OverlandSphere
Overland Travel, Expedition & Adventure Information for 4x4, motorcycle and truck overlanders
We were very excited when our vehicle arrived in Cape Town – amongst other things, it meant that we could finalise a plan that had been brewing for a while: join Global Adventures on their Botswana Recce. Their plan to visit Botswana had been a year or more in the making, and the excitement was certainly tangible when we set…
This was our last stop in Botswana, the culmination of a fantastic two weeks, and with a fitting finale. Our exit from Moremi National Park was followed by a 40km sandy track until we entered at Mababe Gate. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the easiest navigation, but we found our way to the entrance. Once again, we signed the necessary books and…
Elephants. Not just a few – many. Not just one herd – many. It is funny how some places appeal to you, and some don’t. Moremi really appeals to both of us. It is a lovely mixture of forest, grass, plains, and water – both river and water holes. It is a peaceful park. Although there are other vehicles around…
This is elephant land! Every park we have visited has been special in its own way, and on our entry into Makgadigadi we were introduced to the large mammals who would be our constant companions in this and the next parks. The western entrance to Makgadigadi – Khumaga Gate – requires a typical African ferry crossing. Much like our experience…
Magic. I’m running out of superlatives, and it is difficult not to repeat myself when writing these posts. Central Kalahari Game Reserve lies in the middle of Botswana. It is the size of Switzerland or Denmark, and probably does not contain more than about 300 people at any given time. It has 36 campsites, and a few lodges, and nothing…
We saw them! The rhino. They are a rare sight these days, but fortunately there are some left. I wonder how long we will still have rhino due to the demand for their horn – and therefore the subsequent poaching – from the Far East. Khama Rhino Sanctuary was set up to provide a safe haven for rhino. After a…
From Molema, we headed towards our next destination of Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Not over extending ourselves, and needing a stop for provisions and pula, we headed for Palapye, about 60km from Khama Rhino Santuary. On the way we crossed the infamous Veterinary Control Fence – a 3,000km fence that divides Botswana into two areas – one part that is foot-and-mouth…
Although the border crossing into Botswana had been hasslefree, the day time temperature was rising, and we were eager from some shade. Although it is autumn, the day time temperatures still reach well into the 20’s. We were eager for a bit of shade to park up and rest through “silly hour” – the early afternoon hours when no…
After the long and hard road to Livingstone, it was time to take stock. We only had 3 weeks to get to Cape Town, but now, after all that driving, the odds were shifting in our favour. A quick check of the sat nav, revealed we were only 3 days drive from the Cape if we headed straight for it,…
Planet Baobab was divine. We spent two nights there and it turned out to be a real rest. They have a GORGEOUS swimming pool and a very funky bar. The one chandelier was made with old beer bottles and was quite a sight. If you’re looking for a cool place to stay, that is it! Apart from a few big…
We arrived at the border post, and as always I was a little anxious. I always seem to get anxious at Border Posts, even though I am (mostly) a law abiding citizen. Well, Namibia was more than happy for us to leave their country and with a ‘stamp stamp stamp’ we were headed for the Botswana side of the deal.…
Moremi – Northgate After our holiday in Mozambique, we had to get our minds back in gear and get ready to hit the road again, first destination was North Gate. We knew we were taking a bit of a chance with this park as the rains have blessed Botswana well during the festive season but we thought we would chance…
If we thought Savuti was good then Chobe was in a different league!!!!! Add Savuti and Chobe to any Botswana Summer itinerary!!!! …
Things just could never have been better in Savuti. If you ever were wondering about coming to this region at this time of year…..then go to SAVUTI!!!!!! Savuti Lion on his way to the campsite Our Porcupine at 9:00 a.m…
Kalahari N.P. We were quite excited fir this one, and boy were we treated. We were in the park for all of three nights and our sightings included a big Kalahari male Lion with a thick black mane mating with two female Lionesses right on the road. They were there for two full days and the only moving they did…
Over landing Africa is an amazing, and often challenging way to travel. Spending the time to drive the arduous route from Nairobi through Tanzania, following the lake in Malawi before veering SW into Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Continuing through arid Namibia and finally reaching South Africa you will travel thousands of miles on a trip that takes several months to…
Moremi….pure beauty at this time of year, just a pity there were no animals!!! …
If yo want to see Springbok dropping their calves….December is the season to go Guiding her calf along Guiding her calfl along …
If you’re going…head to Pipers Pan it’s EPIC!!! Protecting her pups Protecting her pups Protecting her pups …
WOW we were lucky, we managed to sneak in just before the rains!!! Getting into the festive season:) …
22 December 2012 Jeffrey de Visser Livune, Western, Zambia. Hello, my name is Chief William Mulele. I am 91 years old and I live in southwest Zambia, close to the Caprivi Strip. I am chief of a small village of pastoralists. About 50 people live in my village, most of which are family. We have one group of cows near…
Looking back at the Namibia post, I realized that I kept repeating the fact that it was damn hot in Namibia. That’s because it was freakin hot in Namibia. And so was Botswana. We took the Trans-Kalahari border crossing into Botswana and again found dryness. Just flat dryness. Then the dead cows started. Either due to heat, lack of rain,…
Maun, North West, Botswana. After driving almost the entire length of the Caprivi Strip, we travelled down into Botswana along the Okavango Panhandle. The Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta in the world. The Okavango River no longer ends in the ocean, but in the Kalahari, thereby supplying over 15,000 square kilometres of desert with water. Because of the…
Saturday 18th to Sunday 19th August 2012. Serowe, Francistown. We left the sanctuary and started towards Francistown. The road quickly changed from tar to gravel, that was badly corrugated in parts. Though it was unpleasant, it was hardly a bad road compared to what we have driven in parts of Central Africa. We started to hear a regular metallic clunking…
Friday 17th to Saturday 18th August 2012. Khama Rhino Sanctuary, north of Serowe. Our drive to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary the following morning took just a couple of hours and by about 9.30am we had arrived. We received a warm welcome from Lillian, the lovely lady on the front desk. In fact we were pretty impressed with the friendliness of…
Wednesday 15th to Thursday 16th August 2012. Gweta, Kubu Island, Wild Camp near Sesalajwe. From Maun it took just a couple of hours to reach Gweta and ‘Planet Baobab’. Apart from a couple of potholes, the road was smooth and the route quick. We passed a couple of disease control checkpoints on the way. Botswana has a network of these…
Monday 13th to Wednesday 15th August 2012. Maun. We spent the next day doing chores and trying to get our alternator sorted. By mid-morning Bluebelle was spick and span, but we still hadn’t been able to replace our alternator. We also realised that the horn was full of water from Moremi and now only making tiny wheezing sounds. It sounded…
Friday 10th to Sunday 12th August 2012. Moremi Wildlife Reserve Okavango Delta. The next morning we took Sandros into town to see if he could squeeze into the Third Bridge, our campsite in Moremi. There was space, so next we ferried him to the National Parks office to pay his entrance fees and then to the supermarket to get some…
Wednesday 8th to Thursday 9th August 2012. Ramatlabama to Maun on the Trans-Kalahari Highway. The formalities on the Botswana side of the Ramatlabama border were just as straightforward. We are loving these borders in Southern Africa! Immigration checked and stamped our passports then gave us a stamped slip with our vehicle registration written on it to take to the customs…
We zijn in Botswana aangekomen en helaas hebben we de conclusie moeten trekken dat in Botswana de minst vriendelijke en minst hartelijke mensen van onze hele reis wonen. Wellicht is er een relatie tussen de behoorlijke aantallen toeristen die we hier tegenkomen waar de Batswana mee geconfronteerd worden of misschien is er zelfs een relatie tussen het redelijke algemene welvaartsniveau…