Victoria falls are a highlight of southern africa. The biggest quantity of water flows down at the end of the rain season which comes in april / may (ie now). This huge quantity of water falling down the 100 metres or so creates a cloud of mist just in front of the falls, which immediately condensate and gives the 'zambezi showers' : a permanent heavy rain on the viewpoints. It s easy to see it from the side.

falls from the side

I spent a couple of days in Livingstone / Victoria falls, enough to change my mind many times about my route for the rest of the trip, the remaining highlights of it being Lesotho and Namibia. It quickly came out that it wont be a good idea to visit Namibia first and then Lesotho in may (winter time), most of the country (and roads) standing at more than 2500m high. It still let me the choice on the route to go south to Lesotho. The rainy season being still active in Mozambique, I decided to go through Zimbabwe.

After 28 kilometres of curves at the top of the mountains, the road lead me to a remote and not too much used swaziland border. Right passed the border is the local curiosity : the longest cable of the world (about 20 kilometres ) built to carry minerals from a mine.

longest cabl car

After Swaziland, my route continued south, through the south african province called Kwazulu Natal or Zululand, home of the Zulu and land of the battlefields of the Anglo-Zulu war.

natal 1

The Drakensberg mountains continue south of Lesotho into South Africa. So the next day, after a nice bush camp near a river, I carried on my way on small gravel roads amongst these mountains.

south drakensberk 1

I left Cape on another cloudy winter day, heading north. The road was not particulary interresting, and the landscape got gradualy more baren.

western cape 1

For my first day in Namibia, I followed the Orange river which is one of the 3 perennial rivers of the country.

along orange river 1

Still on the namibian roads, with their particular road signs... warthog crossing !

warthog crossing