After we visited South-Africa for the first time, Cape Town and the wine districts soon came to be our favourite destinations. To begin with, we went on safaris and followed the main tourist trail. Slowly we got more courageous and went off the beaten track, criss-crossing South-Africa in a rental car. I would especially recommend going during our winter season from November until March. By then it will be summer in South-Africa with temperatures from 25 to 35 degrees Celsius. 

CROSSING AFRIKA

It was after having explored a larger part of the southern Africa; an idea started to take form. What if we rented a Jeep and crossed Africa from west to east. 

Years went by but after a while we were coming up with something that started to resemble a route. We would fly from Norway to Windhoek in Namibia where we would rent two Jeeps and drive east into Botswana, then head north to Zambia, cross the border to the neighbouring country of Malawi before going east through Mozambique, and end up in Johannesburg in South -Africa. It was an ambitious plan, and we would be on the road for close to a month. It turned out to be more than challenging and it didn’t start out very well.

In Windhoek we were picked up at the airport and transported to the rental company where the cars were not available. It wasn’t until 28 hours later, after endless waiting in the hotel that we could pick up the cars and start our journey. 

There, in the remote hotel outside of Windhoek, we bumped into four other Norwegians who were in Namibia to check out the possibilities for fish farming. It´s a small world. 

At the same hotel gaping visitors experienced something they had never seen before: A rare hailstorm. After a couple of minutes, the courtyard was covered in white, and the kids were making snowballs for the first time in their lives. Half an hour later it was all gone. Almost 30
degrees Celsius has that effect on snow. 

For us this was only the beginning of a long journey, and the first stage was extensive. We were to cover close to 400 kilometres in one day. We were also to cross the border between Namibia and Botswana. Little did we know that the border control would take so much time. 

First, we had to fill in our papers to leave Namibia, then show our Covid-certificates, receive new stamps and new entry documents to enter Botswana. And when you thought there wouldn´t be any paper left and they would be out of stamp ink, we had to queue up for tourist visas, for car fees and more stamps on more pieces of paper. Hours went by and we ended up driving on severely bad roads in total darkness. In those situations you really appreciate large, reliable Toyota HiAce 4x4.

Out of the darkness we could spot our first accommodation, a small safari camp with dismal bedrooms. But on the other hand, the zebra steak was excellent, and so was the Windhoek Lager, possibly the best lager in southern Africa. 

The next day we set out to reach a safari camp in the outskirts of the Kalahari Desert, the large sandy savanna covering much of Botswana and stretching into Namibia and South-Africa. 

Farm animals walked along the rough and bumpy road and often in the middle of it. Equipped with GPS and Google Maps we still thought this would be a smooth ride. It was only to follow the route on the screen we thought and let us lead onto a road that was supposed to take us in the right direction. How wrong can you be. We could do nothing but make a U-turn. 

Thanks to a soldier we met, we understood that there was another road running along a wildlife fence through the sand dunes 100 meters on the side of the main road. We went full throttle and climbed a hilltop to get onto something resembling a road, being not much more than a two-wheel track in the sand. 

Another fence ran on the other side of the tracks. It was in a deplorable state and animals crossed in and out as they wanted to. The message we got was clear. If we hit an animal, we would have to pay what the animal costed. After a few kilometres we nearly ran into a full-grown giraffe. When you meet them up close, you fully realize the size and the height of the animal. We flinched and just barely managed to stop. 

For hours we drove alongside the fence. We couldn’t go fast, and we almost got stuck from time to time. No signs, nothing that could indicate we were on the right track. Just kilometres and kilometres of endless sand. But then – after hours of monotonous driving, we met a driver in a jeep waiting for us. From then on it was pure joy all the way to the safari camp where a singing welcome committee awaited us. 

Thamo Telele is beautifully situated by a large waterhole where the animals came to drink. Spring was yet to come, the landscape was arid and dry, and the animals gathered around the waterholes to quench their thirst. From our luxuries tents in the wilderness, well equipped with a double bed, toilet, shower, and a wardrobe, we could watch antelopes, zebras, and lions by the water. 

We were woken at 5 o´clock in the morning, when still dark. Slowly, during breakfast, the morning broke. It was chilly, and we needed a warm jacket. As the sun was ascending the sky, the nature came to life. From 5-6 in the morning our first safari drive lasted for about 5 hours. After lunch we went for a new drive for about 3 hours. The seats in these safari jeeps are not the most comfortable ones, so you can feel it in your body after a full day. But you will spot a lot of animals! 

After three days we were off. And from Maun, Botswana´s fifth largest town, situated up north, we were flown into the next safari camp. The flight lasted no longer than 50 minutes, and we flew over sumps and savannas, rivers and lakes, mostly open landscapes only broken up by woodlands and clusters of trees.
 
The safaris in this part of Africa goes through a completely different scenery, but the wildlife is the same. With one exception: In the lakes and rivers there are lots of hippos. Most of the year there is enough water in the swampy Okavango Delta for the hippos to thrive. During the day they are lying in the water to cool and then at dusk, they lumber onto land to graze on grass.
 
They look so lazy and cosy, but the truth is a hippo is one of the world’s most dangerous species. 500 people are killed by hippos in Africa every year, and with their large gape and canine teeth they can bite a crocodile in half. With that knowledge in the back of our head, we were to cross a flooded track to get back to the camp. «It´s quite deep, » the driver said and ask us to put our feet up. That was when a hippo showed up on our «roadway». It refused to move, and you don´t argue with a hippo, not even from the safety of a car. All we could do was to back up and take the long way home.

You never grow tired of the rich wildlife, of flocks of antelopes and zebras, packs of African wild dogs hunting down their prey. We consider the lion to be the king of predators, but the lion only prevails four out of ten times. When it comes to hunting, the wild dog is a much more impressive hunter with a success rate of 80 percent.

As if this wasn’t enough, 70 percent of all the gas stations we passed on our way to Lilongwe were closed due to gas rationing. Malawi has been forced to pay for gas and diesel in US dollars and were obviously out of currency. Cars were lining up for kilometres and people were waiting patiently in front of the few open gas stations. We were lucky to find a station where they still had some diesel left so we could make it to the end of our journey.

At this point our patience was wearing thin. It came to a peak when a beefy army guy with a machine gun at hand stopped us and wondered what we carried in our cars. He checked in the back and obviously found everything ok. But ended with the following command: I am thirsty. Don´t you have a cold Fanta? As if we were a travelling snack store.
 
We had crossed vast areas, passed small villages, and driven through remote places. And when you visit Malawi, you will also come to one of the poorest countries in the world. 15 years after my last trip to Namibia and Botswana it doesn´t seem to be much progress outside of the cities. There is severe poverty, and many people live in primitive houses and shacks. Work is hard to find, and a small piece of land and a couple of goats and hens is what keeps them alive.
 
After two nights in Lilongwe, we returned our cars, changed our plane tickets, and could embark on Ethiopian Airlines to Johannesburg before heading back to Norway. We had crossed five borders, driven about 3000 kilometres, often on bad roads, we had seen lions and antelopes, leopards, and elephants – but still no rhinos or cheetahs.
 
And we had learnt a lesson. You can plan as much as possible, but it won´t keep you from frustration, from a stamp routine from hell, or from pure bad luck.

But this can be good to know:

• Be sure that all tourist visas are prepaid and valid. In some countries they can only be bought online, not at the border checkpoint.

• Bring enough cash, meaning US dollars.

• Renting a car in one country, crossing borders, and driving through other countries, can cause problems. You must pay road taxes, and the authorities are especially aware of smugglers. At one checkpoint our cars were thoroughly checked for drugs and weapons. This took time.

• Don´t trust blindly an itinerary that others have planned for you.

• In many African countries they don´t accept USD issued before 2015. We never got to know why. But be prepared that some of your USD notes will be refused.

• Visa cards or credit cards were not accepted at any of the border checkpoints we passed.

• Be prepared for many long queues to get you papers signed and verified.

And our conclusion is as follows:The best safari camps in South-Africa are just as good as the ones we visited coming to the number of animals you will see. Singita Boulders Lodge in Kruger National Park, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve outside of Grahamstown, and Shamwari Private Game Reserve in Eastern Cape, hold the same high standard or better, even if they are not cheap.
 
But have a nice trip if you still have the courage and the motivation to follow in our wheel tracks.

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