7 African travel highlights in 2012

2012 has been a fabulous year of travel, and I count myself truly lucky. But across the six African countries we visited, some experiences stood out as highlights. Here are seven of them; follow the links to find out why they were so special.

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Lesotho

Sheep have right of way in Lesotho

2012 wasn't our first time in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, with its neat little villages of stone-and-thatch rondavels that cling to the steep mountains, but it was our first visit to Semonkong – a frontier town with the look and feel of a Wild West movie set. We stayed at Semonkong Lodge on the outskirts of the village and enjoyed waking to the sound of cow bells in the morning. And it was here that we totally fell in love with Lesotho. A trip to a private home in the village to learn the secret language of the Basotho blanket was also a cultural moment to treasure.

South Africa

Green Kalahari

For the first time in more than twenty years we decided to brave the heat and visit the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in mid-summer. What we found was lush green vegetation with a confetti of wild flowers in yellow, pink and shades of purple. We called it the Green Kalahari. Summer laid on a smorgasbord of animal sightings too, including three cheetah hunts in the Auob riverbed. Only the last one – by a mother with three almost full-grown cubs to feed – ended in a springbok kill after a 50-metre dash even a Ferrari would have been proud of.

Elandsberg cottage, Tankwa Karoo

Our second South African highlight was a three-night stay in the Elandsberg cottages in the Tankwa Karoo National Park, about four hours from Cape Town. In a nod to the past, the cottages are built in the old-fashioned way, using unbaked bricks of clay and straw, with peach-pip floors and reed ceilings. Paraffin lamps add a romantic touch. There’s a even a splash pool for hot summer days and an indoor fireplace for icy winters. If you can tear yourself away from the cottage for a morning, it's worth driving up the Gannaga Pass and to the Elandsberg viewpoint. 

Namibia

At Eagle's Nest, Ngepi, you can take a bath with a view over the Kavango River

In the Caprivi/Zambezi region of northern Namibia, we spent two nights at ​Ngepi camp with its oddball sense of humour. Going to the loo and having a shower weren't just functional necessities here, but adventures that made us smile. 

Etosha pan may look desolate, but there's always a wealth of animals in this Namibian national park

Etosha has long been one of my favourite southern African national parks. And this year it didn’t disappoint, giving us sightings of elephants of varying ages and sizes, lazy lions, a leopard or two, towers of giraffe, 400-strong herds of zebra wrestling for the sweet spot at a waterhole. But best of all were four cheetahs jostling for space in a tree at the edge of the pan, climbing over each other, jumping down for a game of tag. They entertained us (and themselves) for about an hour before melting into the long grass.

Zimbabwe

A trip to the mighty Victoria Falls is pretty much bound to  impress; it is after all a Unesco World Heritage Site. But the highlight our 2012 visit turned out to be The Boma, an African twist on the more mundane dinner-theatre. We went expecting a meal and we got a full-on thrilling show as well, a wealth of colour, dance, music and rhythm, with an interactive drumming lesson thrown in for good measure. It was an adrenalin high.

Zambia

2012 saw our first visit to Zambia and we loved it so much that it’s hard to choose just one highlight. We loved the friendly people, the colourful markets, and we loved visiting the South Luangwa National Park. But I think best of all was Croc Valley campsite where we stayed just outside the park’s gates, a shady retreat with an awesome view of the Luangwa River, and a friendly bar for ice-cold Mosi beer, even a plate of food if we were too lazy to make a braai. Zambia rocks!

Do you have any African travel highlights to share? I'm looking for ideas and inspiration for the year to come...

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