Hello My Travel Story Pals!

I am sincerely sorry for my gross negligence at keeping you all informed of our African Trail Progress! Things have certainly sped up since we arrived down in South Africa, and we are trying to make the most of every opportunity!Currently we are in Khartoum, Sudan! This is one of the cities I most wanted to visit! It’s a Fantastic city, full of much construction not to mention the incredibly friendly and helpful Sudanese! But before I ramble too much, here is a quick precis of our trip from South Africa!

After visiting Jo’Burg, we caught up with our truck and travelled the Garden Route, including such places as Jeffreys Bay (Billabong Factory Shop), Tsitsikamma (World’s Highest Commercial Bungy – 216m), Oudtshoorn (Ostrich Farm & Kango Caves) Cape Agulhas (Southern Most Point of Africa), before arriving in Capetown!

While in this stunning city we had the distinct pleasure of staying with a very good friend of ours – Wessel – and his parents. We were treated to home cooked meals & had our own tour guide around the city. We visited Robben Island, Table Mountain, not to mention some of  the Fantastic Vineyards in the surrounding area! We were treated to a Brilliant Day out with Pieter and Annatjie (Wessel’s parents) around Stellenbosch & Franschhoek!

We then rejoined our group in Citrusdal, where we travelled to Orange river on the border with Namibia, before enjoying the sights of Fish River Canyon & Sossusvlei. These views were quickly followed by a few days in Swakopmund, where we engaged in some Quad Biking, a Dolphin Cruise and a Township tour where we were fortunate to meet the Damara chief – a 91 year old woman! We then visited Spitzkoppe (famous rock formations), and the Cape Coast Seal Colony – and gosh do they stink!!!

Cheetah Park presented us with the start of  the wildlife trail, as we then went onto Etosha National Park and the Okovango Delta! And what a great experience they all were! We got up close & personal with the Cheetahs, before assisting in feeding them, saw our first wild lioness on a hunt, and got within 15 metres of 4 Male Elephants in the delta! And the thrills didn’t stop there! Victoria Falls was next, where

we not only were drenched by them, but also flew over them in a Microlite!

After a quick visit to Livingstone, Zambia – we spent some time in Zimbabwe. It has recently only again opened up to tourists after it’s political rollercoaster of the last few years. We made a brief stop in Bulawayo, where we had an educational day excursion into Matopos National Park. Andy was our guide & tracker, who spent time teaching us about the bush & wildlife. We also finished the day having tracked 2 White Rhino and were able to spend some time with them literally 10m away! Great Zimbabwe, the old city of trade & commerce was a worthy visit, before we entered Antelope Park, Gweru! This has proved to be an amazing highlight, as we enjoyed Lion walks, Cub walks, Elephant rides, not to forget the night we joined 2 male lions from the breeding programme on a hunt! Antelope Park will also remain in our fond memories also for the people we met – especially Darren (one of the volunteers) and our guide Fanuel! A journey through Zimbabwe wouldn’t be complete without a jaunt into Harare. We only spent a day in the city, but it was an intersting experience. We both sincerely hope this wonderful country can one day retain it’s former glory!

Mozambique‘s Tete Corridor was the briefest of country stops before we entered Lilongwe, capital of Malawi. We had a re-freshing experience in the large food market, having missed traditional African markets! Kande Beach provided us with a lovely lake view & relaxing 3 day respite, where we enjoyed a local Village Meal, roasted 2 pigs and rode the famous Kande horses!

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania was our springboard to Zanzibar – Spice Island & Gorgeous Beaches. Stone Town also entertained us with it’s – bustling markets, narrow streets, and the ever delicious Foridani Gardens – local food Zanzibar style! Arusha was next on the menu with Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater as the main course. I won’t bore you with the details – just look at the photos!!!

Nairobi was our first taste of Kenya, before we enjoyed the sights of Nukuru National Park on our way to the Mountain Gorillas! We stopped briefly in Kampala & Kabale in Uganda (to return later), as we raced to get to Kigali, Rwanda. We had an afternoon visiting the city, especially the Genocide Museum, then it was onto Ruhengari and the famous Mountain Gorillas. We had a half day trek to the Hirwa ‘Lucky’ Family, where we got some great photos and an interesting piece of video footage, which we may upload. However it will have to be X-rated!!!

We backtracked through Uganda, indulging in some White-water rafting at Jinga (source of the mighty Nile River), as well as assisting the Soft Power Education Project paint a building of a school! Lake Navaisha, Kenya brought us very close with the most dangerous animal in Africa – the Hippo. It sounds unusual, but more tourist deaths are attributed to Hippo attacks rather than Lion attacks. Perhaps that childhood game ‘Hungry Hungry Hippo’ was accurate after all!

Back in Nairobi we prepared for the final leg of the trip! After saying our goodbyes to some travel companions, we hit the road for Northern Kenya. An experience it was, but in some ways the least said about it, the better! We were all pretty excited to reach Ethiopia – despite their issues with water & power supply!

Addis Ababa was a revelation! We both thoroughly enjoyed the people, food, & culture. Within a very short space of time Ethiopia won our hearts, and is definitely a country we hope to return too! Bahir Dar was our launch pad to Lalibela, which amazed us with it’s ‘rock hewn churches’. While Gondar presented us with interesting stories of political conspiracy & intrigue!

Now we find ourselves in the Sudan with our African Adventure almost at an end! However the FUN has not stopped, and neither have the stories!

I know this has been a very quick overview of our travels. I hope it provided some entertainment for you. I will endeavour to elaborate on our adventures when I get the chance, but please check the photos!!!

Thank you again my Avid Listeners! Until next time!

PS. I hope you like the update Sam – we wish you and Colin the best of travels!