognized the area from two years ago where we had found some banded agate, a prize for any rock hound. So we stopped and after walking around a bit, found banded agate along the mounds. We had lunch there under a tree and also got a friendly visit from a goat herd. I offered him some canned beans and water which he happily accepted.

From there it was a long long drive to Brandberg. I was thinking that the lodge would be in the mountains, but no, it was located on the banks of the Aba Huab River at the side of the massive Brandberg mountain. We chose campsite number 20 which is located closest to the river.

The lodge itself looked nice from the little bit we saw of it during checking in. There were sweeping views over river, mountains and dunes, a little garden and a pool.

Our original plan was to go rock hounding with a guide in the vicinity, all possible according to the Bradt guide, but for various reasons, the plan did materialize.

We had cold chicken for dinner and DH started to sort out and wash his rocks. I organized all our items, the ones to toss, give away, or pack up to take home. Then I took a shower in the no-ceiling, no-doors ablutions before the sun went down. At dark, our light at the side of the car as well as the cool box stopped working as the battery was now run down all the way.

It was very quiet at this campsite, except that later, there was some much welcomed ellie activity. There was a bull walking near us on his way to the water fountain which, we discovered, was right behind us in the bushes. Then when I was already up in the tent, a little ellie boy came running past us, trumpeting wildly, followed by his mother. He must have been in trouble!

We had a quiet but cold last night in the roof tent. Back into thermals again.

[KaliCA]

[KaliCA]

Many many animals, not enough pumped water. Stress was palpable.

 

[KaliCA]

Dolomite chalets, sadly I can't find my pics of Dolomite camp. Could be I did not take any. The chalets are beautiful inside, very very hot, but there is a breeze late afternoon. Balcony and pool are great.

 

[michael-ibk]

Really enjoying your report, KaliCa, great photos all around. The number of animals at the waterholes is quite impressive.

[KaliCA]

[KaliCA]

Really enjoying your report, KaliCa, great photos all around. The number of animals at the waterholes is quite impressive.

Thanks. Glad you are coming along with us! The number of animals around water is one of the reasons we love Etosha and go in the dry season.

[KaliCA]

[KaliCA]

The only eland and did dik of the trip. Extra special.

[KaliCA]

Sunset from atop Dolomite

[KaliCA]

The end

White Lady Lodge campsite to Windhoek, Saturday, October 18

 

We got up and it was quite cold, so back into the puffy jackets. We had our last BF and reorganized all the equipment for Peter. Finally, the air came out of our mattresses. As we were almost packed up, a small herd of ellies came walking up the riverbed and stopped to drink at the fountain. We were outside the car, quite close, watching and videotaping them while they eye-balled us. What a nice good-bye present to have ellies in camp on the last day of our trip.

We stopped along the road at a stand to buy more rocks and also gave away some food, bags, and the blue washing bowl to a family who had a rock stand there. They seemed to appreciate the gifts, and the little boy liked the magazine the most.

Later, we stopped in Uis and DH bought some mineral specimens from a man named Johannes, who had a store with minerals for sale, close by the gas station. This came from a tip of one of the waiters at White Lady Lodge.

If you like a souvenir mineral, stop by in Uis and find Johannes.

It was almost 1 pm by the time we left Uis and started our long drive back to Windhoek. It took a while, but it was all tar road with little traffic. We found Klein Windhoek Guesthouse without problems and checked into room number 12.

Our friends had already checked in and were all shiny and showered. Their trip had evidently been a success and they loved seeing more of Namibia than just animals. They had only stayed at lodges the last few days.

We emptied our car and moved into our room and started packing. The room looked as though a bomb had gone off. Things strewn everywhere. And all this needed to fit into two suitcases or given away. We ended up giving away some things to the housekeeping lady. After showering, we went to dinner at 7:30 and had a nice last dinner with our friends.

We finished packing and went to sleep all organized. In the morning, neither of the Peters showed up and I was disappointed as I had hoped to give them a report of how our trip went. I ended up leaving them a note with positives and negatives.

They sent a transport service and we were at the airport by noon for a 3pm flight. All the flights happened as scheduled and we flew to Johannesburg, NY Kennedy, Phoenix, and finally landed at our home airport.

One bag did not make it, but we got it after we were done shopping. Daniel picked us up, we got the dogs, always a very joyous occasion on both sides, and got home close to 8 pm where Michelle, our daughter, expected us at the house. She and Daniel are such a big help as both of them take care of our dogs, and come out to the house to check on plants and irrigation. Another friend, Jim, comes by often to clean and check on the pool. Thanks to all who make traveling possible and worry free for us.

Another amazing Africa trip has come to an end. Happy to be home safe and sound and looking forward to all of our pictures and videos and reliving fantastic memories.

 

Postscript:

 

The route: looking back, I would have liked to stay another few days in Kgalagadi Park. We spent too much of our time there driving as the distances are vast and game driving speed is slow. Two night or more stays are always more rewarding and it would have felt less rushed.

We were debating about adding Savuti and Chobe to our route, but decided against it. After the fact, we should have added it, since it was a highlight of our first trip and we were so close already.

CKGR was only ok, and not as amazing as I had imagined, but we are glad we saw it.... once in the dry season.

 

Photography: We are quite happy with our pictures. At least we are improving. Taking video? As mentioned, I ended up with only a few good sequences e.g. Oryx and ellies sparing etc. the lion cubs, but most of it is too shaky and when there is movement, the moving object has scalloped edges, even though I used a memory card that is supposed to be able to record at higher speed.

 

Accommodations: Having brought with us self-inflatable air mattresses made sleeping in the roof tent more comfortable. Problem is that they need to come down for storage every day because the bed gets too fat to fold up properly. Buying a good pillow helped a lot, too.

Best room: Dolomite Camp

Best wilderness cabin set-up: Gharagab

Best pool and surroundings: Nunda Lodge

Best free up-grade: Bushbaby lodge, from tent to bungalow

 

Traveling with friends:

The positive: It's nice to have company in the evenings and share an adventure together. It's great to switch kitchen duty every other night.

The negative: I learned that it's a mistake to game drive together. By the time the second car gets to the sighting, the animal has moved or disappeared. You might be the lead car and see something spectacular, but you feel guilty hogging the sighting when your friends can't see it, even though they never complain. Too much pressure.

Since we were the ones with bush experience, we felt responsible for our friends' comfort, safety, and happiness. Too much stress.

This was a 38 day trip with emphasis on wildlife viewing. It was too much time for our friends, so towards the end, they had enough of wildlife and wanted to see more of the country and coast of Namibia, which we had already seen on our first trip.

The heat, dirt, and communal cooking was too much for them, not something I anticipated to be a problem.

Both parties acted too nice and when the question is "What do you guys want to do", it's not helpful to say "Whatever you want," because everyone ends up compromising too much.

Everyday our friend would ask, "So what's the plan for tomorrow" and I would show them on the map where we would be going. They had not read up on our destinations and the daily itinerary and how to get there was a mystery to them. More pressure on us.

I made it clear to them, that our route would not be considered a first-time safari destination, but they felt they could handle it.

Lesson learned: if you travel with friends, make sure you know each other well and be certain that both parties are compatible, as the bush and being in a foreign country will add many new stresses to a friendship.

 

Thanks for joining us on our trip. It has been a pleasure!

 

We are off for two weeks in Kruger and three weeks self-driving in Tanzania.

Wondering what Arusha NP, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Serengeti, and the crater have to offer these intrepid travelers.

[KaliCA]

Hobatere campground outside Galton Gate. Recommended.

[KaliCA]

Campsite number 20 at White Lady Lodge. Pumped water in back of bushes where desert ellies came to drink, video only. Our water tap was bent from Ellie activity at night

[ReiseBeate]

Kalica,

 

thank you so much for this interesting trip report and for the very very beautiful pictures.

 

Beate

[Red Squirrel]

Thanks so much, it brought back many happy memories, so glad the Hobatere campsite is still there as I feared it may have closed when the lodge did.

It also highlights the strain travelling with good friends can be, we did similar but shorter trips and it can put a strain on friendships as people have different priorities, we enjoy the challenge of the journey our friends prefer to be taken to the animals and not to have to worry about route finding and driving on sandy roads. Ŵe did a 27 day trip last year through similar terrain on our own and was great.

The one place you missed which we found very special was Baines Baobabs, the campsite was over the salt flat with a fab view of the trees, no wildlife but a very special place for one night, just us and none for miles.

[Galana]

Hello KaliC.

Very sad to come to the end of this epic story. Thanks for taking us along with you. Great photographs.

Did I really say that about Rhinos? Another one the bushmen have is "See a Rhino, think of a tree.".

Way back in Botswana you mentioned needing a photo of Tawny Eagle. I will dig one out and send it. To tell a Tawny from an Immature Bateleur, just look at the head and Bill. Bigger head and black blunt bill in the Bat. Tawny has yellow eye and bill.

re. Wattled Cranes. You were indeed lucky to see those. Quite uncommon and endangered.

And I don't think the building with the Solar Panel on it is a hide. It used to be a diesel pump in there and no doubt there was no need to change the structure when the electric pump was installed. I would not like to be in there, even if there was room. The slots are big enough to permit entry by half grown lions if you look at your photos.

Finally I am sorry things did not work out as planned with your friends. I too get problems like that. Not only do they take minimal interest in the route but often save their complaints about accommodation etc., until it is too late to fix things. Folks also need there own space.

[Peter Connan]

Thank you for a wonderful trip report.

 

Indeed, travelling with friends is not for the faint-hearted, least of all for the person who has planned the trip.

 

In fact, I think I have just made a new rule for myself: next time I take a joint trip with friends, each family will be responsible for one portion of the trip. In that way all will have an idea of what is involved, and will therefore be more involved with the whole process, instead of just "are we there yet"!

[Atravelynn]

@@KaliCA I'm so enjoying your TR and photos, my fav is the squirrel with the giant melon.

 

 

A standout for me too because it is so uncommon.

[xelas]

@@KaliCA

 

Great trip report. I admit I have read only the Namibia part, as Botswana is still a couple of years away. Only remark is about the size of your photos. They deserve to be posted in larger size!

Speaking of photos, did you posted then anywhere on-line, and if yes, are you willing to share the link to them?

Kruger, Tanzania, and what happened to your trip to Costa Rica?!

[Atravelynn]

Focusing on Namibia, tremendous action at the waterholes. The lion nursery is just amazing. There must have been a lot of very tired lions in that pride. I finally found the rhino in the bush!

 

Regarding the picture size, this is something I have wondered about. I almost always use a 24-inch monitor so the photos look great to me. But I suppose on a small devise, medium or small photos might shrink way down.

[Geoff]

Your words (and photos) transport me...

I wonder how the zebra carcass wound up in the water (whether it were killed or moved there). The hyenas look somewhat less than elegant while feeding from it in that circumstance!

@@Marks Hyena will cache their kills in water. It keeps competition from getting to it and they then use their tremendous sense of smell to find it again. Hyena are incredibly good swimmers too.