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Exploring Southern Africa...Camping! Part 1 - Johannesburg - Victoria Falls

Ali Lucas-Chee
Jul 21, 2018
15 min read

Updated: Oct 1, 2022

I'm sure we have all been there, you know, when you just really need a holiday? Let's not get this confused with wishing everyday was a holiday (something I frequently do). This was more a, work is crazy, I just had surgery on a broken finger, gone through a breakup and I need to reset kind of holiday.

So, as I had been wanting to go to Vietnam for a while, I thought that's where I would go. Then when I looked into it, I saw that it was the wet season and not an ideal time to travel there. So, after discussing with a friend and her suggesting Africa, I started researching tours. I must admit, I was a bit apprehensive when booking this Intrepid Exploring Southern Africa tour, as it is listed as one of their 'Basix' style tours and well, it was camping....and I am not a camper! However, I loved the itinerary and hey, there was always the option of upgrading at some of the destinations (something I was sure I would do).

You can read about my few days exploring Soweto and patting lion cubs prior to the tour here. The Exploring Southern Africa tour can be done as two separate tours or one full one over 18 days. I did the full 18 days, but this post is just about the first half. The second half will be coming soon.

Day 1 - Khama Rhino Sanctuary

After meeting the guide, driver, chef and the rest of my group at the welcome meeting the night before, we hit the road bright and early (4.45am!). The drive was pretty uneventful as it was mostly on main roads and highways. There was a bit of small talk with the people sitting around me, nibbling on my breakfast, sleeping and freezing my butt off! It was so cold because of the time of day and the bus didn't have any aircon/heating, so everyone was freezing. I was very thankful I had brought my big jacket (which can only be explained as a walking sleeping bag) with me.

After crossing the border into Botswana, we headed to Khama Rhino Sanctuary where we were not only going to do our first game drive, but also where we would spend the night, right in the sanctuary! Built to protect Botswana's black and white Rhinoceros, this sanctuary is home to the only remaining population in the country. So, it was great to know that by visiting, we were contributing to the protection of these endangered creatures.

While we set up our camp, our guide went over a few things, one of which was to shine

our headlamps around and look for reflective eyes if we had to get up in the middle of the night. I just stood there starring at him when someone asked, 'What do we do, if we do see reflective eyes?'. To which our guide answered, 'Get back in your tent and hold it'! With this knowledge, I strategically placed my tent in the middle of everyone else's...I wasn't getting eaten by a lion on the first night!

Satisfied with my tent positioning, it was time to get in the safari vehicles and go find some Rhinos! Being my first game drive (in the wild), I was very excited and almost leaped out of my seat trying to get a photo of every animal I saw. I wasn't thinking straight from all of the excitement and when I saw a rhinoceros, I yelled out, 'Look, there's a hippo' 🤦. As you can imagine, that gave the group a good laugh. I then had to convince them that I actually knew the difference between a rhino and a hippo and it was just a lapse in thinking. Luckily, they believed me (although it was brought up a number of times throughout the trip) and we continued our search for more animals.

After seeing a few rhinos from the distance, we stumbled upon a group of them very close to us and to top it off, they had a baby!!! It was absolutely gorgeous and a very inquisitive little fella, coming up really close to the vehicle to check us out, perfect for some close up photos! Our guide told us he was only 2 months old.

As we drove back to our campsite, we were treated to a spectacular sunset. Something that I had pictured in my head and it lived up to my expectations. The remainder of the night was spent helping our lovely cook make a traditional South African dish called Bobotie for dinner, showering, sitting by the fire and chatting.

Daily Animal Sightings:

White Rhinoceros - My first of the BIG FIVE
Warthog (our first Pumbaa sighting)
Springbok
Wildebeest
Impala

Day 2 - Maun

Even though we were supposed to get up early, I was up even earlier as I had been freezing most of the night and needed a warm shower. The facilities at the Khama Rhino Sanctuary camping site were very good and the showers were, luckily, nice and warm!

With our tents packed and a nice breakfast in our bellies, we set off towards Maun. It was

a travel day today, so we spent a fair chuck of the day in the bus getting to know our fellow travellers and arrived in Maun around 1pm. After a quick walk around, we decided on a diner that a lot of locals were eating at for lunch and had pap (sort of like polenta and made from ground maize) and stew. We then went to the grocery store and stocked up on supplies for our next few days in the Okavango Delta - a vast, 16,000 square kilometre maze of wetlands.

Even though the weather during the day was very hot and sunny, one of the girls and I used the remainder of our time hunting down somewhere to buy a blanket. After the previous night, we decided just our sleeping bags weren't going to cut it. I am pleased to say, we were very happy with our purchase.

The campsite tonight was behind a hotel, so we had access to their pool and cafe. I didn't pack my swimmers, however if you are here at this time of year, make sure you do. The daytime temperatures are very warm.

Daily Animal Sightings:

Wild Boar (on the streets in Maun)
Elephants (just on the side of the road!!!) - My second of the BIG FIVE

Day 3 - Okavango Delta

We left our usual bus behind with the majority of our belongings and with just our over overnight bags, got into two smaller vehicles. One of the trucks had a trailer attached to it with all of our tents, kitchen stuff and our mattresses.

We drove through Maun and then a very small village before making it to the edge of the

delta. A welcome party of our 'crew' for the next few days were there waiting for us, the only thing was, we lost the other truck. They were nowhere to be seen and didn't show up for at least 20 mins later. Turns out, the mattresses weren't secured very well and they had been flying off the whole journey. The people in the other truck had been on a mattress treasure hunt.

Once all of our belongings had been acquired, we started to pack everything on to our mokoros (traditional dugout canoes), this included our tents, kitchen stove and everything! I pulled out my waterproof dry bags and put all of my gear in there as I had been worried about my camera gear while we were on the mokoros.

Tip: If you are travelling over water at any point in your travels and have valuable gear, invest in one or two waterproof dry bags. For as little as $20 AUD (depending on size and where you purchase), these bad boys will give you the insurance that your belongings will be safe and water free.

We were put in pairs and assigned a 'poler' (one of the crew, who would be our mokoro driver/navigator). I was paired with an awesome chick from Switzerland and our poler's name was 'Top Dog'. Once everyone and everything was in the mokoros, we set off for our relaxing hours ride along the maze of lagoons that make up the Okavango.

Once we were all set up at our campsite, our crew went over some guidelines for us. Ironically the crew member named 'Culture' demonstrated the do's and don'ts of the dugout toilet. This really emphasised that fact that these were the few days of this tour I was anxious about, no showers, no toilets...What had I gotten myself into?

Surprisingly, our tour guide had packed a toilet seat on a frame for us. So, it wasn't actually

that bad and kind of peaceful being out in nature. Also, armed with baby wipes and deodorant, I was sure I'd survive not having a shower for two nights!

After our 'cultural' lesson, an elephant was spotted nearby, so we set out without guides, by foot to watch this magnificent creature up close. We then split off into groups and went for a longer walk into the delta to see what other animals we could find (see my daily animal sighting list below).

As sunset began, we were all drawn to the banks of the water. It was the most spectacular sight and I couldn't look away or stop taking photos. As they say, it is always hard to capture a moment, but I was very lucky, and I would have to say the below photo really nailed it.

After another yummy meal and some time spent chatting around the campfire, I went to bed listening to the sounds of the wilderness.

Daily Animal Sightings:

Zebras
Elephants
Impala
Red Hartebeest (fastest antelope)
Dung Beetle
Jackal

Day 4 - Okavango Delta

Still dark, we got up and ready for our sunrise safari walk. The group I was in had Tog Dog as our guide. It was fascinating to listen to the knowledge he had about the ecosystem that makes up the Delta. He also showed us how to identify many animal tracks and droppings, something that had been passed down to him from generation to generation.

As none of our guides had weapons, we were instructed to be very quiet, wear dull clothing and walk in a single file. When questions as to why in a single file, we were told that instead of in a mass, we would look less threatening to the animals. There were also many holes in the earth, so walking single file also allowed us to warn the person behind of any holes. Varying in size, we were told that the holes were from a number of creatures; warthogs, snakes, porcupines or an ardvark (anteater).

My favourite part of the morning was coming across a herd of zebras. Their heads all at attention trying to identify us as friend or foe. They even had a baby with them and when they galloped off into the sun's rays, it was just spectacular.

On our way back to camp we walked past an elephant skeleton. I found this quite interesting as the whole skeleton, in all of its enormity, just lay there reflecting the circle of life (excuse the Lion King reference).

We then had a few hours to relax and just enjoy our surroundings. Some people read, some chatted, some went on another short safari walk and some even had a go at being a 'poler'. Instructed to not go too far by ourselves, we did some sweet lapse out the front of our campsite area. I am pleased to say, that I gave it a go and didn't fall in, I can't say the same for some of the others that tried 😜.

Just before sunset we all got into our mokoros, professionally operated this time, and went for a ride through the waterways. It was a spectacular afternoon and we stopped at a beautiful spot to soak in the atmosphere. Then just before the sun went down, we headed back to camp, all of our boats coming to a halt as someone spotted a hippopotamus' head popping out from the reeds in the water. Our mokoros were probably about 100 metres away and it stared at us for a very long time. We were all very thrilled at our first glimpse of this magnificent creature in the wide, but then, it lowered its head and disappeared. Everyone one of the mokoros were expertly maneuvered around and we fled out of there. Apparently once a hippopotamus goes under the water, there is no way of knowing which direction it is heading and you best get out of there, STAT!

Safely back at camp, we started dinner preparations and getting the fire going. Then after we had all eaten and cleaned up, we were treated to some entertainment by our crew. They sang some local songs as well as some we all knew. They also did some dancing and one of the crew got me up to dance. I had no idea what I was doing, but just copied along and got a big cheer at the end. Then the lady sitting next to me joked, 'you realise that was a traditional wedding dance and you just got married, right?'. The people nearby in our group thought this was hysterical...thanks guys!

Daily Animal Sightings:

Zebras
Elephants
Hippopotamus
Woodpecker
Hare

Day 5 - Maun

This morning we packed up our campsite, removing everything so it looked like we had

very been there and got into the mokoros. As if to bid us farewell, a hippopotamus making some loud noises nearby as we cruised through the Delta.

We stopped at the small village close to the Okavango (this is where most of the 'polers' are from) to meet some locals and hear about their way of life. We learned that they have a lottery system when it comes to who gets to go on each tour. What happens is, they gather into the village centre the day prior to a tour and names are drawn at random. They earn approximately 200 Pula ($27AUD/$19USD) per day and due to there being 150 polers in the village, they will only get to work 2-3 times per month in the high season. The mokoros also cost them 50 Pula ($6.70AUD/$4.70USD) per day to hire. So over the course of a month, they aren't left with much. I was happy that the Swiss girl and I tipped our poler as he and did such an amazing job.

Tip: Make sure you allow for tipping in your budget when travelling. Although not always expected it is extremely appreciated when you do tip. Intrepid have a great note about this on all of their tours and even suggest an appropriate amount to set aside for tipping.

Once back at our campground (the same one we had stayed a few nights before), we all beelined for the showers. We used some of our other free time to wash clothes, get lunch and to check out the little shelter across the road with handmade souvenirs. It was then off on our afternoon adventure to explore more of the Okavango, this time by air!

This scenic plane ride was an optional extra and quite a large dint in the pocket, costing approximately $150USD ($215AUD). However, my view was, I may only be here once, why not do it! And I tell you what, it was an incredible experience and well worth the money. A definite must if you are visiting this area and really want to see the epic scale that is the Okavango Delta and all of the wildlife thriving within it.

Daily Animal Sightings:

Elephants
Cape Buffalo - My third of the BIG FIVE
Zebras
Giraffes
Hippopotamus
Crocodiles
Antelopes

Day 6 - Nata

The destination for today was the small town of Nata, next to some of the largest salt flats

on earth, Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. As you can imagine, covering 12,000 square kilometres, there is a lot to discover here.

After a long drive, broken up by some exciting elephant and giraffe sightings, we made it to Nata and set up camp. Although I had nodded off a few times on the bus, I took a little power nap while some of the group enjoyed the pool at the campsite (again, bring your swimmers with you, I wish I had!).

Mid-afternoon we were picked up by our safari vehicles and were ready to see what the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans had to offer. We drove around for a while and saw some amazing wildlife (check my daily animal sighting list below). Then we stopped near the water and went for a short walk to get closer to a flock of flamingos. It was the absolute highlight of my day, watching the pink hues of the flamingos take flight. We then were offered cold drinks and relaxed for a while as we watched the spectacular sunset over the water.

Satisfied with a fantastic afternoon, we went back to camp, prepared dinner and ended up staying up quite late chatting the night away around the campfire.

Daily Animal Sightings:

Elephants
Giraffes
Flamingos
Wildebeest
Brown Hyena
Marabou Stork

Day 7 - Chobe National Park

After a few hours driving and a stop to check out an impressive Baobab tree, we arrived in Chobe just before lunch time. With our tents set up, we went into the town to restock up on supplies and grab lunch. We all ended up at the same restaurant and had a lovely lunch on their back deck. After lunch we headed down to the dock where we would board our boat for our afternoon sunset cruise.

Chobe National Park, set on the Chobe river, is absolutely teeming with wildlife. As we cruised down the river, it was apparent that this was the perfect time of day to be there, as the animals were all very active. From a herd of cape buffalo running, crocodiles sunbathing in the sun, hippopotamus munching on food, various birds flying above us and elephants washing themselves in the river. We even saw one cross the full width of the river.

The elephant population here is quite dense and we saw many herds of them along the riverbanks, quite a few with babies. A baby elephant is something I really enjoyed seeing, they are just so adorably cute, and we could see them sniffing us out with the little trunks upright. It was a lovely, relaxing afternoon that ended by yet another stunning African sunset as we cruised back to shore.

Talk about being in the right place at the right time, as there was a blood moon that night, so after dinner we all found the best position to watch this spectacle. It took a while to start and we sat watching for quite some time. It was lovely gazing up at the stars, however it was getting quite late and I had booked the optional morning game drive, so at with about 3/4 for the moon coloured red, I went to bed.

Daily Animal Sightings:

Hippopotamus
Crocodiles
Elephants
Fish Eagle
Cape Buffalo

Day 8 - Victoria Falls

As mentioned, this morning I had booked on the optional morning game drive (410 Pula/ $55AUD/$38USD). I figured, apart from the Okavango, it was the only other time we had a chance to see the animals in the early hours of the morning. Plus, we hadn't seen any lions yet, I wasn't going to miss an opportunity to maybe spot a lion!

So, we got up, packed and were in our safari vehicles all before sunrise. Even with the blankets provided, it was bitterly cold in the open vehicle and we were all super wrapped up. We drove along for quite a while without spotting anything. Then as if the animals started to wake up, we started to spot some movements through the trees. AND then, I spotted a lion! He was a young male, with a very short main and we watched him as he walked away from us. Then our driver turned the car around and took off in a hurry, telling us, 'he is heading to the water'.

Next thing, as if they knew we were on to something (maybe it was the speed we were travelling), there was a queue of cars following us. When we reached the water, we found two young lionesses drinking and then as if they were putting on a show, a lion and lioness walked out from a clearing right in front of our car. It was AMAZING and I couldn't stop taking photos!

The rest of the game drive we were entertained by some very cheeky baboons. Some had

tiny babies on their backs, they were adorable! We got to see a huge pod of hippopotamus sunbathing, they too had babies with them. When back on the main road we had to wait for a herd of elephants to pass us. That was quite exciting.

Tip: July/August is a great time of year to visit South Africa and Botswana if you want to see some animal babies...it would be weird if you didn't...they are so cute!

It was a bit rushed when we got back to our campsite as we had apparently been out on safari a bit too long...worth it! So, we got straight on our bus and hit the road to Victoria Falls. Luckily it was only about a 2/2.5hr drive, so we still had plenty of time when we got there.

First stop was our campsite and setting up for the night, then we all went to the activity centre and booked things to do the following day as it was a free day/the start of the second half of the tour (not all of the group were doing both parts of the tour, actually only 5 of the 23 of us would be continuing on). The girl from Switzerland was, so her and I decided we would do white water rafting and then afterwards indulge in a massage.

With the following day all planned, we set off to discover the famous falls. It is suggested that you bring a raincoat (they hire them there) and boy was I glad I had one with me. The force from the falls is so powerful that you get very wet from the mist and spray. I highly recommend you get one, especially if you have a camera with you and believe me, you want your camera with you!

The walk on the Zimbabwe side of the falls takes you to 16 different lookout points, everyone stunning and most of them bringing a new rainbow with it. I was in awe at each and every lookout.

On our way back to our campsite, we stopped at the markets. This is a great place if you want to buy some souvenirs, but if you are just browsing, be prepared that you will be followed around by hungry sales people, one guy even offering to take my shoes for a statue of a giraffe. Unfortunately, if you don't want to end up with things you don't want, you will have to be a little bit firm here.

We had a little bit of time to relax at the campsite before we headed out to a nearby hotel for a buffet style dinner where we got to try warthog. It tasted like pork, but with a very smoky flavour, I really enjoyed it. When we were back at camp we chatted for a while and then slowly had to start saying goodbye to people as they were taking very early transfers in the morning. It was quite sad to bid farewell to the people we had just shared these incredible experiences with.

Daily Animal Sightings:

Vulture
Kudu
Lions - My fourth of the BIG FIVE
Baboons
Giraffes
Hippopotamus
Cape Buffalo
Elephants
Wild Boar

Read part 2 of my Exploring Southern Africa tour through Zimbabwe from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg here. You will find my review on Intrepid there also.