ULTIMATE AFRICA SAFARIS
Ultimate Africa travel and wildlife news archive August 2004 Robin Pope Safaris Weekly Update, August 1 2004 Robin and Jo Pope operate safaris in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park. Here is their latest update: Guests this week were lucky enough to witness a leopard hunting and bringing down an impala. They watched the whole process of stalking, hunting and then the leopard tucking into her kill. The whole process took several hours and guests arrived back at Nsefu understandably thrilled. Tena Tena not to be out done came across lion on a buffalo and guests watched the rather gory sight of the lions squeezing out the intestines - not for the faint hearted as it was a long, drawn out process.. Still on the kill front, a gymnogene was spotted with a chick which it has just managed to catch so blood and gore were definitely the order of the day this week. Moving swiftly on to something rather more warm and fuzzy - Simon managed to photograph an elephant busily eating from an acacia tree with a sparrow weavers nest in the way. After munching all around the nest he then set about breaking it up - it had seemingly annoyed him to have it in the way. A beautiful sighting of bull elephants at the Tena Tena crossing made is a good week for elly sightings. Robin has just return from one of his mobile safaris and had a group of safari virgins with him. Four out of the five had never been to Africa and were very excited, as you can imagine. They had great and unusual antelope sightings including: 3 separate sightings of roan antelope (total of 11 specimens), two reedbuck spotted on Lundu Plain, a couple of oribi on Chifungwe Plain and three hartebeest on the Chambowo Plain. A spectacular raptor party was seen - all on the same thermal were a palm nut vulture, long crested eagle, martial eagle, tawny eagle, bateleur eagle (cream backed variety) and a white backed vulture. The long crested eagle drove off the martial eagle by repeated dive bombings. As everyone went to bed on the first night at camp one, strange cries were heard from the long grass outside camp. The following morning an approach was made to the nearest tree approximately 50 yards from camp were the remains of a puku male were found…as well as signs of the leopard who had killed him. Very exciting news on the birding front - the possible sighting of a blue spotted dove on the Chambowo Plain - a photo was taken and we are awaiting positive id. If this is the case it will be the first seen in the South Luangwa. Robin casually misidentified it at first assuming it was an emerald spotted wood dove. However, the highly observant mobile expeditionaries immediately brought him to task about the color of the wing patches which were cobalt blue not metallic green… Some of you may remember the lady who saw 11 lions last week on her first ever safari drive - well what I did not mention was that later in the week she got married! Pam and Paul had come over from Australia especially to get married at Nkwali and we had a simple, wonderful wedding by the banks of the river close to camp. I was highly honored to act as celebrant, not something many people can say they have done. Digging out a dress for the occasion and even finding some lipstick, I was obviously quite unrecognizable from my normal khaki clad self - as was evident from the comments made by my office staff…. Champagne followed and then the newly weds set off on a game drive whilst being showered with bougainvillea by myself and Shanie. They later returned to more champagne and dinner with other guests. Stay well and have a great week. Cheers - Kim Ndutu Safari Lodge Update, August 1 2004 Here is the latest news from the southern boundary of the Serengeti. The wildebeest have moved on to the Masai Mara and Ndutu Lodge reports: We are now very much into dry season. The grasses have turned a lovely golden brown and the sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. The days are warm and the evenings cool and clear which make for great star viewing. I really enjoy this time of year as it's how we all imagine Africa. The lions blend perfectly into the grass with their tawny colored coats. That didn't help the lioness and two cubs we watched climbing up a tree the other day. They could be seen from a long way off when they got into a muddle as they tried to climb down; it was very amusing to watch. Lions are not very good climbers, unlike leopards. When the same lioness discovered a leopard with a kill stashed in the branches of an acacia tree a few days later, she tried to jump up after it. The leopard shot up into the topmost branches, perching right on top of the canopy, which looked very uncomfortable. She was eventually joined by another lioness and we spent a very enjoyable ten minutes watching them trying to scramble up the tree, until they became hopelessly stuck half way up. The pair of lionesses didn't know how to get down; they finally ended up just dropping, landing with a huge thud. Luckily for the leopard a spotted hyena walked passed and the two lionesses chased off after it and disappeared. The leopard soon came down from the canopy and settled down to its kill only to find a striped hyena sniffing around the base of the tree a short while afterwards. The leopard's reaction was totally different this time merely watching the hyena, until it moved off. There have been lots of great lion sightings this month. Guests have been lucky to see 6 tiny lion cubs at Masek this week which only looked to be a few weeks old. It's a hard time of year to be born, so fingers crossed. Two lionesses were also seen half-heartedly stalking an old buffalo bull recently, also at Masek. The buffalo was having none of it and chased them off. The buffalo only had half a tail, probably the scar from a previous attack, so maybe he was a little more grumpy than normal. I saw a lioness with two five-month- old cubs charge a spotted hyena that obviously came too close. She managed to catch the hyena and gave it a beating, as she repeatedly knocked it down and cuffed it with her paws, letting it go, then knocking it down again. She could easily have killed the hyena but she just roughed it up and let it go once she had taught it a lesson. As I mentioned earlier we've had some great sightings of lions resting in trees lately, which has made for some great photographic opportunities. And finally one group of guests found the Masek pride eating a baby elephant this month. I don't know if the young elephant had died or the lions had killed it. I really can't imagine the lions would be able to kill a baby elephant if its mother had been present as they protect them jealously. I guess we'll never know what happened? One lucky group of guests saw five different species of cat while at Ndutu recently including a leopard that went under their car, which was very bizarre. At the beginning of June, the Serengeti Cheetah Project booked out the whole lodge to hold a 3-day workshop to discuss cheetah conservation in Africa. Researchers, scientists and conservationists came from all over the world to participate. The meeting went very well and it was great to meet people from all over Africa and hear their tales of cheetahs. A pair of genet cats decided to make an appearance which held up their last lecture. They started to play amongst the roof rafters right in the middle of a very serious discussion and apparently everyone was thrilled. On the day of departure an amazing thing happened. Some of the group had to leave very early that morning and as they were walking from their rooms down to the main lodge building, two cheetahs crossed their path to the reception. I can't think of a nicer way to leave the lodge than to have two of these beautiful cats pass by; and what luck that it happened for the cheetah conference. Cheers - Paul Wilderness Safaris Summer Update, August 8 2004 In 2005 Wilderness Safaris of southern Africa plans to build a brand new 12-roomed lodge at a beautiful location in Botswana's Okavango Delta - at the same level of comfort as Jao, Mombo and Kings Pool. Nearby Mombo is often completely booked up, so they felt they needed an alternative - another superb Okavango game viewing camp what will rival the Mombo experience. It will be in the Vumbura area because the game there is outstanding - especially around the new site - and guests can do night drives, walks and boating there. This new camp will open at the end of April 2005 and will be located in a totally new area to the east of the present Vumbura Camp. Bookings for the existing Vumbura continue right up until the new camp opens (at which time the old Vumbura will close). The new camp is to have 10 twin rooms, two of which will be honeymoon tents, and they will probably divide this camp into four small and intimate sets of 3 roomed camps so that they maintain a small and exclusive atmosphere. Little Vumbura will continue on as is with 6 rooms Chitabe and Chitabe Trails are to be linked in future by a common raised wooden walkway. This will allow Wilderness to create a "Camp within a Camp" theme similar to that which presently exists at Mombo and Little Mombo. Chitabe and Chitabe Trails can then be expanded and contracted for groups and private parties, so that they can offer a more flexible personal experience. Speaking of Mombo - Mombo will be undergoing a major refurbishment to make the rooms more comfortable and functional. New roofs have been ordered and there will be a fresh internal configuration within the rooms with new furniture, which will result in an even better experience for Mombo's guests. The game has been truly incredible at Mombo this year - with this being the year of the leopard! Some guests have been seeing up to four different leopards in one day! One group of guests even saw the Big Five in 15 minutes! Alistair Rankin, an old friend of Wilderness Safaris, has, along with his partner Murray Collins, bought Abu's Camp and Elephant Back Safaris in Botswana. The sale has just gone through. Randall will no longer be running Abu's and Alistair will be the person on site looking after the guests and making sure that things happen. We believe that there will be some exciting new developments here and for next year, we believe that there will be a new 3-night program! 2004 looks to be the year of wild dog sightings in the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve and from all indications it seems there are three dens in the area. Guests staying at Kings Pool, Duma Tau and Savuti are all enjoying fantastic wild dog experiences and interaction. Wilderness are debating whether to increase the number of beds at Xigera and open an additional camp known as 'Little Xigera' during the course of next year - again linked and a similar concept to Mombo/Little Mombo and Chitabe/Little Chitabe. Air Botswana will be flying direct from Cape Town to Maun three times per week as from mid-October 2004. This is now an excellent and efficient way of getting from the Delta to the Mother City, Cape Town. Wilderness will add two extra Cessna Caravans to their fleet of aircraft in Botswana by the end of July this year - and for 2005 they are striving to have guests only fly in these beautiful aircraft. They are looking into the feasibility of having an all-Caravan fleet of aircraft next year with the added benefit that guests would then be able to travel with 20kg worth of luggage instead of the present 12kg restriction. No promises at this stage, but this is what they are hoping to achieve in 2005. In South Africa the building schedule for Pafuri Camp in the Kruger National Park is looking good with expected opening date moved slightly out to December 23 this year. They are building a tented camp using tents that will look similar to Duba Plains, raised off the ground. We believe that this will be the best value camp in all of Kruger! Exciting news at Rocktail Bay - Wilderness Safaris has been given permission to built new luxury, sea-facing rooms at Rocktail Bay next year. Several of the higher ups at Wilderness in Johannesburg recently went down to Mkambati to experience the "Greatest Shoal on Earth" (the Sardine Run in South Africa) first-hand. All have returned raving about the fact that they were swimming, snorkeling and diving all day with innumerable whales, sharks, dolphins, birds - and even manta rays! The dolphins and sharks follow sardines that are on their annual migration along this coastline. Wilderness are currently finalising the EIA's (Environmental Impact Assessments) for the development and, once concluded, construction will begin in earnest. Expected opening early to mid-2005 Wilderness Safaris North Island property features as the location shoot in the upcoming movie Thunderbirds, which is due to be released this month. North Island remains on top of guests' Wish lists for Seychelles and Island getaways. Namibia sees expansion next year too with the planned opening of an additional camp in the Damarland area in partnership with the local communities. It will be called Dara Nawas. Skeleton Coast Camp in Namibia and The River Club at Victoria Falls have been recently featured in the Natural Traveler magazine. At Victoria Falls Wilderness have acquired six new sprinter buses in Vic Falls for tours and transfers and will be moving two of these to the Zambian side where they will be able to offer tours and transfers Okavango Delta Flood Update, August 8 2004 This year has been an incredible year in Botswana's Okavango Delta with floods that are just perfect and guests enjoying a great experience out there. The water levels at the top of the Delta are starting to drop slowly, but there is still a lot of water coming into the Delta. A lot of the water has rushed down the western side of the Okavango and has now reached Lake Ngami, which is now rapidly filling up for the first time in nearly twenty years. The birdlife is spectacular. The water flowing down the Boro River to Maun has not been as high as anticipated. A large amount of water is backed up at the Buffalo Fence fault line waiting to come down the Boro to Maun and we anticipate that the waters will push well past Maun - about halfway to the Makgadikgadi. Rocktail Bay Update, August 8 2004 Rocktail Bay is a small lodge located on South Africa eastern coast just south of Mozambique. Divers and guests that head out on the shore-launched boat recently got to see the beginnings of the humpback whale migration. These magnificent creatures spend southern Africa's summer months in the Antarctic and then migrate northward toward Mozambique during the winter months, with Rocktail receiving them as visitors from June through early October. Then from mid-October to mid-January they have the turtles' egg-laying season on the beaches of northern KwaZulu-Natal, with Rocktail guests able to experience the research they conduct firsthand every evening. Mid-January to mid-March sees the hatchlings emerging from their nests and scurrying toward the ocean. Only one or two out of every thousand of the little guys that were laid will return once mature to start the cycle of life again While the diving has been unbelievable at Rocktail this month, the snorkeling off the boat has been excellent. Guests have seen green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles, big schools of fusiliers, surgeonfish and spadefish, a 1.5m spotted eagle ray and of course everyone's favourite - the dolphins! Sightings include bottlenose and shyer and more rare for the area, humpback dolphins. Namibian Spa, August 8 2004 Goche Ganas Nature Reserve and Wellness Village is located just 30 minutes outside Windhoek, Namibia. The property is characterized by wide-open spaces with over 21 species of game on 6,000 hectares of land. The architecture incorporates local arts and crafts in celebration of Namibian cultures. There are 16 private suites, (1 Crown Suite, 5 Superior Suites and 10 Elegant Suites) each under thatch roof with uninterrupted views over the Nature Reserve. The Wellness Village has 11 specialist treatment rooms and state-of-the-art equipment. There is also a heated indoor swimming pool, an outdoor pool, fitness and gym facilities and a "Cave Sauna" for guests to enjoy. Guests visiting Goche Ganas may also participate in nature trails, morning and evening game drives, bird watching and guided walks to the late Stone Age caverns on the property. Goche Ganas is our highly recommended property, which guests can enjoy either at the start or end of a Namibian Safari. Mount Anderson is a Must, August 8 2004 For any guest who is experiencing a Big Five safari in South Africa, a stay at Mount Anderson in the Mpumalanga Highlands following the safari is a MUST. Mount Anderson is the high-altitude, and personal retreat of Mr. Mike Rattray (from Mala Mala Reserve fame). Sleeping a maximum of 8 guests, guests staying at the retreat can experience high-altitude game, trout fly fishing in privately-stocked dams on the property, as well as viewing historical sites dating back to the gold rush experienced in this area. Sanctuary Lodges Suspends Hot Air Ballooning in Botswana, August 8 2004 Further to the suspension of all hot air ballooning activities at Stanley's Camp in Botswana's Okavango Delta, Sanctuary Lodges and Camps would like to advise that the ballooning activities suspension date has been extended until October 1, 2004. The reason behind the suspension is due to the high volumes of water in the Okavango Delta, particularly in the areas surrounding Stanley's Camp and Baines' Camp. As a result of said water volumes, it has made the landing of the balloon extremely challenging and virtually impossible. As guest's safety is of prime concern, they have had no other choice than to suspend the activity. Any guests that may be affected by the suspension of the ballooning activity will be fully refunded. Robin Pope Safaris Weekly Update, August 8 2004 Robin and Jo Pope operate safaris in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park. Here is their latest update: Doctor Death is back! - Regular guest Paul Deniger has arrived back for his month long stay with us. Paul was nick named Doctor Death a few years ago as he always manages to see a kill. Unfortunately the buffalos do not seem to have realized this and came to greet him on his arrival at Nsefu….I am sure the predators will be close behind. This week seems to have been mating week in the Nsefu sector with good sighting of both leopard and lion coupling up. Tena Tena had the most amazing sighting this week. Three lions in a tree with a couple of cubs playing underneath, yes I did say three lions in a tree! Also in the Nsefu sector this week there was another unusual event. Debs was out walking and saw a giant eagle owl at 10 o'clock in the morning - unusual enough but this owl was hunting a genet. He managed to catch it and then flew off with the genet in his grip, it's tail dangling in the wind. Jason also had a lovely bird sighting when he found a green spotted wood dove with 2 chicks. Another super sighting of wild dog yesterday - August can you believe it. Six dogs were seen posed to kill a puku. This seems to confirm that they are going to stay around throughout the year which is fantastic and surely shows that the numbers must be increasing and they are therefore needing to hunt in a larger area. Not to be out done Nkwali guests caught a glimpse of a leopard whilst having breakfast. They heard it calling and it was then spotted directly opposite the bar. Stay well and have a great week. Cheers - Kim Wildebeest Migration Update from Rekoro Camp, August 22 2004 The migration never fails to impress! The Serengeti wildebeest have been arriving in Kenya's Masai Mara now for over six weeks and they still keep coming! After an incredibly hot week the heavens have opened and there has been over two inches of rain. This will have a dramatic effect on the ecosystem during the next few days. It will also bring on more wildebeest There is plenty of grass, so lots of action to come. A few days ago James Sengeny found a ten foot python that had just caught a male Thomson's gazelle. Guests at Rekoro Camp spent most of the afternoon watching the python slowly but surely swallow the animal whole before slipping into a termite mound. To witness this really is a once in a life time event and there was a lot of excitement amongst the camp residents that evening. Lions are nearly as common as wildebeest at the moment! It is has not been unusual for the three local prides to make at least two kills a night. The 'camp pride' has a new member - a three week old cub so they have been resident on chui lugga for a while now. The cheetah are also in their element as a large portion of the paradise plain was burnt last month and now has the new growth and with it thousands of 'tommies'. A female with three nine month old cubs has taken up residence there and guests have been lucky enough to witness several kills as well as the cubs having hunting lessons. Leopard had been few and far between until recently when five different leopard were sighted in one day, three by Jimmy in the valley around the Cottages and a mating pair in Camp which guests were able to view from the dinner table! There have been no black rhino sightings since June which is not uncommon at this time of year. The rhino don't seem to enjoy the company of the wildebeest and remain in the forests until later in the year when the wildebeest move on. Elephant and buffalo are frequently being seen around camp and in good numbers. With the rain in the area and the plentiful grass it looks as though the wildebeest will be in the area for at least another month, and hopefully as late as October if the rain continues for a few more days. It really is an exciting time of year in the Mara, plenty of predator action at any time of day, crossings and a symphony of nocturnal voices. Air Botswana to Start Cape Town Flights, August 22 2004 Air Botswana has announced a scheduled service between Maun and Cape Town direct - 3 times per week from October 31, 2004 to March 31, 2005. Service will be aboard a BAE 146 whisper jet carrying up to 70 passengers. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday the new flight will depart Cape Town at 10:00 AM and arrive in Maun at 1:30 PM. On Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday this new flight will depart Maun at 3:00 PM and arrive Cape Town at 6:00 PM. Guests traveling from Cape Town to Maun will no longer have to get up at 4:30 AM to connect via Johannesburg. Baines' Camp Opens in Okavango Delta, August 22 2004 Baines' Camp in Botswana's Okavango Delta was successfully opened in August 2004. The first guests, a family of four from the United States, checked in on August 6, 2004 and complimented the staff for an extremely high level of personal service, excellent food, and magnificent activities. They said that they had a phenomenal experience all round. Baines' Camp is an intimate and cozy camp featuring five luxurious suites set on magnificently elevated platforms among the indigenous flora. The suites run along the meandering river line and all decks are securely separated from the other's, which ensures guest's complete privacy. The unique aspect of Baines' Camp is that 140,000 aluminum cans were incorporated into the walls of the camp and then plastered. This creates the curvilinear effect of the camp, which is maintained throughout by the specially ordered 'wonky ware' crockery and if you look very closely you will find that there are absolutely no straight lines in camp. The magnificent room's are equipped with a spacious wardrobe, fully mobile four-post bed, a comfortable bench, a digital safe and personalized mini-bar. On arrival at the camp your preferences are requested for the mini-bar, which is then stocked accordingly. Once again this maintains the personal level of service that Baines' Camp is so proud of. The beautiful floors are made out of a commercially grown environmentally friendly timber, saligna, which ensures that the natural theme of the camp is maintained. The large windows are set in such a way that ensures guests get the maximum amount of natural light and optimizes the panoramic views of the river and lagoon. Another unique aspect of Baines' Camp is that each suite is themed around one of Sir Thomas Baines' paintings and furnishing includes light fittings and fabrics, which accentuate the various themes. After a peaceful rest in either twin bedded suites or one of two king size suites, guests can get ready for an African safari. Activities include scenic guided walks or open 4X4 safaris through the vast African terrain, once in a lifetime elephant interaction and exhilarating hot air balloon excursions. Guests can coast across the Boro River in a motorized boat or if they prefer a more leisurely itinerary enjoy a serene mokoro ride. Enjoy a relaxing shower in the spacious bathrooms linked to the bedrooms by completely enclosed walkways set amidst the natural vegetation. From the outside, these walkways give the illusion of suspension bridges, which add to the natural theme of the camp. Each bathroom is equipped with a private toilet cubicle, a spacious white porcelain double basin accentuated with antique taps to maintain the theme, a large vanity area including a useful top shelf, magnificent mirrors set in demolition timber as well as a large shower for guests to indulge themselves after a hot day in the African sun. Fittings in the bathroom such as the towel rails and soap holders are hand cast in pewter and the exposed copper pipes once again emphasize the natural theme of the camp. The policy of conservation ensured that the roof of the lounge area was dropped to accommodate a natural fig tree. The spacious lounge overlooking the meandering Boro River and Lagoon is equipped with comfortable three-seated couches and chairs which were especially produced for the camp. Beautiful antiques accentuate the furniture and maintain the natural look of the camp. Before retiring for the day, guests can enjoy a specially prepared meal in the comfort of their own room, outside amidst the indigenous flora or in the dining room, which boasts a unique tilted roof and specially themed tables, chairs and 'wonky' crockery. As night falls guests may ask a camp staff member to move the four-post bed outside onto the deck for a night under the African sky. Muchenje Lodge Update, August 22 2004 Muchenje Lodge is located on the western boundary of Botswana's Chobe National Park. Here is the latest news: The weather is finally warming up however guests still need a fleece in the morning and late evening - but no where near as cold as June through August. Wildlife is plentiful. The best news is that the 3 cubs born into the Muchenje pride are thriving. Mother and cubs are quite relaxed around the vehicles now and the cubs do what they do best - charm the guests with their antics. There also seems to be a new pride in the area, further up towards Serondella. They may have come from inland, maybe Noghaatsa, but hopefully they stay and bring some new blood. Giraffe - one guest said there were more than she could have ever imagined. They are everywhere and so beautiful. Eles - well, what does one say. Hundreds of them, in and out of the water, so many hippos - in and out of the water- the are likened to rocks. Puku Flats is now "unflooded" and teeming with game. Coming from the boat trip it is probably one of the most spectacular sights to see - uncountable elephant of all sizes, giraffe, kudu and impala. The river in front of the Lodge is now just that - a river. The grass now is all dead and the trees are losing their leaves, it is amazing how quickly the seasons come around. Robin Pope Safaris Weekly Update, August 29 2004 Robin and Jo Pope operate safaris in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park. Here is their latest update: Simon has just spend a fantastic 6 days at Nsefu with two regular guests and one of their friends. They had brilliant game viewing. Starting with mating lions on the first morning drive and then a leopard kill on the evening drive. Shanie was accompanying them and commenting on how lucky they had been. Not 30 seconds later a leopardess was spotted stalking and they then watched it kill a baby puku. On the second day the three guests were out again with Simon and saw a lioness take a kill from a leopard. They could not see the leopard but did see the lioness rush up an ant hill covered in creepers and heard her crunching on the impala. Then a leopard was spotted sitting not too far away and it was assumed that it was this leopard who had lost the kill. Seconds later another leopard, who had been hiding in the creeper shot out and ran off! Cats in all directions… On their last evening with "Super Star Simon" they came across lion cubs playing and annoying their parents. They were generally being cubs, romping around and chewing on sticks etc. Also at Nsefu Kerri spotted a three banded courser protecting her eggs and got a super shot of this - with the bird shading the eggs with her wings. Other repeat guests had a memorable first game drive. Straight from the airport and across the pontoon and onto sundowners. A large croc was spotted rapidly swimming toward shore. Turning their gaze to the right, they spotted three wild dogs trotting down to the river bank. Between the croc and the dogs was a hapless impala who was being chased by the dogs into the jaws of the hungry croc! The croc swam off with dinner in the end. On the way back to camp, they spent time with a female leopard…a great welcome back after 4 years away. At Tena Tena Rocky was presented with an abandoned baby warthog this week. It was tiny - about a week old. We had to contact Chipembere who look after orphaned animals etc for instructions. After a brief visit to Nkwali the little wartlet, now named Roxy, was delivered to be looked after by the experts Stay well and have a great week. Cheers - Kim Return to Weekly Update Archive |
