SOUTH AFRICA
Punctual as
never before, my plane from the Emirates Airline Company leaves from Milan
Malpensa at 10.30 pm in the direction of Durban (South Africa), with a stopover
in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (one-way price with multi-route ticket
including taxes Euro 340).
The very
young and beautiful Hostesses with the characteristic red headdress and white
veil, coming from all over the world.
Very nice
and friendly they fill you with food and drink continuously.
The plane
is full and therefore I cannot lie down.
I therefore
arrive at 6.30 am, with impossible heat in Dubai,
the capital of the United Arab Emirates
(2 hours time zone, compared to Italy).
I stay in
the huge, very large and well maintained transit area for 4 hours. It is a sea
port as from here direct planes pass through for the whole world. At 10.25 in the morning I
have the plane to Durban, South Africa.
In Dubai they are very
precise and therefore begin to board passengers 1 hour and 20 minutes before
the flight. The plane is packed and so once again I can't lie down on three
places to sleep.
Hostesses
bring food twice: very pleasant.
After about
6 hours 45 minutes of flight I arrive at the airport
of Durban, in South Africa.
It is 4.45
pm (same Italian time zone).
Just
outside the Arrivals Hall of the Durban
International Airport,
I take the Shuttle bus that takes you in less than 1 hour for the price of 70
Rand in Durban,
to the desired address. Just tell the driver before getting on.
So I come
to the beautiful Banana Backpackers Hostel located in the center of Durban a few hundred
meters from the Town Hall. It costs 110 Rand per night including free internet
and linen.
I sleep a
few hours because at 5.30 am in front of the Town Hall there is the start of
one of the most important marathons in the world, the Comprades, with 25,000
people from all over the world at the start, with 87 km, many of them uphill.
Since there is such an important event, it is full of people, police and
televisions and therefore it is not dangerous for once to shoot alone at night
in South Africa in a city
with a high crime rate like Durban.
Having seen
the start of the Marathon and having visited
the city, I head to the Durban Bus Station, adjacent to the train stations,
about 1 km
north of the center.
There I buy
the ticket in the Hall of the Translux company to Bloemfontein at the price of 260 Rand (other
companies travel this route at more or less similar prices). The comfortable
bus leaves on time about an hour later, at 9.30 in the morning. They
also serve a hearty snack. The bus makes several stops in the intermediate
cities.
I arrive in
pitch black at 7.45 pm, one hour and 15 minutes late, after 10 hours and 15
minutes of travel to the Bus Station in the Tourist
Information Center
in Bloemfontein in South Africa.
I spend the
night at Hopwood Lodge in Bloemfontein for the
price of Rand 200 (250 Rand on Saturday and
Sunday). The boss picks me up for free at the bus station. The Lodge is
spotless and beautiful and I sleep in a beautiful double room.
Here too,
as in the rest of South
Africa, the night arrives early at 6pm in
winter and the streets are dark and therefore it is very dangerous to walk
around after that hour.
LESOTHO
The next
morning, the lodge manager calls me a taxi which for 40 Rand takes me to the
Bus Station in St Georges Street
Bloemfontein, where at 6 A.M. at Gate 10 there is the
Bus to Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. You can also buy the
ticket on the Pulman at the price of 70 Rand.
The journey
takes about 3 hours, including several intermediate stops.
Get off at
the car park adjacent to the Maseru Bridge South African border, which is
easily crossed (sometimes there are queues). Then you have to walk for a few
hundred meters, crossing the bridge over the Mohokare or Caledon River
that divides the 2 countries.
You can
also easily cross the border of Lesotho, thus reaching an open space where you
can take a taxi which at the price of 40 Loti (the Rand is also accepted
without problems, which has the same value), which travels about 2 km. separate from the center
of Maseru, the capital of one of the smallest states in the world.
Maseru is a small and quiet town at least
during the day and can be easily explored on foot.
SOUTH AFRICA
The last
bus that connects Maseru Bridge to Bloemfontein
leaves at 11.30 in
the morning. Alternatively there are the minibus taxis which cost 90 Rand, they
are more inconvenient, but faster as they do not make intermediate stops.
Logically they only start when they are full.
Back in Bloemfontein, I visit the City and then sleep again at
Hopwood Lodge in Bloemfontein for the price of Rand 200 (250 Rand on Saturdays and Sundays).
The next morning, the lodge manager calls me a
taxi which at the price of 40 Rand takes me to the Bus Station in the Tourist
Information Center in Bloemfontein, where 4.45 AM I have a Translux Bus to
Johannesburg booked the day before at the price of 210 Rand The bus arrives
over 1 hour late and takes me to Johannesburg Bus Park Station in about 5
hours.
SWAZILAND
There I
take the parking lot above the railway tracks, an area notorious for thefts and
muggings, where I take the minibus to Mbabane,
the capital of Swaziland
for the price of 200 Rand. Logically the same starts when full
You cross
the easy border between South Africa
and Swaziland
on foot and then after about 4 and a half hours you will reach Bus Station near
Swazi Plaza_Mbabane_Swaziland.
In the Swazi Plaza Shopping Center in Mbabane
(Swaziland),
photography is prohibited and several guards guard the area.
I spend the
night at Thokoza Church Center Hotel in Mbabane
(Swaziland) at the price of
340 SLZ (Rand is also accepted without
problems, which has the same value) per night in a Double room, including a
hearty English breakfast. This is a nice and quiet place, located about 1 km from the center. It can
be reached on foot but not at night (pitch dark).
The next morning I stop a ride to a kind
gentleman and take me back to Bus Station near Swazi Plaza_Mbabane_Swaziland,
where I take a minibus taxi for the price of 15 SLZ (Rand is also accepted
without problems, which has the same value) in about 35 minutes. takes me to
the center of Manzini (Swaziland).
Mozambique
After
having visited it, at the Manzini Bus Station I take a Minibus Taxi to Maputo (Mozambique)
at the price of 80 SZL (Rand is also accepted
without problems, which has the same value). Logically it starts only when it
is full and therefore you can wait even 1 hour.
I do the
Visa at the Mozambique
border, which is certainly not usual. Therefore this operation becomes very
long and expensive (one hour of time and 80 USD, or 60 Euro). Fortunately, the
minibus awaits me even if the occupants are very angry. The Visa is also issued
in Manzini in the day and costs about half or in Italy Logically.
The minibus crosses the mountains in Mozambique and then after about 5 hours it
arrives at the Bus Station Fabrica De Cerveja Laurentina in Maputo,
the capital of Mozambique.
Stretching about 20 Rand, the driver takes you to the address you want.
This brings
me to the Backpachers Base Hostel (Rand 110
per night), located 1 km
to the east of Praca de Indipendenza. Internet for a fee. Free tea and coffee.
I visit Maputo aboard a Tuc Tuc
at a cost of 130 MZN per half hour of rental (price to be negotiated).
Then from
the Port of Maputo I take the ferry to Catembe at
the price of 5 MZN.
The journey
takes about 10 minutes. Crossing the Bay I come to Catembe, which offers an
excellent view of the capital.
SOUTH AFRICA
Back in Maputo, from the Bus
Stop Intercape
I take a bus at 18.30 to Johannesburg
for the price of 330 Rand. Very comfortable.
The border
between Mozambique and South Africa
can be easily crossed on foot.
Arrive in Johannesburg at 5.00 in the morning. I
await the light inside Johannesburg's
Secure Bus Park Station.
I move in
the dangerous Johannesburg
by taxi, spending a total of 100 Rand.
Then I take
a minibus taxi to Pretoria from a very dangerous
area of Johannesburg,
not far from Bus Park Station, at a cost of 35 Rand. Logically the same starts
when full, but fills up quickly.
I get off
near JG Strijdom Square
in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa.
I visit the
city on foot.
Botswana
Then from the Bus Station in Pretoria,
near the train station, I buy a ticket for Gaborone,
the capital of Botswana,
at the price of 260 Rand, with the Intercape Company, the only one that travels
this route. The bus leaves at 1.30pm every day. At the Botswana border there are often queues and
therefore the bus can arrive late in Gaborone.
In fact, at
9.00 pm I arrive at the Shell Distributor, near the Gaborone Mall. A pitch dark
in the streets of Gaborone.
Taxis are waiting for you.
I then
reach the Tindi Lodge for the price of 40 Pula by taxi (cost of 500 Pula per
night including a hearty breakfast), which is about 1.5 km from the center. The
lodge is very nice, with double for single use, very clean and with television
in the room.
Visited the
Mall of Gaborone and changed money in one of the numerous banks present in it,
I then reach the Bus Station for the price of 40 Pula by taxi, where I take a
bus to Francistown in Botswana. There are several buses a
day for this route. The ticket costs 97.5 Pula and you get it before getting on
the Pulman. The trip takes over 5 hours.
Once in Francistown in Botswana,
I visit it and then go to sleep at the Grand Lodge in Francistown, located about 1 km from the Bus Station and
about 200 meters
from the train station. The lodge is very nice, with double for single use,
very clean and with television in the room. The cost is 275 Pula per night
without breakfast but with free tea and coffee.
The
following morning, with one of the numerous collective taxis from 4 seats for
the price of 5 by taxi, I reach the Bus Station, where I take a Minibus taxi to
Maun in Botswana.
There are several minibuses or buses per day for this route. The ticket costs
105 Pula and you get it when you are already on the Pulman. The journey takes
over 5 and a half hours (500
km scarce). The journey is not comfortable.
At the Maun
Bus Pulman Station I take Minibus no. 1 which leaves when it is full to
Matlapaneng fraz of Maun (about 14
km) at the cost of 4 pula. Just communicate it and the
bus stops wherever you want on the main road. Then from there with a few
hundred meters on foot I reach the beautiful Audi Camp (cost 310 Pula x night
with double single use in a tent, including abundant English breakfast). Here
there is malaria and therefore we must be very careful.
At the Audi
Camp I book an excursion in Mokoro on the waters of the Okavango River Delta (Botswana) for
the price of 675 Pula plus 100 Pula for the single supplement, including packed
lunch. The day consists of 2 hours of transfer by open road, 1 hour and a half
by boat in the middle of the reeds, 3 hours on foot and back on the same
itinerary. Very few animals can be seen: some zebra, giraffe, elephant,
hippopotamus, crocodile.
After
spending another night at the Audi Camp, the next morning I have the campsite
staff take me to downtown Maun for free. At the bus station, I take the bus to Francistown (there are
several), but I get off in Nata after 3 hours 30 'and 304 km (price 66.30 pula),
where I wait for the minibus for Kasane, which leaves when full. The trip takes
about 4 hours approximately for 312
km and costs 70 Pula.
In Kasane I
sleep at the Water Lily Lodge, located 200 meters away. about
from the Bus Station. The cost is 695 Pula per night for double single use,
with free tea and coffee in the room. Very nice and clean, with swimming pool.
Here I book a Jeep Safari for the next day in Chobe National Park
for the price of 300 Pula for 3 hours starting in the morning at 6.00.
Katima Mulilo (Namibia)
Back in
Kasane I take myself to the bus station and stand in front of the sign
indicating “Namibia”,
waiting for an unlikely bus. Instead, a private taxi arrives that shuttles
every day twice a day between Kasane and Katima Mulilo for the price of 60 Pula
(over 100 km
the journey that takes less than 2 hours including stops at the easy borders of
Botswana and of Namibia, for
which a visa is not required for Italian citizens).
The taxi
driver drops me at the address I want, specifically at Mukusi Cabins Lodge in
Katima Mulilo (Namibia)
which has a minimum rate of 240 Nad per night with shared bathroom, including
tea and free coffee in a double room for single use. In Namibia they also accept Pula
and Rand, but with the same exchange rate as
the Namibian dollar and therefore you get lost, but you don't have the burden
of exchange.
Zimbabwe
After visiting
Katima Mulilo, I return to Kasane with the same taxi driver mentioned above.
But this time I pay 90 Pula because I ask him to take me to the Kazungula
border, between Botswana and
Zimbabwe.
I cross it on foot (about 400
meters).
The visa
for Zimbabwe is taken at the
border and costs 30 USD (you can also pay with Pula).
Several
shared taxis take you to the center of Victoria Falls,
to the address you want for the price of 70 Pula (1 hour short journey). They
only leave when they are full.
I sleep at
the Shoestrings Lodge in downtown Victoria
Falls in Zimbabwe
for the price of 11 USD (they also accept South African Pula and Rand) per
night in a 4-person dormitory. There are also pitches for tents. There is a
swimming pool, a bar, paid internet, a kitchen. In the evenings they sometimes
do very nice shows for free. There are people from all over the world.
Victoria
Falls on the Zimbabwe side
can be reached from the center of Victoria Falls
on foot (1.5km) or by taxi (USD 2, but you have to bargain). Entrance to
Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe
side costs 30 USD, or 240 Rand, or 220 Pula, or 20 Pounds or 20 Euros.
When there is the Full Moon there is a ticket that is valid both for the day
and for the evening which costs 40 USD.
Victoria
Falls from the Zimbabwe
side (located near the border) are easily accessible on foot, not much walking.
The only negative thing is that it almost always gets very wet from head to
toe.
The next
day with a taxi (USD 14 round trip, to be negotiated), I go to visit the
Zambezi Nature Sanctuary (cost USD 5, including guided tour), where I see
dozens of Crocodiles and a Lion and I watch the meal of the same.
ZAMBIA
The Zimbabwe border can be reached from the center
of Victoria Falls on foot (1.5km) or by taxi
(USD 2, but you have to bargain).
Between the
Zimbabwean border and that of Zambia
there is 1.3 km
that can be covered on foot or by taxi (1 USD, but you have to bargain and wait
for the taxi to fill up).
The visa
for Zambia
is taken at the border and costs 50 USD, or 15 USD if you stay in the country
less than 24 hours.
The
entrance to Victoria Falls from the Zambian
side, adjacent to the Zambian border costs 100 ZMK. They only accept local
currency but adjacent to the Ticket Office there is the currency exchange
office. When there is the Full Moon there is a ticket that is valid both for
the day and for the evening which costs 150 ZMK.
Victoria Falls from the Zambian side (located near the border) are easily visited on
foot, not much walking. The only negative thing is that it almost always gets
very wet from head to toe.
From Victoria Falls on the Zambian side (located near the
border) I take a collective Blue Taxi to Livingstone for the price of 7 ZMK (11 km). The taxi leaves only
when it is full and leaves you at the address you want.
I sleep at
the fantastic Livingstone Backpackers Lodge (Zambia) located practically in the
center. It costs 60 ZMK, per night in 4-person dorms, including swimming pool,
climbing gym, bar, ect.
The next
day at 8 in
the morning from the Bus Station located in Town Center Market in Livingstone
(Zambia), I take the Shalom bus at the price of 100 ZMK which in 7 hours (about
500 km)
brings to the Intersity Bus Station in Lusaka, the Capital of Zambia. There are
several per day.
The taxi to
go to the hostel costs me 30 ZMK.
I sleep at
Flinstones Backpackers Lodge about 1
km from the center of Lusaka (price USD 12 in 8-bed dormitory). There
is the bar.
The next
day I visit Lusaka.
To reach
the tiny Lusaka Airport, which is only 22 km from the center, there
are no buses or minibuses. The only solution is to take a private taxi at the
minimum price of 150 ZMK.
DUBAI (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES)
Punctual as
never before, my plane from the Emirates Airline Company leaves Milan Malpensa
at 21.25 towards Milan Malpensa (South Africa),
with a stopover in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates
(one-way price with multi-leg ticket including taxes Euro 340).
The very
young and beautiful Hostesses with the characteristic red headdress and white
veil, coming from all over the world.
Very nice
and friendly they fill you with food and drink continuously.
The plane
is half empty and therefore I can lie down.
I therefore
arrive at 6.40 am, with impossible heat in Dubai,
the capital of the United Arab Emirates
(2 hours time zone, compared to Italy).
I take
myself to the arrivals hall of Terminal 3 and then to the Metro Station where I
get the 1 day ticket for the price of 16 AED, valid all day on all buses and on
the Dubai
metro;
I take the
metro to the metro station and then to the Al Ghubaiba bus station where I take
bus n. 8 which runs west, passing by the Jumeirah Mosque, the Burj Al Arab
Hotel, the Madinat Jumeirah to the Ibn Battuta metro station.
There you
take the metro and visit the rest of Dubai.
The Burj
Khalifa with its 828
meters. it is the tallest building in the world.
You can
visit it for the price of 125 AED, arriving at the panoramic room located at 452 meters.
At 4.45 pm
I have a plane to Milan Malpensa.
In Dubai they are very
precise and therefore begin to board passengers 1 hour and 20 minutes before
the flight. The plane is half empty and so once again I can lie down on three
places to sleep.
Hostesses
bring food twice: very pleasant.
After about
6 hours 30 minutes of flight I arrive at Malpensa Airport
at 20.50
My complete travel report
with map, photographs and videos is available at this link:
http://vivendosalendo.blogspot.com/2016/10/viaggio-in-sudafrica-lesotho-swaziland.html
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