CONTACT:  Untamed Wildlife Safaris
Zelksestr. 10
6631 KE Horssen
Nederland.
tel. +31. (0)487 54 03 67
http://www.untamedwildlife.com
 jozef.verbruggen@untamedwildlife.com

GAVA EXPLORATIONS DETAILED ITINERARY

13 April to 10 June 2004

Day 1 Depart
Day 2 & 3 Windhoek: Camping at Arebbusch Lodge
Day 4 Ghanzi: Cross-border permit , Camping at the Kalahari Arms Hotel, Botswana
Day 5 & 6 Maun: Camping at Audi Camp, Botswana
Day 7 - 8: Xaxanaka camping and boat rides (additional), Moremi, Botswana
Day 09 & 10: Khwai River camping, Moremi, Botswana
Day 11 & 12: Savuti camping, Botswana 
Day 13 - 14: Chobe camping, Botswana 
Day 15: Kasane Camping, Botswana 
Day 16 - 17: Vic Falls, Zimbabwe and/or Livingston, Zambia
Day 18 - 21: Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia
Day 22 & 23: Lusaka, Zambia
Day 24: Livingston, Zambia
Day 25. Via Sesheke/Katima mulilo/caprivi strip. Camping Katima

Day 26. Bwabwata national park. Our campsite tonight is on the banks of the Linyanti Swamps. Expect to see herds of elephant and buffalo. The Swamp itself is largely overgrown with fragmite reeds, but beautiful riverine forest of Jackalberry and African Mangosteen trees are visible as well. Camping

Day 27. Bwabwata nationaal park. We explore our surrounding area on early and late afternoon game drives. Looking for hippo, crocodiles and predators can be quite rewarding.

Day 28-29. Mudumu National Park. Our campsite is on the Kwando river and part of the community initiative of the Mayuni conservancy. Mudumu National Park. Today we explore this beautiful woodland park which is centred around the Mudumu Mulapo fossil river course. We look for red lechwe and the elusive Sitatunga antelope 

Day 30. Mamili National Park. From our campsite at Kubunyana we drive to Mamili where true wilderness is still in abundance. Mamili was declared as a park to conserve Namibia's largest wetland, the Linyanti Swamps. Mamili is famous for being home to the largest concentrations of buffalo in Namibia. 

Day 31. Popa Falls. The delightful rest camp on the southern banks of the Okavango River is a popular rest stop.

Day 32. Popa Falls. From our campsite we will explore the Mahango Game Park which is open to day visitors only. This park is famous for it's prolific birdlife and beautiful Baobab trees.

Day 33-34 Khaudum.  The next four days are for the really tough only! As we head south for Khaudum which covers an area of around 3,800 square kilometres. It is a beautiful park and the only area in Namibia where the African wild dog (lycaeon pictus) still roams freely. This is a hot, harsh and unforgiving corner of Bushmanland that needs to be treated with respect. Woodlands cover the northern section of the park, but in the south we will find more open savannah. Khaudum is truly remote and we may be the only visitors in the park at any given time. Some artificial pumped waterholes afford us the opportunity to watch many different species of animals at our leisure. Camping at Khaudum.

Day 35-36 Sikereti.  After an early-morning cup of coffee and breakfast, we set off to Sikereti Camp. Khaudum has much to offer as one of Namibia's most remote and least explored wildlife sanctuaries, in which the driving is difficult because of the deep sandy tracks and dense vegetation. It is the only conservation area in Namibia that protects the northern Kalahari sandveld biome and is a stronghold of the country's roan antelope and we hope to get a glimpse of them. Hunted almost to extinction, these antelope are shy and therefore difficult to catch sight of. Elephant, giraffe and predators - lion, leopard, spotted hyena, jackal and wild dog - can also be encountered. There are no fences around the reserve or the campsites at Sikereti and Khaudum, so animals migrate freely and nocturnal visitors are part of the experience. Expect extreme heat and deep, energy-sapping sand that tests power, traction and patience. Our drive up north is a game drive. Welcome to the real Africa and a true wilderness experience. Camping at Sikereti.

Day 37-39. Tsumkwe - Bushmanland.  The San (Bushmen) were the first modern inhabitants of Southern Africa. Their origin is not certain, but paintings that have probably been done by their ancestors date back for as much as 25 000 years. The San usually have light skins, high cheekbones and slanted eyes. Unfortunately their culture, way of life and bush knowledge are dwindling at a fast pace. Traditionally they were hunter-gateherers, with the men being responsible for the provision of meat and the women gatthered the fruit and tubers that formed the bulk of their diet. The San has always lived in arid regions with very few private posessions as everything had to be carried along while moving from water source to water source. The san beleived that everything was part of a greater scheme and had an equal right to existence. Hunting was therefore an activity that was carried not only honour, but also the duty of sharing with others. It represented a spiritual unification with the dead animal. Modern-day San must confront similar problems to those faced by other aboriginal tribes. Traditional society is disintegrating as competition from dominant cultures increases. Even if the San would like to maintain their traditional lifestyle, the pastoralists have encroached on their traditional lands and their hunter-gatherer nomadic ways can no longer be practiced. The breakdown of traditional society has caused many social problems such as poverty, alcoholism and unemployment. Western education where schools were built and water supplied in villages has lead to a desire for material goods that has never been part of the San culture. Remote areas can not provide employment to meet the demand of these desires and gradually a steady move to bigger towns in search of work is happening. Tsumkwe is the home of the Ju/'hoansi people (or !Kung Bushmen) who traditionally practiced their hunter gatherer lifestyle in the area. Nowdays most Ju/'hoansi bushman have changed their lifestyle (as have most of the San tribes), but some traditional elements remain here. We visit a village where the hunting are still done by bow and arrow. A walk with one of the elders will show you how rope is made of a local plant, how traps are set for small mammals and birds and which plant can provide water when squeezed. Veld food can be eaten along the way. Camping Tsumkwe. 

Day 40. Phantom Farm. We leave Bushmanland and pass through the towns of Grootfontein. Grootfontein (Big Fountain) owes its name to the fountain that has provided water to local people and game for thousands of years. We arrive late afternoon on a working Namibian Farm. The farm is a 5 000 ha. dual purpose farm within the Ovipuka conservancy of 140 000 ha. with free roaming game and beef cattle. The terrain is mostly acacia savanna with small granite inselbergs. Expereince what life in Namibia is really like. Camping Phantom

Day 41-43. Etosha.  Our drive is to our destination is short today. The world-famous Etosha National Park, an area known for its remarkable wildlife, centres on the Etosha Pan a vast saline pan stretching 120 km from east to west, and with a width of 55 km. The rainfall in the catchment areas of the Ekuma and Oshigambo rivers determines the extent to which the pan is filled with water. The animals we expect to see here are typical of the southern savannah plains of Southern Africa: large numbers of zebra, wildebeest, elephant, giraffe and an assortment of other antelope can be seen on the open saltpans, while lion, cheetah, hyena and jackal are the most commonly-seen predators. Opportunities to watch exciting dramas unfold around the waterholes forms an integral part of our visit to Etosha, and today will include both early morning and late afternoon game drives. Our camp is close to Okaukuejo, the oldest camp in the park, opened in October 1957, is the home of Etosha Ecological Institute. Established in the end of last century as a control post to combat the spread of foot-and-mouth disease of cattle, illegal hunting and gun trading. Camping GAVA Camp

Day 44. Kamanjab Himbas. We drive further west to Kamanjab where we camp next to a traditional Himba village. The friendly people are closely related to the Herero. Both ethnic groups speak the same language. The Himba are a pastoral people. They predominantly breed cattle and goats and lead a nomadic life. Depending on the time of year, they move with their herds to different watering places. Clothes, hairstyle and jewellery are all of particular significance to the Himba and are part of their tradition and culture. Even newborn babies are adorned with pearl necklaces. When the children are a little older, bangles made of beaten copper and shells are added. The proud Himba women take several hours for beauty care every morning. The entire body is rubbed with a cream, which consists of rancid butterfat and ochre powder. The aromatic resin of the Omuzumba bush is added as well. The cream lends the body an intense reddish shine, which corresponds to the Himba ideal of beauty. The ancient tribe of semi-nomadic pastoralists occupied Kunene region of the country. The Himbas (who are relatives of Herero) are an extraordinary people who have resisted change and preserved their unique cultural heritage. Until recently these pastoralists of Kaokoland were among the wealthiest cattle breeders in Africa. Crippling droughts in the 80's has changed all of this. More than 130 000 cattle - between 80% and 90% of the territory's total largestock and thousands of sheep and goats died of starvation in the early 1980's. Formerly rich, self-sufficient herders were reduced to poverty with some losing all of their livestock. After the drought broke, many Himba families who still had sufficient livestock wnet back to their emi-nomadic way of life. These remnant herds are now slowly increasing across Kaokoland. Camping next to Himba village 

Day 45. Kamanjab Himbas.  We spend the day with the Himbas in the village to observe their traditional rituals as life continues in the African Bush. As with the San people, the Himba people are under pressure as never before to relinquish their traditional way of life. Camping next to Himba village

Day 46. Ruacana.  From Kamanjab we drive north to the Kunene River and the border town of Ruacana where we camp at the Hippo Pools Camp site.

Day 47. Ruacana.  The adventurous can go kayaking today and the rest of the group can laze around under the palm trees. A variety of different bird species can be seen in the riverine forest that lines the banks of the river. Camping Hippo Pools Campsite

Day 48. Opuwo.  We leave the Kunene River to drive south again and overnight in Opuwo. Located in the far north-west, Kaokoland (also called Kaokoveld) is one of the relatively untouched regions in Namibia. This will just be an overnight stop.

Day 49 - 50. Epupa Falls.  Our journey today take us back to the Kunene River. We pass many Himba villages along the way and stop to look at an old gravesite. After the harsh lanscape of Kaokoland, the spectacular view of Epupa Falls, comes as a complete surprise. The mighty Kunene River winds its way through the arid landscape to tumble over a multitude of cascades into a deep gorge. Camping Omarunga campsite 

Day 51. Kwareb.  Our explorations of Kaokoveld continues. We drive south past Opuwo in the direction of Sesfontein. Abandoned villages and baobab trees line the gravel roads, as we are still in Himba country. The Himba people often leave their villages after a death in the family or to search for better grazing for their cattle. Our campsite is on the banks of the Kwareb slucht. Camping

Day 52. Kwareb.  We spend the day exploring the area surrounding Sesfontein and the Kwareb slucht. This is real Africa! Hot, dusty and dry!

Day 53. Damara land.  We continue going south to the area that was allocated to the Damara people where the Government purchased several farms for resettlement of this ethnic group. Damaraland was an area occupied primarily by the Damara people, but it soon became the home of other tribes such as the Hereros and the displaced Riemvasmakers of South Africa. Today, many residents of Damaraland are thus of mixed heritage, but most consider themselves Damara. The Damara name is derived from the Nama word "Dama", meaning "who walked here". This is because the Damara were known to the Nama people by the footprints they left around waterholes. From their vantage point in the mountains, the Damara were quick to spot resources such as water or animals, on the plains below, and they were therefore able to be the first groups to reach these essential resources. The Damaraland community comprises a unique group of people who have recognised the value of the wildlife on their land and formed a Community Wildlife Conservancy to protect it. Until 1981, Damaraland was unprotected and open to poachers, mostly from outside the area. Eventually, Namibian NGO's formed a game guard system with people from the community, and interest in the welfare of the wildlife increased. After halting the poaching activities, there were many ideas on how to conserve the area and its resources sustainably. Damaraland is one of the most interesting and dramatic regions in the country. It includes fascinating geological features and historical rock paintings. A vast and rugged terrain. Its mountain ranges are intercepted by wide gravel plains which run into sandy, vegetated river beds and hot, dry valleys. We overnight in Palmwag where we stand a chance to observe desert elephant drinking at the spring. 

Day 54. Damara land.  Driving to southern Damaraland from Palmwag we traverse some of the most scenic landscapes in Namibia. From mountain ranges to open plains and river beds, we will see it all! Camping at Aber-Huab. A visit to the Twyfelfontein area is planned for today. We explore one of the largest collections of rock engravings discovered of the ancient San-people as yet. Interesting rock formations and the remainder of prehistoric volcanic action can be seen. The barren surroundings and rock-strewn slopes seem a most unlikely place for any human habitation, but there is a small spring near the base of the hill and this has been providing water to animals for thousands of years. The well-preserved engravings and paintings (more than 2,500 of them!) are more than 10 000 years old, going back to the early Stone Age. The well-preserved engravings executed by cutting into the sandstone, show-hunting scenes and depict different animals such as rhino, antelope, ostrich, giraffe, lion and elephants. Be prepared to spend a good couple of hours here, for some good photographic opportunities go in the late afternoon to this U-shaped valley of unusual reddish sandstone formations and terraces. 

The fauna and flora of Damaraland is typical of the pro-Namib region and plant species include the magnificent Welwitschia, Moringa and a variety of the Commiphora species. The desert adapted elephant, rhinoceros, giraffe, springbok, endemic Damara chat and ostrich are some of the wildlife which can be found living in total harmony with the community and the communal farming activities of the Twyfelfontein Conservancy. Camping at Aber-Huab N$ 50 pp/day 

Day 55. Swakopmund.  We leave Twyfelfontein and head for the West Coast and the small town of Swakopmund to camp at Langstrand. Camping N$ 80.00 pp/day

Day 56. Swakopmund.  As the British had already laid claim to Walvis Bay, the Germans established the port of Swakopmund in 1884 to provide access to the interior of the German protectorate of Deutsch-SŸdwestafrika. Tonight, we are welcomed to our cosy home-like guesthouse with very few rooms, in easy walking distance of central Swakopmund. The town has a strong German colonial feel the old buildings have been carefully restored and German bakeries abound where you can sample delicious pastries and other delicacies. Take a walk to the old lighthouse, built in 1903. Or visit the new aquarium with its glimpse into the Benguela Current marine fauna and flora. Or how about the natural history museum, which also makes fascinating visiting. 

It feels strange to be back in civilisation after the immense silence of the desert, and over dinner in a local restaurant you may find yourself falling quiet as your mind strays back to the mighty Namib. You'll have left a bit of your heart there, we all do. Swakopmund offers many adventure activities [kayaking, seal and dolphin cruises, fishing, quad biking, dune boarding, paragliding, a visit to local township Ð all activities for you own expense] Camping

Day 57. Central Namib.  Many scientists regard the Namib Desert as the oldest desert in the world. About 200 km wide and 2 000 km long, its climate is determined by the cold Benguela current that runs along the Atlantic West Coast of Southern Africa: the hot, tropical sun above the cold sea prevents airborne moisture from falling as rain. The average rainfall in the central Namib is less than 15 mm a year Ð and during some years, nonexistent. This is a harsh land. We drive through some of the most scenic landscapes in Namibia. As we approach the central Namib the vegetation thins and lone Acacia trees are silhouetted in the dry river washes. You can almost smell the dryness, the desolation of this unforgiving land. Yet amid this seemingly barren terrain, we will happen across oryx, springbok and large flocks of ostrich. Your guide will show you the incredible variety of fauna and flora that have evolved with remarkable adaptations that allow them to survive in the hostile desert. And you will marvel at nature in all her devious glory. Fascinating rock formations document the history of the area, with Òshark mouthsÓ of granite formed by the extreme climatic conditions. This is terrain unlike anything youÕve ever seen before, and it will stay etched in your mind for years. The desert has its own kind of heat. The sun bakes through the dry air, scorching everything it touches. Learn to appreciate the rhythm of the desert Ð use the cooler early mornings and late afternoons for activity. But when the sun is high, slow your movements, learn to sit quietly and let the desert fill your ears, your eyes, your soul. There is no hurry here. After a leisurely brunch, spend a few hours resting in the shade, making notes in your journal or simply watching the tireless beetles and lizards. 

The cool afternoon brings a scenic drive followed by sundowners on the beautiful plains. Later, the adventurous can move their beds out under the stars Ð let the Milky Way be your night light as you fall asleep to the scuttling of small nocturnal desert animals (and possibly the lion-like roar of an ostrich calling its mate). This is an intense desert experience Ð let it seep into your bones as you sleep. Sossusvlei. Again our journey goes south Ð to the highest dunes in the world! We camp at Sesriem. The campsite owes its name to a nearby canyon which holds water for several months after good rains. To draw water from the pools, early travelers had to tie a bucket to six (ses in the Afrikaans language) ox thongs (rieme in Afrikaans) lashed together; hence the name of Sesriem! Camping

Day 58. Sossusvlei.  We visit the dune fields to see the famous red dune sand sea which covers an area of 120 km x 600 km. The spectacular dunes with their sinuous crests are the main attractions of this area. Sesriem Canyon. A walk into the canyon will reveal alternating layers of gravel, sand and pebbles dating back to 15-18 million years ago. These were deposited in a much wetter period in the earth's history and the layers were cemented into calcrete conglomerate. The gorge is about 1km long and makes for a fascinating visit. Camping

Day 59.  Windhoek.  Windhoek is where we end our journey. The small and friendly city - a melting pot of cultures and peoples. Camping Arebbusch N$ 50 pp/day

Day 60. Departure.