Day 4 – Lake Naivasha

Posted on 13/02/2011 by admin

This morning we headed off at 8am to Hells Gate National Park on mountain bikes.  It was a tiresome uphill ride to the park but a cruisy downhill ride once inside.  We first came across a male giraffe within 100 metres of entering the park.  A great start to the day, and we quickly came upon warthog after warthog.  The zebras were the same, as it seems both animals live closely together.  Both had very cute babies running along with them, hiding from the bicycle gang.

No cheetah or leopard were seen, probably too lazy to check out who had the brightest pink top.  Once we made it to the picnic area, we made a few quick pit stops and a solid rehydrate before tackling the Hell’s Gate canyon.  Our guide told us it was a challenging yet fun walk, he wasn’t wrong.  Up and down walls, man made ladders (broken trees) and across streams we went.  We stumbled across lots of natural springs and surprisingly the water was boiling hot as we were all looking for some cold water to cool down.  We were told the story behind Hell’s Gate but I won’t spoil it for you.

View from top of Canyon at Hells Gate

Along the way we had our first encounter with a dangerous animal, a Cobra.  Luckily it was more scared than us and ducked into a hole in the rocks, otherwise it was game on.  We reached the end of the canyon and a steep climb straight up was next.  We were well rewarded with a beautiful view from the top (see picture).  We hoped back on the bikes to begin the arduous journey back. Our first set back was a puncture which meant a wait on the side of the road for 20 min whilst this was fixed. As we rode further and further, the dust and heat hit us bad. Water was at a bare minimum and plenty of rest stops were had. Once we reached the front gate, an icy cold coke was the most refreshing thing I had ever tasted. Well done to all that completed it!

The afternoon consisted of laziness, by the pool or lying down in the shade (for those who had sunburn from the bike ride) in temperatures exceeded 35 degrees Celsius. As we cooled down with the sun setting, the smell of Good Luck’s food meant beer & cards time. A competitive game was won by me before we called it quits for dinner. Pumpkin soup tickled the taste buds as a starter, followed by tasty BBQ chicken & chips.

After an exhausting day, an early night was had, as some prayed for an England victory in the football.

Posted in b) 6th Feb 2011 Kenya & Tanzania Component Safari on Shaggy, Aly | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Day 3 – Nakuru to Lake Naivasha

Posted on 13/02/2011 by admin

Today we left the zebra themed camp site and firstly headed into Nakuru town, to get supplies for the next couple of days at the freshwater Lake Naivasha, our next port of call.

On the way to the Lake we stopped off at a local orphanage.  Set up by a young local woman in 2009, she looks after, orphaned, lost and abandoned children between the ages of 2 and 13  (www.amazinggracechildrenshome.org ).  It was a most amazing couple of hours finding out how the kids are looked after and we had great fun spending time, playing , singing and dancing with the children.  It was quite emotional for us all.

After a short drive we stopped again for a local lunch, trying some more interesting specialities like goats intestines and blood sausage,  barbequed goat was the option for those less adventurous!!  After a short pit stop on the way to the camp and an impromptu singing and dancing session with a local group of school children we arrived at Crayfish Camp in Naivasha.

Hot showers were had and a dinner of beef stew and rice was on the menu, followed by toasted marshmallows.  The evening was filled with a rather funny pool session in the camp site bar (not enough balls or too many were the problem!!)

Then time for the bed because tomorrow the activities start, so energy is required for the morning!!

Posted in b) 6th Feb 2011 Kenya & Tanzania Component Safari on Shaggy, Aly | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Day 2 – Nakuru National Park

Posted on 08/02/2011 by admin

Monday morning started off early with a 5am wake up call, for the start of todays adventure.  The thought of the big 5 – Lions, Elephants, Buffalo, Rhino & Leopards meant that everyone was eagerly looking forward to the 12 hour day.  A quick breakfast & we were on our way along the bumpy roads of Kenya.  First stop was petrol, but we made it to the gates of Nakuru national park within a few minutes.  A group of cheeky monkeys decided to entertain us whilst we waited for the park to open.  Some very cute young-ins were well protected by their parents. We were quickly in and immediately experienced what the wildlife of Africa is really like. Buffalo’s, Zebra & Baboons were the first to tick off the list.  The baboons showed some very human characteristics including fighting, cleaning themselves & answering the mating call.

We quickly moved on with eager eyes trying to catch a glimpse of what was on offer. Our guide for the day, Bernard, had great local knowledge and a quick phone call took us to the north side of Lake Nakuru where 2 male lions were grazing. We got some great photos of them in stride as they paraded around like Lions. Further round the lake we spotted our first Rhino. A White Rhino had come down to the lake for a morning slurp, and wasn’t bothered by the sight of 6 or 7 vans clicking away at him.

The chase was on as we wanted to capture more and more. The early start was catching up on us as one by one the heads went down for a quick nap. A few Pelicans, Flamingoes and Ostriches later, we found ourselves packing down for a self prepared lunch of rubber cheese, ham and local bread. What we couldn’t finish, the surrounding monkeys lapped up.  We picked up our new pals at the gate, Laura & Dipesh, who had been greeting the porcelain for the past 2 days, getting used to the Kenya cuisine.  Back to lunch, and feeding the monkeys is not allowed but we still got a few entertaining shots.

As the animals had a mid afternoon siesta, it was only fair the we joined in too. The Lake Nakuru Lodge provided us with some lavish surroundings, a bar and a swimming pool. What more could you ask for. 300 Kenyan shillings later (£2.50 for the pool charge) we hopped back in the van to chase the elusive Giraffe.  Bernard knew of a good area to go spotting round the thick bushes, and as we drove around, there was nothing in sight.  We finally managed to spot a male giraffe, who quickly hid behind a tree to escape the limelight.  Giraffes will have to wait for another day.

Overall a long but entertaining day had by all. Thank you to our guide Bernard for making sure we got to the best locations & quickly., The day finished off with a hard earned Tuskers and brilliantly prepared pork chops – thank you Good Luck!    Kieran

Posted in b) 6th Feb 2011 Kenya & Tanzania Component Safari on Shaggy, Aly | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Day 1 – Nairobi to Nakuru

Posted on 08/02/2011 by admin

Heron Hotel, Nairobi

Today we started our African adventure.  We met at the Heron Hotel in Nairobi bright and early.   We met our guide, driver, cook and our fellow African explorers.  Unfortunately one of our fellow travellers had a case of food poisoning and doctors orders stays in the comfort of the hotel for the night….(we will keep you updated on her tomorrow!!).

We saw our truck  Shaggy for the first time and were surprised by the size of the beast!!!   Seatbelts on and we were off through the suburbs of Nairobi.  We drove for about an hour and then stopped off to take in the amazing view of the Great Rift Valley and try our luck at bartering with the local traders, they were tough businessmen!

We drove past Mount Longonot and  Lake Naivasha.  We decided that we would like to have a go at the local food.  So we had lunch of barbequed goat, ugali  (maize meal), rice and tomatoes and onions.  It was all eaten using one hand (washed beforehand!) and shared amongst us a bit like tapas, it was a great experience and fabulous food.  We also had our first introduction to African wildlife with the rather large scavenging and not the most attractive looking Marabou Storks keeping an eye out for any leftovers.

About another couple of hours drive and the glimpse of zebra in the distance as we were driving along we arrived at our first camp site which was about 3kms off the highway and into the African bush.  Tents are put up and are not that difficult.  We went to the zebra themed bar and tried the local beer called Tusker, which is very good.  We get the low down of how the trip works and what to expect from the coming couple of weeks, it’s going to be exciting!

Dinner is a bbq of chicken and boerwors, baked potatoes and salad.  The sun went down and a million stars came out it was quite a sight.  Bit chilly though so a few layers required.

Tomorrow we are up early to get into the National Park and hopefully see lots of the famous animals.

Time for bed now and our first experience of sleeping under African skies

Posted in b) 6th Feb 2011 Kenya & Tanzania Component Safari on Shaggy, Aly | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cape Town, Day 71

Posted on 25/01/2011 by admin

The final day on safari and we arrive in Cape Town.  Nestled in a Bay and with Table Mountain as the back drop it is the perfect place to finish the trip.  It is a very western city and it is easy to organise and do activities in and around Cape Town.  The only problem for the guys is they have to organise activities on their own and they have to leave Eeyore behind.  The final night is at Ashanti Lodge who claim to have the best view of Table Mountain, what they really mean is that the toilet on the second floor has the best view of the mountain.  The room comes with a pair of binoculars so you can watch the cable cart head down Table Mountain from the comfort of the bathroom throne.

At the final meal we chat about the highlights of the trip and it is good to remember all the activities covered.  The Masai Mara, Gorillas, Serengeti, Nakuru, Ngorongoro Crater, seeing the ‘Big 5’, Maasai tribe, Zanzibar, Kande beach, Xmas on the houseboats, white water rafting, Devils pool, New Year at the Falls, walking with rhinos, Okavango Delta, Etosha, Bushmen, Swakopmund, Cheetah park, Sand boarding, Skydiving, Quad biking, wine tour and most importantly the friendships that were created on this 71 Day Safari.  Only those that were on the safari with you that can appreciate and remember all the highlights that you shared.

This is my final safari and I would like to thank all those who help to make these trips the best they can be.  From the Absolute Office to the Campsite owners and the Activity Operators, thank you for making my job much easier. To the clients who Safari with Absolute Africa thank you for the opportunity to share your experiences of Africa and I hope that you have come out with a better appreciation for Africa, enjoyed the local people and were amazed by its wildlife, it is truly an amazing place.  For those who have followed the blog, I hope you enjoyed, for those thinking about coming to Africa, do it.

And as a final point a mate of mine once said, “friends never say goodbye, so till next time…..Cheers”

Gracie

Posted in a) 14th Nov 2010 Absolute Safari on Shaggy, Denis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Stellenbosch, Day 69 and 70

Posted on 24/01/2011 by admin

Wine has been produced in South Africa ever since the Dutch settlement here, more than 400 years ago.  Then the French came as a result of being evicted from France during the Reformation, and they helped to perfect the art of wine production in South Africa.  Stellenbosch is a town in the wine region of South Africa and the next place we visit on this Safari.

This town is a pleasure to visit.  After the heat of Namibia and the last few days of camping, stopping here is a refreshing change and exactly what the guys need.  The town is influenced by its surrounding vineyards and university students.  The streets are wide and clean and the shops are filled with local wines.  For the ladies there are enough shops filled with designer clothes and shoes to entertain them for hours.

The main reason we come here is because of the wine tour.  We head off for the day and visit 4 local vineyards and taste the best that Stellenbosch has to offer.  It is all very civilized and we have to be on our best behaviour as some of these vineyards produce some of the best wines in South Africa. Some of us have been getting comfortable in the relaxed style of living while on the road it is now time for a more lavish approach to our edict.  Whoever said that sniffing, gurgling and sloshing wine in your mouth was appropriate etiquette for the testing of wine was a genius and it amazing how after 2 wine tastings everyone has an opinion about the wine they are trying even if they don’t like wine!

The guys thoroughly enjoy the day. They take in the stunning views, the warm summer sun, the cheese and wine tasting and of course it is a welcomed change to camping life and living on the road.

Laura wore the chain if shame today.

Tip of the Day: Using a spittoon at a wine tour is alcohol abuse!

Posted in a) 14th Nov 2010 Absolute Safari on Shaggy, Denis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fish River Canyon, Day 66

Posted on 20/01/2011 by admin

If you were a geologist, Fish River Canyon would be your heaven.  This place has been around for a long, long time.  We may look into the canyon and say, ‘Nice view’. A geologist would see a story unfold and be able to tell us what happen over a few millennia.   Now, when we say a few, we would be starting about 2500 million years ago.  Today, as we look at the final product it is hard to fully appreciate how long it took to produce this wonder of Namibia.

The canyon has been gouged out, refilled and gouged out again. It has had tectonic movement, volcanic action and once been a sea. The last bit of erosion is what we see today, the Fish River running through and still eroding away at the substraight. It is the second biggest Canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon, over 500m at its deepest point and a superb place to watch the sun go down.

As we appreciate the view we had a few glasses of chilled wine or beer, and gorged ourselves on food prepared at the canyons edge. The guys wondered off and took photos of the canyon from different points and enjoyed the view as the sun went down over the western edge and the moon peered over the eastern horizon.

Even the toilets here have spectacular views of thus geological marvel.  The only issue today was the damn heat.  It was still a cracking 41°C at 6pm in the afternoon.   It was also the last night for one of our guys and we said farewell with a cold beer or two.  We wish Pieter all the best in his travels though West Africa.

Pieter wore the chain of shame today.

Tip of the Day: Ice, iceblock, ice-cream, ice cold drinks, anything with ice!!

Posted in a) 14th Nov 2010 Absolute Safari on Shaggy, Denis | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Namib Desert Dunes, Day 65

Posted on 20/01/2011 by admin

I think this is the most scenic place on the entire trip.  The dunes that are part of the oldest desert in the world are spectacular.  This system of dunes is the largest in Africa and is 110 km wide and nearly 120 km long.  The sands are blown in from the Kalahari Desert.  Sand are carried down the Orange River, which meets the coast a few hundred kilometres south and then washed back up onto the coast.

The !Nara plant (! Indicates a click) starts the whole process of producing these dunes and the equal percentages of wind blowing sand from the east and west ensure that the dunes grow vertically.  The temperature here is hot, real hot.  This environment does not get much rain at all and the animals here have adapted accordingly, in fact if there is rain it can be fatal for some of these desert dwelling creatures.  Sand diving lizards and side winder snakes can be found here.  They are hard to see and their tracks are the only indication of their presence that we see.

Then there are the vlei’s or pans.  A river runs through the middle of this dune system but it very rarely has water.  It is the only place where you will find substantial vegetation that can sustain life. Because of its lack of water flow the dunes start encroaching on the river and eventually cut it off. This has been happening for thousands of years and the river has been consumed by the dunes to a distance of 55km and the current pan Sossosvlei, is the most recent part of the river that has been cut off by the dunes.

Sossos, a local word meaning stuck or cut off, and vlei being pan, means it is an area that is hard to get out of. It was not given the name because of all the 4X4 that get stuck there, it was named by local people would come to this area some years ago to try and kill the bushman that resided in the area and to steal the diamonds that they were carrying.  The attempts on the Bushman were unsuccessful and Bushmen would kill the intruders. The intruding tribes then named the area Sossosvlei meaning if you go there you will not come back.

So what do we do here? We visit a Dead Pan. It is about 800 years old and has petrified Acacia trees still stuck in the white river bed completely surrounded by dunes.  This are provides some sensational photographic opportunities. Then we climb Dune 45, it takes time to do this as the dune is over 200m high and it is damn hot in the summer months.  But it’s well worth the effort for the views of this spectacular dunes system that you get at the top.  The colours of the dunes change as the sun dips over their perfect edges.  It is a day that is hot, uncomfortable, sweaty and exhausting. However this effort will provide you with some of the best photos of the trip. It is a fantastic and memorable place.

Tip of the Day: Wear shoes when walking on these sands!   The sand is high in iron and will be twice the temperature of the atmosphere, sometimes reaching 80°C.

Posted in a) 14th Nov 2010 Absolute Safari on Shaggy, Denis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Swakopmund, Day 61 to 64

Posted on 20/01/2011 by admin

This town is heavily influenced by its German past and only a few kilometres from the Tropic of Capricorn.  A-frame buildings, German food, German drinks, German language and the occasional German tourist.  The unusual thing is not its quaint German feel but that this town is in the desert and by the coast in the middle of nowhere.  The weather is always hard to predict, fog, sun, fog, sun, mist, and cloud all in one day!

Oh, and the food here!  People think they will lose weight when they come to Africa and there is nowhere better than Swakopmund to discredit that theory.  Portion sizes are massive so when ordering food you need to be careful as you will get more than you can possibly chew.  And the meat!  Wow! Game meat, seafood, biltong (smoked meat strips) all seem to be much bigger here.  You have to make serious choices here; do I want the 500g, 800g or 1kg rump steak? Perhaps I should have game meat but will it be Springbok, Kudu, Oryx or Ostrich?  Maybe a gigantic pizza – the calzone stuffed with Springbok is so big they have had to make bigger plates to accommodate it. Generally, the food in Swakopmund is a very fulfilling experience.

Now we come to the big three of Swakopmund.  The big three refers to the most popular activities that can be done here and they are sand boarding, quad biking on the dunes and skydiving over the dunes.   There are other activities available – parasailing, township tours, horse riding, dune tours, fishing, scenic flights, and go karting.  We all make our choices and head out to increase our blood pressure yet again.

I put the challenge out there for one activity and that is the lie down sand boarding.  If anyone from the crew could beat my all time best run of 74km/hr, I’d buy them a shot and if they beat the all time record for the dune of 83km/hr I’d buy them three.   And you know what?  No one could do it.  They got close some got to71, 72 and 74km/hr but no one could beat it so my money stayed in my pocket and my reputation was intact.

The skydiving is something that people really take time in deciding.  If it was me I would do it as soon as we pulled into town.  But people like to wait.  Then you must wait for the weather and that is unpredictable here in Swakopmund.   So you may be stressing for a couple of days as you waiting  that moment when you get to 10 thousand feet and jump out of a plane putting all your trust into a dude you met 30min ago, hoping that he remembers to pull the cord to the parachute that you are both attached to.   However, when the guys get back from the jump it is hard to establish if they a jovial because,  a) they survived the experience,  b) they have a few drink before hand to boost their courage, or c) drinks were consumed in celebration of completing the jump and surviving.  Regardless, they are extremely happy they survived their jumped out of a perfectly stable plane.

Tip of the Day: Sand, just enjoy it.

Posted in a) 14th Nov 2010 Absolute Safari on Shaggy, Denis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cape Cross Seal Colony, Day 60

Posted on 15/01/2011 by admin

We leave the Cheetah Park to make our way to Namibia’s Skeleton Coast. The drive to the coast is very scenic and the best drive day on the tour. You can spend hours taking in the scenery as it changes from bush, to scrub, to rolling hills with sparse vegetation and then to the flat desert land that makes up the Skeleton coast.

The name “Skeleton Coast” is derived from the fact that many whales and ships have been washed ashore here by harsh conditions in the Atlantic Ocean.   After a while driving along this coast,  it all begins to look the same,  and as the name suggests the Skeleton Coast becomes Dead Boring!!

We make a sharp left turn on the salt road and head for the waves that we can see in the distance and before long find ourselves surrounded by 40 thousand Cape Fur Seals.  There is nothing out here besides the waves of the Atlantic, salt flats,  rocks and the smelly seals.   This colony always resides at this spot along the coast and it is a guarantee that you will see seals.  At this time of the year they have just given birth to pups and the shore is full of seal cows (as the females are known) and their pups.  Some pups are only weeks old and we get a chorus of seal bleating from mothers trying to find their pups and pups trying to find their mothers. However impressive watching all these seals is we are forced to leave as the seals stink and there is only so much bad fish breath that one can take!

Tip of the Day: There is nothing better than taking a deep breath of the fresh sea air at Cape Cross.

Posted in a) 14th Nov 2010 Absolute Safari on Shaggy, Denis | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment