Southern Africa: A Life Changing Experience

In the ten years I have been leading tours for Ellison, I have done nearly 50, most of them to various parts of Europe. So it was with some uncertainty that I accepted the assignment of leading a group to Southern Africa. Needless to say this was more than a little out of my comfort zone, but the assurance that we would be met at the airport by noted South African tour guide, Marius Botha of Guttera Tours, softened my concerns. That, and reading everything I could get my hands on during the summer, gave me the feeling that I was ready. Or so I thought.

I expected the unique beauty, the historical richness, the exotic wildlife, the contrast in life styles, and all of that was evident from the start. But what I didn’t expect, and was totally unprepared for, was the emotional reaction I would have every day, every step of the way.

Picture credit to Norma Smith

I had looked at the pictures in the various books and magazines I had consulted before going, but the beauty of Southern Africa far surpassed my expectations. From the very beginning, when we landed in Cape Town and ascended Table Mountain, I was blown away. And it continued throughout the tour. The haunting beauty of the Blyde River Canyon lived up to Marius’s characterization as his favourite sight in Southern Africa, while Bourke’s Potholes were truly a unique miracle of nature. But where the Blyde River Region, if in North America, would have spawned countless Ramadas and Holiday Inns, all we saw were the humble shanties of those indigenous to the area. There were tour buses and visitors, but not enough to take away from the peaceful and nostalgic feeling I got from gazing at these wonders of nature.

Picture credit to Norma Smith

But it wasn’t just the marquee features of Southern Africa that were worth seeing. There was so much more! The unique landscape that covered much of the area in which we travelled, the Bushveld, made up of large tracts of tall grasses and low trees were unlike anything I had seen in any of my travels. And the beauty of the wildflowers like the Pincushion Proteas, or the various versions of the Ericas, along with the countless blooming shrubs continually amazed. And the birds! There were far too many to mention here, but what stood out was the variety. From the pre-historic looking Marabou Stork, to the huge, screeching African Fish Eagle, to the Lilac Breasted Roller, remarkably turquoise in flight, to the comical Grey Go-Away Bird, the anti-social, non-descript bird that told us to “go-away” at every opportunity, there were unique specimens everywhere we looked.

Picture credit to Norma Smith

Picture credit to Norma Smith

Simply reading histories and visiting for two weeks would never lead to an understanding of the complexity of Southern Africa’s history, but during our stay we did learn a lot. We did hear of the rich pre-history of the region, and the early contributions to the evolution of man. We became familiar at least with the nomadic Khoi, and with the Bantu speakers who moved into the area. We heard of the appearance of Europeans like Vasco da Gama and of Jan van Riebeeck, and the first Dutch settlers. We discussed the appearance of the British and the eventual conflict that pitted the British against the descendants of the Dutch settlers in the Boer war, and of Canada’s involvement in her first international conflict. But the most moving historical moments for me, were standing in the operating room where Christiaan Barnard did history’s first heart transplant and of course our visit to Robben Island and the tiny cell where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his life.

Picture credit to Norma Smith

And then there were the game drives. We did six of them on land, three in a huge game preserve at Kapama, and three in the Chobe National Park in Botswana. We also did two boat cruises on the Chobe River, which were like game drives on water. I have always been bothered by zoos. In my view, there was something immoral about putting regal animals like lions in cages. And I have always felt a measure of tension between myself and the animals. So, I will never forget the strange feeling that came over me, in my hotel room, after one of the game drives. We had been very close to a family of lions in the wild, in an open jeep, just a few feet from the female, with her cubs on the far side of the jeep. And the thing that struck me was that there was no anxiety. She looked at me as she ambled by, followed shortly by her young and didn’t seem to give it a thought. I know they must be very familiar with the jeeps, and we were taking great care to be quiet, but there was no hint of fear or discomfort on my part, and she seemed totally at peace with us being there. Not to overstate the event, but I think I never felt more a part of the world in which I live than at that moment. And it was also true when we were up close with herds of elephants, hippos, giraffes and all the other dignified animals we encountered. I came away convinced that I could never go to a zoo again.

I have gone on far too long already, but there are a few other impressions and experiences that merit at least a mention. There was the incredible gulf between rich and poor. We do have some examples of this in Canada, but nothing like the shanty towns outside of Cape Town and in parts of Soweto, the village which we visited twice in Zambia, where there are no toilet facilities, where a major obstacle in life is to pay the meagre school fee for the children, where clean, drinkable water is a daily challenge, and the five star hotels in which we stayed.

Landing At The Botswana Border Crossing Picture credit to Norma Smith

There was the border crossing from Zambia to Botswana over the Zambesi River. There has been a need for a bridge across the river for decades, but the political tensions among the countries of Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia have prevented its building. So on both sides of the river, lined up for sometimes more than a week, stand hundreds of trucks waiting for their turn on the ferry, which takes one truck at a time. Because of the continual bottleneck, it has become a chaotic scene of trinket sellers, fast food outlets, and prostitutes plying their trade. With the expert help of Marius, we navigated the scene and soon were in our two boats crossing the wide river, one boat with the members of the group, and another with our luggage, Marius and me.

Picture Credit to Norma Smith

There was the past midnight visit to an infirmary in Livingstone, Zambia, with one of

I could go on about the outstanding quality of the hotels and the food, the extreme courtesy that we encountered everywhere, and the tremendous pride in their countries that we noticed at all our stops. But suffice it to say that this was truly a life changing experience for me. I’m not sure if or when my travels may take me back again, but I would not for a moment hesitate to return. There are a lot of lessons to be learned in Southern Africa, and I am grateful for having had the opportunity to have experienced some of them.