Namibia trip 3: Kalagadi

The last leg of the trip wasn't in Namibia, but we spent 3 nights in the Kalagadi Trans-frontier Park at Mata- Mata and Twee Rivieren camps and then 3 nights at Mabuasahube on the Botswanan side of the Kalahari. By now, most evenings were cold, or even "vrek koud", but the company was good and so was the food! Lots of whisky keeps you warm, hey! Just ask Tommy and Neil. You hear lots of stories of lions in the camps at Mabuasahube, but we had a brown hyena visit one night. He ate our eggs and our Lindt chocolates and left with one of Neil's crocs and our caravan step stool.

Namibia trip 2: Etosha

Heading west, we stocked up on groceries in Rundu; it's a bit of a wild border town but you can get what you need. Don't stay anywhere in Rundu if you need to overnight, we stayed at Samsitu River Lodge just up the river. Don't rely on shopping for meat or anything for that matter in the Etosha shops either. Just outside Namutoni gate is a wonderful lodge with awesome camping, called Onguma. You can visit Etosha from here for day trips instead of staying at Namutoni. We also stayed at Halali in Etosha for 2 nights and Okaukeujo for 3 more nights. In Okaukuejo, try and get campsite 37 to avoid the noisy overland trucks with their adventure packages for tourists! Just come on safari with the Greenfields! I can guarantee my food will be the best in the camp and our smuggled wines are pretty top drawer too! Etosha is now officially my favourite game reserve in Southern Africa. The variety and amount of game sightings is just wonderful. Lion, leopard, rhino and elephant; giraffe, zebra, gemsbok and springbok for starters. And good birds, including flamingo on the pan near Namutoni, which still had water in it. The flood lit water holes are wonderful and whether you choose to sit at a waterhole or drive around a bit more, you will be well rewarded.

Namibia trip 1: The Caprivi

It takes 3 days to drive to the Caprivi Strip from Gauteng. We stayed the first night at Matamba Bush Campsite outside Ellisras on the way to the Stockpoort border and the next night at Elephant Sands Lodge near Nata in Botswana. We arrived in Katima Molilo on 24th May and spent 3 nights at Namwi Island campsite just outside town. The garden is full of birds including the rare Schalow's Turaco and a trip down to Kaliso Lodge is worth it for the birding, even if like us, you don't get all the way through because the water levels were still too high. High water levels also meant the conditions were not yet right for tiger fishing.
Our next stop was at Namushasha River Lodge in the Bwakwatwa Reserve for 2 nights. We also did a day drive to Mudumo and Nkasa Lupala game reserves. The next night we stayed at the Nambwe 4x4 bush camp, also in Bwakwatwa, with a very access sandy track and a worthwhile river setting. Further east we spent 2 nights at Ngepi Lodge. It's a friendly spot. From here you can access Mahango Game Reserve and you MUST do a morning bird walk with local expert, Cristof. As with all the other lodges,sunset boat trips are also on offer. In the Caprivi, the game viewing is more sparse than some might like, but the bird watching is just amazing! Lesser Jacana, Rufous Bellied Heron, Bradfield's Hornbill, Zambezi Indigobird, Blackfaced Waxbill, Grey Rumped Swallow, to name just a few of the newbies for us. Next we stopped over at Shamvura Lodge near Popo Falls, where an old pet horse visits your camp, a goat roams in and out of the house and a hen is sitting in a basket on the sideboard in the owner's dining room laying eggs! Of course, Neil loved that there was an unlimited supply of free firewood and I liked the fact that a lady was on hand to wash the dishes.

What? A bit of winter in SA?

We really have been dodging winter the last few years, so hanging around in SA until mid-July was a bit of a novelty. In May, Neil did a bike trip with Tommy and Coenraad and we had time in Joburg to catch up on all our chores, like getting vehicles serviced and fixed, applying for visas and going to doctors and dentists! There was enough time for catching up with friends and family, including a fun night at Madam Zingara. This was in between trips to Dullstroom for fishing, Namibia and Botswana on safari, a trip to the Eastern Cape and the  Grahamstown Festival and a Midmas weekend at Maizefield Farm. It was great to have all the Maizefield owners together for a party as well as some of the regulars and some Midmas newbies too. Pam said she thought the food was the best Midmas spread ever and a few revellers ( you know who you are ) will be glad to know some photos are staying safely out of the public domain! Ditto the morning after pics!