Africa: The Adventures and Excursions

No organized tour is complete without inclusions and add-ons, extra activities to make it memorable. The game drives I talked about in my last post were incredible included activities that made for an amazing African experience. But seeing the wildlife was only a piece of our adventure. Some of these extras were nature-lover excursions and some were adrenaline-junky thrills, and all were highly enjoyable.

The first camping night we spent at a winery, where, naturally, there was a wine tasting we all joined (and began to form our group bond). With seven different varieties on offer, we both learned how tasty South African wine is, and how funny we all were. We tried to obey the rule of only filling our glasses to a specific line as we passed around the bottle, but that can be tricky, especially the more bottles that circulate. I began my appreciation of Chenin Blanc that night.

We crossed the Orange River from South Africa into Namibia and stayed on it's banks for a night. The next morning, six of us went for a canoe ride down a few miles of the river, with guides to help row and point out birds and monkeys in the trees. They told us we probably wouldn't encounter any crocodiles in this stretch of river, and encouraged us to get out and swim, which we did. The water was fairly warm yet refreshing, the bottom a mix of rocks and sand.
The guides told us we should look for diamonds along the bottom, but I'm still not sure if they were just teasing. I somehow kept splashing myself when I brought the paddle up to switch sides, more so than anyone else. I was soaked before going for a swim. It's a good thing I had one of the guides in my boat since my technique seems to need work.

From there we drove to Fish River Canyon, one of the largest canyons in the world. We spent the evening walking around the rim to see the views, and then having sundowner wine while watching for the rocks to change color as the sun set.
It was especially windy that evening, so we were struggling to keep our hats from blowing away as we walked around, and then trying to keep our plastic cups from spilling or getting lost as we drank our wine. The easiest strategy was to keep the cups filled, and somehow our bottles were quickly emptied.



Our wonderful cook made us a big pot of popcorn, which was much more difficult to keep from flying away. We placed a large rock on top of the pot, and very carefully took handfuls, maybe able to eat half of them. The birds were well fed that night. While having such fun, we nearly missed the moment the sun set!

One of the highlights of the trip came in the Namib Desert, were we woke up in the dark and drove out to Dune 45 to hike to the top and watch the sun come up. Hiking up sand dunes is one of the most physically difficult things to do, as you slip back a little with every step you take, making it a Sisyphean task, but we endured. The top of the dune is about 170 meters high (around 560 feet). As we climbed, we watched the sky slowly lighten, clouds reflecting the golden light below. From the top of the dune, saw the bright orb of the sun peak out from behind other dunes and announce the day.

From there, we went on to Sossuvlei, switched into 4x4 vehicles, and had the option to either hike up Big Daddy dune or walk the salt flats. Six of us chose to take on Big Daddy, despite having just learned how hard scaling sand dunes is. I'd like to say we lived up to our Intrepid reputation and climbed the 325 meters to the top. The truth is, with the sun beating down and the sand slipping under our feet, two of us (me included) only made it to an early plateau before deciding to run down the steep side. Just 1 of our group made it all the way to the top. Either way, the scenery out there was gorgeous, red-orange sands contrasting perfectly with the blue sky, twisted trees that had tried and failed to flourish in the desert, the stark contrast of light and shadow on the sides of the dunes.

We stayed a few days in Swakomund, a city on the coast of Namibia. There are a lot of activities available nearby, from sandboarding to sky diving and beyond. The two that I signed up for were quad biking through the dunes and sandboarding.
Quad biking was first, and the majority of our group went along. This may have been more people than should be taken out in a single group, but we tended to stick together. We had a guide on the lead bike and a guide in the rear, with 10 of us in between, of varying skill levels. It didn't take me long to learn that like most things, the faster you go, the more fun it is, including up and down hills. It's not necessarily easy to go fast when you are in the middle of a long single file line of bikes, but I took my opportunities when they came.

Sandboarding is snowboarding on sand dunes. Five of us signed up for boarding, and two more for what's basically sand sledding. Of the boarders, two were experienced snowboarders, and just had to figure out the differences with friction and probably other aspects I don't know enough about to comment on. I was in the group of newbies (I ski, which is not a transferable skill), who had to learn about waxing the boards and how to stand up once strapped in. So standing, weight toward my toes, I tried to go just a little ways, then fell forward onto my knees as the easiest way to slow down. The instructors told me I should really try going more than a few meters, so I got up and actually did okay for a little while before feeling like I was losing control and falling down again. That's pretty much how I went down the dune the first two times, and then had to hike back up the dune carrying the board between runs (the hardest part). After the second run, we all tried the sand sledding. They had big pieces of plywood that we lay down on, head first on our stomachs, aimed down hill, and flew down as fast as we could (there was someone at the bottom with a radar gun marking our speed). It's incredibly fun. Back at the top of the dune, I had one final run to do on my board. The instructor suggested I try some turns, and I thought, why not? He explained to me a little about shifting your weight back and forth, and in theory, it made sense. So I started down and tried to turn, and wiped out fantastically, sand down my shirt and coating my suntan-lotioned arms. Okay, no big deal, I got myself back up and headed downhill, feeling good, and since it was the last run, I gave turning one more try. This time I fully flipped myself, rolled down most of the rest of the dune, I had sand everywhere, my mouth, my ears, inside my clothes, in my hair, everywhere, and what's more, it kind of hurt. I had a bad crick in my neck for just about the whole rest of the trip (but at least I didn't get it from laying on the couch watching Netflix at a bad angle all day). Thankfully, we had a pretty good shower where we were staying, to wash most of the sand away. It's hard to get all the sand off when you've thoroughly rolled yourself in it.

As for the two who had experience, they did better than us newbies, but had some pretty terrific wipe outs as well, one that was deemed the most impressive of the day.

We made a brief stop at a seal colony on the shores of Cape Cross. Tens of thousands of fur seals call Cape Cross home, and we visited just a month after most of the babies are born. While they are fun to watch and the babies are adorable, the fishy smell is somewhat overwhelming, not something you soon forget (in part because it clings to your hair and clothes).

Outside of Grootfontein, we visited the San bushmen. The San are the oldest ethnic group in Namibia, and also occupy parts of South Africa and Botswana. They have adopted modern ways now, but for visitors, they show the old ways of their people, donning traditional outfits and showing how they would make fire, hunt with bow and arrow, and use indigenous plant life for medicine, food, or to poison their arrows.
The woman performed a traditional dance, and we bought jewelry they had made from natural materials. The people were all very kind and welcoming, inviting us to take pictures and join in their dancing. Later at our camp, some of the men tried to use the technique we'd learned to start a fire, but the most they got was a tendril of smoke.

Victoria Falls, the last stop of the tour, had the most activities to offer, particularly of the heart-pumping, adrenaline-rushing kind. On the day we arrived, we booked our chosen activities and then toured the falls.
Victoria Falls is unquestionably amazing, its breadth and power stunning to behold. I could only take pictures for part of the walk because the mists coming off the falls are so heavy, it's like rain, and I didn't want to get my camera wet. I made the brilliant decision to ignore all the advice I'd heard about rain coats and ponchos, and go along with tour leader Patrick's (likely joke) assertion that the mist would feel refreshing after a hot day's drive. So I was completely soaked.

Not that those with raincoats looked much more dry by the time we reached the far end of the path. 

Now I didn't personally take the helicopter ride to see the falls from above, but I'm including a shot from someone who did (thanks Sally!), because it better captures just how massive they are than can be seen from the ground.

As to the heart-pounding activities, I chose white water rafting (with category 4 and 5 rapids -these are very large) and the gorge swing. A couple of others did the bungee jump off the bridge that spans the Zambezi river near the falls.
We were visiting in the wet season, so the water was higher than at other times of the year, and this determines which of the rapids (out of 23 total) are on the route. But first, we had to climb the steep way down to the river and the starting point. Just before we reached the bottom, one of our group twisted her ankle. The tour guys did the best they could to wrap it (with instruction from the patient, who happened to be a nurse), and helped her into the raft, since she would be sitting, and it made as much sense as trying to get back to the top at that end.

With that early drama on hold for the moment, we were packed into our rafts (one of our group was added to a different raft that had an uneven number of people), and learned what terms the guides' used for different situations, and how to react. Our boat had some trouble rowing in rhythm together from the start. Also a little confusion with right and left. That may have contributed to us flipping over on the second rapid we hit (a cat. 4).

 I've watched the video, so I know a wave hit us at just the right angle to send us over. I got separated from the raft and had to swim back to them. That was easy compared to the woman who got trapped underneath and for a few panicked moments couldn't find her way to an air pocket. I'm very grateful that wasn't me, but the poor woman was pretty shaken up when we finally flipped the raft and got back in.

Fortunately we didn't flip again, we got that out of the way early. Only one raft with us did not flip at all, the one with our separated group member. There was plenty of splashing all around though, and part of the way down the river, I took up counting off to keep us all rowing together, which did seem to help. 

When we made it past the last rapid and landed the raft on shore, the problem of our injured group member resurfaced. The climb back up to the truck was even steeper than the climb down had been, 275 meters (about 3 football fields) up a cliff, with makeshift ladders in places consisting of branches tied together. Eight young men strapped our friend tightly to a spine board and managed to carry her the whole way up (she kept her face covered, not needing to see how this happened, but is aware she was sometimes turned sideways and sometimes vertical).

While we were rafting, two of our group were bungee jumping from the bridge pictured below, and love the experience.

A little further down river from the bridge was the spot where zip lining and gorge swinging launch. I watched a few other people jump before going myself, and was glad to get a sense of it first. Even so, standing on the platform above the roaring Zambezi River, I was terrified.

My harnesses were all attached, and a man was unhooking the anchor cord, telling me to jump. I wavered on the edge above an imminent 70 meter free fall, thinking the man was crazy, or I was for signing up for this.

I thought, 'No, push me,' but I don't think any words came out as I inched closer to the edge, and with a breath, jumped.

I tried to scream, but I had no air in my lungs as I plummeted down. Friends watching nearby said I kicked my legs the whole time like I was trying to climb back up through the air (I don't really remember). Finally, I reached the bottom of the cord and swung out across the water, now able to shout and laugh. This is what they mean by death-defying. After swinging for a minute, they reeled me back up, like a fish, my heart still pounding.

Intrepid kept me busy, and loving every minute of it. I recommend this tour and this company to anyone who wants to see what the world has to offer, but doesn't want to do it alone. I could go on and on about my amazing group and how much they contributed to the trip being so enjoyable, but it was also how well the tour was set up, the incredible places we visited, and the friendly and efficient crew.

In the next installment, I'll talk more about going solo in Cape Town.