backpacking southern Africa – Wangechi Gitahi Travels

Africa

Adventure galore in Nkhata Bay

By Wangechi Gitahi

Nkhata Bay is a port town that is found along the shores of Lake Malawi in Malawi. Lake Malawi also known as Lake Nyasa is a fresh water lake that is shared among Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. It is the ninth largest lake in the world and the third largest lake in Africa. I assure you, once you arrive in Nkhata Bay, your whole body goes into excess relaxation due to the serene, relaxed nature of the area. Here, I relaxed and had many “first ” experiences. 1.Enjoy the beauty that is Lake Malawi: a) Be star truck by its beauty: Lake Malawi is beautiful and I couldn’t get enough of it. I enjoyed engaging in basic activities like just looking at it. The waters are clean, crystal clear and one can easily see fish and rocks without even having to snorkel. For the adventurous, please engage in water activities…

Africa

Cultural Extravaganza in Opuo

By Wangechi Gitahi

Opuo is found in the Kunene region, to the North of Namibia. It is home to the Himba and Herero tribes, communities that still hold on to their culture. My main driving force to visit Namibia was to actually see and interact with the Himba tribe/community found in Opuo. I love cultures and knowing that there was a community here that held on to their rich culture in modern Namibia, indeed appealed to me and I had to visit. What a joy to find out there was also the Herero community. a)Himba tribe: The Himba are indigenous to Namibia and are semi-nomadic in nature. They live in communities with the eldest male being the chief/elder. The ladies will normally colour their faces and hair red, the colour made from red ochre mixed with animal fat or oil which is called odjize. This is believed to protect them from insect bites,…

Africa

Exciting Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Cape Cross

By Wangechi Gitahi

Swakopmund locally referred to as “Swakop” is located within the Namib Desert yet also has access to the Atlantic ocean. It is the coastal town of Namibia and is located about 350km West of Windhoek. It is more like a resort town, very organized, super neat and has lots of German influence from the buildings to the main delicacies. This town is indeed a mystery as on one side of the road you could be enjoying the beaches along Atlantic Ocean while on the other you could be hiking sand dunes. We enjoyed staying here as well as exploring its neighbouring towns. Walvis Bay: Walvis Bay is indeed an exciting and interesting area to visit. I was impressed by the large number of flamingoes that we spotted in several areas like Birds paradise, to actually getting to hike the famous Dune 7. Everyone spoke so highly of hiking the dune…

Africa

Namibia 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

1.It is officially known as Republic of Namibia and its capital city is called Windhoek. 2. It borders the Atlantic Ocean, South Africa to the East and South, Angola and Zambia to the North, Botswana to the East 3. The official language is English. 4. It has a population of about 2.4 million people 5. Its main income earners are fishing, mining and livestock. 6.The citizens of Namibia are called Namibians. 7. They were colonized by Germany and later taken over by South Africa up to 1990. 8. It is the second least populated country after Mongolia. 9.It has the worlds largest cheetah population in the world. 10. Kenyans do not require a visa prior to travel to Namibia. Ensure you have your travel documents in order. For my exploits of Namibia, check out: Northern Namibia: http://wangechigitahi.co.ke/culture-extravaganza-in-opuo/ Southern Namibia: http://wangechigitahi.co.ke/exciting-swakopmund-walvisbay-capecross/

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Botswana 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

1. Botswana is officially known as the Republic of Botswana and its capital city is called Gaborone. 2.The citizens are referred to as Batswana while an individual is referred to as a Motswana 3. It is a landlocked country bordered by Zambia to the North, Namibia to the West and North, Zimbabwe to the North East and South Africa to the South and South East. 4. Botswana is mainly a desert with about 70% of it being covered by the Kalahari Desert. 5. Its main income earners are mining, tourism and cattle. It is the highest producer of diamonds by value in the world. 6. The official language is English but the most spoken language is Setswana. 7. It has the largest Elephant population in Africa. 8. It has a population of about 2 million people. 9. The Okavanga Delta is a UNESCO World Heritage Center 10: Kenyans do not…

Africa

Gliding on the Okavango Delta

By Wangechi Gitahi

Botswana is a landlocked country that is famous for being home to the Kalahari Desert, the Okavango Delta , the famous movie “gods must be crazy” and being a major producer of diamond. If you are hoping to meet semi-dressed bushmen walking around, you will be disappointed as modernization got to most of them. Livestock is very important to the Botswana economy such that at the border points and when entering several towns like Ghanzi, you are required to dip your shoes and any other shoes in ones possession in a mini-dip that is aimed at preventing the spread of foot and mouth. We mainly stayed in Maun town as we really wanted to explore the Okavango Delta. We enjoyed the below while in Botswana. a) Riding a Mokoro on the Okavango Delta: The Okavango Delta is a sort of large oasis in a country that is dominantly desert. It is…

Africa

Zimbabwe 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

Zimbabwe is officially referred to as the Republic of Zimbabwe and its capital city is Harere It is a landlocked country and is bordered by Mozambique to the East and Southeast, South Africa to the South, Zambia to the Northwest and Botswana to the West and Southwest. It has a population of about 16million people It has 16 official languages with the most commonly used being English, Ndebele and Shona It shares the famous Victoria Falls locally known as “Mosi-oa-Tunya” and means, “Smoke that thunder” with Zambia. Its main income earners are farming, mining and manufacturing. It gained its independence from Great Britain in 1980. It has one of the highest literacy levels in Africa. The main religion is Christianity and it is open to other religions. A Kenyan does not need a visa to visit Zimbabwe. Ensure you have all your documentation in order. For my exploits of Zimbabwe,…

Africa

Zambia 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

Zambia is officially known as Republic of Zambia and its capital city is called Lusaka It is a landlocked country that is bordered by Democratic Republic of Congo to the North, Tanzania to the Northeast, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the South , Angola to the West and Malawi to the East. Its official language is English. Its border with Zimbabwe has the popular Victoria Falls locally known as :Mosi-oa-Tunya” which means Smoke that Thunders. It has a population of about 16.5 million people The main religion is Christianity and is open to all other religions All the local languages in Zambia are Bantu Mining is the main income earner for Zambia with the main mineral being copper. It gained its independence from the British and was previously known as Northern Rhodesia Kenyans do not require a visa prior to travel. One receives an Entry Visa stamp at the…

Africa

Seychelles 101

By Wangechi Gitahi

Seychelles is officially known as the Republic of Seychelles. It is made up of 115 islands and is located in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of East Africa. Its capital Victoria, is the smallest capital in the world. It has the lowest population in Africa, having less than 100,00 people. It is home to the Coco De Mer plant which only grows in Seychelles and whose seed is the largest and heaviest in the world. It is home to the Giant Aldabra Tortoise, which is one of the largest tortoise specie in the world. The official languages are English, French and Seychelloise Creole. The main religion is Christianity Fishing and tourism are main the income earners in Seychelles Kenyans do not require a visa prior to travel, but receive a visa stamp upon arrival. Ensure you have all your documents in order. For my experience in Seychelles, check out:…

Africa

Fascinating Bulawayo

By Wangechi Gitahi

This is the second largest city in Zimbabwe and is located in the South West. As we arrived, we didn’t have an itinerary thus were both intrigued and excited about what we would find. Our arrival into Bulawayo was great as the train station is neat and clean and devoid of the “madness” in most train stations. It is a great town where we met some amazing people, enjoyed beautiful scenery and I seemed to lose my mind in various instances. Highlights of Bulawayo: 1) Matopos National Park Matopos National Park is indeed an interesting place especially due to the Matobo Hills Rock formation. On every turn, boulders upon boulders of rocks can be seen and they are quite a sight. At times, they seemed as if they had been neatly arranged atop each other instead of having occurred naturally. One can easily see the effects of erosion on the…