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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Mar 04, 2012 08:00 PM Flying over the falls...
I flew over Iguassu - the most magnificent fall of the world. Now I wanted to fly over the greatest fall of Africa. Maybe the last chance in my life...
It is not cheap. 145 USD for the 15-minutes flight on the helicopter. Fully booked for this morning!
Another option is the ultra-light plane - 140 for a quarter. So I decided to take my chance.
On the airstrip I paid and then they said that I must take off everything from my pockets. But I want to take the pictures! CAMERAS ARE NOT ALLOWED! CELLPHONES ARE NOT ALLOWED! They take your picture from the wing camera and you can buy them later. But I want to photograph the falls, not me! That's why I decided to pay such a price!
WARNING! - nobody will tell you when you book that you will not be able to take you camera aboard.
Judge me if you want: I smuggled my camera anyway.
The flight was nice and the views excellent until I took my camera off and started to photograph... The pilot turned back immediately. I am guilty. :) But what a views of the Victoria Fall from the air!
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Mar 03, 2012 08:00 PM Magnificent Victoria Falls
Our car is not allowed to go to Zambia - rather unsafe country. We left it in Katima Mulilo guesthouse.
Early in the morning we went throuh the border formalities on the southern bank of the river and then crossed the bridge on Zambezi River by foot. It is like 4 kms walk to the nearest village of Shesheke. There we found the minibus to Livingstone waiting for the passengers. Ticket costs 60000 kwacha, departure time? Unknown... when it will be full. We were lucky to depart in 40 minutes.
Paved road is full of holes. The tyre exploded after some 80 kms. They found a spare one, but is was damaged - enough for the next 30 kms only. And it is 200 kms to Livingstone. We stopped another car - take us directly to the falls!
I saw Victoria 21 yars ago from Zimbabwe in the dry season. What I saw here and and now exceeded my expectations. Great power of the water, huge load, spray... Hope to show you the pictures in the future. They charge 20 USD entry fee to the falls and you can see just the beginning of the 108 -m deep canyon (Victoria is 1700 m long) but it is still worth!
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Mar 02, 2012 08:00 PM Caprivi Strip - Zambezi River...
It is long strip of Namibian territory between Angola & Zambia (north) and Botswana (south). The only one like this in the world. Every 20 kms we saw the signs: "Elephants - 80 km/h". Normal speed is 120 km/h on this empty road.
In Kongola we turned to the gravel road (19 kms) to the "Living museum". Nobody from the staff was there - few tourists visit the place. But we enjoyed huge baobab trees and we visited two normal villages taking pictures and talking with the villagers about their hard life.
In the late afternoon we reached the border township of Katima Mulilo. It is the farthest town from the capital of Namibia. It is also the border town - since they built here the bridge to Namibia on Zambezi River.
It is worth to recommend "Fish Eagle Nest Guest House" - probably the only budget accommodation in Katima. Nice roomy rooms, little pool, breakfast included... They charge 660 NAD per double - in Namibia it is not expensive...
It is 4 kms to the border bridge from the town and we are getting ready for the border crossing to Zambia!
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Mar 01, 2012 08:00 PM The largest meteorite?
Namibia. Driving through Tsumeb and Grootfontain we reached the little farm where you can see the largest known meteorite - the Hoba.
It is located some 18 kms off C42 road in the countryside.
They charge 20 NAD entry fee.
Can you imagine the block of metall 3m by 3m by 1 m? It is made by the nature from iron, nickel and cobalt...
Impressive!
back on the main road we drove north on B6 highway. There is veterinary control in the village of Mururani. They don't harm foreign drivers. But this is also a border of the landscape: you are going now to the Africa of the small villages, mud-made huts and poverty...
In the little, hot town of Rundu we passed through the police post (take care, it is dangerous region!)and we met Kavango river. On the other side of the river is already Angola. Going east to Caprivi Strip it is worth to take not the new, tarred B6 highway but the old , gravel road along Kavango - there is still a real life, real landscape of the old, traditional Africa. I enjoyed it very much, stoping, talking with the people and enjoying the landscape. I have another funny village name to my collection: Vungu-Vungu!
Night in the bush hut in the Ngepi Camp on the bank of Kavango River - the 4-km access road is horrible for 2WD car like our!
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Feb 29, 2012 08:00 PM First elephant and a tropical storm...
We reached Namutoni Camp in Etosha National Park. It is very nice place: the camp is located around the former German fort, built in 1905. It looks like a white castle in the middle of the tropical bush.
During the afternoon game drive we saw new herds of giraffas, plenty of antelopes and our first lonely elephant wandering through savanna.
The night was hard and the heavy tropical storm arrived aroung midnight. Our tent survived but in the morninng we found ourself in the middle of the little lake...
Another adventure!
And time to say goodbye to exotic park of Etosha...
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Feb 28, 2012 08:00 PM Black rhino came for the dinner!
Etosha National Park - Namibia. We took the Rhino Drive to get from Okaukuejo Camp to Halali camp. The park roads except the main one are in the bad shape. We did not have so far any rain but after the passed rainy season about 50% of park road is closed during to the waterholes and mud. But it was still great drive - few tourists, very few cars. And slill a lot of roads to drive...
We met kudu, warthogs, steenboks, and one white rhino was visible from the distance... Huge herds of wildbeasts were also present.
After hot huurs in the car (we do not have a/c) we were happy to reach the second camp - Halali.
Wow! They have 24-m long swimming pool here! What a pleasure after such a hot, hot day!
Just after great sunset we went to the waterhole at the outskirts of the camp. Can you imagine? Big black rhino arrived to the water and decided to sleep just nearby in the bush. - He came for the dinner!- said my companion.
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Feb 27, 2012 08:00 PM Jackals' night in Okaukuejo Camp
In the world - famous Etosha National Park there are three camps you can stay. But first you must be registered at the park gate and pay the entrance fee - it is 170 NAD per 2 people and car per each day.
High giraffas were greeting us just few kms after the gate. Once at the camp we got our campsite, put our little tent there and went out by car for the game drive.
Western part of Etosha gives many opportunities to see wild animals: it is mostly savanna so the view is wide. We met impalas, springbooks, zebras and a lot of birds.
Unfortunately you cannot go out of the car for pictures.
Great sunny and very hot weather.
Back in the camp we saw few jackals wondering around the tents. In the night they were wowing very close. I did not sleep much. But what a day!
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Feb 26, 2012 08:00 PM Those painted Himba ladies...
The landscape has changed. Green hills are all around! Driving on the gravel we reached today Kamanjob township in the northern Namibia.
In the afternoon we visited with a local guide the village of Himba tribe. The Himba woman do not use water to wash themselves. They use smoke... and everyday they paint their bodies. They wear little clothing, but the women are famous for covering themselves with otjize, a mixture of butter fat and ochre, possibly to protect themselves from the sun and insects...
Interesting culture! Their huts made of mud are similar to those in the equatorial Africa. They live from the herds of cows.
I took a lot of pictures of woman and kids. Tropical storm forced us to come back to the guesthouse...
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Feb 25, 2012 08:00 PM Along the Skeleton Coast
Petrol in Swakopmund is the last expensive in Namibia. 9,75 per litre. I bought full tank. Destination: Tarra Bay on the Skeleton Coast. We were driving at the beginning on the salt road - they use salt to improve the surface of the roads here. Not bad - it is better then gravel.
We made a stopover on Cape Cross to see huge fur seals colony. Can you imagine 80000 fur seals in one place? What a experience! I saw them before in Antarctica but not such a mass in one place! It is worth 40 NAD entry fee...
Then we passed the gate of Skeleton Coast NP. They registered us. How is the road to Torra Bay? No problem for 4WD car! But we travel on a small 2WD!
The gravel was bad. From time to time we saw the Atlantic coast, but mostly the gray desert. The landscape changed when we turned inland at Torra Bay. We reached in half an hour the area of unspoiled bauty: Great Table Mountains. Red rocks like giant tables. Savanna with some animals was at the bottom of the mountains. We camped at the first available camp - they charge as usual 110 NAD per person and you have a power, water and shade at your site...
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Feb 24, 2012 08:00 PM Welwitschia in the desert
Swakopmund - Namibia. In the Namibian desert you can see one of the oldest and biggest plants. It is welwitschia.
First you have to go to the NWR office on the Bismarck street to pay for the visit. 50 NAD per person and 10 per car. They will issue the permit and give you a detailed map, because it is not easy to find this unique plant.
We were driving through the desert road some 40 kms to get to the biggest known welwitschia. It has diameter of some 3 m and they say it is 1500 years old.
I did not see such a plant before!
Moon landscape on the way...
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