The African Adventure
4x4 Adventure Drive

Day 20

Tuesday 23 August 2005
Cresta Riley's Hotel, Maun - Mushara/Etosha Aoba/Mokuti Lodge, Tsumeb

A quick word on yesterday: everyone enjoyed aeroplane trips over the beautiful Okavango Delta and relaxing punt rides on traditional Makoros through the Delta. In serene sunlight, everyone also had the chance to see wildlife on foot. Animals spotted included what are by now the usual suspects (elephants, giraffes, zebras, and more), whilst the rangers were extremely informative about recognising different species from their droppings.

Moving on, however, today was the longest day's run of the event - nearly 1,000km, but all on fast roads, mostly good asphalt through countryside. Initially we travelled the great loop around the Delta, where we encountered plenty of wildlife, including a large amount of donkeys.

At Shakawe we were able to catch a glimpse of the Upper Delta and a traditional African farmstead, before crossing into Namibia and then passing the Popa Falls, which theoretically are rapids as opposed to Falls proper, but which are nevertheless superb.

The day's route then took us through some Namibian towns and villages, mainly on the B8, which is the main highway across the Caprivi Strip (the narrow panhandle of Namibia that projects eastwards to the Zambezi).

Finally, after a long yet scenic day, we reached the fringes of the Etosha National Park, and our overnight stay in a stunning game lodge.

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