September 29, 2025

September 29, 2025

Our room in Victoria Falls has 20-foot plastered walls with a very steep thatched roof atop it. We had some wind and rain last night. I think the Mosquito net over the bed also helps keep thatch dust from settling on us overnight.

When you adjoin a national park, you inherit some interesting neighbors. In the two days we have been here we have seen lots of animals in the waterhole down the hill. But we have also seen some closer. In the front entry we have seen deer-like Bushbuck and several Mongoose. A friend saw a snake at the pool. From our balcony we have seen Warthogs and Kudu antelopes below. This morning we woke to three Cape Buffalo foraging. Aimee is glad we are on the second floor.

We spent an extended breakfast watching the Masked Weavers again in the Palm below us. The bright yellow birds are certainly industrious and the most skilled craftsmen in the bird family.

After a late checkout, we drove from Victoria Falls west cutting across the center of Zambezi National Park paralleling the Zambezi River upstream. After about an hour we reached the border with Botswana. After another two border stamps, we arrived at our lodge on the Chobe River about six miles upstream from where it meets the Zambezi.

Our room is not ready so we have the lodge’s lunch buffet. I have the Impala steak. It was very tasty and tender. I ordered the local Botswana beer and shockingly it is named after my hometown, St. Louis. I also learned a second wife here only costs seven cows. I like Botswana already.

Our room has a ground floor patio with a view of the Chobe River. We might need to be more careful here. Don’t want a crocodile or hippo walking in unexpectedly.

In mid-afternoon we walk down to the dock and load onto the lodge cruise boat. We motored upstream on the Chobe River to Chobe National Park. We then traveled clockwise around the large river island of Sedudu. It is a lush marshy island irresistible to the animals on the arid mainland of the park. Lots of animals made the swim to graze. We see our first hippopotamus walking out of the water. He is a big fat boy who apparently can run faster than a human making them the most dangerous after the mosquito.

We also see a large herd of Cape Buffalo on the island. I didn’t know bovines could swim. Not surprisingly we see lots of water birds along the shore including a Spoonbill, a Yellow-billed Stork, and an African Jacana (nicknamed the Jesus bird because it can seemingly walk on water).

We sailed right next to a Nile Crocodile basking ashore. He never moved an inch. I could have easily reached down and touched him. That is probably what he was waiting for.

The highlight of our Safari cruise though is elephants. We see lots of them. Chobe is home to the most in all of Africa. We first see a solitary male, and then a half dozen feeding on a small islet. It is three mothers with three calves. They methodically scrape the ground with their feet and then use their trunk to gather up roots. It seems a lot of work for little nutrition.

A little further down we ran into the main herd with dozens of elephants. They are towards the setting sun so photography is poor. They understand my pain, so a group of them accommodate me and get in the water and swim to the opposite shore. It is even better than last time because we watch the youngsters try to piggy back the adults during the swim.

We circled back to our lodge swerving into the territorial waters of Namibia enroute. A few miles downstream the Chobe flows into the Zambezi. There the four countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia touch.

September 28, 2025

September 28, 2025

Breakfast this morning was on a wooden deck that overlooks our water hole. We don’t see much activity; only a couple Buffalo and some some female Kudu. Aimee and I are more fascinated by a colony of Southern Masked Weavers in a Palm Tree below us. We watch them as they bite off a frond one at a time to weave into their nests.

After breakfast, we drive back down to the Zambezi River to visit Victoria Falls National Park, a World Heritage Site. Here the Zambezi River drops into a narrow fault zone spreading out on one side to form the world’s largest sheet of falling water. We hike the Rainforest Trail that faces the falls stopping at many viewpoints. Since we are looking across a narrow gorge it is hard to appreciate the gigantic size of this waterfall. At one point we can see Devil’s Pool, a cauldron on the edge of the waterfall face that the very brave can sit in.

The size of Victoria Falls surges during the rainy season to five times the flow today. We can see that as we near the Zambian side of the falls. Today it is almost completely dry. In the rainy season it must be an incredible (and soaking wet) sight.

We finish with an overlook to the bridge that connects Zimbabwe and Zambia. Built in 1905, it was the brainchild of Cecil Rhodes whose dream was to build a train that ran all the way from Cape Town to Cairo through this spot. It only made it as far as Tanzania.

In the park also is a statue of David Livingstone, the first European to view the falls. He named it after his queen. Livingstone was a famous British missionary and explorer of Africa. It was hard work. He almost died several times from disease and a lion attack.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped to see a 1200-year old Baobab Tree. It is enormous and can hold incredible amounts of water to sustain itself between long droughts.

Back at the hotel we have a quick lunch in the overlook bar. We finish in time to participate in the hotel’s Vulture Culture Experience. In anticipation of the feeding we are seeing hundreds of birds circling overhead with many landing in nearby trees.

At 1PM we are escorted down to a viewing area in the desert. Vultures are floating in by the dozens. It is already an incredible sight. Two rangers bring in a cooler of meat setting off a feeding frenzy. It kicks up a cloud of smelly dust. Oddly there are several five-foot tall Marabou Storks joining in the fun. They grab and swallow the pieces whole. This bird has the nickname of the Undertaker bird and is the last of the Ugly Five of Africa for us to see. Males have a large pink throat sac.

Aimee and I relaxed the rest of the day in our room. We are enjoying the break from non-stop touring. In the evening for dinner we share a Butternut Ravioli in Curry sauce at the hotel.

September 27, 2025

September 27, 2025

Last night we went to the rooftop bar for cocktails before having a group dinner. From the city night lights it is easy to see that Jo’burg is the richest city in Africa. I ordered the Savannah hard cider and it was surprisingly good.

Cecil Rhodes was a key figure in early South African history. We know him from the Rhodes Scholarship he set up at Oxford. Shortly after diamonds were discovered just west of here in Kimberley, he made his fortune using Rothschild money to buy up all the mines cornering the market. His company was called DeBeers. Not satisfied, he went north looking to find new opportunities. He formed the British colony of Rhodesia. After independence it was divided into the modern countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

We intend to follow in Rhodes’ footsteps, so we checked out of our hotel, and took a flight from Jo’burg to Victoria Falls. Our flight took us over the mostly barren Kalahari Desert. I was intrigued by some parallel lines I saw crossing Hwange National Park. An internet search suggests these are the shorelines of some ancient lake.

In Victoria Falls we are greeted by warm weather. Aimee and I are now desert rats and we welcome the change. We checked into our Safari Lodge. Our room has a terrace overlooking a watering hole on the edge of Zambezi National Park. It is empty. After resting for an hour, Aimee looks up and notices two elephants. We watch them drink water and then throw dirt on themselves for sun protection. Shortly after a herd of Warthogs, Helmeted Guineafowl and Cape Buffalo join them. We love it.

In the early evening we shuttled to the Zambezi River for a sunset cruise. It was a nice relaxing boat ride with cocktails and lots of light snacks. We all tried the local Zambezi Beer. Our cruise took us across the river and into Zambian waters so we can now cross it off our country list.

We saw a few crocodiles, hippos, and elephants but we are pretty jaded now. A little later though we were wowed. Two elephants on the river island decided to enter the water and after a couple minutes made the leap and swam to the opposite shore. I didn't know elephants were such good swimmers. They made pretty good time going up and down in the water. They were often fully submerged. I guess it is handy to have a built-in snorkel.

Sadly we also saw a dead elephant rotting on the shoreline. The carcass was being fed on by crocodiles.

After watching the sun set in a blaze of red, we made our way back to the lodge. The staff has lowered the mosquito netting on our bed. It is probably not necessary but a good precaution. We purposely came here in the dry season and are taking malaria pills as an added precaution.

September 26, 2025

September 26, 2025

Two billion years ago, the largest meteor to strike the earth happened here in Johannesburg. The resulting 200-mile wide crater prevented erosion of mineral deposits. The trapped gold vein was the world’s largest producing an incredible 25% of the gold ever mined on earth. The crater edge, Witwatersrand or just Rand (Dutch for ridge) gave its name to the South African currency.

Jo’burg boomed overnight and the population swelled. On our tour of the area, we see yellowish mine tailing piles everywhere. They are from some of the deepest mines in the world. Much of the gold has petered out but the money to restore these sites has vanished. Dust from these piles obscures the horizon.

I grinned when I saw two more hyperbolic cooling towers. This time from a decommissioned power plant. They have been gaily painted. Jo’burg sits on an arid grassland plateau. It is the largest city not near a river, lake or shoreline. As a result these towers help conserve water.

The power struggle over this gusher of money was inevitable. The wealthy used apartheid to control the army of workers who did the work. Our first stop was in the old Southwestern Township (shortened to Soweto) where blacks were segregated. Soweto was the epicenter of protests. We stopped at the Nelson Mandela House where he lived before getting arrested. He spent 27 years behind bars and became the face of resistance.

Nearby we stopped at a monument to the 1976 Soweto Uprising. The catalyst was a new law that required school lessons in Afrikaans, the language of the oppressor. During a student protest several young boys were shot. A smuggled photo was sent round the world. We got a stirring description from the sister of the murdered boy in the picture.

Our next stop was the Apartheid Museum. We got a guided tour of the long struggle for equality. The story has echoes from similar problems all over the world. Each country has a different slant on similar issues especially colonialism. We had our own issues with Native Indians and Black Civil Rights. The South Africa story would have been totally different without the huge gold discovery. I am sure the money is still a corrupting influence in South African politics.

We had lunch in the museum cafe and then drove to a private market. Browsing the store was interesting even for me. While Aimee shopped for more African fabric, I was fascinated by all the taxidermy heads lining all the walls. Africa has lots of cool and unique stuff to buy. None of it would go with Tucson decor though.

September 25, 2025

September 25, 2025

It rained on us all night and we awoke to cool and rainy weather. The rainy season for Kruger National Park is not supposed to start until next month. So glad we had great weather yesterday. This is a good day if it has to rain as we are going to spend most of it travelling.

From Hazyview, South Africa we drove west. For the first two hours we steadily climbed higher. We are scaling the Great Escarpment that divides the South African plateau (Highveld) from the coastal lowlands. Our destination is almost 6000 feet elevation.

At our first bathroom break, we browsed the grocery store and bought some Rooibos (Red Bush) Tea packets. It is a local herbal tea we have heard a lot about. Rooibos is native to the Cape Floral kingdom.

Back on the road we reached the Highveld (high field) and found a flat grassland prairie. Just off the highway, I am amused by this huge coal-fired power plant with six giant hyperbolic cooling towers. We normally associate them with nuke plants. Surprisingly I see two more identical plants a few miles down the road.

I almost didn’t make it in time to reach our next rest stop. I had to make a mad dash to the men’s room. I am pleasantly surprised to discover I am using the coolest urinal in the world. I am facing a glass window with a watering hole that is surrounded by Africa’s finest; Rhinos, Cape Buffalo, Ostrich, and three different kinds of horned Antelope. What a menagerie! Aimee and I share a Grilled Cheese lunch and watch the animals feed at several troughs. It is fascinating. There is a definite pecking order with the Rhinos on top. But the Cape Buffalo are not far behind.

We finish in Johannesburg, the City of Gold. We are in the Transvaal Region, meaning “over the Vaal River”. When the British took Cape Town, the Dutch Afrikaner Boer farmers migrated north to escape British rule. Unfortunately for them, diamonds and then gold were discovered here, making this area irresistible to the Brits. After a short rest we took the hotel shuttle to the Sandton City mall. It is huge and upscale. We walk through it to reach Mandela Square which has a giant statue of Nelson.

We have dinner at a Greek restaurant. Aimee and I share a Moussaka. It is served with Peri-Peri Sauce. This is an African-Portuguese spicy pepper sauce. Aimee and I think it is delicious. We washed it down with a local beer with an unusual name. Afterwards back at the hotel, we celebrated the birthday of our friend with Champagne and a piece of cake.

September 24, 2025

September 24, 2025

Happy Shaka Zulu Day! We are celebrating the holiday the way the locals do and going to Kruger National Park in South Africa. The animals rise early so we do too. We are out the door well before 6 am with our boxed breakfast. A half hour later we load onto our game drive jeeps. There is a long line to get into Kruger. Our guide has priority and we drive right past them through the Phabeni Gate. It is overcast with a little breeze. I am enjoying the refreshing weather.

We see lots of animals including African Elephants, Cape Buffalo, a few Wildebeests (Gnus), and even a Hyena pup. But mostly we see Impala. They are everywhere in great quantity. Aimee is especially happy that we see lots of Giraffes just off the road feeding on the leaves and bark of the trees like we saw in Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Twice we even saw these long-legged creatures ambling across the park road. I think they should rename this animal reserve, Giraffic Park.

In between animal sightings we saw some Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills. We even saw one feeding at a termite mound.

We later saw its larger and rarer cousin, the Southern Ground Hornbill. These long-lived birds are enormous and hunt mostly on the ground.

We also saw lots of Zebra today. They were closer, in bigger herds and not hiding behind trees. We saw them also crossing the road.

We also saw many other birds, including the Helmeted Guineafowl, an African Fish Eagle, and a Lilac-breasted Roller. The last one is nicknamed the Rainbow bird for its many colors.

We pretty much have seen most of the African Safari animals now except the Big Cats. Leopards are nocturnal and exceedingly rare, but I thought for sure we would easily see Lions. The big predators are not as common as portrayed on nature shows. I need to pull a big favor from my lucky charm. She is a big scaredy cat. We are continually switching seats so I am facing the animals. Against her better judgement she worked her magic and we ran into a traffic jam. That is a sign of something big. We spot a Lioness in the distance. She slowly paces pretty close to our jeep giving Aimee a fright. Fortunately she turns around. She is in heat and not thinking of eating.

Soon a big male Lion saunters over. She circles him and he consents. The act is over in seconds just like on National Geographic. They were discreet and did the act in the tall grass far from my camera.

Shortly afterwards we run across a big bull elephant and Aimee videos him crossing the road behind our jeep. In mid-crossing he suddenly turns and stares us in the face. Aimee jumps off her seat and dives to the floor. We get a laugh watching her actions on the video replay.

We have been heading east the entire morning. We are within seven miles or so of the Mozambique border. We turn around just north of that point and head towards the Skukuza campground that has lunch. But we are stymied by a large herd of Cape Buffalo who think we can wait for our food.

We are delayed again by a human traffic jam. Lions again! Four females are hunting Buffalo across the river. We watch through binoculars.

We eat at the camp buffet. It is pretty good for being in the middle of the African bush. The camp is filled with South Africans wearing special symbols of their heritage and enjoying the free entry to Kruger. The restaurant has a terrace overlooking the Sabie River. Just like on National Geographic, there is a herd of African Elephants lounging riverside. What an awesome view.

In the distance we see an old railroad bridge. This train line used to connect interior gold fields with a port to the east. The rail road introduced a tourism stop at this bridge for game viewing. It was so popular that it led to the establishment of Kruger National Park in 1926. The train was shut down fifty years ago. In 2020 a luxury hotel was opened atop the bridge with the old rail cars as 31 hotel rooms. Unfortunately it is quite expensive but would be a cool experience if we return.

We mostly speed back to the exit. It has gotten warmer and the animals are on siesta. We make one last stop at Nyamundwa. This shallow watering hole has some boulders in the middle. We know now that these are Hippopatomi that are sleeping. Behind them are two Saddle-billed Storks. On the shore in front of us is an Egyptian Goose with a bunch of little goslings in tow.

Back at our hotel we have a BBQ buffet outdoors to celebrate the South African holiday. Our guide is wearing his traditional Leopard skin headdress.

September 23, 2025

September 23, 2025

We got a break today from the early wake-up call routine. We needed the sleep. We stopped at a glass factory near our hotel to start the day. We toured the production and retail store. It is all very nice but too breakable to drag around Africa.

We spent some time at the other craft stores. Aimee especially liked the jewelry that was made from recycled paper. I was more intrigued with this peacock doing an elaborate dance for his prospective bride. He never gave up, spreading his plumage and shuddering often. Like all ladies she was having trouble making a decision.

I was really happy to see a tree filled with another colony of Weaver birds. Before leaving I ran to get my telephoto lens to get a few quick shots. The nests they build must be time-consuming to make.

We then travelled northeast across the top of Swaziland. It is very hilly and we pass timber fields, and saw mills along the way. This is another reason Swaziland wasn’t incorporated into South Africa. It is somewhat isolated in every direction by hills and mountains. We exited at the very top tip of Swaziland, returning to South Africa. Like before we got another set of exit and entrance stamps in the passport.

Swaziland is still a very traditional society with a king and lots of tribal chiefs. Just across the border we stopped to visit the Matsamo Cultural Village to learn more about Swazi culture. The park has an impressively recreated historic village complete with round thatch huts enclosed in a wooden stockade. A young Swazi girl gives us a tour of the compound and her cultural practices. Her father has two wives and twenty-five kids. She is interested in being my second wife but somehow I have to come up with 12 cows to give her father.  Aimee would become the queen with the second wife picking up all the cooking and cleaning.

Afterwards a group of men and women put on a dance and singing show. I am usually a cynic about these things but it was all very interesting and entertaining. We stayed for a delicious lunch.

Continuing north we soon reached Kruger National Park in the northeast corner of South Africa. Kruger is huge covering some 7500 square miles or the size of New Jersey. We enter at the Malelane Gate with our reservation in hand. Visitation is limited. We walk across the Crocodile River Bridge to enter the park. It is aptly named as we see lots of huge crocodiles in the water below us. On either side we see elephants and antelope.

We drove slowly across the park stopping frequently when one of us sees something. Almost immediately we see a dead Black Mamba on the road. This is one of the most venomous in the world. I wanted to stop and open its mouth to see the black roof but Aimee wouldn’t let me out.

Kruger Park is mostly dry scrubland with short barren trees. This is the end of the dry season and the animals have eaten through the forest leaving little. We see lots of Impalas, a few giraffes, some elephants, a Wildebeest, and some Kuzu antelope. All are in the distance and hard to see through the brush.

We stopped in the Afsaal Picnic site to use the restrooms. On our way out we see a lone Hyena lurking on the edge of the picnic area. He is another of the Ugly 5 of Africa.

About halfway through the park we see a group of elephants to our left. They seem to be on the move, so we back the vehicle up a hundred yards. We get lucky and this troop of seven elephants and three juveniles nonchalantly cross the road in front of us. So cool!

A few minutes later we get lucky again and we encounter three giraffes just to our left munching on vegetation high in the trees.

The luck continues with a nice male Kudu antelope showing us his cool spiral horns. We see some Zebra reasonably close but there is some annoying branches and tree trunk hiding them.

It is getting late, and the light is starting to dim, so we sail through the rest of the park exiting at the Paul Kruger entrance. There is a huge head of this former President of the Dutch Colony. He is a folk hero who led the Boer farmer's resistance to British rule.

There are a lot of kids running around because tomorrow is a South African holiday. It is called Heritage Day or Shaka Day commemorating the day the Zulu king Shaka died.

Leaving the park we drove west to the town of Hazyview where we found our next accommodations. It is a nice resort in the bush. We have the buffet dinner.