Perth CBD, Western Australia, 5pm
Going away… lunch over… desk packed up and all work assignments finished: it was officially my last day as a nine-to-five public servant. In four hours’ time, I’d be on a plane and heading to Zambia to start my new life as an Overland Tour Leader with Acacia Africa. Sounds a lot more exciting, doesn’t it?
Livingstone, Zambia, two days later
After watching a spectacular African sunset over the Zambezi river, I had a sip of my Mosi lager and marvelled at how lucky I was to have an opportunity to work in such a spectacular part of the world. My first tour as a Trainee Guide will depart from Livingstone and over 19 days travel to Cape Town, South Africa. I have two crew members to learn from – TJ and Khumbu – and nine passengers on the trip; a little nervous about what to expect – after all, how many first days at work last for 19 days? – but excited too!
On tour
After learning about the preliminary paperwork and necessary preparations for departure, the first stop was one of the natural wonders of the world: Victoria Falls. Then, in Rumphi – all Acacia trucks are named after African rivers – we drove onwards and crossed the border into Botswana for two nights in Kasane. The big wish from our passengers was to see some elephants on our first game drive and Chobe National Park didn’t disappoint. An absolutely magical afternoon of watching three elephants wrestling and playing in the river had everyone thrilled, especially me! It’s not only great to watch such amazing animals in the wild but to see your passengers having such a genuinely great day makes it even better.
After Kasane, it was on to Maun for our trip into the Okavango Delta. As part of my training, I’d been studying up on the wildlife found in the area and was looking forward to spotting some of the new birds, frogs, flowers and bugs I’d learnt about. I must say, the view from my mokoro on the relaxing ride in, sure beat my previous office window… The traffic was much better too…
After an enjoyable night in the bush – where I took carefully notes about what to pack and how to cook in such a remote camp site – we headed onto Ghanzi to learn about the San Bushmen and then through to Windhoek, Namibia. Here, we picked up a few more passengers and said goodbye to one, and I learnt more about how Acacia’s tours work; offering a variety of trip lengths and start/finish locations to suit passengers’ travel needs. In Etosha, I learnt how to guard garlic bread from mischievous jackals; our passengers added to their elephant viewing experiences with a pretty special lunch break in the company of a herd of elephants; many patient hours were spent watching the campsite’s waterhole every night; and the highlight, was a pride of lions spotted on the way out.
We then spent a night under the stars in Spitzkoppe, and a few days in Swakopmund – relaxing for some and adrenaline pumping for those who skydived, sand boarded and quadbiked. We laughed till we cried listening to one passenger’s tales of sandboarding in the dunes and all had to agree: it’s something everyone must try. Having been on these trips myself, it brings back good memories hearing how the passengers all en joyed their day.
After an enjoyable desert walk, and time spent at Dune 45, Deadvlei and Sossusvlei – yes, more beautiful sand dunes too climb – the tour headed to Fish River Canyon, then on to South Africa. On this leg, I took careful note of the fabulous showers and pools at campsites, and the best stop for delicious homemade apple pie…
After a day canoeing in Orange River, we spent the last night with a rowdy celebration at Highlanders and were joined by Acacia staff Becs and Lauren from whom I’ve been learning about the company and job and getting lots of helpful tips about life on the road!
The tour wrapped up in Cape Town and I think all in all I’ve been extremely lucky to have such great passengers and to get so much advice from a variety of other staff members. I survived my first trip (admittedly more comfortably after buying a pillow and cosy feather duvet!) and can’t wait for the next one! All in all, I think it’s a good trade from life in an eleventh floor office cubicle… J