Hi All,
Many of you have asked to see some photos from my summer trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Because I took ~ 600 photos…most of which weren’t really very good… I thought that sending you just a few pix for the next several days might be a better way to share my experience with you.
One thing to remember is that it was mid-winter in that part of the world then, so the mornings & nights were quite chilly….especially when riding in an open-air vehicle! The daytime temps rose considerably as we traveled north. Also, with a few exceptions, it was not safe to leave the vehicle to get that perfect picture as the “Big 5” (lions, leopards, African buffalo, rhinos & elephants) were free-roaming in most areas. The hippos would just as soon trample you, too, so we always had to remain at a safe distance in the van! The impalas and other ungulates were plentiful and easier to photograph. We saw many different birds each day, but they were difficult to “shoot” under the circumstances. Excuses, excuses!
Landscape-wise, except in the canyon areas, the land was pretty flat and covered with scrubby plants & a few stunted trees… aptly referred to as “the bush”. This is the region’s dry season and everything looked pretty parched everywhere we went. There are some notables exceptions: the areas adjacent to the Zambezi River & Victoria Falls and the Chobe and Okavango Delta regions. More on those later!
We left Johannesburg early on July 28th to reach our first night’s destination: Nsele “Honey-Badger” Lodge …which is a no-frills camp run by an Afrikaans couple tucked deep in the bush about an hour from an entrance into the famed Kruger national park. En route, we passed through the scenic Blyde River Canyon area and stopped for lunch at the local lodge there where we could appreciate the unusual rock formations from our outdoor table. Surprisingly, even in the remote areas of South Africa, we were pleased to learn that the water is potable!
I hope that you enjoy reading my blog & seeing these photos as much as I enjoyed being there to take them! ~Dab
Travel-mates at lunch en route to the Nsele Lodge , South Africa
Dab's Travelogue 