Trois mois de plus en Afrique australe

Welcome to Agnès, Pierre, Mayrig, Isabelle, and Pascale! It really feels like a mix of pleasure and nostalgia, taking me back four or five years... [:)]

Pascale, Zimbabwe is a great idea! I really enjoyed my time there. Just avoid trying to go off-road with a city car (story to come ), but since you're planning to use a 4x4, you should be fine. [;)]

3) Namibia: Walvis Bay, Cape Cross, and Brandberg (April 7-9, 2018)

With only 9 days to spend in Namibia with family, there’s no time to get creative! Between Sesriem and Etosha, three stops naturally stand out: Walvis Bay, Cape Cross, and Brandberg. Unfortunately, we had to skip Spitzkoppe, which had been a highlight for me in 2016.

On the afternoon of April 7, after our amazing exploration of Deadvlei and Sossusvlei, we head toward Walvis Bay (315 km). The Namibian roads aren’t too bad, but that doesn’t spare us from a second flat tire, just before the Tropic of Capricorn... Considering I only had one flat in three months of travel in 2016!

During my previous trip, I skipped Walvis Bay to prioritize Swakopmund, a bit further north. This morning of April 8, I savor the sight of pink flamingos on the nearby lagoon. A truly beautiful spectacle. [:)] The next stop is noisier... and smellier! It’s the Seal Cross Seal Reserve (170 km from Walvis Bay), famous for its massive colony of Cape fur seals. The racket competes with the strong smell... and my mom kept a tissue over her face the whole time. [:P]







With the time spent repairing our tire that morning (even more complicated on a Sunday), the day was already well underway when we reached the White Lady Lodge, about 200 km from the seal colony. The bungalows are quite rustic (arachnophobes beware ), but the atmosphere is pleasant, and the food is delicious. Before breakfast, I walk around the property to photograph some birds.



Southern grey-headed sparrow Helmeted guineafowl

The group struggled to get going this morning, and it was already past 10 a.m. when we reached the parking lot (only 10 km from our accommodation) for the hike to the White Lady rock painting—which, in reality, depicts a shaman. What had seemed like a simple walk on my last visit turned into quite the challenge under the scorching sun for some family members. Tip: bring plenty of water!

Agama planiceps (Namib rock agama)



In 2016, I had a great time with the (mandatory) guides at the site, one of whom even actively participated in the recap video of my trip, available on the first page of my travel journal from back then. At my request, she gave me a memorable demonstration of one of Africa’s fascinating click languages, Damara (or Khoekhoegowab). By a wonderful coincidence, I run into her on the trail as she’s returning to the parking lot with her group. We recognize each other and share a moment of laughter, reminiscing about that shared memory. [:)]

After dinner, we head toward the town of Outjo and the "Ijaba Lodge at Buschfeld Park," 248 km away. Etosha is for tomorrow, and everyone’s excited!

The shape of the pool is hilarious. Pure coincidence or the work of a nostalgic expat? (Your photos haven’t aged a bit [;)])

It’s with a heavy heart that I’m boarding this time... Namibia was on the agenda for July 2020, with the rest of the story we all know, and 20,000 rands in non-refundable deposits still sitting with Namvic, probably for good now... Since the end of Covid, I’ve checked flight prices every year for our usual July dates, and the fares have skyrocketed (1,200–1,300 € instead of 800 €), making the destination way out of budget for the five of us. Every time there’s a feature on TF1 or elsewhere about this incredible place, we just want to cry. Thanks for picking up the travel journal! [:)]

If you're going for 3 weeks or a month, you can start your trip from Joburg. Flight prices are way better—competition does that!

Yeah, I noticed flights to JBo are still available, but that means we wouldn’t go through Namvic anymore...

PS: I’m no longer getting notifications for new replies to threads I’m following. Is anyone else having this issue?

PS: I’m no longer receiving notifications for new replies to threads I’m following. Am I the only one in this situation?

Hi Guillaume. Mine’s working fine. Check below the message to see if the box is ticked?

Hi Bruno, The 3 boxes are checked, and my account settings are all good. I just found the emails in my spam folder, so by marking them as "not spam," the issue should be resolved. Thanks!

Funny shape of the pool. Pure coincidence or the work of a nostalgic expat?

No idea! Not being French, I hadn’t even noticed. [;)]

Sorry to hear about your misadventures, Guillaume... I didn’t realize the destination had become less accessible, financially speaking.

As for me, I was planning to go back (as a couple) in the summer of 2025, but plans changed (due to a new job), so it’ll have to wait for another time!

Welcome to Bruno, too, our dear Haut-Savoyard! [;)]

When flying into Cape Town, tickets are sometimes cheaper than to Johannesburg, which I noticed this spring. Vehicles can also be cheaper. You’ll need a bit more time to reach the border, but you can also combine it with a visit to KTP and Cape Town.

Hello everyone

I thought this travel journal had been abandoned for good, but I'm jumping in too!!! (I think I'll even restart from the beginning )

Hi everyone! 😊

Guillaume, a budget-friendly option is to fly with Ethiopia Airlines and land in Victoria Falls (800 €–850 per person). You’d just need to plan a slightly different loop starting from Kasane (Bushlore has a depot there). Just throwing that out there! 😉

Since the end of Covid, I’ve been checking flight prices every year for our usual July dates, and the fares have skyrocketed (1200-1300 € instead of 800 €), making the destination way out of budget for the five of us.

Hi Guillaume,

I’ve noticed the same thing—flights have really shot up for July/August. From Switzerland, I’m now paying for two what we used to pay for four before Covid 😮‍💨.

Hello bird lovers, big mammal enthusiasts, and Southern Africa fans!

The title of this second travel journal obviously refers to the one that came before it: Three months in Southern Africa in a Ford Figo [;)]

That was in the spring of 2016, and I was discovering this incredible region of the world, eyes wide with wonder. Though absolutely enchanted by my trip, I’ll admit: I didn’t think I’d be back so soon.

Fortunately, circumstances had other plans. For their 70th birthdays, my parents had the wonderful idea of inviting the whole family—my sister, my brother-in-law, my three nieces, and me—for two weeks in the Cape Town area and Namibia. The only one missing was my godson (the eldest), who was tied up in Switzerland for his air traffic controller training.

Of course, I wasn’t going to settle for just this (delicious) appetizer… As an appetizer, main course, and dessert, I added two and a half months of travels through South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe (the last two being new to me). What can I say? I’m a travel glutton! [:P]

Here’s the general plan for my itinerary, with details to come as I share the story:

With family (March 29 to April 13, 2018)

South Africa (5 days) Namibia (9 days)

Solo (April 13 to June 30, 2018)

Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls (5 days) South Africa and Lesotho (26 days) Mozambique (21 days) Zimbabwe (10 days) South Africa (15 days)

And since I need a cliché to illustrate this journal... ... it’ll be the famous lilac-breasted roller (lilac-breasted roller), one of my little favorites (I might even make it my profile picture, actually)!

I have to say, in 2016, exploring Southern Africa multiplied my interest (already strong, but mostly limited to vultures and raptors) in birdlife. [:)]

Happy reading!

P.S. Beyond sharing, I’m also counting on this journal to motivate me to finally sort through the roughly 10,000 photos that have been sitting on a hard drive for four months.

Hi, where can we read your travel journal? Thanks

Hi there,

I’m taking the liberty of replying in Bof’s absence. If you’re referring to his first travel journal, you can access it by clicking the link at the start of this discussion (*Three Months in Southern Africa in a Ford Figo*) or the same one in his profile. Happy reading!