ULTIMATE AFRICA SAFARIS
Ultimate Africa travel and wildlife news archive August 2003 Air Zimbabwe Reintroduces Regional Flights, August 3 2003 Air Zimbabwe has reintroduced flights to Malawi, Zambia and Kenya. Air Zimbabwe will resume Friday evening flights to Lusaka. There will be two flights on Sundays and Thursdays to Malawi and Kenya. Daily flights between Harare and Johannesburg via Bulawayo will run five times a day from Monday to Friday. Air Zimbabwe has also resumed flights to Mauritius. Air Zimbabwe still flies to London three times a week. Canoeing Safaris on Upper Zambezi River, August 3 2003 For five years Robin Brown and his team of guides have been operating canoeing safaris on Zimbabwe's Lower Zambezi River. This is the section of water (270 kms) between Lake Kariba and Kanyemba, the most "North-Eastern" border of Zimbabwe with Zambia and Mozambique and where the Zambezi leaves Zimbabwe traveling east. Canoeing Safaris has now begun operating on the shorter stretch of water above the Falls, some 70 kms of water between the Kazungula border, where the Zambezi first comes into contact with Zimbabwe and the Victoria Falls themselves. Robin is a Professional Guide and will initially be conducting the safaris himself as he trains up a team of guides. They will be offering three day two night safaris, two day one night safaris, single day excursions and even a short paddle on the river just above the Falls. Zimoza Transfrontier Park to Be Opened Soon, August 3 2003 A transfrontier tourism project, involving Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia, is in an advanced stage of preparation before its effective implementation, said Luis Namanhe, Tourism director in the western Mozambican province of Tete. The project, known by the achronim ZIMOZA, is to cover some areas of Tete in Mozambique, northern Zimbabwe, and eastern Zambia, and is aiming to establish a common management, between the three countries, of the forest and wildlife resources, and to promote tourism in those areas. The Great Limpopo Park is another transfrontier tourism initiative, which is now under consolidation, covering Kruger in South Africa, Gonarhezou in Zimbabwe, and Limpopo in Mozambique. UK Revises Kenya Travel Advice, August 3 2003 The British Foreign Office has revised its Travel Advice for Kenya removing the warning against non-essential travel issued on 15 May 2003. While no longer advising against non-essential travel, the new Travel Advice makes clear that there is a significant threat from terrorism in Kenya and that British nationals should remain vigilant at all times. The British Department of Transport has written to British airlines to inform them that the ban on British carriers flying to Nairobi has been lifted. It is hoped that it will be possible in the near future to make a similar announcement with respect to Mombasa airport. Since the travel advice warning was issued, there has been considerable cooperation between the UK and Kenyan authorities to improve their security arrangements. Britain May Lift Ban On Kenya Flights, August 3 2003 Britain may lift the ban on flights to Kenya's Moi International Airport in Mombasa in the next two weeks, according to the British Secretary of State for International Development, Baroness Valerie Amos. The British Government is satisfied with the new security measures instituted at the airport. "We had problems with security arrangements at Kenyan airports for sometime. However, we have been looking at the issue and are now satisfied with the security arrangement and the Mombasa airport flight ban will be resolved in the next two weeks," said Amos. The British Government banned flights to Kenyan airports in May this year, following terrorist threats. The airports were thus declared unsafe for British planes. Settlers Encroaching On Mara Game Reserve, August 3 2003 Environmentalists have warned that Kenya's Maasai Mara Game Reserve boundary could disappear because of settlement areas mushrooming along the wildlife migratory corridors. They have also said wild animals were leaving the reserve and crossing into the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania because of pressures resulting from unrestricted wildlife viewing in the Mara. The practice where tour vans deviate from designated game viewing roads was also responsible for interference. The environmentalists, led by the Maasai Environmental Resource Coalition executive director, Meitamei Dapash, were speaking during a workshop on environmental conservation at the Maasai Mara recently. They said that the Narok County Council, the custodian of the reserve, had abdicated its responsibility by allowing unrestricted game viewing and construction of lodges and camps inside the park, putting the flora and fauna in jeopardy. Wildebeest Migration update, August 3 2003 The much-anticipated migration of wildebeest into Kenya's Masai Mara is finally starting, though still at the initial stages. The Loita population of wildebeest and zebra have arrived in split herds. One herd of mainly zebra is just to the north of Mara Intrepids and the other Between Keekorok Lodge and Talek. However, the main migration from the south is now around sand river area. Their movement might be slowed northward due to the amount of grass on their way. They are still a long way from the Mara River which many people come to see them cross. In George Bush's footsteps, August 3 2003 It's a daunting experience meeting an elephant close up and personal. But if George W Bush could do it then I was not going to miss out! Soon after the president's visit to the Mokolodi Nature Reserve in Gabarone, Botswana, I stepped up to meet Shaka, Thandi, Sukiri and Seeni, the reserve's four elephants. These four orphans were rescued from an elephant cull in South Africa's Kruger National Park. They are young animals and not fully-grown, but when they are standing next to you they are huge. When I had made their acquaintance, I set off with them for a walking safari in the reserve. But Mokolodi is not just a gimmicky tourist attraction for hugging cuddly creatures. The reserve is all about educating the people of Botswana, especially children, about the environment and wildlife. And it has a strong link to the Botswana Government's policy integrated protection and utilization of wildlife and the environment through eco-tourism and related projects. Uttum Corea, one of the Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation's trustees, told me that Botswana's wildlife is a global treasure and a natural resource for Botswana, but most Batswana know little about the animals and their value. This, he says, is what gave people the idea for Mokolodi.It was formed in 1991 as an educational and conservation charity with the express aim of teaching the children of Botswana about their natural heritage. The opening of the reserve to the public in 1994 served two purposes, according to the Mokolodi Foundation:, to contribute to the conservation of species indigenous to the country and to teach people about the importance of the animals. Now, nine years on, nearly 10,000 Batswana children from pre-school up to university age visit the reserve's education center annually. It keeps close links to the local community and the Park manager, Peter Durkin, says that two-thirds of the 80 staff were recruited locally. The conservation and teaching work of the foundation is funded by charitable donations. Visitors can stay at the chalets in the reserve, drive round it in their own cars or in the reserve's vehicles, walk with the elephants, and visit the orphaned cheetahs and other animals in the sanctuary for injured or orphaned wildlife. The fees for these activities help fund the center's teaching and the conservation of rare species. Mokolodi now has nine white rhino - a third of Botswana's entire population. The animals in the reserve have bred successfully are part of a wider program to repopulate other reserves. In November 2001, three rhinos from Mokolodi were released back into the wild in Botswana's Okavango Delta. Mokolodi is also involved in the creation of Cheetah Conservation Botswana - a project to translocate cheetahs causing problems for livestock farmers. 70% of Botswana's cheetahs live in farming areas rather than reserves and so are at risk of being shot or poisoned by farmers protecting their livestock. Park Manager Peter Durkin told me that following the publicity generated by the Bush visit, the Botswana Wildlife and National Parks department has asked Mokolodi to take on seven wild dog puppies from a pack considered to be problem animals. "We are currently caring for them and running some veterinary tests. They will most likely be relocated to the northern part of Botswana to be adopted by another pack inside a national park." In the future, Mokolodi hopes to expand and develop both its educational and conservation work and to develop its tourist activities. And Mokolodi has strong support from the Botswana government to develop its work. Its chief patron is Vice-President Ian Khama and its chairman is former President Sir Ketumile Masire. With such backing and with the international publicity generated by President Bush's visit, Mokolodi hopes to attract more visitors and become a leading center for conservation education. Cape Grace Moves up in Ratings, August 3 2003 South Africa's Cape Grace Hotel was announced last week in New York as Travel and Leisure readers' best city hotel in Africa and the Middle East and best hotel in Cape Town. This being the result of the Travel & Leisure reader's poll for the 2003 World's Best Awards. Cape Grace featured highly amongst the World's Top 100 Hotels and was placed 4th in Africa and the Middle East. Southern Africa was rated top readers' overall favorite African - Middle East destination. Travel & Leisure, one of America's top two travel magazines has once before announced Cape Grace twelfth in Africa and the Middle East in 2000, so the 2003 placing is an achievement that the hotel is delighted with, especially since the votes were cast by previous guests. Moving across the Atlantic, Cape Grace was announced "Best for Luxury in South Africa" in the UK publication Travel Weekly, who published their top 10 hotels in South Africa last week. Commenting on the accolades, general manager Tony Romer-Lee says: "We are delighted to be considered amongst the world's finest hotels by such prestigious publications. The demand for luxury is growing and guest expectations are ever increasing. Therefore the reward of receiving recognition is an encouragement to the entire team for their hard work and dedication." South Africa and Namibia to Sign Treaty for Cross-Border Park, August 3 2003 A treaty to be signed between South Africa and Namibia will establish the Ai-Ai/Richtersveld Transfrontier Conservation Park. This joint venture would enhance regional cooperation regarding environmental management and conservation, and also give rise to a number of potential tourism projects. The park would cover 5,806 square kilometers - 32% of which is in South Africa and includes Namibia's Fish River Canyon and Ai-Ais hot springs. Rekero Update, August 10 2003 Rekoro Tented Camp and Rekoro Cottages are located in Kenya's famed Masai Mara. Here is their latest update: The Wildebeest Migration has finally arrived in the Mara - about three weeks late. The zebra that precede the wildebeest have been here for about a month with large herds crossing and re-crossing the Mara River. About 40,000 wildebeest are now on the western side of the Talek River and can be seen easily from Rekero Tented Camp. The main migration is still crossing the Sand River which divides the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania with the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya. We expect large columns of wildebeest around Rekero Tented Camp over the following weeks. The large Nile crocodiles in the Mara and Talek rivers are stirring and seem to be much more active. Some ancient telepathy must tell them that the time of plenty is near. The Migration is still about two hours away from the Rekero Cottages. The waterholes in front of Rekero cottages are also being visited daily by elephant and buffalo and we have had a couple of sightings of a very dark male leopard in the last few days. Late yesterday evening a solitary male lion killed a Masai cow in the valley. Human/animal conflict is always a concern in the dispersal area of the Mara. Those of you visiting us, particularly the tented camp, over the next month should have excellent viewing of the Migration. Xigera Camp Update, August 10 2003 Xigera Camp is located in Botswana's Okavango Delta. Here is the camp's latest update: The weather has been playing some tricks on us. A few weeks ago it was pretty cold but into the last two weeks it warmed up quite nicely. The morning temperatures were sitting at about 15 C and the day temps at 29 to 30 C. Now they have dropped to 11 and 26 respectively. The flood waters have been ebbing slowly but surely, exposing more and more land. The inflow of elephant seems to continue and our area has basically been littered with them and lots of good lion sightings. As per usual the camp seems to be a popular spot to visit. We have witnessed the 2 lionesses crossing the camp bridge on 2 occasions. During one of these they managed to kill a baboon as soon as they got to the staff village side. It did not take long for the hyenas to catch on to this, and the guests were treated to a growl and whoop symphony whilst sitting around the fire on the front deck. On another occasion we had a Pel's owl on the bridge, so we decided to "stalk" it. After a lot of leopard crawling we managed to get to about 3 meters from it and were in absolute awe when he started calling. We were, however yanked back to reality when we heard a lion calling nearby and without a single word having been said, we got up and walked back to the safety of the lounge - for the bridge at Xigera is lion territory! Here are some recent guest comments: "This is a special place cared for by special people and we loved every minute" "Loved it here, very peaceful and so easy to forget about the rest of world" All in all it has been a good month and we are very much looking forward to the next, which seems to be as busy, if not busier than July. Bush regards, All at Xigera Chikwenya Camp Monthly Report, August 10 2003 Chikwenya Camp is located on the eastern border Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park. Here is the camp's latest update: Wildlife viewing has been incredible this last month. This included the arrival of a new pride of lions, comprising of two lionesses and four cubs. They seem to be covering quite a bit of ground and are obviously just trying to establish themselves in the area. We are not sure if they have had any contact with the resident pride yet. What would be fantastic is if they joined up with the other girls to form a very strong pride. The younger of the two original lionesses has been seen mating with one of the males again. The older lioness had to fend off the constant attentions of the other male while she waited the couple of days for her friend. They have all been very active in the vicinity of the camp and on a number of occasions we have had dinner disturbed to go onto the pool deck to watch them walking past in the spotlight. There have been two different sightings of a male cheetah this month, once at night not far from the camp, then again near our eastern boundary where it had an impala kill. One wild dog was seen; it had injured its front left leg and had obviously been split up from the rest of the pack, continuously calling. The noise attracted the attention of three hyena, who we were convinced were going to kill it. The poor dog only got up and limped off at great speed when they were about three meters away. Once they had chased the dog off and sniffed around checking there was no kill to scavenge, the hyenas moved off. We haven't seen the dog since, so we just hope it joined up with the rest of the pack. Elephants have been fantastic as always with herds drinking almost daily in front of the camp. Two new babies of less than a month old in the area, both from females we don't recognize. Numerous different sightings of sun squirrels this month, normally a very elusive species which most mammal books don't even record as occurring here. Here are several recent guest comments: "Magical setting and impeccable service, thank you" "Lovely 2 days, you went all the way to make it memorable. Thanx 1000x!" "What a special place!" Scientists Create Ebola Vaccine, August 10 2003 Scientists have developed a fast-acting Ebola vaccine that protects monkeys after a single shot. If the vaccine proves similarly effective in humans, it may one day allow scientists to contain Ebola outbreaks quickly. The research is the result of collaboration between teams of scientists at the Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center and the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. The researchers have been trying to perfect a two-stage approach to developing vaccines for a range of infectious diseases. The first stage involves an injection of non-infectious genetic material from the disease-causing microbe to trigger an initial response from the immune system. This is then followed up several weeks later by a second injection, this time of a weakened carrier virus containing key genes from the microbe. This second jab is designed to substantially boost the initial immune response. But the scientists realized that Ebola is such a virulent disease that time is of the essence if it is to be successfully combated. So they decided to concentrate on the second stage of the process alone. Eight monkeys were given a shot of a booster jab, and then injected with the Ebola virus. The researchers found the single injection completely protected all eight animals against ebola infection - even those who received high doses of the virus. Researcher Dr Peter Jahrling said: "After years of developing candidate Ebola vaccines that protected rodents but failed in primates, it is gratifying to have a vaccine that holds great promise for protection of humans. "Eventually, this vaccine may reduce the hazard of working with Ebola virus in the laboratory, as well as provide protection to populations at risk of natural exposure." If the vaccine proves to be effective in humans, it could be used to block the spread of disease using a strategy known as ring vaccination - a technique which has been successfully employ in the past to stop the spread of smallpox. It involves vaccinating everyone who has been in contact with a person who has the disease and all member's of that person's household. The strategy not only protects people who may have been exposed to the virus but also creates an added barrier of immunity around them, thereby protecting the entire community. Researcher Dr Gary Nabel said even if the boost jab alone proved effective, there would still potentially be a role for the two-stage jab, as it elicits a stronger immune response. "It may be useful for preventive vaccines intended for hospital workers at high risk of exposure to the virus, for example." The research is published in the magazine Nature. Airlines On The Upswing, August 10 2003 International airline passenger traffic saw an increase of 11.8% in June 2003, according to a report just out from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). A spokesperson for IATA said, "The industry turned a corner in June. We expect that traffic will intensify through July and August as a result of pent-up demand and the northern hemisphere summer holiday season. Vic Falls Hotel one of Africa's Best, August 17 2003 Travel and Leisure Magazine recently presented its World's Best Awards. The Victoria Falls Hotel was ranked 13th on the list of best hotels in Africa and the Middle East for discerning travelers. Robin Pope's Weekly Update, August 17 2003 Robin and Jo Pope run several very successful safari camps in Zambia. Here is their weekly update: Game viewing has been good this week at all of the camps with Tena Tena reporting their first sightings of the season of both yellowbilled kites and a Warlbergs eagle. John also saw the male and female leopard together. They had been around the area last season and now must be about 2 years old. Air Botswana Re-Introduces Maun-Windhoek Service, August 17 2003 The reintroduction of Air Botswana services between Maun and Windhoek has been warmly welcomed by the tourism industry in the region and overseas. Travel professionals have been quick to recognize the significance of this direct link between two premier tourism destinations in southern Africa. Air Botswana operates the route twice a week, on Tuesday and Saturday, with its fleet of ATR 42-500 advanced turbopropeller aircraft. The flying time is one hour fifty minutes. Orient Express Botswana Update, August 17 2003 The winter has been very pleasant as we have had hardly any really cold days. The past summer was relentless and seems as if it has warmed up the winter slightly as well. Relatively warm temperatures have been recorded throughout the camps. Savuti saw the mercury swing to 35 Celsius in the day and a low of 6 Celsius at night. Water levels at Eagle Island Camp (E.I.C) have not been as high as previous years at the same time. The water level has, however low in volume, retained its level and has not dropped at all to date; it is currently standing at just over a meter deep. Game sightings seem to have been good with most sightings occurring out on the walks. Ryan reported sightings of a variety of plains game including giraffe, zebra, impala and tsessebe. Lions in particular have been very active especially at night. The constant lion calls could be due to a new pride moving into the area to establish territory. The bellows of a territorial call from a huge lion is enough to make an impression on all and everybody. Hyenas have also been seen, as have our long nosed friends "the elephants". Visitors to Savuti are now realizing why this is the elephant camp. As the surrounding area becomes drier and drier the elephant numbers become larger and larger. The lions of the area have started to predate on the elephants. The resident pride of +/- 27 lions has specialized in pulling elephant down this time of the year. There have been sightings of hyena and leopard on various occasions to the delight of our guests. As is the norm for this time of the year the game viewing along the Khwai River (K.R.)has been exceptional. Despite the wind blowing pretty constantly ensuring cold early morning starts guests have been treated to a feast of spectacular game viewing. There are very few areas in Botswana that can compete with KR with regards to wildlife viewing, as this area has consistently incredible game viewing of some kind or another. There are always eles close by, hippos in and out of the water, the predators are never far off, and it really is amazing. This has been a great month for birds at EIC, saying that one must note that there is never a bad month for birds at EIC. The highlight of any keen twitcher would be spotting a Pels fishing owl and a lesser Jacana, which where both spotted on regular occasions at EIC. As the bush becomes drier birds spend large amounts of time around the water holes. This is particularly seen up at S.E.C where the dry conditions are greatest. Up to 18 Meyers Parrots have been counted drinking at the Savuti birdbath, their joyful chirping has really been brightening up the cold winter mornings. This must be the year for the crocodiles as we have never seen so many crocodiles at EIC in a long time, as our old time guides have also indicated that there just seems to be crocodiles every where. Swiss not Worried about Kenyan Security, August 17 2003 The Swiss Government is impressed by the security situation in Kenya and sees no real threat to tourists, according to a Swiss envoy. The Swiss First Secretary and Head of Chancery, Mr Andreas Perrin, said on Friday that Switzerland will continue supporting Kenya's ailing tourism industry to the best of its ability. 10% of Kenya's tourists are from Switzerland and Perrin said his country has not thought of issuing travel advisories because it sees no real threat. He praised the Kenyan Coast which he said provides a perfect holiday to his country's citizens. Over 480 Swiss citizens are settled in the Coast and about 500 in the countryside, said Perrin. Kenyan Government Rejects Park Leasing, August 17 2003 The Kenyan Government has ruled out the possibility of foreigners and private developers taking over the management of the country's national parks. Kenyan Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife Assistant Minister Wangari Maathai said the Government won't cave in to calls by foreigners agitating for privatization of the parks. Maathai asserted that the Government would continue to manage national parks and game reserves around the country. She said the Government receives a lot of foreign income from wildlife and that it would be unwise to relinquish its management at this point. She said the Government will involve pastoralist communities living around the parks in the management and conservation of wildlife. That way, they can share the economic benefits accruing from the sector. The Tanzania Experience, August 17 2003 Gibbs Farm Safaris are a quality tour operator in northern Tanzania. Here is a write up from one of their recent safaris: We've just returned from the Gol Mountains in the heart of Maasai Land where we had an excellent time walking with our Maasai friends. In the Olkarien area we watched as Maasai herded their cows into the gorge every morning; digging wells in the dry sandy river bottom to sustain the needs of both cattle and people. Day hikes provided views from the ridgeline tops out over the Angata Kiti Plain and Loliondo, straight to the Kenya border. Oldonyo Lengai, the sacred mountain of the Maasai, was a silent and strong presence. On safari our days were limitless; game driving and exploring for hours on end, returning to our comfortable camp with ever attentive staff waiting with hot showers and big smiles eager to hear about the day's adventure. Around the campfire we marveled at Mars rising behind Lengai and hanging red and clear in the evening sky, the polar caps clearly visible through our telescope. Later when the moon set the stars were an absolute wonder, illuminating the night on their own. We saw plenty of wildlife from a group of four cheetah to a massive herd of eland (we estimated over 100 individuals). There were endless giraffe and we also found jackal, ostrich, hyena, klipspringer, bat eared fox and more; plus beautiful birds of prey including a spectacular encounter with a Verreaux's eagle-owl that flew straight down the gorge just a few feet above our heads. We fell asleep to the woop-woop of hyena echoing eerily through the gorge. Olkarien is truly one of the most magical places in Africa. Earlier we had visited the Ndutu area where we enjoyed the good food and hospitality of Ndutu Safari Lodge. The genets provided evening entertainment and at night we also were mesmerized by the African sky as shy dik dik hovered just outside the glow of the campfire. We cruised the marshes and were rewarded with plenty of antelope and gazelle, we also saw jackal, eland, ground hornbill, bat eared fox, giraffe, cheetah, hyena and elephant. The birdlife around Ndutu is always exceptional. Award winning wildlife film maker Owen Newman was also at Ndutu this month on holiday with his children. They had the privilege of watching a striped hyena cavort and preen for quite some time, very relaxed with their presence - a special treat. Here is an update from Pro Guide Nigel Perks, who guides for Gibbs Farm Safaris: Again this year we had wonderful late rains which kept the gnus on the short grass plains right through until the middle of June! I always love my late May/early June safaris when we camp out in the very green Gol Mountains. The plains are full of animals and the abundance of predators is staggering. On my last safari we saw a total of 26 different cheetah (including cubs) over a period of 4 nights camping at Nasera. Our days were spent watching cheetah hunting, cheetah eating and some fantastic cheetah cub fun and games. It was a great way to finish our Serengeti green season safaris. And finally, a word from our clients: "Nigel and Andrew pull out all of the stops and each time it is better than the last. And each time we come away saying they can't top that but they do. I guess that is the reason we keep returning and returning. All of the wonderful people we meet, the pull of Gibb's Farm and Ndutu and the Gol Mountains - what an unbeatable combination. It's hard for people to understand about all of this when we try to explain, it is like coming home each time we return to Tanzania." Pat Garcia, USA Star of Africa Update, August 17 2003 Star of Africa operate several top quality lodges and tented camps in Zambia. Here is their latest update: Game viewing and bird watching has been superb at all our properties with some amazing sightings recorded. We had a rather cold spell during July but the early mornings and evenings are starting to warm up now with lovely blue skies and sunny days stretching ahead. Puku Ridge is now open in South Luangwa! This very luxurious tented camp is built up on a ridge overlooking a game rich floodplain area absolutely teaming with wildlife. Leopard and lion sightings from the comfort of the camp have already been excellent. The room tents are huge - 12 meters by 7 meters with lovely big teak verandahs, outdoor showers and sunken baths with superb views overlooking the floodplains. Our first clients, the Langdale family stayed with us on the 25th and 26th July and had a wonderful stay. They left us with the following special words "To be your first guests here is a privilege beyond words. From all of us a very big thank you. As the sun rises over Puku, it is the epitome of the African bush, incensing a new dawn". Mark and Robyn at Kulefu on the Lower Zambezi reported "We have had some amazing leopard sightings on client game drives - 7 different leopard sightings on 2 drives! Clients on one drive saw leopards mating whilst on another drive clients saw 3 leopards together - a most unusual sighting. With the undergrowth disappearing due to the buffalo grazing we're seeing a lot more of the smaller animals including a colony of dwarf mongeese, honey badgers and a number of spotted hyena. The most extraordinary sighting has been of a rock hyrax who has decided to live in the Zambezi floodplain and has taken up residence in a large winter thorn tree. We will be keeping a close eye on him as we expect to see some movement when he realizes that there are no females in the area! We are very excited to have 4 residential lion in the area at the moment and also many elephants and buffalo passing through the camp, making game viewing from the camp itself extremely up close and exciting. At Lechwe Plains Tented Camp Petros, the lodge manager reports "Birding has become very exciting from the camp as a variety of birds are coming to the marsh areas in the front of the camp and flocks of pelicans, gulls and fulvous ducks have been seen. The addition of a 6 seater banana boat in camp has added flavor to our activities and now we can go out much further on trips to prime birding areas. We have also started cultural tours into a nearby Fishing Village called Nyimba, where clients have the opportunity to meet the fishermen coming in with their early morning catch and watch the trading take place with the Lusaka traders. Clients can also go into the local school and village and watch the antiquated grinding mill in the area working. I am delighted to advise that WWF have almost finished regrading the roads in the Park, greatly reducing the driving time from the Park Gates and the Lochinvar Airstrip to our camp - now just over half an hour. Mark from Chichele reports "Guests have been very satisfied with the whole Presidential experience, commenting that Chichele is "without doubt a rising star" and that the "many memories will not be forgotten quickly". There have been good sightings of lion, leopard, hyena, elephant, buffalo and even an aardvark! The animals have been sighted in close proximity to the lodge this month, including a leopard by the swimming pool and elephants on the drive way. Walking safaris are wonderful this time of the year, with the cooler temperatures in the early morning and late afternoon, making for excellent walking conditions. South Luangwa National Park is much drier now and the few remaining watering holes are drying up fast with large groups of pelicans and the odd marabou stork fishing for the barbel, left stranded away from the main river. The night drives have been popular with good sightings of genet, civet, bush-baby, white tailed mongoose, scrub hare and porcupine." Justice and Tendayi are delighted to report the arrival of a new boat at Sussi and Chuma. A 12 seater, 75 horsepower Mariner boat, which will be based permanently at the lodge. All clients who are being transferred into the lodge by our guides will now arrive at the lodge by boat and will be brought up onto the drinks deck where they will be welcomed with a Zambezi cocktail and our special ladies choir. The arrival of the boat adds a couple of new activities to our all inclusive activities offered out of the lodge - early morning game viewing cruises on the Zambezi with tea, coffee and biscuits being served on a surrounding island, fishing excursions and evening sunset cruises with snacks and drinks on a nearby Island. We will also be starting our own special Island Picnic Lunches and further details of this will follow along with details of the massage and beauty therapy treatments we will soon be able to offer, in-house, to clients. Ndutu Safari Lodge Update, August 24 2003 Ndutu Safari Lodge is a magical safari property located on the boundary of Tanzania's famed Serengeti National Park. Here is the lodge's latest update: The dry season is now upon us - it's golden grasses and deep red sunsets making it quintessential Africa. The lodge birdbath is full of lovebirds, canaries, waxbills, weavers, babblers and doves. Sand grouse drink at the big marsh along with elephants while flamingoes trawl the alkaline waters of Lakes Ndutu and Masek. The dry season is, for me, a special time that I enjoy very much. The resident herds of impala seem to be in the lodge much of the time eating the fallen acacia pods with a sound like somebody eating burnt toast. They make a welcome addition to the lodge wildlife along with dik dik's and the incredibly tame hares, which hop around under your feet. The first weeks of July saw the big musth male elephants around Lake Masek. During March 2002 we lost our most magnificent bull elephant to unknown causes. He was a grand looking animal with huge evenly matched tusks. I guess he was probably responsible for about 50% of the matings in and around Ndutu. I was quite sure another large male would come in and fill his slot as the dominant bull. Enter Bowmore! Bowmore, as we call him, is an equally huge and magnificent animal. We've seen him a few times in the past but only very occasionally. However this year we've seen him regularly all through the wet season. This is his musth period when he is actively seeking out estrus females and constantly criss-crossing the area looking for them. The cow elephants much prefer these older bulls with proven genes who have survived for so long. These huge males weigh up to 6 tons and are prepared to fight for the chance to mate. Bowmore was recently seen in action when he squared up to Aragorn, another large bull in his mid thirties. They clashed with such force it was frightening to behold. In the second clash Aragorn was knocked to the ground and would surely have been killed by Bowmore's tusks but, luckily for him, he quickly scrambled to his feet and moved away. Bowmore chased him for over 3 kilometers before we lost them both in thick vegetation. Now we think that maybe this was how our old bull died, perhaps in a dominance fight with another large male. Perhaps it was even Bowmore? Now that the grasses have dried out these large bulls have all returned to their bachelor bull areas to regain their strength for their next musth period. I'm quite sure that Bowmore's bull area is the Ngorongoro Crater, about 40 kilometers from here. Lions killed a hyena in the lodge car park recently, which was a bit disturbing. Although they never eat them, lions will readily kill hyenas as they're competition for the prey that's far more limited in the dry season. Many an old lion probably ends it's days to hyenas, so there's certainly no love lost between the two species. The Masek pride could be seen this week sunning themselves on the Lakeshore. Having eaten an entire buffalo between them, they looked very uncomfortable. Their bellies, grossly extended, almost dragged on the ground. They were so stuffed they could hardly move and lay there digesting, for almost two days. The two lionesses of the small Marsh pride have six tiny cubs, seen by guests this week. Also seen at the Marsh was a crocodile moving through the water. This was the first time that we'd seen the croc for some months and we were surprised to notice how much it had grown, presuming it is indeed the same crocodile. It must have been at least 2.5/3M long although I'm told it gets bigger everytime I tell this story. The planet Mars is unmistakable this month being the brightest object in the night sky. Experts say this will be the closest Mars passes to the earth in our lifetime. It's very special, especially sitting outside around a camp-fire in the African bush - paradise! Paul, Ndutu, August 2003. Kilimanjaro International Airport is a Growing Hub, August 31 2003 The number of aircraft landing daily at Tanzania's Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) has increased from only two to more than 40 in five years. Passengers passing through the airport has increased to 217,000 per annum as compared to 115,000 when it was privatized in 1998. When the Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company (KADCO) took over the management of the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) people used to ridicule it as the Kunguru airport since there were many birds grazing along its runways than actual planes landing. Kunguru is Kiswahili name for vultures. There were no more than two flights a day. Myriads of reasons led to the pathetic condition of the airport. Godfrey Mbakilwa, the former Senior Air Traffic Control Officer and now the Managing Director of the airport says stiff competition was brought about by the extensive improvement of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in neighboring Kenya at the very moment when KIA was opened totally paralyzed the newly inaugurated airport way back in 1971. "The establishment of KIA scared Kenyans prompting them to take measures which could ensure their previous status of the most traffic laden airport in the whole of East African territories" disclosed Mbakilwa who has been at KIA since 1980. The massive promotion of tourism in Kenya as compared to poor show on the part of Tanzania is said to be the second factor behind the failure of KIA to takes off in its early days. The weak Tanzanian promotion in 1970's and 1980's made many Kenyan tourist companies to portray that Mount Kilimanjaro (the highest peak on African continent and a number one tourist attraction in the whole east Africa) as being in Kenya rather than Tanzania. This resulted in many tourists landing at Kenya's JKIA. More ever Tanzania's socialist policies didn't prioritize tourism as one of the major economic sectors Mbakilwa said adding that the socialist economy's priority was development of the agricultural sector and peasants in the rural areas through establishment of "Ujamaa" or socialism villages and cooperative societies. "There were even some radical Marxist oriented socialist professors who had suggested the cancellation of tourism altogether or promotion of the local oriented tourism instead" lamented Mbakilwa. More ever the tourism sector was highly uncompetitive because of the high costs of the hotels, airport charges when compared to neighboring Kenya. Many tourists who came complained of unclassified hotels with poor services. Other factors, which discouraged tourists and planes from landing at KIA were lack of adequate security equipment such as the capable fire fighting units and the lack of an Instrumental Landing System (ILS) to aid incoming flights during poor visibility. The Italian built KIA had no modern master clock equipment, which can adjust different time zones so as to know actual time of departing and landing, modern aerodrome beacons whose major function is to illuminate airport border lines, and had no solar equipment to facilitate night landing and to aid during blackouts. Then, on July 17, 1998, a concession agreement relating to the development and operation of the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) and Airport estate was signed between the Tanzanian Government and the Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company (KADCO). A new era dawned at the kunguru airport which is owned by various shareholders including, Mott MacDonald with 41%, South African Infrastructure Fund (SAIF) with 30%, Government of Tanzania with 24% plus one golden share while Inter consult has 4%. The new owners were tasked with developing KIA into an internationally recognized, high quality destination for tourism and business traffic - to make KIA the gate way to a new Africa something which was to be achieved through facilities which were managed, operated and maintained to international standards and to make repairs to KIA that would bring the airport to a level sufficient to meet International Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. KADCO's major task was to incorporate into the airport a well-developed maintenance program and to institute a management structure, which was positioned to advance efficiency and productivity of the airport as a profitable public and private sector joint venture. Currently, KADCO has invested a total of 5.75milliom Euro into restructuring, modernization and a renovation program at the airport. Briefing a journalists' delegation that toured KIA recently, Mbakilwa said, among other things, KADCO has installed a modern Instrument Landing system (ILS) so as to aid incoming aircraft during poor visibility. "We also installed new communication equipment such as Very High Frequency (VHF) Radio, speech recorders, and new modern telephone switches at the Air Traffic control Tower (ATC) so as to improve communication between KIA and other airports in the world" said Mbakilwa. Other equipment are a modern master clock, Aerodrome Beacons and solar equipment which can guarantee the an interrupted flow of electricity even when there's a blackouts. Also for the first time in Tanzania KADCO has installed a meteorological measurement and display system. KADCO also has resurfaced the airport's runways ensuring a smooth landing and take off while baggage screening and a modern conveyor belt equipment were installed at the airport at the same time. "We have two brand new high capacity 10,000 liter fire rescue tenders" noted Mbakilwa adding that "This equipment, complemented by the existing quick response vehicles, brings the airport up to the required ICAO category nine standard". When KADCO took over KIA in November 1998 all the airport buildings, with exception of the VIP lounge and half of the ground floor of the terminal building were leaking. KADCO has been waterproofed using American materials. KIA previously had no hotel services for passengers, pilots and aircraft crews who landed at late hours. KADCO negotiated with the Dutch Company, Moivaro Plantation Lodge to design and build an 80-room hotel, which has so far completed construction of the first 40 self, contained rooms. It is located 1.2 kilometers northeast of KIA. So far so good - Kilimanjaro International Airport is no longer a Kunguru Airport, but is, rather, a force to reckon with in the emerging tourism in Tanzania. Low Water Levels Frustrate Lake Manyara Tourism, August 31 2003 Declining water levels at Tanzania's Lake Manyara have halted canoe excursions across the lake. One tour operator, Serena Active, sees this as a sad day indeed for all. With the deepest point on the lake hardly being knee-deep, the dream of canoe-borne tourists drifting past buffalo, giraffe and elephant, as well as hippos wallowing in the mud and aquatic bird life, is now a nightmare. According to the company's director, Derek Lilone, most underground streams that pour their waters into the lake from the Rift Valley escarpments are drying up. The highlands had only a small amount of rainfall last season. Tourists in two-passenger canoes who used to view wildlife as they lazily paddled along the shoreline for five hours at a time are no longer the common sight they were in the recent past. At the local level, the Manyara National Park Authority and the surrounding villages invariably benefited from the revenue collected from the canoe excursions. Village governments received 5% of the money paid by tourists for their boating pleasure. Undeterred, Serena Active continues to offer other tourist services such as a three-hour forest hiking packages along footpaths leading to the Manyara National Park gate and through a thick forest. Serena Active also offers a short, yet interesting walk along the edge of the Great Rift Valley. A trained environmentalist guides tourists educating them about nature, birds, geology, insects and the medicinal attributes of local plants. Serena Active also offers cultural walks to local villages at US $20 per person. Tourists get to learn about the cultures and traditions of various tribes which inhabit the Mto wa Mbu area. According to Lilone, these include members of the Bantu group to Nilotics, Khoisans and Cushitics. Rekero Tented Camp, September 1 2003 Rekoro Tented Camp is located in Kenya's famed Masai Mara. Here is the camp's latest update: Great columns of wildebeest are heading west from Ol Keju Rongai to the Talek and Mara rivers leaving huge swathes of trampled and closely cropped grass in their wake. The recent heavy rains in the Mara are producing a flush of new shoots for the gazelles. The burnt areas of Paradise Plain will look fantastic in the coming days. Today is sunny and windy and the full moon phase rains are hopefully over. Our cheetah family close to camp are faring well in this time of plenty. The Ol Kiombo pride of lions are all around camp and we watched a large male courting opposite the dining tent during breakfast yesterday. The huge Nile crocodiles are feasting on the zebra herds that precede the wildebeest. Our guides and guests have witnessed many gory spectacles in this last week at the river crossings and as the wildebeest follow the zebra the swollen rivers will claim more victims as huge traffic jams build up as they enter the crossings followed by even more chaos as they try to exit up the slippery banks. Dinner stories interrupted by a howling hyena and the roaring and coughing of lions around camp are really what make this sojourn in the bush so special and it gives me so much pleasure to be part of the animated conversation in the evenings round the campfire relating the events of the day, each group returning with their own special experiences varying from extraordinary wildlife behavior to unique cultural exchanges with their Masai guides or the communities they have visited. Ken Beaton (my father) wrote some lively diaries at the formation of Kenya National parks where he was the first game warden. I quote "There are many folklore fireside stories about animals in Africa. One is about a couple of Ildorobo hunter gatherers who decide to kill a giraffe. It is arranged that one should climb a tree and jump on a giraffes neck, then the other was to run in and spear it. They do this, but the spearman is so convulsed with laughter when he sees his friend waving around on the end of the giraffes neck that he rolls on the ground helpless. His friend is thrown for six and the giraffe escapes. Many tall yarns are told around a dorobo bushmans campfire for their entertainment value. The stickler for the truth was ever the bore". A wardens Dairy September 1948. Pauline and I have recently been hosting the tented camp along with our Masai guides whilst Gerard and Rainee had a short break and Jackson Looseyia was battling up Kilimanjaro raising funds on a sponsored climb for the Mara Conservancy. Jackson made it to Uhuru peak and has been complaining about frost bite ever since. He was obviously very elated having conquered the highest mountain in Africa. Next Everest!? Some of our guests were on a game drive to see the migration a few days ago and found a very confused black rhino charging around the wildebeest in large circles. You would have thought that he had seen all this before, maybe he was a nomad or maybe just behaving like a rhino! Mark our cook has been producing the most spectacular food even though he had a challenging request from some strict vegetarians from India. We flew in some special dishes, which were expertly prepared by him. The Rekero team were very pleased to have Dave Herndon (Journalist for Travel and Leisure and National Geographic traveler) again in camp even though his visit was short. Rainee is gearing up for her art exhibition in San Diego in November and this is to be followed by the wedding of our daughter Tana in the Pump Room of the Roman Baths in Bath England. Dress easy. Togas ala Masai! At Rekoro Cottages the elephant have moved into the hills since the rain, as have the buffalo. It is already very green and cool. We are doing some bush walks in the mornings with good birding but the wildlife is spread out after the rains with abundant available water everywhere. Our resident leopard was coughing around camp during the night just incase any one was encroaching on his territory. The waterhole in front of the cottages should get good usage in the coming month as it dries up again in the latter half of September and October. Regards from Rekero team Kenyan Cyclist Needs Assistance, August 31 2003 Tim Trench of Tim Trench Safaris in Kenya sent us this please for assistance: Some of you may remember our Newsletter of May 2003, about the 10-4 cycle race down Mt Kenya. In that report we introduced you to the hero of the event, Ibrahim Wafula: "Without doubt the star of the event was Mr Ibrahim Wafula. Ibrahim lost his right leg in an accident when he was just 7 years old. Despite this, and the fact that he entered the event on one of the afore described "Black Mamba" bicycles, he finished 37th out of 125 starters. I cannot begin to describe how incredible this is. The course was exceedingly technically demanding even for an able bodied rider on a modern mountain bike, and there were many up hill sections that could only be tacked in the saddle with 2 legs, toe clips and 21 gears. Yet Ibrahim beat over two thirds of the field on an antique and while carrying a crutch." As you may also remember, after the event some generous soul gave Ibrahim both a new modern mountain bike and a job in which he could take as much time off as he needed to follow his cycle racing career. Well, this philanthropist's confidence in Ibrahim proved to be well founded. Apparently he continued to train hard on his old steel bike, but on race weeks would put it aside in favor of his new mountain bike, on which he claimed he is twice as fast. He would then ride to the event (which may have taken him a couple of days) and compete against able bodied competitors with increasingly greater success. This trend reached its zenith a couple of weeks ago, when Ibrahim won his first major event, beating a field of around 100 competitors over a 70 km course. This high profile win was well reported in the local papers and Ibrahim at last came to the notice of the disabled sports authorities. Ibrahim has been invited, rather late in the day, to attend the ISOD World Athletics Games for the Disabled, to be held in Christchurch, New Zealand at the end of October 2003. The catch? Ibrahim must raise US $3,500 in order to cover his costs of attending the games. This is evidently not a sum Ibrahim can raise on his own, and with neither time or age on his side, it would be a terrible shame if after all this hard work he didn't get to realize this tremendous opportunity. If anyone is interested in helping Ibrahim get to New Zealand, please let us know as soon as possible. Call Ultimate Africa in Seattle toll free 1 800 461 0682. Kenya Airways offers Direct Flights to Cape Town, August 31 2003 Kenya Airways has introduced non-stop flights between Nairobi and Cape Town. The flights will start on October 1, 2003. The flights are to operate twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Fridays, departing from Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 7:45 AM. Flights from Cape Town will depart at 1:00 PM and arrive in Nairobi at 6:25 PM. The arrival time in Nairobi allows travelers to connect other KA evening departures to destinations in Africa and the rest of the world. The airline's new Boeing B737-700 has 16 premier world and 100 economy class seating capacities, and will be the flagship on the Cape Town route. The airline currently flies daily to Johannesburg, and to more than 26 key destinations in Africa as a whole. Outside Africa Kenya Airways destinations include Dubai, Mumbai and New Delhi in the Middle East and Asia, while London and Amsterdam are the key European destinations. Together with its strategic partner KLM, KA provides customers with a choice of more than 300 destinations worldwide. Zimbabwe Safari Special, August 31 2003 Wilderness Safaris are a southern Africa tour operator with 8 safari camps and lodges in Zimbabwe. Due to Zimbabwe's economic and political problems and a decline in tourist traffic Wilderness Safaris has sent us the following safari special: Zimbabwe continues to be "in the news". Other than political and economic issues nothing has changed as far as the Wilderness Safaris tourism product goes. Tourists who are traveling to Zimbabwe continue to enjoy the high standards of service in our camps and elsewhere. In fact service levels and experiences have never been higher. I am pleased to advise that Wilderness Safaris has decided to offer some very special rates for the low (green) season period (based on the South African Rand). Please note that this is a Rand based price and if travelers elect to pay in US dollars Wilderness will provide the exchange rate on that day. Wilderness Safaris recommends guests for this special fly into Victoria Falls from Johannesburg. After enjoying all the varied and superb experiences Victoria Falls has to offer Wilderness will fly guests to Makalolo Plains Tented Camp in the heart of Hwange National Park. The 6 night / 7 day package includes 2 nights at Victoria Falls at the Ilala Lodge on a bed and breakfast basis and 4 nights at Makalolo Plains Tented Camp on an all inclusive basis. The package includes airport transfers and light aircraft flights as well at R7,400 per person sharing. This special is valid for travel November 1, 2003 through February 28, 2004. The package excludes drinks. Here is a description of Makalolo Plains: The camp is situated in a remote area within the vast Hwange National Park and is one of the few camps built within the park. Hwange is legendary for its wonderful array of wildlife and massive herds of elephant and buffalo - especially in the dryer winter months. There are excellent opportunities to view wildlife from open 4x4 Land Rovers during the early morning and late afternoon when wildlife is most active. Foot safaris are also offered, and are accompanied by an armed professional guide. The camp is set in a unique location, overlooking the Samavundhla Pan that attracts game in good concentrations. The entire camp is raised on wooden boardwalks and platforms, giving guests excellent views over the waterhole and floodplain in front of the camp. Accommodation consists of 9 large, comfortable tented rooms with en-suite shower, toilet and basin all with hot and cold running water. There is an outdoor shower for those who enjoy showering under the stars. The lighting in the rooms is battery powered so there is peace and quiet in camp. Meals are enjoyed in the separate raised dining area. See game from the decks of the magnificent lounge, pub and plunge pool. The camp has hides overlooking the waterhole, which allow guests to enjoy close up game viewing. Call Ultimate Africa Safaris in Seattle toll free 1 800 461 0682 to book this special. Robin Pope's Weekly Zambia Update, September 1 2003 Robin and Jo Pope run several very successful safari camps in Zambia. Here is their weekly update: Love is in the air at the Nkwali - no I have not been swept away on a wave of romance, enduced by a handsome hunk of a safari guide whispering sweet nothings in my ear - oops getting carried away now.....Let's talk animals - they seem to spend their time mating, fighting or eating and our guests have had some splendid sightings of all of these in the past week - well not much fighting actually but the 3 sound better together! Nkwali have had 2 amazing views of different leopards mating - quite an unusual sight in itself but these were separate sightings on the same evening - something to do with the Red Planet hurtling toward us maybe - more of that later! It is not uncommon for lions to be spotted mating but although leopards tend to mate more frequently in a set time period, they are less demonstrative as they move around rather. The most spectacular mating award goes to Jacob at Nsefu who found a pair of honey badgers so engrossed that the lucky clients managed to watch them for some time - a rare opportunity in itself but since none of the other guides have seen this spectacle, Jacob is quite rightly pretty chuffed with himself. In the same vein Ross at Tena Tena and regulars Mike and Fiona Collet and Peter and Helga Stoer had the extraordinary good luck to come across a baby elephant at Lunga Lagoon which had just been born - it was still wet and was unable to stand so must have been less than an hour or so old. They watched this wonderful sight for some time before moving away. Guest returned in the afternoon but there was no sign. It is incredible how quickly animals get up and moving after birth and this particular elephant sighting will no doubt remain a special moment these lucky guests will not forget for awhile. Mars is going to be at its closest to Earth for at least the last 5,000 years (scientists say it could be 60,000 years) on August 27, 2003. As luck would have it Nkwali is going to be empty that night (the only night in the season) and so Shanie and I feel duty bound to mark the occasion with a Valley All sundowner party. Jo is away at the moment but we are sure she would feel that we were being remiss if we did not mark this special night with a bit of a bash - Mars Bars have been ordered of course and we are working on Red snacks (most involving Beetroot!!), a red cocktail and beer with cochineal for the unadventurous bush types!! As the planet does not reach it's closes until around 12:30 AM I fear a long night and a few fuzzy heads the next day. Apologies in advance to anyone arriving at Nkwali on 28th if you are welcomed by a caterer in dark glasses with an ice pack pressed to her temple! Stay well and have a great week - Cheers, Kim WWF Warns of Threat to Hippo, August 31 2003 The international conservation body, the WWF, has called for urgent action to protect the hippopotamus in the Congo. A survey conducted in one of the animals former strongholds, the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, found that only 1,300 of the animals remain in the park, a drop of 95% in 30 years. The WWF, formerly known as the World Wide Fund for Nature, says the steep decline is due to demand for hippo teeth sold in the illegal global ivory trade. Wildlife groups have only recently gained access to the park which has suffered from years of interfactional fighting during the country's civil war. "WWF is concerned that unless trade is closely controlled and poaching is stopped, hippos will be threatened with extinction," said Director of WWF International's species program Susan Lieberman. The WWF warned that the devastation of the hippo population has also had a dramatic effect on fish stocks in the area, in turn affecting the livelihoods of local people. Hundreds of tons of vital nutrients from local freshwater ecosystems - such as Lake Edward within the park which supports more than 20,000 people - were being lost daily, it said. And grass eaten by hippos while grazing helped to maintain grasslands and open up paths for other animals to get to watering holes, it added. However, the organization said that a peace deal signed in 2003 and the formation of a transitional government in the country had raised hopes of proper planning and management of the country's natural resources. Virunga is the oldest park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and stretches from Lake Albert in the north through Lake Edward to the northern end of Lake Kivu. Return to Weekly Update Archive |
