Category: Africa

The Ugly five of Africa, and the best places to find them

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Famous animals in Africa - The Ugly Five, the shy five, the little five, the impossible 5 and the big five. The very best of the African Wildlife and where to find them during a Safari.

The Ugly five of Africa, do not confuse them up with the big five! In my last post, I told you the best tips and tricks to find Africa’s big 5 animals. Even though these where the animals I was initially looking for during my safari through Southern Africa, once there, I heard about another group of interesting animals: The Ugly Five of Africa. Which animals are the Ugly Five of Africa Even though not strictly hideous, these animals will never rank as the most beautiful in the Sabana. They are quirky, often overlooked, and not too-nice to look at,…

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Where to see Africa’s Big Five

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Where to find Africa's Big Five | How to see Africa's Big Five. Africa's big five are a group of animals that make the wish list of all safari enthusiasts. This list includes Elephants, Rhinos, Water Buffaloes, Leopards and Lions. Even though they do not all live together it is possible to see them in some areas of South Africa, Botswana and Kenya. #kenya #botswana #southafrica #safari #wildlife #photography

Seeing Africa’s Big Five is one of the most precious memories you can bring from a Safari through Africa. Many factors will determine whether you will see them, starting from which national parks and reservations you visit. The time of the year. The hour of the day. And, of course, the most important one: how lucky you are. What are the Big Five The big five are a series of wild animals that, often, are quite hard to see. They represent some of the most iconic animals in the continent and once I tell you which ones are they, you…

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Facing a croc while discovering Chobe National Park in Botswana

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Facing a croc while discovering Chobe National Park in Botswana | Traveling in an organized safari trip through South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe we saw lions, hippos, rhinos, elephants and leopards. In Chobe National Park, we discovered one of the nicest national parks in Africa | #Safari #animals #bigfive #africa #beintrepid #lions #bigcats #travelsolo

It was very early. Almost 4 am. By the time I woke up, half of the tents were down and people were getting ready for breakfast. Today, we were going to visit one of the most amazing natural reserves on Earth: Chobe National Park. The early morning As soon as I left the tent, I realized two things. The first, my hands and feet are covered in mosquito bites. I guess, from walking from the shower to the tent the previous night. The second, we were all pros at mounting and dismantling tents. In less than five minutes all were…

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Discovering the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in Nata, Botswana

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Discovering the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in Nata, Botswana. In the forest where once the homo sapiens started to evolve, today we can find a salt desert where animals are scarce and water is even more limited. This interesting location in the North east of Botswana is unique to the country and very different from the usual landscapes in Africa | The Solivagant Soul Travel Blog | #africa #safari #botswana #photographicsafari #wildlife

Discovering the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in Nata, Botswana On the day marking one week since my departure, we visited the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in Nata, Botswana. Starting the day the best possible way For the first time in what felt like ages, my alarm woke me up. Not people waking up two hours before we were supposed to leave. Not my tent partner. It was wonderful. It was 6.30h in the morning and the day looked promising. I had some dry cereals with fruit (my lactose free milk had gone missing), and by 7 the tents were down and we…

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Scenic flight over the Okavango Delta and a relaxing mokoro ride

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Scenic flight above the Okavango Delta | The Solivagant Soul Travel Blog

Our last morning bushcamping at the Okavango Delta, we had an optional morning walk. The departing time was at 6am but after so many days waking up before the sun, we were all used to it. No one failed to join the group and we all went to see the sun appear behind some African trees. While we were preparing to leave, I was telling R that something weird had pushed my tent through the night. My head was touching the side of the tent and a couple of times I felt like something was pushing back. Our guides told…

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Okavango Delta: how to ride a mokoro and hippos at sunset

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Okavango Delta in Botswana #Safari #Africa #sunset - The Solivagant Soul

After our first night at the Okavango Delta, we woke up at 5.30 to leave at 6.30 the camp after breakfast for an early morning tour. That night, I slept better because Sh decided to leave the tent when she woke up again 3h earlier than we had to. And it felt good to feel a bit more rested. We ate, drank some water, happy to know we could visit the bathroom without having to scan for eyes. And then, we left. Team buffalo, the survivors of the previous day adventure, gathered together and with Momeht, we started our walk…

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Running from a buffalo while bush camping at the Okavango Delta – Explore Southern Africa – Day 04

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Travel journal - Explore Southern Africa day 4, Okavango Delta, Botswana | #Africa #Safari #Botswana #Cows #Okavango #OkavangoDelta | The Solivagant Soul

Initially, I was quite excited (and a bit scared) about the fourth day of the tour: we were going bush camping at the Okavango Delta! Unfortunately, the day started terribly. A bad start As you remember from previous days, I was sharing tent and seats in the bus with Sh. Well, turns out Sh could not sleep past 3am because she napped for five hours the previous day in the truck. Because of that, she decided to start repacking all her things at that time. That included screening the tent with her torch. And of course, opening and closing half…

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Maun, Botswana: passing pigs by the pool – Explore Southern Africa – Day 03

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Visit Maun in Botswana, the best getaway to do a safari along the Okavango Delta | #Botswana #Africa #Safari #Okavango #Wildlife | The Solivagant Soul

The plan for the day was to make it to Maun. In summary, the previous day, we sat. To sum up the day, that was all activity performed during the previous 24h. Nothing else, nothing more. Despite this, I slept like a rock. So well, that I even thought I was back at home a couple of times when I woke up. Without a doubt, it is amazing how good are for your sleep two straight nights of sleep deprivation. First thing we did after waking up was pack everything (in the dark). Then, I actually wished I would have…

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Ostriches and beetles in disguise at Khama Rhino Sanctuary – Explore Southern Africa – Day 02

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The best travel journal of my discovery of southern africa with Intrepid Travel. On this second entry, we left Johannesburg, drove for 10h across the border between South Africa and Botswana and we made it to Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Once there, we saw white rhinos, giraffes, oryx, zebras and much more | #safari #solosafari #Africa #travelingsolo #beintrepid #Botswana

So, it was day 2 of the tour. In my opinion, the first real day of the trip, since before that we had only had the presentation. I woke up at 4am, had a fast shower, packed everything in a rush and head downstairs. The truck, that later would be known as the white elephant, was already there waiting for us. We all sat with the people we had shared the room with, in my case, Sh. At 4.30 we were all on board except for one couple of Americans, J and T, which unfortunately were a bit late. Most…

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Running through CDG and getting a nickname – Explore Southern Africa – Day 01

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First day on the series of travel journals about the trip with Intrepid Travel to Explore Southern Africa, a Safari around South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe | Solo travel | Travel Blog

Travel Journal – Explore Southern Africa with Intrepid Travel- Day 01 After all the stress making the decision and booking everything, in no time, the day to leave had arrived. Many months of not having proper holidays had passed, and now, the day was finally there! Back then, it was Thursday and since my flight was departing at 8.30pm, I went to work. Initially, my plan was to leave work at 5pm, go home to pick up my backpack and then go to the airport. Usually, I prefer to arrive to the airport with plenty of time so, a couple…

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