Framlinghamian 2022 - Flipbook - Page 44
OUTWARD BOUND
Alana Banks and Matt Fish
UNDER AFRICAN SKIES
THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA IS
ONE OF THE MOSTLY SPARSELY
POPULATED COUNTRIES ON EARTH
AND IS A PLACE OF SINGULAR AND
UNPARALLELED NATURAL BEAUTY.
In addition to mining and cattle, it now
boasts the highest GDP per capita in Africa
because after its independence in 1966 it
ushered in an era of utterly exclusive safari
experiences that cannot be matched. Our
team of 21 students, Mr Myers-Allen and
Dr Richard Higgins, landed in South Africa
on 8th July and immediately visited the
Ann Dyke Cheetah Sanctuary and, the next
day, crossed the border to visit the Khama
Rhino Sanctuary. From that point onwards
we were on safari, in the wilderness, driving
through fossil river valleys and swaying
golden grasses to discover black-maned
lions, cheetah, oryx, springbok, steembok
and kudu.
From Kasane, we crossed into Zambia and
getting across the border took 4 hours
– a bureaucratic nightmare. However,
it was worth it to stay in Livingstone and
experience the thunderous Victoria Falls.
As we headed for the border town of
Kasane, we entered the 11,000 sq km
Chobe National Park. This is the epicentre
of Botswana safari industry, famed for its
massive elephants and enormous elephant
population. We saw warthog, zebra, blue
widerbeast, waterbuck, impala, tsessebe,
giraffe, leopard, lion, spotted hyena,
baboons, vervet monkeys, jackals, caracal,
vultures and honey badgers. We had seen
the Big Five and every animal represented
in ‘The Lion King’.
At 1,708m long and 108m deep, the entire
volume of the Zambezi River cascades
into the gorge at 12,800 m3/second,
sending up clouds of mist and rainbows.
The journey across Zambia to Losaka
and home took 37 hours, which gave the
expeditioners ample time to reflect on an
exhilarating journey of a lifetime.
MARTIN MYERS-ALLEN
A framExpedition
Back row L to R: Josh Easey, Tour Guide, Tom buckle, Grace Bowden, Millie Finbow, Emma Williamson, Sam Ponty, Nicolas Garcia Hernandez, Millie Crewe, Will Gladwell, Eleanor Petheram,
Rufus Easey, Faith Reader, Hunny Clark, Charlotte Mears. Middle Row: Alfie Fairbanks-Weston, Milo Capel Cure, Kodie Holloway, Matthew Fish, Alana Banks, Eliza Bowditch, Emma Grose, Tour
Guide. Front Row: Richard Higgins and Martin Myers-Allen
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THE FRAMLINGHAMIAN 2019