Hi all, just wanted to update you on my latest travels which took me to the wildlife rich lowveld in South Africa and then up to the untouched wilderness of north west Namibia. Our journey began upon meeting in Johannesburg. The group was two fantastic families that are related and I had guided on two separate trips in the recent past. This time they decided to all come together and what a great time we had! After a short 1 hour flight from Johannesburg we landed safely in a private concession close to the Kruger National Park at Royal Malewane lodge.

The rainy season or better known as the “green season” has always been under rated here as the bush tends to be much denser with vegetation making it more difficult to pick up game. I find this an exciting time of the year. It is the time for production. All the migrant birds have arrived from their wintering grounds in Europe, Asia, Siberia and central and east Africa to come and spend the summers down in southern Africa. Also, many of the mammals have given birth to their young. The energy is fantastic and our experience here was not disappointing. We had excellent sightings of elephant, buffalo, giraffe (which included a mother and her 5 day calf), wonderful herds of impala, kudu, wildebeest, and I could go on.

We had two separate sightings of cheetah taking down impala. First was an adult male and the other was 3 sub-adults that we followed for 45minutes before they caught sight of a herd of impala and took a young impala down. Everyone was so taken in by what they saw, not even a huge thunderstorm could persuade us to leave. We sat for the next 20 minutes in our ponchos watching the cheetah feed just meters away from our vehicle. This was the only rain that we encountered during our stay in the lowveld. We also had a wonderful experience on foot, tracking 3 white rhino. Twenty years ago these animals were on the brink of extinction and here we were sitting in the bush watching them no further than 40 meters away. Just when we thought it could not get any better we heard that there were 2 male lions not far off so we decided to go and take a look. I have had many encounters with lion on foot and the vast majority have ended up with them running off into the bush. This was something I have never experienced before. We sat with these 2 male lions in the open for about 10 minutes, without ANY sign of aggression or wanting to run off. Eventually they moved into a thicket to rest for the remainder of the day as cats do. This was extraordinary and a wonderful way to end our 4 days at Royal Malewane.

After a long but spectacular flight up to the most north western point of Namibia we finally landed on the gravel plains of the Marienfluss, probably one of the most remote places on earth and home to a little camp situated 40km upstream on the banks of the Kunene River called Sera Cafema. Many people have never heard of this river or camp. The Kunene is one of two perennial rivers in Namibia and what separates Namibia from Angola. It is hard to find the words to describe this place, but it certainly congers up deep emotions. The sheer beauty in this harsh environment leaves you speechless!

Our 4 days here were spent exploring the gravel plains, rocky outcrops and dry river courses on ATV. This is a fragile environment, so we used designated tracks that covered hundreds of kilometers to traverse the area. You are probably already asking why on earth would you want to go there… what is there to see? Well, there are unique species of plants, reptiles, insects, birds and mammals which have managed to carve out an existence here; a large percentage you will find nowhere else in the world. Another big draw is the Himba people who also live out in this harsh environment just as they have done for thousands of years. The Himba’s were once known along with the Masai tribe as the wealthiest cattle farmers in the world. They are semi-nomadic and live a very basic lifestyle in domed mud huts eating a staple diet of goats milk, cows milk, maize meal and on special occasions they will slaughter a cow or goat to feast. They truly are an intriguing and beautiful tribe. Our visit to Namibia was certainly the highlight of our trip and I can’t wait to return to this ancient desert in June.

Till next time….
Richard