Swaziland 2008

AF-08 - Africa 2008 - SOUTH AFRICA, SWAZILAND, MALAWI Date of travel: Sep 8 - Sep 29, 2008 ITINERARY: On Sep 8, 2008 just after 2 AM I am leaving Vista in a rented car for LAX. There I take a plane for New York. There on JFK I change to a plane of South African Airways. With a stop for refueling in Dakar, Senegal, I land in Johannesburg in SOUTH AFRICA in midafternoon the following day. In the evening I fly to Cape Town, where 34 hours after leaving Vista. I and other passengers are taken to our Shongololo Train to Muizenburg south of Cape Town. I have a cabin with A/C and inside bathroom. On Sep 10 there is a sightseeing of Cape Peninsula, using vans carried by our train, including Hout Bay, Simon’s Town, the “Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens,” “Cape of Good Hope” and “Cape Point.” Next day we have a sightseeing of Cape Town itself starting with the “Table Mountains,” then the fort from the 17th century, the “Victoria & Albrecht Waterfront” and the “Company Gardens.” On Sep 12 we take vans to Hermans at Walker Bay with some wine tasting. After driving 420 km we are met by our train in Worcester. Overnight the train travels to Mossell Bay at the Indian Ocean. The following day we go by vans to Knysna. Due to a landslide the train I took to Knysna 4 years ago, does not go. On Sep 14 I make a visit to Oudtshoom and its ostridge farms. Next day we are at the pleasant Port Elizabeth. In the morning a visit to “Addo Elephant National Park” and in the afternoon the city itself. Overnight our train travels to Bloemfontein a seat of South African high court. We reach the city before noon. There is sightseeing of Bloemfontein in the afternoon. Dominant structures of its center are cooling towers of used to be a power company covered by graffiti. Later in the afternoon we board our train and go overnight to Durban. In the morning, our train is in Pietermaritzburg a capital of KwaZulu-Natal province. The day is devoted to birding and by late afternoon we reach our train in Durban. The following day, Sep 18, I do sightseeing of this city. I was here 3x before and I enjoyed all the visits. Today we stop also at KwaZulu-Natal University. In the evening our train goes north. In the morning we leave the train and drive to local villages and to Lake St. Lucia where we have a boat trip. On Sep 20 a visit to Hluhluwe-Umfolosi National Park. In the morning on Sep 21 our train is in a small town Mpaka in SWAZILAND, which is an independent country between South Africa a Mozambique. It is an absolute monarchy. We are driving through this country in our vans. We visit its largest town Manzini with 80 thousand inhabitants. Later on passing through the capital Mbabane. We leave the country later in the afternoon. On Sep 22, we are back in SOUTH AFRICA and have a visit of the “Kruger National Park.” As always, the driver of our van is also our guide. There are many birds in the park. We also see 4-leged animals from zebras, monkeys, and lions to elephants. We spend the whole day in various parts of the park. Next day I take a trip called “Panorama” with stops at “Mac-Mac Falls” and in used to be gold bearing area in “Pilgrim Rest.” Later, “Three Randavels” and “Bourke’s Look Potholes.” Last is the “God’s Window.” Seven years ago, I visited all these places, too. On Sep 24, our Shongololo Train comes to the largest city of the country, Johannesburg. Today’s visit is to the administrative capital of South Africa, Pretoria. It is a pleasant place and I always like to come here. The usual stops are at the “Union Building,” the seat of the government, the “Church Square” and at the “Kruger House.” Outside Pretoria we visit the “Voortrekker Monument,” almost a secret place of Afrikaners (the descendants of Dutch settlers). In the afternoon we see “Soweto” (Southwest Township) the largest township in South Africa, where only the Blacks live. We see number of places in it incl. houses of Mandela and Desman Tutu. With it our Shongololo Train trip reached its end. On Sep 25 I take a plane from Johannesburg to Lilongwe, the capital of MALAWI where early afternoon. A local guide takes me to Kumbali Country Lodge known for Madona visits. There is a mosquito net above my bed. The following morning, I leave Lilongwe in a car with my guide going to “Mvuu Lodge” in the “Liwonde National Park” on the shore of the Shire River. I get a bungalow above a waterhole there. There is a wildlife run in open 4WD cars with an armed guard in the afternoon. We see many birds and a whole range of other animals. Next morning there is a morning walk. Again many animals and birds. Then a boat ride on the river. In midmorning I leave this lovely place and drive with my guide to Lake Malawi. In the afternoon we reach the “Livingstonia Beach Hotel.” The view from my bungalow to the sandy beach of the Lake Malawi is beautiful. I leave this place next morning on Sep 28. My guide takes me by car to the airport in Lilongwe. I board a South African plane in the afternoon and fly to Johannesburg. Here I take another SA plane via Dakar to New York where the following day at 7 AM. Then in a United Airlines plane I fly from New York to LAX. There I land few minutes after 1:30 PM. I rent a car and drive home to Vista where later in the afternoon still on Sep 29. Travel office: Wild Animal Ventures & Shongololo Train Who took part: about 70 people from USA, UK, Netherlands and Germany