Once more I have to try and excuse myself...the internet is REALLY a HUGE problem and it is nearly impossible to post anything on the internet...Fortunately my problems pale in comparison to this group's problems. Not only did they miss their flight from London to Johannesburg, and, subsequently missed the first night of their trip, but their luggage was also 'lost'...'somewhere'.... We had to scramble to try and find a place to stay on the way to Sossusvlei as this was too special a place to miss out on. The plan was to stay somewhere enroute and then to do Sossusvlei in the afternoon. This is not really a good idea as strong southwesterly winds might make things difficult in the afternoon. But there was no other option, we just had to hope for the best...
Geraldine, Joppe, Marthe and Maud...enjoying the grand vistas of the Spreetshoogte pass.
As they missed out on the first night in Windhoek, we thought it might be a good idea to stay at this beautiful self catering apartment which is conveniently situated halfway to Sossusvlei!
Even the bathroom has a fireplace!!!
The next morning we had breakfast, packed our stuff and left for Sossusvlei...
But first we had to stop at Spreetshoogte. Everything looked fresh in the early morning light.
Below the pass, we spotted a few Eland. These animals are the largest antelopes on earth and can weigh close to a ton! The bull (on the right of the photo) was still young and would probably never get even close to this weight as he must now survive in a harsh desert environment.
We rushed past Solitaire and on to Sesriem campsite where we left Joyce with all the camping equipment... She bravely offered to set up camp by herself so I could take our guests to Sesriem Canyon and Sossusvlei before sunset.
Joppe found a small cave in the canyon where he could crawl through...
Then it was on to Sossusvlei. As the sun was still high in the sky the light was not so good on the dunes, but this did not stop them from taking pictures.
It showed that they were glad to be here at last!!
Mmmm...it was a good idea...
Deadvlei glowed in the afternoon sun...which was the best time for photo's!
The sun was starting to set and so the shadows started getting longer. Fortunately for us the feared southwesterly wind had stayed away! Making their second sunset perfect!!
The next morning our guests could see for the first time (in daylight) what our camp looked like...thanks to Joyce!
...and also our first visitor! A big oryx bull found something chewy to eat close to our camp!
Traditions are not to be broken..., so, after breaking up camp and driving towards Swakopmund, we found ourselves shortly after at Solitaire.., and Moose's Apple crumble...
...while Joppe tried to get this chevy going!!!
Further on we passed the 'Tropic of Capricorn'...
...and a few Quiver trees...
In Walvis Bay we were lucky to have high tide as we got there and got very close to flocks of Greater and Lesser Flamingos.
The next day was spent walking around Swakopmund....
Past the jetty..., the nice cafes and all the touristy 'stuff'...
...and finally, enjoying a nice sunset on the beach!
The next morning was cold and misty and even the wreck between Swakop and Henties Bay looked bleek...
Cape Cross was a bit better as the sun was starting to come out every now and then.
We reached Aba Huab Camp Site without problems and pitched camp long before sunset.
The evening was great... we were in Damaraland, the evening was nice and warm again and we had 'Surf & Turf'... Crayfish and Kudu fillet on the braai!
The next morning it was time for some 'culture' as they set out with a local guide to discover the Bushmen engravings at Twyfelfontein.
Fortunately they did see a few...!!!
Maud photographed this 'Bushy-tailed rock rabbit', or, Dassie rat as it is also known.
After all that it was time to go search for Desert adapted elephants... Marthe was scanning ahead, but with no luck.
I finally found them...
They were very calm, so we decided to have lunch with them.
In fact, they were so calm that a few of them decided to have a snooze while we had lunch!
This young calf thought it a good idea to go and sit on his big brothers butt...and got chased away soon after!
It was time for a dust bath and then onto what elephants do best...destroying trees!
That evening we had some visitors in the camp... he came in a Damara Ferrari..., it was a 3 cylinder!! It was one of the locals selling wood.
The next morning we left not too early and I got sidetracked by rather fresh elephant prints crossing the road into the upper Huab river. We decided to follow and had to return to the main road more than an hour later without seeing them... The bush is quite thick and these elephants were on a mission...to get as far away from humanity as they could, so we left them in peace!
The landscapes en route did make up for the lost time though!
And so too this huge giraffe bull!
We camped at Khowarib lodge's campsite and Joppe could not help but to jump in the cool river water...just to get out of it as quick as he got in after he discovered 'the worms' (harmless little bloodsuckers!!) It seems that, because of the draught, these little critters have multiplied by the thousands and are waiting in the sand for 'unsuspecting' prey! Fortunately for Joppe they came off very easy.
Next on our programme was a visit to the Himba..., but first we had to do shopping for their 'present' at the local 'mall' in Khowarib (complete with burglar bars).
They were really glad to see us...
The 'storage'...for keeping food resources stored in safety.
Joppe took this photo...
...and the kids were very anxious to see the result!!
After all the explanations it was time to do some some shopping as the himba ladies laid out their curios.
Our 'payment was received with great gratitude!
Did I mention the Tjimba lady??
Tjimba are vaguely related to Himba and are considered as 'poor' people by the Himba as they do not have any live stock, but live of the land and from what they can trade with Himba and Ovambo people. The women do not colour themselves red with ochre as Himba women do, but rather prefer colourful adornments to make themselves look 'pretty' for their men.
We left the village and drove past Sesfontein towards the Hoanib river for an afternoon game drive. Shortly after entering the riverbed at Elephant Song Campsite, we saw these 3 Elephants in the 'road'.
Joppe made this short film of them having a mud bath...check it out!
We saw lots of baboons, springbok, ostrich and this nice herd of oryx!
It was time for lunch...while Joppe entertained us with his muscled perfection, I started a small fire to braai some 'boerewors' to go with our salads and sandwiches.
We returned to camp in time for a short swim in the pool at the lodge while Joyce slaved over the pots to get dinner ready in time!
The next morning we broke up camp and drove back to Palmwag on our way to Otjitotongwe. On Grootberg pass Marthe spotted this lioness lying under a small bush not 50 meters from the road, a spot where many tourists have stopped before to take a photo of the beautiful surroundings. It was a great sighting of a desert lion. Well done Marthe!
At Otjitotongwe (meaning cheetah in the local language) we were immediately ushered into the farmyard where the tame cheetahs are kept. Unfortunately there was a lot of people and the cheetahs were in a playful mood. Especially 'Kwaaitjie'... He is the youngest of the lot, but likes to 'play'. When cheetahs play with humans, blood flows... Both Marthe and Maud had a big fright when Kwaaitjie wanted to play with them. It is very difficult to contain 1 cheetah, nevermind a few of them, so Maud got a scratch for her efforts and Marthe decided it was better to stay in the pack! The cheetahs did pose for us and a few very nice photo's were made.
After that it was time to get on the 'bakkies' and go for a feeding of the wild ones in the 2000 hectare camp where they are kept.
This Bare Cheeked Babbler posed for Joyce while she was preparing dinner!
Unfortunately this is all I have time for now, but you can wet your taste buds on the link below...I filmed a few elephants in Etosha! I will try to finish this blog as soon as the internet is good again...which will only be in a week or two...
In the meantime I will try and convert the films that I made with the GoPro whilst working at Khowarib lodge the last few weeks and try to post them on the blog as well!!
Monday, 16 September...
We are back in Windhoek and I'm hoping that the internet is good enough to finish this post and also the trip after that...plus the GoPro films we have made whilst working at Khowarib lodge.
Last time I stopped with Geraldine's trip at Otjitotongwe. The next day we left early for Etosha, stopping in Outjo for some shopping and then straight into the park for an afternoon drive...and our first Etosha lions!
They were not very active and even the ostrich in the background wasn't scared of their presence.
The following days was spent doing early morning drives...
...and sitting at the floodlit waterhole at Okaukuejo...
We saw....many, many zebra...
...and these big elephant bulls ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfberpe1Cvk&feature=share )
One of them was munching on a acacia branch...with thorns sharp enough to penetrate most brands of vehicle tyres!!
Crimson breasted shrikes...ever so pretty, but very difficult to get them to sit still for a photo!
We also had a few very nice sunsets...
The hyena is certainly not natures prettiest..., but they do play a vital role..someone has to do the cleaning up!
Three young male lions at Aus. The one standing up had something to eat that did not agree with his stomach! Fortunately he had no problem getting rid of it...
This yellow billed hornbill was hoping to get something to eat from us. We had a picnic brunch at the picnic spot close to Aus.
That evening Joppe had a great fright when he got too close to a very big elephant bull. He was so excited to see the elephant from so close, that he ran as fast as he could straight to the elephant on the other side of the fence. The more than 2 meter fence suddenly 'shrunk' as the elephant turned towards Joppe, shook his massive head and started to walk towards the fence!! Fortunately Joppe remembered my advice when facing an elephant (not to run away), and slowly backed away from the aggravated bull. When he got back to our camp, he was a bit white around the 'gills'!! He also did not say much for quite a while afterwards...
This rhino seems to be a regular in the area past Nebroni waterhole. This time it did not charge us, but merely glanced our way and walked off...
Joppe's experience with the elephant at Okaukuejo might have turned out very differently if it had been this bull (pic below). This bull was in 'must' (short for 'getting with the wrong foot out of bed!!'). Notice the wet line between his eyes and ears and the constant 'dripping' of urine (urine on the inside of his hind legs). If the wind is right, there will also be a pungent smell... These are signs that the elephant is in must and should be avoided at all cost. Bulls in must are very aggressive and would not stop at even rolling a car if you got too close!
Geraldine enjoyed the vastness of the Etosha pan...
We had lunch at Halali and were lucky to see this breeding herd of elephants at Moringa waterhole.
...even more elephants...
...and zebra!
and....??? Can you see it?
Yes, a leopard!! This beauty uses the roots of an acacia that was pushed over by an elephant to hide in and her perfect camouflage makes her blend in with her surroundings perfectly.
The next morning we found her again, close to the same spot. She had killed a springbok that night and kept the carcass safely hung up in a tree not too far away.
That afternoon we saw this black rhino close to Namutoni, unfortunately Joppe was a bit 'tired' of sitting in the car all day and so we had to turn back to Onguma camp before it could come closer, or cross the road to drink at the waterhole at Namutoni.
On the way back, we saw this young kudu bull jumping the small fence, back into the safety of Onguma!
The next day we left Onguma and drove to Roy's Camp, just east of Grootfontein, were we had lunch.
That afternoon we drove to 'The living museum' of the Ju/Hoansi San (Bushmen).
Were they where shown how to make fire with sticks...
...how to set traps...
...and had time to buy some locally crafted souvenirs!!
It was also Geraldine's birthday, so I asked the Bushmen if they would sing her a 'birthday song'... As they don't have birthday songs, they sang a song that meant 'To have a save journey'. Geraldine was so touched by this that it brought tears to her eyes. Hope you enjoyed that very much Geraldine, plus the birthday cake Joyce organized!
The next morning we had a great breakfast at Roy's and left for Mahangu...
On the way there, we passed a small craft shop were Marthe bought herself an elephant, but she could also have bought a plane...
,....or a helicopter, or even more...
On the way we saw many villages...all built in same fashion, but still different.
We camped at Nunda, were we saw our first hippo...right next to our camp! Fortunately it was in the river!
After putting up camp, there was some time to take a plunge in the pool...!
The next morning we drove to Mahangu park and saw elephant, zebra, impala, our first buffalo, tsessebe, red lechwe, bushbuck, reedbuck and also this huge Baobab tree.
Then we found this big herd of Roan...
...and with them, this beautiful sable antelope.
The next day we broke up camp and drove through the Caprivi strip. On our way to the permit office, we saw this big herd of breeding elephants!
This is one of the many viewpoints overlooking the Kwando river on the way to our campsite in the Bwabwata National park. This river system borders the Okavango Delta and is a very good substitute for the world famous delta. The river has an intriguing system of slow, winding bends that spill into wetland areas...perfect for animals, birds and interesting plants and trees!!
Our campsite, on the banks of the Kwando river!
Always nice to see this beautiful lilac breasted roller, sunning itself in the early morning sun.
This tree was filled with white backed vultures waiting for the sun to get warm enough so they can glide on the warm air pushing them higher up in the air.
Unfortunately it got very hot very quickly and we struggled to find anything else than impala, kudu, zebra, ostrich, crocodile, hippo, red lechwe, bushbuck, reedbuck, tsessebe, and quite a number of birds.
A typical scene...lots of water, large green trees and a few peaceful antelope feeding on the banks of the river..., just another day in Africa!!
This colorful swallow tailed bee-eater caught his dinner and enjoyed it quite close to us!
That afternoon was our last drive of the trip. I stopped at horseshoe, a big bend in the 'old' riverbed. This section is cut off from the river in the low season, but fills up in the wet season. Many elephants come to drink here in the evenings. This time there was not so many, but they still made a huge amount of noize... Check out the short video that Joppe made.
Next morning we broke up camp for the last time and drove to Kasane in Botswana where they would go onboard the 'Pride of Zambezi' for 2 nights. This is a luxury houseboat and is certainly one of the best ways to explore the Chobe river. Unfortunately we had to turn back as we had promised Khowarib lodge that we would help them out in the busy season.
Geraldine did send us an sms just before boarding their flight back to the Netherlands, thanking us for a great holiday and bragging about seeing lions from the houseboat. She was called from under the shower as one of the guides on the boat had seen the lions on the river bank. I can only say that I'm very jealous!!
I want to thank Geraldine, Maud, Marthe and Joppe for using our services and hope to see them again, back here, one day!
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Joyce and myself drove all the way to Khowarib lodge in northern Damaraland, where we worked for a few weeks. Joyce helping with checking clients in and also assisting in the kitchen and myself guiding guests from the lodge, doing mainly desert elephant trips in the Hoanib river and the odd visit to the Himba village close by.
Below is a short sample of a few video clips from the trips that I did into the Hoanib. We named one of the young elephants there Maradona... The reason will become apparent once you have seen the video! Enjoy!!
Excellent report...!!!!
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