Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Victoria falls is the largest waterfall in the world in terms of volume.  The natives called it Mosi-oa-Tunya which translates to the "smoke that thunders."  It is so loud and beautiful that when you walk up to the falls, you realize why this is considered one of the seven wonders of the world.

The waterfall is so massive, it's nearly impossible to get a photo. I'm surprised my camera still works as you get soaked from all the mist coming from the falls.  

Nata, Botswana - Chobe National Park

In Chobe National Park, we saw around 700 elephants roaming around and more wildlife than I've ever seen in my life.  If you decide to go the Africa, I'd highly recommend checking out Chobe!

Okavango Delta, Botswana

The Okavango Delta is the world's largest inland delta.  It covers roughly 17,000 sq kilometers and it's packed with wildlife.  To enter the delta, we canoed about 5 miles up stream and spent 3 days camping.  It was so incredibly hot here that when you hopped into the water, it would barely cool you down.  

We decided to take a scenic flight over the delta to grasp the magnitude of it's size and wildlife.  It is a very unique and beautiful place.

This was my first experience canoeing with just a pole and pushing off the bottom.  At first it was quite challenging as there is a current and the boats are narrow and long.  After a while, I got the hang of it and only fell in the river several hundred times.  Knowing there are hippo's and croc's throughout the delta, I must admit I was a bit scared of swimming but I survived to live another day.  Most people just had the locals take them around but my guide was chilling up front laughing as he was the tourist for the day.  

Botswana, Ghanzi

Lunch anyone?

Leaving Namibia behind and heading into Botswana,  I'm surprised at the sudden changes.  There is a lot more vegetation and cows roaming all over the place.  One interesting fact about Botswana is the average income is 1/3 higher than that of South Africa.  In the early 60's they were one of the poorest economies on earth.  Since the discovery of diamonds, nearly 25% of the worlds diamonds currently come from Botswana.  In the photos above, you are seeing the local bushmen from the San tribe.  We spent the afternoon walking around, talking about their life, and learning the different medicinal values found from the vegetation in their surroundings.  

Windhoek, Namibia

Windhoek is not only the capital of Namibia; but it is the social, cultural, and the economic center for the entire country.  Although it is just a city and one of few cities at all throughout Namibia, it was interesting walking around as people always like to stare at the big headed American guy.

............Boring, I know but at least you learned the capital of Namibia..................... :-) 

Etosha National Park- Namibia

They weren't lying when they said, "DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR CAR"

During our 2 day trip through the park, it seemed like the animals had no concern at all that we were there.  The lion below was chilling out under a tree as we drove within 15' of him

What an amazing place!  

The Himba people

The Himba people, descendents of the Herero people are native to the northern parts of Namibia.  They are famous for their unique styles and the traditional ways of life.  Typically the women do most the work and the men focus on political tasks.  Their clothing consists of virtually nothing and the hairstyles determine the stage of life they are in.  There are 2 times as many children as adults which none of them spoke another language past the dialect of the old Herero language.   

Spitzkoppe

The little Matterhorn of Namibia.  

It is not the driver, it is not the truck, it is the road! Enjoy your African massage.

The first morning we left on our adventure, this was saying which we've come to hear on a daily basis. I never thought I'd ever get excited when I see a paved road but sometimes in life, it's the little things.  

After covering a lot of ground we finally found a decent sized town by the Ocean.  Swakopmund is a large port town for the export and import of goods to Namibia and surrounding landlocked countries.  It's like you're in a desert full of sand drifting right into the ocean.  In Swakomund we rented quads and ventured through the sand dunes.  Along the way, we waxed some sleds and bombed it down the biggest dune we could find.  It was incredibly fun although I swallowed a few pounds of sand.