The Gondwana Collection - Getting Carried Away - A Handy Tip From Us

March 28, 2022 Posted in Travel / The Honey Badger Diaries

We all know we should do our homework thoroughly before any trip. We often intend to follow up on friends’ recommendations, advice, and experiences, but we rarely do so when it comes to the crunch. The reasons are lack of time, procrastination, and the sheer exhaustion and anxiety of planning and executing the final stages of the trip.

Of course, we also know better and have preconceived notions, and we've probably already planned our trips around our personal needs and desires.

A trusted friend and confidant recommended that we register for membership of the Gondwana Group, which offers Namibians and members of the SADC countries a 40% discount at its lodges and campsites. This membership enables us to travel and stay at exclusive campsites at a reduced rate. Here’s what they say.

“SUPPORTING AFRICAN TRAVEL

What is a Gondwana Card?

Average incomes in Namibia and the SADC countries are significantly lower than in Europe or North America.

With Gondwana Card membership, we want to enable more people from Namibia and the region to travel the country, increasing awareness within society of the value of nature and its gentle utilisation for tourism.

Gondwana also offers uncomplicated, easy business travel within Namibia, including accommodation, car rentals, and transfers. For more information, please see our Gondwana Corporate offer.

The Gondwana Card discount is available only to individual members. Every traveler needs a valid card to qualify for the deal. Consider joining today to enjoy these benefits and make your next adventure more affordable."

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We stayed at four lodges on our trip.

Kalahari Farmhouse Campsite. See my blog: http://maricha.co.za/blogs/post/beating-the-odds-navigating-namibia-naturally
Chobe River Camp
Zambezi Mubala Campsite
Hakusembe River Lodge/Campsite

CHOBE RIVER CAMP

To our surprise, the small campsite was fully booked, but we could use the “guides’” cottage, which was fortuitous given our battery problems. The campsites have no power points and shared ablutions, so we were lucky to have our private bathroom and, of course, power points.

The Chobe River Camp is built on a floodplain along the banks of the Chobe River. The rainy season had just begun when we arrived, allowing us to drive to the lodge. However, from mid-February until the dry season, it is inaccessible to vehicles, as much of the Chobe River Camp is flooded.

Bungalows are built on stilts, and guests must park at the Namibia/Botswana border post and are ferried to the lodge by boat. Camping would then be out of the question, I suppose.

The landscape was green, in every shade, as new grasses were popping up. Zebras grazed on the succulent new shoots, and water birds silently went about fishing in the shallows of the floodplains. There was an air of quiet peacefulness all around us. Exactly what the Dr ordered: we took out our birding guides, identified the different species, and logged them in our birding Apps.

Although there are a few excursion options, such as kayaking, boat cruises upstream, and hiking (I’m sure), we didn’t pursue them, opting for a leisurely time without appointments. On our last evening, we succumbed to a guided sundowner game-viewing jaunt. Butch seldom has a chance to photograph without being at the wheel, which often keeps him from getting “the shot” in time.

Our fellow sightseers were a delightful honeymooning couple from Switzerland. We didn’t see much game, but we chatted like magpies, forgetting what we were there for. Although the guides took us along all the roads and made sure we saw many birds, there wasn’t much game, which wasn’t unusual. We enjoyed another spectacular sunset.

The large herds had migrated to the Chobe National Park on the Botswana side and would return only when the plains flooded. We saw giant crocodiles snoozing on the riverbanks. I enjoyed watching local fishers quietly going about their business on makorros, netting fish or poling lazily. The gentle clanging of cowbells was the only sound as cattle were herded to new pastures.

The high-ceilinged, thatched-roof lodge is designed to maximise views, creating a relaxing atmosphere that makes you eager and inspired to explore Namibia and the natural beauty of the Zambezi region.

We occasionally spoilt ourselves with a meal in the restaurant, which was a treat. Much of the fresh produce comes from the kitchen garden, and while we were there, gardeners were busy planting seedlings in disused makorros.

The staff are friendly and will do everything possible to keep guests comfortable and to make reservations at other lodges in their portfolio. We really enjoyed everyone's informative anecdotes.

Our stay ticked all our boxes, and Butch even got to take his drone out for a bird's-eye view.

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ZAMBEZI MUBALA LODGE–A birder’s paradise.

The Zambezi Mubala Lodge is a paradise for nature and fishing enthusiasts and a must for all bird lovers. Atmospheric boat trips during sunset allow you to enjoy the orange-tinged water at dusk and game sipping from the Zambezi.

From the deck, we heard the grunts of hippos and spotted a brutish crocodile lazing on the warm sandbank. “Mubala means ‘colour’ in the local Silozi language. The Zambezi Mubala Lodge was rebuilt on the site of the former Kalizo Lodge.”

Eighteen well-appointed, spacious double and two-family chalets, all en suite and air-conditioned, offer breathtaking views of the river landscape and invite you to linger.

There are also six tented chalets with en-suite bathrooms. Guests will find a temporary home here, but it is also home to the colourful, cheerfully fluttering Carmine Bee-eaters.

The colony of Carmine Bee-eaters nesting on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River is one of the largest in southern Africa. The best time to see them is from August until the beginning of December. After the chicks fledge, they and the adults spread out over extensive areas to the south, as far as Khoudum National Park. In April, they move north again. Since 2015, we have ringed 1,500 birds. Our guide was very willing to help us find some Bee-eaters, but alas, they'd already left their roosting spots in the soil on the floodplains.

The Zambezi Mubala Lodge is 40 km east of Katima Mulilo on the Namibian bank of the Zambezi, overlooking Zambia – in the heart of untouched nature. Day trips to the famous Victoria Falls, the Chobe National Park and other national parks in the region are not to be missed.

We spent four nights there and took a photographic boat trip to photograph African Skimmers on one occasion. Unfortunately, the wind whipped up the water, making it too choppy for the Skimmers, but we saw them huddled into the wind on a sandbar.

The highlight of our trip was spotting and photographing Schalow’s Turaco! “These emerald-green, uncommon, localised residents and nomads in dense riparian woodland along the Zambezi River west of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and into the Caprivi” (Sasol eBirds) are a windfall to hear, spot and document.

Butch and I could cycle every morning, and I achieved my personal best of 40 km. We agree that cycling and exercising while on holiday are so rewarding that we’d never consider a getaway without our trusted steeds. We occasionally spotted the delivery truck, and I’m happy to say it was emblazoned with Opstal Wines from our valley. The other unusual sighting was a CW registration plate. I almost missed home.

While Butch and I went birding, many other campers were there to do Tiger Fishing or just chill out, which is always an option. We met fabulous, like-minded people who were willing to share stories and recommend exciting sights and places of interest.

We could have our laundry done, too—what a treat. Free Wi-Fi is available for guests, plus a lovely deck to enjoy sundowners, have a pizza, or meet friends for dinner. The curio shop has a wide selection of beautiful items, the perfect spot to stock up on gifts for those waiting at home.

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HAKUSEMBE RIVER LODGE/CAMPSITE – RUNDU

The Lodge signage is visible only from the left side of the road (i.e., coming from Rundu), so we almost missed the turn-off. That would’ve been a tragedy! A beautiful lodge sits on the Hakusembe River—Namibia on the southern bank and Angola on the northern bank.

We’d made no reservations and could only spend one night at campsite 4, a very popular and desirable campsite—a large area with a shady tree and direct access to the river. Each of the four campsites has its own ablution and scullery area with an electrical point. Wifi is available to guests, but only from the main deck at the Lodge.

We spent the entire afternoon on the floating dock with our cameras, a picnic basket and a bucket to draw water to splash ourselves. There was no way we’d put a finger into the river for fear of it being chomped off by a greedy crocodile.

Once again, we set out each morning of our four-day stay to explore the area by bicycle. Much of the area is a floodplain, and during the summer months, when rivers from northern Angola flood, the landscape changes and guests are ferried to the Lodge from Rundu.

Set in magnificent l subtropical gardens, the Lodge’s accommodations are set along the riverbank, offering guests a panoramic view. Once again, we were moved to the Guide’s accommodations, which we didn’t mind.

The deck is a popular meeting place where guests enjoy drinks and meals. We enjoyed a few lovely luncheons there and can recommend the kitchen for a good meal.

We booked a sunset river cruise on one of the perfect evenings to watch a spectacular sunset. Our guides were very informative and could identify the birds coming to roost for the night.

They were knowledgeable about land acquisition and had a fair knowledge of some of the magnificent mansions sitting pretty along the embankment.

While we enjoyed our sundowners and the lovely tapas platter, we got to know our guides better as we shared stories from our lives. We’re always curious to learn more about the people we meet and love listening to their tales.

They confirmed that the River People from Angola and Namibia have peacefully cohabited the area for many centuries and travelled quickly and without restriction. Many Angolans find employment in Namibia and vice versa, I’m sure.

I was fascinated to see that not much has changed. Customs and uses of the river for washing and bathing have remained the same, with mothers and children coming down to the river every afternoon to bathe and do their laundry, filling drums of water for the kitchen. This tradition has been around for so long that no one is bothered by crocodiles and hippos! We even saw ladies crossing the river on foot with their shopping balanced on their heads.

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Our neighbours on campsite 3, the Da Silva family of 5 from Riebeeck West, were on their way, having embarked on a 13-month expedition into the wilds. COVID was enough to convince them that life is too short. Not seasoned travellers, they threw caution to the wind and decided to pack up and head north through Namibia and Angola, then head east. They are currently in Dar es Salaam.

Well done, you brave and adventurous souls. We follow them on Lara's blog and on Instagram with great excitement and admiration. They are doing so well and have seen the most impressive sights. The children, aged 17 to 10, are homeschooled, and I believe this experience will be more educational than anything learned in a classroom.

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I would urge every traveller from Namibia and the SADC region to apply for the Gondwana Membership. Do visit their website, and I guarantee you’ll be booking your next holiday sooner rather than later. What's more, we've done the homework for you!

” The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” ~ Marcel Proust

https://store.gondwana-collection.com/card https://gondwana-collection.com/