Tent Camping on the Okavango Delta; Cape Town, South Africa

 Location:  Aalen, Germany

At the end of the last blog, we had just finished our overlanding adventure through Namibia and Botswana and were boarding a boat to go up the Okavango Delta for a tent camping excursion.  If you haven't read the previous blog, we suggest that you start with it.  We took lots and lots of photos and videos while we were up in the delta and will let those tell most of the story.

This map shows the location of the Thamalakane River Lodge, Maun (yellow marker) where we started and ended our trip up the delta, the Buffalo Fence crossing (red marker) and the Lemon Tree Campsite (blue marker), about 60 km north of the lodge.  You can zoom in on the map to see the twists and turns of the river channels.

An elephant grazing in the Okavango Delta.

Tuesday, August 9, 2022 - Thamalakane River Lodge, Maun, Botswana to Lemon Tree Campground, Okavango Delta:  This morning while we ate breakfast at the lodge patio restaurant, we watched our camping crew load supplies into a boat and head up the delta to get the camp set-up before our arrival later this afternoon.  We said goodbye to the overlanding folks who weren't going with us then Michael S., Patricia, Ellie, John, Dave and I boarded the boat and headed into the Delta.  Our boat driver, Peluso, was our safari guide a few days ago while we were in the Khwai Concession with the overlanding trucks.  

Dave watching Peluso add fuel to our boat before leaving the lodge.

After about an hour on the delta, we crossed through the "Buffalo Fence", which was built to separate domestic cattle and livestock from the wildlife in the Okavango Delta in order to control the spread of livestock diseases.  Between the lodge and the fence, all of the animals grazing in the river were domestic and included cattle, donkeys, goats and a few dogs.  After the fence, the number of domestic animals decreased until there weren't any and the number of wild animals increased.  We started to see zebras, elephants, red lechwe, baboons and hippopotamuses (a group of hippos is called a bloat).

A herd of zebras

A bloat of hippos

A group of kayakers paddling down the delta.

Peluso our boat driver for the first part of the trip up the delta.

The Okavango River is one of the few rivers in the world that doesn't drain into the sea.  The water source for the Okavango Delta comes from the Cubango and Cuito rivers in Angola. The rainy season in the highlands of Angola is from November to April and the water from these rivers reaches the delta between March and July.  The majority of the water that flows into the delta is lost through evaporation.

This map, from the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (Okacom.org), shows the network of river systems in Angola, Namibia and Botswana that form the Okavango Delta.

The trip up river was interesting.  In addition to all of the wildlife, we saw a group of kayakers paddling down river and tourists being poled around in mokoros, the traditional wooden canoes of the area.  We also went through many shallow areas in the main channel.  Navigation through these areas isn't possible during the drier months of the year.  In some of the shallow areas, the boat would hit bottom and Peluso would have to use the propeller to cut through the soft mud and the following wake from the boat to push us off the bottom.  We stopped at an island midway up the delta for lunch.  The lodge had packed a brown paper bag for each of us with fried chicken, meatballs, fruit and chips and we had plenty of cold drinks in the cooler.

Michael, Ellie, Patricia and John in the boat at our lunch stop

Our lunch stop on the way up the delta.

Shortly after our lunch stop, we met up with our camp guide, Happy, coming down river and he and Peluso switched places.  Happy drove us the rest of the way to the camp site.

An elephant grazing in the delta grass.  He is swishing the grass around in the water before he eats it to wash off the dirt.  Happy told us that most of the elephants grazing in the water are young males.  The females tend to travel in herds along the shore.

John, Dave and B riding in the boat while Happy drives.

We got to our campsite just before 16:00. They hadn't finished setting everything up yet, so we sat near the shore and watched the wildlife (hippos and baboons) and the birds.  Our main entertainment was watching a kingfisher in the tree above us.  He had caught a fish and was beating it against a branch.

The camp dining room and the signs marking the campsite.  You can see one of the tents on the left side of the photo.

The camp kitchen

Dave and B bird watching while we waited for the guys to finish setting up the camp. 

Once the tents were ready, we moved in.  Three stand-up tents were set up for us - 2 people per tent.  Each tent included two cots, a small cupboard, two wash basins outside the front entrance and a "backyard" area with a pit toilet and a camping shower bag.  After settling in, we loaded up a cooler with drinks and headed back out into the delta to watch the sunset.

An elephant feeding in the delta as the sun goes down.

Cocktails in the boat as we watched the sun go down.  B, Patricia and Ellie on the left and Dave, Michael and John on the right.

Sunset over the Okavango Delta

An elephant grazing as the sun goes down.

Another view of the sunset over the delta.

It was dark by the time we got back to the campground.  Happy introduced us to the camp crew then we had a gourmet supper - butternut squash soup, barbecue chicken and veggies.  After supper, we sat around the campfire and told stories then called it a day and went to our tents for the night.

The camp crew - Happy, the boat driver and our guide; Pedro, the chef; Shane and Lesch.

Wednesday, August 10, 2022 - Lemon Tree Campsite, Okavango Delta:  We heard a lot of different noises through the canvas of our tent during the night - hippos grunting, birds chirping, lions roaring and hyenas prowling through the campsite.  Fresh coffee was ready at 7:00 and we sat around the campfire while watching the delta wake-up.  Breakfast was served in the dining room - muesli and yogurt followed by eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes and toast.

Hippos in the pool near our campsite.

John climbing a tree

Sitting around the dining table for breakfast - B, Dave, Patricia, Ellie, Michael and John

An elephant walking by the back corner of our tent.

At 9:30, we loaded into the boat for a day on the delta.  It was beautiful.  We saw a lot of animals and we were able to get really close to them with the boat.

Lesch, Shane and Pedro pushing the boat away from the shore.

A hippo out of the water

A troop of baboons on the shore.

Two elephants grazing

Cape aka African Buffalo

A hippo coming towards the boat.

Cape buffalo

Hippos.

A group of tourists from a nearby lodge out for a mokoro ride on the delta.  We were ashore eating lunch as they cruised by.

We stopped on an island for a lunch break and Happy made us "bush sandwiches".  He started a campfire and grilled sausage (boerewors) over the coals.  While the sausage was cooking, we sliced onion and tomatoes and mashed avocadoes.  Then we each buttered two slices of bread and added chutney, cheese and the sliced onions and tomatoes.  Happy grilled these sandwiches over the fire.  Once they were toasted, we ate the sandwiches with the sausage and avocado.  John declared them the best sandwiches he had ever tasted.  After some unlaxing, we left the island and continued our exploration of the delta.

Crocodile.

Giraffe.

We got back to camp late afternoon, took a 20 minute break, then went back out for a sunset cruise.  Happy took us to a nearby island and we watched the sun go down behind a large baobob tree and giraffes.

Sunset behind the baobob tree.  There are giraffes to the left and the right of tree.

Michael, Ellie, John and Patricia

Sunset over the island

Sunset over the Okavango Delta

We cruised back to camp in the dark.  Shane and Lesch filled our camping shower bags with hot water and we had showers in the tent backyard.  Pedro had prepared another gourmet supper - sweet corn soup, steak, fries, veggies and corn-on-the cob.  We had a nice conversation around the campfire then said our good nights and went to our tent.

Thursday, August 11, 2022 - Lemon Tree Campsite, Okavango Delta to Thamalakane River Lodge, Maun:  It was another noisy night listening to the animals around the tents.  Michael said that he saw hyenas in the camp around midnight and Happy confirmed that they were there; they had managed to get the lid of one of the coolers open and had made a big mess near the dining room.  We had fresh coffee around the campfire then went out for a nature walk around the island.

Walking out of our campsite in a single file line.  Happy is at the front, followed by John, Patricia, Michael and B.  Dave is at the back of the line.  Ellie opted to sleep late and skip the nature walk.

Baboons

B playing with a sausage from a sausage tree (Kigelia) while Patricia and Michael watch.

B's hand compared to an elephant track.

Fresh lion tracks.  We didn't see the lion.

Pedro had a full breakfast ready for us when we got back to the campsite, then we packed up our things and boarded the boat for the ride down the delta to the lodge.  We saw a lot of wildlife on the way.  

Cape Buffalo

A herd of female elephants with a small baby.  Happy estimated that the baby was 3 - 6 months old.

The elephants hurried to get away from us, making sure the baby stayed in the middle of the herd.

Hippos

Tsessebe - the fastest antelope in southern Africa

Tsessebe, red lechwes, warthogs and zebra.

Hippos

Hippos

More hippos.  Happy counted over 40 in this bloat.

Approaching the buffalo fence and the transition from wildlife to domestic animals.

Since we had a late breakfast, we skipped the lunch stop and got back to the lodge mid-afternoon.  After drinking a cold beer, we checked into our lodge room for the night.  We had nice, long hot showers and spent the rest of the afternoon unlaxing.  Bjorn and Kevin were still at the lodge cleaning up the trucks and getting ready for their next overlanding adventure.  Kevin wasn't feeling well and Patricia suggested that both Bjorn and Kevin do a rapid Covid test to make sure they didn't have the virus.  Both tested negative.  Bjorn joined the rest of  us for supper and we enjoyed telling him about our adventure up the delta.

We had some beer leftover (How did that happen?) so we hung around the lodge with Happy and had a cold drink.

Floral arrangement on our bed in the lodge.

Our last sunset at the Thamalakane River Lodge.

Friday, August 12, 2022 - Thamalakane River Lodge, Maun, Botswana to Cape Town, South Africa:  We had breakfast at the lodge patio restaurant then packed up our bags and checked out.  Bjorn, Michael, Patricia, Ellie and John said goodbye, then we hopped into a van and headed for the Maun airport.  The Maun airport is very small.  It's serves as the main airport for people coming to visit the Okavango Delta and the Moremi Game Reserve.  They have domestic flights within Botswana and international flights to Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa and to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.  Outside of the airport terminal there is a cluster of souvenier and craft shops and small restaurants.  We looked around in some of the shops while we waited to check in to our flight.  We checked our bags, then cleared immigration, customs and security with no issues.  The flight to Cape Town was uneventful which is what we like.

After landing and collecting our luggage, we caught a cab to the Cape Diem Lodge, the same hotel where we stayed when we were here in July.  We walked down the hill and had supper at a local restaurant then called it a day.

Saturday August 13, 2022 - Cape Town, South Africa:  It was forecast to rain most of the day today.  We did a few internet chores in the morning, then walked to the V&A waterfront for lunch.  There was an outdoor escape room experience in progress and the area was packed with people dressed up in Alice in Wonderland costumes which made for great people watching.  We ate lunch then circled around the harbor and looked at the ships in the dry dock and the boats at the yacht club.  We stopped at the grocery store on our way back to the hotel and got charcuterie for supper.  The rain started about 16:00 so we spent the evening in our room.

Sunday, August 14, 2022 - Cape Town, South Africa:  Mandla picked us up at 8:30 this morning and we went on a tour of the Cape Peninsula.  According to Wikipedia, the Cape Peninsula "juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent.  At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. On the northern end is Table Mountain, overlooking Table Bay and the city bowl of Cape Town, South Africa. The peninsula is 52 km long from Mouille point in the north to Cape Point in the south."  

This map shows the driving route of our tour.

Our first stop was Maiden's Cove in Camps Bay.  From there we drove along the seaside and up Chapmans Peak Drive.

The shoreline at Maiden's Cove

Looking up at Lions Head (we climbed it in July)

Mandla and Dave at the Chapmans Peak Lookout

B and Dave, Chapmans Peak

Dave and B at the Chapmans Peak Lookout overlooking Hout Bay.

As we started down the other side of Chapmans Peak, Mandla suggested that we take a video of the drive down.

We continued our drive south along the coast and stopped at a viewpoint overlooking Long Beach and the Slangkop (Snake Head) Point lighhouse near Kommetjie.  We followed the road through the town of Scarborough, then cut across to the east side of the peninsula (the False Bay side) and entered the Cape of Good Hope section of theTable Mountain system of national parks.  Although some of us thought the Cape of Good Hope was the southern most point of Africa, it isn't; it is the southwestern most point.  For ships sailing from the north, the Cape of Good Hope is where you start to travel more to the east rather than the south.  The southern most point of Africa is Cape Agulhas about 150 km (90 miles) to the east-southeast.

B and Dave overlooking Long Beach near Kommitjie on the Atlantic coast of the peninsula

The Slangkop Point Lighthouse near Kommitjie on the Atlantic coast of the peninsula

Ostriches walking down the road that leads to the Cape of Good Hope.  The male ostriches have black feathers and the females have gray/brown feathers.

We parked at the Cape of Good Hope and hiked up to the top of the viewpoint where we watched a sailboat make its way around the Cape and turn north.

B and Dave at the Cape of Good Hope

The start of the path up to the lookout point.

Mandla at the top of the hiking path overlooking the Cape of Good Hope.

Dave at the top of the hiking path at the Cape of Good Hope.  

The rocky shoreline at the Cape of Good Hope.

Next we drove to Cape Point where Mandla and I hiked up to the old lighthouse.  The old lighthouse is at the top of the highest peak of Cape Point and operated from 1860 to 1919.  The new lighthouse, only 700 meters from the old one, is at a lower elevation at the end of Cape Point and started operating in 1919.  It is the most powerful lighthouse on the South African coast with a range of 63 km (34 nm). According to Wikipedia, the old lighthouse was replaced for two reasons:  "the old lighthouse... could be seen 'too early' by ships rounding the point towards the east, causing them to approach too closely. Secondly, foggy conditions often prevail at the higher levels, making the older lighthouse invisible to shipping. On 18 April 1911, the Portuguese liner Lusitania was wrecked just south of Cape Point... on Bellows Rock for precisely this reason, prompting the relocation of the lighthouse.  The new lighthouse... cannot be seen from the West until ships are at a safe distance to the South." 

B at the start of the hiking path up to the Cape Point Lighthouse.  The sign on the left says "Baboons are dangerous and attracted by food."

Instead of hiking, Dave had a coffee at the cafe.  While waiting outside for us to finish our hike, he saw a lady come out of the cafe with a fresh baked cookie.  A baboon saw the cookie and jumped onto the lady's shoulder which caused her to drop it.  The baboon scooped up the cookie and ran away from the crowd to enjoy it. 

Looking west from the Cape Point Lighthouse trail

Cape Point

Looking down at the trail that leads to the end Dias point.

Looking up at the old Cape Point lighthouse on top of the hill

It was raining as we left Cape Point.  We drove back to the park entrance then drove north up the east coast of the peninsula to Simon's Town, home to a colony of African Penguins.  According to the national park brochure, in 1982 there were just two breeding pairs of penguins.  Since then the penguin colony has grown to about 2200.  We walked down the boardwalk to Foxy Beach to watch the penguins.

Adult and juvenile penguins along the boardwalk to the beach

African penguins at Foxy Beach, Simon's Town

It was time for a break so we stopped in Simon's Town for lunch at a restaurant near the waterfront.

Dave and B at Simon's Town waterfront near the statue of Just Nuisance, the only dog ever to be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy.  The False Bay Yacht Club is in the background.

From Simon's Town, we continued our drive along the False Bay shore through Fish Hoek to Muizenberg Beach where we walked in the sand near the colorful beach huts.

We stopped at one of the Shark Spotting lookouts above Muizenberg Beach.  The Shark Spotters are an early warning safety system to spot sharks near the beaches and to get people out of the water until the danger passes. 

The colorful beach huts at Muizenberg Beach

It was getting late in the day and we headed back to our hotel in Cape Town.  "Thank you!" to Mandla - we really enjoyed our tour of the peninsula.

Monday, August 15, 2022 - Cape Town, South Africa to Frankfurt, Germany:  Today was a travel day.  We packed our bags, checked out of the hotel and went to the Cape Town airport for our overnight flight to Frankfurt.  We are staying in Germany, pet-sitting in Aalen, until mid-September.  

Until next time...