When I think about Africa I think of the incredible wildlife, the amazing sunsets and sunrises, and the awesome adventures on offer. Imagine sitting in a truck surrounded by elephants, hot-air ballooning over a game park, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, or canoeing amidst hippos.
Africa. Even the name instils a sense of adventure. But it’s a land of contrast. For all its great beauty, there is a dark side. Conflict can ignite swiftly, famine and disease are sadly commonplace, and this vast continent has witnessed tremendous human suffering. For anyone travelling to Africa, these are some of the realities you may encounter. But it’s also an incredibly rewarding destination for those with an adventurous spirit.
Check out some African countries with amazing experiences ExplorerGirls' adventurer Karen Graham recommends:
ZAMBIA
In 1993, on my first trip to Africa, most safari trucks scooted through Zambia without a second glance. Back then, Zimbabwe was the destination of choice and Victoria Falls Town was where you would organise your white water rafting trip or a booze cruise on the Zambezi River.
It was also the place to enjoy a drink at lively bars filled to the brim with the vibrant safari crowds. These days, with the ongoing political instability in Zimbabwe, tourists head to Livingstone. While the vibe is not quite the same as it was in Victoria Falls Town, all the adventure options are still available being the gateway to one of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls.
Victoria Falls
The local name for Victoria Falls is ‘Mosi-Oa-Tunya’, meaning ‘the smoke that thunders’. It’s a fitting description. The mist generated, from the impact of the Zambezi River plunging more than 100 metres into a chasm, can be seen for kilometres. When David Livingstone discovered the falls in 1855 he uttered, ‘On sights as beautiful as this, angels in their flight must have gazed.’
Flights over the falls (by helicopter or light aircraft) are known as ‘flight of the angels’ or you might prefer to take a dip in the Devil’s Pool (also known as the Devil’s Armchair), which is situated right alongside the falls.
Some adrenalin-pumping activities on offer at Victoria Falls are white water rafting, canoeing, river boarding, jet boating, bungy jumping and the gorge swing, to name just a few. There are also more sedate adventures, such as game viewing on an elephant back safari.
www.zambia-travel-guide.com
www.thesafaricompany.co.za/Map_Victoria_Falls.htm
www.safpar.com/victoria_falls
Lion Encounter
Have you ever wanted to venture on foot into the wilds of the African bush, perhaps secretly hoping for a lion encounter along the way? But then, sanity prevailed, or perhaps a friend exclaimed: ‘Are you out of your mind! Have you seen what a lion does to its prey?’
Well, now’s the time to put aside those doubts and make that dream reality. At Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, about 10 minutes from Livingstone, you can walk with the lions and there’s nothing like the thrill of getting up close and personal with the ‘king of the jungle’. While these lions are habituated and cannot be released to the wild, they are part of a conservation program that will eventually see their cubs released to the wild, hopefully ensuring the survival of this amazing animal.
www.zambezi.com/content/lion_encounter
South Luangwa National Park
South Luangwa National Park is one of the most popular game parks in Zambia. There is an opportunity to go on a walking safari or a night game drive (with the possibility of seeing lions hunting or killing). The park is also renowned for its large herds of elephants. At Flat Dogs Camp, on the banks of the Luangwa River, elephants, buffalo, baboons and hippos have been known to frequent the campground, sometimes getting extremely close to the tents.
www.luangwa.net/zambia_info/parks_in_zambia/southluangwa
BOTSWANA
Okavango Delta
In the middle of Botswana’s Kalahari Desert there’s a vast wetland called the Okavango Delta. It’s the largest inland delta in the world consisting of a maze of lagoons, islands and swamps. Known as the ‘Jewel of the Kalahari’, the Delta is a paradise for wildlife.
To visit the Delta you travel by dugout canoes, known as mekoros, gliding across lily-covered waters and alongside palm-lined islands. These waters are home to crocodiles and hippos, so despite the temptation, don’t dangle your hands in the water, unless you want to lose a limb. On land, you may spot lion, elephant, buffalo, hyena, antelope, wild dogs, warthogs and monkeys.
There are more than 400 species of birds, including the majestic African Fish Eagle. Trips into the Delta usually involve overnight camping and games walks, although you can also do a scenic flight out of Maun. Either option is exhilarating. If camping, take notice of your guides when they tell you where to pitch your tent so as to avoid animal paths (particularly those of hippos or elephants).
Chobe National Park
Elephants and more elephants! If you are keen to encounter elephants, Chobe National Park is the place to go. Botswana is home to more than 120,000 elephants and the largest population of elephants in the world and the vast majority habituate Chobe National Park.
It’s a fascinating experience to watch a herd of elephants, especially the calves at play. They fall over, roll in the mud, get under their mother’s legs and imitate the adults. Rather like human children, now that I think about it.
TANZANIA
Tanzania features a volcanic landscape shaped by 35 million years of geological activity and is a country renowned for its wildlife. Highlights also include the archaeological site of Olduvai Gorge – where Louis and Mary Leakey discovered the remains of early man, along with prehistoric elephants, giant horned sheep and enormous ostriches.
Serengeti National Park
This is the world as it was in the beginning says a sign in the Serengeti National Park. Covering an area of 14,700 square kilometres, the Serengeti is Tanzania’s largest park and is famous for its annual wildlife migration. Over a million wildebeest and thousands of zebras move south from the northern hills in Kenya to the southern plains in Tanzania for the short rains in October and November, returning after the long rains in April.
The Serengeti is also famous for its lions. Camping in the park with lions roaring through the night is one of the highlights on any safari. An alternative option to game viewing from a safari vehicle is to take to the skies in a hot air balloon, which is followed by a champagne breakfast in the bush.
This is a real ‘Out of Africa’ experience, with a full English breakfast served on a long table decked out with china plates and silver cutlery. It’s rather surreal, when just across the plains there could be a lion tucking in to his own breakfast.
www.serengeti.org
www.safariafricatanzania.com/serengeti-balloon-safari
www.balloonsafaris.com
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater once rivalled the heights of Mount Kilimanjaro before a final violent eruption formed the largest unbroken and unflooded crater in the world. Its rim is 20 kilometres in diameter and floor over 250 square kilometres.
Referred to as a Garden of Eden, the Ngorongoro Crater consists of grasslands, streams, swamps, lakes, forests and hills, and is home to over 30,000 animals. It is an absolute must for wildlife enthusiasts.
www.ngorongoro-crater-africa.org
Mount Kilimanjaro
At 5,895 metres above sea level, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain on earth. Situated close to the equator it’s known for its snow-capped peak and attracts thousands of tourists each year, each hoping to reach the summit.
A Kilimanjaro trek takes five days via the popular Marangu Trail (although it’s worth checking with various tour companies to see if they offer alternative routes and extra days to acclimatise to the altitude).
The trail begins in thick rainforest before emerging to barren moorlands on the second day. Here you will have your first view of Kilimanjaro’s peak rising majestically in the distance. The words of Ernest Hemingway spring to mind: “There, ahead, all he could see, as wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun, was the square top of Kilimanjaro.”
The following days you hike across barren terrain with little vegetation, except for the occasional cactus-like plant. Eventually you reach the high desert, where the air is thinner and breathing becomes difficult, especially if you are feeling the effects of altitude. The final ascent gets underway in the middle of the night, so you can reach the summit by sunrise. It can be a slow process, but if you manage to prevail it is a euphoric moment – standing atop the snow-covered roof of Africa.
RWANDA / UGANDA
There are approximately 720 Mountain Gorillas remaining in the wild. They are shy, gentle and peaceful creatures living harmoniously in their social groups. They have endured destruction of forest habitat, poaching, disease and war, and now survive in small pockets of wilderness surrounded by densely populated farmland. About half of them roam the Virunga range of volcanic mountains, a conservation area straddling Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the remainder live in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Trekking to see the mountain gorillas is an amazing experience, and all the more poignant when you realise that they are surviving against the odds. In 1967, when Dian Fossey arrived in Africa to study the gorillas, they seemed doomed to extinction. She wrote, ‘Encroachment upon this terrain may be responsible for the Mountain Gorilla becoming one of the rare species both discovered and extinct within the same century.’
Fortunately, this prediction was averted – largely due to Fossey’s work and the conservation efforts since her death – but it’s an ongoing battle. Treks to see the gorillas can be organised in person, but it’s easier to obtain permits if you travel with an organised tour.
www.intrepidtravel.com
www.absoluteafrica.com
Note: Before you travel to any destination in Africa check with your foreign affairs department for current travel warnings.
There is an old Arab proverb that says: He that hath drunk of Africa’s fountain will drink again, and with so many adventures on offer it’s definitely worth considering more than one trip.
Do you have any great African stories? We’ve only covered a few countries here, so why not post a blog to share your experiences with the ExplorerGirls community.
www.ExplorerGirls.com / Karen Graham
Images: Karen Graham & Hayley Plozza
Posted on 1 May 2009 - 12:05am
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