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This was the second trip by LOE to Africa.

WILDEST SOUTHERN AFRICA - SOUTH AFRICA, BOTSWANA, ZAMBIA & NAMIBIA

The LOE team spread their wings in 2007 and 2008 with two fantastic tag-along trips to Africa for some truly extraordinary travel experiences that only Africa can offer.

Click here to read all about the first 2007 trip.

To read all about our LOE trip in the article written by Patrick Cruywagen, the Bush Editor of South Africa's 4x4 magazine who joined us on the trip, click on this link.

 

 

 

Africa April 2008

In mid April the LOE crew once again all joined up at the fabulous Farm Inn, in Pretoria, South Africa (www.farminn.co.za/), including our great mate Bertus Hanekom who is our South African guide and expert (one of the best in South Africa) for the trips. With all the guests collected safely and the vehicles delivered and handed over and the paperwork completed we were ready to begin this exciting adventure. This year would see us travel through South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia.

Soon after leaving the farm Inn we visited a Black Rhino Sanctuary that is run by one of South Africa’s pre-eminent conservationist. Here we were privileged to be able to not only view at close quarters both a young female and male black rhino, but we were also able to touch the 5-year old female which had been rescued when it had been badly hurt by a male. She was a beauty and we fed and patted her. The noise they make is a very delicate squeak that seems so unlike the look of the animal. It was a truly wonderful and memorable experience.

 

 

 

After a relatively easy passage through the Botswana border posts we made camp for the night. While we couldn’t visit Kubu Island this trip (it was flooded) we instead skirted the pans as we headed north, our destination being the magnificent Chobe River National Park. Along the way we passed through the occasional mud hut village with their cattle corral holding a few cattle and goats. The other common mode of transport we were to encounter were heavily loaded donkey drawn carts – two and three donkeys to a cart was a common sight.

 

 

We made it to our campsite at the Chobe Safari Lodge just in time for our evening boat trip. It was a magnificent evening, with a typical glorious African sunset. This boat trip is not to be missed and our group saw plenty of wildlife and lots and lots of elephants at close quarters. The following morning it was an early rise to head out for a game drive in the park to get up close and personal to the wildlife.

 

 

 

After our early morning game drive we were off to one of the most hectic borders in Africa – the Zambia/Botswana border at Kazungula. This border is bedlam - the line of trucks stretching for kilometres and numbering at least 70! Then of course there are the people with their shopping, kids, taxis and small buses crossing from one side of the river and country to another. The ferry takes only a few cars and a truck at a time, so it took a few crossings to get everyone across. Bertus got into action and had us all through and paperwork completed in record time and with him doing all the work the group wasn’t hassled by all the ‘helpers’ who can be very persistent and a real pain.

 

 

 

 

Once on the Zambia side it was a short drive to the town of Livingstone and the magnificent Victoria Falls. A day around camp meant everyone could explore the falls and surrounds by helicopter and foot.

Namibia was beckoning though, so we began our drive and crossed the mighty Zambezi River once again at the Zambia/Namibia border post at Katima Mulilo. Getting out was a lot quicker than getting into Zambia and it wasn’t too long before our group of vehicles was heading west through the Caprivi Strip. A bit of souvenir shopping at a couple of special spots known by Bertus and some great camps along the way saw us driving towards Etosha, with a few stops along the way to check out Popa Falls and a giant baobab.

 

Etosha National Park is one of the world’s finest game parks and a wildlife experience not to be missed. Covering over 8,000 square miles, the park encompasses the Etosha Pan, which dominates the park - a vast saltpan 130km long and as wide as 50km in places. Savannah grassland and Mopani woodland surround the pan. This was to be an exceptional wildlife experience for everyone with plenty of game drives and loads of animals – including giraffe, springbok, zebra, gemsbok, kudu, wildebeest and impala. And if that wasn’t enough there were a number of lion sightings and couple of leopard, and best of all, a few people had close-up encounters with a black rhino while everyone saw one in the evening at the waterhole at our camp, when he came in to drink.

 

We somehow dragged everyone away from Etosha for a different kind of experience – a cultural one. Our destination was Opuwo and the country of the very traditional Himba and Herero people.

The town of Opuwo is like no other and a wonderful mix of people – both still living their traditional lifestyle (such as the Himba) and others who have embraced a more western style of living. With Bertus’s guidance, we visited a traditional village not too far out of town. For this visit you must have a local guide and take a ‘Himba Pack’ of supplies – flour, tea, coffee, sugar, tobacco, etc as part of your 'entry fee'. We were invited into the village to learn about their way of life and how they live. It was a special experience and one no one would ever forget. It was quite a contrast spending the night in a lodge just out of town.

 

 

 

Leaving the sensory overload that is Opuwo, we began our journey to the legendary Skeleton Coast of Namibia, passing through the spectacular Joubert Pass. Our group was very luck to see a small group of Desert Elephants along the way – a rare sight. Bertus even spotted a young male leopard near the road and most of our group were lucky enough to see it before it quickly vanished into the long grass and shrub.

 

We entered the Skeleton Coast NP at the Springbok Gate and the wind picked up and soon we were traveling through a full-blown dust and sand storm. What an inhospitable but imposing coast and landscape this is, especially in these conditions.

 

 

A stop at Cape Cross, where the Portuguese first landed on this coast back in the late 1500s, was well worth it. Here there are about 100,000 South African Fur Seals resting and breeding, all of which are spread along the coast for a km or so. The sight and close proximity of the seals, which is awesome, also means the smell is pretty unpleasant.

The town of Swakopmund is a great place to R&R, especially in the woeful conditions we were experiencing so we headed there and our group kept themselves busy exploring the area and taking in all this wonderful, colourful town has to offer.

Having dragged a few stragglers from the Crystal Shop, we began our journey south to Walvis Bay and then onto Kuiseb Canyon with the country near completely covered in shimmering dried silvery grass. We continued through this delightful desert country where every corner had a view to remember. But the breathtaking sand dunes of Sossusvlei were our next destination and after a pleasant night’s camp in the national park at the entrance to the dunes the group headed off with Bertus very early in the morning to watch the sunrise over these truly magnificent red dunes. There had been rain and grass was growing in the valley so there was plenty of wildlife to be seen such as gemsbok and springbok.

 

 

The next spectacular geographical feature was the Fish River Canyon. It is one of the largest canyons in the world, and features a gigantic ravine, in total about160 km long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 metres deep.

From this point we headed to the Namibia/South Africa border – a relatively easy border crossing and we were soon on our way to Springbok and then to the coast meeting it where the mouth of the Green River flows into the ocean.

 

 

From there we followed the sandy dirt track south – called by some the Kingsley Holgate Trail - that stuck fairly close to the coast all the way for about 100km. This was a great drive, passing diamond mines and kelp collection areas.

 

 

 

 

Our trip was reaching its end and our final night’s camp was at Lambert’s Bay with a very unusual dinner at Muisbos Skerm - ‘Mouse bush enclosure’ - restaurant about 5km south of the town. Here you get a great meal – the fish, crays, and calamari cooked fresh from the sea and on the spot, while the bread comes from big mud-enclosed ovens and is served steaming hot. Everyone loved it – thank goodness Bertus had organised a bus to take us all home!

 

Our trip finished at Cape Town and at the upmarket Zevenwacht Winery estate - situated a little west of Stellenbosch. It was a wonderful way to complete the trip and after all the dirt and dust and rooftop tent sleeping a well-earned bit of luxury for the night.

Next year will see the LOE team again in Africa exploring some new areas including Swaziland and Lesotho. It should be a beauty!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bertus Hanekom – South African Guide and all round good bloke!
Bertus is one of the best tour guides in South Africa. He is able to speak 6 languages, English, Dutch, Afrikaans, German, Zulu and a bit of Portuguese too!  Bertus has an extraordinary amount of knowledge stored in his brain on all manner of subjects and can gives our guests comprehensive information on the history of an area and culture of the people.

It would be difficult to find anyone with more facts and practical understanding than Bertus with regard wildlife. His knowledge and skills about wildlife and the creatures of South Africa, especially the birds, butterflies and game you find in the Southern parts of Africa, would be hard to surpass!  Having Bertus as our guide has proven to be an experience in itself.  He will show you tracks, teach you calls of the wild and he will assist you to spot the numerous mammals, reptiles, insects and birds you’ll see whilst on the expedition.

Bertus is registered with THETA and SATOUR. He has been guiding for almost 20 years and we have yet to meet a better (and nicer) person who is so passionate about the Culture, Wildlife and History of South Africa.

He has been working as a tour guide since 1990. In 1995, Bertus entered the life of a conservator when he worked in the, then Wintershoek National Park and became their first game ranger. In 1996 this exceptional man did free-lance guiding for Denake Safaris.  In 1997 Leiland Reisen and Bertus Tours was formed and Bertus was placed as the Tour Leader and Interpreter for the tours, which covered 27 Countries.

After working at Mkuze Falls in 1999, Bertus then began work for Inyaminga Safaris where he learnt the art of Butterfly guiding and went on fishing and bird safaris in Mozambique.  From 2002-2004 he was assisting the National Parks of Mozambique with their problem animal control.

Since then, Bertus has been guiding in so many places it’s difficult to keep track, but he has guided for Australian Geographic, Global Contact Travel – Belgium, Highline Travel, Kioni Private Safaris and Thompsons.
It is an honour and a privilege to have Bertus Hanekom on our Legendary Outback Expeditions team.

 

To read all about our LOE trip in the article written by Patrick Cruywagen, the Bush Editor of South Africa's 4x4 magazine who joined us on the trip, click on this link.

 

LEGENDARY OUTBACK 4x4 EXPEDITIONS - 2009

Departure early April 2009
Next trip the LOE team will again be in Africa exploring some new areas including Swaziland and Lesotho. It should be a beauty!!!

For all the details check out the LOE web site at:    www.loe.com.au

You can also contact Macca & Karen (details below) should you wish to discuss further. We hope you can join us on our next “trip of a lifetime”.

Happy Travelling,

Ron and Viv; Macca and Karen

For more information on the trip and costs, contact:

Karen & Macca (Anthony) McDonald,
Red Desert Tours & Catering,
PO Box 53, Kinglake, Victoria, 3763.
Phone/Fax: 03 5786 2004           Mobile: 0412 179 688 (Anthony)
Emai:l macca@red-desert.com.au
Web www.red-desert.com.au

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