Day Twenty Six last leg from Mafikeng to PE

WE were up early and left Mafikeng on our last leg of the trip. We arrived at Kimberly at just past ten visited the big hole, bought some Kentucky fried chicken and hit the road again.

View of the Big Hole Kimberly

We arrived at the intersection at Britstown at 1,30pm, the point where we had branched off to Upington  twenty six days ago on the start of our tour, which means we had done a complete round trip.


Des standing at the same turnoff 26 days later


We then headed back through Middleburg, Cradock and arrived back home in PE at 7pm. A trip that both Des and myself would remember for the rest of our lives.

Arrival back at  41 Jeremy Road Port Elizabeth

Day Twenty Five Homeward bound from Kesane

Departure in the dark from our last campsite in Botswana

We made an early start this morning on our homeward journey leaving the Toro Lodge campsite at Kesane at 6.30am. We pushed hard to see how far we could get arriving at Nata at 9.30 Francistown at 1.30 and Gabarone at 4.30pm.We arrived at the border post at Ramatlabama at 6.30pm

Arrival at the Ramatlabama Border Post in the dark

After doing the necessary paper work we crossed the border into SA and pushed on to Mafiking where we stopped and went straight to a Spur and treated ourselves to a steak. We later went looking for a campsite or a caravan park to spend the night but found nothing. We eventually found a scout camp and the guy said we could stay over for the night without charge. We said we would be leaving at daybreak the next morning.

Day Twenty Four Trip to Victoria Falls

We had booked a day trip to the Victoria falls through an tour operator who came and picked us up at our campsite. We thought it would just be less hassles for us at the border post. We were about ten in a Toyota mini bus. They took us to Livingston  here they dropped us off. We were able to do our own thing for the day and the bus would leave again about three in the afternoon.






We took a stroll through the rain forest and viewed the falls from all the lookout points.



A view of the falls




 We went to the bridge where they did the bunge jumping. One of the members of our tour group did a jump so we were there to cheer her along. We were back in Botswana at 5pm.

Day Twenty Three Katima Mulilio to Kesane

We left the Namwi Island camp site and travelled to the Ngoma border post where we would enter into Botswana.

The giant Boabab tree at the Ngoma border post

 After doing all the paper work we left for Kesani and booked into the Toro Safari Lodge.



Emjoying the trip



A Hippo on the run



  We immediately booked a sunset cruise on the Chobe river which was most enjoyable seeing so much wild life from the comfort of a boat. A cruise really worthwile doing. We returned to camp just on dark


Buffalo on the plains at sunset





A Crocodile on the run

 

Day Twenty Two Popa Falls to Katima Mulilo

We moved on from the Popa fall and arrived at Kongola where we thought we should take a campsite at the Namushasha camp and spend a quiet afternoon. When we arrived we found there was nothing there for the camper, you could not even see the river, you needed to be booked into the lodge, so we cancelled our booking and carried on to Katima Mulilo where we booked in at the Namwe Island campsite.

A pod of Hippos

We took a sunset boat cruise on the Zambezi River saw a couple of hippos and some crocodiles. Enjoyed a nice braai in a very nice campsite.

Sunset on the Zambezi River

Day Twenty One Tsumeb to Popa Falls





Enjoying a couple of cold ones




Relaxing before our braai at Kupfe Quella

 We left The Kupfe Quelle Resort enroute Grootfontein. We no sooner left when we saw a sign Hoba Meteorite so we took the turn and arrived at small  building, we paid a fee and went to a site where this massive iron structure was embedded in the ground.
 

Des standing next to a mass of iron (The Hoba meteorite)


It was all paved around it and the structure itself was clean solid metal.  After observing and reading about it we continued to Grootfontein where we again stocked up. We then went to Rundu and then on to the Popa Fall where we would spend the night.

The Popa Falls

The campsite very quiet and secluded with the falls not much more than rapids.

Day Twenty Etosha to Tsumeb

This morning we hooked the camper again and went back into the park to exit on the other side at the Namutoni gate. We followed the main route through the park seeing animals at all the waterholes.



A Kudu bull after a drink




A bit of greenery at the Namutoni gate

 

 We stopped at the lookout point overlooking the pans, the pans were bone dry but it is just incredable to see the exspanse of the pan.

The dry Etosha pans at a lookout point

We eventually arrived at the Namutoni gate and made our way to Tsumb where we took a camp site a the Kupfe Quella resort. We then decided instead of taking the main route back to Windhoek  home we would  continue through the Caprivi to the Katima Malilo and then back home through Botswana.

Day Nineteen A day in the park

We left early and entered the park just after the gate opened. We came accross the same lions again just a little further from where we saw them the previous day.


The mating game begins



A rare sight

At one of the waterholes we noticed all the game very much on the alert. We then noticed a leopard  under a solar panel

A leopard lying under a solar panel at a waterhole

We hung around, but he did not interested in anything, so we moved on. We then came across more lions, which had obviously done a kill as they were all feeding on which looked like a zebra..

A giraffe taking a drink


 


A herd of buck on the side of the road


We drove down rhino drive all the way to the Halali camp in the hope of seeing a rhino, and then made our way back to the gate.

Day Eighteen arrived at Etosha

Etosha Safari Campsite out side of the park

We left early heading for Etosha. We decided we were not going to stay in the park but rather take a private campsite close to the gate. So we arrived just before 10 am and took a site at the Etosha Safari camp which was about 10 kilometres from Andersons gate.


Andersons entrance gate into Etosha



 We unhooked the camper and left for Okaukuejo where we did the necessary paper work and went into the park. We first did a drive on the west side and turned at Leeubron seeing pleny animals.


A small herd of Gemsbok on the move

A lone Zebra crossing the road

  In the afternoon we went east and did a short around Nebroni where we came accross a couple of lions. We then made our way back to camp as we had to be out of the gate by 6pm.


Animals around a water hole

A male lion and lioness



Day Seventeen A trip to Winhoek



The Entrance to Gross Barmen Hot Springs

 We left Gross Barmen at about 9.30 for Walvis Bay where we were going to stock up again as we were now planning to go into Etosha. After doing all the necessary we left Windhoek and headed back  to Okohandja and then on to Otjiwarongo.

The garden town Okohandja

Our next stop was at Outjo were we found a nice campsite at Ombinda Lodge which would probably be our last stayover before we reach Etosha.

Our pleasant grassed, shady campsite, Ombinda  Lodge

Day Sixteen Walvis Bay to Gross Barmen

A very misty Swakopmund

We left a very misty Walvis Bay at about 10am and made our way to Swakopmund where the mist was also very dense. We did the sightseeing that we could but eventually departed at 2pm as the mist was still very dense.

By midday the fog had not yet cleared up

 We travelled through Usakos and then onto Okahandja and arrived at Gross Barmen hot springs where we spent the night

Day Fifteen a day in Walvis Bay

We got up early and unpacked the trailer and found an engineering shop who was prepared to do the repair for us immediately.
 We then hired a chalet and we spent the morning washing all the equipement and the clothes that needed to be washed.

Birds a plenty feeding on mud banks of the laggon

Later we took a ride through Walvis Bay doing a bit of sight seeing and then took a ride along the salt pans.
 



The Jugermaster restuarant on the lagoon

Later the afternoon the trailer had been repaired so we went to fetch it a repacked it. We were booked in for the night so we took the oppertunity to make us a cooked meal. 

Day Fourteen Sossusvlei to Walvis Bay

We had a late start this morning as our next stop would beWalvis Bay. We stopped briefly at Solitaire and viewed some of the old cars scrap cars the were lying around the entrance.

The entrance to Solitaire with its display of scrap cars

We no sooner had left and dissaster struck. Des had gone through one of the dips which are frequent along that road probably a little on the fast side and the sudden dip tore something loose on the chassis. It was as if the chassis had bent backwards.

 A local road repair fellow looks on as Des jacks the camper

We nevertheless jacked the trailer up at the back and managed to tie the trailer forward so as to keep the mudguards from touching the wheel. Our journey then became very slow. Every couple of kilometres we had to stop and tension up the ropes as there seemed to be stretch on our ropes. This continued all afternoon with us making very slow progress. At dark we contemplated pulling off and sleeping for the night but it was so open, proper dessert, so we just continued and eventually arrived at Walvis Bay at 9pm that night. We booked camp site at the Lagoon Challets. We were however still in good spirits, so we had our evening meal at midnight.

Day Thirteen Helmeiringhausen to Sossusvlei

We refueled before we left and headed up the C14 and then joined C19 which took us to Sesriem where we booked in for the night.

After looking around we walked down into Sesriem canyons which is a narrow gorge about 1km long and spent about an hour walking around.



Deep gorge in the Sesriem canyons

We waited for the late afternoon sun to be right for some photographs and then took a drive down to Dune 45 to see if we could  capture some nice sunset photos of the dunes. We later reitired after nice potjie.

Dune 45 at Sossusvlei

 

Day Twelve Ai Ais to Helsmeiringhausen

After a nice nights rest and a bit of cleaning up of our camper we left Ai Ais. Our first stop was at Hobas, the Fish River Canyon. We went to the lookout post and viewed these magnificient canyons.

Looking down on the canyons

There was a group of backpacker who were about to start the venture down the canyon. The guide tried to explain to us where they would end up after four days. I personally think that that would not be for the faint hearted, definately an experience for who ever is able to do such a hike.

View of the Fish River Canyons

We left the canyons in hot conditions and made our way to Seehiem where we reached the main road leading to Ludritz. We branched off the main road and went through Bethany, because it was a Sunday we could not get fuel so we went on the Helmeirngshausen and decided to stay over for the night. A pleasant camp that had a grassed area. It was here where we fisrt experienced the hospitality of the people of Namibia. We were also told that we must remember that our time has been changed by one hour.

Grassed campsite at Helmeiringhausen

Day Eleven Richterberg to Ai Ais



Mountains as far as the eye can see

We made an early start from the Richterberg campsite as we were now going to make our way to the exit gate at the Helsberg gate. We travelled through the Kokerboomkloof and then on to the Helskloof pass. There is not much wild life to see in the Richterveld but the scenery and landscape is unbelievable.

Winding roads through the hill tops

To see a mass of rocky mountains where ever you look is magnificent. I do not even think a photograph does justice, you need to see it in reality. We exited the park and went back to Sendlingsdrift where we did the necessary paper work to enter into Namibia.



Crossing the Orange River at Sendlingsdrift



We crossed the Orange river by ferry and travelled along the Orange River for a short distance and branched off and eneded up at A Ais where we booked a campsite. It was nice to have a shower and freshen up as the last time we had ablutions was in Springbok. We then watched the rugby test on the stoep of the Ais Ais Restuarant before returning to our campsite to enjoy a couple of cold ones and a well desreved braai.



Campsite at Ai Ais