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                                          By car through southern Africa:

                             South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia

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The first lion's roar we never forget...

            

One day a friend in São Paulo told him about a fantastic trip. He and his wife traveled by car in southern Africa. At the time we said: - "shall we?" We rented, over the internet, a 4x4 car to travel through South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. The car had all the camping equipment.

            

We embarked in the evening in São Paulo and arrived in Johannesburg early in the morning. We went to a B&B in Randburg, which is 35km from the airport. It was the right choice. Both the B&B and the small town were very nice. We didn't stay long, but it was enough to get to know the Waterfront complex, with its restaurants and shops.

            

The next day, we went to pick up the car at a nearby farm. The couple, very friendly, handed us a Toyota. We had to get used to the direction of the opposite side. We hit the road and that night camped in Louis Trichard, an hour from the Zimbabwean border.

            

During the day the weather was hot, but at night it froze. We woke up early and headed to the border. Before crossing a huge bridge we were warned, in Afrikaans, not to stop for anyone. Of course, we didn't understand anything and the guard explained, again in English, that many bandits were on the bridge. They wore military clothes and signaled for the driver to stop. And when they stopped, they were robbed. The bridge was a "no man's land" and the police of one country or the other did not intervene. Then, we took a deep breath, accelerated and crossed. We came across one of those bandits asking to stop. We didn't hesitate and moved on.

 

In Zimbabwe, we did the border bureaucracies and went to Bulawayo, the second largest city, after Harare, which is the capital of the country.

 

Bulawayo was a city of contrasts. It had long tree-lined avenues lined with jacarandas, colonial houses and old buildings, shiny limousines, and dusty safari cars. We stayed in a very nice inn, next to a restaurant. We had to make a reservation for dinner and the owner of the inn offered to help us. We were a little uncomfortable because we thought it was one of those expensive restaurants, taking as a parameter the new and expensive cars that were in the parking lot. All the customers were very well dressed. But to our surprise, it was not an expensive restaurant. We were very comfortable, with comfortable clothes and boots. Despite this, no one bothered us and it was a very pleasant evening.

 

Zimbabwe is almost an entire park. We were in Hwange Park, one of the ten largest in Africa. As a result, the roads were sometimes closed by gates and heavily armed men inspected the cars. The objective was to combat hunting. But, it was very tense to be stopped in the middle of nowhere and see the guards approaching. Despite this, everything changed when they knew we were Brazilians. It was World Cup time and the whole conversation revolved around the games and the Brazilian team.

            

Finally, we arrived at a camping area and set up, for the second time, our tent. And the unusual, for us, happened... When we were almost asleep we heard the roar of a lion. It was very exciting! And, this was just the first of so many other lions and wildlife we heard from inside our tent...

 

Zimbabwe and Botswana

            

The camping areas in these parks are not fenced. They are open places but with a small infrastructure nearby. It has bathrooms and, sometimes, a small market. On one of these days, we were startled, while we were sitting at the door of the tent talking and looking at the stars. An armed guard approached and said that we should get ready for bed. These armed guards are in the area where there are people camped for security. They advise not to leave the tent at night. This is because the animals can circulate in the surroundings, or even the guards can get scared and shoot. We obeyed and went to sleep peacefully. Even because, the tents are more reinforced, which gives us greater tranquility and security.

 

It was important to wake up very early, before sunrise, because it was the best time to see the animals in the "water holes".

            

From there we moved on. We headed towards Victoria Falls, a town near the Falls of the same name. Victoria Falls is simply spectacular. They are approximately one and a half kilometers wide, on the Zambezi River, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. At the time, there was the bungee jump, on a 111-meter-high bridge, considered the largest bungee jump in the world. Certainly, taller ones have emerged over time, such as the 216-meter-high Bloukrans Bridge Bungy above the Bloukrans River in South Africa.

           

On the way, between one campsite and another, it was possible to see hyenas, elephants, hippos, baboons, and many other animals. One day, we stopped to see a huge elephant. This elephant wanted to cross the road, but not before checking the safety of the herd, which was coming behind, to also cross without risk. We turned off the car's engine and stood there admiring the scene. Another car stopped next to us and also turned off the engine. The elephant seemed to be confident and the herd approached the road. Suddenly, we don't know what happened to the other driver. He started the car and sped off like crazy scaring the elephants. The herd retreated and the huge elephant opened its ears and came at us. It was a very dangerous situation. Vera, who was driving, had to start the car and accelerate. Remembering that, with the steering on the right side and without much practice in this type of car, all the action was slower. Helinho screamed, speed up, speed up... We don't know how we managed to get out of that situation, without the worst having happened. Unfortunately, Brazil's flag was left behind. And, fortunately, there was no major problem. And the idiot in the other car? Ah, we haven't seen this one anymore. But a little further on we saw an overturned car, with part of an elephant's tusk stuck in the bodywork. That is what could have happened to us, through the fault of an imbecile and irresponsible.

            

After the scare, we moved on. With so many emotions, we decided to listen to some music and enjoy the late afternoon still in the savannah. We turned on the radio, but it seemed that there was some interference. It seemed static. Only later do we learn that the "interference" we heard was someone speaking in Xhosa. This is one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe, and it has some clicks, made with the language, in the words. Very strange and fun to listen to.

            

And so we went on, camping until we entered Botswana. At the border, we are faced with a dilemma. The guards asked for a ride for an old "Bushmen" and his grandson. Remember the movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy"? Well, they were of the same ethnicity. These "San" people (or Bushmen) are gatherers, originally from this region, but they come up against the problem of borders. As a result, they need authorization to transit between countries. The grandson proudly displayed the permission he had just sought.

            

Usually, we don't give rides, for obvious reasons. But, with the guard's request, and when we saw the two needing the ride, we decided to give in. There the four of us went. The problem was that the grandson came down first. And then there was the old "San", who didn't speak a word of English. Our campsite was right after the boy got out of the car and we didn't know what to do with the old grandfather. We showed where we would stay. He got off and walked steadily down the road with a bag on his shoulders. We felt sorry and went back to take him to a road further on, where he got off and was very grateful. And thankful also for all the bullets he found in the car and sucked. We only found out because of the noise of paper and old San's chewing, but by then it was too late. J

            

On this day, we stayed at a campsite, in one of the regions considered to have a great focus on malaria, on the banks of the Zambezi River. When we arrived, we saw a gentleman sitting at a small table in the open air, because the reception had caught fire. There was nothing, but you said that further down the road, we would find a shopping mall. We immediately thought of a Shopping Center and we are still very excited about the information we received. But, arriving at the indicated place, we found a small grocery store owned by some Portuguese. We talked for a while, fueled up for a modest dinner and a cold night, scaring away the mosquitoes, to avoid malaria contamination.

            

The next day we went to Kasane, which is the gateway to the Chobe National Park and is located at a confluence of four countries, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It was our wedding anniversary. We watched the monkeys, meerkats, and other animals that roamed the campsite. Including a warning that you should be careful with crocodiles, after all the crocodile farm in Chobe was not far from there. So, we decided to stay in a Lodge. It was a cabin, very nice, with the comfort that the date deserved and the security that neither the meerkats nor the monkeys would enter through the window, which had a protective railing. We celebrated another year together, in that wonderful adventure that was Africa.

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World Cup final and Brazil's embarrassment...

   

We were in Chobe National Park, known for its large population of Kalahari elephants, the largest, and lions that prey on young elephants. At the end of the afternoon, we went near the river to see a herd. They were very big and the cubs were protected, under the females.

            

We stayed inside the car, absolutely quiet so as not to scare them, just watching. They surrounded us and reconnoitered. The little ones tried to manage the trunks, without success. We heard low and very loud sounds. There were many "farts", worthy of an animal of that size. It was very funny, but we couldn't laugh... We had to restrain ourselves at all costs until they moved away. It was fun and unforgettable, but a little brave on our part. After all, being among a herd of wild elephants is dangerous. And, God forbid we face those angry brutes.

            

We head to Nata, a small village along the homonymous river, and then Maun. We saw beautiful women of the Herero ethnic group, abundant wildlife, and the Okavango Delta, one of the largest inland deltas in the world. A curiosity about this Delta is that its water evaporates and never reaches the sea. It is considered one of the wonders of Africa.

            

Well, the days went by and we were already entering Namibia, in the Caprivi. We camped at Popa Falls.

 

After we set up the tent, where there was no one around, we saw a line of dust, coming from afar. At first, we didn't understand, but as they got closer we saw that they were children carrying cans on their heads. They went to fetch water in a place very close to where we camped. Arranged in a line, they took the water and returned to the path from which they came. And they laughed. They laughed a lot when they looked at the two of us. We stood there in awe. And finding everything beautiful!

            

Night came, we continued alone, and, sitting at the door of the tent, we heard the drums, which were in the direction where the children came from. We wanted to go there to see, but we were taught not to enter a party without being invited. In addition, that was a place where the owners were wild animals. That night we slept with the sound of drums and the "laughter" of hyenas, which prowled the tent.

 

From there we went to Etosha National Park. At that time we already felt part of that whole scenario. So, we decided to have an African "braai" (barbecue).

            

The campsite had some typical barbecues and a small market. We decided to try ostrich meat, common in the region. In the middle of the barbecue, we noticed an intruder. Helinho, thinking it was a dog, put his foot down and took him away from our barbecue. But he stayed from afar watching, just on the lookout. That's when we realized that it wasn't a simple dog, but a jackal. It ended our party, but not our good humor. We had to keep one eye on the barbecue and the other on the jackal.

            

We moved on, and arrived in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, exactly on the day of the decisive match of the World Cup. We went to a pub to watch the final. The most interesting thing was to see that half of the people supported France and the other half supported Brazil. There was no shortage of flags or clothes with the colors of Brazil and France. During the game, some people realized that we were Brazilians. They asked what was happening to Ronaldo. Nobody knew and neither did we know how to answer about that terrible performance. We were so embarrassed by that game that we went out to "the French". But our atmosphere was different and we did not let ourselves be discouraged. We continue our journey towards the Namib Desert and the Skeleton Coast...

 

The Skeleton Coast, the dunes...

            

We cross the Namib Desert, towards the Skeleton Coast. The dunes of this desert are active. They are always on the move because of the strong winds and the amount of sand. We followed, and arrived in Swakopmund, on the coast. A city in the middle of the desert, typically German colonial, known in the region for its extreme sports and dromedary breeding.

            

This coast has very high dunes, such as "Dune 7", for example. Of course, we set out to see it and we were very impressed to climb its crest. We couldn't resist and ran down, starting from its highest point. Delicious sensation! But also a little irresponsible. The desert is no joke. It is a place where the most venomous animals hide. Snakes, and scorpions, among other venomous animals. But, as we didn't think twice when running down the dune, it was great.

            

And, we follow the Skeleton Coast. Its name is given by a large number of bones of whales, seals, and shipwrecks. It's desert, it's arid, and there's no vegetation. We were heading towards Sesriem, a small village near the Naukluft Mountains. Sesriem is the gateway to the Namib Naukluft National Park and the main attraction is the dunes of Sossusvlei.

            

Here it will be necessary to pause for an explanation. Vera had the following theory about animals: if you respect them and don't threaten them, consequently, they will also respect you and not attack. If you threaten them, they will certainly attack you. Point.

            

Continuing, we went to Sossusvlei, but the car needed to be parked far away. We had to go on foot. The red dunes of the Namib Desert are simply spectacular. We didn't even care about the distance because the scenery was stunning. And Dune 45 was the most fantastic. The petrified trees, in the middle of the dunes, were a sight that we never forgot. It's an easy place to get lost too. But, after a slight loss, and alone in that immensity, we decided it was time to go back.

            

We found the way and came across an animal carcass. All right, we were in Africa. Suddenly, we saw a speeding pickup truck and an animal running, which we did not identify. It looked like they were armed hunters. Whoops! Where there is a carcass, there are hunters, both human and animal.

            

We were afraid and started to walk fast, but Vera was running, remembering that there were leopards there. Vera has never walked so fast on such soft sand. Helinho tried to keep up while teasing: "Where is your theory now?" It stayed in theory because in practice the desire was to get to the car fast. We broke the speed record in the 5 km! We arrived safe but exhausted because of that heavy terrain.

            

The next day, we went to Sesriem Canyon. But that was a very strange day. We arrived at the Canyon, stopped the car, and came across a cave. Inside, we saw what looked like little lights, or little eyes. It gave me goosebumps! It could be some animals, bats..., but it was chilling, that was. We decided to leave there. As usual, we picked up a souvenir stone. When we were leaving, we didn't know how the tire of the car tore up. A strange sensation took over both of them. We looked at the stone and sent it away. I don't know, everything that day was too strange for us to understand. Anyway, we left with a strange feeling. And, to this day, when we remember, we don't know what those "scary little eyes" were. But we moved on, bought a new tire and the trip continued.

 

Diamonds are eternal...

            

We continued traveling along the coast and arrived in Maltahöhe, a small village. Afterward, we headed to Luderitz, a port city from where Amyr Klink left for Paraty. We went to visit Kolmanskop, a ghost town, built by the Germans, who were mining for diamonds. It was abandoned when more profitable deposits were discovered further south.

            

This is a region that has a large amount of alluvial diamonds. That is, they are diamonds that sprout from the earth, without the need to dig. Therefore, the roads are guarded and many broken windows are scattered on the shoulders. It is recommended not to stop, at the risk of being shot.

            

Our last stop in Namibia was Fisher River Canyon, another of the beautiful areas of the country. It is at the Main Viewpoint that it is possible to see the curve of the canyon, called Hell's Bend. But, there are other interesting points to enjoy that wonder. And so, with this look in mind, we left Namibia and returned to South Africa. We arrived through Kuruman, this time, without the stress of "no man's land", where we were more vulnerable. But we did not escape a near incident.

            

While we were in a supermarket, we saw someone lurking. We watched the man who came towards us, clearly with ulterior motives. But, as good Brazilians, we noticed the action and got away with it. This did not cause us any problems. We just started to be more careful. The city is known for the "Kuruman eye", which is a spring of crystal clear waters capable of feeding not only the Kuruman River but also providing water for the entire city and irrigation.

            

And finally, we return to Randburg. We returned the car to the friendly couple. But our journey would not end there. We decided to go by train to Cape Town, which was almost 1,500 km away.

            

Since we were outside Johannesburg, you needed a car to go to the Main Train Station which was in the center of Johannesburg. We booked a taxi, with the help of the inn's owners. The next morning, at the appointed time, the driver and an armed security guard arrived to pick us up. We found it very strange, but according to the owner of the inn himself, it was necessary because there was a risk of robbery and kidnapping in dangerous Johannesburg. Well, off we went, escorted.  And everything worked out. To tell you the truth, we haven't seen anything different from what we see in São Paulo and other major Brazilian cities, but if Johannesburg is said to be a dangerous city, we think it's better to believe it.

 

The station was new, clean, and busy. We heard a lot of recommendations and when we got on the train we also heard the recommendation not to open windows under any circumstances. To this day we do not know if all the precautions were overzealous or if the danger was real. But, we didn't pay to see it and followed everything as recommended.

            

After more than fifteen hours of travel, we arrived in Cape Town for a week of rest. Cape Town was a pleasant surprise. The city was beautiful. It looked like the smaller Rio de Janeiro. We got to know interesting corners of the place, but this time on foot.

            

We start with Table Mountain. In addition to the beauty and strong winds, we saw the Dassies, small animals that are said to be close relatives of elephants, despite the huge difference in size. We went to the Waterfront and the Aquarium. We continue to the Bo Kaap neighborhood, with its colorful houses, and Hout Bay, from where it is possible to visit Seal Island (Seal Island).

            

And who has never heard of the Cape of Good Hope? Well, we visited the Castle of Good Hope, its original name. We visited the penguin trees, Green Point, Flea Market, Museums... Anyway, after many walks around the city, it was time to return home and bring with us many learnings, stories, and the desire to return. Sometimes, we wonder if we missed not going to Kruger Park and staying at The Palace Sun City, like any good tourist. Honestly, no! After everything we saw and experienced in those days camped in the parks of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia we wouldn't pay a fortune to have an organized safari...