“The continent is too large to describe. It is a veritable ocean, a separate planet, a varied, immensely rich cosmos. Only with the greatest simplification, for the sake of convenience, can we say ‘Africa’. In reality, except as a geographical appellation, Africa does not exist.” – Ryszard Kapuściński
Visiting Africa was a trip of a lifetime, and I was lucky enough to be able to experience this amazing continent with my Dad in his 80th year on this earth. To celebrate this remarkable achievement (you would understand just how remarkable an achievement this is if you know my Dad, if anyone lives on the edge more often than he has I would be surprised!) we booked a 2.5 week trip to see this unique location with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), the same company I used for my Galapagos and Machu Picchu trip last October. It was a great choice as they provide a trip to be remembered and handle all of the logistics for you.
One of the many things I like about OAT is their use of local folks as the trip leaders and this trip was no exception. Our fearless leader for the duration of the tour was Mandela, born and raised in Zimbabwe (or as he refers to it “Zim Zim”). In his 20’s with a young wife and a four month old son at home he was a virtual wealth of information and had the patience of a saint! The 14 travelers in our “troop” (the common term for a group of baboons) were from a variety of places all across the US. As far as groups go I would have to classify this one as above average; folks were always on time or early, considerate of each other and always willing to lend a hand when needed – as a group leader myself I can say that it isn’t always this positive! We also seemed to have luck on our side and were nicknamed “The lucky 14 plus 1” by our group leader.
But let’s move on to the exciting part of the adventure – our two weeks on African safari. After meeting up with the rest of the travelers in our group it was time to leave Johannesburg and head to Zimbabwe for our first camp in Hwange National Park. Zimbabwe encompasses 150,872 square miles (twice as large as Great Britain) is bordered by Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, and Botswana and is home to some 14 million people including our guide Mandela and his family.
To manage the Zimbabwe parks, the Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority operates under an Act of Parliament, the Parks and Wildlife Act of 1975. This Authority manages one of the largest estates in the country, about 5 million hectares of land or 13% of Zimbabwe’s total land area. It should be noted that most of the Parks are located in Ecological Regions Four and Five or rugged mountainous areas which would not have much economic alternative use but instead provide great habitat for the diverse plant and animal species in the country
“Africa gives you the knowledge that man is a small creature, amongst other creatures, in a large landscape.” – Doris Lessing
The Authority also has a mandate to manage the entire wildlife population of Zimbabwe, whether on private or communal lands. Private landowners can utilize the wildlife on their land but are still accountable to the Authority for the welfare of the animals. Mandated with the protection, management and administration of the wildlife of Zimbabwe, the Authority has had a history of sound management that endeavors to preserve the unique flora and fauna heritage of Zimbabwe as much as possible in this country.
Hwange National Park is home to many diverse habitats from teak forests to palm islands to vast savannah plains and a rich menagerie of game that for our group included elephants, buffalo, hippos, warthogs, impala, giraffes, and numerous bird species. This was a great place to start our safari and we were treated to morning and evening game-viewing drives with professional guides who were knowledgeable in not only animals and plants but pretty much everything Africa.
All of our camps for this tour were managed by Wilderness Safari, a large company that manages not only the OAT camps but others that are open to general reservations. It was remarkable how comfortable they can make a safari “tent” out in the bush. Everyone of our camps had bathrooms and showers in all of the tents (solar heated water), and electricity (some with a generator that would be turned off at night) but all very comfortable accommodations with amazing staff all native to the country.
Each time we arrived in a new camp we were greeted by staff singing and dancing to welcome us and nearly all of them with amazing memories that could remember each one of our names after only hearing them once at the initial introductions. As some of the camps were far from any towns many of these folks had to be away from home for extended periods of time serving us visitors with a new group arriving every four days. As we left each camp after our four day stay the staff all gathered to bid us farewell again with song and dance that lingered in our hearts and minds as we departed. I applaud their professionalism, knowledge and enthusiasm for what they do.
“I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy.” – Ernest Hemingway
Part of the OAT group experience includes spending time getting to know the local cultures, traditions, issues and people and for this trip it included a visit to a local village. Before arriving there we stopped at a market to purchase supplies to bring to our host village. There we were given slips of paper with the name of what we were to purchase in the local dialect. It became quite amusing as we mingled with the shoppers trying to find our products and it was heartwarming to find the Zimbabwean people so friendly and willing to help.
The walk around the village was interesting and gave many insights into the lives of the Zimbabweans. They generally live in extended family groups and their traditions are rooted deeply into their daily lives. The village we visited had fairly recently acquired a well (or borehole) which provided them a water source so that they were not forced to walk the distance between the nearest fresh water source and carry the water back to the community. For us, who take for granted turning on the tap and having water come out on request, it is a foreign concept and would be a hardship even with their present circumstances of having only one water tap and community shower for the village.
Most in our group also were brave enough to try some of the local foods including the popular mopane worms. In Zimbabwe, mopane worms are a staple part of the diet in rural areas and are considered a delicacy in the cities. They can be eaten dry, as crunchy as potato chips, or cooked and drenched in sauce. The ones we tried had been dried and then reconstituted and cooked. They were crunchy and not terribly appetizing but a good source of nutrition as they contain three times the amount of protein as beef. An interesting day and a look into a culture very different from our own.
Much of our visit was spent in several of Africa’s National Parks and they are an interesting study in conservation. Each country on the continent treats its parks and its resources a bit differently but all of them seem to respect and appreciate not only the tourism that the parks bring but the flora and fauna that are preserved in the natural areas. That sentiment is not shared by all as there are virtually no rhinos left in the wild in any of the parks we were to visit. The rhinos horns have become too valuable a commodity in countries with such high unemployment rates and these amazing animals are prime targets for poachers across the continent.
This makes the job of the Park Rangers all the more difficult as the poaching is not just “sport hunting” but critical to getting the funds to feed your starving family. It is a dangerous profession and I have utmost respect for the job these dedicated professionals do everyday. It was great being able to meet some of them and although we didn’t have to time to share stories I wanted them to know that they were appreciated.
“a park ranger is a protector. You protect the land from the people, the people from the land, the people from each other, and the people from themselves. It’s what you are trained to do without even thinking, a reflexive and unconditional act. If you’re lucky, you get assigned to people who seem worth saving and land and waters whose situation is not hopeless. If not, you save them anyway. And maybe in time, saving them will make them worth it.”― Jordan Fisher-Smith, Nature Noir
Throughout the trip I was able to have interesting discussions with some of our guides about parks management and protection. It is a touchy subject as it is in many countries including our own. We talked about funding for parks and how they have moved to allowing a number of concessions like Wilderness Safaris exclusive use of a large area in exchange for a percentage of their revenues that would go back to the government. Sounds awfully familiar to what is happening to a number of parks departments in the US (California State Parks included). For the parks in Africa this system seems to be working well to help protect the land for the benefit of the species as well as the important commodity of tourism.
In Zimbabwe and in Zambia we stayed in safari camps either in or next to not only Hwange National Park but also Kafue NP and Chobe NP. Each location was a different experience from canvas tents to wooden cabins and back again to canvas sided tents. All with beautiful common areas overlooking some of the best and most iconic views that Africa has to offer.
The animals (which I will write about in another post) come and go from our view but the iconic and amazing baobab trees for me were the most distinctive landmarks and gave the name to our camp in Chobe National Park. The majestic baobab tree is an icon of the African continent and lies at the heart of many traditional African remedies and folklore.
The baobab is a prehistoric species which predates both mankind and the splitting of the continents over 200 million years ago. Native to the African savannah where the climate is extremely dry and arid, it has become a symbol of life and positivity in a landscape where it seems that little else can thrive. Baobab trees grow in 32 African countries. It is believed that they can live for up to 5,000 years, reach up to 30 meters high and up to an enormous 50 meters in circumference. These massive trees provide shelter, food and water for animals and humans, which is why many savannah communities have made their homes near Baobab trees.
“The size and height of the tree determines how heavily the ground will shake when it falls. The cassava tree falls and not even the pests in the forest are aware. The baobab tree falls and the whole forest looks empty! Such is human life!” ― Israelmore Ayivor
Over time, the Baobab has adapted to its environment. Although called a tree it is actually the world’s largest succulent, which means that during the rainy season it absorbs and stores water in its vast trunk, enabling it to produce a nutrient-dense fruit in the dry season when all around is dry and arid. This is how it became known as “The Tree of Life”.
One African proverb offers this favorable view of the tree, “Knowledge is like a Baobab tree, one person’s arms cannot encompass it.” However not every conclusion about the tree is quite this complimentary. Many fables revolve around the tree. One of them is drawn from its strange appearance. The leaves appear to be under the ground and the roots seem to be what is sticking up in the air. Because of this upside down appearance the story concludes it is an act of the gods. So the story goes it’s upside down appearance comes because of its arrogance with the other trees around it. This caused the other trees to be sad and the gods who planted them became angry and pulled the baobab tree up and then shoved it back in the ground upside down. On parts of the continent the village people believe the trees contain the souls of former chiefs or tribal leaders.
“Africa has her mysteries and even a wise man cannot understand them. But a wise man respects them.” – Miriam Makeba
It had been thought that baobabs were very difficult to kill, they could be burnt, or stripped of their bark, and they would just form new bark and carry on growing. When they do die, they simply rot from the inside and suddenly collapse, leaving a heap of fibers – testament to their succulent nature.
Unfortunately researchers are finding that some of Africa’s oldest and biggest baobab trees have abruptly died, wholly or in part, in the past decade. The trees, aged between 1,100 and 2,500 years and in some cases as wide as a bus is long, may have fallen victim to climate change associated at least in part with significant modifications of climate conditions that affect southern Africa in particular.
It is a model of survival, and survive it does for centuries but in the end our silent giant does indeed give up its ghost and falls to the victor and in this case that victor may very well be human induced climate change.
The African Baobab is a symbol of Africa, their very own living legend – and a legend is something that we can certainly all use in our lives.
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