Jan's morning brief was to be careful of the animals especially elephants wandering across the roads and be prepared for quite a few police check points where they will want to check licences,road tax and car details.He wasn't wrong on the second point as we hadn't gone more then 500 metres out of the camp ground when we got the first one and then another 2 over the next 10 kms.
The elephants were very scarce today and we only saw about 2 on the side of the road. You can certainly notice the difference between the other countries and Namibia with different houses styles where they build large fences around their houses . Also it's a lot drier and sandy than the other countries we have travelled through.
They also sell good dry fire wood which hasn't been the case in the other countries hence why they do more charcoal in those countries due to the amount of rainfall and lack of trees.
I got a bit tied today as I keep waking up at 4.30am every day so Joey had another go at driving, this time on a far better road than last time. This shot is crossing the Okavango River just after the police check station .
Got in spot on lunch time to the Rainbow River Camp beside the Okavango River so quick set up beside the river with the other side being Angola .
Amanda's camp kitchen with running hot and cold water this time
Had a cooling down swim in the pool followed by a couple of drinks in the bar area overlooking the river
Had to stop at the police check before entering the road that goes through the national park with some warning signs to remind about obstacles on the way
A few people have asked me about the set up of the trip so given another partial rest day I'd thought that given I had a bit of time I'd give a brief overview :
The self drive safari trip comprises an overall price that includes
- Land Rover hire and any breakdown issues( pre electronic versions are used as most parts are easy to obtain and repairs done quickly.Modern electronic 4x4's are suspect to dust,vibrations and moisture)
Steph is equiped with spare jerry cans,spares tyres and tent carrier locker on the roof
2 camping chairs, foldable aluminium table,2 stretchers , 30 second tent,2 mattress rolls
I've only spent the first night on the stretcher and have chosen to sleep on the ground with the mattress roll since. Joey does about 10% on the stretcher. The blue roller bags that Joey and Char won on a overseas cruise trip trivia competition have come in handy to carry around our sleeping bag,pillow and bed sheet
These boxes, our back packs,stretchers,chairs, bed rolls,blue bags and grog all fits neatly in the back of the Land Rover
-Fuel,road tolls and taxes ,ferries
- accommodation ... 90% camping and 10%hotels/hostels
- 2 experienced overlanders who double as mechanic/driving and car border logistics and cook/tour leader( Jan and Amanda)
- park entrance fees
- Zanzibar accommodation , flights and tours
- 3 meals per day except if staying for a few days where we would go out for dinner and pay ourselves
Then the lead vehicle carries all the tools for the cars and cooking equipment. Here's a view of Amanda's kitchen set up
Having a total all up payment works really well as it takes away all the hassle of having to keep paying for stuff plus also wasting time doing that where all this is taken care of by Amanda and Jan.
We only pay for visa costs crossing the borders, incidentals like snacks,grog and extra activities ( ie bungee jumping, stream train dinner etc).
The most other important document for Steph is the "Carnet" or Carnet de Passages en Douane which is a customs document that identifies a travellers motor vehicle or other valuable equipment or baggage.
It is required in order to take a motor vehicle into a significant but disminishing number of countries around the world. The countries in orange require one and the yellow it is recommended to have one
The Carnet allows travellers to temporarily import their vehicles into a country without having to leave a cash deposit at the border. It is in essence an international guarantee for payment of customs duties and taxes to a government should the vehicle or item not be re-exported from that country.
The Carnet contains relevant information about the vehicle like - make ,model, engine number, engine and seating capacity , rego number,owner and value. When you cross borders in the orange colours it needs to be taken to the customs area,eximaned,road ,carbon or tax payments made and stamped to be allowed onward travel.
In order to obtain the Carnet the owner is required to provide security based on the age and market value and there are 3 types of security being cash bond,bankers indemnity or insurance policy ( which Steph has).
Jan takes care of sorting out the customs people with this at every crossing and can take some time with multiple check being done by lots of people. Half the reason why all the trucks are parked at the boarders for up to a couple months at a time.. Productivity is alive and well in Africa !!
You do not lose the Carnet or hand it over without keeping it within eye sight as without it they will impound and seize your car so it's treated like the Crown Jewels.
So that's a quick wrap on the tour details so back to the trip.
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