Day 27: Victoria Falls – Hwange National Park (Robins Camp)

Having a leisurely breakfast, chatting a bit with Carl, who is driving towards Chobe today, set off and doing some things necessary – filling up drinking water tank. We really use a lot of water in this heat :-)

After getting SIM cards and a few other little things yesterday, this morning we pick up a new pair of sunglasses for Wolle (yes, they have them here because it's a tourist hotspot), fill up petrol (1.62 US dollars / liter!!!), buy something like feta in a delicatessen and pay another visit to the supermarket.

The Pick'n Pay is huge, but the shelves are filled with meters of the same product. There are lots of things that aren't available at all (e.g. butter, eggs), and lots of things are ridiculously expensive (cheese).

Our destination today is Hwange National Park. The park suffers from a lack of tourism and a lack of money. We read that in times of crisis, some rangers – supported by farmers with fuel and food – tried "voluntarily" to maintain the camps and infrastructure. How frustrating then when one of the three main camps (our destination today, Robins Camp) is privatized and none of the dollars remain. We pay 20$ pp for the park, 10$ for the car and 20$ pp for camping, as well as 15$ pp for a small but nice 3-course meal. That's quickly 120$ US dollars!

But they all really try hard, are super nice and helpful, we are in a good position, the sanitary facilities are clean and fairly new, the food in the restaurant is good. The starry sky is great and at night Brigitte hears a hyena for the first time.