Exploring Southern Africa...Camping! Part 2 - Victoria Falls - Johannesburg
- Ali Lucas-Chee
- Jul 29, 2018
- 16 min read
Updated: Oct 1, 2022
If you would like to know how I ended up on this tour, you can read all about it and the first part of my adventure here. This tour is the second leg of Intrepid's Explore Southern Africa tour. Only 5 of us from the first leg were continuing on for the remainder of the tour.
Day 1 - Victoria Falls
Having explored the spectacular falls from above yesterday, we decided it was time to check them out from below and do some white-water rafting! To be honest, I was slightly nervous about this as the one and only time I had white-water rafted was when I was on my exchange in the Netherlands at the age of 16. We had gone on a school camp in the South of France and in quite shallow water, I fell out of the raft and was dragged along the water for a about 200m, my head being ducked in and out of the water and my back scrapping along the rocks beneath me. It was not fun, and I honestly thought I wasn't going to survive. Thankfully, I did and as the remaining members from the first half of this tour were all going, I decided to give it another go.
We were picked up at our campsite and taken to the aptly named Victoria Falls Lookout Café. With the stunning views as a backdrop, a tea and a biscuit in hand, we signed consent forms and were given a safety briefing. We then drove for about 40mins to the starting point where we were fitted out with wet shirts, life jackets, helmets and a paddle. Then we had to walk down to the river (with our gear), the instructors were very helpful with this as it is quite a decent decline.
Split off into groups, we got into our rafts and did some practice moves to make sure we all knew what our instructor was referring to when he yelled out certain things. As if they knew my backstory, my raft was loaded with 3 instructors, I was so relieved. They even had a number of staff in small kyakas that were there to pick up anyone that fell out and bring them back to their boats. This was already a lot safer than the camp I went to when I was 16.
While we were running through instructions, they asked us if we wanted to jump into the water and practice getting back in. I declined as I had no intentions on falling out. After some of the people had done it, one of our instructors then pointed out a small crocodile on the rocks right near us. To put us at ease, he explained that in these parts of the river the crocodiles didn't get any bigger than that...I didn't really believe him and was even more determined to not fall out! We were then instructed to row over to the far left side of the river and touch the rocks. Then our instructor announced, 'you have now been to Zambia'. As that side was the Zambian side of the Zambezi river.
With all of our instructions now well practiced it was time to get started. Feeling slightly nervous, we made it through our first rapid with ease. Then the second was quite rough but we made it through without falling out. The same can't be said for some of the other rafts, one fully capsized, and everyone fell out. With each rapid, I started to gain confidence in my rafting partners and by the fourth rapid I was really enjoying myself. I am pleased to say, we made it all the way to the end without anyone falling in and I decided that I would probably go white-water rafting again in the future.
Tip: As there is a high chance of your belongings getting wet, leave your camera and phone behind and purchase a video/photo package (see video above). I brought my small dry bag with some clothes to change into and the instructor put that and everyone else's belongings in a larger dry bag. You will be happy you did at the end as everything you are wearing, including your shoes will be wet.
I'm sure you've all heard the saying what goes up must come down, well this time it was what goes down (into the gorge), must go up (out of the gorge). I had thought the downwards trail was rough, but the upwards trail was crazy steep and very strenuous. Again, the instructors were super helpful and one actually carried my paddle and life jacket the whole way up for me and a couple of others.
Once safely at the top, lunch was waiting for us. It was only something simple, but it hit the spot after our active morning. We then drove back and were all dropped off at our various accommodation. We hung our wet clothes and shoes up as soon as we got back to give them ample time to dry before we set off the next day. Then my Swiss friend and I went to the massage session we had pre-booked the day before.
When we got there, we were led to a hut out the back of a backpackers. Although it sounds dodgy, it was actually really cute and the lady that massaged me had magical hands. I even fell asleep halfway through and I know I was enjoying it as I had also started dribbling a little, haha!
That evening we had our 'welcome meeting' for the new members of our tour. It was quite a smaller group for the second leg, with only 12 of us compared to 23 in our previous group.
Daily Animal Sightings:
Crocodiles
Fish Eagle
Day 2 - Hwange National Park
This morning was spent travelling further into Zimbabwe to Hwange National Park. Our campsite tonight was on the outskirts of the park and had a stunning viewing deck overlooking a waterhole. After setting up and hanging my, still slightly wet, clothes out to dry, we set off for our afternoon game drive.
As we waited at the park entrance for our guide to get permits, a car pulled up right next to ours and I had to do a double take as it was two of the guys from the first half of our trip. We had time to have a quick conversation before our guide was back in the car and we were off, talk about good timing!
Hwange National Park boasts one of the largest populations of elephants in Africa and it wasn't long before we came across a few herds of these majestic creatures. Some crossed really close to the front of our car and we were able to really take in all of their beauty. They had a few babies with them too which were just adorable.
One of the teenagers wasn't very impressed with us and stopped in from of our car and turned to face us, blew his truck as if in disapproval and continued on his way. It was fascinating to watch and just shows how unpredictable the animals on safari can be. From day to day, you never know what you will see or what the animals will be doing.
Continuing on, we made our way to a large lookout platform. It was set over a waterhole and it was the perfect place to watch several different animals all at once. We stayed there for a while, fascinated and soaking in the scene. Just before we left, we spotted some hippopotamus in the distance snapping their jaws at each other, it was incredible to see these usually lazy creatures so lively.
Once back at camp we were treated to yet another fantastic sunset. Followed by dinner and then getting to know our new group members around a toasty fire.
Daily Animal Sightings:
Elephants
Baboons
Crocodiles
Wildebeest
Zebras
Hippopotamus
Kudu
Impala
Day 3 - Bulawayo/Matobos
As today was a long driving day, we made a short stop to stretch our legs at the town of Bulawayo. Strolling through a Zimbabwean town was a nice change; however, it was the day before the elections so there were posters everywhere and a slightly odd vibe in the air. The locals seemed to enjoy our presence though and were all very friendly.
After setting up camp we went for a walk where we saw some cave paintings and a few
cheeky baboons. We then climbed to the top of one of the hills and watch the sun disappear. Our guide gave the chef a night off and made us a wonderful feast of steak, sausages, pap (sort of like polenta and made from ground maize) and chakalaka (a spicy vegetable relish).
After dinner we spent some time talking around the fire and a fair bit of time starring up at the sky watching the stars. It was so clear that I am pleased to say I saw my first, second and third shooting star tonight. It was sensational!
Daily Animal Sightings:
Baboons
Day 4 - Matobos National Park
Today was one of the days I had been really looking forward to on this tour as it was the day we would be tracking rhinoceroses by foot. I am sure you'll agree; this is quite a unique experience and sadly one, due to these beautiful creatures being at the threat of extinction, that may not always be possible.
Our guide today was very passionate about the rhinoceros and began our tour with a briefing about the dangers facing this species. Thankfully with places like Matobos National Park and Khama Rhino Sanctuary (I visited this place on the first half of this trip), they have created safe havens for the rhinoceros and are doing extraordinary things to try and prevent their extinction.
We drove for a short while when our guide spotted some rhinos, we then parked and began our walk to see them up close. It was exciting and a bit scary all at once. These guys were huge, and they could do a lot of damage to us. As we approached, one squared us up and looked at us for quite some time, all while our guide told us to get behind him and was softly saying, 'It's alright boy, we are alright'. I couldn't help but think, are we, is this small ranger going to protect our whole group? Thankfully the big fella saw us as no treat and plonked himself down on the ground. We stayed there a just watched them going about their business and interacting with each other. The group was made up of a mother and her two sons. They had another young male with them, and the guide told us that his mother had died and this family had adopted him.
Looking closely at the rhinoceros, I couldn't help but think, firstly that dinosaurs existed 🤯 and secondly that these creatures were definitely roaming among them! There is definitely something prehistoric about these magnificent creatures.
We spent the rest of the morning exploring more of Matobos, learning about native plants in the area and what they were used for, visiting the local souvenir market stall, spotting wildlife and driving around soaking up the wonderful atmosphere. I even had a chance to ride in the spotter's seat at the front of our vehicle, it was a lot of fun.
Halfway through our picnic lunch, another car drove down to where we were. They saw us and then started to reverse backwards as if not to disturb us. Then they drove forward again, and the people got out. To our surprise it was the two guys from the first part of our trip again. They said their guide said, 'oh this spot is taken' and went to leave and then they realised it was us and got her to go back. It was really nice to see them again.
We then drove to the World's View lookout point where we climbed up the steep hill to enjoy the 360 degree view from the top. It is a steep climb, but very manageable and well worth it at the top. Once we had all had time to take some happy snaps and soak in the view, our guide took us off to the side and down to a sheltered area where he showed us some cave paintings. He explained what they were of and told us the stories behind them.
We bid farewell to our wonderful guide and set off to a local village where we meet members of the village, including the chief. He told us stories of his childhood and we learnt some of their customs in the village. Although a nice experience, most of our group agreed that it didn't seem that authentic and it was as if they were acting for us.
Daily Animal Sightings:
White Rhinoceros
Baboons
Day 5 - Moremi Gorge
After a long journey in the bus, we crossed back through to Botswana and made it to Moremi Gorge. Here we went for a short hike to check out the waterfalls. We were offered walking sticks (literally giant sticks) before we began and were warned that it can get quite slippery in some spots due to the dampness. I'd never done a hike with a walking stick and was concerned as to what we were getting into.
The walk was actually really good, and the stick was became a bit annoying to carry as I didn't end up using it. We had a nice little break at the falls and then opting for some more exercise, we walked all the back to camp. We underestimated how far it was and started to get a little concerned when the sun starting to go down. Then, when we were discussing who had brought snacks and how we would ration them out, a delicious smell wafted through the air. We followed it around the corner, and we were back at our campsite. The showers at the campsite were lovely and relaxing tonight as they were open air, allowing a lovely view of the stars.
Day 6 - Blouberg
We crossed boarders again today, but this time into South Africa. It was a long travel day and after a winding, bumpy stretch of dirt road, we arrived at our campsite. Set in front of the Blouberg mountain range, it was a very picturesque location. We had a quick lunch, washed clothes, had a demonstration of the bucket system showers (this involved boiling water on the stove and using a pulley system) and then did a short walk along the base of the Blouberg Mountains.
Once back at camp we then had some time to relax and shower before we headed out to meet the Hanawa people at a local pub. When we arrived, the music was pumping but it was slightly awkward as we sat on one side of the dirt in front of the pub and the locals on the other side. Our guide greeted a friend and he came over and gave us some traditional beer to try...this is no ordinary beer. I won't give anymore away, just make sure if you get the chance, give it a go and see what you think for yourself.
We then went inside the pub and got a drink and sat back down on our side of the dirt. After we chatted among ourselves for a while, the locals started to dance. It was awesome to watch how much rhythm they have and how much they were enjoying themselves. Then one of the ladies brought out a skirt and she was shaking her booty like no one's business. She then took it off and looked at our group and gestured for one of us to go next. Our guide said, 'well one of you have to start'. Then he looked at me and said, 'go on, can you please get it started'. So, I reluctantly got up, the locals all cheered as the lady put the skirt on me. Then she was shaking away showing me how it was done. I am not much of a dancer, but I gave it a go and had a lot of fun doing it. I then passed the skirt on to another member in our group and before we knew it everyone had had a turn and was up laughing and dancing.
Upset to leave the festivities, but not wanting to be late, we got back in the bus and set off to a local family’s home as they were hosting us for dinner. After meeting the family and having the menu explained to us, we sat down and began our feast. Everything was very tasty, and we even got to try mopane worms. Well let's say worm...one was enough for me! After a wonderful dinner, we bid our hosts a warm goodnight and headed back along the bumpy road to our campsite.
Day 7 - Kruger National Park
I used the big drive today as a chance to chat with my fellow travellers and jot down some notes about our trip so I could write this blog. It is amazing how fast you can forget things!
We arrived at our camp at about 2pm, so we had a chance to relax a little, shower and do some washing before our evening game drive. This was an optional extra and for only ZAR240 ($25AUD or $17.50USD) I highly recommend it, as it is one of the only times you'll get a chance to see the animals at night time. Plus, the more chances you have to go on a game drive, the better chances of seeing different animals each time.
Just before sunset we were picked up by the safari vehicles for our evening game drive. We drove around for quite some time, stopping to watch some elephants, kudu, impalas and the gorgeous sunset. Then as it got dark, one of the guys at the back of the car was given a spot light. His job was to shine it out of one side of the car, while our guide shone one out the other side and the rest of us were to be on the lookout. We spotted a few hares here and there and then we saw a small cat like creature up in a tree. We were all excited it was a leopard, but our driver confirmed it was a Gena cat.
Our guide stopped suddenly and said, 'I think I saw a Hyena, but now it is hiding'. So, he turned the engine off, instructed us to be very quiet and we waited, lights pointing to where he thought it was hiding. After a few minutes, sure enough out popped a Brown Hyena. He was very cute and we were all watching intently when all of sudden there was a POP sound and then a CRUNCH....the lady in the front of our car had decided that that exact moment was the time she was going to open and eat her pringles! The hyena was startled by the noise and promptly ran off. The rest of us were in shock but also couldn't help but giggle. Who opens pringles on a safari drive while you've been instructed to be very quiet?
As we had gone quite far into the park our guide informed us that we needed to start heading back as we needed to be out of the park at a certain time. During our drive we came across an owl sitting in the middle of the road and then a bit further we saw something else in the middle of the road. We were all calling out animals, guessing what it could be and then our guide calmly said, 'It is a baby leopard'. We were absolutely thrilled. Especially those that had been on the first half of the tour with me as this was the first time we had seen one.
We pulled up and the leopard, not really worried by our presence strode along the road and then near a tree. We watched for a while when I spotted something further up the tree and asked the guy with the spotlight to shine it up there. Once we had good light in the tree, we realised that there was another leopard (a lot bigger one) in the tree. We all assumed this was the mummy, but our guide said it was only young too and probably an older sibling. I couldn't help but wonder where the mum was and kept checking behind me in case she was waiting in the shadows ready to get us for dinner. Luckily, she wasn't and we then took off and left the park for our campsite.
Daily Animal Sightings:
Elephants
Owl
Brown Hyena
Gena Cat
Hares
Kudu
Impala
Leopards - My fifth and final of the BIG FIVE!!!
Day 8 - Kruger National Park
Today we drove a massive 160km from one end of the park to the other in the Intrepid bus. It was a day full of animal sightings with stops at a few waterholes and lookout points. With Kruger offering such a large animal population, you can imagine we were fully entertained for the whole 8 hour journey.
It was truly fantastic to see the animals being so lively and going about their day to day business. There are three parts of the day that really stood out for me:
Monkey Play - We had stopped for a brunch break at a lookout point over a massive and very impressive waterhole. After we had checked out the view, we were walking back and spotted a monkey in the tree. We hadn't seen this type of monkey on our trip and it was very intriguing. He was a Velvet Monkey and was playing in the tree and came very close to us as if to have his portrait taken.
The Roadblock - On bus started to slow down and as we looked up we saw that there was a herd of Cape Buffalo crossing the road. We looked to our right and there were hundreds of them. We settled in and watched them as they proceeded to cross the road for about 10 minutes. Some of them very interested in us as they got to the other side.
The Lookouts - As we were crossing over a waterhole someone spotted a lion and lioness, we stopped the bus and it was the funniest scene that unraveled. Firstly, the lions were sitting upright next to their den in front of the water. To the right, at a safe distance there was a giraffe, a zebra and wildebeest. All of a sudden, the lions plonked themselves down on the ground and then the 3 bystanders took off. At that point we pulled out and started to leave. I kept looking behind to see what would happen. To my surprise a whole heard of zebras, giraffes and wildebeest came out from the bushes that the 3 had ran to and went to the waterhole for a drink. They had obviously been the lookouts and when they deemed it safe, they went and got the rest of their friends. I found this scene quite amusing and makes you think that you never know what you'll get when animals are involved.
I won't go through all of the animal encounters from today (you can view that in my list below) and mainly let the pictures below speak for themselves.
Daily Animal Sightings:
Vulture
Impala
Giraffes
Cape Buffalo
Hippopotamus
Elephants
Zebras
Ostrich
Baboons
Waterbuck
Velvet Monkey
Spotted Hyena
Brown Snake Eagle
Lions
Corey Bustard - fastest flying bird in Africa
Lilac Breasted Roller - a gorgeous multicoloured bird
Southern Red Billed Hornbill - a little bit like Zazu from the Lion King
Day 9 - Johannesburg
We packed our tents away for the last time as we began our last day of our tour. On our way back to Johannesburg we stopped at the stunning Blyde River Canyon and Bourke's Luck Potholes, unfortunately for us it was a very foggy day, so we didn't have clear views. However, I am sure you will agree, from what we did see, it was still very impressive.
After a few more hours we made it back to Johannesburg where we bid farewell to our crew and fellow travelers. I had booked into the same place I had stayed at the start of my tour, C.A.G The Vantage, and was quite thankful for the relaxing (monsoon shower head) shower in my apartment.
I am happy to announce that I lasted the whole 18 days camping and didn't upgrade to a room once. I actually really enjoyed tent life and found the mattress provided quite comfortable. This tour was an amazing experience and I absolutely love what I have seen of Africa so far. I was also very fortunate (as group tours are always a gamble) to have an amazing bunch of people to share it with.
Review of Intrepid
If you are travelling with Intrepid, go to their welcome meetings. They are very informative and answer a lot of questions or give you information on things you didn't even think about.
I am pleased to say, I didn't upgrade my accommodation once! The tent and mattress provided, were very comfortable and if you are travelling on your own, pay the extra for the single supplement. This was you get a tent to yourself and have that extra bit of room to spread out and get changed in your tent if you want to.
Timing of the drives on this tour's itinerary were, in most cases the worst case scenario, and I was pleasantly surprised that we spent less time than anticipated on the bus. The bus that we were in was quite comfortable, especially for the distances we were covering. It was equipped with everything, from extra water to individual lockers to store and lock up valuables. Tip: Bring a padlock for your locker
The staff were fantastic and worked very well as a team to ensure that we had an amazing experience. Our guide was very knowledgeable, our driver, super competent and knew the roads like the back of his hand, our chef, super friendly and considering the limitations of a camp kitchen, she made some wonderful dishes. We were all very well fed.
One of the decisions in booking my tour with Intrepid was there core philosophy - 'Our travellers choose to see the world in a way that builds human connection, supports local communities, respects the environment and draws us all a bit closer together'. A pretty awesome way of thinking and it was very much reflected by what we did and where we went. I would definitely travel on an Intrepid tour again.
Check out more of my photos from my trip here.
Travel Start Date: 29 Jul 2018
