Namibia and Botswana 2006

Slide show

It was Robert Weinend, our guide on our first Botswana trip back in 1998, who first encouraged us to go on self-drive safaris. But, he said, don’t try Botswana. The driving is too difficult.

So we left it until our desire to see the Caprivi strip and visit Chobe again became too much. …and the GPS with map display had become affordable. We were using a Garmin 76C with the marvellous maps from Tracks4Africa.

This year, we travelled over 3,500 miles on a round trip from Windhoek in Namibia, via Etosha, the Caprivi strip, Katima Mulilo, to Kasane, Chobe, Moremi and round the Okavango Delta, back through Rundu, Tsumeb and Etosha. It took us 26 days.

We stayed in some fantastic places – remote, picturesque campsites and luxurious guest houses – met some lovely people and saw some incredibly beautiful animals and sights.

Here is just a snapshot of our experiences, and we hope they help future travellers.

Stage 1 Windhoek and Etosha

We hired our car via the web from Asco. Very efficient and flexible, with jerry cans, roof rack and tyre compressor all available as an option. Arriving in the morning, we left Windhoek, provisioned at a supermarket and with take-away pizza for lunch.  

Someone described Etosha to us as a ‘zoo’. Well, it’s not. It’s a wilderness, but you’re never short of a sighting. We saw over 20 lions in our first four days, plus a leopard, three cheetah, several hyena and, my delight, the ground squirrels. Remember to be out as soon as the gate opens. This is when you see most!

And, at night, stay up at the waterholes as long as your eyes let you (with blankets or woollies to keep you warm in August). At Halali, the black rhino and elephant seemed to be coming down each evening. At Namatoni, there’s the roosting of the millions of quelea.

Camping was convenient and easy, with much better site facilities than in Botswana, but it can get busy with the overland trucks.

Stage 2 The Caprivi

From Etosha we drove via Grootfontein and the Hoba Meteorite, staying overnight at the very lovely Kavango River Lodge in Rundu. Peters fruit bats in the tree outside our room window, tree squirrels playing in the trees. Friendly hosts and guests – enjoyable meals. And a stunning sunset over the Kavango.

Early next day we left for Popa Falls Rest Camp travelling mostly on the B8 but diverting onto the old highway to see some of the riverside villages. These two boys were walking along with their wire cars when we stopped them to take a picture. We gave them each a football for their troubles - we had seen kids playing football with a stuffed sock earlier - and, after a moment of disbelief, they ran off excitedly to show their friends.

The Falls is more a series of rapids, so we filled just an afternoon boulder hopping and bird watching.

Next a moment of serindipity: we noticed that the booking at Popa Falls was not the two nights we had thought, NWR had only booked us in for one night. We knew we would be rushing up the panhandle at the end of our trip to Moremi and thought we would try to drop down to Botswana for a day and see what we could find.

And what a find. We drove to the border at Mohembo (very efficient and friendly) through the Mahango game park, spotting our first lechwe, hippo and wattled cranes of the trip. We’d booked a night later on in our holiday at Drotskys Cabins, south of Shakawe and turned up there, hoping they’d have a room for the night. They didn’t, but their son and daughter-in-law Donovan and Yolande, did. A "15-minute" ride by boat (which actually took us an hour and a half there was so much to see), Xaro Lodge is, like Drotsky’s, set right on the riverside. But here we experienced a highlight of the trip –sightings of Pel’s fishing owl (a youngster in the evening and a parent the following morning) of course, as well as fantastic food, the best of the whole trip. And, on our return three weeks later, we had another highlight… but you’ll need to read on!

Back through Mahango and on through the rather boring Caprivi Game Park again on the B8, before we chanced a turning to the Nambwa community camp site. This is definitely a 4 x 4 route and we were lucky to get a camp site, arriving just before sunset. Nambwa has six secluded sites on the river edge. It seems as if there’s just you, the stars and the peaceful noises of the river life. Amazing and not to be missed.

The following morning we were first out to see elephant splashing through the river, baboons playing peacefully on the horseshoe lagoon, and we chanced the drive south to the Botswana border. A quarter of a mile away, and at 9.30am, we got stranded in the sand. We were very lucky to find a guide from the local lodge across the river servicing their safari truck. He soon sped off in the boat to get help, arriving with three colleagues who soon had everything under control. They taught us that digging out really means DIGGING OUT! And that reducing tyre pressure does help, even if the differential is resting firmly on the sandy central ridge. Far from making fun of the stranded tourists, they assured us that you haven't been on safari until you have had to dig out your stranded vehicle.

By lunch we were heading to Mudumu National Park– and another highlight. Where to stay the night? Well, it was too late to reach Katima, so we asked at the park – and were offered camp site 3.  This must have been the most beautiful place we stayed on our whole holiday. And, because there are no facilities (except a long-drop 200 yards away), we got it for just the price of our entrance to the national park. 

At the 6am sunrise, we found ourselves having naked bowl baths, then coffee and cereal watched by the pod of hippo only yards away in the Linyanti River.  We were the only humans within miles.

On to Katima Mulilo, a stay with the knowledgeable Keith and Mary at Caprivi River Lodge (formerly Caprivi Cabins), and a sunset boat trip on the Zambezi to see skimmers, among the many other birds. We wished we planned more time here than just an overnight stop and food restocking. Keith also offers guided tours into the difficult terrain of Mamili National Park– an ambition for a future holiday.

Stage 3 Chobe

Through the border post at Ngoma and another idyllic camp site at Ihaha. We just wish we’d stayed two nights, so we were prepared for the amazing dawn fly-over of egret, geese and huge flocks of pelican. Chobe is elephant paradise – over 65,000 of them. And it’s a wonder for water fowl. The best value boat trip was a morning one by ourselves, where the guide found good sites for photos.

We also saw a pair of leopard next to the river at sunset, the rare roan and sable antelope and a cute young hyena, playing with sticks like a puppy!

Our two other nights in Chobe were at the luxurious Chobe Safari Lodge and the best chocolate mousse we’ve ever tasted!

Five days between petrol stations. So we filled up in Kasane before a half-day journey, mostly on sand track, to Savuti.

(We were carrying 200 litres of fuel, including 60 litres in three jerry cans. When we got to Maun five days later we still had about 60 litres left but for peace of mind we would not have travelled with any less.)

We then had two nights at Savuti – crowded campsite which meant the facilities could barely cope. And two of the waterhole pumps had failed, so we were distressed to see animals braying for water.

We also had one of our most disturbing sights – of an elephant collapsing and dying of old age. The poor creature slowly became motionless over 24 hours (our route took us past him several times) and throughout he was accompanied by a friend, who stood close by watching.

Stage 4 Moremi

The road from the exit at Mababe to North Gate does get bumpy in parts.  But then the vista changes and, from the dryness and sand of Savuti, the blue richness of the Kwai River opens up and the animals and birds crowd along the river – water buck, lechwe, puku and saddle billed stork. Our first sighting of pygmy geese, hippo… wowee.  

We stayed at North Gate camp site one night, then Third Bridge two nights. If we go again, we’ll stay mostly in the north and try a night at South Gate. The expert guides there advised they’re the best places for animals.  

We may try a mokoro trip again. (Mboma boat station) Blackie did us proud and it gave us time to chill (booked in advance). But don’t go if you want to see wildlife, there is little to be seen, so a half day trip is more than enough.   

Our best sighting of the whole trip was at dusk near North Gate camp – a mother cheetah and her three cubs had ventured down to the river. We and one other vehicle watched for about 40 minutes until the sunlight had gone.

Our most annoying experience was also at North Gate camp! Baboons peeing and poohing on our roof tent throughout the night! They were obviously aiming for us and it took us an hour to clear it all off in the morning. The baboons continued to express their disgust at our presence by stealing our breakfast cereal too, right from in front of us!

After that, we carefully positioned our vehicle with clear sky overhead!

Third Bridge had been closed for some time and it was annoying we hadn’t been told, though it did mean we saw a huge line of over 150 elephant sloshing through the waters near Third Bridge– and we were the only ones to see it!

John was delighted that we had some close and prolonged views of both saddle-billed stork and wattled crane, birds we’d only seen fleetingly in the distance before.

On our last morning, we spotted a distant serval before a single male lion walked within inches of John’s open window to get to a waterhole, then three lovely hyena before we left Moremi for the long drive to Drotsky’s, some 450 kilometres away.

Stage 5 Returning’home’ Maun, Drotskys, Tsumeb and Etosha again!

We were amazed at how Maun had grown and tourism developed in nine years. We stopped to shop and get the car cleaned!  

But, it was brief, so we could press on via the delta and up the panhandle again, for an overnight at Drotskys – and another highlight. Our first view, though across the water, of carmine bee-eaters. The first birds had begun to return to the panhandle to breed and we were very surprised and fortunate to have caught them.  It was also a delight to meet Jan Drotsky’s amazing sister and her friends. 

On to Tsumeb, a beautiful town only 100km from the Namutoni gate. We took a chance and found comfortable and friendly digs – and a very efficient wash for all our clothes – at the Mousebird Backpackers on 4^th St. A great evening meal, too, at the Minen Hotel.

Our last two nights at Etosha were at Okaukuejo, with its waterhole teeming with life at all hours, then on to Windhoek for a day shopping, where we stayed at a new B and B, the Seventh Heaven, Schopenhauer St., in the academy district – all the streets are named after philosophers.  I bet you’ll never taste a better breakfast omelette. I’m vegetarian so I eat a lot of omelettes and, boy, this really was the best!

Top Tips

• Buy the Bradt guides to Namibia and Botswana. They’re great!

• The car hire company will want to ‘charge’ your credit card with a deposit in case of accidents. In our case it was £3600. It is only an "authorisation" and, all being well, you will not be charged or attract commission but make sure your credit limit is ready for it.

• Even if you leave furniture to ‘claim’ your camp site, big trucks like Nomads will ignore your stuff if it suits their purpose.

• If you’re near baboons, do not camp under the tree canopy!

• Make the effort to get out at first light and stay till last light - to see predators.

• Make sure everything moveable is firmly weighted down in the back of the vehicle. The roads in Chobe and Moremi can be VERY bumpy.

• Always take spare toilet rolls.

• Use a five-litre water bottle with a hole cut in the side to funnel the petrol from the jerry can into the tank. We hardly spilt a drop.

• Windhoek has some fantastic material shops, if you’re into home furnishings.

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