Johannesburg to Victoria Falls Overland

"These are hyena tracks" Frank, our guide for the morning, nodded confidently. The rest of the group's startled expressions mirrored my own and then turned to something bordering on panic when he followed that up with: "Very fresh. Oh yes, very, very fresh'

"Frank, I thought you said there were no dangerous animals in this area" I asked, trying, unsuccessfully, to sound casual.

"Don't worry my friends" he laughed. "These are brown hyenas, very friendly. "

I'd heard lots of things about hyenas: that they have the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom, they hunt in packs, will eat almost anything and have a spine chillingly maniacal laugh. I'd never heard them being described as friendly before though.

Having been assured no wildlife could survive in this barren environment (friendly hyenas aside), we had spent the previous night sleeping out under the stars on salt pans on the edge of the Kalahari Desert in eastern Botswana. It was an incredible experience and the stillness of the desert is something I'll never forget. We were 30 miles or so from the nearest town and without any light pollution the night sky was breathtakingly brilliant.

Four days before, I had flown into Johannesburg, excited and apprehensive in equal measure. The thought of camping out in the wilds of Africa with a bunch of people I'd never met before filled me with more and more trepidation the closer I got to my destination. I soon relaxed when I arrived though, as the bunch of people I'd never met before turned out to be a great group from all over the world, representing no less than 9 different countries. We met up in a hotel on the outskirts of Johannesburg and after a few Windhoek lagers and a delicious braai (South African speak for barbeque) cooked by our local guides Nico & Jonno, we were all chatting away as though we'd known each other for years.

The next morning we were off and away just after sunrise. As it was only an 8 day trip and we had to cover the 900kms or so from Johannesburg to Livingstone in Zambia, early morning starts were to be a feature of this trip! The surprisingly comfortable overland truck quickly became our second home and with huge windows on each side and a high vantage point, it was ideal for game viewing. Our first stop was the Pilanesberg game reserve, north of Johannesburg and close to the border with Botswana. We kept our eyes peeled for wildlife and there were shouts of excitement as we spotted our first elephants, giraffes and hippos.

When we made it to the game reserve's campsite, I was pleasantly surprised by the standard of the facilities. After a quick demo from our tour guides, we put our tents up and headed for the pool, a great way to cool off after the dusty heat of the day! The evening followed what was to become a familiar pattern – we'd all muck in with the cooking and cleaning and then sit round the campfire, tucking into a freshly cooked meal. Given the obvious limitations, the standard of food on the trip was outstanding.

The next couple of days saw us cross the border into Botswana and head north on a road so flat and straight you could see oncoming traffic approaching from several miles away. The drives were long and the scenery unspectacular, with dry scrubland all there was to see on either side of the road for much of the way. Strangely though, it wasn't remotely boring. Perhaps because this was Africa and the unexpected always seems to happen, like the day when we were driving along and an elephant casually sauntered across the road no more than 20 metres in front of us.

We spent a night camping out in a rhino sanctuary and the next morning encountered some rhinos close up, having tracked them for an hour or so with our bush guide, one of many truly memorable experiences. After the night out under the stars in the Kalahari, we continued north towards the Chobe national park. As we ventured further north, it became hotter and hotter. We reached our campsite on the River Chobe just before nightfall and it was good to have the luxury of toilets and showers again after a couple of nights with no facilities, not to mention a pool and a bar!

The Chobe National Park is an extraordinary place. It's the second largest national park in Botswana and covers over 10,000 square kilometres. It's best known for its 120,000 or so elephants, and we had some very close encounters with a number of these on an early morning game drive, the highlight of which was seeing three lions meandering along the side of the track. The afternoon activity was a river safari on the Chobe, where we saw scores of hippos wallowing in the water, crocodiles slithering along the banks, as well as hundreds of elephants and buffalo grazing on the river banks. The variety of wildlife was amazing.

From the Chobe National Park, it was only a short hop to Livingstone, our final destination and the gateway to Victoria Falls. The border crossing involved a short ferry ride across the river Chobe and then within an hour we had reached our destination. The mighty Zambezi river plummets over 100 metres into the gorge below across a width of almost two kilometres! Nicknamed 'The Smoke That Thunders', at the end of the dry season the Falls were not as spectacular as when the water level is higher, but they were still very impressive. The best views are from across the border in Zimbabwe but rather than negotiate the border crossing, I decided to see how it looked from above.

Victoria Falls is the undisputed adventure capital of Africa and offers adrenaline junkies numerous different ways to get their fix, from white water rafting to bungee jumping. I decided on something a little bit more sedate, or so I thought...a micro light flight over the Falls. This proved to be a little more adventurous than I'd expected. These quirky two-seater aircrafts are often described as flying motorbikes, as you are completely exposed to the elements. The exhilaration as we took off and climbed high above the Zambezi river and Victoria Falls was indescribable. The wind was throwing us up and down like a kite and when I looked at the photos after (from the camera mounted on the wing), there weren't too many of me waving, but plenty with my knuckles visibly white as I hung on for dear life! The pilot Stefan seemed quite unperturbed though, so I relaxed and enjoyed this incredible experience. Looking down at one of the natural wonders of the world as the sun rose and a rainbow became visible through the spray, is something that will stay with me forever.

I headed back from the airfield to our accommodation on the banks of the river on a massive high, but tinged with sadness that the trip was coming to an end. I met up with the rest of the group and we sat round the pool, drinking cold beers and reflecting on all the amazing things we had seen and done over the past week. As we watched the huge red sun set over the Zambezi, I knew that this was somewhere I would return to. There is nowhere else on earth like Africa and there is something curiously addictive about the place. The only way to really understand what I mean is to experience it yourself, so what are you waiting for?

Footnote:

I travelled with G Adventures on their 8 day trip from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls overland (code: DAJV). G Adventures were fantastic and you get to see and do so much more in a short space of time than you ever could independently. Their local knowledge was invaluable and it's a really fun, safe and great value way to see Africa. Similar tours to the one I went on start from as little as GBP519 per person inclusive! Travel Nation also offer tours with several other great Tour Operators in Africa, most notably Acacia & Oasis.