Safari Adventures: Chobe National Park

Day five of the safari was our first and last chance to sleep in during the 11 day tour so I was pretty upset when I woke up at 2am needing to pee. I tried to go back to sleep but the thundering of the waterfalls really wasn’t helping me to resist the urge to pee and the screaming monkeys at 5am weren't exactly creating a relaxing environment either.

When it was time to wake up for realsies the lovely Jo-Jo whipped up a nice hot breakfast complete with scrambled eggs and a giant bowl of bacon (Emma’s favourite thing ever). There was also cereal and bread but who wants that when you can have bacon? Especially since the cereal options were Corn Flakes and Rice Crispies, not good cereals like Corn Pops or even Honey Nut Cheerios.

Once we had all eaten we packed up the van and hit the road. It was a short drive to the Botswana border which was a much faster border crossing than when we came into Zimbabwe. It only took a few minutes to process all of our passports but we were still there long enough to check out all the ebola propaganda they had posted. One of the signs listed symptoms (symptoms was spelt wrong on the sign and I desperately wanted to take a picture but border officials tend to frown upon that sort of thing) and one of the symptoms listed was “bleeding from the eyes”. If you are bleeding from the eyes and haven’t felt the need to seek medical attention you deserve to die. Maybe that’s a bit harsh but really how could you not know that something is seriously wrong at that point?

Shortly after crossing the border we arrived at Thebe River Safari Lodge where we set up camp. Lunch was cold sandwiches which I wolfed down as quickly as possible and made my way to the pool to cool off because it was roughly a million degrees. I was just starting to cool off when one of the other girls came to the pool and told us that we had to move to a different camp site so a group of 40 rich snobs could have our site. I’m not sure if they thought that a group of that size wouldn’t need to make a booking or if someone at the office messed up but I was not happy about this situation. 

By the time we had finished moving our camp it was almost time for our game drive so installing of returning to the glorious pool I had to change in to dry clothes and go back to sweating my ass off. This was not my day because things continued to fall apart as the day went on.

we all piled into the safari vehicle and drove down the road for what felt like ages to get to the gates of Chobe National Park. Once inside the park we saw a number of animals but they were all at a distance and I hadn’t managed to find a reasonably priced zoom lens in Zimbabwe so my pictures all suck. I had heard great things about Chobe but I think the way to see it is on the water rather than on the land. Most of the animals were hanging out in or near the water and we were stuck on land, and were not allowed to go off road so even the animals on land were often far away.

Our driver was a bit of a maniac and was driving incredibly fast for an area with so much h wildlife, not to mention the fact that none of the roads are paved. The vehicle was also quite loud so he was likely scaring away animals which is the exact opposite of the goal when on a game drive. His great speed caused my hat to fly off my head. I felt it lift up and tried to grab it but apparently my catlike reflexes aren’t quite what they used to be and my hat was gone. a short while later it started to bucket down rain and as I struggled to put on my sweater my sunglasses fell off my face and slid out the side of the vehicle. I yelled “stop” but the driver kept on going. We turned around and went back to get them (much to the dismay of the rest of the group) only to find they had been run over by the truck behind us. I briefly worked at a sporting goods store during my time in Lake Louise and while I was there a rep from Oakley came and talked to us about their product and I remembered him telling us that they could survive being run over. My glasses were in three pieces when they were picked up off the dirt road but I was able to piece them back together so the legend really was true! Unfortunately one of the lenses was scratched so badly the glasses were unwearable but I was still impressed.

Things were getting pretty chaotic around this point. The rain kept coming down harder and harder and we were all completely soaked. Luckily our driver had collected all of our cameras and put them in cab before it really started coming down so no one’s camera’s were damaged but our spirits had been shattered. Within minutes we went from roasting to freezing and our drive ended up being cut short due to the inclement weather. On our way out of the park we saw several other groups, all of which had been given ponchos and looked dry and warm. Some of the other groups even took pictures of us looking like drowned rats while the laughed. Assholes.

Most of us had left bathing suits and towels out to dry on our tents so there was a collective sigh of relief when we returned to camp and found it hadn’t rained there. I was so happy to be able to dry off and change into some warm clothes. I had originally planned on jumping straight back into the pool upon our return to camp but hanging out in the bar seemed like a better option at that point.

We sat around a table and chatted at the bar while we waited for dinner. We had a braii for dinner and it was much better than the one I had in Cape Town. I did steer clear of the sausages for fear that they would taste like a bathroom air-freshener but everything I tried was fantastic. The steaks must have come from dinosaurs because each steak was the size of a single cow. My favourite part was probably the corn on the cob, coated in delicious melted butter mmmmmmmmmmm. 

We finished the night hanging out around the campfire. Some of the girls made smores and pretty much everyone drove Jo-Jo crazy while they chatted during his briefing on what would be happening the following day. He looked like he was going to snap at one point but after 5 whole days stuck with 13 girls you couldn’t really blame him.

After Jo-Jo’s briefing I made my way to the tent and called it a night so in an attempt to keep this post from turning into a novel like the last one I will end this entry here. Check back soon for more safari adventures. 

Safari Adventures: Victoria Falls Fun

Day three of the safari started at the ridiculous hour of 4am and I don’t think anybody was too excited about that. Our goal was to make it to the Zimbabwe border around opening time to try and beat the queues and we succeeded in that mission so that kind of made the early morning worth it.

Canada must have done something to piss off Zimbabwe once upon a time because while most nationalities only have to pay $30 for an entry visa Canadians need to pay $75! There is a loophole though, if you get a visa for both Zimbabwe and Zambia it’s only $50 and South Africa has recently lifted their yellow fever restrictions for travellers who have visited Zambia so I was able to take advantage of that bargain. We all paid for our visas then waited about half an hour for them to be processed before continuing on our merry way.

We arrived at our campsite in Victoria Falls a short time later and set up camp. Jo-Jo busted out the cereal and some bread so we could have some breakfast (a million hours after we woke up) and a man who worked at the campground then came and told us about all the different activities available to participate in during our time there. Waiting for everyone to book and pay for their activities was a long and painful process that probably took about two hours.

Shortly after noon we all set off to see the falls. Victoria Falls borders Zimbabwe and Zambia, and is more than twice the size of Niagara Falls in both width and height. The falls were spectacular but unlike Niagara Falls there is no viewpoint where you can take in the entire falls at one time. We walked to several different viewpoints getting more and more wet as the afternoon wore on.  We also encountered several monkeys during our journey and some of the girls were taking pictures of them I felt like they may have been getting too close which was confirmed when a monkey bared his teeth and hissed at Emma and we both almost crapped our pants. We tried to avoid the monkeys during the rest of the walk but were unable to avoid the mist from the falls, which was basically a torrential downpour by the end of our walk. We were completely drenched and joked about having a wet t-shirt contest but really the cool water was probably a blessing in disguise because it was sweltering hot that day.

Once we had taken in the falls we made our way to the bridge where Gayle bungee jumped, Sarah did the bridge swing, and I did the bridge slide (basically a zip-line). The jump was much higher than the one I did in New Zealand so there was no way in hell I was going anywhere near the bungee or the swing (you still jump straight down but you are tethered at the waist so instead of bouncing up and down you swing back and forth) but the slide seemed like a fun alternative. I got incredibly nervous as I was being hooked up but as soon as I was over the edge of the cliff the fear vanished and I just tried to enjoy the ride and the view.

After finishing my slide I watched Gayle jump then started walking to Zambia. While other people on the bus had gotten the visa that allowed them to go to Zambia no one else in our group had so while they were finishing up their activities I needed to make my way across the border so I wouldn’t have any problems when trying to get back into Botswana. The walk from the bridge to the border post was probably only about a kilometre but I was wearing flip flops and had already walked a fair distance in them that afternoon so my legs were killing me and the walk dragged on forever. I finally made it though and had the most awkward border crossing ever as I essentially just walked in a circle around the border. This silly act saved me $25 though, and the bridge slide is technically in Zambia so it’s not like I didn’t do anything while in Zambia, I just did it in a part that didn’t require a stamp in my passport.

I made my way back to the bridge just as Gayle and Sarah were finishing purchasing their videos so my timing really couldn’t have been better. I learned that some of the girls had called Jo-Jo to come pick us up at the Zimbabwe border post. This was the best news ever as my legs were killing me and the walk back to the campsite would have taken roughly 40 minutes. We still had to walk from the bridge to the Zimbabwe border post which was again about a kilometre but still so much better than having to walk the whole way.

Back at camp we all changed and got ready for our sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. We had all packed way too much into our afternoon and didn’t find time to grab lunch so we had been awake for roughly twelve hours and only had a bowl of cereal to eat. The cruise promised canapés so we were all pretty excited about the prospect of food. The cruise also had an open bar and most of the girls were pretty stoked about that. I enjoyed a can of coke and a cold chicken wing and wished dinnertime would hurry up and arrive. Despite being hungry the cruise was pretty amazing. I got to see my first hippo and couldn’t stop smiling about it. We also saw a crocodile and a stunning sunset.

We made our way back to the campsite after the cruise and Jo-Jo whipped us up a lovely dinner. It was probably the most excited I have been about food in a long time. With food in my tummy I was smiling from ear to ear as I reflected on the day but little did I know Jo-Jo had a surprise up his sleeve. Just after we finished eating dinner a group of Zulu dancers showed up to preform just for us. They sang and danced, and busted out some of the craziest high kicks I have ever seen in my life. It was an incredible way to end the day.

I was up before the sun again the following day and made my way to reception where I waited to be picked up for my first activity of the day, walking with lions. My shuttle was more than half an hour late and I was starting to think they had forgotten me but eventually a bus pulled into the parking lot to whisk me away. The bus arrived at the “rehabilitation centre” (they have been open for 20 years and have not yet rehabilitated a single animal) and we were split into small groups. I got put into a group with 5 other young women and we set off to meet our lions. We spent an hour or two hanging out with two lion cubs that were about 11 months old and then about 20 minutes with a two lions who were slightly older. It was a pretty incredible experience, a little terrifying at times, but incredible nonetheless.

We were served breakfast after we finished playing with the lions then transported back to our accommodation. Back at camp I bumped into the English girls (Emma, Kat, Jenny, and Amy) and chatted with them for a bit before making my way to the pool with Amy and Kat. The pool was cloudy and had a lot of stuff floating in the water so I was reluctant to get in even though I was melting but next to the pool was a kiddie pool that looked much cleaner so we decided that was the place for us. The kiddie pool was fantastic because we were able to just sit in it and chat and stay cool at the same time.

For lunch we met up with Emma and Jenny and the five us made our way to town in search of food. We ended up at a place that had pizza, chicken, a bakery, and an ice-cream place. It looked like it was going to be fast food but we all waited quite a while for our food and just as long for change. If you ever travel to Zimbabwe take US dollars with you and take small bills. No one in Zimbabwe ever has change!

After lunch the girls had to head to their next activity but I still had some time to kill so I decided to look for a zoom lens for my camera. During the game drive at the rhino sanctuary it quickly became apparent that my 18-55mm lens just wasn’t going to cut it but shopping opportunities while on safari are pretty rare. It took me a while but I finally managed to find a store that carried Canon accessories but was shocked to find that they wanted more than twice what I would pay for the same thing in Canada. I was not willing to pay an arm and a leg for a new lens so I left empty handed and slightly disappointed.

I wandered around town a little while longer and before I knew it the time had come for my next activity so I made my way back to reception at the campsite and waited to be picked up. Thankfully this shuttle was on time so the activity started out stress free but it didn’t end that way.

The drive to the game reserve took forever and it was down a long bumpy and windy dirt road so I was super excited to get off the bus and on to my elephant! I rode elephants twice while I was in Asia but African elephants are different so I decided I wanted to ride one of them as well. This was probably a waste of money because it was essentially the same thing. I was hoping to have an elephant to myself but we had to ride in pairs so I got partnered up with a French guy named Julian, as we were the only solo travellers. During the ride we saw zebras and impalas and took in some beautiful scenery. We stopped to take some pictures along the way and our guide had me feed the elephant during this time and I may have freaked out just a little bit. Elephant’s trunks just feel so weird! Towards the end of the ride I got pooped on by a bird which I thought was meant to be good luck but now I'm not so sure.

At the end of the ride the guides had our elephant’s kneel down and had us sit on their leg and feed them for some pictures. The problem with this was that you were sat inches away from the elephant’s mouth and it was terrifying. The pictures of me are hilarious, I look like I'm trying my hardest not to cry or scream.  Julian said he was scared as well but he didn’t look nearly as horrified as I did.

Most of the people in our group had only signed up for the elephant ride so they made their way inside for some snacks before heading back into town but myself and a retired couple from Milton, Ontario jumped into a game drive vehicle and set off on part two of our adventure. This game drive was pretty incredible. We saw a black rhino minutes into the drive and then saw two more rhinos a little while later. They got quite close to the vehicle as well so I was feeling a bit better about my decision not to buy the crazy expensive lens.  We also saw buffalo, elephants (wild ones, not the ones we just rode), impalas, a hippo, and several different kinds of birds. We also heard a lion but weren’t able to track it down. I know this all sounds incredible and it was but I was starting to stress as we kept driving and driving. I was told I would be back at camp by 6:30 and we were going for a group dinner at 7:00 so as the sun started to set and we kept driving away from where we started I was worried that I was either making the rest of the group starve while they waited for me or I was missing out on our group dinner at an African restaurant. Both of these options sucked.

I finally arrived back at the campsite at 8:30, two whole hours later than the time I was told so I figured there was no way the group had waited for me. Luckily our lovely guide Jo-Jo had taken all the girls to the restaurant then went back to camp to wait for me. He said he was starting to worry about me and I really don’t blame him. I had been MIA for two hours. He took me to the restaurant and everyone cheered that I was still alive. The girls had all ordered but hadn’t received their food yet so I didn’t feel super bad about holding them up and I also didn’t feel like I had missed out so things turned out okay in the end.

Safari Adventures: Khama Rhino Sanctuary And Elephant Sands

I had hoped to be able to update my blog regularly during my safari but unfortunately I was just too busy having fun so I will try my best to fill you in on what happened during the amazing eleven days I spent on tour based on the quick notes I jotted down in my tent at the end of each night.

During my last night in Johannesburg I was sharing a room with a guy who had just finished the first 7 days of the tour I would be starting the following morning and he told me he was very disappointed in the tour which left me a little apprehensive but he must have had ridiculous expectations because it was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had!

Day one was fairly uneventful. I woke up at ridiculous o’clock and was picked up at my hostel at 5am. I was driven to another hostel and transferred into another van. The tour the previous week only had for people on it so I was pretty disappointed to learn that there would be 13 people on this week’s tour and the van would be completely packed. It took a while for the van to fill up but by 6am there were 13 girls and our lovely driver Jo-Jo packed into the van and ready to go.

We spent most of the day driving so it wasn’t an overly exciting day but I guess it was a good chance to start chatting with the other people on tour although none of us were overly chatty since we were all functioning on very little sleep.  I finally got to eat at Wimpy’s during our lunch stop and I was super excited about that since I had been craving it the entire time I was on the BazBus but never got a break long enough to order it. I was incredibly disappointed though. I waited almost half an hour for a BLT, never got the side of mayo that I asked for and had to wait close to 15 minutes to pay my bill.

We arrived at Khama Rhino Sanctuary shortly before dusk to setup camp. The only other solo traveller on the trip was an Australian girl named Gayle who I had met a few days previous and while we didn’t sit together we decided at our first rest stop that we should be tent buddies. This was only night (aside from our time at Kruger) that Gayle and I didn’t have to set up our own tent but we helped a few other girls with theirs. Once we had set up camp Jo-Jo set to work cooking dinner. He had very limited equipment and still managed to make the best meal I had had in weeks! It was a fairly simple meal, pasta in a cream sauce with some vegetables but it was amazing! I went back for seconds and felt much better about my chances of surviving the length of the tour even though I'm such a picky eater. After dinner we all headed to bed, well actually most of us got lost trying to find the bathroom and then we went to bed preparing for an early wakeup call.

The next morning we got up just before the sun to head out on our first game-drive. I tried to find the bathroom before we headed out but got lost and ended up walking around in circles for a while before giving up and deciding to hold it as I saw the driver on his way to our campsite to pick us up. The drive started out pretty spectacularly as we spotted a pair of hyenas who had just finished dragging their latest kill (a wildebeest) in to the middle of a watering hole to keep it away from other scavengers so they could go to bed and feast on it later. We also got to watch the dominant male from a pack of wildebeest take on a couple of intruders, which was fairly entertaining. We also saw several impalas, some zebras, springbok, warthogs, and numerous birds (that Emma our crazy bird lady pointed out at every opportunity) but we weren’t finding any rhinos. Our drive ended up being extended as it took so long to find them but eventually we stumbled upon a mother white rhino and he calf, and later a lone male rhino. Our group had been split into two for the drive and the group in the other vehicle saw 8 rhinos but we probably had better banter so that totally makes up for it.

 When we returned to camp Jo-Jo had a nice hot breakfast waiting for us which I quickly scarfed down then headed out in search of a bathroom since it had been over three hours since I gave up on looking before the drive.  I walked in circles for a bit and then went back to camp and asked for help, one of the girls was confident she knew where she was going so we set off together and got lost yet again, we met up with some other girls and in the end it took 6 of us to finally find the bathroom and I did a little happy dance. Back at camp we packed up and loaded back into the van for another full day of driving.

We ended our day at Elephant Sands, the itinerary said this was a good place for animal viewing but I never dreamed we would be so close to the wildlife. While setting up our tents we noticed a great deal of elephant poop around and the campsite and realized that being trampled was a very real possibility. Melting to death was also a possibility so once we set up our tents we made our way to the pool and that’s when the magic started to happen. While we were all cooling off in the pool someone noticed an elephant in the distance, and then a second one and we all started to freak out! Jo-Jo and some of the staff where we were staying told us to calm down because we hadn’t seen anything yet but I was blown away by the way the even unfolded. We all continued to hang out around the pool and bar overlooking the watering hole and by the time I went to bed I had seen at least 40 elephants.  They came in small groups to drink and splash in the water. Sometimes different groups would come at the same time and there would be small disputes although despite my rooting for it things never really kicked off in a big way. I did however learn that trumpeting is not the only noise that elephants can make; they also make a scary growling noise.

I would have loved to stay up all night watching the elephants coming and going but we had to be up by 4am the following morning to cross the border into Zimbabwe before there was a massive line at immigration. We all managed to make it through the night without being stepped on by an elephant but I will leave the rest of my stories for another time.