AFRICAN JEWELS: THE DUNES AND THE DELTA

“The darkest thing about Africa has always been our ignorance of it.”

– George Kimble

We finally embarked on a journey to the vast and forgotten continent of 54 countries we realized we did not know much about. It’s the land of some of the greatest contrasts: enormously rich in natural resources, having the world’s highest dunes and the world’s largest delta along with some of the poorest, most corrupt, and most violent places on Earth.

The more I think about the journey the less I seem to believe I have seen it all: Botswana, the Earth’s last Eden where animals roam free, Namibia’s Sossusvlei with its alien landscape of rich, enormous rusted red dunes, and the roaring Victoria Falls.

What an unforgettable treat it was!

Both Botswana and Namibia are relatively small and safe compared to other African countries, with English-speaking populations. We even rented a car in Namibia and drove to Sossusvlei via Bagatelle in the Kalahari desert. It was an amazing trip through some of the most beautiful and empty landscapes we had ever seen. The drive was remarkably uneventful and safe apart from losing a tire on a gravel road near the village of Solitaire which we got replaced pretty quickly.

We met flocks of Europeans driving around Namibia and raving about the beauty of its landscapes. Animal viewings however are mostly around waterholes (think Etosha National Park), while in Botswana they roam free.

I will never forget our last day in Botswana watching a lone elephant enjoying his leisurely morning walk in the tall savannah grasses near Sable Alley camp in the Okavango Delta and the enormous African night sky we saw at the Sky Beds camp. If there is Eden on Earth it must be there in the Okavango where you feel like you can touch the sky.

The fact that Okavango exists in its entirety is a miracle and a combination of some improbable things that happened in Botswana like its relatively peaceful history (thanks to Seretse Khama, its first President) and the prohibition of hunting that transformed some of the private hunting reserves into safari camps so perfectly blended with nature. They believe that by protecting animals they can turn their country into an exclusive tourist destination. When and if their diamonds run out, the Okavango will remain their most valuable jewel.

Another remarkable feature of Botswana is that most of its land is owned by local communities which lease it to private companies that run the camps, this way communities get their share, and locals get jobs.

Okavango:
<www.okavangodelta.com/>

Facts about Botswana:

<www.bbc.com/news/world-Africa-13041658>

The story of Seretse Khama and Ruth Willians which is one of the greatest love stories of our times and was told in the 2016 movie A United Kingdom and the book A Marriage of Inconvenience:

<www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/ruth-Williams-Khama-first-lady-of-botswana/>

Facts about Namibia:
<www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13891138>