RSA... to the conclusion.

Day 23 to Day 25 – 25/4/13 to 27/4/13

After returning from our “final” driving and camping run, we spent a few days in Pretoria cleaning the vehicle. Knowing that the Australian customs are rigorous, we removed everything from the vehicle and cleaned it thoroughly. We took the vehicle to vehicle detailers – twice!! We removed the accommodation unit and cleaned the tray etc.

Every nook & cranny in the vehicle was cleaned at least twice.

We suspect this will not be sufficient – but we gave it our best shot.

Day 26 – 28/4/13

We drove down to Durban. We had forgotten what a pleasant drive this was – after the flat Highveld. The hills were very scenic and in the distance the Drakensburg Mountains already had snow.

Avril driving; S 29⁰ 49’ 11.9’’ E 031⁰ 01’ 17.7’’

Day 27 – 29/4/13

THE day. We drove to yet another vehicle detailing place, recommended by F.A.T.S and had the vehicle cleaned – again. It was then sprayed with an enzyme solution(?!). We drove to F.A.T.S premises to drop the vehicle off. The folks at F.A.T.S were again fantastic and took care of all the details.

After lunch we flew back to Johannesburg.

According to the Odometer, we had covered 90,968 km since we started on 5/9/2011. The GPS shows ~ 4,000 km more. This may be due to inaccuracies in the odometer, plus we used slightly oversized tyres for a time. Also we had hired vehicles in Morocco and South Africa and went on tours in Chad and Tanzania. So, our overall klms probably approached 100,000.

We have visited 48 countries (including 5 in Europe)

A proper conclusion will follow later.

Day 28 to Day 30 – 30/4/13 to 2/5/13

Some days relaxing in Pretoria. We caught up with John Durant who travelled with our group in Angola. He did not expect to see us again!!

Day 31 to Day 32 – 3/5/13 to 4/5/13

We drove (hire car) to the Klaserie Game Reserve, on the border with the Kruger National Park be part of the celebration of James & Cheryl’s marriage ( Cheryl is the daughter of Avril’s bridesmaid, Jenny). It was a truly stunning affair at their private lodge.

We camped at Gary Freemans safari camp on the banks of the Klaserie river. Gary took us on a number of game walks and drives. We were lucky enough to see elephant, impala, lions, squirrels, buffalo, giraffe (including a very new born calf), warthog (on the way out) and hyenas. Other couples at the camp were keen birders, so there was an emphasis on this.

Day 33 to Day 34 – 5/5/13 to 6/5/13

Again bludging on rels in Pretoria!

Day 35 to Day 37 – 7/5/13 to 9/5/13

We flew to Cape Town, hired a car and drove to Swellendam. The mountain scenery to the east of Cape Town is almost as spectacular as that to the north. We drove through some high mountain passes that gave excellent vistas across the country. Interestingly, the rain fall here is not that high ( ~ 15”/annum) so we passed through mainly grass lands and scrub. Most of the land is cultivated for grain and sheep.

We stayed with Koos and Marlene, friends from the trip through Angola, in Swellendam.

Swellendam is the 3^rd oldest town in RSA. It is set in the Breede River Valley and is very pretty. It is also blessed with excellent infrastructure and tourist facilities, restaurants etc. We of course had the very best guides. Koos took us to the local Bontebok National Park. We were surprised at the amount of game in the area. It seemed that the farmers had left tracks of indigenous vegetation along the valleys, hill tops and rocky non-productive areas and game has survived there. We saw a grysbok, a zebra, springbok and a rabbit.

We went on a scenic drive to Barrydale high in the hills, via another spectacular mountain pass. We also took the opportunity to visit the father of Australian friends, who live in this area.

Koos drove us to Cape Aghulas the most southerly point on the African Continent.

One evening we dined with Christo & Salome, who are also friends from the Angola trip.

We had a great time catching up and we hope that we can welcome them to Australia one day.

Day 38 to Day 40 – 10/5/13 to 12/5/13

We spent time in Cape Town catching up with friends and relatives.

Val (a good friend of Avril’s from uni days) & her husband, Keith took us to the fabulous Uitsig winery/restaurant. One gender set managed to drink a bottle of wine each. The other gender set… chauffeured.

Day 41 to Day 47 – 13/5/13 to 21/5/13

A time of reflection and relaxation.

We met up with Rod & Tamara Cassidy, owners of Sangha Lodge in CAR. They were forced to leave during the recent coup there. They escaped to the Republic of Congo and were classed as War Refugees. Fortunately their lodge has survived the looting, so fingers crossed they will be back in action soon.

On a not so good note, without the National Park officers and WWF, Dzanga Bai has become a killing ground with poachers from Sudan moving in to slaughter the elephants for the ivory. You may remember when we were there, we saw 110 elephants in the bai at the same time, socializing around the water holes. We feel sick when we think about what the poachers are doing, to say nothing about the agents transporting the ivory worldwide

Rod and others have started a petition to try and do something about this:

http://www.avaaz.org/petition/STOP THE ELEPHANT GENOCIDE IN WORLD HERTIAGE SITE DZANGA CLEARING CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

On 21 May we flew from Johannesburg landed home on 22 May: 647 days after we left.

RSA Summary

We loved our time in RSA. The people we met were friendly, hospitable and generous. After the indifferent to appalling roads in the rest of Africa, the roads in RSA were (with a couple of exceptions) in very good condition. It was wonderful to be able to drink the water, flush the loo and flick the light switch and get … light! The camp grounds we stayed in were all very good, well appointed with good abolitions & hot water.

The food is fantastic, with great ingredients from the shops (brilliant meat) and the restaurants were generally well presented. Of course, the wines have a well deserved international reputation. And: with the strength of the A$, the prices for were ridiculously low.

There is a free and robust press.

There is a vibrant and very active theater scene and Graeme took us to many shows.

It does appear there is a significant break down in law & order. This starts at the top with some outrageous political corruption, cronyism & nepotism (at all levels of the political system from the President to local councils). The police appear to be corrupt (with discussions on just how much police perjury there is) and dysfunctional. There continues to be significant personal safety issues. At the lowest level, there is basically no adherence to road laws, with speeding and talking on the phone whilst driving etc endemic.

The country is totally obsessed with race. It is a pity that RSA does not seem to be able to avoid the path that most other African countries followed when they obtained democracy. It seems they will need to go through the cycle of “big men”, corruption, effective disenfranchisement of the population, poverty (relative to what could have been achieved) before the leadership look for what is best for ALL the population.   

More RSA, Mozambique & Swaziland

RSA continuing…

Day 17 to Day 21 – 11/4/13 to 14/4/13

We spend a few days in Pretoria and enjoyed being with family and doing some minor chores.

We picked up the vehicle from the local Toyota dealership and found that much of the work had not been done. We will need to get it done when we return. This is one of the few times a Toyota garage has let us down.

Day 18 – 15/4/13

After returning (twice) to Toyota, we were finally on the road again. We drove through to Nelspruit. The road along the Highvelt was flat and unimpressive, but the hills dropping into the Lowvelt and Nelspruit were scenic and offered some great views. Looking at the signs, it must be a big trout fishing area. As you would expect in RSA the road was a very high standard, but with many tolls booths!!

In Nelspruit we caught up with Ben & Jen, fellow overlanders we had met a few times down the East Coast. It was great to share a meal and chat about our experiences along the way. We also got hints on where to stay in Mozambique.

They introduced us to Marcel and his family who are starting a business in Mozambique. They informed us that you could cross from RSA into Mozambique from Kruger National Park.

Whilst in Nelspruit we decided to check in with the Mozambique and enquire about visa requirements for tourists. They strongly recommended that we obtain a visa there and not at the border. They issue visas on the same day.

We camped at the well appointed Natures Gate, ~ 7 km west of Nelspruit.

Avril  driving; 336 km; S 25⁰ 26’ 51.0’’ E 030⁰ 53’ 08.2’’

Day 19 – 16/4/13

We were the first in line at the consulate, but discovered we needed ‘Proof of Accommodation’ in Mozambique. Thanks to Beverley in Pretoria, this was quickly arranged and the Consul accepted an email version of the confirmation. The visas were issued promptly at 14:00 as promised.

While waiting for the visa we caught up with Jen. Ben, as is normal for Landrover folks, was at the garage!

Following Marcels advice, we decided to drive via KNP. We checked into Berg en Dal and went for a game drive. We were very fortunate to have 3 different and close sightings of Rhinoceros. First a mother and baby, then, very much in the open, a lone Rhino and finally on the way back to camp 4 Rhino walking along single file. There has been a lot in the press about poaching in KNP since the fence between KNP and the Great Limpopo NP was taken down. So, we were very lucky. We also managed to see impala (of course), some buffalo and a Kudu.

Avril  driving; S 25⁰ 25’ 36.1’’ E 031⁰ 26’ 46.1’’

 

Day 20 – 17/4/13

For game viewers, we had a relatively slow start ~ 07:30. We drove via various loops and roads to Letaba camp.

Along the way we managed to see: warthog, waterbuck, elephant, tree squirrel, giraffe, impala, zebra, (distant) rhino, buffalo, hippo and wildebeest.

We also went on a night drive and were lucky enough to see a civet plus Spring Hares, Rabbits (unlike Oz, not considered a pest), 2 dens of Hyena (with baby cubs), hippo grazing out of water and Elephants.

Whilst there was some variety in what we saw, we thought that there was not a lot of game and at times we travelled a large distance without seeing anything. Given KNPs reputation, this was a bit disappointing.

Avril  driving; S 23⁰ 51’ 18.1’’ E 031⁰ 34’ 45.9’’

Day 21 – 18/4/13

No rest for the wicked and we were on the road by 6:45 so as to arrive at the border crossing by 08:00. Along the way we saw some elephant, Impala, waterbuck, buffalo and Tsessebe.

The RSA formalities were quickly and efficiently completed.

Mozambique

Day 1 – 18/4/13

The entrance formalities were completed efficiently, but it took a little time as everything was done via paper not computer.

As expected the Great Limpopo NP did not have a lot of game. We saw a few Impala and a lone elephant. The southern part of the park seems to have been taken over entirely by pastoralists.

The initial gravel road was in OK condition. This was followed by a tar road was initially in OK condition, but then deteriorated and was badly potholes until we reached the main N1.

The road verges have been badly eroded and at one point a truck swerved to miss a crack at the edge and in the process knocked and smashed our driver’s side mirror. Avril got some minor cuts in the process. Of course the other driver did not stop.

We drove on to the Sunset Beach lodge, which has camping. Marcel and family were also camped there. They have travelled extensively in Africa and so we had a nice time chatting about places and events.

Avril  driving; 462 km; 9 hrs; S 24⁰ 57’ 25.3’’ E 034⁰ 11’ 21.0’’

Day 2 – 19/4/13

We decided to be lazy and had breakfast at the lodge and then drove through to Tofo beach. Similar to Tanzania, the speed limits are closely monitored and we had to slow to the speed limit, immediately at the speed sign in all of the numerous towns and villages (no matter how small they are!). The drive was quite pleasant, there was not too much traffic and generally the road was lined with tropical vegetation, palm trees and such.

On the way we stopped off at Inhambane. The guide book rates this as one of the top attractions in Mozambique, supposedly for its Mediterranean appearance and feel and for the clean streets and non dilapidated buildings. The guide book was printed in 2011, so we can only assume that the author had very different standards to us and maybe had never been to the Mediterranean so gathered his information on Mediterranean appearance and feel from books or such!

We camped at Bamboozi on the beach. The beach is very nice, golden sand and smooth, warm water. However, we both commented on how lucky Australia was to have our magnificent beaches. In the afternoon we went for a walk along the beach.

Ray driving; 231 km; S 23⁰ 50’ 29.7’’ E 035⁰ 32’ 13.8’’

Day 3 – 20/4/13

A day at leisure on the beach. Mozambique is famous for its large Tiger Prawns. For the previous 2 nights we had ordered Tiger Prawns at the lodge restaurants, only to be given some very small shrimps. So, we went for a walk to the local marked and managed to buy some proper Tiger Prawns. There was no negotiation on price: ~ $ 12/kg. Dinner was garlic prawns, with salad (brought from RSA – little is available in Mozambique) and local bread.

The area has a great number of mosquitos, so we decided to move on the following day. There were reports of Remano attacks further north, so we decided to head back south.

Day 4 – 21/4/13

We drove back to Sunset beach in the morning. There had been a large storm in the area the night before, so the beach was very choppy and not the brilliant blue it had been a few days previous. Ray went for a swim anyway.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading etc.

Avril  driving; 714 km; 9 hrs; S 23⁰ 04’ 58.2’’ E 026⁰ 49’ 26.1’’

Day 5 – 22/4/13

We drove through to the Mozambique ~ Swaziland border. Along the way we stopped off at Xai Xai to get our mirror repaired. We hhad been told that there was a vendor around the corner from a particular office, but did not appreciate that the “shop” would be a stall on the street. Ray wandered along the street, broken mirror in hand, looking for a shop. A chap came running after him, and with a lot of hand gesturers he informed us he could fix the mirror and it would cost M 250 = $ 7 and would take 20 min. So we left the mirror with him and wandered off looking for brunch. We had already had breakfast!

After 20 min we returned and found that a piece of mirror had been cut to approximately the correct dimensions and fitted into the broken rear view mirror frame.

We taped some gaffer tape around it, just to be sure and set off with at least some visibility on the passenger side.

The border crossing was completed with a minimum of fuss.

Mozambique Summary

From a tourist perspective, Mozambique seems to be mainly about the beaches. They are very nice, but it is a long way to go for a nice beach. Apparently the folks from RSA like to holiday at the beaches because it is safer there than in RSA. This is sort of ironic, as in RSA they blame the immigrants from Mozambique for a lot of the crime.

Apart from the main coastal road, we found the roads to be generally in poor condition.

We found Mozambique to be relatively high cost when compared to its neighbours. 

The 2011 Bradt Guide was already dated with some of the places mentioned closed. As it always the case, you can never get good or services for the prices quoted in the book. 5/10

We used the Riese Know How map. 4/10.

Swaziland

Day 1 – 22/4/13

The crossing into the Kingdom of Swaziland was completed with a small hold up. We completed the immigration and customs/formalities very quickly but were stopped at the final gate. Apparently we needed tp pay a road toll (R 50). But the discussion centered on the need to pay import duty. Ray pointed out that the carnet was already stamped and a carnet meant that we did not need to pay duty. This all took some time to resolve. The gate guard also took our raw meat; apparently this cannot be imported from Mozambique. We did manage to salvage some nice marinated chicken.

We drove through to Hlane national Park and checked in. There had been a lot of rain in the area and a lot of the roads were closed. We went for a pre-dinner game drive and were fortunate to see some Nyala – our 1^st ever! We also saw impala, warthog and bushbuck.

We cooked up our illegal chicken for dinner. The night was very clear and we had a good view of the southern cross. After dinner we wandered down to a dam near the camping enclosure and saw some Impala and noted that the fence around this part of the camping area consisted of 2 strands of loose barb wire. On the way back to our vehicle we heard the roar of a lion very close by. He seemed to walk along the fence. We assume that he was mating as we heard the intermittent roar all night.

Avril  driving; 407 km; S 26⁰ 15’ 38.9’’ E 031⁰ 52’ 35.7’’

Day 2 – 23/4/13

In the morning we went for another game drive and saw more Nyala, Impala, bushbuck, wildebeest, a Kudu and elephant.

We then drove through some wonderful hills to the Ezulwini Valley – ancestral home of the Swazi kings. For us it was a chance to have a look at some curios. We had been very good on the shopping front to this point. We bought a nice table cloth with an African theme.

We then drove through some great mountain scenery to Piggs Peak. The area reminded us a lot of the mountains in France and Andorra during our trip there. 

We drove to the Malolotji Reserve for our last camp of the trip. The reserve has a herd of Blesbok.

As the Swazi border people had taken our “good” meat, we ate some of our emergency rations for dinner. The night was FREEZING!!! After 3 summers, it will be hard to go back to a winter.

Ray driving; 189 km; S 26⁰ 08’ 38.0’’ E 031⁰ 07’ 54.7’’

Day 3 – 24/4/13

As we were freezing, we decided to pack up quickly and get some breakfast on the road. On the way to the border we stopped off at a glass works and brought some curios. We also went into the furnace area to get warm.

Swazi formalities were completed in less than a minute. As there is a customs union between RSA and Swaziland, there were no customs/carnet issues.

Swaziland Summary

Swaziland has had some negative press recently, mainly to do with the king and his many wives and the cost of the entourage. However, we though the country was very well set up. Very little litter, high standard and well maintained roads. No beggars.

The scenery is stunning.

Lonely Planet guide was useful. 7/10.

More RSA

Day 22 – 24/4/13

The entry into RSA was ultra quick. We drove through to Pretoria to prepare the vehicle for shipping.

Avril  driving; 341 km

South Africa, again

Day 1 – 24/3/13

RSA formalities took time: there was confusion over our initial entry (19 months ago) into RSA, then a vehicle inspection. We made time to assist some motor bikkers from Gabs who needed a jump start.

The country side was similar to Botswana i.e. flat and desert. The difference was that in RSA most/all of the land was farmed.

Again, with good roads and no speed bumps we made good time to Kathu, ~ 50 kmk past Kuruman.

Ray  driving; 700 km; 10 hrs; S 27⁰ 41’ 57.8’’ E 023⁰ 02’ 46.2’’

Day 2 – 25/3/13

Another long days driving. We passed through Upington and checked in at a tyre garage to get an wheel alignment. Unfortunately it seems that the tie rod ends have worn to such an extent that the alignment is not possible. Ewe asked the garage to source the parts and we will fit them on the way back.

We managed to get to Kgalagadi NP in the mid afternoon. We had tried to book a camp site on the internet, but the site would not allow us to do that, but it showed accommodation was available. On arrival  the receptionist informed us that the park accommodation was fully booked. A family beside us at reception overheard this and offered to share their site with us. How great is that! So, we had accommodation and as events turned out, there were camping spaces available so we did not need to impose.

On exiting the reception area a chap approached us and told us where we could spot a cheater and some mating lions. On entry to the park we went straight to a game drive and dutifully saw the cheater and mating lions. Nearby the mating couple there was another very dejected looking lion. IN addition we saw some hyena, gemsbok, springbok and wildebeest.

Avril  driving; We forgot to take the coordinates. But the coordinates from T4A are: S 26⁰ 28’ 23.8’’ E 020⁰ 36’ 45.6’’

Day 3 – 26/3/13

As good game viewers, we were up reasonably early, but not as keen as those who were at the gate opening at 06:00. On entry into the park we saw a lioness strolling up a dune and across a ridgeline. That took the pressure off for the day – “we had seen lion”. We also say 2 other groups of lions, including the copulating couple again. We were very fortunate to see a rare Brown Hyena, just after we had seen a more common spotted hyena. Another highlight was some giraffe sitting down under a tree – we had never seen a sitting giraffe before. We were also fortunate to make a number of sightings of (cheeky) jackals, including 6 at one water hole. In addition to the buck we saw the day before we say a herd of Hartebeest. We stopped for a while to watch a colony of ground squirrels acting sort of like meercats.

We drove around until ~ 16:00 – Avril wanted to get back early and do some washing.

In the evening we went for a night drive. There had been a fierce storm late in the afternoon and the guide apologised that the game would have probably sought shelter. However, we thought it was rather good. We had our first sighting of a Cape Fox, a number of jackals, incredibly another sighting of a Brown Hyena and of course the normal buck.

Day 4 – 27/3/13

Another early start to the day. On our game drive we really only saw large herds of buck. Unfortunately, the BFGoodrich tyres failed again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Both the rear tyres developed bubbles. The left one failed and we had to change it. Whilst we were doing this the police happened along. They were concerned for us, as there were apparently lions in the area. So, nice chaps they are, they changed the tyre for us. They told is that a number of RSA soldiers had been killed in the CAR and the President (whom we met when we were there) had fled. They were (rightly) outraged at the deaths of the soldiers. Apparently the 200 RSA soldiers fought 13 hr fire fight against 3,000.

We had the spares fixed at the rest camp. The fellas there did a great job matching tyres to rims etc. But, we decided that we should go through to Upington and get the issues sorted.

During our time in the park we noted a camaraderie among the game viewers. Folks would stop us to tell us where there were interesting sightings may be just to chat whilst we were looking at animals. Everyone waved to each other when passing. Everyone in the camp ground was interested in our travels etc. We also noted that Afrikaans was the predominant language spoken.

In Upington, we stayed at the River Bank Guest House and had an absolutely fantastic red meat dinner (Ray steak & Avril lamb chops) at a local pub. This was at a fraction of the price we would have pain in Australia.

Avril  driving; S 28⁰ 27’ 18.4’’ E 021⁰ 15’ 06.8’’

Day 5 – 28/3/13

Avril decided on a morning of leisure whilst Ray attended to the car. Unfortunately Toyota could not provide the parts for the tie rods – so we will have to put up with that issue for some more time. We did purchase 2 new tyres. Great  news, NOT BFGoodrich. We fitted Pirelli’s.

We then drove onto Springbok along an excellent highway. The initial part was flat desert, reminiscent of some deserts in Nth Africa. Around Springbok the countryside changed to small mountains, still desert.

We had wanted to do some grocery shopping in Springbox, but on Good Friday eve the whole town was in a shopping frenzy. So we decided to go without.

Ray driving; 376 km; 5 hrs; S 29⁰ 40’ 23.9’’ E 017⁰ 53’ 57.4’’

Day 9 – 29/3/13

We had a quiet day relaxing in Springbok. We went for a drive around the barren hills surrounding the town. Then we did a bit of shopping and had coffee at a local café.

Mias & Ronel, friends from the Angola trip arrived in the mid afternoon. We spent the remainder of the day chatting and catching up and in typical RSA style, Mias cooked up a wonderful BBQ for dinner.

Day 10 – 30/3/13

Under the guiding eye of Mias and Ronel, we drove through the shore based section of the Namaqua National Park and onto the marine section. This is a relatively new NP and we were fortunate to see Gemsbok, Springbok, Steenbok, Hartebeest and a klipspringer. This was all unexpected. After fish and chips at a fishing village, we proceeded down the coastal section of the park.

Sections of the road down the coast are sandy. We did get stuck and then Ray remembered to lock the vehicle into 4WD! The going was a bit tough in stages, but as long as we deflated our tyres we were OK. At one point a couple of vehicles were stuck, we lent them our sand plates and continued onto some interesting caves/rock arches. On the way back to the road from the caves we retrieved the plates. Mias towed out a stuck vehicle and as a reward was given a freshly caught crayfish. The area is very big for recreational rock lobster diving.

We made camp at Vairswater bay – right on the sea. We cooked up a great feast of lobster, followed by a full beef fillet and veggies done on the BBQ. A wonderful sunset added to the delight.

It began to rain at ~ 21:30 and the rain followed us down the coast for the next + 24 hours.

Avril  driving; 206 km; S 30⁰ 41’ 11.8’’ E 017⁰ 28’ 44.9’’

Day 11 – 31/3/13

After a bit of a sleep in, we packed up our soggy tent (LIB for Ray for not putting on the fly!). We continued down the coast, though a mix of drizzle and sea mist. The coast was a great variety of white sand beaches and rugged, rocky areas. The sandy sections of the road were generally OK, though we did need to deflate. However, in one area there was a clay/salt pan on a hill and we lost control of the vehicle. We commenced a series of 360⁰ turns. It was not dangerous and we both laughed loudly. It may have been a lot tougher for those leaving later in the day.

Mias & Ronel had kindly invited us to stay at their home, on a canal in Velddrift. They have a great community there. We were invited over to a neighbour’s house for fresh lobster, but had to decline (as a boat load of local chap arrived to raid the bar and have a chat) and so a young chap when a collected a couple for us.  Mias cooked up a wonderful seafood BBQ.

Avril  driving; 308 km; S 32⁰ 47’ 14.7’’ E 018⁰ 09’ 16.0’’

Day 12 – 1/4/13

After a hearty brunch we drove through to Cape Town and spent the rest of the day with our niece, Brittany. We went for a delicious Italian meal we did a bit of shopping. In the evening we watched Brit play hockey, in the pouring rain.

Avril  driving; ~ 150 km; S 33⁰ 57’ 20.6’’ E 018⁰ 28’ 28.0’’

Day 13 – 2/4/13

We were up very early to start the long trek to Pretoria. Fortunately we were against the traffic as there were massive and very long traffic jams into Cape Town. We had forgotten just how spectacular the mountains though the Hex valley and surrounding area were, so it was delightful to drive through them again. We had a similar experience in the Great Karoo.

After a couple of false starts, we stopped at Kroonstad in the Hacienda Hotel. Ray had red meat again – great taste as ridiculously low priced.

Oh, yes, we HAVE put on weight!

Avril  driving; 1220 km; 12.5 hrs; S 27⁰ 38’ 56.8’’ E 027⁰ 13’ 55.7’’

Day 14 – 3/4/13

We arrived in Pretoria in the early afternoon. Avril went to the hair dressers and Ray checked out garages.

Day 15 – 4/4/13

Avril departed for hew sojourn in Australia and Ray booked the car in for a service. Fortunately, the garage will look after the car for the next week.

Zambia, Zimbabwe & Botswana - again

Zambia

Day 1 – 7/3/13

The crossing into Zambia was straight forward. We purchased a dual entry visa to allow us to go into Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls and had to pay 200 new Kwacha (divide old Kwacha by 1,000) in CO₂ tax. In addition there was a Council tax or such – all receipted.

The drive to Chipata was easy, on a good road through maize fields.

Chipata was a nice surprise, lots of veg, a little fruit and a couple of good supermarkets.

We went quickly to Mama Rulas campsite ~ 8 km from town.

Unfortunately there was an overland bus there and a second arrived after dark. The later bus carried elderly Dutch tourists and they proceeded to make a lot of noise until very late. After this experience, we prefer the younger group!

Avril  driving; 200 km; (inc airport run); S 13⁰ 34’ 57.7’’ E 032⁰ 36’ 34.9’’

Day 2 – 8/3/13

We went into Chipata to do some shopping. In addition to the supermarket we needed to buy some drugs - malaria & statins. In Australia these would have needed a prescription, but in Zambia we got them OTC.

Ray asked the (Indian) Pharmacist if he knew where he could get a haircut. He got into his car and took us to where he got his hair cut – a friend’s house in a 2^nd class shopping area. In this case Ray got very good value for money. He will not need another cut for a long time!

We then met Bob & Brigid who had driven from Luangwa Bridge that day. After a quick lunch, we went to the camp site and chatted the rest of the day away.

Another group of elderly Dutch tourists showed up, with a similar result to the night before. We should mention that these buses set off very early in the morning (05:00) and so the noise starts very early.

Since leaving Tanzania, we are well and truly on the Cape to Nairobi overland bus route.

Day 3 – 9/3/13

With Bob & Brigid, we set off at a reasonable time for Mfuwe and the South Luangwa National Park. Large sections of the road are being upgraded and so the trip had a lot of diversions and poor road conditions. On the way to the camp we spotted some elephants.

We set up camp at the Wildlife camp (note: Flatdogs no longer allows camping). The Wildlife camp has separate sections for buses and small vehicles.

We camped high on the bank of the Luangwa river and spotted some buffalo and impala going to the water to drink. The noisy hippos made sure they were also noticed.

Park entry is on a daily basis, not 24 hour, so we elected not to have a game drive in the afternoon.

Avril  driving; 145 km; 3 hrs; S 13⁰ 06’ 35.2’’ E 031⁰ 45’ 13.5’’

 Day 4 – 10/3/13

We all got up early to get into the park soon after opening, 06:00. Unfortunately the paperwork at the entry took ~ 20 min. Normally in the wet season the game scatters, however we had a great game drive. Not too much unusual; elephants, giraffe, zebra, warthogs, bushbuck, puku, impala, water buck, reed buck, buffalo etc.

After lunch Ray & Bob went back to the game park and purchased entry for the following day  & beer. Then Bob & Brigid went and fetched Steve & Ing from the Mfuwe airport.

As you can imagine, there was a lot of chatter in the evening. To explain – the 3 boys (??!!) worked together on the Copperbelt in Zambia from 1976 till 1978 – so this was to be a trip down memory lane!

Day 5 – 11/3/13

Bob’s birthday! But, he still had to get up early. It was raining hard, however we decided to proceed with a game drive. Again, we did not see too much unusual but it was very different spotting game in the pelting rain.

We had a hearty brunch & some champagne after returning from the game drive. Then a relaxing afternoon. At 16:00 we started a night game drive, arranged by the folks at the Wildlife camp. This included some sundowners – which we supplemented with our own drinks. On the way to the sundowners, Avril excelled by spotting a dead hyena in a ditch beside a culvert.

The night drive turned out to be fantastic. We were fortunate to see a full leopard kill, from the initial spotting of the prey (herd of impala) by the leopard, through the stalking which took ~ 40 min, the final leap and then the kill. It took some time for the leopard to choke the impala and due to all the attention and the potential for a hyena to take the prey, the leopard dragged the kill into a dense bush. A once in a lifetime experience. Then on the way out of the park we were lucky enough to see 2 porcupines. Due to their actions at the side of the road, Bob speculated that they may have been mating. We also saw a huge crocodile crossing the road on the way back to the river.

Day 6 – 12/3/13

We managed to have a reasonably relaxed start to the day. Then we drove back over the awful road to Chipata – which had further deteriorated with the rain. After a small shop in the town we drove through to Luawanga Bridge and the camp site there.

The road was in pretty good condition, but the countryside not all that interesting. There were a lot less people than in most other countries, which meant less speed bumps and greater speed.

Avril driving; ~ 500 km; 8.5 hrs; S 13⁰ 06’ 18.2’’ E 030⁰ 12’ 54.8’’

Day 7 – 13/3/13

We sat around and chatted a bit in the morning, then drove through to Lusaka on a reasonable tar road. The shopping mall we stopped at was a culture shock – it could have been in any 1^st world country -  clothes shops (Avril managed to buy some shorts) and food outlets.

After lunch we drove to Fringilla farm, 50 km north of Lusaka.

Ing cooked up a superb Chinese meal.

Ray driving; 281 km; 7 hrs (inc shopping time!); S 15⁰ 00’ 15.6’’ E 028⁰ 09’ 31.7’’

Day 8 – 14/3/13

After a very gentle start to the day, including one of the Fringilla’s famous pies for breakfast (boys only) our little convey started out for Chingola. The Great North Road as far as the Ndola turn off was in good condition, but after that deteriorated with sections of serious potholes. We stopped for a picnic at the side of the road and watched a truck deliver fresh maize beer to some of the local folks. This is delivered in bulk and poured from a large tank into 20 litre containers. Apparently 20 litres costs about K 20 ~ $ 4! If one can wait for about 3 days the alcoholic content rises to 9%!

It took some time to get through Kitwe. The road from Kitwe to Chingola was very congested, not like the “old days” when normally one did not see any vehicles on this stretch.

We booked into the Protea hotel when we got to Chingola and then the boys wandered off to see if they could recognise any of the buildings from the 1970s. They found their old accommodation flats and the various clubs. They went into the Arts Theatre, chatted to the members and had a quiet ale.

We were impressed with the level of agriculture and the availability of fresh produce on the drive up. In the “old days” there was very little food available. However, the roads in Chingola have deteriorated badly – a lot of them are just a series of potholes.

Avril  driving; 359 km; 6 hrs; S 03⁰ 24’ 35.2’’ E 029⁰ 20’ 53.1’’

Day 9 – 15/3/13

After breakfast, we drove around town for some photo opportunities. Then we drove back to Fringilla farm. On the way we managed to get caught twice in speed traps. The first of the traps only caught the OTHER car and the driver payed a little less and did not get a receipt! So, no more lecturers on ethics from them in the future. In the second trap both cars were caught and payed the full price with receipt – 73 and 81 kph in a 50 zone! Luckily we were not in Aus as we would have lost our licenses! Avril was very upset as it was her first speeding fine in 40 years of driving! Although Ray reckons she is a “lead foot” and has been Very lucky not to have fined many times!! The road signs were a little difficult to see.

Avril  driving; 361 km; 6.5 hrs

Day 10 – 16/3/13

We headed down through Lusaka (shopping) and onto the Zambezi river, ~ 40 km before the Lower Zambezi National Park. The road down was, generally in good condition to the turn off just before Zimbabwe border. The country side was generally flat until the turn off to Chilumba and then the decent into the Zambezi valley provided some rolling hills. There was a dirt road to Kiambia  lodge which was variable in condition.

We had to cross the Kafue River on a pontoon. As we were foreigners in a foreign vehicle, we paid 3 times as much as the locals. I wonder how that would go down in western countries – if we started to charge Africans 3 times as much for services etc??

The folks at Kiambia looked after us royally. We had power for our batteries, cold beers, they made and lit the BBQ fire for us etc. As they had just painted the camping ablutions, Bob & Brigid+ Steve & Ing were given a chalet for the 2 nights. We elected to “stay at home” in our accommodation module.

Avril  driving; 222 km; S 015⁰ 56’ 11.5’’ E 028⁰ 55’ 32.3’’

Day 11 – 17/3/13

We went on a game watching cruise along the Zambezi. The weather was ideal – though most of us managed to get a little burnt. We stopped on an island in the river for a picnic lunch. As it was the rainy season, most of the game had dispersed into the bush, so we did not see a great deal: impala, elephants, crocodiles, hippos, kudu and a couple of monitor lizards. We also took the opportunity to become bird watchers – for the day.

It was wonderful to go slowly along one of the world’s great rivers.

Day 12 – 18/3/13

We drove down to Moorings Camp ~ 10 km north of Monze. This time no one was fined by the police.

We arrived early for what was planned to be Bob & Brigid’s last night of camping.

Avril  driving; 221 km; 5.5 hrs; S 016⁰ 11’ 38.1’’ E 027⁰ 32’ 36.9’’

Day 13 – 19/3/13

Onwards to Livingstone & Victoria Falls. We had a quick look at the Zambezi River above the Falls and then checked out accommodation options. We quickly discovered that Vic Falls is not a low cost area. We eventually settled on the Bushfront, with Ray & Avril opting for camping and the rest for chalets.

We went on the sunset cruise on the Zambezi Rover – commonly known as the “booze cruise”. The price included drinks, snacks and dinner. We were more restrained than the overland bus folks.

Avril  driving; 359 km; 6 hrs; S 03⁰ 24’ 35.2’’ E 029⁰ 20’ 53.1’’

Day 14 – 20/3/13

First off, we visited the Falls on the Zambia side. As it was nearing the end of the wet season, the river was quite high and the Falls lived up to their reputation as “the smoke that thunders”. The huge volume of water ensured that we all got completely drenched. We all went down to the “Boiling Pot”, the narrow gorge where the river gushes through. Then we walked over the bridge to the Zimbabwe side – one third of the Falls is in Zambia and the rest is in Zimbabwe. Ray & Avril purchased a dual entry visa for $ 45 each.

We enjoyed a steak lunch at the famous Victoria Falls Hotel, overlooking the 2^nd & 3^rd gorges and the bridge. On the way to back, Ray decided to take the plunge and went on a flying fox high above the junction of the 2^nd & 3^rd gorges. A bit of an adrenalin rush and over too quickly to enjoy the view.

We then visited the extensive Zimbabwe side of the falls, not everyone went the full distance as it involved yet another full drenching.

We then returned to the Zambia side and decided to dine at the restaurant in the resort – too exhausted from the day’s exertion to cook ourselves.

Day 15 – 21/3/13

We were up early to pack and get through the border formalities. After breakfast we said our (sad) good-byes to Bob & Brigid/Steve & Ing and headed for the border.

The formalities were completed very quickly.

Zambia Summary

Zambia was a pleasant surprise. The roads were generally in good condition: Ndola – Chingola the major exception. The road from Chipata to Sth Luangwa is being worked on.

Most towns had usable ATMs and generally there were decent supermarkets.

It was fantastic to travel with friends. The camping accommodation was generally of a high standard.

In general we found the Zambians were hospitable without being overly friendly.

We did not use any guide books or maps, but relied on memory (34 years!) and the advice of folks along the way.

Zimbabwe

Day 1 – 21/3/13

We had a very quick and efficient entry into Zim. We had to pay CO₂ tax and road tax of $ 40. In Vic Falls we collected the video of Ray’s flying fox exploit of the previous day. Then we headed to Hwange National Park. We went through 3 road blocks on the way. We had heard that in Zim these were onerous, but we found the police officers to be polite, cheerful and quick at the task.

The road to Hwange town was very good and we saw our 1^st wayside/picnic stops in a long time. The country side was flat with the vegetation right up to the road side.

We entered Hwange National Park at Sinamatela and were delighted to find that a $ 20/person entry lasted 7 days. Camping was $ 30/site/night. All very reasonable.

Then we drove around the park and visited a few dams/pans. We did not see a lot of game and decided to go through to Robins Camp and spend the night there. The facilities, though dated, were in good working order and very clean. Hot water for the showers and cold beer!

Avril  driving; 241 km; S 18⁰ 37’ 47.5’’ E 025⁰ 59’ 17.5’’

Day 2 – 22/3/13

Like good game viewers, we were on the road early. We drove through to Main Camp via a number of loops and dams/pans. The game was very sparse in the areas (including water points) around Sinamatela and Robins camps and almost non-existent between water points. This made the days quite long. Nearer to Main Camp there was more game and we sat in a couple of hides for some time. One of the hides had a small snake ensconced in it, so we only spent a short time there! All in all we saw: giraffe, elephant, water buck, wildebeest, kudu, yellow mongoose, warthog, meerkat, impala, zebra, hippo, jackal and crocodile. Not a bad selection, but the lack of numbers was disappointing.

Main Camp was well set up with aged, but clean ablutions and a well stocked shop. We decided to try a night drive. This lasted 2 hours and was quite disappointing as we only saw a few impala and a couple of elephants.

Apparently the lack of game sightings was due to the time of year- the game scatters during the wet. However, we covered over 350 km in the time we were in the park and would have expected even with scattered game to see a bit more.

Avril  driving; 167 km; S 18⁰ 43’ 57.4’’ E 026⁰ 57’ 06.5’’

Day 3 – 23/3/13

We decided that the game viewing in Hwange did not warrant any further time, so we made an early start to Botswana. Along the way we stopped off at Bulawayo for some refreshments. Avril & Ray disagreed on the state of the city: Ray thought it looked clean and prosperous but Avril thought it was run down, compared to our last visit in 1994-thanks Robert Mugabe.

Again the police at the road blocks were polite and wanted to chat. With excellent roads and a 120 km/hr speed limit we made very good time. The scenery was generally uninteresting and the route was, in the main, scrubby forest.

The border formalities were completed very efficiently and quickly.

Zimbabwe Summary

It is hard to make meaningful comment after 3 days of which the majority was in National parks. However we had a positive impression of Zim. Other Overlanders had found it expensive and the road blocks onerous. We thought the prices were very reasonable, the road blocks no more numerous than other countries and the police officers polite. We were not held up at any of the road blocks – except for a chat.

The roads were in excellent condition (except for the main routes in Hwange National Park).

We found it rather sad to see the small number of tourists wherever we went – the venues are all ready to receive guests, the staff are keen and eager, but spend most of the day with nothing to do. Once again, thank you, Robert Mugabe.

Botswana, again

Day 1 – 23/3/13

We were greeted with that special rudeness the Tswana have cultivated in Botswana.

The border formalities took longer than expected as the staff had more important matters to attend to i.e. idle chat. We had to pay Pula 270 road tax.

Again, with excellent roads and a 120 km/hr speed limit we made good time. The countryside was well and truly semi arid with low acacia trees and little grass.

We stopped at the Oasis Lodge (camping) at Mahalapye

Avril  driving; 714 km; 9 hrs; S 23⁰ 04’ 58.2’’ E 026⁰ 49’ 26.1’’

Day 2 – 24/3/13

We were up super early to get some kms on the clock. Again the road was of a high standard and with no speed bumps and not too much traffic we made good time. The country side continued to be flat and semi desert.

We stopped off in Gaborone to buy a few provisions and set off for the border.

The formalities took a little time, but we got through without any hassle.

 Botswana observation

Infrastructure is very good through out the areas we travelled. The government has put the HQ of key Departments e.g. railways, geological survey etc in provincial towns.

The Shopping centers and general outlook of the streets was very modern.