South Africa/ Namibia/Botswana

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Nomad64

Full Member
Nov 21, 2015
1,072
593
UK
I've been lucky enough to spend a fair bit of time in these countries what are your interests and timescales?

Assuming that you are planning a self-drive, depending on your budget you can hire a fully equipped 4x4 expedition vehicle (which you will need if you plan to go into the Botswana national parks) but a hatchback will be fine for most of the roads in Namibia which are graded gravel but plenty of opportunity to go off piste if you want to.

You may find some of the advice on this forum helpful although IME sometimes when South Africans head for the bush in their 4x4s it can be a bit more "shock and awe" than Uncle Ray.

http://www.4x4community.co.za/forum/

Mrs Nomad is the expedition planner in our household but if you let me have an idea of what you are thinking of, I'm sure she will have some ideas.

Very jealous! :)
 

Brynglas

Full Member
I'm looking at roughly three weeks. Starting in Windhoek. Definitely looking at renting an equipped 4x4.
My general idea is to head initially to the coast, possibly Swakopmund before travelling North to the Okavango delta area. Then generally towards Victoria Falls before heading South towards Francistown, Botswana. From here a meandering route back to Windhoek and return.
This obviously isn't a fixed itinerary and I'm still in the early planning stages.
I have an option on dome decent lodges and some local contacts via the International Police Association which I'll tap into as well.
Cheers

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Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
8,098
7,877
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Hi Brynglas,

I spent 15 days in Namibia a few years ago and, if I could, I'd go back tomorrow - wonderful country, wonderful people and amazing wildlife.

I don't know if you have done anything like trekking/camping in those kinds of conditions before but Namibia is relatively benign (compared to say the Sahara). The roads are mainly corrugated gravel tracks and that means you have to keep your speed up to ride the corrugations (or it's very uncomfortable). But then that means you have no braking at the blind corners (because, basically, you're riding on the ridge of the corrugations) - so quite dangerous and many vehicle end up overturned on what look like easy roads. Apologies if you already know all this. It can be very tiring (but worth it :) )

We rented two fully equipped 110 Land Rovers from Safari Drive (no connection) and modified one of their itineraries to suite what we wanted to do; I can unreservedly recommend them.

I just love Africa!

Broch
 

Brynglas

Full Member
Hi Broch,
I've not been to Namibia, but have driven in similar conditions in North and West Africa, so know what you mean.
I'll check out Safari Drive.
Were there any locations of particular note that you'd reccomend?
Cheers

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Nomad64

Full Member
Nov 21, 2015
1,072
593
UK
+1 for Safari Drive, although I have not used them personally, they are British run and very professional and probably your best bet if hiring a Land Rover matters to you. Not cheap though.

Plenty of other companies out there but make sure that whoever you go with has enough vehicles and backup to ensure that your trip is not ruined if you have a breakdown. Bear in mind that most companies will (for a surcharge) will let you collect a vehicle in one location and drop off at another.

Our first self-drive trip in Africa was three weeks starting in Joburg and going through Botswana, taking in several of the parks in the Okavango and Kalahari then up through the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and into Namibia through Etosha then down to the dunes at Sossovlei then dropping off and flying back from Windhoek. Probably too much driving but it whetted our appetite that a few years later we packed our jobs in and returned with our own Landy and spent three and a half years bimbling around at a more leisurely pace. Be warned - it can be addictive!

Give some thought to when you travel - if at all possible, avoid school/public holidays in South Africa when convoys of South African holiday makers head for Namibia and Botswana. The character of the parks changes dramatically between the rainy and dry seasons - getting around the Delta in particular can be tricky in the rains and game viewing is much harder when the vegetation is ten feet tall. The dry season will be hot and uncomfortable but game will be concentrated at water holes.

The booking system for KTP and the Botswana Parks can be a PITA but if you can crack it, the opportunity to drive without guides and camp in the bush with the wildlife roaming freely around you is an amazing experience and (unless things have changed) very good value - you get to see the same stuff that the guests paying USD500 per night at the posh lodges do but on your own terms.

There are plenty of good wildlife ID books out there but Richard Estes guide to behaviour is IMHO essential reading.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Safari-Companion-Watching-Including-Carnivores/dp/1890132446/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504049024&sr=1-8&keywords=richard+estes

Try to avoid the temptation to see it all and cram too much into an itinerary that could be derailed by a vehicle problem, flooded road etc. and make sure you give yourself the chance to properly immerse yourself in the experience.

Safe travels. :)
 
Last edited:

0000

Forager
Sep 25, 2013
245
124
Scotland
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Also I read "The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism" and it was tremendous. If you are planning on visiting Namibia it might be of interest to know what happened on the ground you walk on. I like to :)

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bopdude

Full Member
Feb 19, 2013
3,001
216
58
Stockton on Tees
WOW, I'm jealous, having lived and or worked or visited in SA, Botswana and Namibia I would go back tomorrow if it were at all possible, look forward to the pics
 

Brynglas

Full Member
+1 for Safari Drive, although I have not used them personally, they are British run and very professional and probably your best bet if hiring a Land Rover matters to you. Not cheap though.

Plenty of other companies out there but make sure that whoever you go with has enough vehicles and backup to ensure that your trip is not ruined if you have a breakdown. Bear in mind that most companies will (for a surcharge) will let you collect a vehicle in one location and drop off at another.

Our first self-drive trip in Africa was three weeks starting in Joburg and going through Botswana, taking in several of the parks in the Okavango and Kalahari then up through the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and into Namibia through Etosha then down to the dunes at Sossovlei then dropping off and flying back from Windhoek. Probably too much driving but it whetted our appetite that a few years later we packed our jobs in and returned with our own Landy and spent three and a half years bimbling around at a more leisurely pace. Be warned - it can be addictive!

Give some thought to when you travel - if at all possible, avoid school/public holidays in South Africa when convoys of South African holiday makers head for Namibia and Botswana. The character of the parks changes dramatically between the rainy and dry seasons - getting around the Delta in particular can be tricky in the rains and game viewing is much harder when the vegetation is ten feet tall. The dry season will be hot and uncomfortable but game will be concentrated at water holes.

The booking system for KTP and the Botswana Parks can be a PITA but if you can crack it, the opportunity to drive without guides and camp in the bush with the wildlife roaming freely around you is an amazing experience and (unless things have changed) very good value - you get to see the same stuff that the guests paying USD500 per night at the posh lodges do but on your own terms.

There are plenty of good wildlife ID books out there but Richard Estes guide to behaviour is IMHO essential reading.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Safari-Companion-Watching-Including-Carnivores/dp/1890132446/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1504049024&sr=1-8&keywords=richard+estes

Try to avoid the temptation to see it all and cram too much into an itinerary that could be derailed by a vehicle problem, flooded road etc. and make sure you give yourself the chance to properly immerse yourself in the experience.

Safe travels. :)
That's good to know, I checked out SafariDrive and they do look like a decent setup. Thanks for this info Nomad it's these elements thatnare handy. I'm probably going to be constrained to school holidays which will mean July or August, a driver of thhe plan is the idea of giving my kids a big trip with a bit of an adventurous element.

I'm tapping into some IPA contacts which gives me a bit of a local safety net in the event of any mishaps, I've had a couple of links from them for 4x4 hire as well.

Thanks for your inpit with this, It's very useful for me to start to crystalise some ideas into a plan. I agree with you, the temptation to try and ciover too much ground is significant.

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Brynglas

Full Member
Also I read "The Kaiser's Holocaust: Germany's Forgotten Genocide and the Colonial Roots of Nazism" and it was tremendous. If you are planning on visiting Namibia it might be of interest to know what happened on the ground you walk on. I like to :)

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Thanks Ruaridh, this sounds interesting. I'm starting to plan a bit of a trip out there for next year and am interested jn hearing from people who might be able to suggest interesting places or places that they've found to be overrated etc.
I'll definifely check out the book.

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C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
Mod
Oct 6, 2003
7,395
2,414
Bedfordshire
I wonder whether I can get Stuart to comment in this thread. I will give him a heads up and see. He has organised a number of trips through northern Namibia.

I went on one that he was on, linked here. Clearly, the other folk here have more experience than I do. I would just recommend visiting one of the bushmen living history villages. They really benefit from the visitors, and get few enough of them.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=119584
 

Brynglas

Full Member
I wonder whether I can get Stuart to comment in this thread. I will give him a heads up and see. He has organised a number of trips through northern Namibia.

I went on one that he was on, linked here. Clearly, the other folk here have more experience than I do. I would just recommend visiting one of the bushmen living history villages. They really benefit from the visitors, and get few enough of them.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=119584
Thanks for this, yes, that sounds like the type of thing I was considering. So far , I've found Nhoma camp up in the North that looks ok.

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Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
8,098
7,877
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Hi,
Everywhere we went was stunning but the following stood out:

Sossusvle - goes without saying but we did it slightly differently. The gate to the park opens at 5 in the morning and you'll be in a queue. Everyone tears off at a ridiculous speed (we were overtaken by a bus!) aiming to get to Dune 45 for sunrise; we ignored that and headed straight for Sossusvle at the very end of the road. We had the place to ourselves for several hours and it was magical.

Walvis Bay - I know, a bit commercial, but we took a wildlife boat tour out from the bay and saw Cape Fur seals, Benguela and Bottle Nosed dolphins, and even Hump Back Whales. Not at all spoilt by the oyster and champagne picnic lunch on board :)

Hobatare Camp Site - we had the place to ourselves for the few days we were there. A camp truly in the middle of the bush. There's a small water hole with a viewing hide in the hill and there was plenty of wildlife. We had a pride of young lions through our camp one night (we were using roof tents - recommended).

Loads of other places and literally thousands of photographs!

I'm longing to go back now I'm talking about it. We didn't do the southern end (South of Sesriem) so we would probably do that next time.

Cheers,

Broch
 

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