1ST EXPEDITION TO SOUTH AFRICA TERRITORY 4×4 AUGUST 2010
After years traveling through Namibia, in Territori 4×4 we set ourselves a new challenge in the south of the African continent, crossing the mythical Kalahari and following in the footsteps of the British adventurer David Livingstone, passing the Victoria Falls and reaching the beaches of the Indian Ocean in Mozambique.
The plan was prepared for months and in February 2010 it was presented to society, 48 hours after the announcement the group was complete.
The trip was planned as a real expedition where the most important 4×4 challenge was to cross the Kalahari, a very difficult objective since we are talking about more than 500 km of sand, seasoned with the company of the animals that live there and the most extreme loneliness that can be felt.
VICTORIA FALLS, CHOBE, MOREMI AND OKAVANGO DELTA After arriving in African lands, we were given the 4x4s prepared with all the requested camping equipment and we headed towards the Chobe forest reserve between Botswana and Zimbabwe, where we camped among elephants, who used this protected space to reach the paradise of the Okavango River.
The Zambezi River cuts the road and forms the natural border between Botswana and Zambia, a barge of Zambian nationality covered in just 15 minutes the route that separates both banks of the river, arrived in Zambia we entered the real Africa, with all the good and the bad that this represents.
After two hours of laborious paperwork and overcoming with resignation and amazement the spirit of collection of the customs administration in Zambia, we managed to enter the town of Kazungula.
After 60 km we reach our first major objective of the trip, the town of Livingstone and the nearby Victoria Falls. A beautiful Lodge served as medicine and therapy to forget about the hard drink of the border, the elephants roamed freely, and an incredible sunset over the Zambezi almost completely dissipated our resigned anger.
The next day two spectacular activities were carried out, flying over Victoria Falls with a helicopter and another much more adrenaline-pumping, touring the rapids of the Zambezi in a Rafting classified as one of the most difficult whitewater rafting in the world.
In the afternoon we went to visit the spectacular falls rediscovered for the Western world by Dr. Livingstone, on November 16, 1855, which the Makololo call “the smoke that thunders” and Livingstone gave the name Victoria Falls in honor of the Queen of England.
The visit was once again embittered by the Zambian customs that continued to maintain a predatory attitude towards the economy of the tourists who arrived there, whether on foot or by car, had no mercy and their lucrative and collecting spirit had no limits.
After the full-day visit to the waters of the Zambezi and its most famous waterfalls, listed as one of the seven natural wonders of the world and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, we took our 4×4 to leave Zambio soil, but not before paying a new exit tax to the local police.
We cross the river with the ferry and arrive at Kasane, the gateway to the forest reserve that precedes the Chobe River National Park. Herds of impalas, sable antelopes and quite a few elephants welcomed us to welcoming Botswana. Cleaning tires and shoes to liquidate possible Zambian bacteria and we start the road to Chobe.
A track with a lot of sand turned out to be a trap for some of the expedition members who had to be slinged by the companions who with more luck and power in their 4x4s had overcome the obstacle. The two hours spent there prevented us from entering the National Park, making an improvised camp at its gates, in a place recommended by the Rangers themselves. Being in an area inhabited by elephants we made a camp completely comparable to those of the old settlers of the American West, with the difference that instead of stagecoaches we had 4x4s, and instead of Indians our potential visitors were African elephants.
Already in Chobe National Park, we observed that although it was dry season, the rivers descended with a high level of water, thanks to the rains in their headwaters during June and July, a couple of wades reminded us that without a 4×4 the trip would not be possible. A couple of km away, another pleasant surprise, a family of lionesses with their cubs posed for our cameras, eager to capture that first contact with the most impressive felines in Africa.
Satisfied, we already had two, the lion and the elephant, of the “big five” captured by our targets.
The proximity of the Okavango Delta and the Moremi reserve, with an abundance of water, prevented many animals from being seen in the Chobe that preferred to supply their needs in those other areas. That forced us to modify the route and head to Moremi, the rivers are full of life, elephants, hippos, antelopes and finally the third of the “big five”, a herd of buffaloes drinking on the banks of the river, impressive.
The large amount of water and mud stored for weeks, cut off our way back, the car that opened was trapped and had to be rescued by our colleagues. It all remained an exciting anecdote, considering the number of animals we had seen a few kilometers upstream.
We arrive at the gates of the largest inland delta in the world, the Okavango River, where we stay and dine in a lodge in the town
The next day we flew over the Okavango Delta, which on this occasion carried a lot of water, which made it easier to see the large herds of elephants, buffaloes or giraffes that spent the winter there.
After the flight, the group stocks up on food and drink because the next day we will start the great 4×4 challenge of the trip, crossing completely and through its central part the Kalahari, the homeland of the Bushmen and where the legendary black lions of the desert still live.
THE GREAT KALAHARI 4×4 CHALLENGE: ONLY FOR VERY EXPERTS With everything ready, we take the road and head towards the adventure, the nearby sunset warns us that tonight we will have to make another free camping about 20 kilometers from the Kalahari. The evening was perfect, grilled meat and sausages, salads to taste, breefing whiskey, infinitely starry sky, the southern cross, in short,… magical.
Very early we left the place where we have spent the night to start our great adventure, within the adventure that was the trip itself, at 50 kilometers and already inside the Kalahari, the tail group is surprised by a majestic black lion that ran roaring, it was like an extraordinary hallucination, We followed the huge animal that for a few moments stopped to observe us, but after a while we heard more roars that came from another extraordinary specimen that was running after the first, it was impressive, extraordinary, incredible, indescribable, on the radio stations we commented on the sensations, but suddenly without anyone expecting it, a third black lion, majestic, enormous, beautiful, he passed between the cars roaring and demonstrating a power by which those present understood why the lion is the king of the jungle and also at that time, of the desert. To describe those minutes that the show of leonine models lasted is completely impossible, only to thank the fate that made these wonderful specimens cross our path and dedicate their roars and their terrifyingly curious looks to us.
Meanwhile, the group that opened, oblivious to the sensations we had experienced, were delighting in four splendid cheetahs that walked right with the first rays of the Sun in the middle of an immense “pan” (dry salt lake).
Thanks to the follow-up that our companions did, the group that had seen the lions was also able to enjoy the stately spectacle that these fast animals were giving us, the “cheetah” or cheetah does not belong to the group of the “big five”, which we after this impressive scene decided to increase with the name of the “big six”. The experience with the fastest animals in the world lasted about 30 minutes until they decided to hide among the grasses that populated a good part of the arid and parched Pan.
From that moment on, the hard part began, the sand and the Kalahari, the track was very difficult, a river of sand that did not allow us to advance as fast as planned, we knew that any incident, in the form of a mechanical problem or a flat tire would be a problem, since from our own experience we knew of the existence of predators in the area we were driving.
Finally, just when the Sun wanted to tell us until tomorrow, we reached Xade, a lonely place where a friendly Ranger welcomed us and gave us firewood, which we did not have the courage to collect on the way, to be able to cook in a place protected from animals.
You can already imagine the dinner and the evening, the hardness of the dance floor and the felines took up a large part of the whiskey breefing, enlivened by Alex from Multiespai de Granollers, who as a fantastic bartender, prepared us some excellent gin and tonics with… ice!!!!. Superb and surprising.
The next day the Ranger took us to a nearby pond where, of course, up to seven specimens of different sex and age of Kalahari lions appeared, indescribable.
After the exceptional sunrise surrounded by black lions, the group split in two, one part went in search of the only village inhabited by the Kalahari Bushmen and the other that continued south, with the challenge of completely crossing the Kalahari through its most extreme and difficult part.
The two groups would meet again two days later in a Lodge located 300 km south of Johanensburg, with all the objectives achieved, although the Kalahari group had some “problems” that were solved thanks to the experience of its members. Jesús, Javier, Juan Gimenez (three were the Juanes of the expedition) and Pepe, did a good job, surrounded by the fire of the dry fields of the Kalahari, (In that area they were burning stubble)
By the way, this group was also able to see Bushmen in their ancestral villages and it was a pleasure to be able to contact those survivors of the Kalahari, where it really seems impossible to live.
After leaving the legendary, mythical and very hard Kalahari, satisfaction and tiredness, at the first gas station we found we filled the empty tanks of our 4x4s and continued south to cross the border and meet our fellow travelers.
By phone we learned that two hours of time separated us, getting to the Hotel was hard since part of the trip was at night, in South Africa before six o’clock it was already dark, and a few minutes later the night was so dark that it seemed that it was twelve.
We had breakfast at eight, I don’t know if it was because of excitement or hunger, or both, the breakfast was extraordinary and generous, with the classic eggs, bacon and sausages, they gave us some exquisite beef steaks, really a breakfast that could well be a breakfast-lunch, snack
As we left the highway, we entered the kingdom of the Zulus, brave men and women who once faced, and on many occasions defeated, their British occupiers, on our way we passed through several of the war scenarios where colonizers and natives faced each other with the same objective but with different justice, some for their right to defend their land and the others for the ambition to conquer it.
By clues we saw how they lived, in ancestral rondabels or wooden cabins, we were lucky enough to see a tribal meeting, where the whole town was sitting listening to the leader’s utensils.
We ate next to a waterfall, through which unfortunately only a trickle of water fell. We continued our walk along the ridges of the mountains, which allowed us to have a magnificent panoramic view of the region.
The Sun, masked this time by the dust left behind by our 4x4s, alerted us that the fast darkness was lurking, we found a place among trees near a village and there we decided to camp.
The good mood and how much fun we were having could not be reflected in the whiskey breefing that night, because the next day we had to get up very early, we were going to get the fourth of the five big animals of Africa, the rhinoceros.
An hour before dawn, the group left with total punctuality, we were eager to have our first encounter with the great white rhinoceros.
Just as the first rays of the Sun began to appear on the horizon we entered the reserve, with a size similar to the province of Barcelona and where about 1200 rhinos live. Imagine the difficulty of finding a rhino!
The group was fragmented into three parts to increase the chances of encounter, and just 10 minutes after crossing the entrance, a rhinoceros about to give birth began to move next to the groups that spontaneously reunited, it was a superb spectacle, the huge female was very nervous and moved abruptly, She must have been suffering the pains of childbirth, and we decided to leave so as not to disturb her at that important moment in her life and that of an endangered species.
With the excitement of having been able to see the animal colossus with the great horn so closely, we split up again with the satisfaction of having fulfilled our goal, but with the hope of seeing more rhinoceroses.
A few hours later our group saw a male about 200 meters from the track, it was a steppe without much vegetation that allowed us to get very close to the animal, which without stopping due to the proximity of the four vehicles was walking until it showed us its family, a female and a calf that must have been a few months old. We stopped the engines and for a long time we enjoyed that unique spectacle, at the end and when we started the engines, the female acted with her mother functions and launched a mini race of a couple of meters against the car Javier, it was her way of telling us goodbye or more likely of telling us to leave them alone.
We ate in a safe place and waited until the afternoon to leave the Park. We were entertained with some buffaloes eating, when the Javier Jacoste radio station, which was on the asphalt, warned us of the presence of a couple of rhinos in a very calm state, all the groups even those who had already reached the exit, located just two kilometers from the place, we met again, the animals knowing their power and sure of not having enemies, they walked by our side without hesitation or fear.
But as sometimes happens in Territori, the good was yet to come, when we were leaving, by the way very satisfied with what we had experienced throughout the day, a female rhino and her cub of weeks appeared just 100 meters from us, we stopped the cars, stopped the engines and we made silence, the calf very curious to see so many white four-wheeled animals” in front of her, it was approaching meter by meter towards ours, my little Janna was with the camera shooting non-stop, the mother Rino was right behind her little one with a huge horn that cut your breath, the dog, with his good 200 kilos of weight, was getting closer and closer to our car, I was thinking what would happen if the mother got angry, when I was a meter from the car, Janna couldn’t resist anymore and raised the glass of the door a little, I was really with a raised congojo, the noise scared the little one who made a sharp turn colliding with the mother, both of us backing up and moving away from us a few meters, It was an indescribable experience of fear, of splendor, of anxiety, of spectacle, of strength, of maternal love, of curious breeding looking for her adventure, of daughter next to a huge beast with a gigantic horn, of father and mother suffering a lot, in the end it was sublime and wonderful, although somewhat adrenaline-pumping and thanks to the cold-bloodedness of my daughter we have the complete sequence of the approach to the car, which makes all the text I have just related unnecessary.
We left the Reserve very happy because we had all seen the fourth animal of the “big five” up close, now we only had the elusive leopard left, would we see it?
We camped very close to the sea on a piece of land that a lady very kindly gave us, there we met a French boy from Brittany, married to a native, who accompanied us and together with Cisco and his daughter Janna (two Jannas on the same trip, what a coincidence, isn’t it?) they improvised some magnificent trios with their guitars, once again the magic of Multiespai appeared and some excellent alcoholic cocktails enlivened with the ice of the special reserve Juan Lorca, made us spend some unforgettable moments.
MOZAMBIQUE: AN EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY Following the instructions of a good friend of Territori 4×4, Cesar, we included Mozambique in our route, with a route that, after seeing and living what we saw and lived, seemed so short that next year we thought of extending it much more and we trust that Cesar will accompany us.
After crossing the border, between South Africa and Mozambique, we observed that the asphalt that had led us there had disappeared, and in its place there was only sand, the few cars that arrived here the first thing they did was deflate tires, and we soon found out why.
We headed towards the Indian Ocean to reach a restaurant where we could taste a seafood, lunchtime was approaching and hunger grew by the moment, but the track was becoming a river of sand and the river of sand into dunes covered with vegetation, it was hilarious, we had never reached a restaurant at the foot of the sea by dunes. As it always happens in these cases when there is hunger and the price is very reasonable, we ordered much more than necessary, in addition to lobsters and other similar animals, several kilos of grilled prawns, squid, grouper, mussels, and all washed down with an exquisite white wine called “Vinha verde”.
After the meal we had 100 kilometers of track and a ferry to get to our hotel in Maputo.
The people we met, all of color, had a way of being much more similar to ours, they were open, friendly, pleasant, very friendly, very friendly, the Portuguese heritage and the Latin character contrasted a lot with the sobriety and rectitude of the Anglophile countries we had visited until then. Personally, and I think that the vast majority of the expedition members fell in love with Mozambique and its people.
Under the light of the moon that was beginning to be full, we arrived in the capital of the country and thanks to Alex’s route and the maps provided by our good friend Jaume de La Roca, we arrived without any setback at our hotel, although Cisco wanted to invite us to dinner because it was his birthday, (he had proposed it several days ago). Only the youngest of the group and a couple of zampabollos had the audacity to eat a small sandwich, since after the gargantuan meal on the beach it was impossible to be hungry.
The morning of the next day, it was used to shop in the original and very entertaining artisan market of the city, haggling and patience were absolutely mandatory for lovers of “pongos”, a word that according to our good friend and companion on this trip, Joan Papió, defines a souvenir or souvenir that when we unpack it from the suitcase we ask ourselves: Where do I put it?
We had lunch that day on a beautiful white beach, but instead of seafood we ate an excellent roast chicken, marinated with spices that tasted like heavenly glory, it was delicious. Photos of the boats, the fishermen, the landscapes, the sea, or rather the Indian Ocean, smiles with the natives, in short, an unbeatable good vibe. Even Jesus gave a child 10 euros for a couple of packages of wipes, the boy when he saw the money was so excited that he did not know whether to kiss him, hug him or run away, in the end he gave a heartfelt handshake to Jesus who we believe was also a little excited.
In the afternoon we left for South Africa, on the border of Mozambique, a couple of mistakes were taken advantage of by the customs to get some rands from Jesús and Juan.
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK: WILL WE SEE THE LEOPARD? We cross back into South Africa and look for a campsite 10 kilometers from the Kruger National Park. The camping like all the previous ones is fantastic, ample space, very perfected circle, good lighting, food to the point of taste of each one, lively chat, unsurpassed whiskey breefing, an atmosphere of authentic camaraderie and camaraderie.
The next day, there was only one objective, to enter the Kruger and see the leopard. Buffalo, elephants, lions, cheetahs, rhines, antelopes, giraffes, zebras we had seen enough, now the theme was to find the elusive leopard, well, and if we saw hippos out of the water, or crocodiles in action we would also stop to see it.
With that desire the day began, but the leopard did not appear, only a few hiccups but without opening its mouth and also in the water and a bored crocodile that did not move even with Tarzan’s screams. Otherwise we saw everything, including the intrepid warthogs and comical baboons that sneaked into all the picnic spots, where we decided to eat or stop.
We camped in a safe place within the National Park and maintained the joy of previous days, despite not having seen the most desired and little-seen feline.
Just before dawn the group set off with the only mission to find the leopard, Alex’s group, saw many lions, some very close, buffalo, elephants and 2 leopards. TWO LEOPARDS! That’s nothing.
The other group, in which I was riding, was less fortunate in terms of lions, since we saw a couple and only Jacoste’s car managed to take impressive photos of the male watchdog. We were lucky enough to see one of the leopards that Alex’s group saw, and experience an authentic National Geographic scene, as the leopard was lying near a large tree next to a muddy pool of water, where an old buffalo was drinking, after a failed attempt by a group of impalas to drink, We live an endearing and completely magical scene. A pair of adult giraffes arrived at the pond, after carefully studying the leopard, they passed behind the tree where the feline apparently slept. A few minutes later three more giraffes appeared, a male, a female and their small calf, the three stopped about 50 meters from the leopard, the male took a few steps in the direction of the predator to study the situation, everything happened very slowly, after a few minutes, the male went to where his mate was with the calf, Male and female brushed their mouths, licked their snouts and like an exhalation the male giraffe addressed the leopard, planting himself less than two meters from the beast in a threatening way, the feline got up and jumped on a broken trunk that was next to the large tree, the other two giraffes that had been impassive all this time approached threateningly towards the leopard, who, cowed, fled climbing like lightning to the top of the tree, disappearing from our sight. Then, with the tranquility that the enemy was no longer such, the giraffes and their calf continued on their way.
This experience was really so beautiful that that’s why I wanted to share it and tell how we lived it, I was especially impressed by the kiss that the male gave, knowing the danger he was in, like the farewells of the kamikazes at their last supper, without a doubt it was a show of love and unspeakable survival, lived live and direct.
Then, after eating in an area surrounded by hornbills and all kinds of birds with very showy plumage, we saw the crocodile swimming and coming out of the water, five or six hippos out of the water, as well as a couple of rhinos, various elephants and buffaloes, which allowed us to see the big five in the same day.
In the afternoon we all met again at the camp and to celebrate the success, we went to the restaurant where those who wanted to tasted the delicious preparations of kudu meat or other less exotic but equally tasty beef or veal, washed down with local wines or flavored beers. Dinner was a delicious combination of flavor and pleasant gathering that changed the usual camp fire of breefing whiskey for the restaurant table. By the way, it should be noted that María and Maica slept in a comfortable cabin that the organization wanted to raffle and that all the rest of the participants gave up without hesitation for a minute to the two girls.
As the Kruger gave us so much, we decided to keep those moments in our memory and leave as soon as possible, but as the Kruger is the Kruger, before leaving it, we saw a herd of buffalo crossing in front of us, we gave them as always, right of way and when they had crossed the road we continued our march. About 500 meters away there was a pond and surprise, buffaloes began to arrive to drink, Cisco began to count them, at first it was easy, but more and more arrived, the tail was more than 500 meters from there, the animals that crossed the road were the final part of a gigantic herd of dozens of buffaloes, Cisco got tired in his 200s, it was a fantastic culmination in a unique and unsurpassed game reserve, Kruger National Park.
THE END IS COMING We left the Park and had a small espresso coffee in the first town we found, we were a bit sad and to cheer us up we played the song of the group The Triangle, Applejack, the one by the Damm in Menorca, you know. Marta and María Jacoste proudly showed their magnificent photos, before selecting the best ones for the famous Multiespai photo contest, which will have as a prize a superb mojito in the adult category and a non-spicy hamburger with soft drink in the children’s category.
We started with the spectacular route “The Panorama” and the Blyde Canyon with the three accompanying Rondavels, which we were able to admire from a viewpoint strategically located on the edge of a very high cliff, it really was a spectacular view of the Canyon, the river and the mountainous geoformations that surrounded it.
Then a track to reach a small waterfall that disappointed a little, especially because of the bad weather, in the form of a tiny drizzle that had been accompanying us and bothering us for a few minutes.
With the sky overcast, rain threatening, and with the last camping planned and only a couple more days of travel, people were somewhat sad, but as always, and Papio knows this. Surprise, the group held back by Alex based on viewpoints covered by fog and cafes in typical bars, gave Territori time to prepare a very special accommodation to spend the night.
When Alex received the call that everything was ready, the expedition members left in the rain on a narrow and curvy road, everything foreshadowed the worst night of the trip, after 10 kilometers, they arrived at a small town that seemed to be taken from the night of time, only the asphalt of the ground clouded the image of a village created more than 150 years ago. We park the cars and we are told to close our eyes because from that moment on we will go back to the year 1850, in the middle of the gold rush, and so it was, the Hotel and its rooms were the same as at that time, lamps, hyper-comfortable bed with duvets of the past, huge bathtub without shower, newspaper of the time, soap in a glass bottle, no plastics, a true experience of where the miners who were lucky in the search for gold stayed. We had dinner at the hotel buffet and all the expedition members agreed that it was a nice and unexpected surprise that Territori 4×4 had in store for us.
The next day we went to the old cemetery and to the abandoned mines and those that are currently active, where the precious and golden element is still extracted.
At the last moment, Juan suffers a very strong pain that seems to be a kidney stone attack, the pain is so strong that Juan cannot drive and he is transferred to the nearest hospital, when we arrive, they tell us that the health center is on strike and there is no one to attend to us. they tell us where to find a private doctor, we arrive at his office, but he is not there, from there they tell us how to get to another doctor, who finally attends us and in a few minutes gives him a highly effective treatment that frees poor Juan from unbearable pain.
We arrive in Nelspruit where we stay in a modern and beautiful design hotel, we eat in a restaurant located in a viewpoint that offers a magnificent panoramic view of the city.
We spend the afternoon sorting our bags, since the next day we will leave, resting or looking at the thousands of photos we have taken.
At 7:30, the 25 of us get into 4 cars and head to the restaurant for dinner. Cisco, faithful to his word, invites us to French champagne that makes us sing Happy Birthday to him again, I don’t remember singing years ago, maybe 46, but nobody cared about that, the really beautiful thing was the people, the companions of such a hard trip, of so many hours in the car, of so many adventures, in so many countries, and with practically no incidents, and those that did exist, solved by the union and solidarity of all. That is what we have left, the experience of the trip and that the worst thing about it was the moment of finishing it, which we would all have continued, perhaps Juan with his stone not so much, but without stone surely too.
The next day motorway, quick visit to Pretoria, capital of South Africa, return of cars, where they treated us wonderfully well and let us pass all the scratches, and several temillas that we had serious doubts that they would accept, Right Pep and myself?
Transfer to the airport and home.
In short, an unforgettable and superb trip, for everything we have seen, for everything we have experienced, for everything we have felt and especially for all the colleagues who have shared it and which has undoubtedly been the best part of the trip.
Thanks to the little and loquacious youngest of the group Laura, her sister María future photographer of the National Geographic, to the artist and guitarist Janna, to the friendly and vivacious Jordi, to the charming and shy Judit and to her sister the always smiling Janna. To Javier and Laura who enriched the functioning of the group so much with their opinions and actions. To Jesús Ferrer, resolute and effective as always, to the collaborator Merçe, his wife. To the punctual and lively Cisco and his diligent wife Anna. To the eternal youth of María and the complicity of Maica. To the endearing Pep and Marta, possible winner of the photo contest. To the essential and efficient Joan Papió. To the last-minute and always daring sick Juan and his determined wife Isabel, to Joan Lorca, permanently optimistic and positive along with his wife Carme, always on the lookout to help animals in trouble. And of course to my friend Alex from Multiespai and his wife Remei who were at all times unbeatable engines, in the preparation and throughout the trip. Finally, I want to thank the one who in my heart is the first and most important person in my life, my dear Julia, for being who she is and sharing with me a trip very similar to the one we took years ago, when we were much younger, together and alone.
Jordi Tobeña
