When one examines the full spectrum of Southern Africa it becomes very difficult to describe for all its diversity. On any level, geographically, demographically or otherwise, the region has become a vast repository of change in every sense of the word.
As a backpacker, exploring the region requires a very discerning approach because of the sheer magnetism each aspect of the region draws. The varying state of available infrastructure accentuates the problem of exploration as well.
An Overland trip provides a means of exploring this region both safely and efficiently while removing most of the logistical problems of traveling here. It allows you to simply enjoy the experience of exploration.
By definition, Overlanding is simply that, an over land trip. It typically utilizes a behemoth of a truck as your vehicle which takes you from one African city to another covering all the points of interest in between. Sometimes it's possible to return to your starting point. It's not five-star travelling but it is by far a much more interesting and adventurous way to see these countries.
I recently completed a 3 week Overland journey from Cape Town in South Africa to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, plying a route that would have been virtually impossible to complete had I attempted it on my own.
Having previously explored all 7 continents alone, I was a little anxious about living in close quarters with two dozen other people but I heard about how much fun Overlanding could be and decided to give it a try. Using the Internet, I booked a trip with an outfit called Umkulu Tours that was based right in Cape Town. (Umkulu is a Zulu word that means "the big one" - it was). Umkulu has been successful in running Overland journeys for the past 3 years. Being based right in South Africa, they can offer real African adventures at attractive prices.
After a 12-hour flight from London, England, I arrived in Cape Town. Like all South African cities, Cape Town's ambivalence is best seen in both its blending of European and African cultures and its fusion of third and first worlds. It is truly peerless in beauty and charm by its proximity to both mountains and sea. Dominated by the kilometre high flat-topped Table Mountain, Cape Town is South Africa's oldest settlement.
Mountain walks, vineyards and beaches were all within easy reach so I kept myself easily entertained. Every day was filled with activity including mountain biking down the Cape Peninsula from the Cape of Good Hope, photographing the African Penguins at Boulder beach, exploring the World of Birds, scuba diving in False Bay, hiking up Table Mountain, and so on.
After a few days exploring what has become my favorite city in the world, I rendezvoused with Priscilla, the giant Overland truck that would be my home for the next 3 weeks. This giant Mercedes Benz truck was especially retrofitted for passage through Africa. Priscilla stood on huge tires. It had all these compartments inside and out, storage spaces under every seat, big open windows for viewing, an on- board safe for valuables, a built-in freezer, cooler boxes for food and drinks and a comprehensive reference library.
Along with 23 other backpackers who were predominantly European, I became part of this Overland Experience.
Our driver and guide was a seasoned South African ranger named Tjomps whose experience in the demanding terrain that we had to cover was a very resourceful commodity indeed. He insisted that Pricilla was "a truck and not a *#$!! bus ". We also had a second South African guide named Aiden who was essential with our day to day logistics. Both guides were qualified first-aiders among their several other qualifications.
In order to be a successful Overland, it's understood that everybody on the truck pitches in with camp setup, cooking, cleaning and packing. These duties were rotated on a daily basis. Working together helped to break the ice quickly and helped to foster a sense of camaraderie. We all ate together, slept in tents and traveled as a platoon to the various sites of Southern Africa.
Breakfast was normally continental style and lunch usually consisted of a cold, picnic style meal. A fully cooked dinner was served every night including many traditional African foods, all cooked over an open fire.
Our itinerary was quite regimented but the early starts and long days lent themselves to some very rewarding experiences. One of our first stops took us to the Orange River, which forms the northern boundary of Richtersveld National Park. It is the biggest of the river systems in South Africa. The massive body of water meanders like a spider through a valley of its own making. Between contrasting semi-desert and fertile vineyards, the area is considered South Africa's Wild West.
Crossing the border into Namibia, we stopped at the Fish River Canyon. Rugged almost beyond description, this canyon is the second largest in the world at 160-km long, 500m deep and as much as 27-km wide in places. The canyon is a natural museum where the struggle of sun, wind, water and stone have toppled each other's reign throughout countless millennia. To the ancient San, the canyon represented the trail of a giant serpent named Kouteign Kooru, which carved its way deep into the earth's crust to evade pursuing hunters.
Namibia is the great big empty. It is one of the least densely populated countries of the world. Namibia is beautiful and boundless, blessed with rich natural resources, a solid modern infrastructure and diverse traditional cultures.
The diversity of its deserts is unimaginable. It seemed every 50-km the landscape would change dramatically in both colour and terrain. There were so many times my breath was taken away. Among these times was climbing a 400-foot sand dune in Sossusvei to watch a breathtaking sunrise over the oldest desert in the world.
No place on earth resembles the unusual Namib Desert. It has an essence of timelessness. Every hour there is a shift of moods when light and shadow give this desert entirely new hues, tints and textures. The Sossusvlei area is a surrealistic dune wonderland surrounding a huge dried up pan.
I felt humbled before it, especially when we hiked into the true desert to a haunting refuge known as the Dead Vei. They filmed the opening sequence of the movie The Cell there. Having seen it with my own eyes, I can understand why. It was desolation incarnate.
We traveled to other parts of the desert that would have otherwise been inaccessible to independent travel. In some places roads were non-existent and we followed the track of the previous vehicle.
I really enjoyed camping at the base of the Spitzkoppe Mountains where we got treated to a truly unique Namib experience: bushman's fireworks. Tjomps acquired these crystalline rocks, which were found in the vicinity and placed them in the campfire. After a few moments they began to glow blue. The crystals suddenly fragmented igniting into flowering streaks of beautiful blue light. I felt like I was in a science-fiction movie!
Another stop was in Swakopmund, a German colonial town on the Atlantic seaboard. We got to try sand boarding down the dunes here which came right to the coast.
Aboard Priscilla, we spent 3 days near the border with Angola doing game drives throughout Etosha (meaning "great white place") National Park. The heart of the park is the Etosha Pan, an immense, flat, saline desert that only occasionally holds water. There are over 140 mammal species in the 22 000 km² park.
Because of the high concentration of game animals congregating around available watering holes, a visit to arid Etosha is quite unforgettable. I witnessed a lone lion guarding the carcass of a dead elephant. I spied black and white rhinos converging on watering holes in the dead of night. I watched a sea of wildebeest kicking up dust across the endless horizons of saltpan. I experienced the hierarchy of hyenas as they fended off vultures from a recently killed zebra and so on.
Passing through Windhoek, the Germanic capital of Namibia, we stopped close to the border with Botswana, camping near a Naru Bushmen's village. (This same tribe was depicted in the comedy The Gods Must Be Crazy.) The perimeter of their primitive village was fenced by a ring of sharp wooden spikes to protect against free-roaming predators. They welcomed us into their homes and we got to partake in a traditional ritual and sample some of their cuisine.
Traversing the northern fringe of Botswana's Kalahari region, we penetrated deep into this giant watershed called the Okavango Delta. Fed by the Kunene River in the north, the delta is one of the largest inland deltas in the world, annually transporting more than 10 billion tons of water across the scorched plains of Botswana. In an inhospitable landscape, the delta is an oasis with lush vegetation spanning over 16000 square kilometres. With such a maze of lagoons, channels and islands, it has come to be known as 'the river which never finds the sea'.
Using these dug-out canoes called mikoros (mih-koh-roos) poled along by locals, we made for an island within the delta where we set up a bush camp. Here we became utterly emersed in the African bush to experience the awesome sunsets and storms that ignite the region.
Even in the "civilized" campgrounds we encountered things which constantly reminded us we were in the real untamed Africa. We had to contend with marauding baboons who would infiltrate both our truck and tents stealing anything they considered might be edible. They were a nuisance. Wandering wart hogs and mongooses completed this picture by day. By night, the bathroom had so many huge insects it could have been a petting zoo. I saw giant spiders and beetles and, on one occasion, a very poisonous scorpion.
Pushing further west, we entered Chobe National Park where the riverine forests bordered by the Chobe River were so rich in bird-life and renowned for huge herds of elephant. We saw cobras and lions during a morning game drive in a 4 x 4 (the only way to explore the park).
It was exciting to watch these huge animals surround our vehicle, but even the tiny creatures of this place were fascinating. Two little dung-beetles were pushing a ball of dung three times their size along the track left by our 4 x 4. Only one of them was doing the pushing while his partner rolled along with the dung - even when it rolled on top of him. I burst out laughing.
During a sunset cruise on the Chobe River we discovered hippos and crocodiles wading together in harmony. While the sun was making its spectacular departure, we had an interesting encounter with a green water snake that decided to join us on our cruise. After one of the crew used a stick to knock the snake off the railing and into the river, it swam back to the boat and slithered aboard once again! After it's second eviction, it got the hint.
Zimbabwe's World famous Victoria Falls was our next and final stop. The falls measure a whopping 1.7km wide and drop an average of 95 m into the Zambezi Gorge. During the flood stage from March to May, up to 5 million cubic metres per minute plummet over the falls.
The town of Vic Falls itself has fast become the greatest adrenaline mecca in Africa. Thrill rides include scenic flights, white-water rafting, the world's highest bungee jump and skydiving. If the moon is shining brightly at nighttime it's possible to glimpse a lunar rainbow here. It's no wonder I shot over 5 rolls of film of this Natural Wonder, some of which were taken while flying directly over the Falls in an Ultra-light.
It was also here that our African fellowship was broken. Part of the group returned to Cape Town with Priscilla. The rest, including myself, dispersed in practically every direction. It was sad to leave my new friends, but we have all remained in touch like a big extended family -our Umkulu Family!
Crossing over the Zambezi into Zambia I began travelling in my traditional way once again -alone. The rest of my trip took me into some other African nations such as Malawi where I did some interesting scuba diving near Cape Maclear. I saw Manta Rays, Dolphins and whale sharks, the largest fish in the world near the coastal paradise of Tofo beach in Mozambique. Hiking in Swaziland and living on a horse ranch up in the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho were 2 other highlights.
On my rebound back to Cape Town, I stopped in Bloemfontain, the birthplace of J.R.R. Tolkien. After trying some surfing in Jeffrey's Bay on the South coast, I took the heavily scented Garden Route back to Cape Town.
Whether for a week or 6 months an overland trip is sure to entice your senses with a kaleidoscope of experiences that will colour your memory long after you return. It is the best way to absorb all the intense beauty and magnificence of the region because you become part of the picture. In essence, on an overland trip, you live African!
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