A Trip to Durban on the Intercape

After saying goodbye to literally everyone I know in South Africa (bar maybe two people?), it was too depressing to stay at uni any longer when my housemate (hey Rin) was planning on going off to travel herself for mid sem break. With a week to go before I fly off back to Melbourne, it was time to make use of my last remaining days in South Africa (and the last remaining dollars in my bank account...). So I decided to go to the last few places that I've wanted to see but haven't quite had the chance to see yet, first stop: Durban.

Zimbabwe to Nata to Maun & Trying to Get My Dad Back to Australia

There were two routes we could have taken to get to Nata. The first one involved retracing our steps and going back to Kasane. The second was to drive further south through Zimbabwe and to go through a national park. Keen to see more of the country we chose the latter, which involved long gravel roads.

The drive was decent, and we only stopped once on the Zimbabwe side because two cars full of tourists had come to a halt in the middle of the road and gotten out of their car to see and hold a chameleon. We had no idea how they had managed to see the small creature from the car, but I felt quite bad for it as it got passed around from person to person. We later realised that it was not quite that difficult to spot, as we later  drove past a small turtle.

Chobe National Park & Bungee Jumping and Helicopter Rides at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

We woke up early Wednesday morning to get to Chobe and begin looking for animals. There was no queue at the park gate, and soon enough we were in (with no map). Our early wake up was wasted however, and it soon became obvious we would not be seeing all that much. With trying to spot animals its all about luck and about being in the right place at the right time. We had no such thing.

For the rest of the morning we spotted a few giraffe, some monkeys, kudu, lots of impala and lots of safari vehicles filled with tourists. It was a bit disappointing, especially as I had been building Chobe up and expecting it to be as good as Kruger. I guess it just wasn’t our day.

In the afternoon we headed back to our accommodation in Kasane to meet a man who was going to help us get through to Zimbabwe the following day. For Zim we would both need to buy visas for $30usd each, and pay $105usd to bring the car in – third party insurance, a car fee and, wait for it, a carbon tax. I couldn’t help but laugh at the last one, a $15usd carbon tax for all foreign vehicles entering Zimbabwe??

The man never showed up however and we waited around 1.5 hours before deciding that we would just attempt to get through by ourselves the following day. How difficult could it be?

Namibia to Botswana along the Caprivi Strip: Look Out For Elephants (& Police Checks)

Departed Ngepi Camp at around 8am and headed along the Caprivi Strip back to Botswana. The drive the whole way to Botswana was along the one highway, on a road on very good condition. In comparison to Botswana, there is a concerted effort to fix up potholes on the road, and every 10km or so there is a bench and bin on the side of the road for you to pull over. We can only say good things about the quality of Namibian roads. 

The highway went through a National Park, and there were several signs warning you about elephants, but no animals, except for cows and goats, were to be seen. There was a bit traffic, and quite a few tourists on the road. As we were passing by a small town however there was a small incident. In general a lot of the countries in southern Africa tend to have a lot of police roadblocks. I haven’t had many issues with these except a few times in Mozambique where I got asked for my passport. However because I’ve been using public transport I haven’t had to think much about them. My dad accidentally drove past one as we were on the Caprivi Strip however, and nearly got booked for ignoring a police order.  To be fair there had been no one actually there until a guy came running out. The only reason he didn’t have to pay a fine though is because we didn’t have the $1000N/1000rand fine on us. The police officer let him go though when we showed that we only had about $100N on us (I was half expecting him to take the $100N but we got to keep it).

Elephant Encounters & Searching for Lions at Mahango Game Reserve

Although we went across a border from Botswana to Namibia, we are still on Botswana/South Africa time because we are on the Caprivi Strip, which is a strip of land just above Botswana and to the east of Namibia. My phone changed over to Namibia time, which is an hour behind, so when I thought I woke up early at 5am this morning, it was really 6am. Anyways, it was still really early.

It took us an hour to get ready, put the tents down and have some breakfast before departing for the Mahongo Game Reserve. This was our first bit of seeing wild animals on this trip, and my dad’s first time seeing any in Africa, so it was a bit exciting. We pulled in at reception, paid $90N (90rand/$9aud) for a permit for the day, and drove in.  There were 2 loops you could go on, one which ran by the river front and the other by an artificial waterhole, and was partially 4x4 only. We spent the day doing both several time, as the park was quite small.

A Morning Boat Crash in Botswana and an Evening in Namibia

(our route for the day, driving from Botswana into Namibia into the bit of land known as the "caprivi strip"

On our last morning at Nxamaseri lodge, we were taken out on one last boat ride to search for some elephants. They apparently can be spotted about 1 hour and 30 minutes away, so we woke up early and were off by 7am. No elephants were to be found however, but the benefit of being up so early was that the birdlife was quite active. We saw flocks of birds swoop up and down and it was quite magical.

From Maun to Nxamaseri: Botswana

Our first official day in Botswana. My first nights sleep wasn’t the most comfortable, I kept waking up to donkey noises and my tent shook whenever the occupant next door moved or climbed down to go to the bathroom … but it was ok. Woke up at 6:45am, and after some breakfast and figuring out how to pack up the tents again (requires a lot of moving around), we set off at 9am for our next camp on the Okavango Delta. Half the vehicles in the camp had already packed up and left by this point, but we weren’t in too much of a rush yet.

We were heading to Nxamaseri island lodge ie. the most expensive accommodation for the trip. Getting there wasn’t too difficult, just had to follow the highway for a while, which was bitumen most of the trip. Apart from a few potholes in some sections, it wasn’t a bad journey and was a good 350km. Stopped for lunch on the side of the road and at close to 3pm we were near the turn off for the island lodge.

A Self-Drive Tour Around Botswana for Mid-Sem Break

Hello Botswana! (And hello to my blog again, it’s been a while ….).

After 7 weeks of uni, several stressful assignments, late nights at library and lots of procrastinating, it was time for the mid-semester break to begin! What is planned? A 10 day self-drive tour around Botswana (and partly Namibia and Zimbabwe) with my dad! After spending a couple of days with him in Johannesburg, we traded in the BMW hire car (BMW cause no Toyota Corollas were available), and caught a flight to Maun, Botswana.

From Moz to Malawi & Gunshots in Zomba

From what I had gathered online I would need to catch a chapa at around 5am to the border. I had a vague idea of where to catch it, but I didn’t really know where exactly. I had stayed the previous night in an overpriced hotel in Cuamba (for what it was really worth anyways) after catching a train from Nampula the day before. Despite the bugs on the floor and the paranoia of them crawling onto me as I slept (I made sure my mosquito net was completely tucked in) I slept extremely well. My alarm went off at 4:30am, and at 5am I was happily leaving the hotel.

Because I wasn’t sure exactly where I was going, I paid 50meticais ($1aud) to take a motorcycle taxi to the chapa place. It was also still dark, and I didn’t much like the idea of walking around a town I didn’t know with all my possessions, particularly with no streetlights. My motorcycle driver and I were struggling a bit because of my big backpack as we were a bit off balance. We stopped after a few minutes to adjust my bag, but as we were doing so my calf brushed against something very hot on the bike! It was only for a split second, but I had managed to scorch my skin. It was quite painful (obviously), but there wasn't much I could do for the moment. 

350km on the Nampula to Cuamba Train – No Photography Please

The trip from Ilha to Nampula was smooth and uneventful. I had taken a shared taxi, and for 1500meticais I would get dropped off right in from of Ruby Backpackers. I had been dreading having to another chapa ride, so I decided why not? A few other people jumped in at one point or another, but within 3 hours we were pulling into Nampula. We only stopped to occasionally pick up or drop off people and once at a police roadblock (they are everywhere in Mozambique), where I got asked for my passport (no bribe was asked for).

After settling into Ruby Backpackers (the counterpart to the one on Ilha), I set about buying a train ticket for the following day. The guy at the reception who I had talked to had freaked me out about the train station, apparently there were a lot of thieves and pickpockets about. He told me to be on the look out for people standing in line to buy a ticket, but not actually planning on buying a ticket, and that even with my cross-body handbag I should be worried because there would be guys who would just slash the strap and take it. I was very nervous to say the least, but I couldn’t walk around Mozambique without my passport (too much hassle from police) and I couldn’t leave my phone behind because I needed it for directions.

Two Days on Ilha de Moçambique

Ilha de Moçambique/Mozambique Island/The Island of Mozambique is the most touristy spot I’ve visited in Mozambique so far. However, that’s not really saying all that much considering I’m in Northern Mozambique. It is considerably less developed here than it is down south (where it is closer to South Africa), but I’ve also found the people much more friendly than in Maputo so…

Mozambique Island used to be the capital of Mozambique, and from what I was told, the first place the Portuguese settled. Mozambique has since become independant, and as such all that seems to be of the Portuguese are the old crumbling buildings and the use of Portugueuse as the main language. The island is a UNESCO world heritage site, and walking around the island you can see people painting or repairing dilapidated buildings. 

From 4WD to Chapa to Truck: The Long Journey from Pemba to Ilha de Moçambique

After finding out that it is possible to get from Pemba to Mozambique Island in one day (I originally thought I would have top stay a night in Nampula), I opted to stay another day in Pemba. For the past couple of days I hadn't stayed in one place for more than one night, so I decided to take a breather from the constant packing and moving and take a day off.

When I first flew from Maputo to Pemba I had discounted the city because there wasn't much to do. To be honest there isn't much to do at all in Pemba (but in comparison to Ibo Island there is plenty ...), so I decided to spend the day checking out the city, and seeing what a 'city' in northern Mozambique actually is. It also helps that I was feeling very comfortable at my accomodation in Pemba, 'Pemba Magic Lodge', or also known as Russell's Place, Russell being a very friendly Australian. I had the dorm room to my self for two nights (perks of it being low season), there are proper showers (although there is only cold water, but it's so hot it doesn't matter), flushing toilets, WiFi (!) and I've been able to get my laundry done. All very good things in my books. (Also all the employees speak English which has been nice after struggling with Portuguese for the past few days).

Ilha de Matemo - Am I Really Supposed To Be Here???

Friday morning I set about finding out what was happening with this so called island tour. I hadn't heard anything from the guide, so I waited around my accomodation for a while before venturing down to the dock to sit for a bit (it was also had the best mobile reception). Soon enough the guy from yesterday came up to me and wondered why he hadn't heard from me - he had given me his number but I had put it incorrectly in my phone so hadn't been able to contact him. He said that the group was coming soon, and I should grab my stuff and be by the dock.

At 11am I was there and waiting. Soon enough a group of mzungus (white people) arrived and went off into the island. I wasn't too sure what was happening, the guide was gone and so I was just sitting there. Eventually the guide came back and told me that they were about to get on their dhow toward Matemo island. However, I couldn't get on the boat because there wasn't enough space, instead I would use another boat and pay 1500 meticais ($27aud). I asked about the price of the trip, and all I would have to pay for was the food and accomodation, and any guide tips. So I agreed, because there wasn't a whole heap of money involved and I wasn't sure what else I would do on Ibo Island. He said to wait there, a captain would come and collect me, and he rushed off to join the other group which was setting off. 

From Big City Maputo to Village Life in Ibo

After a few days not doing much in Maputo, it was time to hit the road and see what overland travel in Mozambique is all about. I had had a few days not doing much in the city (except for eating and catching up on a few TV shows), so with a plan to get to Malawi, I decided to head north and book a flight to Pemba, Mozambique (not Pemba, Tanzania). To do the trip overland would take around 4 days using public transport, and I don’t really have the time (or patience) for that so I opted to fly.

Matenga Cultural Village & Getting To Maputo from Manzini

Woke up Thursday morning with a plan to get to the Matenga Cultural Village to learn about Swazi culture. It had pretty good reviews on trip advisor and I had been recommended it by a few people, so I was keen to go. At 11:15am and at 3pm there is a performance at the village, so I was hoping to catch it. I had woken up a bit late and it was a bit wet outside, so I called up ‘Taxi Tom’ and arranged him to take me there for E180/R180/$18aud.

Combi Rides in Swaziland & Milwane Animal Sanctuary

I was offered a ride the Mozambique embassy in Mbabane to try and get a Mozambique visa before I go. Unfortunately, when I got there they wanted hotel reservations, which I don’t have so I wasn’t able to apply for one. Plus it would take 2-3 days to process. If I arrive at the border and get a visa I should get one automatically and they won’t ask for a hotel reservation. I’m not really sure what all the fuss is with applying for one at the embassy, but anyways. After trying at the embassy, I got dropped off in Mbabane to spend the day and have a look around. To be honest there wasn’t all that much there to see except a few markets and shops, and I spent most of my time searching for free Wi-Fi (which I didn’t really find).

Johannesburg to Swaziland on the TransMagnific

While the flight from Joburg to Antananarivo was half empty, allowing me a whole row of seats to myself, the flight back to the African mainland was much more packed and basically full. The three-hour flight seemed to drag on and on, but finally we reached O. R. Tambo where I was picked up by my accommodation at Shoestring Airport Lodge. It’s close by to the airport, where I needed to be the following day to catch a bus to Swaziland (and where I had stayed previously and also left a bag in storage to get when uni starts again).

Lemur Spotting at Andasibe National Park

I had one last thing I wanted to do before I finally left Madagascar - see the Indri Indri lemur, the biggest lemur in Madagascar and only found in the eastern region of the country. So on my last day in the 'red country' I organised a driver to take me to Andasibe National Park for 350,000 ariary (driver, car and fuel), $142aud. Quite a lot to spend for a day trip, and for one person, but I didn't have enough time to try and use public transport. This is also the only region in Madagascar (and also the world) you can see these lemurs, so I was pretty excited.

Birthday Week at Anjiamarango Beach Resort - Nosy Be

After 6 luxurious and relaxing nights at Anjiamarango Beach Resort, it’s finally time to fly off from Nosy Be and head back to Antananarivo. Tomorrow will be my last day in Madagascar, and I’ll hopefully be going to a national park and seeing some more lemurs, and then the day after I’ll be flying back to Johannesburg. I’ll see have a bit over a month until university starts again to continue travelling around southern Africa – next stop: Swaziland.

An Unpleasant Trip to Nosy Komba and Snorkelling at Nosy Tanikely

After spending the past 3 days doing literally nothing except swimming in the pool, reading, eating and sleeping, it was time to get out and actually do something in Nosy Be. Staying at this resort is super nice, but isn’t making me particularly adventurous when it is just so easy and comfortable to stay where you are (plus when the days are so hot and the pool is so cool).

The Pleasant (And Not Spewy) Trip from Morondava To Antananarivo

I had been dreading the trip back to Antananrivo after the horrific trip I had on my way to Morondava and was weighing up my options. There was the taxi-brousse for about 45,000 ariary (about $19aud), flying with Air Madagascar for around 600-700,000 ariary, or hiring a private car and driver for 700,000 ariary ($285aud). Should I risk spewing to save over $250?? I couldn't really justify spending that much on the plane ticket when I was planning another (pricy) internal flight in Madagascar, so it seemed like all I could do was book a taxi-brousse ticket and hope.

Avenue of The Baobabs and the Kirindy Reserve

If you ever want to feel like the only tourist somewhere, go to Madagascar during the rainy season. At Kirindy reserve I was the only person staying the night in the lodge, and apart from the workers, my driver and the lemurs, the only person there.

Paddling Around Morondava

Awoke at 5am this morning when my fan stopped working to open up my windows. This was apparently one of the time periods when there is no electricity in Morondava, and I had to wait until 7am when the power came back on to be able to connect to WiFi and plan my day.

I was feeling considerably better than the day before, although my stomach was still a bit off after all that constant spewing, and was happy to spend the day in the quiet little fishing village of Morondava. At around 9am I finally got dressed and went to embrace the heat to go and find breakfast. This consisted of a plate of fruit and some fresh juice at the Baobab Café where I was the only person at the restaurant. After eating (and then dashing back to my hotel to get my wallet to pay for my meal … I had somehow left my purse on my bed instead of putting it in my handbag), I went for a sweaty walk around Morondava.

A Hell-Ish Journey from Antananarivo to Morondava*

*title decided upon 1 hour into leaving Antananarivo.

After establishing that I was actually leaving this morning, rather than last night as I had presumed, I went to bed early and woke up at about 4:30am. By 5:15am my taxi driver had arrived to take me to the station. We got there at about 5:30am and there were a lot less people crowding around me unlike the day before. The guy who sold me my ticket (and tried charging me 250,000ariary) the day before, quickly came up to me and took me to his stand again where he asked me to pay the rest of the money I owed him -150,000 ariary. I was not having any of this and was quite mad at him. I refused to pay and he left. 

A Day in Tana & Trying to Get to Morondava

It's been a full day in Madagascar, and while I haven't yet fallen in love with the country, I'm hoping that once I leave capital city Antananarivo (which I have only just figured out how to pronounce) and start seeing some of the countries wildlife and scenery I'll finally see what the hype of Madagascar is all about.

The thing is, travelling through Madagascar is hard work. I've done my fair share of long journeys via bus, recently through Namibia, but the roads in Madagascar are barely even roads. From what I've heard the intense rains the country receives destroy any roads that are created. So I'm not exactly looking forward to the 650km journey, which is supposed to take around 15 hours, that I'm catching tonight. Its a night bus that leaves at 6pm for Morondava, a town on the west coast of Madagascar and is close by to the Avenue of the Baobabs, ie. the whole reason I'm going there.

Melbourne to Madagascar

After a brief hiatus (ie. going home to Australia for Christmas and New Years), I'm finally back and ready to update my blog with whatever travel adventures I get myself into (because to be honest if I wrote stuff about my time at home it would mainly consist of pictures of my dogs (in santa costumes) and all the food I ate - which really you can just see on my snapchat anyways). It was good to be home for a few weeks, to see my family, catch up with friends and spend my days doing absolutely nothing.