JohnM's E Africa aerial safari

[JohnM]

Sunset in Africa!





After two nights on the houseboat, we exit Nambia and re-enter Botswana for the initially low-level flight up the Chobe River, then the higher-level run to the Okavango Delta.

Buzzed the houseboats on the way out.


Coming into the Okavango Delta, which is a vast area into which the inland-draining Okavango River finds its way to disperse its water from the mountains of Angola. In June it was in the process of filling the creeks and lakes.

 

[JohnM]

Camp in the Okavango was at Shinde (Shinde Ker & Downey Botswana | Ker & Downey Botswana - Discover Beautiful Botswana with our Luxury Safaris), set among trees. Here’s the dining area.



My room.


We saw a couple of leopards here; one just strolling along the track on the first evening game drive, the other at a very fresh antelope kill the following morning.




Don’t call me ‘kitty’!

 

[JohnM]

Mmmm, tasty!






Lion on fresh warthog that evening.

 

[JohnM]

Nice sundowner by the lake.


After two nights, it was back in the bird to Kasane to exit Botswana and refuel before the 20 minute flight back to Livingstone in Zambia for the last two nights.

Busy for ATC at Shinde.



We stayed at The Royal Livingstone Hotel (Royal Livingstone Hotel | Livingstone Hotels |Victoria Falls Livingstone Hotels Royal Livingstone Hotel | Livingstone Hotels |Victoria Falls Livingstone Hotels) which is on the bank of the Zambezi just up from the Falls.

 

[JohnM]

I took a closer look at the Falls. The water level was still fairly high, but had declined from its peak earlier in the year. I have been once before, during the dry season when I was on the Zimbabwe side, a better viewpoint when the water flow is low. When the flow is high, the Zimbabwe side is blotted out by the spray, making the Zambian side better then.




I took a boat trip to Livingstone Island on the lip of the Falls. I didn’t look left!


So there it is – Africa offers the most amazing mix of wildlife, scenery, adventure and style.

The company is talking about something similar next year - perhaps taking in Namibia (James, the pilot, said it's absolutely awesome from the air) or maybe Ethiopia. Whatever - I've already got my name first on the list!

What would be totally awesome is to get 8 AFFers to book out the whole bird :!:.

Feel free to PM me for any information.

PS. I should really get off my backside and do a TR of my trip a couple of years ago to Kruger NP in S Africa - awesome - plus the Galapagos and Patagonia/Antarctica last year. Might try to squeeze at least one in before I leave on this year's 7 week DONE5 on 1 September (did I say my FF year ends on 31 August :?:).

 

[cove]

Loved your concept of the rough roads giving you an African massage. Beautifully done JohnM...a triumph! I felt I was there.

 

[RooFlyer]

Fantastic, thanks! I've done about 1/3 of your journey, by road - and I can definitely attest to the coughpy state of the roads!

 

[Major]

What a great TR...fantastic photos...thanks for sharing

 

[amaroo]

Terrific TR.....very stylish and inspiring!

 

[dmitri]

Best TR I've read in a long time, I think you have swayed my next holiday from Europe/Asia to Africa.

 

[kpc]

Great report!....is it too rude to ask how much is the aerial safari? (I'l have to pay x2 if +1 comes along:shock

 

[OATEK]

Thoroughly enjoyable read.

 

[JohnM]

Glad you enjoyed it, folks!

 

[burmans]

Glad you enjoyed it, folks!

Enjoyed very much, reminded me of my backpackers days when I bumped around Africa in buses, trucks, trains (and a few flights). Despite the roughing it this 6 month trip is still the trip of my life time, just love Africa.

Not that I probably wouldnt prefer it this way!

 

[Princess Fiona]

Fantastic TR, great pics
A mixture of awe and jealousy at the same time. I must get outside my comfort zone more often

 

[TomVexille]

Looks fantastic. Will have to have a proper look later when I get home.

 

[JohnM]

Fantastic TR, great pics
A mixture of awe and jealousy at the same time. I must get outside my comfort zone more often

The trip was definitely not OUTSIDE any comfort zones PF .

If you, like many people, have an innate nervousness about Africa - forget it! E and S Africa is the most amazing place on earth. The tour operators and their people are just so totally professional and friendly, as are the people in general. It beats everywhere else I can think of hands down. But, for a whole bunch of merely practical reasons (big distances, rough roads, isolated locations), it is best to do it in style.

Also, and probably counter-intuitively, it just seems to go with the territory. I was trying to convey that with pics of the accommodation. Normally, I'm not bothered with 'high-end' western-style hotels (phony and boring IMHO), but they just do things with so much style and empathy with the situation over there that I can lap it up because it becomes an integral part of the overall experience.

As they say, Africa gets under your skin/into your blood. For me, it's more addictive than heroi_ - especially in that bird .

I think that a great introduction is the shorter, scheduled safari I did in Kenya in 2013. That's what really got me hooked!

 

[casanovawa]

Nice TR John....

I'm scheduled to be in Africa for 2-3 weeks in November, still haven't decided with safari company to use...

Although this does look great, I'm imagining its a bit out of my price range just at the moment, but looking forward to getting over there and probably see some gorillas and some of the other animals in Rwanda and Tanzania...

 

[JohnM]

Nice TR John....

I'm scheduled to be in Africa for 2-3 weeks in November, still haven't decided with safari company to use...

Although this does look great, I'm imagining its a bit out of my price range just at the moment, but looking forward to getting over there and probably see some gorillas and some of the other animals in Rwanda and Tanzania...

Kruger NP in S Africa is great and the beauty of it is that it's easy to do it independently (in fact, I would say definitely never do Kruger on an organised tour - it would not do it justice). I rented a car at JNB, got on the M4 freeway (excellent dual carriageway much like a US Interstate) and went. Envy of the Mercs and Beemers passing me at 140 clicks was the worst problem!

Accommodation in Kruger is basic, but good - and very inexpensive. They have an excellent website where you can set up your itinerary and accommodation as you progress through the park. It's a great introduction to Africa and its wildlife.

At my recommendation, my brother, his wife and their son (never been to Africa before) did Kruger independently last year before flying up to Kigali to join me for the gorilla trek. It worked well.

 

[casanovawa]

Might take my 9 year old over and do Kruger NP maybe next year perhaps and do a self drive like you say...

I was in S.Af. in 2011 but had lost my wallet (with the driver's licence) earlier in the trip in Argentina so couldn't do the hire car/drive myself, so flew up to Livingstone for about 5 days and did a 2 day quick safari over the border into Chobe NP which was also good... Like you say a lot to see and experience over there....