Colin Walsh, our trainee tour leader, travelling on the Cape Town to Kenya – CTK41 – tour that departed on the 11th May 2013 shares his adventure with Acacia Africa. Find out what he has been up to since he left Cape Town via the dusty roads of Namibia to the stunning quant town of Swakopmund. Read more….
Day 1: District 6 & Township Tour – Cape Town
It was a great start to the tour as the passengers of the DTR19 trip were enthralled by the shocking history of South Africa, seeing the areas where the Coloured and Black communities were vacated in order for the whites to move in. The almost barren District 6 is still under debate as to who has rightful ownership to the land, and therefore remains, in most parts, unoccupied. This truth was further enhanced when we arrived in the townships Langa and Gugulethu (Gug’s). A short history of the forming of the two townships in one of the old courts revealed evidence of this tragic past, with both pictures and the stories the men whom actually lived at this time and through this life! It was not all shock and horror, the passengers really enjoyed walking through the streets of the townships, with all of the children playing, adults grouped together in small circles either playing games or just chatting about the day’s activities. The children were even curious enough to come to us, demanding us to swing them around, and play with them a little, bringing an immediate smile to their little faces. A highlight for all was the local African beer “Umqombothi”. We were fortunate enough to be invited into the local bar (converted shack), being able to witness the brewing of the beer over extremely hot fires, and of course get the opportunity to taste this home brewed beer, all of us drinking from the same 2L Bucket. We moved onto the well known Mzoli’s Bar in Gug’s, where we enjoyed a traditional South African meal of Braai vleis (Barbecue), Pap and Salsa.
Day 1: Highlanders Camp – Trawal
We arrived at Highlanders Camp Site, later in the afternoon, where a short demo of raising the tents and all other activities in and around the Camp, which the passengers would make second nature after just a couple of days. This group of passengers are quick to lend a helping hand, accepting that it will play a big part in the success of the tour performing these chores, but also understanding that the more helpers meant quicker preparation and more time for activities or just to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Some of the passengers enjoyed a wine tasting, while the others relaxed at the bar.
Day 2: Grocery (Orange River) – South Africa
The passengers got a small taste of something else they will encounter quite a bit on this trip…driving long distances in our home for the next couple of weeks, our truck “Rufunsa”. We made it all the way to the Orange River, where we stayed at the Grocery Camp Site for a night. Acacia was lucky enough to receive complimentary activities for our passengers to do, as we will be celebrating our 18th birthday this month. One lucky Passenger was able to take a two and a half hour canoe trip down the Orange River to our camp. She was able to relax while taking in the beautiful Landscape of the lush river banks, contrasted with the dry rocky cliffs and mountains. She was even able to jump off a 4m high cliff into the river, which she said was probably the highlight of the trip down river. The rest of the passengers quickly set up camp, and after a long, hot day in the truck, were quickly into their swimming trunks and in the river. They all swam across the border to Namibia, and basked in the sun on one of the sandy river banks. After a great supper from our tour Leader, Mr. Bombastic, we all enjoyed a couple drinks around the fire at the bar. The hosts were so friendly and open to any questions or conversation being brought up, even introducing the passengers to what is known as ‘Bushman Fireworks’. This is a semi precious stone which contains fluoride, and when thrown on some hot coals, glows a luminescent green and ‘pops’ like popcorn, flying around like mini fireworks. Everyone was impressed and very eager to know where they could get their hands on some of these stones.
Day 3: Canon Roadhouse – Namibia
The border crossing went on with no problems, and the drive was one of excitement, as the passengers realised this would be their first opportunity to spot some wildlife, which of course did not disappoint. We were able to see Springbok, Gemsbok (Oryx) and the odd Jackal. They were even more excited to find out that this was not even close to how good the wildlife will get further north, with animal sightings occurring more frequently and in larger numbers. The animals are probably in the top 3 reasons for them coming to Africa, so to be able to see them at such an early stage was great for all. This would also be the beginning of the Namibian roads, 60% of which are gravel and therefore slightly corrugated and bumpy, giving our guests what is known as the ‘African Massage’. The trip so far has however been extremely good, with our more than competent driver, Harmony, making it as smooth and enjoyable as possible. We arrived at the Canyon Roadhouse, getting some time to relax at the pool, after which we jumped back on Rufunsa to head to the Fish River Canyon for the sunset. This was a sight to see, with the almost 500m deep canyon, and the deep red setting sun on the horizon. This was followed by some dessert on the trip back to the campsite, where we saw another jackal and a herd of galloping Mountain Zebras, just before dusk faded. A topic of much discussion around supper and the campfires, are the stars, and how bright they are in this part of the world, with the Milky Way, Orion’s Belt and the Southern Cross being the prominent landmarks. Tonight was the first night we were in a more secluded area, with little ambient light, allowing for the night’s sky to be illuminated by the trillions of stars out there.
Day 4: Sossusvlei, Deadvlei and Dune 45 – Namibia
With our longest trip ahead of us, many decided to take the chance to catch up on some much needed sleep, after a couple later nights filled with much conversation between passengers from different cultures and interests. The trips are also used for some intensely fought card games, bringing much laughter within the Rufunsa. Today again, we were provided with some wildlife and stunning views of the Naukluft Mountain ranges and Namib Desert. We stopped in Bethanie for a bathroom break, but mainly for the Biltong, which is among the best in Namibia. The campsite at Sossusvlei is truly deep in the bush, as we truly witnessed when a juvenile jackal came to visit our evening meeting, even trying to sniff around Rufunsa for any scraps we may have left around. We were also visited by a small herd of Springbok, walking not ten metres away from our tents. It was an early night as we had a very early highlight in the morning: sunrise on Dune 45. Leaving bright and early, we arrived about 25 minutes before Sunrise, just enough time to scale the 80m red dune. And for the next 20 minutes, we were in awe of the red sun, rising slowly above the desert horizon. Shortly after, we enjoyed our breakfast at the foot of the Dune. Rufunsa was now off towards the Deadvlei, only 15km further into the desert, where the blue sky, red dunes and white dried up marshland created for breathtaking views and photographs. The black petrified trees are said to be dead for around 800 years, and provide another contrast to the already magnificent Deadvlei.
Day 5 and 6: Swakopmund – Namibia
Rufunsa made her way to the coast, travelling through the Namib Desert, with an ever changing landscape. We had our stop off in a place called Solitaire, well known for its German Bakery, which all were eager to sample from. We crossed the ‘Tropic of Capricorn’ and made our way into Walvis Bay for the hundreds of flamingos. With the flamingos wading through the lagoon searching for food or even performing a ballet with one another, this short photograph stop provided for much excitement. We arrived for our 2 day stop in Swakopmund at Amanpuri. The passengers watched a short video provided by ‘Far out’: an adventure company providing the adrenaline junkies with the kick they need. Thanks to Far Out, more of our guest we given complimentary activities, with 2 of them doing Sand boarding and another 2 going on the dolphin cruise. These activities were greeted with much enthusiasm as the sand boarders were able to speed down sand dunes either standing or lying down, with a small ramp to give a little extra kick to the experience. The memories were all kept on a DVD, included in the deal. The two on the cruise were joined by another two passengers, and were treated to a very rare sighting, that of the grey whale, which has made its home in the waters around Swakopmund for the past couple of weeks. Additionally they saw dolphins, seals and enjoyed a champagne breakfast to top it all off. The day was used by the other passengers for roaming around the very beautiful town of Swakopmund, with many great attractions and sights, the beaches and a German culture still very prominent here.
Stay tuned over the next few weeks to discover what he gets up to with the group as they move through Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania to Kenya.
Written by: Colin Walsh