african Road Trip - namibian Kids Playing - Photo 9082784

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Next time your kids are whining about not having the latest video game, toss them some scrap wire and plastic bottle lids and tell them to make their own toy. These two Namibian girls were coming home from the pretend market (note the empty food containers in the back as pretend groceries).

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0712 4wd 21 z+african road trip+toyota truck crossing through reserve

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In the vast and arid Kaokoland-Kunene Desert east of the Skeleton Coast, the green grass and waters of the Huarusib River, the first naturally flowing water we had seen since crossing into Namibia, were refreshing and stood in stark contrast to the parched surroundings.

Windswept gravel plains north of Swakopmund, Namibia, lead to one of the driest environments on the planet, the Skeleton Coast. Offshore, the cool Benguela current flows north, converging with the warmer Angola current from the north. The resulting effect is dense fog, which waylaid hundreds of early mariners. Few castaways lived to tell of the Skeleton Coast's treacherous interior.

By the second week of our African road trip, we were getting the hang of finding a good camp. We looked for areas with clear game paths or signs of wildlife, firewood, and clear space around camp or backed up to a canyon wall. Although the rooftop tents are safer than sleeping on the ground, they wouldn't slow down a leopard or lion.<br>

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Prey or be preyed upon. Meerkats are curious and friendly and are constantly scanning the skies for birds of prey that feed upon these small mammals.<br><br>

Midway through Hoanib Canyon, the steep canyon walls narrowed to form a natural corridor for water and wildlife. We stopped as a family of elephants passed to the north but wouldn't come near our position.

The bizarre quiver tree is well-adapted to surviving long periods of time without water. A thousand years before the Europeans discovered this succulent, the indigenous San people used its gnarled and pointed leaves for poison spear tips.

A white rhino in Etosha Game Reserve.

The Etosha Pan is 130 km long, 50 km wide, and as flat as a vast white pool table.

As shadows stretch long over the Etosha savanna, a few zebras and a giraffe make their way to a natural water hole.

Next time your kids are whining about not having the latest video game, toss them some scrap wire and plastic bottle lids and tell them to make their own toy. These two Namibian girls were coming home from the pretend market (note the empty food containers in the back as pretend groceries).

The Hoba meteorite is a 60-ton chunk of iron that hit the earth approximately 80,000 years ago. It is also the largest naturally occurring piece of iron on the planet (if you can call a meteorite "naturally occurring").

Lit by natives attempting to flush game from the bush and fueled by dry winds from the west, this grass fire burned rampantly across northeastern Namibia. We got a good scare as it quickly approached and blocked our route. After a quick assessment, we decided to blast through the fire line (it was only burning the grass and low shrubs). It may not have been the most prudent maneuver: the heat through our closed windows was significant.

Southern Africa holds archaeological records of the planet's earliest inhabitants. The San people, referred to today as "Bushmen" in Namibia and South Africa, are said to be direct descendants.

North of Tsumkwe near the Kaudom Reserve, a family of San appeared from the bush while we were stopped for lunch. The women tended the children and collected wood while the father hunted game with a steel spear. With an onslaught of Western culture, the San are attempting to hold on to their nomadic roots.

We startled this large male elephant in the tall brush of the Kaudom Reserve. It proceeded to chase us down the sandy track for about 40 yards.

Somewhere in the Kaudom Reserve, one of the axles on our Toyota gave up the ghost. We had brought a small collection of tools and were able to do a temporary fix in order to keep moving.

The ferry across the Okavango River had been broken for two days when we arrived at Shakawe. When the replacement ferry arrived, we stuffed our rig between a truck full of cattle and a supply vehicle and joined a few dozen locals for a short ride downriver.

A Unesco World Heritage Site, Victoria Falls, known as Mosi-oa-Tunya ("the Smoke that Thunders") to the locals, tumbles 100 meters into a vertical chasm. At Danger Point there are no safety fences or signs restricting access to the slippery edge. Get careless and you'll be a candidate for a Darwin Award.

The Okavango Delta is one of Africa's most pristine features. Spring flows from the Kavango River create 15,000 square kilometers of waterways and islands. We hired a mokoro (dugout canoe) guide and spent three days exploring its inner reaches and reed-lined waterways.

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