We left Namibia via Gobabis in the direction of Botswana. Our plan was to use Botswana as a transit country to South Africa. We decided to take the Ghanzi, Maun and Gweta route to Nata. From there we followed the road south to Francistown. On the way, we wanted to visit the Khama Rhino Sanctuary, south of Francistown, which was previously unknown to us. We then planned to continue our journey via the smaller border crossing at Platjan, with the destination Louis Trichardt. After several attempts, this time we should be able to see Al and Gail again on their farm Zvakanaka.
We make kilometers
The drive from Windhoek to Francistown was unspectacular. In Ghanzi, we chose the Thakadu Camp, which we had never been to before. We can’t quite understand the predominantly positive reviews. The ablutions were in great need of renovation. Our opinion: there are better alternatives in the region. From there we drove via Maun to Planet Baobab, where we stayed for one night this time so that we could travel on to South Africa as quickly as possible. Philosophical note: Here we saw impressively how important it is to live your life – whatever that means in individual cases. We were able to observe and photograph this butterfly in the evening. In the morning it was sitting on the ground and when a francolin arrived, it was history within a few seconds. It was the first time we had seen a francolin eating meat. We learned something again!
Khama Rhino Sanctuary
Our drive via Francistown was unspectacular and we reached our destination in the early afternoon: the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. We had no idea what to expect – all we knew was that there were a lot of white rhinos and some black rhinos in this strictly guarded area. For us, it was not much more than a stopover, with the opportunity to go on a game drive and get an impression of the area. Anecdote: Apart from us, there was exactly one other couple occupying a campsite. We were allocated exactly this same occupied campsite at reception. That’s Africa! We solved the situation on our own and simply booked a free campsite that we liked. The sanctuary is home to around 40 white rhinos, six of which we were able to observe.
Back in South Africa
The next morning we made our way to the border crossing in Platjan. This border is very small and therefore pleasant, and the rest of the road to Louis Trichardt is passable except for a few sections. We reached the Zvakanaka farm in the early afternoon and spent three great days with Al and Gail. We were finally able to drink Spier’s 21 Gables with them – a red wine that we had bought in Stellenbosch in July 2022 to drink with them. We have been driving it across southern Africa since then. Gail created a wonderful dinner for us on the second evening and we enjoyed the wine together with her wonderful fillet. We had lots to talk about and the time just flew by. After three nights with them, we left them and set off for the Kruger National Park.
Gail found another photo from 2019 and sent it to us. When we look at ourselves like this, we’ve aged nicely in four years! Thank you for everything and see you soon dears!
