Summary

The WAA-expedition to the total eclipse of June 21st 2001 into southern Africa was a big success. Despite little problems, which are unavoidable in Africa and probably give the continent a special touch, everything worked out perfectly. We experienced a tour which had something to offer for everyone and addressen all the senses.

• If you were looking for Africa's flora and fauna you found it in Etosha National Park, at the Popa Falls, in the Okavango Delta or at the Zambesi River.
• Those who love the manifold landscapes of this unspoilt continent, got their money's worth in Namibia, Botswana, at the Victora Falls and in southern Zambia.
• Those who wanted to see the southern sky at night could do so with the exception of one cloudy night every night at conditions you would find only high in the mountains back home in Austria.
• And we all witnessed the wonderful spectacle of the total eclipse under perfect conditions.

Last but not least the tour gave us something like inner peace. Things that cannot be changed should be accepted. This attitude, which is an important part of Africa's close relationship to nature, slowly rubbed off on us.

We enjoyed life in the wild, so it is no wonder that we all agreed to watch the next total solar eclipse not from the touristy beaches of Turkey but from the deserts of Libya. We will see ...

Alexander Pikhard
Translation: Anneliese Haika