Introduction  &  About this site

Webmaster: Neil Shedden

This Website has been created by Neil Shedden as a record of my Southern Africa Safari in July 1999. I visited South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe (& Zambia). This site consists of two sections: a public section, where anyone may enjoy seeing my photos of wildlife & scenery, and a private, "Members Only" section. The members area has photos of the people on the trip and their contact details, which would only be of interest to the participants themselves.

The safari was operated by Karibu Safaris, out of Johannesburg, July 5 - 27, 1999 (see the detailed itinerary). Apart from one night in a lodge in Swakopmund, the other 22 nights were all spent camping. This included both official campsites with a bar & pool, and bush camps with no facilities. There were 20 participants, plus a driver and assistant, representing 13 nationalities: Australia, Switzerland, Sweden, Scotland, Denmark, France, USA, Belgium, Austria, Italy and Germany. The driver was a South African, and the assistant was from Namibia. Quite a collection!

The roads were rough, the "16 seater" 4WD bus was cramped, and facilities very basic. In order to cover the vast distances involved (7,000 km? in 23 days), we got up before dawn, around 6am most days. We sometimes had to travel all day across endless stretches of dust and rock, seeing very little. We couldn't get much fresh fruit or vegetables - the Kalahari is a desrt, you know! As it was "participation camping", we had to pitch our tent every night, set up camp, cook, clean etc. We each shared a tent with another participant. It was hard going - not for the faint-hearted!

So, why bother to put yourself through such a gruelling exercise? I was supposed to be "on holiday"! Well, I couldn't afford a luxury "lodge & fly" type safari - the camping and road transport option I took was much cheaper. I think it was better, too - you can't beat camping in the bush, under the African stars! The trip highlights made it worth it, too, like bungi jumping at Victoria Falls! The comeraderie of the "participation camping" group was fantastic, too, which a luxury tour might lack. We travelled hard, but we partied hard, too, as evidenced by the evening "wildlife" shots around the bar...

Rather than just a static collection of personal holiday snaps, it is hoped that this site will become a living resource for those interested in visiting the area themselves. There are links to many other African Wildlife sites and topics of relevance to Southern Africa. I have included extracts of the excellent country information from Lonely Planet, for:  Botswana,  Namibia  and  Zimbabwe.  It includes both practical info: Maps, Facts for the Traveller, Money & Costs, When to Go, Attractions etc. and background info: Environment, History, Economy and Culture. Now, how about taking a photographic tour of the stark beauty of Namibia, or the fascinating wildlife of Botswana? You can also check the entire site contents, or just what's new. Enjoy!

Neil Shedden - September 1999
Site design by Neil Shedden in 1999
Email "me at Neil Shedden dot com"
Neil's Homepage: Neil Shedden.com
This Safari Site: go.to/africa
Members Area

All contents protected by copyright (c) July 1999
Permission must be sought before reproducing any text, images or design concepts