Friday 30/06/2017 - Moremi Gorge to Blouberg

We woke in the dark at 5am, packed the tent and had a quick breakfast. A double cab bucky (ute or truck depending on where your from) came to pick us up and we had to sit on a mattress in the back for the 3 km journey to the start of the walk. We had to wait around for a while as the bucky had to make 2 trips due to the size of our group.

We followed the guide along the trail crossing the stream a number of times, using our walking poles to help us keep balance on the slippery rocks. Our group passed a noisy troup of baboons and 2 waterfalls and pools on the way to the third and final large waterfall. We spent a while there enjoying the view up the gorge and managed to see a few cape vultures soaring overhead and land high up the gorge in a cave.

We made it back to camp by 8:30am and set off for the crossing back into South Africa. The boarder crossing was smooth again and they didn't even ask for our yellow fever certificates which we had been stressing about the whole trip as we had left them at home. Chris had managed to find and scan them and email us a copy.

We passed many small villages on our way to Blouberg where all the kids waved and jumped up and down with excitement as we passed. It was a rough drive to our campsite and once we made it we set up our tents before setting off on another walk to a pool.

After our walk we set off or the local shebeen (tavern) where we were given the opportunity to tast the locally made beer. We both declined and just bought a drink from inside where the bar was covered in bars. We also watched the local dance group and a few from our group danced with them.

We were at the shebeen until it got dark then headed off to a local persons house where we had a lovely dinner of both local and international food.

Thursday 29/06/2017 - Bulawayo to Moremi Gorge

An early start at 5am as we had to get going by 6am, unfortunately some in this group are a little slow so. We didn't get going till around 6.15am. It was only a few km's into the journey when we were stopped at a police check point. They were not going to let us proceed without us paying a fine. They asked for all of Leroy papers regarding the truck. After some time had passed they said the truck's insurance was out of date referring to an invoice with the date of Dec 2016. Both the driver and our leader explained it was the date of the invoice not the expiry of the insurance which is valid till End of July 2017. The crooked cops would not listen and were wasting our time. We had to pay $20 USD to get past them. This put us 20 more minutes behind schedule. As we drove to the boarder crossing to Botswana we were stopped then passed through a few more police check points when Leroy told the police we had already been fined. It was a slow boarder crossing but we had no issues. We were happy to be out of Zimbabwe, it's a shame to say this as we have had some incredible experiences. We had lunch at Francistown then kept driving to our destination - Moremi campsite arriving around 4.20pm. The day just didn't go right for us as we ended up arriving too late for the walk into Moremi Gorge. We instead pitched tents and all helped with dinner. We enjoyed a relaxing time around the camp fire. First cloudy night since Kruger N.P which was back on 14/05/2017.

Wednesday 28/06/2017 - Matobos National Park

Today we went on an all day game drive in 4x4 vehicles. Below is a picture of the donkey, it is a wood fired water heater and last night we had a lovely hot shower.

First stop of the day was to walk to where the white rhinos were. The anti poaching team made up of police and park rangers informed the local guide where they were. When we got out of the vehicles a typical old bus that runs around in Zimbabwe passed by. Reminded us of Cuba.

We had to walk in single file and be quiet as we approached them down wind. We got to about 10 metres away from them. It was great to be so close and they were not bothered that we were there.

We stopped at the gates to Gordon Park which is where scouting started. It is camp number 2. The scout group here only has about 10 members and our guide had once been a member.

We continued on through the park seeing all the strange rock formations which have formed as a result of millions of years of erosion.

After lunch we were taken to see the San bushmen paintings and when we stepped out of the truck our guide found this leopard paw print on the road.

The paintings are well preserved as they are in a cave protected from the elements. They depict the life and food sources available at the time they were drawn. Some sections have been painted over and over again. We were also shown the hidden paintings that only show up when a shadow is cast over them.

Tuesday 27/06/2017 - Hwange N.P to Bulawayo

We survived another night camping with wild animals. Enjoyed sunrise from the lookout platform. 

Catriona got to ride in the front passenger seat next to Leroy.

Another day on the road in Zimbabwe resulted in many police road blocks. We passed through a couple with no major incident but at one stop they tried to book us for speeding. They said their radar clocked us at 86km/h but Leroy (our driver) was only doing 80km/h. He argued with them and said he wanted them to do a test on the radar as any speeding fine comes out of his pocket or change the fine. They didn't want to test the radar but agreed to change the fine to the compliance sticker being on the wrong side of the truck. These cops are totally dodgy and just pocket the money, they are so annoying and waste our valuable time. Like our leader says it's highway robbery!!!

We arrived late in the afternoon setting up our tents before going for a walk around the area with Mr Brown. He showed us a bushman painting site and where local people once stored their food. The culmination of the walk was viewing sunset from the top of a granite outcrop.

  

Monday 26/06/2017 - Victoria Falls to Hwange N.P

We were supposed to leave at 7am but 3 new passengers arrived without their bags. The new group agreed for them to visit Victoria Falls at sunrise then buy some essentials before we depart. Our new driver is Leroy and the guide is Jay. Jay describes the truck as an A380 and we agree, as it is the best of our tour. It's a lot newer compared to the other ones we have travelled on, especially the seats, they are in good condition. We drove through country side and passed many small villages. The road we were on was in terrible condition, so bumpy shaking the truck and it made it hard for me to write up my diary We were stopped by police road blocks 5 times. They try to find something wrong with the vehicle and then fine us. The first 4 we got through with no real issues but the last one of the day they made our driver hand over $15 USD saying there was a chain missing from under the vehicle. It was really annoying and they slow our journey down.

African golden oriole 

We set up tents at Tuskers Camp then went to a viewing platform to see over 50 elephants.

After lunch we went on the open 4x4 for a game drive through Hwange National Park - the largest in Zimbabwe. We had to cross over the Cape Town to Cairo rail line at this point it is dead straight for about 90km. 

We were lucky to see many animals including antelopes, apes, zebra, buffalo, warthog, jackets. We saw many types of birds once again. Near the end of the drive we stopped to see an elephant shake the trunk of a tree with its head so it could eat the berries that fell to the ground. 

Also saw another great sunset with a giraffe in the foreground.

At the end of the night after dinner we went down to a hide to view elephants feeding on the salty earth. There were 4 adults and 4 young elephants. We were about 10 feet away and it was just amazing to be so close. We could hear them breathe in and out the dirt. 

 Back at the camp fire elephants were eating in the bush around us. They were also trumpeting in the distance. We had to be careful not to stray away from camp as there were no fences to protect us. Another unforgettable day in Africa.

Sunday 25/06/2017 - Victoria Falls

Had final breakfast and said farewell to some that were leaving. We packed our gear into the front on the truck then set off to see Victoria Falls from Zambia. We walked down the Main Street and people came up to us every 20 metres to sell up wood carvings and old notes that are worthless. We dodged them all and went through the Zimbabwe boarder no problems. We walked over the Victoria bridge that has a single lane and railway line. Half way along there is a bungy platform. We stopped to take in the view of the falls and gorge plus take a couple of photos.

We made it into Zambia and had a better view of the falls compared to yesterday as there was not as much mist. We crossed a bridge to Knife Edge and we saw a full circle rainbow from the mist and sunshine.

We had a great traditional lunch called Sadza - beef stew, pap and kale at Shoestring Backpackers then Catriona had a lovely full body massage, pedicure and manicure. In the afternoon we enjoyed high tea at Victoria Falls hotel. It was nice to live it up for over an hour at the elegant hotel now we have finished our trip through the desert. Warthogs roamed on the lawns while cheeky monkeys kept coming up to some tables steeling sugar.