This is after all, with all its failings and wonder – Africa.
Just twenty minutes out of the city in any direction, you’ll see some more traditional communities strewn throughout the landscape. Huts and villages filled with underdeveloped African nostalgia. It’s easy … Continue reading
Oh Germany, some road rage, and a schooch
From the south west section of Namibia and Fish River Canyon, in one sentence I’m jumping north east to the Caprivi Strip. This 280 mile-long pan handle, sticks neatly-east out … Continue reading
Liquid Insobriety, a Deserted Spa, and a little History
Located in the south of Namibia, close to the border of South Africa, Fish River Canyon is the largest gash in the African continent, and second only in the world … Continue reading
Nobody suspects a pigeon….but flamingoes?
We had driven through four landscapes since we left the giant dunes of Sossusvlei. We ambled leisurely through over 120 kilometres down to the coast. Venturing past mountains of rugged … Continue reading
Why did the one-armed man stab the pigeon-killer in the neck?
Side roads, unfit for any mediocre vehicle, lead to places the mind can’t imagine. It’s why we take them. A trip to Diaz Point! Awaiting us was a dilapidated shack … Continue reading
Leaving the sheep for some sand castles
Swakopsmund is slightly different to other Nambian towns. It has a certain charm about it being on the ocean. It’s a bit like Weston-Super-Mare, but it’s down with the kids. … Continue reading
Iconic rocks, OCD nooks and Look! A tree!
Packed around forced-manicured grass; a village of A-framed huts and boxy bungalows are agonisingly, tightly and tidily organised into poured concrete conveniences. All anti-organically strewn around an actually rather difficult … Continue reading
Hobbits in the desert & checking out the ladies bathroom
It’s as if hobbits built a tiny second home in the desert, with a nod to being OCD and Christian. The accommodation at the border is possibly the most organised, … Continue reading
WARNING: CONTAINS MASSIVE SOLIFUGAE…..but there is also a squirrel and a viking)
From Xade (pronounced Kar-déh), along a road with more sand than Sandy McSand’s sand-filled pockets after a day in the sandpit, we covered only 45 kilometers in an hour. Penelope … Continue reading
Awkward Nudists! A civilised cornucopia and Tortoise
After the rains, imagine puddles, wet wood, glistening greenery and frolicking beasts – but only for a short while. The sun reasserts it’s magnificence as fast as I can polish … Continue reading
Mother Nature’s ooze
To a certain degree, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is now familiar territory. While the weather appears to be so consistent in the CKGR, it is astonishing how different the desert … Continue reading
Fairytales and massive ears
The fourth morning of traversing through the Kalahari began early. The drive was roughly 200 kilometres through more sand and dust and Piper was to be our next camp to … Continue reading
A shocking privilege
Arriving at the Kutse gate of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve is somewhat of a relief. It’s been an intrepid drive of excitement and expectation, but what’s ahead is what … Continue reading
To the Dessert! With rabies in the moonlight
Jumping back to Botswana, it has been a couple of days drive to reach, in my opinion, the last untouched wilderness on solid ground: The Kalahari dessert…. And it is, … Continue reading
We Play God
North of Johannesburg is an area famous for a few hot springs. It’s a local tourism hot-spot and nearby is a group of game reserves, holiday accommodations and “wilderness” areas … Continue reading
Cocksure expectation & the undeniably strong fragrance of clumsiness
We had just crossed over into Botswana….but these tales are going to jump around, Kris Kross-style, through Southern Africa. I’ve now spent quite a bit of time between Johannesburg, Cape … Continue reading
Riddling hold-ups, 90’s reggae, and some slightly damaged chicken
“Swift” would be a huge overstatement – my passport was even stamped twice (presumably by mistake) as I passed through immigration, but even for the exceptionally efficient, marginally friendly and … Continue reading
A Bangarang!
Deciding to avoid discussing clients and guests of Go Untamed, doesn’t mean I’m extending the same luxury to my business partner! We’ll suffer together… Bjorn might remind me regularly that … Continue reading
Beard: Back in the Bushveld!
I grew the beard… then chopped back. I have also been getting stuck into and enjoying some pretty hectic lifestyle choices. To keep a long story short, with the help … Continue reading
Blog On Pause…
Pausing the blog updates for a little while. All these travels have turned into work, and I’m loving it. The updates will begin again soon with all my adventures around … Continue reading
Chess? Too dangerous!
Malawians are some of the happiest people on earth. The nation may be amongst the poorest countries on the planet (with one of the lowest per capita incomes in the world), … Continue reading
“This is Africa”….On the Road
After much time off-grid, I’ve a journey through Nkata Bay and on to Lilongwe. It’s almost time to get myself on a plane. I’ve arranged a ride with the mechanical … Continue reading
The African Barking Spider! (Apologies for this one)
The sounds of the jungle bush in the north are much different to the sounds of the flatter bush lands to the west and to those hectic noises of Nkata … Continue reading
Ravin’ Bees and a lot of Gin
The storms have begun and thankfully, we weren’t caught out, floating around on some hefty hollowed-out tree trunks near Mozambique (as we had planned). Plenty has however, been blown off … Continue reading
A geriatric, old swan from Scotland
Although she is reliably late, the Ilala ferry is a stalwart of lakeshore life in Malawi. Overworked engines, (possibly) drunk captains, questionable weather, the economy, people falling over board, a rusty … Continue reading
Life’s a Beach, with a few owls and some fly burgers
The project to kayak along some of the lake shore of Mozambique has sadly been put on hold – due to the kayaks not arriving from South Africa. We’re closing … Continue reading
Crocodiles, Music, and a Sorry Sanctuary
I just needed to man up! Whatever I had last night was not malaria. A decent breakfast and a swim in some, apparently crocodile-friendly waters and I am fine. This … Continue reading
Something to do with a drunk captain…
Something to do with a drunk captain…or at least an extended stop while he visits his mistress(es) – of this I have absolutely no evidence other than everyone talking about … Continue reading
Where Elephants Once Ruled
On the beach at Ruarwe, along with hundreds of other folk, we loaded our belongings into the rickety boats that realistically in the west would have carried a quota of about 15 folk. … Continue reading
Chiefly Politics and Recovery
I would love to say that like my two malaria muppets and the infected leg bandit, that my next few days were a smoke-free, alcohol-free resuscitation period, but I’d be … Continue reading
Fatal mistakes, losing your jaw in the night….and Roy Hodgson
Baboons kept me awake all night (as well as trying to sleep in the hammock). Hackling, coughing and grunting to each other around the forest floor, it must be a … Continue reading
Malaria
Bjorn woke up this morning with what he thought was a mild hangover, but quickly within an hour, announced he had malaria. It comes on fast, especially when you’re in … Continue reading
Backpacking Spooners….and Charlie
Charlie was a young Berkshire boy who lost himself backpacking in Malawi over eighteen years ago – back when most of the lakeshore was wild and when backpackers didn’t expect … Continue reading
Times Square : New York
Sometimes there is no blog. Sometimes I’m taking too much in visually, in the rain, to sit down and write anything. So, here I am enjoying a little walk around … Continue reading
Panda Porn and Umbrella Rage
Walking twelve blocks in the rain to drop my backpack down, to then spend much of next hour trying to find a food stand which didn’t have a cue of … Continue reading
Bam! New York, Baby!
Six months away from ‘Merica, and I’m back for more. After being delayed seven hours and enduring an always slightly turbulent re-entry into the states (and I don’t only mean … Continue reading
Starting out again…
I’m supposed to be in the sky, but even though leaving England maybe imminent, I’m having to wait just a little longer for my next big adventure. “It’s not the … Continue reading
2014 in review
So I wrote 62 posts across the USA and the blog received just short of 10,000 reads. Raising $3227 for @worldlandtrust. I’d say it was a pretty successful year. If … Continue reading
winstonwolfrider
Ben Winston 