299
Art. # 299
TRAVEL REPORT (Tourism division)
TRAVEL & HELP (Tourism division)
Travel Report
Text by Elke
Hoeltzcke and Stefan Rust
Photos by
Stefan Rust
2014
(In
terms of the Geneva Convention the copyright of these texts belongs to Stefan
Rust)
Traveling
with BirdsConTour or making use of BirdsConTour as a partner in tourism (e.g.
guiding) gives reason to scream out loud full of joy, because our mission is:
Welfare and conservation through traveling! Doesn’t that give you peace of mind
while traveling the world for whatever purpose; pleasure, relaxation,
discovery, exploration, getting to know other cultures or building
interpersonal relationships?
Travel description: Okavango Tour (Chamäleon Reisen and Pack Safari, led by
BirdsConTour)
Country on route: Zimbabwe – Botswana - Namibia
Duration: 13.7. - 23.7.2014
Distance traveled: 1 854 Km
Participants:
Barz Christine
Brun Annemarie & Rudolf
Gottschalk Christa
Kisser Lucia
Koeth Horst
Tappeser Dr. Karl
Tappeser Christian
Seidel Annegret & Joerg
Sterl Anneliese
Wolfram Ingeborg
Sunday 13.7.
Area: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Weather: Sunshine
Person/People of the day: Basarwa People. The San
people are also known as Basarwa or Bushmen and are all members of various
indigenous hunter-gatherer people of Southern Africa. They are one of fourteen
known extant “ancestral population clusters” from which all known modern humans
descend. Their “Khoisan languages” have click consonants but do not belong to
other language families. Traditionally the Basarwa people live as an
egalitarian society without official leader or chief in small mobile foraging
groups between 10 to 15 individuals. While men hunt in long tracking excursions
using poisoned arrows produced by beetle larva’s to kill their game, women gather
fruit, berries, tubers, bush onions and other plant materials. In the past 2
000 years the San were slowly pushed to live in the arid sands of the Kalahari
Desert because land that the San used to hunt on was increasingly being used
for grazing cattle.
Site/Subject of the day: Batoka Gorge. Batoka is a
large and beautiful gorge in Zimbabwe carved by the Zambezi into the strata of
basalt rock over hundreds of thousands of years. It’s also a habitat of
endangered and rare bird species like the Taita falcon and rare birds of prey
like Verreaux’a eagle. Birdlife international lists the Batoka Gorge as an
“Important Bird Area” on the basis of its conservation importance. Since years
there are plans to build a large hydropower dam that might be realized in nearby
future. If this dam is build the whole area up to the foot of Victoria Falls
will be flooded and rare bird species will lose their ancestral habitat as well
as local people around Victoria Falls and Livingstone will be casualties as
they lose their source of livelihood.
Plant of the day: Fireball Lily (Scadoxus
multiflorus). The fireball lily belongs to
the “Amaryllidaceae-family” and grows from the Eastern Cape in South Africa
through KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana.
It’s an evergreen plant which grows from a bulb with leaves that can stand up
to 110 cm. It’s spectacular flowerhead is a huge spherical umbel consisting of
up to 200 fiery red flowers. Seeds are kept in a green berry that will turn
scarlet as it ripens during July to September. The berries can remain on the
plant for up to 2 months. Fireball lilies attract bees, butterflies and birds
and are excellent plants for glasshouses or sunny windowsills.
Animal of the day: Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis). The rock hyrax is found across Africa in habitats
with rock crevices. Even if it doesn’t seem so – but the closest living
relatives to hyraxes are elephants and sirenians. The noisy and sociable hyrax
live in colonies of 10-80 animals and the dominant male defends the group and
marks its territory. Hyraxes are most active in the morning and evening. In
particular Verreaux’s Eagle is a specialist hunter of hyrax but mainly they are
preyed on by leopards, cobras, caracals and wild dogs.
Accommodation of the day: Gorges Lodge
Monday 14.7.
Area: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, to Kasane, Botswana
Weather: Sunshine
Person/People of the day: Robert Mugabe. Mr. Robert
Mugabe was raised as a Roman Catholic and qualified as a teacher. Originally
graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree he subsequently earned six further
degrees through distance learning including a Bachelor of Administration and
Bachelor of Education as well as Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Laws, Master
of Science and Master of Laws. He celebrated his 90th birthday at 21st
February 2014. It is his seventh period as President of Zimbabwe. Since the
past 34 years of his leadership Zimbabwe has suffered in many measures, for
example Zimbabwe dollar had suffered from the second-highest hyperinflation rate
of any currency in modern times and people are suffering from Mugabe’s
appalling economic mismanagement, corruption and brutal repression.
Site/Subject of the day: Victoria Falls NP. It is
situated in Hwange district on the western tip of Zimbabwe. The Victoria Falls
National Park and UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site was added to Ramsar List
of wetlands of International Importance. It protects the south and east bank of
the Zambezi River in the area of the world-famous Victoria Falls. A notable
feature of the park is the rainforest which grows in the spray of the falls,
including ferns, palms. Liana vines and a number of trees such as mahogany not
seen elsewhere in the region.
Plant of the day: Zig-Zag-Terminalia. This native
small tree with a flat crown and horizontal branches grows in Zimbabwe’s dry
wooded grassland and mopane savanna. The tree is growing under internal control
mechanisms. Toward the periphery of the canopy, a radial gradient of increased
dominance becomes expressed, resulting in a zigzag effect. The leathery leaves
are clustered on dwarf lateral shoots.
Animal of the day: African Wild-Dog (Lycaon pictus). Usually only the alpha pair testifies offspring.
The other sexually mature animals of the pack have an altered hormonal balance,
which usually leads to a temporary infertility. This largest African dog is
regarded as very endangered species due to habitat loss and poaching. As they
need large territories most of Africa’s national parks are too small for a pack
of wild dogs, so the packs expand to the unprotected areas. A smaller but
apparently secure population of several hundred individuals are found for
example in Zimbabwe (Hwange National Park).
Accommodation of the day: Chobe Safari Lodge
Tuesday 15.7.
Area: Kasane, Botswana
Weather: Sunshine
Person/People of the day: FIFA Winning Team. The
winning team consists of many well-trained and talented individuals who are
able to combine all their knowledge and skills to a successful whole. These
include not only the talent and hard training of each individual, it is rather
important to play as a team so successfully that all these strengths lead to a
successful superiority and thus the victory via the opposing team (for example
Germany in the FIFA World Cup) can be achieved.
Site/Subject of the day: Germany. Germany, the
homeland of the winners, is a medium-sized country, which is located in the
west of Europe. Currently, the land and its inhabitants are in state of
overwhelming pleasure because of its superior victory at the FIFA World Cup.
Since long the sophisticated inhabitants of this country haven’t been seen in
such a good and positive mood.
Plant of the day: Bloodwood tree (Pterocarpus
angolensis). The locals refer to this
magical tree as the Kiaat, Mukwa and Muninga. If any part of it is damaged,
dark red colored sap oozes from this part of the tree and it appears as if it
starts to bleed. The red sap is used for many medicinal purposes such as blood
ailments, eye problems, stomach issues and to promote the production of breast
milk for the locals.
Animal of the day: Armadillo (2014 Brazilian FIFA
mascot). The 50 cm long armadillo had the Portuguese name “Tatu Bola”, with the
word “Tatu” means Armadillo and “Bola” ball, as the armadillo rolls together
like a ball. Nevertheless, the “Tatu Bola” by the FIFA was assigned a different
name. The new and preferred name by the FIFA is “Fuleco”. Unfortunately, no one
from the FIFA did know anything of the real meaning of the name: :Fuleco” in
the Brazilian slang means “ass”.
Accommodation of the day: Chobe Safari Lodge
Wednesday 16.7.
Area: Kasane to Nata, Botswana
Weather: Sunshine
Person/People of the day: President Ian Khama. Ian
Khama has been the President of Botswana since 2008 and he also is de facto the
Paramount Chief of the Bamangwato tribe. It is said that he felt to do what was
right for the country even if he made some unpopular decisions and even if an
authoritarian style of leadership has been accused to him. On the economic
front, Khama has been a vocal proponent of in moving Botswana away from its
overreliance on diamonds and diversifying its economy, especially to the
agriculture and tourism sector.
Site/Subject of the day: Kazungula. Kazungula, a
village in the far north of Botswana on the south bank of the Chobe and Zambezi
Rivers, links Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Its landscape is home to
a large population of big cats and other predators and it supports a vital
wildlife migration corridor.
Plant of the day: Ebony Diospyros. The finely-textured
ebony is a black wood, dense enough to sink in water. It has a long history of
use, with carved pieces having been found in Ancient Egyptian tombs. Nowadays
many species of ebony are considered threatened because the trees have been cut
down illegally.
Animal of the day: Bushbuck. This widespread antelope
is found in rain forests, montane forests, bush savanna forest and woodland.
Bushbucks are basically solitary animals and will never be found in an area of
close proximity to Nyala because Nyala will always drive them away. The bull is
regarded as the most dangerous medium-sized antelope, as it will hide in the
bush after being wounded and charge the hunter when he comes looking for it,
impaling he hunter with its sharp horns.
Accommodation of the day: Planet Baobab
Thursday 17.7.
Area: Gweta, Botswana
Weather: Sunshine
Person/People of the day: Thomas Baines. Thomas
Baines (November 1820 – May 1875) was an English artist and explorer of british
colonial southern Africa and Australia. In 1858 Baines accompanied David
Livingstone along the Zambezi, and was one of the first white men to view
Victoria Falls. Baines is today best known for his detailed paintings and
sketches that give a unique insight into colonial life in southern Africa and
Australia. Between 1861 and 1862 he painted a group of Baobab trees in Nxai Pan
National Park (Makgadikgadi Pans) that became famously known as the ‘Baines
Baobabs’.
Site/Subject of the day: Makgadikgadi Pans.
Makgadikgadi is a series of pans that cover an area of 12 000 sq kms, part of
the Kalahari Basin. For much of the year, most of the area remains waterless
and extremely arid and no vegetation can grow on the salty surface of the pans.
The whole area is a relic of what was once one of the biggest inland lakes
Africa has ever had. Humans have inhabited areas of the pans since the Stone
age, and inhabitation has continued to the present day.
Plant of the day: Baobab Tree (Adansonia digitata). The baobab is found in the savannas of Africa and
India, mostly around the equator. It can live up to several thousand years and
store massive amounts of water in its stem to cope with seasonal droughts. The
trunk can be thickened by several centimeters due to the water storage. The
tree’s fruits are large pods known as “monkey bread” and are rich in vitamin C.
Animal of the day: Meerkat (Suricata suricatta). The meerkat or suricate, belongs to the mongoose
family. Apart of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, they live in Namaibia, in
southwestern Angola and in South Africa. Their ears are small and can be closed
to prevent dripping of sand while digging. Meerkat young learn by mimicking
adult behaviour, though adults also engage in active instruction. For example,
meerkat adults teach their pups how to eat a venomous scorpion: they will
remove the stinger and help the pup learn how to handle the creature.
Accommodation of the day: Planet Baobab
Friday 18.7.
Area: Gweta to Maun and Moremi NP, Botswana
Weather: Sunshine
Person/People of the day: Kololo tribe. The Kololo
reached the Zambezi during the 1820s, after being pushed north from their
homeland in South Africa by the aggressive Zulu expansion. About 1840 under
Kololo chief “Sebetwane” they conquered the Lozi kingdom, which had been built
up in the 18th century, and then dominated western Zambia.
Site/Subject of the day: Usage of Okavango River
water by different countries. Angola, Namibia and Botswana share the Okavango
River Basin. As a result of this, there have been concerns about possible
conflict over use of the river’s water. Namibia for instance, has proposed a
project to build a pipeline to divert water from the river into Namibia to help
relieve the drought. Botswana, however uses the Okavango Delta for both tourism
income and as water source for farming and diamond mining. At least Angola
planned to build a dam at the upper river for the use of hydroelectric power.
To deal with such issues, in 1994 Angola, Namibia and Botswana signed an
agreement to form the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM),
to provide advice to the three countries about the best ways to share the
Okavango River’s resources.
Plant of the day: Crocodile Bark Diospyros. It is
only known from the Zambezi, Shire, Luangwa and Sabi River valleys and from a
few localities on the coastal plain of northern Mozambique and Tanzania. The
bark is deeply fissured longitudinally and cracked transversely and looking
like Crocodile skin. It grows on hot dry woodland or riverine fringes, often on
termite mounds.
Animal of the day: Puku Antelope. Only a small puku
population is being found in Botswana. Puku are part of a grazing fauna that is
important in structuring grassland communities and supporting populations of
large predators, such as lions and leopards, and scavengers, such as vultures
and hyenas. They prefer plants containing high crude protein value.
Accommodation of the day: Mankwe Bush Lodge
Saturday 19.7.
Area: Moremi NP and Okavango Delta, Botswana
Weather: Sunshine
Person/People of the day: Zulu. The Zulus use the
rhizome of the Mother-in-law’s tongue plant as a protective charm.
Site/Subject of the day: Dangerous human bite. The
bacteria and other microflora in the human mouth are as dangerous, if not more,
than those of most other carnivores. Therefore a wound caused by a human bite
can become septic, often resulting in gangrene.
Plant of the day: Wild cucumber (Cucumis
metuliferus). To counter an infection
caused by leopard bite, the Zulus boil the urine from a killed dassie (rock
hyrax) together with the leaves of the Wild cucumber and then syringe the
liquid into the wound.
Animal of the day: Blow-fly maggots. During the First
World War, surgeons found that wounds of soldiers that were exposed to blow-fly
maggots healed much quicker and cleaner than wounds without being exposed to
maggots. This is because the continuous probing and groping of maggots within a
wound, pouring out their digestive juices, which effectively dissolve infected
and dead tissue simultaneously kills off all bacteria.
Accommodation of the day: Gcadikwe Island Camp
Sunday 20.7.
Area: Okavango Delta, Botswana.
Weather: Sunshine
Person/People of the day: Okavango People. Some
people in the Okavango Delta believe that if a person offends one, his stomach
can be made to burst. A curse will only be effective with the help of a
witchdoctor.
Site/Subject of the day: Mould. European farmers
often use an old slice of bread to “breed” mould on. This thick and
greenish-grey mould they use to disinfect external wounds. This doesn’t
surprise, because the most widely used antibiotic, penicillin (penicilium
notatum), is produced from mould. Sir
Alexander Fleming, a Nobel Prize-winner, first named Penicillin in 1929.
Penicillin has saved millions of lives. After intensified research, production
followed and by 1943 an ounce of penicillin cost about US$ 20 000 and mass
production lead to the same amount costing only US$ 3.-. in 1974.
Plant of the day: Devil’s thorn (Dicerocaryum
eriocarpum). This plant contains saponin.
Saponin-containing plants are often used to treat skin diseases and even
syphilis or gonorrhoea, since they kill and remove certain micro-organisms.
Animal of the day: Leech. Mistakenly thought that an
excess of blood caused fevers and other illnesses, leeches were used for
centuries as a blood-letter. When a leech bites, it secrets a strong
anticoagulant from its salivary glands called ‘hirudin’, which prevent the
clotting of the host’s blood while flowing from the incision. Additionally a
substance is secreted which causes dilation of the capillaries around the wound
and strong enzymes that are present in the secretions have the function to
dissolve infected and dead tissue as well as bacteria. Therefore, leeches are
even used today in medicinal practices.
Accommodation of the day: Gcadikwe Island Camp
Monday 21.7.
Area: Okavango Delta and Moremi NP, Botswana
Weather: Sunshine
Person/People of the day: Bamangwato tribe. Between
the years 1875-1923, the Bamangwato (or BagammaNgwato) had grown to become one
of the eight “principal” Tswana chieftaincies of Botswana. As often, the reason
was a natural population increase and the influx of refugee tribes from South
Africa and Rhodesia. The Bamangwato ruled over majority Bakalangathe (the
largest ethnic group in central district) and others such as the San, Bitwa and
Tswapong. Serowe is capital of the Bamangwato.
Site/Subject of the day: KAZA (Kavango-Zambezi
Transfrontier Conservation Area). KAZA is situated in a region where the
international borders of 5 countries (Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zambia and
Zimbabwe) converge. It includes a major part of the Upper Zambezi basin and
Delta. The whole area consists of 36 national parks and game reserves. The
largest population of African Elephants (250 000 animals) can be found in this
area. KAZA was established specifically to provide the resident elephants to
move freely in their natural habitat.
Plant of the day: Large-leaved Star-Chestnut. This
medium-sized deciduous tree is native to hot and dry regions of sub-Saharan
Africa. The Large-leaved Star-Chestnut is an important species because of its
potential to produce ‘Karaya’ gum, which has several applications in industry.
‘Karaya’ is used as a thickener and emulsifier in foods, as a laxative, and as
a denture adhesive.
Animal of the day: Aardvark. The very shy aardvark
emerges from its burrow in the afternoon, and forages over a considerable home
range encompassing 10 to 30 kilometres. Both, smell and hearing are involved in
the search for food. They zig-zag as they forage and will usually not repeat a
route for 5-8 days as they appear to allow time for the termite nests to
recover before feeding on it again.
Accommodation of the day: Mankwe Bush Lodge
Tuesday 22.7.
Area: Maun to Ghanzi, Botswana
Weather: Sunshine
Person/People of the day: San people. The indigenous hunter-gatherer people of Southern
Africa, are also known as Bushmen or Basarwa. They have provided a wealth of
information for the fields of anthropology and genetics. They lived in small
mobile foraging bands. Traditionally, the San are an egalitarian society and
women have a high status in San society, are greatly respected, and may be
leaders of their own family groups. Their economy is a gift economy, based on
giving each other gifts regularly rather than on trading or purchasing goods
and services.
Site/Subject of the day: Dqae Qare San Lodge. The Lodge is owned and run by the San people
and set up to support the local San D‘Kar community through employment and to
ensure their cultural survival. It is situated on a
game farm in the heart of the Kalahari and stocked with a wide variety of
African plains wildlife including Giraffe, Eland, Kudu, Gemsbok and Zebra.
Accommodation options for all tastes are available and guests can share the
culture of the San people and their extraordinary knowledge of the Kalahari.
Plant of the day: Devil‘s
claw (Harpagophytum procumbens). It is mainly found in the Kalahari region. The
fruit is dispersed by animals, and it may take several years for all seeds to
be released from the hard fruiting body. Mainly the San people have made use of
the tubers of this plant for medicinal purposes for centuries. The large roots
are used to stimulate digestion and to reduce fever and European colonists
brought devil‘s claw home where it was used to treat arthritis.
Animal of the day: African
ground squirrel. These squirrels are very social animals and live in colonies
similar to North American prairie dogs, and have similar behavior. Their burrow
can have up to one hundred outputs and may extend up to 2000 square meters. The
Meerkats, which are usually potential hunters of the ground squirrel, sometimes
share the burrows even with them. They protect the squirrels from predators
such as snakes and take advantage of the prefabricated dwelling.
Accommodation of the day: Dqae Qare San Lodge
Wednesday 23.7.
Area: Ghanzi, Botswana to Windhoek, Namibia.
Weather: Sunshine
Person/People of the day: Herero people. The main Herero group in central Namibia was
heavily influenced by Western culture during the colonial period, creating a
whole new identity. They speak the Herero language which belongs to the Bantu
languages. Cattle herding is the most significant and substantial activity for
the Herero people. They rate status on the number of cattle owned. Herero
practices include keeping a „Holy Fire“ (sacred shrine) which is located at
Okahandja and is the place where the Herero worship God.
Site/Subject of the day: Seeis. The small settlement „Seeis“ is situated east of Hosea
Kutako International Airport. It was a populated outpost at least since German
colonisation in the 1880s. On 15 February 1904 the Herero defeated a German
troop under the command of „von Fischel“. This event is known as the „Battle of
Seeis“ and today on Seeis cemetery there is separate section of German war
graves from that period.
Plant of the day: Quiver
tree (Aloe dichotoma ). The strange-looking quiver tree (kokerboom) is an icon
of southern Africa‘s most arid and rocky habitats. The name „quiver tree“ was
used by the Bushmen, who hollowed out its soft branches and used the outer hard
bark as a quiver.
Innumerable birds are
attracted to the nectar of its flowers. Among them are Mousebirds, Dusky
Sunbirds and the Pied Barbet, which is specialized on expanding holes in the
tree trunk and there to build its nest.
Animal of the day: White-tailed
gnu (Black wildebeest). The black wildebeest is characterised by its white,
long, horse-like tail. It is a fast runner, (speeds of up to 80 km/h) and
communicates using a variety of visual and vocal communication. It shows
well-developed orientation behaviour towards solar radiation which helps it
thrive in hot, and often shadeless, habitats. The species was almost completely
exterminated in the 19th century but has been reintroduced widely even outside
its natural range in Namibia.
Accommodation of the day: Onjala Lodge
ENJOY TRAVELING,
Kind Regards
Stefan Rust
Your
partner in travel business!
(For further
reading see www.birdscontour.com - News)
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