Southern Africa trip
 

My grandparents had been planning planning a trip like this for years prior -- Johannesburg to see the Apartheid Museum and Soweto, then Botswana for about 10 days to go on safari at four different camps , then Zambia for a day to see Victoria Falls, then Zimbabwe (we didn't want to stick around long -- Mugabe is not a very nice man) to catch a flight back to South Africa for one last game park in Kruger Nat'l Park.

Here we are beginning with a tour of gold mines in Joburg on day 1:

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A shanty-town in SoWeTo:

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"Housing"



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Sunrise from the hotel balcony:

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We left Joburg after 2 days and travelled by commercial jet from Joburg to Maun, Botswana. We then took a 6 seater Cessna from Maun to Edo's Camp in the Kalahari Desert:

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View from my tent -- notice the Kudu drinking:

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Our first game drive we encountered some Wildebeest -- the clowns of the plains
:D

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I'm still jetlagged -- more to come in the morning.

Looks like an amazing trip Rose, good pics

We did a family safari last year to Botswana, staying on houseboats on the Okavango River Delta and then going to Chobe National Park for safari. Also visited Victoria Falls - both the Zimbabwe and Zambian sides.

Rose, I was standing in the exact same spot in Soweto by the Coke sign. :yep: Did you also take pictures of the 2 painted water cooling towers? Those are amazing!

We stayed a short while in J'burg and ended off our trip with a weekend in Capetown, touring the Cape all day Sunday.

My children still rave about the safari.

We had to take Cessnas from the Okavango to Chobe. There were rising heat swirls all the way through our flight. Almost everyone but my husband and myself threw up during the flight. Then I fainted the moment I stepped out onto the tarmac. Never again! :nope: :p :roll: And you should have seen the look we got from the pilot for the mess inside his plane. :arrgh!:

@AL: After the Kalahari, we went to the Okavango for 2 camps (five nights all together), and then we flew in a Cessna up to Lebala Camp in Linyanti which is either inside of or right next to Chobe, not sure which (but there was a ton of game up there). And no, I didn't get the towers, but I think my bro and grandpa did, so at least we have the picture.

Still in the Kalahari at Edo's Camp, our first evening game drive we encountered some curious impala (photo wouldn't have been so grainy if I didn't have to use digital zoom :damn: ):

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Our guide, Stephan, a white Afrikaaner born and raised in Botswana:

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Grainy photo (digital zoom :damn: ) of wildebeest grazing:

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"Sundowner" drinks:

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San bushmen, during the morning drive, day 2 at Edo's:

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That is to cool:rock:

When I was in Africa all I saw was .............. well never you mind ... I'm glad you got out safe and you had a great time.

Got any more Pics?
:sunny: :sunny: :sunny: :sunny:

Yep, I'll post more later :yep:. I have lots of great cat shots, and elephants, hippos, etc.

Bushmen:

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Two trackers, "China" and Ivan, pose for a shot :D:

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The bro and grandma up front with two bushmen and a tracker. We were walking through the bush looking for herbs which the bushmen used 100 years ago as food and medicine:

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L to R: Paul, a guide; Stephan, another guide; the old lady of the bushman village (she was 56).
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Stephan playing with a bushman kid:

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L to R: "China," a tracker; Paul, a guide; Stephan, a guide:

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Bush"men"

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Yellow-billed hornbill, aka the "banana bird"

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I shared this tent with my bro:

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More to come.

PS: Do you like the 15 inch photos or should I go back to the 17 inch ones?

A.k.a. Zazu.

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In London at present. Will try to post Africa pics once we're back home.

Back in 2000 I went to a bunch a different places in Zimbabwe and Botswana I took lots of pictures but it was before the time of digital and they are all in an album that I need to scan. But here is one of the pictures that I have scanned

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Great pics, thanks for sharing. More if you have them :up:

Nice. :|\\ Love the pics of the setting sun. :yep: It's a pitty that you couldn't bring back the gold bar as a souvenir. ;)

Did they swim across or was it shallow enough to walk? That's pretty cool -- we didn't see any elephant river crossings.

Still in the Kalahari Desert, Botswana at Edo's Camp

Out for another sundowner. Grandpa and Paul:

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Ostrich taste good. Very good.

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Another ugly African sunset :D:

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Getting creative:

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Hakuna matata

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Red-billed Francolin, aka the "road runner," dopey and dopey-looking:

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Edo's Camp was just our "introduction" to safari life. After two nights at Edo's we flew from the Kalahari to the Okavango Delta and stayed at Little Kwara camp for two nights.

Cessna. The pilot almost had a heart-attack when he saw our luggage:

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First view of the Okavango:

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Cat pics are coming up :up:

We landed at the Little Kwara airstrip and we were greeted by our guide, David, and his tracker, Captain John:

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A troop of chacma baboons and vervet monkeys parading in front of the tent where my bro and I stayed:

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Chacma baboons make a horrific noise, kind of a cross between a dog bark and a lion roar. It's a chilling and desturbing sound, and it definitely kept me awake at night.

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Veranda

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A drive:

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Ostrich in the Okavango:

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Cats! We encountered our first cats of the trip at Little Kwara in the form of four cheetahs. A mother and her three cubs were on the hunt.

Mommy on a termite mound:

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Two of her three cubs coming to join her (sorry about the quality -- can't escape it with digital zoom):

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Perspective:

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More shots to come!

It was a little pond so I think they were walking.