Cheeky cheetahs - classy cats, Namibia

After departing Etosha, our next destination was the eagerly anticipated Cheetah Park. A massive farm where one elderly man & his son rescue cheetahs from farmers - they give them the alternative option of getting the cats taken off their hands as apposed to shooting them for preying on the cattle on their land. We drove for a few hours before pulling up at the farm house that resembled something in a place like Arizona. We were immediately greeted at the fence by one of the stunning domesticated cheetahs. Vee rang the bell & the owner appeared with another big cat at his side. He stepped out the gate minus the cheetah & welcomed our overly excited group.

We were given a short introduction before being asked if we were ready to meet the three main attractions. A synchronised & loud yes followed! Being led through the gates we were immediately met by one of the cheetahs. After a brief pat it turned out he was more interested in the numerous goats that were moving pens next to the high fence around us - as were the two others! Eventually, & after meeting a cute, excitable tiny puppy, we were taken to the backyard of the house with the three cats, with the gate shut behind. It was here where they were more responsive to our attention - they patiently sat & laid down to pose for photos. Sean even got an affectionate lick as he was sitting down next to one! They climbed trees & posed some more, & before we knew it, it was time to leave to set up camp. They accompanied us as we made our way to exit the gates, & we definitely didn't want to leave them!

Setting up our tents, we spotted another friendly cheetah by herself in a separate giant pen next to camp. She purred loudly as she followed us up & down the fence, however we didn't dare pat her as we weren't sure if she was tame or not. We had time to kill before we were to be taken on a feeding & tour of the main cheetah farm where 14 of the rescued cheetahs were kept, so we chowed down on a delicious salad for lunch, went for a short walk around, & Sean splashed into the large, circular pool surrounded by baobab trees. 

We were picked up just before five, & we all piled onto a trailer that was towed behind the owner's ute. We took off towards the farm, & as we entered some more large gates, we immediately spied the wild rascals lining the fence, hungrily eying up the vehicle - & us! As we drove along, more & more cheetahs appeared, trotting alongside & behind the trailer, in pursuit of dinner. It was amazing how close we were, separated by a tiny bit of steel, a metre off the ground. 

He pulled up at a certain spot & amazingly hopped out carrying only a stick. Walking around to the trash bin which was full of steak, he took one piece at a time, throwing it into the middle of the ravenous crew. The cats displaying some amazing feats of athleticism by jumping high & snatching the meat mid-air. Naturally, fights occurred, one poor cheetah copping a slap in the face! In the end, however, they all were given a hunk of steak, & all munched down separately.

We continued driving some distance more as there was one solitary male cheetah to feed. We found him crouched, stalking the trailer from a shrub. As the owner got out again, & walked around the back of us, the cheetah pounced & was less than a metre away from him! Regardless, his nerves remained like steel as he took out another slab of meat & threw it to the wild carnivore. We circled around the pen & came across three more cheetahs in a separate area - they were allegedly the fighters, & caused to much chaos being in with the others. He fed them three more steaks, & we then exited the enclosure.

Driving back to camp, we stopped off at the lonely female who we learnt was one of the domesticated cheetahs, & once lived at the house. She became grumpy around children, & sadly had to be separated. He gave her a massive pat & hand fed her the last steak, ending the afternoon of feeding. 

As the sun went down, we sat around the campfire & after awhile, dinner was served. We had a delicious meal of meat kebabs on rice with a great Mediterranean salad, one of the better meals of the trip so far! Before long it was time to retire to our tent & hit the hay. 

Etosha - waterholes, rhino soap operas & thieving jackals; Namibia

We bid the Hoba Meteorite farewell the next morning as we departed the campsite en route to Etosha. After a pretty easy drive, we pulled up at the national park's gates & passed through into unbeknownst to us, one of the most thriving parks for discovering wildlife! We took the first left and ventured towards the first water hole & immediately we were met by giraffes, elephants, zebra, Impala, an oryx & a lone jackal. It was incredible viewing how these creatures go about having a drink, the giraffes in particular: they wait until they think the coast is clear, hesitantly spread their front legs & lean down to wet their whistle. If they drink for longer than 60 seconds, all the blood rushes to their heads & they will most likely topple in! 

After getting a good dose of wildlife viewing we headed to a fancy resort, 'Namutoni,' near by... Not to check into a fancy room but to set up tent in their camping grounds. The good thing being that we were able to use their amenities, so after a splash in the icy cold pool I hit up a hot water shower! We then headed off to check out some more water holes on dusk when they are supposedly more active. Nothing was really thriving as much as the first but we still lucky to find more giraffes, kudu and black faced Impala. 

We arrived back at camp and were quick to jump into some warmer clothing and thaw out by the camp fire dinner and before bed. The next morning we woke with the sun, she lit up the sky with vibrant oranges and pinks which we admired before setting off for a chance to see what dusk might draw to the watering hole. The drive there found us spotted hyenas, a couple of adorable dik diks, and finally an incredible black rhino grazing on sharp shrubs. After stopping to snap countless photos of him, we made a brief stop at the salt pans to play around with some creative illusion photography. 

Reaching the waterhole we found more elephants, kudu, zebras and the black faced Impala, feeling rather thirsty and hot ourselves we set up for lunch at another fancy resort. After a brief splash in the pool, Sean and I headed up a dirt track to view another water hole full of life - particularly elephants - before again taking advantage of a HOT shower! 

Back on the road in the afternoon, dodging elephants holding up traffic we came to another rhino treating himself to a solo drink! We all sat mesmerised by this black beauty before making tracks to our next camping grounds. Not let down by our luck we stumbled upon two lions, a male stalking after his woman, giving her a quick shag as she rested and on they prowled as we watched only metres away! 

We arrived at the camping grounds just in time to run up the clock viewing tower and see the setting sun! After a quick delicious dinner of burgers that Sean made, fighting off the pestering jackals we raced down to our flood lit watering hole. Scoring a seat, Louise, Jess, Chloe, Sean and I got nice and cosy in our sleeping bags on the the viewing benches and couldn't wait for the curtains to be drawn.. It was literally like watching the most dramatic, extraordinary and unpredictable theatre show unveil before our eyes. A few bottles of bubbly and red later we had seen it all, from rhinos stalking elephants, elephants fighting, rhinos engaging in battle (we saw 13 black rhinos all up!) giraffes spreading their legs to drink and zebras hesitantly taking a swig! IT WAS AMAZING!!!!! We stayed until the very last rhino exited stage right, stoked by the performance and drunk from the wine we all merrily skipped off to bed! 

Up again at the crack of dawn, we were all sitting finishing breakfast when a man yelled 'lions!' Plates down, coffee spilt and still chewing we ran to the water hole to find two gorgeous young bachelors having a drink. One was a bit younger than the other & you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a lioness. As we had to depart early, we quickly snapped a few pics & raced back to the truck. We all hopped on & took off!

The drive to the exit was uneventful, with even the waterholes bare of any animal existence. We felt even more grateful for catching the spectacle last night, seeing all that we did! Leaving through the Etosha gates, we bid farewell to some amazing scenery & wildlife, but somehow I don't think for good! 

A dip in the delta and dancing around camp fires: Botswana

Our next stop on our African adventure was Botswana, & the much hyped Okavango Delta. We crossed the border just before lunchtime & due to the spread of foot & mouth disease, we had to hide any fruit or veg we had, as well as we were asked to walk through a chemical shoe cleaner on the ground. This was a control put in place through out the country. We drove for a little while longer on okay roads, & reached 'Thebe River Camp' in the mid afternoon. After setting up camp, we headed to the pool for a quick freezing dip, & had a couple of local  and tasty 'St Louis' beers, which were particularly light for a lager, at 3.5%. The night soon crept in, & after an early dinner, we crawled into bed. 

We were back on the road early the next morning, & before long, after a quick stop in the town of Maun for supply shopping, we had reached 'Sedia Hotel.' Unfortunately, we weren't staying in any flash hotel rooms here, we were merely camping in the grounds. We set up our tents & headed to the pool bar (a reoccurring theme now,) for free WiFi, & once again, a couple of local beers. Our group dinner was unfortunately one of the worst, bland spaghetti & meatballs, & we were excited for bed, to catch some z's, & wake up the next morning ready for a bush adventure. 

As the early morning arrived, we were hit in the face by an extremely frosty reception from Mother Nature. It was a chilly one, but somehow we arose & packed up the 'Afrotrek' vehicle with our tents & supplies. The drive to Delta was just as unpleasant, with freezing air whipping us as we rode along in the back of the open truck. We were relieved to reach the banks of the Okavango after forty five minutes, however we had a little wait until our chaperones, the Makora polers arrived. The Makora is a kind of traditional canoe, used by the ancient Botswanan people to traverse the often shallow grassy waters of the Delta. It fits two people, plus the commandeer. We were assigned a friendly poler named Legos, & his respective blue Makora. Loading it up quickly, we set off through the reeds. 

After a shaky start, we grew used to the swaying of the Makora, & we learnt that Legos had been transporting tourists around for over ten years, with no incidents as yet, so our minds were put at ease. The Okavango Delta is a unique body of water, as the water that flows here is stagmented. It does not flow out to any rivers, the water covers many reeds & sunken trees, & simply sinks into the soft sand. We were overly grateful for a prior warning from Vee to bring lots of Deet, & for slapping it on before jumping on board, as we were swamped with mosquitoes every time we parted through the reeds. The gentle sailing proved to be relaxing, & Legos pointed out fishing birds to us as we cruised. 

We suddenly heard the unmistakable grunts of a few hippos that sounded close, & we followed them to an open pool. Easing to a stop on the edge, we watched eagerly as the giant rascals splashed about, even showing off their huge mouths! Before too long we were sailing off again, & we eventually reached a body of land with a massive tree coverage, which was indeed to be our home for the next two nights. Fortunately the guys with our tents had sped off ahead and had generously already put them all up for us and started a fire. 

The sun was still shining so we jumped at the opportunity to check out the swimming hole! One of the polers led us through 5 minutes of bush until we reached a clearing that delved into Delta. The water was crisp and only waist deep but felt better than a coffee to wake us up for our afternoon walk. We headed off at 4pm and broke into two groups to speed things up a little. We followed small tracks made by hippos, through long grass and around shallows of water. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see in terms of game apart from the timid reedbuck & fish eagle, so as the sun set, we headed back to our jungle base. 

The night crept in as the campfire roared. We feasted on delicious grilled chicken with lashings of peri peri sauce. We were exhausted, & by the time the clock struck eight, we were in our tent, fast asleep.

We rose with the sun and started our day with a lovely 4 hour walk through the delta! In search of animals we found zebras, hippos, reedbuck and some baby chicks. The terrain was swampy, where bush crept to the waters edge and led off to massive fields of long grass. Luckily it was a guided walk as every direction looked much the same to me. 

We arrived back at camp to a second breakfast for the day; a big fry up, before spending the next good part of the day learning to pole a Makora. Jess, Chloe, Sean & I were the first to jump at the chance. The steering took a lot of getting used to, the four of us each took turns spinning around in circles! The girls & I started to pick it up a little, leaving Sean struggling around the reeds. We decided to pole to the water hole for a chilly dip as a reward for all the hard work, which meant poling through the thick reeds. 

Sean hit his straps & figured out the steering, racing ahead & out of sight. We all eventually made it to the little clearing, all taking turns jumping from our canoes into the icy cold drink. After a little swim & a few photos, we circumnavigated back to camp. Feeling warmed up again, Chloe & I had a yoga session, & before we knew it, the sun had begun it's slow descent, & we were getting ready to head out on the water again for a sunset cruise.

It was absolutely picturesque slowly streaming through the still water as the vivid sky farewelled the sun. We were lucky to find a big group of hippos splashing about before racing back to land in the nearing dark. A big feed of beef stew later, we were sat around the camp fire, roasting marshmallows and drinking rum. We then showcased a few songs and games but were completely shown up by all of the polers performing for us; one of which was a toad song where they all got on their hands and feet and leapt around 'ribiting'! 

I woke the next morning with vague memories of going to bed and a thumping headache to reinforce the fun we had last night! Soon to be back on the water we packed down our tents and sailed through the delta one last time, meeting a verchile on the waters edge, we were picked up and taken back to Sedia hotel. Arriving unwashed and exhausted Sean and I finally decided to pull out our 'upgrade' option! A pretty expensive but well worth it room later we spent the afternoon watching TV, catching up on washing and most importantly washing ourselves.. I had 3 baths in less than 12 hours! After a big group buffet dinner at the restaurant Sean and I were quick to dive into our lush white linen sheets and appreciate a night off from camping! 

A sweet sleep later we hesitantly crawled out of luxury and climbed back onto the dusty yellow truck. Farwelling Rach and Rob we headed for the boarder and smoothly crossed into Namibia just after lunch. A few more hours passed and we arrived at a rainbow river camp. Setting up our tent with a gorgeous view of the water, we watched the setting sun as we saluted it with a short session of yoga. 

We woke the next morning with the river almost at our feet! Packing up & having breakfast, we were back on the truck on towards our next destination, the Hoba Meteorite. We learnt that it's the biggest crashed meteorite in the world & therefore we expected to see this humongous ball of minerals & space rock. However, when we arrived at the campsite just beating night fall, we were greeted by an unimpressive regular looking rock surrounded by a mini colosseum! On closer inspection, you could see slashes where the smooth iron has been exposed - the meteor is made up primarily of iron, & a few other minerals, some unknown! Standing in the middle of it & talking creates a massive echo effect which initially catches you off guard. We set up our tent overlooking the newly agreed impressive sight, & after a delicious peanut butter rice & pork chop dinner, we were in bed, contemplating the cosmos & universe as we drifted off into slumber, looking forward to waking up and setting off for Etosha National Park.