Botswana and Namibia Trip Report June 2012

[penolva]

Thanks, Pen. Enjoyed seeing them!

 

I am still laughing at the thought of you singing along!

[penolva]

So you are a wild dog legend and didn't know it. I'll patiently await the Namibia wrapup. Thanks Penolva!

So you are a wild dog legend and didn't know it. I'll patiently await the Namibia wrapup. Thanks Penolva!

I will do the Namibia wrap later. The book is coming along well.

 

Re feet! I made a point this trip of taking a photo of my feet whilst lying on every bed with 'A View' to send to the kids. It must be a new kind of foot thing this year. Pen

[penolva]

 

This is the last one from Little Kwara. Its a bit pixilated (is that the word?) but you still get the sounds. I will have to do some work on it later. Pen

[madaboutcheetah]

Nice, Pen!!! Lovely sound effects that makes you feel like you were there!

[PT123]

Great report Pen - thank so much for posting it. Very enjoyable indeed!

[penolva]

Though it was not the seious quality of your other fine videos, the monkeys on the tent video had a charm all its own! Anybody wondering if a mekoro ride is scary or tipsy should view your peaceful ride through the delta. Liked the feet shot at the end. Feet seem to be a theme here lately. I thoroughly enjoyed the airplane ride, both audio and visual!

 

Would you mind a summary of your Namibia itinerary? Also how cold were the nights and early morns that time of year? Thanks.

 

By the way, regarding readers posting or just viewing, as I was responding, 2 other people were viewing your post.

 

Hi, it was FREEZING when we were in Etosha and pretty cold everywhere else. Luckily stokeygirl had told me to take thermals! Days were warm, blue skies but once the sun went down it got cold very quickly. The night skies were crystal clear and we saw lots of shooting stars. Pen

[penolva]

 

Here is Chobe, we only had the one whole day there and can't wait to go back and camp at Ihaha next year. I love the snarl the leopard gives us before he/she climbs the tree. We spent two days at Victoria Falls after this, not sure if anyone is interested in seeing us walking/staggering to the edge of the falls? its not a safari video as such but we found it very exciting. Pen

[twaffle]

This video is just what the doctor ordered today, lovely.

[madaboutcheetah]

This video is just what the doctor ordered today, lovely.

 

Ditto .......... Thank You!!!

[penolva]

Glad you both liked it. I found Chobe stunning after all the stories about hundreds of self drivers etc had almost put me off going there. It's so accessible to anyone who can't afford/hasn't got the time to visit Moremi etc and, in June was not too crowded. I don't know what's going to happen in the future as there are plans to reduce numbers entering the park. Pen

[Kavey]

Great report and enjoying photos and videos but keep going back to the one of the wild dogs and water, watched it a number of times, just LOVE it! So awed by that sighting!

[penolva]

Great report and enjoying photos and videos but keep going back to the one of the wild dogs and water, watched it a number of times, just LOVE it! So awed by that sighting!

 

Hi Kavey glad you like the dogs. It was so amazing to see them full of joy and behaving like puppies. Hubby didn't bother trying to take photographs as the video captured the sounds so well. Wish I was back there! Pen

[Kavey]

I think that's why it's such a pleasure to watch - the sounds of them splashing through the water and thundering back and forth across the ground as they play, it's just magic!

[penolva]

I loved the photograph of AxsMan's cat in his trip report and then Jennie decided to help me in the planning for next year.

 

[penolva]

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3462283

 

NAMIBIA

Above is the link to our book of the Namibia part of our trip. The roads were empty, we kept a full tank of fuel until we left Etosha with no problems, plenty of fuel stations on major routes. Very honest people, gave a fuel attendant 50 Rand extra by mistake one early morning and he gave it back. We hired a double cab Hi Lux. Everywhere we stopped was clean, food good lots of game and meat. Country is so modern and safe, we walked to the restaurant in Swakopmund, through town, and back again. I would never have believed you could do that in Africa! Scenery is stunning and changes as you drive to your next destination.

 

I loved seeing cheetah and leopard up close at CCF and Africat. Getting to touch the cheetah was amazing, the spots are soft and the rest quite course. But seeing them in the wild in Botswana was a better experience. I wonder what members here think about CCF and Africat?

 

We will def go back to Namibia one day. Pen

[Jochen]

Thanks Pen, for that Blurb book. Loved the pic!

 

Dying to get to Namibia now. 60 days to go...

[penolva]

Glad you liked it, have a great trip, I know you will. Pen

[penolva]

Thanks for all the comments Pen

[Atravelynn]

[Hi, it was FREEZING when we were in Etosha and pretty cold everywhere else. Luckily stokeygirl had told me to take thermals! Days were warm, blue skies but once the sun went down it got cold very quickly. The night skies were crystal clear and we saw lots of shooting stars. Pen

 

Thank you, so a public campsite would make for some chilly nights and early wakeups.

[penolva]

[Hi, it was FREEZING when we were in Etosha and pretty cold everywhere else. Luckily stokeygirl had told me to take thermals! Days were warm, blue skies but once the sun went down it got cold very quickly. The night skies were crystal clear and we saw lots of shooting stars. Pen

 

Thank you, so a public campsite would make for some chilly nights and early wakeups.

 

It certainly would in early June. We met a lovely German chap at Bagatelle who was doing a camping trip with his little boy in a roof top tent. They were having a great time but at night they were absolutly freezing, even with thermals. I am sure an winter grade sleeping bag will do the trick.

 

I have been thinking that Botswana next July/August will be freezing when we camp but the temperatures for Maun this last month have been in the high 80's low 90's so now I don't know what to take! All part of the fun. Pen

[penolva]

 

So to finish, here is the video of us on the edge of Victoria Falls. We had fun! Pen

[Atravelynn]

You had a couple of rainbows! In the falls is typical but that first rainbow was a bonus. It appears hard to keep your footing in the rushing water. Wonderful finish and nice music!

 

I've been to Botswana several times in July/Aug, staying in permenant tented camps and never was miserably cold. Namibia in June is likely more harsh. I'll investigate a top quality sleeping bag.

[penolva]

You had a couple of rainbows! In the falls is typical but that first rainbow was a bonus. It appears hard to keep your footing in the rushing water. Wonderful finish and nice music!

 

I've been to Botswana several times in July/Aug, staying in permenant tented camps and never was miserably cold. Namibia in June is likely more harsh. I'll investigate a top quality sleeping bag.

 

We will be in a roof top tent next year unlike the Kwando camps this June. I think I will have to take clothes for every type of weather. Not as if you can pop to the shops!

 

The water at the falls was so fast flowing it was unbelievable. We are just so glad we got the chance to do it. Glad you like the video and rainbows. Pen

[Atravelynn]

I experienced walking in the water near falls vicariously through your video. I won't be doing that in person. Roof top tent--warm air rises--might be ideal for cold nights.

 

Are you doing self drive or a mobile camping group trip next time?

[penolva]

I experienced walking in the water near falls vicariously through your video. I won't be doing that in person. Roof top tent--warm air rises--might be ideal for cold nights.

 

Are you doing self drive or a mobile camping group trip next time?

 

Walking on water, I love that.

 

Its just us on our own, driving from Johannesburg up through CKGR and Kubu Island to Maun and then into Moremi, Savute, Chobe and back through Planet Baobab and Tuli Block. Just writing it makes me nervous and excited at the same time. Its going to be epic!! I like the warm air rising idea. Pen