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More Ways to Go on Safari
It has
been a while since we were in Southern Africa, so in October it was time to
pack our bags and head for three new areas in Botswana,
South Africa and Namibia
offering even more ways to go on Safari. Our trip started, once again, on the
SAA flight direct from New York to Johannesburg. The usual,
overnight aloft with a stop in Dakar
for refueling. On arrival the next
afternoon (after sorting out lost luggage, which was eventually found) we walked over to Intercontinental Hotel across the street. It is very easy to
navigate around this airport. There were also plenty of ABSC (airport
information) helpers throughout the airport to point us in the right direction.
The hotel itself is comfortable with no airport sounds in the rooms and the food
from restaurant was good. This convenient hotel is highly recommended if you
come in the evening and are departing the next morning.
MASHATU. BOTSWANA After a good night s sleep, and a
great room service meal, we made our way
back to domestic departures, for the 40 min. SA flight to Pokolwane (used to be
Petersburg all airport names in RSA have been changed from the
English/Afrikaans names). On arrival, we were met by our driver Arthur for
the 2 hour drive to the Botswana
border. It was a smooth transition from Arthur to our driver from Mashatu on
the Botswana side and we
quickly continued on to camp, crossing over the dry Limpopo
River which is the border between South Africa/ Botswana/
Zimbabwe.
Mashatu is completely different from Okavango
Delta, the other premier game area in Botswana, which is a 2 3 hour charter flight away. By contrast,
it is dry bushveld w/ lots of elephants and other plains game. It is the only
privately owned land/concession in Botswana, owned by Rattray family
(who also own Mala Mala see our great package combining these properties). It
is a total of 75, 000 hectares which equals 150,000 acres (1 hectare = 2
acres). The two properties in Mashatu are Main Camp (nicely decorated chalets
overlooking waterhole) and Tent Camp (where we stayed), the traditional walk in
Meru style tents with wood furniture, reed enclosed - attached bathroom and open shower. The game
was quite good, we saw big herds of elephants, giraffe, zebra, eland, kudu and lots
of birds, but what this area is most famous for, is leopard. It is pretty much a guarantee that you will see them since
it is estimated that there are anywhere from 40 80 leopard in the area, second only to Londolozi
in the Sabi Sands area of South
Africa.
In
addition to the regular game drives,
Mashatu is home to several researchers and you have the option of going out
with their elephant specialist, Jeanetta Selier, or for leopard, Villiers. If
game drives aren t enough, you can also join Paul Grobler for a mountain biking,
or a walking safari. We did all of the
above and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to add another dimension to our
safaris.
One special guest we spent time with at Mashatu was Colin
Bristow. Colin is a commercial pilot and professional
guide who grew up in Southern African rural wilderness areas and was educated
in Zimbabwe and South Africa
where he developed a lifelong passion for wildlife, archaeology, paleontology
and flying. Together with Colin, we can
put together Flying Adventures
on a Tailormade basis in your own plane with Colin as your pilot and guide
combining the best game viewing areas and unique camps. He spends most of his
time out there on safari and keeps us up to date those special places that
are a must. This is truly the best way to get the most out of your
African Safari holiday. See http://www.elcologicalafrica.com
Mounting
Biking Mashutu
Limpopo Horse Safaris: While in Mashatu, we also took
the opportunity to ride with Limpopo
Horse Safaris where we were introduced by Cor and Louise Carelsen to the amazing
Boerperds . Louise s job is looking after and schooling the horses, training
the grooms good stable management as well as to ride! Cor guides as well as managing the Tuli safari .
Cor, a native of South
Africa, has a diploma in Nature Conservation and has
worked as a project manager for a charitable conservation foundation in Ecuador, South America which was dedicated to
preserving virgin Andean cloud forests as well as the Estate Manager for a
racehorse stud and training farm in England.
During
our short visit, we had two fantastic rides in the surrounding area. The game
was plentiful and there were several opportunities for gallops on these trusty
steeds. For 2024, they are offering scheduled departures
exploring the entire Tuli/Mashatu which is (I think) THE best way to see this Land of Giants for the experienced rider.
See: www.lvhsafaris.co.za
Boots
Parfuri: After 3 nights in the Mashatu
area, we were returned to the Botswana
border where we were met again by Arthur. The drive to Parfuri from the South
African border was 3 hours, again very interesting passing from dry scrubland
to valley s full of Baobab trees. After
an hour, we reached crossroads to Tzanzeen which is beautiful region in the
Drakensburg area of Mpumalanga
where Coach House, Cybele Forest Lodge are located.
The drive from there to Parfuri is about 2 hours.
Parfuri is in the northern most part of Kruger, on the border to Zimbabwe & Mozambique. It is part of the new Transfrontier Park which someday will allow you to easily
visit this vast game area. Parfuri has been open since July 2005 and is located
right on the Luvuvhu
River teeming w/ game,
especially TONS of elephants. Apparently by March they are gone for a while, but
we saw loads every day along w/ Cape Buffalo, Kudu, Eland, etc. and something new for us Nyala. Also very good
birding. Our guide was Simon and each day started with a drive along the river
to a point where we could get out and walk. Simon told us of finding elephant
dung way up on an escarpment an sure enough took us there the next day to a
place where we could barely walk. We are still scratching our heads thinking of
those huge majestic animals being so nimble as to clamber around on those
cliffs.
We heard
lions every night and one day we were amazed to see a large male crossing the
river, from way up on one of our vantage points. There are no giraffes, or
zebras to speak of, so this camp must be combined w/ another game area (Mashatu
and Sabi Sands) to get the full game viewing experienced, but it is not to be
missed. We walked every morning and did
afternoon drives and every day on the way back to our tent had elephant,
buffalo and kudu right outside our walkway so had an extra activity without
going anywhere. The camp has 20 luxury
tents and service was outstanding in keeping with quality of the other
Wilderness Safaris camps we have visited. For 2024, they are also offer an excellent
value in their walking trails camp 4 days and 3 nights, starting at $495 per
person. See www.wilderness-safaris.com
Game
viewing from our room:
Windhoek: After
3 nights at Parfuri, we left for Namibia. The first leg was a
Sefofane charter from Parfuri airstrip to Phwalaborwa airport. It is a
scheduled in seat charter which saves about 2 hours of driving. Once in
Phwalaborwa we got on SA flight to Joburg
(1 hour flight) where we then connected to Air Namibia for Windhoek. On arrival, we were efficiently met
by a Wilderness driver who took us to Hotel
Heitenzburg. This beautiful small luxury hotel that is part of the Relais
Chateau group. We had an excellent dinner for about $40 including cocktails,
starters, main course, a few glasses of wine and desert for two.
Serra Cafema: The next morning, we were met
again by Wilderness and taken to Eros (domestic) airport for flight to Serra
Cafema. The 3 hour flight took us over
most of Namibia
and is an experience unto itself seeing this fascinating vast country from
the air. Serra Cafema, which gets it
name from one of the highest mountain in Angola, is just across the Cunenene river from camp.
It is the most remote camp in the Wilderness group and we both agreed probably THE most dramatic setting we have
ever seen. The 1 hour drive to camp from the Hartmann Valley
airstrip passes endless miles of red sand dunes, giant mountains of granite, in
fact every geological formation you can
imagine. From the mountains, you drop down into the river valley where camp is
set in an oasis of green right on the river. You just can t believe the
contrast between the red desert, sharp mountains and green water/ river. The
luxury tents are right on the edge of the river and we spent 3 days in the
company of Ernst on scenic walks, drives,
quad bikes and cruises on the river visits to the nearby Himba village are also
an option. It is a camp for those looking to go to the end of the earth in complete
luxury and seclusion.
See www.wilderness-safaris.com
Tents on Cunenene River
Quad
bikes
Sadly, after
3 nights at Serra Cafema, it was time to head back via the 1 hour drive to the airstrip, 3 hour (scenic)
flight to Windhoek and 2 hour international
flight to Johannesburg.
Johannesburg (again) : On arrival, we were met by our guide Antony Ant who
happily whisked us to the luxury Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton and got
us through all the extra security in
place as a result of the African Leaders Congress in town. We love this hotel
because of its impeccable service and location at the fabulous Nelson Mandela
Square Mall teeming with good restaurants and shops.
SOWETO: The
next morning, Ant collected us and took us on a quick shopping excursion to African
Art and the Kim Sachs gallery and then on to meet Sandi Savadier from Thandeka Africa who takes care of all
our clients visiting South
Africa. Afterwards we continued on to Soweto,
which was fascinating and well worth the trip. We started in the upscale area (there are some
very rich people living in Soweto)
and moved on to the middle class and then eventually the informal squatters
where we spent time with one of the local residents. Housing varied from lovely
brick houses, to small cottages to tin shacks. We also visited Nelson Mandela s
house, the Hector Peterson Memorial and other points of interest crucial to South Africa s
history. All in all, the population of Soweto is
about 1 + million people (the entire population of Namibia is 1.2 million) and in some
ways not unlike many African villages we have visited, only much larger and
right next to the city. We highly recommend it for anyone who has an extra day
on their holiday. It is perfectly safe
and gives you an insight into another side of this fantastic country.
Sadly,
our 2 week trip came to a close. We returned to New York
on South African Airways, this time with an extra delay in Dakar.
The 20 hour journey gave us time to reflect on all the wonderful people
we met, Arthur, Simon, Sandi, Ernst, Ant, our guide in Soweto and the staff at
Mashatu, Parfuri & Serra Cafema. We have our photos to remember the beautiful places we stayed and the
amazing animals and scenery that we saw. We chose not to have cell phones with
us, didn t see a television for 2 weeks and rarely read the paper. It was a
true getaway and gave us that special place our minds and hearts that we can go
back to again and again.
We are
pleased to offer a new itinerary for 2024, combining Mashatu, Parfuri and Mala
Mala starting at $3395 per person, or a 4 day/ 3 night walking safari at
Parfuri starting at $495 per person. Both prices are land only and transfers
are extra depending on your starting point. They are incredible values and well
worth the trip.
End note:
As a result of the delays and lost baggage we experienced, which can happen on
any carrier, we strongly recommend you hand carry with you any medications,
camera equipment, binoculars and a change of clothes with you on board.
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