African Safari 2025

Ah, what an adventure so far! Peacefully sitting at Dulles Airport when tornado warnings go off on everyone’s phone. The sky turns dark and it pours. We should be boarding but we have no plane.  It was diverted to BWI. The KLM guy announces that everyone on the flight had a connection and he can’t rebook 200 people. We are sitting near the desk and see him deal with lots of drama,including one irate young woman who says the airline is really going to hear from her! Um, not sure how the airline was supposed to stop the storm. Anyway the plus side of a dreaded 4 hour layover is when your plane leaves 3 hours late, you still have an hour to deplane and race through the gigantic airport to our new flight that was running 🏃 late. We were hoping for another miracle— that our bags somehow made the flight ✈️. They did not. There were five us hoping to see our bags by Sunday morning when we returned to the airport in Johannesburg  

Day before our safari begins  

Today, before our tour begins, we hired a local tour guide. First we went to the Apartheid Museum. We had tickets that said black or white. We were to go through different entrances to see how differently we’d be treated. A few pics from the day.

Then we went to Soweto and the famous Vilakazi street where Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela both have houses.

Our guide told us much about the history of the Soweto uprising that was started by students and went to a memorial.

Wasn’t fast enough but in this. Urban area a herd of goats walked by. Got one. 

We drove past some lovely homes called the Beverly Hills of Soweto. Too fast to get a pic but you can still see a contrast with these shacks and decent apartments.

Last stop, these famous towers that a different artist paints every7years. See the structure strung between them? We saw someone bungee jump from there.

Day 1 of our tour

Johannesburg airport   Our. Plane was cancelled so we are on the next flight to Zimbabwe. Happy to report that we were reunited with our bags— for about 10 minutes until we checked them in for the next flight.

We arrived safely (along with our luggage) in Victoria Falls International Airport. 

Our first lion!

We took a 3 hour bus ride over very bumpy roads that the driver kept calling our African massage. 

Our guide talked about Zimbabwe history, much which I knew but was glad for a refresher. It had been a British colony named Rhodesia. They fought a long bloody war until receiving independence in. The president then confiscated the British farmer’s land and kicked them out. He rewarded the brave fighters with these farms but they had no idea how to farm so all the land lies fallow. (You may recall that our President recently baffled and insulted the South African president, accusing him of kicking out white farmers. I guess all African countries are the same!)

We drove through miles and miles of desolate decimated land. After the British and American businesses pulled out, the Chinese quickly moved in, paying bribes to the government to work her. Though people are very happy to have jobs, he said the Chinese don’t pay well. I guess in a country with 85% unemployment, they can get away with paying whatever they want. Hard to imagine 85% unemployment!

Finally, as we drove through the brush, our guide stopped for some photo ops, and,yes, the elephants were that close. 

Impalas

And ants on parade with juicy termite prey. 

We were greeted at our camp with singing and dancing. 

Spotted Genet cat in tree. 

First full day

This morning we went on a freezing cold game drive. We were told because it was so cold we shouldn’t expect to see much. Fortunately, that wasn’t true at all.

Kidney shaped zebra poop. 

Unlike the overwhelming herds of animals Beth and Kate saw racing across the plains in Kenya and Tanzania, in the bush it’s more like hide and seek. We didn’t get photos but in the distance we saw jackals and hyenas racing up the hills.

This is a termite hill. An Ardvark dug this hole looking for termites. Now another animal like a warthog might move in.

Our guide pointed out that there were warthogs making babies. 

This went on for awhile and then they scurried on. 

 

Boy were we excited to see these guys. A herd. We’ve learned that elephants can be very destructive to trees. This can be a problem for all animals but especially giraffes because they can only bend down so far to get leaves.

We went to a man made lake to help animals drink and stay in the park. We encountered a group of hippos.

Looks like a log from a distance but it’s a crocodile. 

Candelabra Euphoria tree

Hydrox

Impala

This guy!

Yellow billed stork (elephant poop in the foreground- and it’s everywhere!)

And this guy!

Big excitement! They were far away but we saw them!

And suddenly baboons. 

Kate and I were sitting out on the porch when her jaw drops. I turn and we see 30 baboons running past our tent. One decided to sit down near us.  

A herd of elephants down the hill from our tent. 

Then our trip leader gave us a lesson in the extremely depressing history and politics of Zimbabwe. Soul crushing and terrifying.

We went on an evening safari where the only thing we saw were two vultures.

A VERY DIFFERENT DAY

Today was a very different kind of day. We visited a school and a homestead. First, we stopped at stores to buy supplies to give the villagers.

Then we visited Lukosi secondary government   School. One of the things I love about Overseas Adventure Travel is that the parent company Grand Circle invests in the local communities. 

Besides investing in the science lab, Grand Circle pays the salaries of the science and math teachers. Most science majors l ave the country. They pay for 2 of the 20 teachers at the school. These were my guides.

They showed me their garden which is part of the feeding program of Grand Circle.

And the rest of the school.

We left the school and met the son of the Headman who showed us the community garden.

Then we visited the homestead. Women were pounding 

millet.

Outdoor kitchen, dining area and animals.

Then we gathered in a hut made from termite mounds. Even though it was hot outside it was cool in this room. We exchanged cultural information.

We left the village and drove through coal country. Again, our leader emphasized how controversial the mines were. The coal all goes to China to make steal. The company treats workers badly and pays badly and only the corrupt Zambian government and the Chinese make any money from this venture that is destroying the land. But people need jobs so some want them there. Our leader says his 85 year old grandmother has changed her mind about politics. She hated the colonial rulers but at least the economy worked. After so many people were killed for opposing the government, people have become complacent about their lot and politics. He says if protest the government in the morning you will join your ancestors by noon.

We ended up giving a policeman a ride. He didn’t want to talk about his job but said he arrests criminals and people protesting against the government!

Photos of our tent. 

For our our final night the staff performed for us. They invited us to join them. A few of us got up and I didn’t realize I was the only one who stayed.

TRAVEL DAY

Today was a 12 hour travel day. After driving several hours, we stopped to listen to this man talk about the Zimbabwe genocide in the 80s. Even though all of the tribes fought the colonial powers together, Mugabe decided to kill the Ndebele soldiers. His father was Brutally killed and his mother had to flee. He was raised by his grandparents and didn’t learn the truth until he was 12. There is still distrust among the tribes.

After the talk, we returned to the bus, we saw a baboon steal food from a woman.

Then we walked over the bridge to Zambia. We had a view of Victoria Falls. Our leader told us when we return to Victoria Falls we will be able to see it is 5 times as big.

And the animals were by the road. I almost crossed paths with this baboon.

 Then we got on this 10 seater plane for a two hour ride.

People told me they like small planes because you can see everything. Well, this is what we saw for hours!

We landed truly in the middle of nowhere on a dirt path. 

We got in safari vehicles and road on bumpy bumpy roads for 2 hours but stopped briefly to see animals. Puku and a Kudo. 

Finally, we reached our camp.

Our camp is by a river but we can’t walk to it because there are crocodiles and hippos we can’t walk to the river. 

OUR AMAZING NAT GEO KIND OF DAY!!!

One of our guides has done safaris for 9 years, the other 15. Neither of them has ever known a group to see so many special animals in one day, our first day. They are worried our expectations will be too high for the rest of the trip. They wanted to know who was the person who brought such good luck. 

First we saw some lechwe deer. 

Apparently they rarely see them. Didn’t get to see them run but we saw several. 

And we couldn’t believe it but got to see a hyena up close. It’s surrounded by vultures politely waiting their turn.

Ok I know this just looks like grass, but somewhere in it is leopard that dashed across the road. Apparently, they are also rarely seen. One man in our group had a super camera and got a great shot. When he sends it I’ll share it.

Kate was very excited to see this lilac breasted roller. Quite stunning.

Then hippos I a watering hole. 

And we couldn’t believe it. Lions !

Then one lion approached our vehicle and just sat down. Our guide told us to keep our blankets and jackets inside. If they were dangling the lions might grab them and pull. Also no pointing or sudden movements.

Wildebeests 

Boabob Tree

Sausage Tree

We returned to our tent  and saw these guys 30 feet away. 

But the day wasn’t over. First a discussion of Zambian politics. 

Then a discussion of trophy hunting. It was way more complicated than we imagined. And there were actually some benefits for local people. And culturally issues. Of course the whole mess was started by white people. 

A wonderful and exhausting day. 

A MORE LEISURELY DAY

We went on a shorter safari. Saw a saddle billed stork and then this guy crossed the road. 

African Fish eagle nest. 

Stopped at a watering hole and saw 27 hippos. 

Both camps had these items in our tent. The green bottle is to kill bugs in our tent. Blue is for mosquitoes and tsetse flies, and red one is a horn for emergencies. Don’t think I mentioned but in the day we can walk back and to our tent. At night they walk us back with huge flashlights and a gun. In the morning before they wake us, they circle around to make sure it’s safe. We can’t leave our tent in the morning until they tell us it’s safe.

We learned about life of a traditional woman in the villages. When a girl reaches puberty, she is given a Chitenge. They can use it to carry a baby or put it around their body but how they wear it tells someone if she is married, single, interested.

She had one tied to her back to carry a baby and one twisted to carry things on her head. 

How high or low you wear it shows if you are married or single and interested. We have no idea what ours are say. We were just glad they didn’t fall off!

I think we’ll stick to wearing hats!

We learned that making peanut butter is an essential skill and babies first food. No food processor in the village.  

There were lots of depressing stories about the expectations and roles of women in traditional society. The most encouraging thing was that in the cities, as women get an education and their own money, things are improving.

Then we went for a lovely River cruise. Perfect temperature. Tons of birds, hippos and crocodiles. These photos were supposed to load in the opposite order. Oops. 

TRAVEL DAY AGAIN

Today was a travel day. We are wearing winter jackets and put on wool lined ponchos on top and we were still cold as we barreled over bumpy roads for 2 hours until we returned to the air strip and our tiny planes

Once we arrived in Livingston our leader wanted to show us contrasts so first he wanted us to see a high end shopping center which where we live would seem like a low end shopping center.

Then he wanted us to see a real Zambian market where most tourists never go and where most Xambians shop.

This is border/immigration center. I post it because it was almost startling to see this fancy building. It was immediately clear that Botswana is much better off than Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Just driving to our camp, not any nature preserve, this is what we saw along the road.

We took a short evening drive outside of camp. For the first time, we had a woman nature guide! Things are better for women here. She told us that in the house, work is 50/50 between a man and woman. UnlikeZambia  where we learned that a wife can’t just hand her husband a glass of water. She must kneel down below him to hand it to him. Seriously!

The land on the other side of the water is Namibia. 

SUNDAY SAFARI IN  BOTSWANA. 

A water buck. Unusual butt. 

First time seeing large groups on the move. It’s called a dazzle of zebras. 

A tower of giraffes. Walking they are called a journey of giraffes. Running, a stride. 

Gray Go Away bird. Its cries alerts other animals to danger. 

Water monitor lizard. 

Giraffe skull

The guides communicate by Wallkie Talkie. There had been a leopard sighting a ways away. Our Guide told us to prepare for racing over very dusty roads. I prepared.

Now I feel like I should use my David Attenborough voice to talk about nature’s unpredictability. Alas, no leopard.  It had gone into hiding.

These are the Chobe flood plains where we are seeing many animals. It is the dry season. During the rainy season most of the places we’ve been would be under water as the flooding River in Angola and Zambia overflow onto these plains.

These are the Chobe flood plains where we are seeing many animals. It is the dry season. During the rainy season most of the places we’ve been would be under water as the flooding River in Angola and Zambia overflow onto these plains.

Finally, another leopard sighting. The other half of our group saw it walk across the road. At least we got to witness nap time. Let sleeping cats lie!!

Road signs we don’t see at home. 

If you thought we were glamping before! The accommodations are nice but we preferred the staff at our two rustic camps. 

Then we had a demonstration of basket weaving. The woman used to make big baskets for harvesting. Now it’s a traditional craft and a way to earn money. Kate tried her hand at this intricate process.

In the morning drive we didn’t see a single elephant on these plains. Now they are heading to the water.

You may notice that this elephant has, um, “a 5th leg “. Another company pulled up. We couldn’t see the kids in it but we certainly heard their embarrassed giggles.

Love these trees!

A black backed jackal

End of a good day!

SLOW DAY WITH A PAYOFF

A long slow day with an unexpected payoff. This was our longest safari day. The plan is as to find some lions. These footprints were the closest we got. We followed them and then lost the tracks. We heard that there was a sighting but when we found it, it had taken the kill into the bushes. The rule in this park is no off roading but when no one was around, we did it. Our guide explained that we couldn’t go closer because the military base was nearby and they patrolled. A minute later we went around a bush and there were soldiers with big guns. We were told not take photos of military so no photo of them or a lion.

We did see some nice birds though. 

We had wanted to see a Cape buffalo- now known as African buffalo— and this was our unexpected reward. But we didn’t just see one —-

When we returned to camp, we learned about Botswana’s controversial shoot to kill policy and poaching issues. Tomorrow we fly to the Okavango Delta, still in Botswana. Not sure how much internet access we will have there.

TRAVEL TO THE DELTA

Travel day. At the airport, we saw this sign. Now we all want to see wild dogs.

We took another tiny plane that landed here. 

Remember when all planes had these? I guess now only prop planes come with barf bags.

Then we arrived here to ride in a mokoro on the Mbudi River. 

Bee Eater bird. 

It was so peaceful and a perfect temperature. 

 

They tell you not to take this trip if you have back problems. For sure! I just hope I leave without them!! I thought the bumpy dirt roads were intense but in the delta here, everything is sand and racing over these roads took African massage to a new level.

Super Glamping!

SAFARI DAY. OKAVANGO DELTA. 

July 2, started our first game drive in the Okavango Delta. Do you know the most dangerous of the African animals? This guy. Hippos kill more humans than any other animal in Africa.

Sunrise on our morning drive. 

This is the Oh My God Bridge— so named after many folks realized that their big safari vehicle was about to cross on this yelled “Oh My God!!!”

Saw some wildebeests. 

Our guide stopped to pick up a porcupine quill — but didn’t see the beast.

We saw some small groups of animals but no high profile sightings. We realized that other people could go on this exact trip and not see as much as we do. We drove around—bounced around for almost 4 hours with not seeing much of anything.

After driving around the bush forever and not seeing almost any animals, I was ready to go back — but then— high profile sighting!! A group of 5 cheetahs!!! Our guide said he’d worked in this area for 2 years and this was only the third time he’d seen cheetahs.

In the afternoon we went on a tour of the electric, water, and cooking facilities. Then we had a lecture on the topography and geology of the Okavango Delta. I mainly remember that it was formed by earthquake and shifting Teutonic plates. The water comes from the mountains in Angola mountains. It’s the biggest inland delta and the second biggest delta.

We thought about skipping the afternoon drive. Didn’t think it could top the morning— but then we saw one! We saw one!

AN AFRICAN WILD DOG.!!!

It had huge ears!!

We were so excited but there was more to come.

We found the same group of cheetahs again. They were having dinner.

On the way back, we encountered a hyena. What an amazing day!!!

Sunrise safari

Lion tracks

Found them. Male Lions! Top of our list. 

And then we found the wild dog puppies!!

The wild dog puppies are 2 months old. The pack changes its den every few weeks so there scent doesn’t linger. Lions will kill the puppies but not to eat them. To eliminate predators. The wild dogs are the best hunters in the region.

Baboon in tree. 

We actually had a door that we were told to lock even when we were inside. They have some clever baboons.

Remember these? It was on our porch. I don’t think I’ve seen an ash tray in years.

We went on our last safari and saw this gigantic crocodile.

Elephant skull. That’s hyena poop in the background or why there’re aren’t more bones here.

Gigantic bird nest Hammer Kop. They use it for many years.

Cape Buffalo with birds eating parasites.

As we left the park we saw hundreds of Cape buffalo migrating.

The Smokey look is from the running buffalo kicking up sand. It’s

That was our last safari. Tomorrow we head to Victoria Falls, one of the 7 wonders of the world.

VICTORIA FALLS

First, our last night at camp. 

This is a small portion of our send off from our last camp. They insisted the Americans perform so I got my group to send ng back up (Awimoway) and I sang the lyrics for A Lion Sleeps Tonight. Considering we had no time to practice— well, glad there’s no recording!

We got back to our tent and thought we heard something nearby. We took this from our porch. He stayed on that side of the stream.

 Next day final trip in a small prop plane. In hot weather there’s turbulence but our flights have been fine. Landed in a small but normal airport. 

We went through customs in Botswana before going back to Zimbabwe. Again. Although the buildings are nice systems aren’t quite like the west. We are traveling with an Indian couple. She is vice president for Asia for Overseas Adventure Travel. She and her husband applied and paid for their visa online. When we first arrived we n Botswana at that first government building, they told them they couldn’t get their visas because it was Saturday. They should come back on Monday. When she asked how long the system had been down they were told 3 1/2 months!! So they just filled out the forms and paid a second time!

In Victoria Falls, no more camps. It’s a resort. Our room is nice but small. I think we are both feeling done with packing, unpacking, packing.

Victoria Falls was named by David Livingstone who was the first European to see it. The natives called it Mosi oa -Tunya. That means the smoke that thunders. There was a movement to reclaim the name but a concern that it was so well known and the change might affect tourism and commerce meant the name has stuck.

Our photos can’t capture the vastness.  Beautiful and fun to walk the paths. It’s about a mile each way to walk it.

Last night we divided our group in two and went to our home hosted dinner. Our host is named Memory. She was delightful! She showed us her dream home. It was a long time saving up for the land that you must by from the government. And then year by year paying for materials and labor.

She showed us her garden and fruit trees. They built this wall to keep out thieves and animals. Before they built it thieves stole their copper pipes. That can happen in the U.S. after they built it, a elephant put his trunk over the wall and destroyed a fruit trees

As you can see, after tribal villages and passing shacks on the road, this is a dream home.

She seemed to like the dish towels we brought her. Whether she uses them or sells them or gives them away, who knows?

Her husband came home. He’s a white water rafting guide but that night he drove a river cruise. Memory works in tourism as well.

We exchanged lots of stories. And there were similarities between the Indian couple’s culture and hers. We ate traditional foods with our hands. Instead of injiera like Ethiopia, you took polenta or rice in your hand and picked up the food on top.

All of the people we’ve met speak beautiful British English and seem very modern — yet — the village is extremely important. They often go there for holidays and to be buried. Their tribes are very important to them. Unlike us, it is rude to look directly in the eyes of someone older or someone you just met. They have to be bi-cultural. Women serve men first by kneeling down. Memory served the one man in our group first. She had top marks in school and wanted to go on but her parents told her she had to get a job because they had school fees for the younger kids. If she had been a boy, that wouldn’t have happened. Eventually she did online classes and graduated in tourism.

We’ve learned though people our changing, they still believe in juju. Our leader’s mother lost 3 siblings to horrible deaths from A.I.D.S. Everyone knew it was because an uncle had cursed them. His mother worked in a hotel and was exposed to other ideas. When offered there, she tested. She had the virus and went on anti-virals. She is now free of the virus.

FINAL ADVENTURES  AND COMMENTS

This morning half our group did the optional activity— we went to an elephant preservation park. We got to pet and feed the elephants.

We were all surprised how rough and scratchy their trunks were. Like steel wool. 

Overseas Adventure Travel had one firm rule: No discussion of U.S. politics! I guess they’ve had some bad fights. Even if I agree with someone I want to be experiencing the country I’m in. I’m happy to report everyone cooperated on this 

 Our trip leader was wonderful. He had been designated top boy in Zimbabwe. He thought he was too smart to be a guide or trip leader. But Princeton didn’t give him the financial aid he needed. Like many, he went to South Africa illegally and eventually was deported. He was really depressed but then managed to get guide work and trip leader work. It’s not full time. No one could do it full time. He is the envy of his peers. So many haven’t worked a day in their lives. 85% unemployment. Many turned to drugs and alcohol. He considers himself very lucky. Still, he won’t ever be able to own a house or car. An $8,000 car in Zambia costs $50,000 in Zimbabwe because of the taxes. The economy is dependent on tourism.  But it’s still awful.

Also, Christian missionaries definitely made a mark in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.  Most people mentioned church at some point. Our leader mentioned that most Americans don’t seem to be very religious even though the westerners brought them the religion.

We have been extremely lucky. Some people might need to come back several times to see what we saw. Also, it was a really congenial group. Everyone got along and it in many ways it was a stressful and demanding trip.

We fly out this morning to Johannesburg. Then 16 hours straight to Atlanta. Then home. Last night we had a sunset cruise. The white that you see is from Victoria Falls that is a mile and a half away!

Off we go!!!