Namibia May 2023 - Zambezi region and more!

[mungopark]

The sun had begun to slowly set so it was sundowner time.  We headed back to the horseshoe lagoon and found a nice seemingly tranquil area to sit back, relax, and enjoy the day's end.  There was a troop of baboons playing nearby and it was fun to watch their antics.  Their fun was soon to turn into terror however. 

 

After the sun was halfway down (and consequently, beginning to truly become dark) of a sudden two kudu does and a huge male as well burst out of the bushes right next to us in sheer panic.  A pack of wild dogs was on the hunt had driven the animals into our sundowners!   The baboons we'd been watching fled in terror, their distrust in humans gone as several passed nearly within arms length of us.  At this point we could hear the dogs but not see them.  While the rest of us excitedly searched the bush for the oncoming dogs the wife from the couple from France leaped back up into the vehicle and implored her husband to do the same, stating that she understood that the wild dogs were very dangerous and I think imagined that they would descend upon her like a pack of pit bulls. 

 

Soon we saw them, coming not from the direction of the stampede but from just in front of us.  I think by then the pack had fanned out.  We all joined the madame in the vehicle and were off, making an attempt to follow what members of the pack we could see.  unfortunately they all headed towards a wooded area that we could not access and we did not see the end result of their pursuit.  Also, by that time it had grown very dark and it would have been a challenge to see or photograph much.  It was kind of an exciting way to end the day.

 

Back at camp I had my last meal with Wilson, who would be leaving early the next morning to drive all the way back to Windhoek.  Then it was time to turn in for another restful evening listening to sounds of the Kwando river just outside my tent, where we would have a boating activity the following morning.  Despite being right on the river, the camp was not at all "buggy".  I don't recall getting any bites the whole time I was there.

Edited March 1 by mungopark

[mungopark]

I had discussed with Wilson about myself waking up early to say goodbye, maybe have one last breakfast together and he agreed.  The following morning, however, at the allotted time he was nowhere to be found and had apparently already left.  This was unfortunate, as I was missing my "safari hat"  a baseball cap-style hat I'd received on my very first safari and worn on all subsequent trips, and I'd discussed with Wilson about looking for it in the vehicle before we went our separate ways.  This really did and does make me sad, as I had a very sentimental attachment to it.   But at least I was no longer encumbered with half-hearted guide...

 

The am plans were for an am boat activity on the Kwando river.  I shared the boat with the same two couples and we allowed one another to change spots throughout the morning on an as-needed basis, which seemed equitable.  The river, which here was no more than 5-6 meters wide, was peaceful with little current.  So we made our own current by using the motor.  We went downstream a bit, passing by the unused Kazile Island lodge,  until turning around and heading upstream.

 

It's so nice to be out on the water, with no particular agenda, relaxing and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature.  But we were not alone!  Here are a few of the notable sightings we during the first few moments on the river.

 

It was nice to finally get close enough to some of the local bird species to photograph them.

 

 

Though we saw some crocodiles, they were camera shy.  Not so much this guy.  Looking for a nest to raid, no doubt ...

 

 

 

We saw many fewer animals along the shoreline than what I'd hoped for.  The vegetation was quite dense, which likely made all but the boldest (or largest) species hard to locate.  This waterbuck was one of the lone exceptions.

 

 

But if there were few mammals out of the water, what about in the water?  Well, after boating down the river for some 30 minutes or so we encountered this large pod of hippos.  Never the easiest animals to photograph, we spent a good 30 min watching them while eating a light breakfast and I managed only a few snapshots worth keeping.  Still, the moment of repose while watching the spectacle of nature unfold is valuable in its own right, whether or not we are able to fully capture it on film.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

After spending a half hour or more with the hippo pod we continued, eventually passing the remains of the former Susuwe Island lodge, which caught fire in 2015 and apparently never re-opened.  As the sun rose higher in the sky, wildlife became increasingly scarce and so we turned around to return to a nice peaceful afternoon at camp.  On this day I think I used their pool, sharing the environs with these little guys.  

 

 

 

Edited February 27 by mungopark

[mungopark]

An otherwise lazy afternoon prefaced another exciting night drive into Bwabwata NP.  On this second night drive we covered much the same ground as on our previous excursion.  I don't know how extensive the road network in the park is, but I think we mostly kept close to camp due to the brevity of a night drive rather than due to lack of anywhere else to explore.  And of course, as noted before, the most surefire area of the park for wildlife encounters center around the horseshoe lagoon.   We headed there straightaway, passing a marshy area full of marabou storks in the process.  Along the way we also saw a few other things of interest as well, including small herds of buffalo, a herd of sable, kudu and a rather large crocodile in a small channel.

 

Always with a rather ghoulish appearance,  but here perhaps less so given that they were fishing rather than feasting on rotting flesh.  A fine first encounter for my final game drive in Bwabwata.  

 

Buffalo, whether in herds or singly, are always a nice addition to any game drive.  Bwabwata seemed to have a fair amount, though definitely rivaled by the huge herds I would later seen in Nkasa Rupara.

 

 

 

With sable sighting on both of my game drives, I feel somewhat confident in declaring Bwabwata a great place to look for them.  Contrary to the night prior, these were right out in the open and much more willing to be photographed.

 

 

We had a fair amount of kudu sightings, always a nice addition to any game drive.  The sick kudu doe from the night before we found dead, though no scavengers seemed to have yet discovered this fact.  Along the way we had several more encounters...

 

 

 

 

Edited February 27 by mungopark

[mungopark]

As on the night prior, however, the highlight of this game drive was the ellies at the lagoon.  There was a herd of at least two dozen, possibly more, and we delighting in watching them bathing, playing, socializing and doing all the things that make elephants so watchable.  I realize that elephants are almost ubiquitous in sub-saharan Africa and in many places can be seen on every game drive.  But the moments I had with them in Bwabwata I consider amongst the best I've had.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sundownwers were enjoyed again at the lagoon, this time the festivities not being crashed by painted wolves.  Lovely end to a wonderful day.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 27 by mungopark

[Towlersonsafari]

i really like the ellies in a line photo @mungopark

[mungopark]

@TowlersonsafariYes!  its always interesting how organized elephants seem when they are on the move.

 

My time at Bwabwata was coming to a close.   A recurrent theme on this trip was kind of never really knowing what what the game plan was for the following day.  Having previously been on many safaris, the standard procedure has always been that the guide discusses the night before all of the options or plans for the next day.  In my case, however, I was kind of left in the dark.  Specifically, no one approached me to let me know if I would have time for a final game activity on my last morning there.  As it turned out, I ended up just hanging out not doing much until I was told it was time for my transfer to Nkasa Rupara.  Even the smallest amount of time wasted on safari is, to me, a huge deal, and I lamented that I'd not been given the option of doing an early morning game drive prior to leaving.

 

But alas, the time had come to depart.  Nkasa Rupara is a small-ish park, formerly know as Mamili NP, which is more-or-less contiguous with the Chobe-Linyanti ecosystem of Northern Botswana, as seen here.

 

 

[mungopark]

Bounded on the west by the Kwando and in the south by the Linyanti rivers (really the same river but on opposite sides of the Linyanti swamps), this is I think somewhat of a seasonal park, and during the wet season is likely fairly inaccessible.   The names Nkasa and Rupara are derived from raised areas within the park that become islands in the wet season, and which are named Nkasa Isaland and Rupara Island, respectively.  If I remember correctly, the game activities i participated in were all in the Rupara area, as the Nkasa area was too water logged and relatively inaccessible at the time.

 

The park itself is popular with self drivers and there was a very large German family staying there while I was there.  But by and large I think it is little visited (when looking at the guest book I saw that I was only the 3rd guest from the USA to have visited the entire year up until that point in time)

 

Anyways, I said my goodbyes to Bwabwata and was taken up the Kwando river to a staging point, where I disembarked and met my driver for the road transfer.  To get there you actually drive through another ever lesser-known National park, Mudumu NP.  I saw some warthogs and a few birds in Mudumu, but not much else.  Our destination that morning was Nkasa Lupala tented lodge, which lies just outside the park boundaries near the  village of Sangwali, where most of the staff lived.

 

The lodge has definitely seen better days, and disorganization was the rule of the day.  Upon my arrival, there seemed to be no one in charge, as the camp manager was away.  I finally found someone who was able to confirm that I had a booking, but no sort of orientation was given about meal times, game activities, or anything else really.  The rooms are very small raised tents overlooking a dry floodplain.  In times gone by, if old tripadvisor photos are anything to go by, there used to be a full channel of the Kwando river which passed in front of the lodge, allowing for boat excursions from your doorstep.  This is certainly no longer the case, and to get to the river it took a good half an hour or more.

 

The game activities offered at the lodge include a combined game drive/boat excursion on the Linyanti (which left earlier and arrived later than the other options), as well as standard morning and evening game drives, and even night drives were offered, though I ended up not doing that.  The camp vehicles were the most derelict I've ever seen on safari and looked like something left over from WWII.  Nonetheless, they got the job done!

 

Of all the places I'd stayed on this trip, this definitely felt the most isolated and wild, and we had good game sightings throughout, including right outside my tent!  Here are a few photos from the lodge.

 

 

 

[mungopark]

Dinner was communal, which I've had very mixed experiences with in the past, but on this occasion the other guests were mostly fun to be around and talk to.  Otherwise, breakfast was cold cereal and breads and lunch was served individually in smaller dinning area.  There was a smallish swimming pool which was monopolized by other guests while I was there, but it did look inviting in the hot afternoon sun.  And finally, there was a viewing platform on the third story of the  main structure which gave a really nice view out over the plains.

 

My overall impression of the lodge trends towards favorable, though at the very end there was some unpleasantness as will be seen...

 

I'm entering into a bit more detail about my lodgings and about the park itself in this portion of my trip report because I think this park is so little known and highly underappreciated (and as far as I can tell, no previous mention of it in any trip reports here on ST) that I think it definitely deserves a look for those of you wanting something a bit off the beaten path.  I've been to the Linyanti area in Botswanana, just a stone's throw away from Nkasa Rupara, and I can say that the quality of my game viewing here was just as good if not better.

 

So without further ado, on with the interesting parts of the trip report!

 

After getting settled in, I was told by the camp manager (ho did finally make an appearance) that I was booked for the combined activity that afternoon.   I shared the vehicle with one the German families who were staying there and they were a lot of fun to be around.  We first had to check in at the park headquarters and then our fun adventure began!

 

Right away we encounter a snake that looked like it had been run over.  The guide identified is as a boomslang.  

 

 

 Of course, more common fare were easily encountered.  There were more warthog here than I think I've seen anywhere.  They were all over the place!  of course, where there are warthogs might there be lions? (we would have a definitive answer to that question soon enough).

 

Our first objective on this game drive, other than looking for wildlife, was to head in the direction of their sister lodge, Jackalberry Tented Camp,  which is buried deep within the park, to pick up another guest.  it ended up being a travel writer for Nat Geo who had just visited Angola, and it was very interesting to hear about her travels there.  More on that later.  Along the way we found some very grumpy elephants who trumpeted shrilly and feigned a charge, indignant at our presence.

 

 

Here is a photo that shows the mixed grassland with scattered trees and other vegetation typical of the park.

 

 

And here, a typical verdant riverfront along the Linyanti.

 

 

 Admittedly we did not see a lot of game as we traveled, first to Jackalberry camp and then to the riverfront to get on our boat, likely due to it being the hottest time of day.  An ideal time of day for a peaceful cruise on the water, feeling the cooling breezes and  hearing the soft sounds of the water.

 

I love taking photos on the water!  It is so nice to play with the light, the refection of things in the water and myriad other angles and shots better done from a boat than from land...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course there was no wont of birdlife to capture my attention.

 

  

 

 

 

And what to my wondering eyes did appear, but an elephant .. eager to get to Botswana on urgent business ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safe and sound!  The boat was one of those two story affairs, and I sat in the front on the lower part.  Some parts of the river were barely wide enough for use to squeeze through, and at other times was two or three times as wide as our boat was long.  One of my favorite parts of the boat ride was looking at all the papyrus.  There is just something so exotic about it hat I really like! 

 

Edited March 1 by mungopark

[mungopark]

I sat alongside the woman who had just travelled from Angola.  Having previously read the fine book “A Certain Curve of Horn” about Angola’s giant sable I was interested to hear her take on the country’s current potential for tourism.  She mentioned that bribes were frequently demanded throughout her trip and that local officials frequently feigned ignorance of the Portuguese language when attempts were made to ask for explanations of extra charges etc.  

 

Of course that was just one person’s experience, and she otherwise had really good things to say about the things she saw and did.  Hopefully one day Angola will be firmly established in the Safari circuit and somewhere people can feel comfortable traveling to. 

[mungopark]

Anyways, back to the leisurely boat trip down the Linyanti.  We encountered a small pod of hippos, which performed their disappearing trick, but not before I got a photo or two …

We began our slow return to the rendezvous point, enjoying a nice sunset along the way.  A very pleasant way to end an enjoyable day.

Edited March 4 by mungopark

[mungopark]

The next morning was to be my first full game drive within Nkasa Rupara NP.  Oddly enough, this was only my third morning game drive of the entire trip thusfar (or second, if we discount the extremely truncated second game drive I'd had in Etosha).  Fortunately, Nkasa Rupara delivered in a big way!

 

We must have left just at daybreak, entering the park before 6:30 am.  Our guide took us to a small pool which had a single resident hippo, and it was teeming with birdlife.

 

Pink-backed pelicans

 

 

 

 

Yellow-billed storks

 

 

 

 

And of course the resident hippo, with his attendant egret (cattle egret?)

 

Edited March 5 by mungopark

[mungopark]

Soon we encountered some of the usual suspects...

 

Herds of plains zebra, including this one who has nice mohawk going for him.

 

 

 

As I mentioned before, the park seemed to be swarming with warthogs.  Here are a few examples.

 

 

 

And we also encountered a very sizeable herd of buffalo.  I stopped counting at over two hundred.

 

 

 

One thing each of these has in common is that they are favorite prey of lions.  So were we to have a thrilling encounter with the king of beasts??? Stay tuned!!!!

Edited March 5 by mungopark

[mungopark]

People will often comment on how their guides had really sharp vision, picking things out that no mere mortal has any business being able to find with such ease.  Well, my guide today had really sharp hearing!  He stopped the vehicle and ask us to hush, stating that he'd heard a lion roaring.  We continued to listen, but I don't recall hearing anything.  Guided by the sounds only he could appreciate, our guide brought us around a loop in a large grassy area and lo and behold in the distance we could just make out an agitated male lion who was trotting in our direction from a wooded area.  He paused periodically to roar, and in the distance we could hear distinct second roar.  

 

 

The male came and sat under a bush close by, and was soon joined by his lady friend.

 

 

 

 

 

They both went behind the bush and so we drove off the track to get a better look at them.  Throughout the encounter, the male lion seemed restless and preoccupied, and periodically we could hear roaring in the distance behind us.  Our guide surmised that the male we were with had gone to investigate but had decided ultimately to stay put and avoid any conflict.  He did no vocalize the whole time we were with him, but seemed decidedly unsure whether he wanted to stay resting or go back to investigate the strange roaring.  As he lie down, then sat up, then lie down again, we got to photograph him in a variety of positions.  These ended up being some of my favorite photos of the trip!   I'll get some posted here as soon as I can.   I apologize if some of them seem redundant, but it is sometimes so hard to choose amongst so many good pictures.

 

 

 

Edited March 7 by mungopark

[mungopark]

Here he is looking in the direction of his apparent challenger.

 

 

 

All this worrying made me tired.  time to lie down...

 

 

Oh wait, they are at it again!  Do I need to save face in front of my lady friend?  Should I at least pretend to be tough?

 

 

 

 

Roaring suddenly stops.  "Yeah, that's what I thought!" thinks our male lion.  "I showed him!"

 

 

Our male lion and and his lady fiend eventually sauntered off into the bush.  What a fantastic sighting for the morning! 

[Atravelynn]

14 mammals in an afternoon is a good showing. Okonjima is productive place.

 

This statement is quite funny:  "Really more due to lack of technique rather than interest, birds did not often fall victim to my camera."  Sometimes for birds, just observation with our without binos must suffice, I find.  Some very good bird shots appeared later in your report, so your technique must have improved. 

 

Glad you got the giraffe sightings you had wanted.

 

Traveling with the enforcer had to be a challenge and I am sorry about the loss of your hat that could have been recovered if Wilson had met you as planned.  Leaving stuff in the vehicle is common and reunited it with the owner should be common as well.

 

"Our first objective on this game drive, other than looking for wildlife, was to head in the direction of their sister lodge, Jackalberry Tented Camp,  which is buried deep within the park, to pick up another guest.  it ended up being a travel writer for Nat Geo who had just visited Angola, and it was very interesting to hear about her travels there. "  So is Angola on the list now?  I hope you were able to see some wildlife on the way so that you were not merely in transport mode for a big chunk of your outing.

 

You deserved that private river cruise on the Kavango River!

 

Bwabwata delivered big on the sable with and without oxpeckers plus the exciting ele activity.

 

Looking forward to your Botswana part, a place I don't know about.

 

[mungopark]

@Atravelynn What would a safari be without a little drama, right?  Losing stuff, crazy guides, getting locked in a bush toilet after the handle falls off (that was on a different safari lol) and all the other non-wildlife related stuff that can happen is all part of the experience!  Bwabwata was definitely somewhere I'd love to return to - great sightings there!  Unfortunately, no Botswana part to this trip.  I had previously been to the Linyanti area in Botswana, which is a stones throw away from Nkasa.  Comparable quality of sightings based on my limited experiences!

Edited March 8 by mungopark

[mungopark]

After spending time with the lion pair, followed by the large buffalo herd, we began a slow drive back to the camp for lunch.   While walking back to my tent  after the meal I noticed a steady stream of elephants along the treeline who were heading toward the floodplain immediately  in front of camp.  This same herd had visited us the night before during dinner, but it was nice to see them in the daylight.  There was one baby which the lodge staff indicated looked like it had been born within only the last few days.  It teetered and tottered about beneath mum's legs.  Very fun to watch!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, it was a very fun and up-close encounter.  So far Nkasa Rupara was checking all my boxes! 

 

Edited March 8 by mungopark

[mungopark]

I use the rest of the afternoon to begin packing, knowing that I would be leaving late morning the next day.  I then wandered over to the main lodge area to relax and to try and get some messages home to my family.  When I'd arrived I remembered having briefly heard a staff member mention something about "wi-fi".  when I asked the camp manager about it she was evasive, said something like "Well, there is staff wi-fi but it is not available to guests".  When I pressed the issue, she said, very grudgingly, that she could let me know the wi-fi password, but she made it seem like it was a state secret, like the code to a nuclear bomb launcher!  I found this to be very strange, as wi-fi is an almost universal expectation nowadays, and seeing that they had it available, what point is there in denying its use to you own guests?!

 

This was just one of several quirks (ie annoyances) that I had with this camp.  More were to come, unfortunately.

 

After some afternoon snacks it was time for my afternoon activity, which today was to be a standard game drive.  Having thusfar shared my game activities with the nice family from Germany, today I broke from their ranks as they had planned to do a night drive.  At dinner later that night they expressed genuine disappointment that I would not be joining them, having I guess adopted me as one of their own (one guy had started referring to me as uncle haha).  So my new safari-mates for the afternoon activity were to be a solo traveler from the USA who has self driven from Chobe, and a woman from south Africa who told us she was taking a course to become a guide and continually tried to one-up our guide on the game drive by identifying (oftentimes incorrectly) the animals and birds we encountered!

 

We had no particular destination in mind, and i would not be able to point out on a park map where we went.  iI was, I think, the same game viewing area as in the morning because  we encountered what must have been the same herd of buffalo.

 

 

 

Edited March 9 by mungopark

[mungopark]

For the most part on this trip I'd been using my iPhone for my landscape pictures.  The images look great when viewed on your phone, and it is only when viewing in a larger format such as on a desktop that the difference on MP's becomes evident (when compared to photos from my "real" camera).  In the future I may try to do more non-wildlife shots with my camera rather than my phone.  Here is a very typical shot of the type of vegetation we were travelling through. 

 

 

 

Leaving the buffalo behind, our guide quickly located two male lions.  they were relaxing in the late afternoon sun, their minds likely slowly drifting towards their evening meal plans.  As the sun was behind then, I struggled to get any quality shots.  after mucho editing I got some at least half-decent results.  One was lying down at first, trying to work up the courage to get up, which he did at last.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Climbing up a small slope, he joined his companion and the sun was unfortunately right behind them.  These are of the same lion, as his companion remained just over the hill and partially out of sight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mungopark]

We spent 10 or so minutes with them  before they moved off,  The rest of the drive was pretty quite.  We saw some zebra,  impala and other standard bush fare.  The night was capped by a very nice sunset.  indeed the sun was literally setting on my time in the bush!

 

 

We had another nice group dinner after which I turned into bed.  I awoke early the next morning, completely unsure of what the plan was other than the fact that at some point I needed to be driven to the airport for a flight leaving at 1:00 pm.  as it turned out, there was no plan.  The office was closed and no managerial staff seemed to be about.   I'd hoped to perhaps do a morning game drive but was completely left in the dark whether one was available or not.  So i just sat around in camp reading Namibia travel magazines. 

 

One thing I'd had some uncertainty about was whether drinks were included with my stay.  None were ever offered freely and at dinner we had to go out of our way to ask for something.  this made me think that they were extra.  i went down to the office multiple times to see if anyone was around so that i could settle this question but no one appeared.  Eventually the time came where it seemed I ought to be leaving and one of the guides showed up and said he would drive me into the village,  Sangwali, where I would be handed over to a local driver to take me to Katima Mulilo airport. 

 

I though maybe we'd do some gamewacthing along the way but such was not the case.  Shortly after leaving camp, someone radioed the driver and he chatted with someone from the camp offices for the duration of the drive.  when we got to Sangwali he looked to me and said "You did not pay your bill.  You did not pay for your game activity".  I was thinking, "what????"  What were they talking about?  He said a price of N$1300, which I thought to myself this can't be just for drinks, especially since other than at dinner I'd had nothing?  That seems like a lot of money.  I tried to do the math in my head, converting US dollar into Namibian dollar.  I asked him if there was some mistake and after much more chatting he came back with a totally different amount.  I had no idea what they were claiming I owed them for.  He came back a third time with yet another amount, and by then it just seemed like they were making stuff up.  I finally calculated into USD what apparently they thought I owed them and gave it to them in cash with US dollars (about $200 if I remember correctly). 

 

At the time I thought they were trying to rip me off and it was a very unpleasant end to that part of my trip.  It was only after I got home to the USA and looked in the little folder Wilson had given me on my arrival, which was a cute little leather bound satchel that opened in a weird way such that I'd never been able to open it while on the trip, that I found the vouchers for all the activities that had been included in my trip package.  I discovered that my travel agent (who pretty much I think left every detail of my trip up to the local Ultimate Safaris, so really they were to blame) had only booked me for the combo game drive/boat ride at Nkasa and nothing else.  WTH?  Who would travel all 9500 miles to get to a somewhat inaccessible part of Africa only to do just one game activity there and then hang out for another day and a half doing nothing???  Ridiculous!  Preposterous!  Outrageous!

 

So, in the end I really did owe them money for two extra game drives.  But at the time I didn't know, and it left me feeling angry and strangely relieved to be leaving them behind, not feelings I typically associate with the tail end of a safari.

Edited March 9 by mungopark

[mungopark]

I arrived with time to spare at the airport and I was very much amused, as it was the tiniest airport I'd ever seen in my whole life (not counting airfields out in the  bush).  The airport was perhaps slightly bigger than a one-story house, as seen here in this photo.  

 

 

We all made a beeline for the check-in counter, passed through a quite efficient security check-point and then crammed into the "terminal".  Soon our flight was to take off, a quick jaunt to Windhoek's domestic airport, Eros.  On the way I saw something very unique, something I may never see again.  We passed just alongside a rainbow that was the exact height of our plane's altitude.  Here is a picture of this unique occurrence. 

 

 

I arrived at Eros tired but ready for the last part of my adventure in Windhoek.  Unfortunately, no one was there to pick me up.  I watched as one by one every single guest left.  I looked around in vain for someone from Ultimate, or anyone who vaguely looked like they were there to pick up a guest.  No one.  Nothing.  Silence. 
 

I dug deep into my bags to try and find any paperwork I may have had with an emergency contact phone number.  No WiFi, so forget trying to look anything up by phone.  I eventually found what I was looking for and called the number.  I got ahold of someone who sounded vaguely annoyed and who offered no explanation for why no one was there to pick me up.  He promised to send someone and, after another half hour of waiting I called him again just to confirm that he hadn’t just blown me off.

 

Eventually, a driver from Ultimate did show up, and I was taken to my lodging at Galton House, named after the mid 19th century explorer and scientist who, together with the Swede Andersson, were the first to explore many of the regions I had just finished passing through.

Edited March 9 by mungopark

[mungopark]

Alright, time to finish off the TR.  Galton House seemed like an oasis of peace after all the hustle and bustle of the previous week.  It is located in a nice quiet residential neighborhood and was the perfect place for me to unwind.  I spent a night there, had some good food and got caught up on my trip journal.  The following day, which was to be my last, I took a city tour, also organized and provided by Ultimate Safaris.  They finally got something right!  

 

It was sort of an Art Tour of the city, and I visited several local artists in their studios and even bought some pieces to take home.  Next, we went to a co-op (called Penduka) of widows who make arts and crafts to sell for their livelihood.  I was given a tour an then softly encouraged to support them financially which I was happy to do.  Finally, I was taken to do some shopping in the downtown area, particularly liking a place called Bushman's Art Gallery which was both a museum and gift shop.  It had a  wonderful collection of Himba and Ovambo artifacts and sold all kinds of wonderful things to take home as gifts.  In fact, I bought so much stuff that i asked my guide/driver to take me to the local mall so that I could buy an extra suitcase!

 

All good things must of course come to an end.  Soon it was time for my onward flight via Jo-burg back to the US. One final amusing, (annoying actually) thing happen along the way.  I was seated at the very back of the plane.  There was an American couple across the aisle from me and the wife casually asked me about my travels.  I told her I'd been to Namibia.  The guy in front of me turned around and seemed excited, asking me where I'd done my hunting.  I remarked that I'd done a photographic safari and he immediately lost interest.  The couple next to me chimed in about all their hunting conquests and episodes of slaughter, and then another guy also  in front of me started boasting about his hunting exploits.  For the next three hours or so I had to listen to everyone around me going on and on about the "size of their bag" and the merits of different firearm calibers vs bowhunting etc.  Not wanting to generalize, but I'm beginning to understand now why every time I tell someone back home that I'm going to Africa they always assume I'm going there for big game hunting.  For whatever reason, to many (most?) Americans Africa = great place for hunting, rather than = great place to see and enjoy wild animals.

 

But anyways, that ends my narrative of this most interesting and enjoyable of trips.  Thanks to all of you who have read and/or enjoyed this TR.  

[TonyQ]

@mungoparkthank you for a fascinating report. Great photos and engaging narrative.

[Towlersonsafari]

thanks for your report into an unusual area- and for sharing all your ups and downs @mungopark-it seems ,like the lodges in the Caprivi strip need  to up their game a bit!

[mungopark]

@TonyQ  Thanks.  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  There is certainly more to a safari than  a list of species seen.  Sometimes some of the most memorable moments are not even wildlife related, but rather related to the funny, sad or ironic encounters one has with other travelers, staff, guides, etc

 

@Towlersonsafari  I definitely felt like Nkasa Lupala Tented Lodge has room for improvement and seemed disorganized and somewhat inflexible.  But I don't regret for a minute having stayed there!  Nambwa Tented Lodge in Bwabwata was great and I'd gladly go out of my way to stay there again.  It is a gem of a lodge hidden away in a somewhat obscure but beautiful part of Africa!