7th July, Marapos NP Zim

7^th July Matapos NP.

The Matapos are a very spiritual place for the local people. The landscape is a mass of rocks piled on top of each other some at weird angles. There is not much game to see but it’s the scenery that is so intriguing. We are camped near a dam where the nights are so quiet after the previous night at Vic Falls, just the odd croak coming from the water. We drove over 500kms yesterday and are now near the South African border and, all going well, will cross over tomorrow. Should be able to get my blog up to date then.

8^th July Tshipe Camping Resort., Sth Africa.

Back in Sth Africa in a camp site housing 370 sites and it is pretty full. It’s the school holidays here and the place is warmer than further south.

Three posts and a couple of photos but will catch upon the photos soon. Hope to get in to Kruger tomorrow.

We didn’t have to go to Namibia, appears the van’s papers have been sorted out.

Hwange NP 4th July

Hwange NP.4^th July

Hwange is reputed to have the largest concentration of elephants in the world. Some 30,000 of them. It’s a big park not far from Victoria Falls. We headed to the park on leaving Bulawayo but instead of heading into the park we decided to stay the first night at a lodge near the park boundary that allowed camping. Not only allowing camping, but because of a group that took up most of the camping area, we were placed separately within 50 metres of a water hole that had been formed to attract the animals. Our own private water hole you might say. Here we were, sitting on our chairs at the back of the van while wart hogs, a family of kudu and then an elephant all came down to drink. Later we saw a few other types with the aid of a spotlight.

The lodge itself was very low key, reasonably priced and with a great staff. That night they lit a fire for us, Costa the cook and another staff member sat with us chewing the fat. In the morning Absel, a member of the staff showed me the spoor of the animals that had visited that night.

The next morning we went into the park, did some washing & housework then took off on a 120km game drive that looped around the southern part of the park. Early on the vegetation was quite thick with little sign of animals, but after lunch, we turned a corner and there were about 30-40 elephants at a pan. All sizes happily drinking when suddenly a group of roan antelope appeared stage right most likely wanting to take a drink as well. They walked down towards the pan then suddenly took off running alongside the herd and spooking them no end. There were elephants going in all directions trumpeting and ears flapping. I would never have thought they would be so upset by an animal much smaller but I guess they are faster and know they could outrun an elephant. The roan is a big antelope, a bit smaller than a horse with backward curving horns. We were just ready to take advantage of the road clearing when a further group of 50 or so elephants appeared also stage right making their way to the water throwing up a cloud of dust in their wake. It was all so awesome.

We moved on taking in the odd animal at the various pan until we came to the first sign we had seen since starting the loop; ‘Main Camp 55kms’ the gates close at 6pm and it was now after 5.The road was not the best and the speed limit in the park was 40kph. Sorry, but it was a case of a mad dash back as some camps fine late returnees quite a large sum. The elephants we encountered were considerate leaving the road clear but just as darkness was upon us, the legs of a giraffe appeared coming on to the road. I braked hard and he took evasive action as well. A collision would have made a pretty mess to both of us. Just up the road Joan discerned in the murkiness two lionesses walking along the road. They moved to one side letting us take a photo before moving on. Our first sighting of lions on this trip.

The next morning we took off on the 120km drive between the two camps. We left at a reasonable hour but stopovers at different water holes and hides saw us a long way from the designated picnic area at lunch time. These picnic spots are meant to be the only places where people are allowed to leave your vehicle as they are fenced and there is usually a guard on hand. We decided to bend the rules and have a quick lunch near a large pan where nobody was around and the only action was a hippo surfacing every now and then. Hadn’t been there 5 minutes when a family of 9 elephants came down to have a drink. They were less than 70 metres away but seemed unconcerned with our presence though one of the bulls kept an eye on us. A short time later a further 3 came down including what must have been a newly born baby. We have seen plenty of them but to just sit there for half an hour and watch the interaction in the group was a delight. They are such beautiful animals.

Further on we came upon a lion guarding a dead cape buffalo that the lionesses must have killed the previous night. This was within 2metres of the road. Vultures were waiting patiently in the trees and jackals circled for a chance to duck in. It was very dramatic and quite unexpected. It was a big animal and must have taken a lot to bring down.

The camp we ended up at, Sinamantela, is built on a mesa 55 metres above the surrounding plain. The camp sites all had a bird’s eye view of the game below. In the early morning the roaring of a lion could be heard as well as other strange noises.

5^th July Victoria Falls.

Seeing we were so close to the falls we decided to take a look from the Zimbabwe side. We were disappointed as more spray comes upon this side making it difficult or in most cases impossible, to see the bottom of the falls. It could have been the breeze blowing our way or the quantity of water going over but the Zambian side where we had been three years ago seemed to be better for viewing. The town was full of tourists, the campsite full of drunken noisy overlanders who partied till after twelve.

Zambezi River, Mana Pools

A Good Stretch

Innocence Exemplified

28th June.Mana Pools Zim

28^th June. Mana Pools NP.

I remember writing in my blog on our way down through Africa when we stayed at the camp site above the Murchison Falls in Uganda how once in a while things just click into place and you experience a day that is ‘as good as it gets’ as Jack Nicholson said in the film of the same name. Well, today here at Mana Pools, as we sat on the edge of the Zambezi River with the sun setting over the Zambian mountains I feel we had another of those days. A day to remember. Hippos were present that last time as well. This time they were upstream a little their presence being made aware by their honking, groaning and grumbling. The river here would be a kilometre wide, fast flowing with the odd island in the middle.

Mana Pools NP is very isolated, to get here means 70kms of bad road but it is full of wild life, the camp is on the edge of the river and the facilities are good with each site having its own water supply and braai. The game viewing is mainly on the 4 billabongs that make up an oxbow formed thousands of years ago before the Zambezi changed its course. The drives are not long and the animal and bird life prolific. Many elephants, hippos and crocs. This park is also unique in letting people leave the safety of their vehicles and walk unguided through certain areas of the park. At your own risk of course as there are lions, cheetahs, hyenas and leopards in the park. We took advantage having a picnic lunch sitting outside the vehicle at a water hole where hippos and crocs basked in the sun. For two hours we relaxed and read keeping an eye on the proceedings in the water. The hippos are quite intriguing with us learning a bit more about their habits. They have a short fat tail and when they defecate they use their tail like a propeller to spray it all over the water and themselves at the same time. They then submerge to get it off. Must be a reason for it and am sure Google will explain.

We have been a few days in Zimbabwe now and have found the country very different from what we expected before leaving Australia. Three years ago I can’t think we would have entertained the idea of coming here. But after talking to people who raved about Zim we felt it would be as safe as any other African country. We have found the people here fantastic with a dry sense of humour. I guess considering what they have been through they have to have that. Harare is a modern city with the usual sky scrapers, and traffic lights that frequently work. Power cuts are common. The supermarkets are well stocked with everything you would need but at a price dearer than Sth Africa and getting on par with Australia. Most things are imported, the US dollar is the currency used, they had to do that to get over the hyper inflation they were experiencing.

The roads have been very good so far but then we haven’t been off the main roads yet.

30^th June Gweru. Zim

Sadly left Mana Pools this morning. The last day at Mana was another exceptional day with us witnessing many interesting sights such as a male elephant standing on his hind legs and reaching 5-6 metres up into a tree to grab that succulent branch he had had his eye on. Then there were the two eland, the biggest of the antelopes, we hadn’t seen one of those for some years. And last night, while sitting around or camp fire a spotlight picked up a spotted hyena a few metres away. The people thought he was looking for food.

Tsetse flies were a nuisance at the park though. We have been bitten innumerable times and the darn things hurt let alone leaving you open to sleeping sickness. They bite through clothing and their bites sting like hell, swell up over a couple of days and make you feel miserable. They just keep attacking you until you kill them or they are frightened off. At the moment I would have 15 bites or so in the last couple of days while Joan hasn’t been attacked quite so often. They are in the Zambezi valley and as you climb up the escarpment there is a barrier where a little man with a spray can and insect net comes out to inspect the inside and outside of the car as they hitch a lift. He was very adept of capturing the couple that were still clinging on.

The drive today took us through a very fertile area that must have once been very productive when the white farmers were in charge but is now nothing but waste land with the odd bit of land ploughed for a crop of mealies (corn) for the so called war veterans that now live on the land. What this country could have been.

2nd July. Bulawayo, Zim

Hi There,
In Bulawayo after spending a few days at Mana Pools NP. Can't use my computer here or my memory stick so the news will have to wait.
All going well, really enjoying Zimbabwe and should be here a few days more. May have to go back to Namibia as there seems to be a hiccup with the renewal of the van rego. Will find out today.
Gary