During the first week of November, ArcticTropic took a road trip from Cape Town to Johannesburg,South Africa. . Here is some unedited footage in the mountains about 150 Km North of Cape Town. Huge quantities of wine grapes are produced in the region.

For adventures in South Africa, CLICK HERE

Yesterday ArcticTropic drove through Addo National Park in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Addo permits self touring by car, though one must never leave the car. The video gets a little shaky at the end as a young male was getting ready to block my tiny little rental car, so it was time for a quick exit. This video took over three hours to upload, but there will be may more upon return to the USA and fast connections.

For adventures in South Africa, CLICK HERE

On Monday morning,October 28th, we departed the desert cam for the coast. The first stop was a cheetah reserve. We were able to get up close to the slumbering cats as the sun was too high for them to chase small prey at 110 kph.

Out Chameleon Tours all terrain vehicle. Much more detail will be given about our hosts in later posts. Though now in South Africa writing this, hotel bandwidth is still extremely limited.

This tree grows where rain is scarce because the roots are up to 40 feet deep , getting miniscule amounts of groundwater to stay alive.

Flamingos in a coastal lagoon.

For adventures in South Africa, CLICK HERE

ArcticTropic arrived in Namibia on Saturday, but only now has adequate ( but still very slow ) bandwidth to upload photos. We also have excellent video , which will be impossible to upload until at least South Africa at the end of this week.

A pleasant two hour flight form Johannesburg to Windhoek.

We are here for ATWS 2013 where the top Adventure Travel companies in the world gather to do business and explore the countryside. Here delegates ride horses in the desert.

Oryx on the open range.

While officially half in the tropics, Namibia’s climate is extreme. We went from baking sun in the desert to cold fog on the coast.This past August much of the country was buried in heavy snow.

In Windhoek, local Himba tribeswomen sell handicrafts in the marketplace.

For adventures in Namibia, CLICK HERE

In July ArcticTropic ventured to Mongolia. The following posts portray our adventures in the vast Central Asian nation.

For adventures in Mongolia, CLICK HERE

On July 4th the Naadam Festival was held at Gurvanbulag, a nomad village in Bulgan Aimag. Music, horse racing ,wrestling and a gathering of families and friends from all the region to celebrate the midsummer holiday.

Winners of a 25 kilometer race.

Village Elders.

Watching the Races.

Exchanging Snuff.

Mongolia’s National Sport.

For adventures in Mongolia, CLICK HERE

Our hosts were Jargalsaikan and his wife Tuya. We stayed with them in the yurt ( ger ) on the left for two days and nights. The encampment is in Bulgan Aimag ( an Aimag is similar to a province or state ) about 15 kilometers from the village of Gurvanbulag,where they spend the winter.

With two children of the encampment.

The inside is very comfortable. A video of daily life will be uploaded shortly.

For more adventures in Mongolia, CLICK HERE

Mongolia – with only 2.5 million people in 600,000 spare miles is the most sparsely populated country on Earth. The center of the Asian Continent is an empty spot on the globe !

For more adventures in Mongolia, CLICK HERE

Horses are central to Mongolian nomad life. They provide transportation,clothing,meat and milk. The horses are small but very strong and have a wider head – related to Prezlowski’s Horse ( re-released into the wild a few years ago) – these are the horses ridden by Genghiz Khan.
Special thanks to our Horse Guide Tanj !

For more adventures in Mongolia, CLICK HERE

Below are some Mongolian food pictures. The food is hearty and hot – perfect for the eight month winters where temperatures can drop to 60 below zero.

Goat Porridge – milk and meat from just outside the ger.

Kumys – mildly alcoholic ( less than beer ) fermented horse milk.

Horse.

Mutton Dumplings.

For adventures in Mongolia, CLICK HERE