After Chobe and Moremi National Parks, Maun, the so-called gateway to the Okavango Delta was overwhelming and compared to where we had been for the previous days Maun felt like a metropolis. We made the most of our couple of days in "the city" to get things done. Our comfortable lodging including a fully-functioning shower, there was a laundry service in town under a large tree, a sports bar for the inaugural TGIM Maun (whilst Johnny Logan played on the radio!) and even free wireless in the local fast food joint. During our Moremi drive we had managed a slow puncture thanks to those massive thorns that cover all the bushes, so we got it fixed whilst in town. This took 45 minutes to repair and the invoice was for the incredible amount of 2 euro! We also met up with Gill, the local agent from our 4x4 rental company, so that he could check out the crack in our canopy that had started to grow considerably from what had originally been a simple fissure. He assured us that the crack was nothing to worry about and that we could continue on to Namibia as planned. His main suggestion was that we could avoid excess dirt and dust coming into our canopy by duct-taping the car. With another 20 days still left on the road ahead of us, his prognosis made us fell more assured.
Before leaving Maun, we got to do a scenic flight on a small cessna-type plane to take in the expanse of the Okavango Delta from the air and also catch a glimpse of buffalos, elephants and giraffes from above. The animal-sighting was made much easier by having a Zimbabwean guy as the third passenger on the plane, as he could spot much better than I.
Afterwards we headed north along the Okavango delta to Sepupa (350 kms north), where we took a sunset trip on the Okavango river with our guide "Fish". This guy was able to spot a crocodile hiding in the reeds at full boat speed and he also showed us the papyrus so common to the area. Sepupa is on the way from Maun to the northern border with Namibia, but before heading there we took a 40km detour to visit the Tsodilo Hills, known for it's ancient rock art. Here we took a good community based tour, and were able to see the San rock drawings of giraffes, rhinos, anetelopes and much more. And onwards we continued to the Namibian border, which we were impressed by, as it only took a few minutes to cross-over. No crazy hassles, or deep-rooted bureucracy. Just a new stamp on our passports and off we went.
A couple of Capetownians had recommended a campsite just over the border, called Ngepi. Rather than camping, we opted for our own little tree house, which basically meant an open hut by a tree next to the river. It had a comfy bed, sheltered by a mosquito net, and not much more. A hammock, and and outdoor toilet and shower completed the accommodation. The whole camping and lodge area was really nicely done, and we would reccomend it to anyone visiting that area. The night was a little chilly, but listening to hippos and other animals, and seeing sunrise between our toes the next morning completed the experience for us. The next stop was a short game drive throught the Mahango Reserve, where we saw the usual suspects, but a family of hippos close by to us and a sable antilope (new animal!) were the highlight.
Only a few dates on this trip were actually pre-planned and pre-booked and one of those were the days we were to spend in Etosha National Park. In order to make it on time, we left Mahango early and drove basically non-stop to Tsumeb, via Rundu (as close to Angola as we would get). Our only stop was at the Hoba farm, where the world's largest meteorite remains. That night in the Kupferquelle camp site, the wind picked up considerably and we tried to fix our tent so that it would make less noise. We weren't able to fully solve the situation, but at 3am or so, whilst groggily doing this, I saw the brightest shooting star I have ever seen.
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