Dunes to Delta

After South Africa, we made a brief stop in Namibia. We were in the coastal town of Swakopmund which has a large German colonial-era influence. In German, Swakopmund means "Mouth of the Swakop", which is one of the largest temporary water-bearing rivers in the dry western part of Namibia. Namibia gets only about 15mm of precipitation...  Namibians say "precipitation" instead of rain because the 15mm comes from fog (not even the rain). About 3/4 of the freshwater they do get goes to the mining industry, however, so locals are forced to pay high prices for freshwater.

While in Namibia, we went on a living desert exploration. Our local guides drove around, picked some stops in the desert, and we went out to find animals that live under the sand. My favorite creature we saw was the Pachydactylus rangei. It's a web-footed gecko that has translucent skin (mostly somber brown or gray) which helps them blend in with their desert environment. Like most geckos, they lack eyelids. Instead, their eyes are covered with a transparent scale (spectacle) which is cleaned by periodic licking. 

Our guide was able to pick up the pachydactylus rangei. However, he had to put it back in the sand pretty quickly because it started to get overheated in the hot desert sun.

Namibia is famous for its sand dunes, which we drove on. At one point, we were driving up and down and sideways... every which way! We also walked over several.

Walking in the Namib desert.

After our brief stay in Namibia, we ventured to the Okavango Delta, Botswana. The landlocked country in Southern Africa has a landscape defined by the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta which becomes lush during the seasonal floods. It is home to some of the world's most endangered species of large mammal, but the Okavango Delta is in desperate need of protection. The water originates in Angola to the north but with human development (water diversion, population density and commerce), less and less water actually reaches the Okavango Delta each year. Without the water, there are no animals. There will be no tourism. It will be a dry wasteland. If we can't find alternative methods that benefit locals and protect the Okavango Delta in the process, this amazing place will be reduced to nothing. It is a scary time in the world of conservation. To read more about the issue, I encourage you to check out this National Geographic article featuring one of the experts on our trip: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/11/africa-expedition-conservation-okavango-delta-cuito/

To get to our camp in the Okavango Delta, we had to take a 30-minute charter flight from Maun to Duba Plains.

Our charter flight upon landing in Duba Plains.

I had read about Duba Plains before because I have been following conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert for years. The camp was actually designed by Dereck Joubert to blend into the forest and to take advantage of the shapes and textures of the shade. He also wanted to evoke the old classic African safari style of the 1920's. Duba Plains is a fully integrated community empowerment project. Around 80% of the staff at Duba Plains comes from nearby communities. Committed to developing an even lighter environmental footprint, about 70% of Duba Plains is powered by solar energy and all shampoos, conditioners, soaps, etc. are fully biodegradable and animal friendly. Since this camp is so remote and only accessible by plane, food is flown in weekly. Sometimes, food is brought in via boat but on occasion there are delays due to trees blocking the waterways. Due to the somewhat unpredictable nature of food deliveries, the executive chef and the entirety of the kitchen staff have to get creative with what they cook. 

Our tent at Duba Plains.

The view from our room overlooking the Okavango Delta.

After quickly throwing our bags down in our beautiful tent pictured above, we left for a game drive. Even in the 100 degree heat, we had the most amazing time. Right away, we saw a ton of animals from birds to jackals hiding in the bush.

Drying its feathers in the sun.

Now this is where it gets even more amazing... As I mentioned, I knew about Duba Plains because of the conservation work Dereck and Beverly Joubert do there. It's their home base, and home to more than half a dozen of their wildlife documentaries. Before we left for Africa, we specifically requested Duba Plains since our group split up between four camps. Luckily, we were placed exactly where we wanted to be (thank you TCS!!!). We had no idea if Dereck and Beverly Joubert were going to be in the Okavango Delta, but we had asked a National Geographic staff member if he knew. He didn't know, but said he could make a phone call. Since we were at the airport, we said don't bother we can find out later. So, we were talking with the staff at the Duba Plains camp and it turns out Dereck and Beverly Joubert were in fact filming at this camp we were at. Well, my mom and I freaked out and asked if it would be at all possible to meet them quickly. I've been following the Joubert's for years and after hearing about how much they inspire me, the lodge manager made a very special phone call and arranged for us to meet them in the bush....

The highlight of our entire trip... Meeting Dereck and Beverly Joubert!

My mom and I were in complete awe that this was arranged JUST for us. We're from Los Angeles, where everyone is obsessed with celebrities. To me, conservationists and wildlife warriors (as I like to say) are my celebrities... my heroes. We talked with the Joubert's for a very long time about wildlife conservation and their work. They are truly some of the nicest, most inspiring people I've ever met. For those who don't know, Beverly was gored by a buffalo about 10 months ago and almost died. She was walking to dinner at the very camp we stayed at when a buffalo gored her. Since the camp is only accessible via plane, she had to wait until the morning to be flown out to receive medical care. She was clinging to lief, Dereck by her side. Her recovery has been amazing and looking at her now, you can't even tell that anything ever happened to her. Many people have been commenting on how awful of a year it must have been for the Joubert's but their outlook on life is amazing... They are thankful for the days they have and they are looking towards the future. They're back in the bush, photographing and filming the animals as well as receiving many awards for their latest documentary. I encourage you all to follow Dereck and Beverly Joubert along with Great Plains Conservation. Still star-struck, we eventually continued on. Below are some of the highlights from our game drive...

We followed a buffalo herd for awhile.

I was finally able to photograph warthogs! They kneel to eat because their necks are too short.

Monitor lizard looking for bugs.

After an eventful game drive photographing buffalo, warthogs, monitor lizards, jackals, lechwes, kudus, and birds, we had a sundowner in the bush.

Our safari cars parked by the water... which had hippos in it!

Sun setting underneath the clouds.

Makeshift bar, safari style.

We returned to camp for an interactive dinner, where the chefs cooked in front of us. It was like watching Master Chef... African style! We watched the chefs cook and plate right in front of us. 

The bar overlooking the cooking demonstration area.

Steak with a cauliflower purée and roasted vegetables.

This day has been my favorite day on the entire trip, and one of the best days of my entire life. Thanks for reading about my African adventures... Stay tuned for what's to come and be sure to hit the subscribe button to be notified of new posts! As always, follow my instagram @elissatitle for more pics.