Bush camping—not so bushy.

So, we got off to a late start on this trip, plus we found out why people who do travel blogs don’t update often – because Internet is hard to come by.  Anyway, we’ve passed through Tanzaniz, Malawi, Zambia, visited Victoria Falls, passed through Botswana and are now in Windhoek, Namibia.  And I’m finally adding to the blog for the first time (Rebecca).

One key we have learned so far is that lodges with camping sites rule.  On the road there are backpacking places, which can be cool, and overland camps that have good facilities but very crowded camping.  Backpackers are usually individuals or small groups traveling using public transport.  Overlanders are large bus-like trucks that transport about 20 people touring sites during the day and camping at night.  Lodges that do camping usually have quiet campsites in great locations and you can use their facilities including restaurant, pool, lounge areas, laundry, Internet, etc.   We’ve basically adapted the method of using travel books to find backpacker/overland camps where we ask for lodges with camping.

On that note, we have some favorite places to check out:

• The Old Farmhouse, Kisolanza Farm – Iringa, Tanzania
  This is a old working farm that belongs to the Ghaui family, which has lived here for over 100 years.  They serve the camper, overlander, backpacker and luxury traveler.  The key is the food that comes from their farm.  We had the best T-bone steaks in a long time here.  www.kisolanza.com
  
• The Mushroom Farm – Livingstonia, Malawi
  This is a great rustic site set high in the mountains overlooking Lake Malawi.  The food is good and the guacamole was the best we’ve had in Africa.  At this time the menu is vegetarian but now they’ve got a fridge and will be adding meat to the menu.  We got a room that was built of mud and straw in a Scotland style with built-in furniture because the camp is down a narrow path over a bridge and we couldn’t drive there.  The people we met here were very cool as was the owner.  A great place to relax with fantastic views.  www.themushroomfarmmalawi.com
  
• The Ngala Beach Lodge – Ngala, Malawi
  This is the place that turned us onto lodges with camping.  We were directed here by a predominantly overlander campsite with a gate guard who told us upon arrival that there were, “more people than necessary.”  Upon prompt departure, we told him he was right.  The Ngala owners (Judy and Chris) are great hosts and great fun as is the cast of regulars who stay and visit there.  The food is good and the grounds lovely and relaxing, right on Lake Malawi. www.ngalabeach.com
  
• Maramba River Lodge – Livinstone, Zambia
  This place was recommended to us by a backpacking place listed in Lonely Planet.  It’s a lovely lodge with some great campsites; we are by a tributary that runs alongside the lodge, which is full due to the high Zambezi River.  We had hippos, elephants, monitor lizards and baboons nearby.  We can pretend we’re not campers but we pay about $10 a night for lodging – crazy cheap. www.maramba-zambia.com

Ok, we haven’t done that much yet because we’ve been driving to Namibia and trying to make time.  The Range Rover is fine except for the door locks that are now funky and only the driver’s side works but we hope that we can get this fixed in Windhoek, where they have great shops and mechanics.  Mostly during our non-travel days (3 so far), we’ve reorganized the car, the computer, updated GPS maps and established Internet connection.  The phrase “This is Africa (TIA)” helps a lot in realizing how long it can take to accomplish seemingly simple things.  But then again, some borders have been amazingly easy.  No real problems with borders having a Carnet and Comesa insurance (thank you KAA).

We did a sunset cruise on the Zambezi on the African Queen that was nice and relaxing.  We did a morning ultra light flight over the falls, then walked the falls before driving along Botswana’s Chobe National Park to the Caprivi Strip in Namibia.  We also visited the Tsodilo Hills in Botswana - more tales of these adventures to come.  The falls are at their peak right now with the Zambezi River at the highest it has been in a very long while.  The rising mist looks like smoke and is visible from miles away.

We hope to have better Internet access in Namibia and South Africa, especially as we slow down and stay in places for a bit, so hopefully we’ll be better about posting more often.  Bottom line, we’re great, the car is great and we’re moving along.  

Victoria Falls

We arrived at Victoria Falls this afternoon, after another long day of driving. We've been driving non-stop since Lake Malawi. We'll take a few days to rest here. We found a lovely lodge on the shores of the Zambizi River just above the falls. I took a nap by the pool with hippo's in the river just feet away. Zain doesn't work throughout Southern Africa so it looks like we'll try to get hooked up in Namibia which we should be in in a few days.

-Will

We're in Malawi

Having some trouble getting internet sorted out. Hopefully we'll have wireless internet soon. We hear a rumor that Zain works throughout Southern Africa. We hope to be in Zambia tomorrow evening. Right now we're camping at a lovely spot on Lake Malawi called Ngala Beach Lodge.

Getting ready to leave.

We'll be leaving Nairobi Friday April 30th. Will is busy selling off most of our household stuff, and Rebecca is finishing Sudanese work from Nairobi.

Saturday we will be busy. We're having a yard sale in the morning and a farewell BBQ in the evening. There may also be a softball game or two for Will but that has to be negotiated. BBQ moved to Sunday. Softball and yard sale Saturday

We've had many calls about the yard sale, Will thinks it's due to his brilliant advert. Kenyan's seem to love yard sales. Many have insisted on seeing the items before the sale. We've sold at least half the stuff before the sale. They even buy stuff that's broken. We've sold two broken folding chairs and a broken step ladder (for good prices, things can be fixed cheaply).

Frankie (the Rangie) still needs some work. The air conditioning system isn't holding gas.  The engine is overheating when pushed hard on long uphills. We're adding an oil cooler and have removed the thermostat and changed the water pump to increase water flow. We haven't been using coolant so that may help too. Will thinks we should be fine the way it is but would like to have it fixed if possible.  We're also putting the finishing touches on the interior. We removed the back seat,  put in tie downs for our refrigerator and other stuff, and installed a safe.

Test Drive

The Range Rover is finally almost finished. I did a test drive with it a week ago. It went well. There were no mechanical problems and I got to practice driving off road. I did hit the differential so we bought a diff guard. It really wouldn’t be good if I cracked the diff in the middle of bumf*ck egypt, or tanzania for that matter. More photos of the test drive can be seen on Will's flickr page.

Nairobi-Capetown-Nairobi—The Route

View Our Travels in Africa in a larger map

We'll be heading off by car from Nairobi to South Africa and back to Nairobi starting May 1st. It should be a great trip. We won't have a set itinerary but the general idea is to travel south-west to Namibia west then south to Cape Town and back up to Mozambique. We hope to drive up the coast of Mozambique to Tanzania then back to Kenya. Everyone I speak to here in Kenya seems to have their favorite places that we have to see. Malawi and Zimbabwe have been mentioned a few times. Originally I was thinking of going from Tanzania to Zambia without going into Malawi and Zimbabwe my idea was less border crossings is better. Rebecca is worried about Zimbabwe. I'll have to be sure it's ok if we go there.

-Will Hoffman