Heading to Africa in 3 months

[Justin]

I'll be in Cape Town for 5 days.  I'm definitely going to Kirstenbosch, and I'll also be hitting the Grootbos Nature Reserve near Hermanus.

I'll be in Botswana for 9 days.  We'll be on Safari, but of course I'll be able to see all of the flora in the area as well.

I'll be in the Victoria Falls area for 2 days, not on safari, so I'll have a bit of an opportunity to go see some plant things if there's something worth going to see.

Lastly, I'll be in Rwanda for 3 days, and I don't have a clue what the flora is like there or if there is some really cool and unusual stuff.

I welcome all ideas and past experiences.  Thanks in advance.

[Dave-Vero]

The Cape flora is extraordinary.  southafrica.info

It looks like you've already figured out where to visit.

Southern Africa doesn't seem big on palms, but there's quite a few native cycads, notably Encephalartos.  

At Victoria Falls, I suspect the thing to do is rafting and riverboarding.

Rwanda is densely populated, but they have mountains http://www.rwenzori.com/.  Giant lobelias, if I remember correctly.

[Tad]

what will you be hunting?

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

I hope you have at LEAST a Winchester 300 mag, and a traditional Holland and Holland 375 side by side would be best......GOOD LUCK

[bgl]

Justin,

I visited Victoria Falls many years ago (in the early 70s, actually when there was a civil war going on in Zambia on the other side of the falls so we had the place pretty much to ourselves!!), and it's pretty spectacular, but don't expect much of a variety when it comes to palms!

Enjoy the trip and I'm looking forward to photos on Palmtalk when you return!

Bo-Göran

[Justin]

I'll be hunting for photos and for plants.  No weaponry required.

[Alan_Tampa]

bring me back a pteradactyl, two actually;  a male and female please.  

Alan

[Walter John]

Land of the encephalartos cycad. Be sure to capture some of these indigenous cycads.

Cycas thouarsii  E. Africa, Indian Ocean Islands  

emulans  South Africa (kwaZulu-Natal)  

Encephalartos altensteinii  South Africa (E. Cape)  

Encephalartos aplanatus  Swaziland  

Encephalartos arenarius  South Africa (E. Cape)  

Encephalartos barteri  Benin, Ghana, Nigeria,  

Encephalartos barteri subsp. allochrous  Nigeria  

Encephalartos brevifoliolatus  South Africa (Limpopo)  

Encephalartos bubalinus  Kenya, Tanzania  

Encephalartos caffer  South Africa (E. Cape)  

Encephalartos cerinus  South Africa (kwaZulu-Natal)  

Encephalartos chimanimaniensis  Mozambique, Zimbabwe  

Encephalartos concinnus  Zimbabwe  

Encephalartos cupidus  South Africa (Mpumalanga)  

Encephalartos cycadifolius  South Africa (E. Cape)  

Encephalartos delucanus  Tanzania  

Encephalartos dolomiticus  South Africa (Limpopo)  

Encephalartos dyerianus  South Africa (Limpopo)  

Encephalartos equatorialis  Uganda  

Encephalartos eugene-maraisii  South Africa (Limpopo)  

Encephalartos ferox  Mozambique, South Africa (kwaZulu-Natal)  

Encephalartos friderici-guilielmi  South Africa (E. Cape, kwaZulu-Natal)  

Encephalartos ghellinckii  South Africa (E. Cape, kwaZulu-Natal)  

Encephalartos gratus  Malawi, Mozambique  

Encephalartos heenanii  South Africa (Mpumalanga), Swaziland  

Encephalartos hildebrandtii  Kenya, Tanzania  

Encephalartos hirsutus  South Africa (Limpopo)  

Encephalartos horridus  South Africa (E. Cape)  

Encephalartos humilis  South Africa (Mpumalanga)  

Encephalartos inopinus  South Africa (Mpumalanga)  

Encephalartos ituriensis  Dem. Rep. of Congo, Uganda  

Encephalartos kisambo  Kenya  

Encephalartos laevifolius  South Africa (E. Cape, kwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga), Swaziland.  

Encephalartos lanatus  South Africa (Mpumalanga)  

Encephalartos latifrons  South Africa (E. Cape)  

Encephalartos laurentianus  Angola, Dem. Rep. of Congo  

Encephalartos lebomboensis  Mozambique, South Africa (kwaZulu-Natal), Swaziland  

Encephalartos lehmannii  South Africa (E. Cape)  

Encephalartos longifolius  South Africa (E. Cape)  

Encephalartos mackenziei  Sudan  

Encephalartos macrostrobilus  N. Uganda  

Encephalartos manikensis  Mozambique, Zimbabwe  

Encephalartos marunguensis  Dem. Rep. of Congo  

Encephalartos middelburgensis  South Africa (Mpumalanga)  

Encephalartos msinganus  South Africa (kwaZulu-Natal)  

Encephalartos munchii  Mozambique  

Encephalartos natalensis  South Africa (kwaZulu-Natal)  

Encephalartos ngoyanus  South Africa (kwaZulu-Natal), Swaziland  

Encephalartos nubimontanus  South Africa (Limpopo)  

Encephalartos paucidentatus  South Africa (Mpumalanga), Swaziland.  

Encephalartos poggei  Dem. Rep. of Congo  

Encephalartos princeps  South Africa (E. Cape)  

Encephalartos pterogonus  Mozambique  

Encephalartos relictus  Swaziland  

Encephalartos schaijesii  Dem. Rep. of Congo  

Encephalartos schmitzii  Dem. Rep. of Congo, Zambia  

Encephalartos sclavoi  Tanzania  

Encephalartos senticosus  South Africa (kwaZulu-Natal)’ Swaziland  

Encephalartos septentrionalis  Sudan, Uganda  

Encephalartos tegulaneus  Kenya  

Encephalartos tegulaneus subsp. powysii  Kenya  

Encephalartos transvenosus  South Africa (Limpopo)  

Encephalartos trispinosus  South Africa (E. Cape)  

Encephalartos turneri  Mozambique  

Encephalartos umbeluziensis  Mozambique, Swaziland  

Encephalartos villosus  South Africa (E. Cape, kwaZulu-Natal), Swaziland  

Encephalartos whitelockii  Uganda  

Encephalartos woodii  South Africa (kwaZulu-Natal), extinct in nature  

Stangeria eriopus  South Africa (E. Cape, kwaZulu-Natal)

[kylecawazafla]

Make sure to scout the valleys for stray Raphia australis groves in Botswana. I don´t think they are native there, but they have naturalized in some areas in southern Africa That was my palm highlight in Africa. You have to see them in person to appreciate the size. Maybe one of the larger ones are still fruiting in Kirstenbosch, but I doubt they will still be there since they were flowering in 2004. Also, If you go to the southern side of Lions Head, you´ll think you´re back in San Diego.