Overlanding in Namibia and Botswana

Location:  Aalen, Germany

Late-July through mid-August, we went on an overland adventure in Namibia and Botswana.  What is overlanding you ask, according to Wikipedia Overlanding is self-reliant overland travel to remote destinations where the journey is the principal goal... and the typical form of lodging is camping. 

Bliss Mobil at the base of the Spitzkoppe mountain, Namibia

The map below shows the route we took starting in Walvis Bay, Namibia to the Goanikontes Oasis where we met up with our group, then from Goanikontes to the Thalamakane River Lodge in Maun, Botswana.  Some of the areas where we camped were only accessible via four wheel drive vehicles and the routes shown on the map are estimated for those locations.  We took a lot of photos so those will tell most of the story.  Grab a coffee (or your favorite beverage) and enjoy our "home movies".

Day 1, July 26, 2022:  Goanikontes Oasis

We met up with our overlanding group at the Goanikontes Oasis on Tuesday, July 26.  We arrived at the oasis mid-afternoon after a mini-tour of Swakopmund (see the previous blog for details).  Kevin (from the Netherlands), the owner of Overland Travel and our guide for the next 15 days, met us at reception and walked us to our Bliss Mobil, our home during the trip.  The Bliss Mobil used for the rental fleet is a Mercedes-Benz Atego 1018 4×4 truck with a 13 foot High Bed Bliss unit. Kevin walked us through the operation of the Bliss unit then we had lunch at the Oasis patio restaurant and wandered around their petting zoo.

Bjorn (from Germany), our other guide, helped Michael P., Karima and Karima's son, Aaron, from Zurich, Switzerland settle into their Bliss Mobil.

The mountains and the dry river bed near the Goanikontes Oasis

Tracks in the dried mud at the Goanikontes Oasis

Although it was officially Day 1 of our trip, it was mostly arrival day for the group and we spent the afternoon getting to know our units, studying our road books with the routes and destinations for the trip and exploring the oasis.

The Bliss Mobils parked at the Goanikontes Oasis.

Dave and Kevin walking to our Bliss Mobil.  We had unit #1, the only one registered in the Netherlands and the only one with a black front bumper.

Kevin showing Dave how to operate the Mercedes-Benz truck.

Day 2, Wednesday, July 27, 2022 - Goanikontes Oasis to Spitzkoppe, 188 km (117 miles):  After our breakfast this morning, we met Michael S., Patricia, Ellie and John, a family from Zurich, Switzerland.  The Bliss Mobil trucks will only seat three people, so Kevin let Patricia drive his Toyota and he and Bjorn drove and camped in one of the rental trucks.  The other family joining us on the trip, Gary, Emily and Christian from the Netherlands, had missed their flight and didn’t arrive in Namibia until today. Bjorn drove their Bliss Mobil to our camping destination and we met up with them later in the day.

B sitting in the Bliss Mobil enjoying lunch as we watch the Atlantic Ocean.

Kevin showed us how to operate the truck and then we headed out of the campground.  As we got neared the gate, our coolant alarm went off and Kevin had to show us how to top it up. We headed toward Swakopmund on the same gravel road we had come in on yesterday.  Once we got into town, we stopped at a Spar supermarket to buy groceries and provisions for the trip.

The wreck of the fishing vessel Zelia on the Namibia Skeleton Coast

We turned onto the coastal road and followed it north up the Skeleton Coast, stopping along the way to eat our lunch while watching the breakers crash onto the beach and to look at the wreck of the Zelia which had gone aground in 2008.  The rest of the group caught up with us at the Zelia and we convoyed the rest of the way to our camping site, Spitzkoppe, for the night.

Dave lowering the air pressure of our tires.  For asphalt roads, which we had been driving most of the day, the recommended pressure was 5 Bar.  We lowered it down to 3 Bar for the gravel roads and 2 Bar for the sandy river bottoms that we drove later in the trip.

Our group of Bliss Mobils plus Kevin's Toyota on the gravel road near Henties Bay where we stopped to lower the air pressure in our tires.

The campground was surrounded by red rock hills, about 700 meters high (~2300 feet) towering above the surrounding landscape.  We climbed up the rocks to watch the sun go down, then walked back to our camping spot for a campfire and supper.

Driving to the Spitzkoppe peaks.

Dave parking the truck at our campsite for the night at Spitzkoppe

A rock arch at the Spitzkoppe peaks in Namibia

A view of our campsite from our perch on the rocks where we climbed to watch the sunset.

Sunset at Spitzkoppe

Food on the grill at our first campfire of the trip.

Day 3, Thursday, July 28, 2022 – Spitzkoppe to Brandberg Wild Camp, 135 km (84 miles):  We were ready to leave the campground at 9:00 this morning.  The other folks were still in the process of packing up, so Kevin suggested that we go and drive around the back side of the mountain and then meet up with them on the other side.  Our coolant alarm went off as we were leaving, so we topped up with water then headed for the campground gate. Our turn  to go around the mountain was just outside the gate.  We missed it so we stopped to take some pictures, then turned around to get on the right track.  We took our time, stopping to take pictures and to watch birds and springboks.

The Spitzkoppe peaks in the morning sun

A tree covered with birds' nests

A close up of the birds' nests

 The rest of the group caught up with us and we drove along a washboard gravel road to the town of Uis.  We stopped there for a break.  One of the trucks filled their fuel tank, a few people bought more groceries and we all had lunch at a hotel patio restaurant.

The group having lunch at the Uis hotel/rest camp.  Clockwise from the bottom right:  John, Aaron, Christian, Kevin, Bjorn, Ellie, B, Michael S., Emily, Gary, Dave, Michael P., Karima

Dave waiting in the shade near the Uis supermarket

From Uis, we continued on the gravel road towards the Brandberg Mountains.  The Brandberg Mountains are the highest mountains in Namibia and home to thousands of ancient rock paintings.  We met near the starting point for the hike to the white lady rock painting and turned off to drive along a dry river bed and into our campsite.  Kevin and the boys, Christian, Aaron and John, built a campfire and we set-up our chairs to visit.  After supper, Kevin entertained us with stories about his previous overland trips.

We stopped to lower the air pressure in our tires to 2 Bar before driving the river bed into our campsite.
Kevin is explaining the "rules" for the night.  Since we were wild camping, we needed to stay within the truck circle and because of the wild animals in the area, once we were all in our units for the night, nobody was to come outside until morning.

Driving along the river bed to our campsite.

Circling the trucks at our campsite near the river bed of the Tsisab, a branch of the Ugab River.

Sitting around our campsite near the Brandberg Mountains

Day 4, Friday, July 29, 2022 – Brandberg Wild Camp to Damaraland Wild Camp, 106 km (66 miles):  We traveled as a group today, all off-road and off the beaten track.  Although it wasn’t a lot of miles, we drove for most of the day.  Our day started as we watched a large herd of spring boks make their way down from the grass covered hills to the dry river bed.

John and Patricia packing up the roof tent on the top of Kevin's Toyota.

Kevin explaining the strategies of the different animals to Christian and Aaron, for example, how lions hunt compared to leopards and how giraffes defend themselves.

We started by driving along the river bed through an abandoned cattle farm and to a natural water hole.  We were hoping to see desert elephants; although we saw a lot of elephant dung, the elephants were no where to be seen.

From there we drove a scenic route through the grasslands, red sands and stone, past abandoned mines and into Damaraland, in the north central area of Namibia.  Damaraland is named for the Damara people who inhabit the land.  Along the way, we saw a large ostrich leading  ~30 small ostriches through the grass and giraffes feeding. We camped for the night near an abandoned cattle farm.

A stop to air up our tires to 3 Bar for the gravel roads and for a coffee and bathroom break.

Desert melons growing along the road through Damaraland.  Kevin told us they were extremely bitter but the animals use them as a source of water.

Giraffes in the grasslands of Damaraland.

The Welwitschia Mirabilis plant, the national plant of Namibia.  It is known as one of the oldest living plants, with some specimens estimated to be between 1000 and 1500 years old.  Sometimes called a living fossil, it is endemic to the Namib desert within Namibia and Southern Angola.   

Our Damaraland campsite

The sunset over Damaraland.

John, Christian, Kevin and Aaron watching the sunset from the top of a Bliss Mobil.

Day 5, Saturday, July 30, 2022 - Damaraland Wild Camp to Palmwag, 246 km (153 miles):  Most of us had left camp this morning, when Patricia called on the radio to say they couldn't find the truck keys.  We pulled over and Kevin and Bjorn found the spare set and went back to help them while the rest of us explored the area.  There was some fairly fresh rhino dung and a game trail nearby, so Michael P and I walked a ways up the trail trying to spot a rhino.  Patricia radioed again to say they had found the keys.  They caught up with the group and we continued our drive.

Fresh rhino dung near the road.

A rhino trail leading across the hill

Driving away from our Damaraland camping area.

We drove on narrow gravel paths, crossed dry river beds and drove into a lava rock area leading to Burnt Mountain.  

Climbing a hill on the rocky road near Burnt Mountain.

 After a particularly rough stretch of rocky road, we heard a loud hiss coming from the right side of our truck.  We radioed the group to let them know we had a flat tire and stopped in a fairly level area of the road to change it.

Using the chain fall to lower our spare from the back of the truck.

The gash in our right rear tire.

As we were working on lowering the spare tire and getting the truck jacked up to remove the blown tire, Gary came up and asked if he could make a joke.  We said sure and he said, "it's always the Americans".  About 5 minutes later, someone in the group came up and showed him a picture of his left rear tire.  It was shredded.  We all had a good laugh and everyone worked together to get the tires on the two trucks changed.

The left rear tire on Gary and Emily's truck.

Tightening up the lug nuts on our tire.

Putting the shredded tire up on the back of Gary and Emily's truck.

We finished up the tire repairs and made it the rest of the way down the rocky road with no issues.  The rock track joined a gravel road near the base of Burnt Mountain and from there we drove the rest of the way to our stop for the night at Palmwag.

The scenery on the gravel road to Palmwag.

Dave relaxing near our truck at our Palmwag campsite.

The Palmwag Lodge is a small resort with a bar, restaurant, two swimming pools, campsites and bungalows.  We circled the trucks in campsite 9 and settled in for the afternoon.  When I came back from a walk around the compound, I noticed that our left rear tire was low.  Dave, Kevin and Bjorn looked at it and we decided to air it up to 6 Bar and then check the pressure in an hour.  After the hour was up, the pressure was down to 5.8 Bar.  Kevin and Bjorn put the jack under the rear axle and we left it for the night with plans to check the pressure again tomorrow.  The group met in the bar area for supper and then we all turned in for the night.

Day 6, Sunday, July 31, 2022 - Palmwag:  We had a day off from driving this morning but an early start.  We met at the reception area at 6:00 and loaded into open air safari trucks for a black rhino trekking expedition.  It was cold and foggy outside and the drive to the Torra Conservancy was ~ 60 km from Palmwag.  Although we were each given a large, fleece pancho, the drive in the safari trucks was uncomfortably cold.  

Notes from our road book about the black rhino state "In Namibia's far northwest Kunene region (also known as Kaokoland) black rhinos were almost extinct thirty years ago.  Today, Kunene has the largest number of free-roaming black rhino in the world - the only rhino worldwide living on communally and traditionally-owned land without formal conservation status.  Namibia created a culture of good human-wildlife interactions by involving communities, employing locals in anti-poaching patrols and generating income from rhino-related tourism."

Sunrise on the drive to the Torra Conservancy

Sunrise over the mountains of the Torra Conservancy

We watched the sun rise before turning into a farming village where we picked up our "Save the Rhino" tracking guides.  As we left the farm, we turned and drove along the rocks of a dry river bottom, watching springboks and giraffes along the way.  Emily and Christian were sitting up in the cab of the truck with our driver, Rodney, when Emily spotted a rhino ambling along the hillside, what Rodney called a “chance sighting” and very rare.  They usually have to track for 2 -3 hours, looking for fresh dung and tracks, before they find a rhino, if they do happen to find one, which doesn’t always happen.  We parked the trucks and walked single file along the lower part of the hill, paralleling the path the rhino was walking.  The rhino must have heard us; he picked up his pace and disappeared over the top of the hill, but not before we all had a chance to observe him and to take photos and videos. 

The black rhino, Talus.

    Talus as he walks along the hill side, browsing on the tree leaves.

Each rhino has its own individual markings and the guides told us this one was Talus, a nine year-old male black rhino.  The guides have a system of tracking the rhino movements and complete reports each time they spot an animal.

We drove further along the river bed to a natural watering hole, but didn’t see any more large animals.  We stopped for a coffee break and the guides provided us with information about the rhinos in the area and how the conservancy is protecting the rhinos from hunters and poachers. 

Coffee break while we listened to the guides talk to us about the rhinos and the conservancy.

On our way out of the conservancy, we stopped at the farm and our guide, Stanley, picked up his completed rhino sighting books.  He rode with us to Bergsic, where their main office is, to drop off the completed books and to pick up new ones.  When we asked how he would get back to the camp, he said he would walk.  He told us that some days he walks up to 60 kms in order to track the rhinos.

As we drove back to the lodge, we spotted two herds of desert elephants feeding along a river bottom so we stopped to watch them.  They were too far away for any good photos.  We also saw zebra, baboons and giraffes.

We got back to the lodge early afternoon and did some unlaxing.  Kevin and Bjorn checked our tire air pressure and it was holding steady at 5.8 Bar so we decided to let it be for another night.  A group of elephants live in the area and they were feeding near the restaurant.  We spent some time there watching them.  We had a group supper in the restaurant, told stories and lies, then called it a day.

Day 7, Monday, August 1, 2022 – Palmwag to Etosha National Park, 316 km (196 miles):  Our tire had lost more pressure overnight so we decided to change it before we hit the road this morning.  The tire had a puncture hole in it.  Kevin tried to repair the puncture but there was a small rock in the hole and he wasn't successful.  Bjorn topped up everyone's fresh water tanks and we got underway just before 10:00.

Dave and Kevin finishing up on changing out our left rear tire.

Kevin trying to plug the hole in our tire.  He wasn't successful, but figured that we could count it as a 1/2 spare if we really needed to use it.

There was an agricultural check point on the way to the main road.  They were checking for uncooked meat to prevent the spread of hoof and mouth disease and we had to give up our boerwerst, a dried jerky type of meat.  We saw a giraffe just after turning onto the main road, then climbed up into the mountains and drove over Grootberg Pass, elevation 1540 meters (5052 feet).

A giraffe near the main road out of Palmwag.

The view into the Klip Valley from the Grootberg Pass.

Some of the locals use donkeys to pull wheeled carts along the roads.

We stopped in the town of Kamanjab, a cross roads with two fuel stations and a grocery store.  We filled up our fuel tank, bought a few groceries and had lunch while we were there.  As a cross roads, a lot of local people come to town to sell their crafts and we were mobbed by people wanting to sell us jewelry, carvings, etc.

The locals in Kamanjab gathered around Michael S. and Patricia's truck. 
Patricia was giving away children's clothing and toys.

From Kamanjab, we took a gravel road "short-cut" and headed north toward Etosha National Park, one of the largest game reserves in Africa at 22,000 square kilometers (almost 8500 square miles).  The park is home to 114 species of mammals including elephants, rhinos and leopards.  We entered the park at the southwest gate at Okaukuejo then drove a short distance to our camp for the night.  Just after entering the park, we saw zebras, springbok and a herd of elephants.  The Okaukeujo Rest Camp has a floodlit waterhole and after parking in our camping spot, we headed over to the waterhole to watch the animals.

The herd of elephants that we saw along the road as we entered the park were just leaving the waterhole as we were walking up.  The waterhole is manmade with a inner fence and outer wall that protects the camping area from the wildlife.  Benches and viewing areas are located outside of the wall.  We found a bench and watched as various animals came to the water hole to drink - oryx, kudu, wildebeest, springbok, guinea fowl, jackals, impalas, etc.  A group of 7 giraffes, including a young one, slowly gathered together and made their way to the waterhole, followed by a herd of elephants with two nursing calves.

Giraffes at the Okaukuejo waterhole

Sunset at the Okaukuejo waterhole

Elephants at the waterhole

We watched the sun go down as the elephants drank, bathed and played in the water.  

Elephants at the waterhole.  Notice the baby elephant chasing the bird.

Two herds of elephants meeting at the waterhole.

August 1 is Swiss National Day, the national holiday to celebrate the founding of the Swiss Confederacy.  To honor the day, Karima organized a celebration with food, drinks and sparklers.

Sparklers around the campfire to celebrate Swiss National Day

Day 8, Tuesday, August 2, 2022 - Etosha National Park to La Rochelle, 216 km (134 miles):  Today was all about looking for wildlife in Etosha National Park.  We left the camp at sunrise and headed east.  There is a main road through the park that follows the edge of the Etosha salt pan and secondary roads and loops leading to waterholes and wildlife viewing areas.  We spent the morning driving the secondary roads looking for wildlife.

Wildebeests feeding in the grasslands of Etosha National Park.

As we came around a turn on a loop road, a family was parked in the middle of the road with a flat tire.  They weren't sure where to put the jack, so we parked and Dave helped them change their tire.

Zebras in Etosha National Park

The thorn tree, Acacia nebrownii, blooming.

We were lucky enough to see a rhino feeding along the side of the road.

Rhino browsing on tree leaves in Etosha National Park

For lunch we stopped at the Halali rest camp, near the middle of the park.  We took a short walk around the camp to stretch our legs before continuing the drive to the east gate of the park.

Kori Bustard, the largest flying bird native to Africa

Jackals in Etosha National Park

Gemsbok (oryx) in Etosha National Park

After exiting the park, we made our way to our stop for the night, La Rochelle Lodge.  There were no other guests there so we parked our trucks in the main parking area near the front of the lodge.  The managers were nice enough to let us use two of the bungalows for showers; it was nice to have unlimited hot water and space.  We gathered for cocktails in the bar area and then had a buffet supper.

Driving on the main driveway into the La Rochelle Lodge.

Supper at the La Rochelle Lodge.

Day 9, Wednesday, August 3, 2022 - La Rochelle to Mayana Village, 287 km (178 miles):  We all agreed on a late start today.  We used the bungalows and had showers, did some work changing around our remaining spare tires and explored the grounds of the lodge.

Our truck parked in front of the La Rochelle main lodge.

Kevin, Dave and Bjorn moving around the spare tires.  Kevin had blown one of his tires on the way to the lodge yesterday and now we had 1-1/2 spares left between the five trucks.  The lodge agreed to "keep" the shredded spare that Kevin is removing from its rim.

Dave and I wandered around the grounds then sat under a giant fig tree and watched wildlife.  We saw impalas and warthogs on the grounds north of the lodge.

Warthogs running across the grass on the north side of the lodge.

We left the lodge just before 11:00 and headed north.  We got to the paved road about two hours later and stopped for a short break.  The scenery along the road changed as we continued north towards the Okavango River which forms the border between Namibia and Angola.  Children in their school uniforms walked along the paths on the side of the road.  Cattle and goats grazed close to the edge of the road and we had to slow down several times to let them cross to the other side.  Small roadside stands with pottery, wood cravings and firewood for sale, along with shops and beer joints (shebeens), lined the road.  

We pulled into the town of Rundu, the second most populated town in Namibia, mid-afternoon and filled up our fuel tank.  The rest of the group went into town to do some shopping and Michael S. and Patricia took Ellie and John to get tested for Covid as either a negative test or proof of vaccine was required to cross the border into Botswana.  Dave and I continued on to our camp site for the night, in the Mayana Village next to the river.  One of the young men of the village showed us where to park the truck and the kids hung around with us while we waited for the rest of the group to arrive.

Kids from the Mayana Village hanging around our campsite.

Gary and Bjorn pulling into our campsite near the river.

Sunset over the Okanvango River.  Angola is on the other side.

While in town, Gary and Emily purchased soccer balls to give out to the village kids.  Kevin, Bjorn, Aaron and Christian joined them for a game.

We built a campfire and everyone settled in for the night.  A few of the village kids joined us as we sat around the fire.

Day 10, Thursday, August 4, 2022 - Mayana Village to Ngepi Camp, Divundu, 210 km (130 miles):  Moses, from the Mayana Village, met us at our campsite at 9:00 and we went on a walking tour through the area.  Within each village, there are individual housing compounds for extended families, each consisting of 5 - 10 huts.  We stopped at one of the housing compounds to watch the family thresh pearl millet, a staple of their diet and the most widely grown and utilized cereal in northern Namibia.  Kevin and Dave gave threshing a try followed by Michael S. and John.

A cob of pearl millet

A family in Mayana village threshing pearl millet

Kevin and Dave threshing pearl millet.

Next, we walked over to one of the public schools, Grades K - 8.  Moses talked with the school administrator and then the principal came to greet us.  The administrator pushed a bell calling for an all school break and the kids came streaming out of their classrooms.  We asked to see two classrooms, a lower grade and an upper grade.  We went to a kindergarten class and the teacher had the kids demonstrate a balancing game then they sang one-two buckle my shoe in their local language.

The school children gathered in the school yard for a photo.

The kindergarten class demonstrating a balancing game.

The kids outside the classroom with their faces pressed up against the windows watching us.

Next we walked to an upper level classroom.  The students there greeted us with a few songs.

The teacher of the upper level classroom with Michael S. and Patricia.  A history lesson about Namibia is on the chalkboard.

The kids in the upper level classroom sang songs to welcome us.

After our school visit, we stopped at a housing compound to look at the way the compound was set up.  We looked at their outdoor cooking area and at the inside of one of the huts.  One of the ladies in the compound had small bags of popcorn for sale and the kids each bought one.  From there we walked back to our camping area, packed up the trucks and hit the road.  

We stopped before turning onto the main road to buy firewood and at a picnic area for lunch, then continued to Divundu.  We camped at the Ngepi Camp, east of Divundu on the banks of the Okavango River.  The campground has a covered open air viewing area where we watched hippos in the river and a herd of elephants and various antelope-type animals (springbok, waterbucks, impalas, etc.) on the other side of the river.  Kevin and Dave built a campfire and we sat around it while we ate supper.

Buying firewood on the side of the road near Mayana Village.

B drinking champagne and a gin and tonic at the Ngepi Camp outdoor lounge.

Day 11, Friday, August 5, 2022 - Ngepi Camp, Namibia to Thamalakane River Lodge, Maun, Botswana, 425 km (264 miles):  Today was our longest driving day and our day to cross the border from Namibia to Botswana.  

The trucks in our camping spot at Ngepi Camp

The mokoros (wooden canoes) and swimming "pool" at Ngepi Camp.  You could get a ride in one of the mokoros to watch the hippos in the river.

The warning sign at the Ngepi Pool

We left the camp at 8:30 and headed south towards the border.  Kevin mentioned that there was a nice 15 minute detour just north of the border through the Mahango National Park and we all agreed that we should take it.  The detour took us through the park and along the river where we spotted lots of wildlife - impala, warthogs, monkeys, etc.  About 5 minutes into the drive, we went through a sandy spot and Dave and I got stuck.  Patricia went ahead to let Kevin know we were stuck, while Michael S. and Ellie stayed behind to help us get out.  Kevin and Bjorn came back, hooked up a tow rope and pulled us out.  Our 15 minute detour took a little longer than planned.

Dave and Michael S. discussing strategies to get us unstuck while Ellie takes photos.

Kevin pulling us out of a sandy spot, demonstrating a kinetic recovery with a Bubba Rope

We pulled into the border crossing area mid-morning and went inside to do the paper work to clear ourselves out of Namibia.  Kevin and Bjorn handled the paperwork to clear the trucks out.  They got caught up in some bureaucracy with the customs agents and it took a lot longer to clear out than it should have.

The trucks parked on the Namibia side of the border waiting to get cleared out of the country.

Customs finally finished all of the paperwork required to clear us out of Namibia and we drove across the border and parked in Botswana to clear in.  Botswana required that everyone show their Covid vaccination cards or a negative Covid PCR test before they would allow us into the country.  After getting our passports stamped and the trucks cleared in, we drove to the entrance gate where an agricultural check point was set up.  Certain fruits and vegetables and raw meat were not allowed in the country and everybody ended up leaving something in the customs barrel.

The trucks parked on the Botswana side of the border waiting to clear in.

With only 400 km to go, we started off on the asphalt road down the west side of the Okavango Delta.  The road was terrible.  We would be driving 80 kph on a nice asphalt section and all of a sudden, there would be giant potholes in the middle of the road.  Then there would be another nice section followed by the road disappearing with the dirt tracks along the road being a better place to drive.  Cattle, donkeys and goats grazed along the side of the road and crossed when they thought the grass was greener on the other side.  We tried to get behind a driver with local knowledge who would give us some indication of when to bob and when to weave and when to slow down.

Gary and Emily were in front of us and Michael P. and Karima passed us along the way.  Just prior to entering a small village, we saw a taxi driver coming the other way give us a sign to slow down.  We did.  Just ahead, Michael P. and Karima had been caught in a radar speed trap and Michael was outside talking with the traffic cops.  We waved and continued on our way.  We found out later that Gary and Emily had been caught in the same speed trap.

Sunset today was at 18:11 and we drove the last ~ 2 hours in the dark.  We drove through Maun and pulled into the Thamalakane River Lodge just before 20:00.  Dave and I were the first to arrive so we walked to the bar for a drink and then got a table along the river's edge and ate supper.  The rest of the group came in 30 - 45 minutes behind us, had supper and then we all called it a night.

B and Dave having supper at the Thamalakane River Lodge after a long day of driving.

The group having supper at the Thamalakane River Lodge

Day 12, Saturday, August 6, 2022 - Thamalakane River Lodge, Maun to Khwai Concession, 126 km (78 miles):  We had some time to explore the lodge area this morning; Michael S. filled their water tank and Patricia and Emily made a trip into Maun to get a few groceries.  A few of us walked over to the property next door to look at the Bliss Mobils stored there.  Four Bliss Mobil owners had their units shipped to Walvis Bay earlier this year and Kevin led them on overland adventures through Namibia and Botswana.  Rather than shipping their units back to their home countries, they stored the units in Maun and are set-up to do another overland adventure mid-September through Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania.

Bliss Mobil owner's unit stored near the Thamalakane River Lodge, Maun, Botswana

We left the lodge just before 11:00 and headed north as a caravan towards the Khwai Concession.  According to our road book "The Khwai Concession, about 1800 square kilometers (~700 square miles), is located next to the famous Moremi Game Reserve.  There is an unfenced boundary, allowing wildlife to move freely between the woodlands in the wet season when water is plentiful and back to the permanent rivers and lagoons in the dry season.  It used to be a hunting concession and is now managed by the local community as a recreation area."

As with most of our destinations during the trip, the actual distance to Khwai was short but, because of the condition of the roads, the drive took most of the day, ~5 hours.  About 10 km north of the lodge, the road changed from asphalt to gravel and we stopped to lower the air pressure in our tires to 3 Bar and Kevin bought some firewood for tonight's camp fire.

The trucks stopped along the gravel road to lower the air pressure in our tires.

We took our time driving, looking for wildlife along the way and stopping for a lunch break.

A hippo mother and baby in the Khwai River.

A warthog peeking out of the bushes.

A giraffe near the side of the road.

Dave and I were behind the rest of the group and got to the campground entrance about an hour after they did.  The waypoint in our GPS led us to a tent camp and there were no Bliss Mobils to be found.  We bumped along a windy, narrow track through the campground and tried to radio the group to find out where they were, but nobody responded.  We stopped and asked someone if they had seen the group of trucks.  They said no but directed us to the reception camp site.  Once we got there, a ranger led us to where the group was set-up, about 1 mile from the GPS waypoint.  We parked and settled in for the evening then joined the rest of the group around the campfire for happy hour and supper.

Elephants at a waterhole on the Khwai River.

Sunset at our campsite

Day 13, Sunday, August 7, 2022 - Khwai Concession:  We had a day off from driving our trucks today.  Two safari guides drove into the camp this morning and we loaded into their trucks just after 8:00 for a day of wildlife viewing along the Khwai River.

Bjorn waiting near the safari truck while Christian climbs on it.

The two drivers used our radios to talk to each other and after driving around for 20 minutes, the other driver radioed to let us know that they had spotted a leopard.  Our driver, Peluso, drove to where they were and Ellie saw the leopard resting under a tree.  We were able to get very close with the truck and watched as the leopard slept, stretched, rolled over and finally got up to amble away.  We followed it for a while, watching as it checked the bushes for wild cats, one of its favorite foods.  A small herd of impalas charged up close to the leopard, huffing as they came, but she didn't pay any attention to them.  She laid down near a termite mound and we drove off to look for other animals.

Ellie sighted the leopard napping under a tree.

The leopard rolling in the sand.

The leopard sitting up after a short nap.

The leopard ambling away.

A group of impalas huffing at the leopard.  She didn't pay any attention to them.

The leopard resting near a termite mound.

A kudu amongst the trees.

An elephant in a mud bog

Hippos in the river.

Banded mongoose

A water buffalo in the trees

A stop for a break - Peluso, Michael S., Kevin and Dave

Early afternoon, we stopped for a lunch break under the trees.  About half of the group was ready to go back to the campsite to rest for the afternoon so they loaded into a truck and went back.  The rest of us stayed with Peluso and spent the afternoon driving around the area and viewing wildlife.

A lilac-breasted roller

An elephant in the brush

A herd of waterbuck and a hippopotamus

An elephant in a mud bog taking a mud shower

A warthog and impalas

An elephant and a saddle-billed stork

This is a little gruesome - there is a dead elephant in the water which has been there for a number of days.  The crocodiles are crawling up into the carcass to feed and the storks are feeding on the tidbits that float away.

As we were headed back to the campsite, we stopped to watch multiple herds of elephants in the Khwai River.

Elephants in the river.

Bjorn had a GPS tracker with him on the safari drive.  The orange line is the route we drove, almost 60 kms.  The blue arrow at the right of the screen is our campsite - the beginning and end of the trek.

We got back to the campsite in time for happy hour.  Someone built a campfire and we watched the sunset.  This was our last night camping out in the wild.

Sunset at the Khwai Concession campsite

The group gathered around the campfire at our Khwai Concession campsite.

Day 14, Monday, August 8, 2022 - Khwai Concession to Thamalakane River Lodge, Maun, 126 km (78 miles):  Gary and Michael P. had arranged for a helicopter to take Emily and Christian and Karima and Aaron back to the lodge today.  The helicopter landed in the field near our campsite, they listened to a safety briefing and then got in and took off for their flight to Maun.

The helicopter taking off from the field near our campsite.

After they took off, the rest of us packed up our campers and got ready for the drive back to Maun.  After some work on our right front tire, we were ready to go and the group convoyed out of the campsite.

Dave and Kevin studying our right front tire.  We had side-swiped a stump while driving on the narrow roads to the campsite and some of the wood from the stump was lodged between the rim and the tire.  We jacked up the truck, let the air out of the tire, removed the split ring, pried the wood free, reinstalled the split ring and aired up the tire.

Elephants at a waterhole

Hippos out of the water on the other side of the Khwai River

As we drove along the road next to the river, we heard that dreaded hiss coming from the right side of our truck.  We stopped to check it out, thinking it was the right front tire that we had worked on this morning but it turned out to be the right rear tire, with a gash in the side wall.  We were in an area with a lot of hippos around, and, as some of you know, the hippo is the most dangerous animal in Africa, even more dangerous than the lion.  We moved the truck to a safer area, then got busy changing the tire.  Gary, Michael S., Patrica, John and Ellie went on ahead to the lodge while Kevin, Bjorn and Michael P. stayed back to help.

Kevin under our truck jacking it up while Dave and Bjorn lower down a spare tire.

We got back on the road, took a lunch break, went through an agricultural check point and stopped where the asphalt started to air up our tires.  From there it was a short drive.  Dave and I went into town to fill up our fuel tank before returning to the lodge.  We all met up at the bar and then we had a farewell supper with the group.  Tomorrow is the official last day of our trip, but today was our last day driving the trucks.

Sunset over the river near the Thamalakane Lodge.  If you look closely you can see a hippo in the middle of the photo.

Day 15, Tuesday, August 9, 2022 - Thamalakane Lodge:  Today was the last day of our overlanding adventure.  We packed up our stuff, cleaned up the truck and had breakfast at the lodge.  Bjorn checked out the truck to make sure everything was ok and we got ready to say goodbye and to start our next adventure.  Gary, Emily and Christian were headed to the airport this morning for their flight back to the Netherlands; Michael P., Karima and Aaron were staying one more night at the lodge before going home; Kevin and Bjorn were staying at the lodge, cleaning up the trucks and getting ready for the next group of adventurers to arrive.  Michael S., Patricia, Ellie, John, Dave and I headed up the Okavango Delta for a camping adventure.  We'll leave that for the next blog...

The group waving good bye as we leave in the boat for our adventure up the Okavango Delta.
Bjorn, Kevin, Gary, Michael P., Christian, Emily, Aaron, Karima

Until next time...