The Hidden Gems of Africa (part 8)

Adventure activities thrive in both Namibia and Botswana. If you are an adrenaline-junkie, extreme sports are awaiting for you - sand boarding or sand surfing (which involves riding at high speed down a sand dune on a board); skydiving; surfing the Atlantic Ocean at Swakopmund - Southern Africa’s capital of adventure sports; rhino tracking on foot in Damaraland; white water rafting on the mighty Zambezi River; or bungee jumping from the Victoria Falls Bridge! 

I would add to that already impressive list the camping in the wild, which is definitely not for the faint-hearted (some of you might argue that, for anyone in their right mind, camping in the wild next to a hippo is not an adventure activity “gem“ at all…)! Even though this usually leisurely activity might sometimes appear far from relaxing in Southern Africa, there is always a silver lining or another side of the coin to it.

The nights we spent in the tent on the rooftop of our 4WD - except the one next to the grazing hippo - were those when I slept the best! The air was cool and pure, the silence was astounding and the cover was super soft and comfy! The moments before going to bed were something as well - with their clear, unpolluted skies, both Namibia and Botswana are world-class stargazing places. If you love stars and are really lucky, you might even be able to see the Milky Way with the naked eye! But even the sight of the gorgeous blue sky with its thousands of stars each night will be a treat, I can promise you that!

For those who prefer to hold on for dear life but are ready to take some moderate risks, there are activities such as horse riding in the desert, extreme hiking, 4x4ing (which involves driving vehicles over rough terrain, such as dunes and soft sand or rocky desert roads), kayaking, sand sledding (you are still riding down the dunes like for sand surfing but in a seated position), and, of course, getting on light-aircrafts, helicopters or hot air balloons for some of the most scenic flights ever!

There were so many things to do that we had to pick wisely… We finally decided that it was a great idea to see both the Namib Desert in Namibia and the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe from the sky, which would give us another perspective of their grandeur. We skipped the helicopter flight over the Okavango Delta as we did not have enough time (and budget) for everything, but I am sure that it is worth it as well! 

On the last day of our stay at Sossusvlei, we hopped on a hot air balloon at Namib Sky Balloon Safaris. It was more than worth it to wake up at 5am for a gorgeous sunrise in the desert… 

There is something so romantic, slow-paced and adventurous in a hot air balloon experience, which always starts with one of the most awesome moments - watching the crew prepare the balloons! 

The balloons looked like gentle giants slowly coming to life! 

The flight above the Namib Desert and some of the most spectacular landscapes on Earth was out of this world! 

We felt like kids in a candy shop! 

We did not fly over Dune 45, Big Daddy or some of the other stars of Sosussvlei but there were still magnificent giant dunes, stunning mountains, roaming oryxes and above all - the jaw-dropping light of the rising sun, shedding its magic on all this beauty! 

The landing was as exciting as the take off. It became even more interesting when some of us had to give a hand with the ropes! 

And then, just like that, we experienced another "once in a lifetime" moment - an ephemeral 5-star restaurant with white table cloths had popped up in the middle of the desert while we were flying, and a tasty breakfast with local produce, local coffee and champagne was waiting for us after we landed! 

We had already flown on a hot air balloon in Myanmar which, on top of being stunning, had ended with some nibbles and champagne, but the Namibian experience was just another level! We also learnt that our pilot Eli had flown in Myanmar as well - the hot air balloon world is such a small world!

After our breakfast with a view, we drove back to the base, received our flight certificates, and checked the tiny shop with tons of cute handicrafts made by the locals. In addition to buying something authentic and beautiful, it was a way for us to contribute to one of the social projects of the Trust established by Namib Sky Balloon Safaris to help the local people, and in particular the local school the company owners had established!

Another landscape, which we thought deserved getting in the air, was the Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River. On our last day in Zimbabwe, we went for a short chopper flight in order to admire the area from the sky! 

This is the only way to grasp the full size and shape of the falls, but I guess that it would be even more impressive during the rainy season! 

Out of the adventure activities on the land this time, we tried for the first time some extreme hiking. Similar to camping in Namibia, this is not a leisurely activity! Extreme hikes does not necessarily mean long or strenuous ones, which we are used to (even though we have never tried multi-day hikes due to lack of time) - we had done many steep hikes in Hong Kong and a few years ago even ascended an active volcano in Indonesia, sometimes using our bare hands to climb up the huge rocks of the old lava fields!

When we stopped for two days in Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park with the intention of doing some hiking, we did not have any idea that the only possible trails there were extreme! Out of the two main day trails in the park, we decided to go for the shorter one - the 10 km-long Olive Trail. 

It is supposed to be one of Namibia’s most popular hikes! The lady at the reception told us that there was just one difficult passage and she even advised us to go on the right side of it! Back then we did not understand and could not even imagine what she actually meant - she made it sound like no hurdle at all! So we set off in the early morning and the beginning of the hike was such a treat! 

The trail started with an abrupt climb and some breathtaking views from the top of the mountains, and then followed a dried river bed between the steep walls of a canyon.

The place was an astonishing geological and plants gallery of natural artwork. 

We spotted the uniquely looking quiver trees, a species of aloe that grows only in Namibia, as well as many wild olive trees after which the trail was named. 

And then there were the thousands of gorgeous colourful rocks and fossils! 

We stopped all the time to admire them, which might explain why it took us 5 hours to complete the trail! 

This is without talking about the extreme part of the hike where we stopped for a while and even considered going back, which would have involved climbing up some pretty steep rocks! 

The only "slightly difficult" part of the trail, that the lady at the park’s reception had mentioned, actually involved hugging a canyon wall which went on each side of a huge precipice above a pool, at least 10 meters above the ground, by occasionally using some anchored chains…

The issue, besides any vertigo that you might have, is that there are moments where you have to literally hang in the air without any ground under your feet, hoping that all these pumps and downer facing dog poses to work your upper body muscles had not been for nothing! Even considering crossing this passage sounded like craziness, but going back for 4 hours up the mountain did not seem easy either. We had been contemplating the options for a while, desperately trying to figure out whether there was any possibility for us to try to cross the canyon on either the right or the left side of the precipice… The more we were looking at the abyss, and the more scared we were actually getting! 

When we were on the point of turning back, a jolly group of lovely (but definitely crazy) Kiwis arrived, and helped us vanquish our fear and make it across the precipice! I went first and I think that helped JP, who was in a worse shape because of his vertigo! Later on, he admitted that me going in the front had convinced him he did not have any choice but to follow…

The lovely white-bearded Kiwi guy helped me at the beginning, showing me where to put my feet, but then I asked him to go back and help JP, so I made two-thirds of the crossing on my own and hardly remember anything of it. I just know that there were moments I was hanging above the precipice - I guess my instincts had kicked off and made me use the muscles of my arms to hold on those chains and dear life!

Besides the night sleeping next to the hippo, this was the second time during our trip when I thought "I really did not sign for this and the adrenaline is not worth the risk!"... 

Another adventure activity we tried (no grey hairs involved this time but lots of fun) was driving in a 4WD on the dunes at Sandwich Harbour with Sandwich Harbour 4×4! 

Riding some of the highest dunes in the world, then removing your shoes to climb them for some jaw-dropping views of endless sand masses contrasting with the blue of the Atlantic Ocean, and finally running down these desert giants, was another "once in a lifetime" experience! 

It was so much fun that I could not stop going up and down the dunes like a delighted kid! 

The delicious lunch in the middle of the desert - yep, another one - just made things even more perfect! Who would be unhappy with fresh oysters, sparkling wine, local sherry and local syrupy cakes?

During our safari road trip, we also did a lot of self-drive 4x4ing or off-road driving on dusty rocky roads and soft sand trails. 

It does not sound like too much of a hurdle as we were having the appropriate car for that, but after our experience of getting stuck in the sand on Fraser Island in Australia, we were suspicious of driving anywhere that included sand in its description!

To reach the remote Guma Lagoon Camp in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, we drove through some pretty deep soft sand in the middle of nowhere and prayed not to miss one of the direction arrows painted on the trees. Halfway, we crossed a car coming from the lodge who warned us about the presence of elephants on the sandy road! We prayed even more because stopping to let the elephants pass was the perfect way to get stuck in the soft sand, which would have given them the perfect opportunity to charge us! We arrived safely in the lodge but it was far from a tranquil and pleasant drive!

The second time we did some off-road driving on soft sand was in Nkasa Rupara National Park, and it was worse. One might think that we should have been more confident that time but we encountered another problem - we had to drive during the night looking for our campsite! Driving on soft sand during the day looking for signs was already a challenge, but doing it during the night without knowing where we were going was a nightmare! It was pitch dark in the park… After driving for a while forward and backward in different directions, guided only by the dim lights of the campsite in the distance, we finally managed to reach our destination and we were dead on our feet… One of the "perks" of a self-drive safari in Africa!

On top of their landscape, wildlife and adventure activity gems, Namibia and Botswana are a treasure trove of various tribes and their cultures just waiting to be explored…