Africa - Part Two
The following morning we set off on another game drive. Our morning started with some Hippos basking in a watering hole under the sunrise as we continued on to the wetlands where we were about to hop into a Mokoro – a type of canoe propelled through the shallow waters of the delta by standing in the stern and pushing with a pole. As we relaxed and took in the various birdlife surrounding us, one of our game drivers got a call to say we should head back to land and get in our vehicles. After 5 minutes of speculation our game drivers confirmed there had been a sighting of Cheetahs!!! We rushed back to our vehicles and surely enough, within minutes we spotted three of the elusive Cheetah. Beautiful and shy, the Cheetah’s didn’t hang around very long! We then made our way back to camp, and had lunch and an afternoon siesta (commonplace in Africa).
This afternoon’s game drive at Pom Pom was one to remember. We witnessed Hippos making love extremely loudly, Baboons fighting and courting one another, and to top it off we spotted some wild dogs having their serve of Impala for dinner. Wild dogs are quite rare in Africa, so we were very fortunate to have seen some of these animals in their natural habitat.
Today we departed the Okavango Delta en route to Chobe! Some of the ladies on our tour were excited to be arriving in Chobe as it is known to be home to thousands of Elephants, and some were excited to be entering the land of Wifi and phone reception! With just enough time to put our bags down, we were off on a river cruise along the Chobe River. The Chobe River is the meeting place of four countries being Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The cruise along the Chobe River was a personal highlight. We saw Hundreds of Elephants frolicking in and along the waterline as well as Hippos and Crocodiles lining the riverbank. We could get so close to animals here, providing some great photo opportunities. The following morning we were off on our first Chobe game drive - elephant, hippos, zebras, giraffes, impala, buffalo, baboons and even Lion to be seen. This game drive was a different experience to our previous drives, firstly because we saw a lot more animals within close proximities to one another, and secondly because we saw a lot more people within the park spotting the same animals! So, it certainly isn’t as intimate as the smaller private camps and concessions which generally only have a couple of vehicles. We saw some amazing accommodation here in Chobe. Two favourites were the Chobe Game Lodge – the only lodge inside the park, and Bakwena – a 5 minute drive from the park, however the accommodation here was stunning and the hotel was ran by women from the local community!
After Chobe we were off to Victoria Falls! The border crossing was short and sweet and we were in Zimbabwe in no time! After a relaxing evening of drinks on the Zambezi River, we were ready for our next adventure… Victoria falls! Upon arrival to the falls, locals were handing us raincoats which we all declined as it wasn’t raining. Everyone regretted this choice as we got absolutely drenched by the falls!!! Thank goodness I had packed a waterproof camera! One of the seven wonders of the world – these falls were magnificent! Powerful, loud and beautiful from every angle! After marvelling at the falls for a few hours we headed back to our hotel for our last dinner together! Travelling in a group is a fantastic way to share your experiences and make friends and memories to last a lifetime!
Now that my group tour was complete I was off to Cape Town! What a vast difference from spotting animals in the wild to entering a city! Day 1 in Cape Town was spent learning all about the history and Culture of the surrounding area, as well as travelling up the infamous Table Mountain. Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top. It is notorious for low visibility because of layers of fog over the mountain and this day was no different! Aside from being absolutely freezing on the top of the mountain, I got a few glimpses of the stunning coastline of Cape Town! Day 2 in Cape Town was spent on a Stellenbosch wineries tour! The scenery in Stellenbosch was beautiful. Rolling green mountains lined with grape vines and traditional white homes, beautiful food, and of course, beautiful wine! Two days in Cape Town wasn’t nearly enough, however in saying that two weeks in Africa is certainly not enough. Africa is one amazing continent, from the people to the animals to the sunsets, this trip is one not to be forgotten.