ULTIMATE AFRICA SAFARIS
Ultimate Africa travel and wildlife news archive February 2004 Okavango Flood Update, February 1 2004 The waters within Botswana's Okavango this year appear that they are going to be VERY high indeed! The latest readings from the Delta's panhandle (where the river enters Botswana from Namibia) are already higher than readings before the infamous 1984 floods! Ol Donyo Wuas Update, February 1 2004 Ol Donyo Wuas is located in the Chyulu Hills, a range of volcanoes running between Kenya's Amboseli and Tsavo National Parks. Here is their latest update: Tara and Richard Bonham have decided that it is time to move back to the lodge and host guests again. They are looking forward to this as it has been nearly 7 years since they were actively hands on running the lodge. While Richard and Tara have been away from the lodge most of their energy has been put into the Maasailand Preservation Trust which works on community conservation projects mainly within the Mbirikani Group Ranch. This Trust has really taken off, and so as not to bore you here is a short list of some of their projects: * A mobile health care unit manned by a doctor, nurse and lab technician provides free health care to Group Ranch members. *A predator compensation plan that pays for any killing of domestic stock by lion, cheetah, leopard or hyena. * We formed a Community Game Scout Association that has 86 game scouts in the field and in uniform covering Mbirikani and neighboring group ranches. *A lion monitoring program on the Ranch. *An environmental education program for the Ranch * Providing wildlife scholarships for Ranch member's children who cannot afford to go to school and paying for qualified teachers in the Group Ranch schools. *A security team to monitor the black rhino which somehow still survive on the ranch. In the meantime Richard and Tara will somehow have to keep these balls in the air whilst running the lodge!! The lodge itself remains more or less unchanged, with 7 double cottages, two of which have an extra bedroom to accommodate guests traveling with children. The crew is still the same, many of whom have been with us since we started 17 years ago. The horses are doing well with a mixture of old plodders for novice riders and a few ex race horses for those who enjoy a breakneck gallop on the plains. Walking is still very popular, and since the elephant have become resident, can be very exciting. We also still have exclusive use of the 300,000 acre ranch which means approx. 17,000 acres per guest, so no worries about crowds. Over the next few months we want to develop horse safaris between the Chyulus and Amboseli taking a week and also walking safaris in the Chyulu Hills. All else at Ol Donyo Wuas is fine. The Amboseli migration is with us now and we must have at least 2,000 head of zebra and wildebeest on the plains in front of the lodge and two nights ago we had lion, cheetah and elephant at the lodge water hole all at the same time - an occurrence which does not happen often enough, but getting better all the time. Wilderness Safaris South Africa Update, February 1 2004 Wilderness Safaris is a southern Africa tour operator which manages lodge and tented camp properties in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Here is their latest South Africa update: The Makuleke Concession, set in northern Kruger National Park, is the first of our developments to get underway this year. This concession has resulted from a land claim brought by the Makuleke people who were removed from the area in the late 1960's. We will be working with the community in developing and managing the lodges, and doing the sales and marketing for them. In addition they will also find employment in the lodges and concession management. To give you an idea of how beautiful the area is here is an account sent by our guys already up there: "Well, this is definitely the most beautiful part of the northern Kruger Park. There is just color and life everywhere, all the trees are in full bloom, the migratory birds are back and doing their mating displays and animals are abundant. The temperatures are relatively high, and we await the rains. The Luvuvhu River is still flowing and this is drawing plenty of game. Daily drives to and from the Premier site (Royal Makuleke Lodge) offer the most amazing elephant sightings, as the breeding herds are all sticking to the riverine bush. Usually they are very big herds, with as many as 12 tiny babies. They also seem to be pretty relaxed to have vehicles stopped in their midst, which makes viewing a pleasure. The bulls seem to prefer the area of the vintage camp (Pafuri Lodge site), and every afternoon if you keep an eye out, you will see a few eles silently moving out of the thick bush and into the river bed for a drink and a splash in the water. Both the Royal Makuleke and the Parfuri sites have resident leopards, which traverse the game tracks through the camps every night. They are getting quite used to the human presence in their territories, and it is now only a matter of time until we start seeing them regularly. One beautiful male leopard has graced us with sightings. At the end of each day, as the sky pinkens at sunset, our background music is the call of both the Pel's fishing owl, and giant eagle owl. If one looks carefully at the trees lining the opposite bank, the eagle owl can be seen silhouetted against the sky bobbing his head with curiosity. A Pel's fishing owl swoops out of a tree to catch a fish, and then her chick can be heard complaining about his dinner, what a life! There are a lot of huge herds of buffalo that move through the concession, many of the cows with calves. Prides of lions are usually not far behind, just waiting for a meal opportunity. We came across a pride of lionesses on the hunt, but being on the hunt often makes them jumpy, and unfortunately they moved off as the vehicle came into sight. The area is so unspoiled, and there has never been a constant human presence in the area. The result is that the animals are still wild, which makes seeing them all the more exciting. Driving along, one can always tell that there is a predator in the area, as the bush alarm goes off. The crested and helmeted guinea fowl are very useful to other animals, as they always seem to find the trouble, and warn everyone. It was these calls that alerted us to the presence of wild dogs who were on their way to drink in front of the Royal Makuleke. The area is so diverse, and every corner is beautiful. From dry areas with huge baobabs, one drives into floodplain areas surrounded by the lime green fever trees. Then into mopane veld and on into the riverine forest, with its big shady cool trees. With all the biodiversity, the area attracts a very unusual mix of fauna and flora. We are fortunate to have a very healthy bird list. Some of the specials seen recently include spinetails, red headed weavers, nesting sites for the white fronted bee-eaters, wire-tailed swallows, crowned eagles, and so many more. On returning to camp we walk into three old buffalo bulls who seem to have realized that there is relative safety close to human habitation. For the past 3 weeks they have not moved from the front of our campsite - they know we are there, and they let us know when they are around. The civet pops around in the early hours of the morning, every day, just to check out if any morsels have been dropped around the site. When he heads off, the large spotted genet follows his footprints, but he is a little shyer, and moves away if the light comes on. A hyena calls from not far away, and then the night is still. At Crooks Corner, there is a very deep hippo pool, with a pod of about 20 hippos in it. If one waits long enough, you will see some eyes and a long nose appear out of the water, as the crocodiles watch our every move. On the rocky outcrops on the way up to heaven (Lanner Gorge), you should keep your eyes open for the klipspringer, jumping on their tiptoes over the rocks. The Sharpe's grysbok can be seen peeping out of the bushes lining the road. From the gorge one can see huge fish swimming in the pools far below, and the ever present croc lounging in the sun. One cannot describe the beauty of the gorge - you have to see it to believe it. Through the fever trees, the herds of zebra, waterbuck and nyala move through the forest towards the river. The eland have returned to the area, and big herds can be seen moving around the water..." Guests staying at Ndumo in Kwa Zulu Natal can now easily visit Tembe with its elephant and lion populations, using Wilderness's newly constructed pontoon to travel between the two reserves. This cuts out the drive from Ndumo onto the main road and into Tembe. Elephants are definitely now on the "menu" for guests staying at Ndumo. Rocktail Bay's latest dive report is absolutely awesome. The first of hopefully many ragged tooth sharks was sighted. From late November we tend to find pregnant females in the popular dive area just off shore called Elusive. Other summer visitors that are arriving are the honeycomb rays, brown stingrays and guitarfish. Also seen were a couple of spotted eagle rays & approximately 40 devil rays in one outing. Turtle tracks are everywhere and in December alone we had a total of 105 sightings of Loggerhead Turtles. Leatherback sightings were slow at the beginning of the season with a last count of 56 sightings and nests. The smallest Leatherback ever sighted at Rocktail Bay was a favorite this month. She measured a mere 1405 cm long, so it is safe to assume that this is her first nesting season after spending 15 to 20 years maturing out at sea. January is especially exciting with the baby hatchlings arriving this month. 2004 is the tenth anniversary of South Africa's democracy. We have a new and unique tour that is sure to inspire people from around the world. This tour, lead by Robin Binckes, shows how all our history is inter-related and how certain events led to the molding of attitudes that resulted in actions which we find hard to believe in today's society. It also shows how history is repeated and how, despite the injustices, a peaceful transition to democracy occurred. This tour highlights the four main chapters in our history namely: A visit to Alexandra Township where one will learn about Nelson Mandela's first home in Johannesburg and his early years in the Transkei. Next a visit to the notorious hostels and a chance to see how local people are attempting to uplift themselves through craftwork. The tour moves on to Lilliesleaf, home of the ANC high command in the late 1960's. This is where the entire high command was arrested, laying the basis for the infamous Rivonia Trial. After lunch, guests head for Vlakplaas - secret headquarters of the of the Apartheid Police "Death Squads". Most of the original buildings have been removed but the tales of horror and the lifestyles of the death squad members still amaze and shock. The final stop is the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria - explained with a twist. Cape Grace offer Free Night, February 1 2004 The world famous Cape Grace Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa will be offering 4 nights for the price of 3 throughout 2004. The Cape Grace have always positioned themselves as offering excellent value in everything they do e.g. breakfast included, complimentary 24/7 Internet access, café complete, no tray charge for room service breakfast, BMW transfers around the city to name but a few. Only 1 night will be offered on a complimentary basis for a stay longer than 3 nights. Chapman's Peak Drive Reopens, February 1 2004 Cape Town's gorgeous Chapman's Peak Drive has recently re-opened. This is without doubt one of the world's most incredibly beautiful road excursions - a must see for all visitors to Cape Town. British Airways to fly to Livingstone, February 1 2004 British Airways have announced they will add Livingstone, Zambia (the Zambian side of Victoria Falls) to their route network from March 28, 2004. In addition to their current daily flights to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, BA will offer return flights between Johannesburg and Livingstone on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The Zambian departure tax of US$20 per person is not included and is payable in cash by passengers prior to departure from Livingstone Airport. Robin Pope Zambia Update, February 1 2004 Robin and Jo Pope run several very successful safari camps in Zambia. Here is their weekly update: Well a new week is upon us. We have had some spectacular storms of late. The thunder and lightening are really quite incredible and the river is up and down like a yo-yo. Sundowners drifting gently downstream in the boat is definitely a favorite at this time of year. Last week Simon and Shanie took a spin in the park - a slightly late start due to the fact that none of us had managed to sleep through the loud thunder overhead and beating rain on our houses the night before. However, on arriving in the park it seemed that even the animals were feeling the same. Warthogs could hardly be bothered to move as the gameviewer approached. Looking decidedly shell shocked they finally ambled off into the bush but a lion which they came across was so tired he just continued to sleep right next to the vehicle having no energy to look fierce or even sloop off. Ndutu Safari Lodge Update, February 8 2004 Ndutu Safari Lodge is located on the border of Tanzania's famed Serengeti National Park. Here is the lodge's latest update: After months of waiting, the first rain finally fell in the middle of December. Four inches of rain fell in just over an hour creating a memorable flood. A fair sized river flowed through the bar area and into the verandah. Lakes Ndutu and Masek both have water and flamingoes again and the frogs in the water hole went mad. Their croaks, clicks and chattering were almost deafening. Things are a little quieter with the frogs these days. But the water hole has seen much excitement recently as hundreds of zebra and wildebeest arrived to drink daily. It was a wonderful scene that greeted visitors in front of the Lodge over the Christmas period, as there were always grazing zebra and giraffes passing by throughout the day. The peace and quiet was broken at regular intervals by the arrival of elephants. The elephant watching has been fantastic lately. Several family groups have visited the water hole on a daily basis along with 10 or so bulls. The females are very well behaved but the bulls revel in chasing the zebras in and out of the water hole and even the odd guest when one particularly truculent bull charged the bar one afternoon. In June we reported an elephant that had been caught in a wire snare. Vets from the Serengeti took over half an hour to cut through the thick wire, which had dug deep into her neck. We saw her once again the next morning and then she disappeared. I don't think any of us thought she would survive such a terrible injury. So it was a wonderful surprise when last week she was spotted at Lake Masek. She looked great. She wasn't exactly fat but in good condition and her calf, who was missing in June (presumed dead) was also with her, which was another excuse to have a beer. Baby zebra are everywhere this month, which is delightful to see. Some guests were even lucky enough to witness an actual birth, waiting until the final moment when it was up on it's feet and walking away with it's mother. I've seen five tiny newborn December/January elephant calves pass through the Lodge grounds hugging close to their mother's sides. Another special thing is the bat-eared foxes or flat-eared boxes, as they are affectionately known. These animals are favorites with guests and they are particularly abundant this year. The wildebeest sightings were fantastic over the Christmas holidays. They were quite spread out and there were even rumors that some of them were still in the Maasai Mara. Certainly there were reports of wildebeest all through the Serengeti but nevertheless on the day I went out last week there were wildebeest stretching to every horizon. The rain that's now falling as I write these notes, can only make things even better, if that's possible! Wilderness Safaris Featured on Today Show, February 8 2004 Wilderness Safaris of southern Africa recently accommodated Today show host Matt Lauer. We cannot say where he stayed in southern Africa however! Watch the Today Show on NBC to follow Matt's travels on "Where in the World is Matt Lauer". Wilderness Safaris Rhino Update, February 8 2004 In 2003 Wilderness Safaris of Southern Africa was the world's first recipient of the newly introduced World Legacy Awards, in the Nature Travel Category, as created by National Geographic Traveler and Conservation International. This unique award system is set to recognize and profile leading examples of sustainable tourism and nature conservation efforts around the world, where environmentally and socially responsible tourism practices are helping protect and nurture our planet's precious natural and cultural resource-base. Wilderness Safaris has expended great energy in re-introducing wild black and white rhino in Botswana and here is an update: The last few months have seen incredible progress towards our goal of re-establishing both African rhino species in the wild in Botswana's Okavango Delta. At the beginning of 2003, there were 15 wild rhinos in Botswana, all white rhinos - now there are 31, including the first four black rhinos. The black rhino has been classified as "locally extinct" in Botswana for over a decade, a classification which has been made redundant with the arrival of two males and two females at Mombo in late October. Two of these black rhinos were a gift from Namibia, and the other two were part of a wildlife exchange programmed between the two governments. We actually exchanged the original animals with South Africa to get the exact right subspecies (Diceros bicornis minor) for Botswana. At the same time another ten white rhinos were brought in from South Africa, the final consignment under the "roan antelope for rhino" exchange program. These white rhinos were all females, and with their release the target sex ratio of approximately 2/3 females to 1/3 males - the optimum ratio for breeding - has been achieved. As yet we are still awaiting the first birth of a rhino calf - this will be a huge event as it will be the first wild rhino birth in Botswana for perhaps 15 years or more. We are confident that we will see births during 2004, and very possibly during the first half of the year. Now that we have had rhinos in the Okavango Delta for two complete years (the first white rhinos were re-introduced here in November 2001) we have a much better idea of their movements through the seasons. The Delta is a wonderfully dynamic ecosystem and it has been fascinating (through our intensive security and research monitoring program) to observe and try and understand the rhinos' seasonal movements. All the social and territorial behavior we would expect has been taking place, and we can be fairly confident that several of our female white rhinos are now expecting… Caring for the black rhinos in the bomas prior to their release was a fascinating experience. They are very different from the white rhino, of course, being a browsing animal rather than a grazer, and despite their reputation for aggression, they very quickly adapted to their temporary homes in the bomas. We experimented with a wide range of Delta plants to find out which the rhinos would prefer. They showed a definite preference for blue bush (Diospyros lycoides) and - surprisingly, as it has very tannic leaves - the magic gwarry bush (Euclea divinorum). They also happily ate large fever berry (Croton megalobotrys), jackalberry (Diospyros mespiliformis), and some acacia species. Each afternoon we would set out to collect fresh browse for the four rhinos and it was very interesting to see their quite different feeding technique, using their prehensile upper lip to pull leaves and twigs into their mouths. The black rhinos were quite selective as to which plants they would eat, but once they had found one they enjoyed, they would eat branches up to the thickness of your thumb! During the rhinos' short stay in the bomas, we had a great opportunity to study these very different rhinos and couldn't wait to release them and see them out in the bush. The Vice President of Botswana, Lt Gen Ian Khama, who released the first white rhinos for us back in 2001, again opened the gates to release the first black rhino. A huge moment for rhino conservation in Botswana. However the rhino had other ideas (or perhaps he was just suffering from stage fright!). He emerged briefly from the bomas three times, each time to return, before finally moving off into freedom after dark. Over the next two days, two females and the second male were released - the return of the black rhino to the wild in Botswana! Since their release, we have had some great moments tracking these rhinos in the bush. As we had predicted, none of them moved too far from Mombo - an indication of just how good the habitat is here for rhinos. And getting better - the rains, late this year, have finally started - and Mombo is getting greener by the day, with new grass growth and new leaves on the trees and bushes, also many of the smaller pans are filling up with rain now. So at the end of 2003 there were over twice as many rhinos in the Okavango Delta as at the beginning of the year. However, along with all the achievements and good news, there have been a few setbacks… At the same time as the black rhinos and more white rhinos were being released, several white rhinos mortalities were experienced. One subadult male was tragically killed by a bush fire (probably started by lightning) on Chief's Island - rhinos have been recorded as having been killed by fires several time in South Africa, and seem to be quite vulnerable to this natural phenomenon. We also lost two rhinos during necessary capture and transport operations. These are always risky, especially in the summer heat. Despite every precaution, one rhino died of stress as we were trying to return her from an area close to the Caprivi Strip which is a poaching blackspot, and we had to euthanize a second rhino which incurred a leg injury during transport. Given the road conditions in remote parts of Botswana, the stress on the rhinos can be considerable. The worst news came in October, when two of our rhinos were shot and killed by poachers. This is always the biggest danger for any rhino population and our worst fear became a reality when local men from a transient settlement tracked two of the rhinos and shot them, hoping to sell the horns in Maun. It seems that this was an opportunistic crime, rather than an organized poaching gang. However, it meant two dead rhinos and prompted a massive upgrade to our (already stringent) security measures. The crime backfired as the poachers were easily tracked by following the signals in the transmitters in the horns, and are now facing trial. If convicted they face up to 15 years in prison. Hopefully the publicity surrounding this crime and its consequences will act as a powerful deterrent to any other potential poachers. The vigorous response of the police, anti-poaching unit, and Botswana Defense Force illustrated how seriously Botswana takes this sort of crime, and underlines the government's commitment both to this project and to conservation in the Okavango Delta and beyond. Only a week after this crime, three white rhinos were released, reversing the loss that had been suffered and sending out a powerful message that the project team would not be dispirited or discouraged by this incident. Building on our successes of the last two years, we have very ambitious plans for 2004, focusing on increasing our black rhino population. In a US$1 million project, we are looking to reintroduce a further 14 black rhinos during this year. We are hoping to bring in seven wild female black rhinos from Zimbabwe, and to rehabilitate seven black rhino males from zoos in the USA and Australia. This has been done before, and it should take about six months to "teach" these bulls to be wild rhinos again. To "buy" the rhinos from Zimbabwe, the national parks department there is being given training and assistance to the value of the rhinos, rather than cash. At Wilderness Safaris we have pledged to raise US$60,000 - the auction value of one black rhino. If this goal is achieved, breeding populations of both African rhino species will have been re-established in the Okavango Delta, and all being well there will be celebrations for the birth of one or more rhino calves in the wild in Botswana - the ultimate seal of approval on this project, from the rhinos themselves. Several of the rhinos released in November have not moved very far at all from Mombo, probably due to the excellence of the habitat in this area now that the rains have at last begun. This means that Mombo guests on game drives are now quite regularly seeing rhinos - both black and white - on game drives. Some guests have even been lucky enough to see both species in the same afternoon. One of the female black rhinos, Mmabontsho, has indeed become a game drive star! Joint monitoring patrols with the Anti-Poaching Unit from the Department of Wildlife & National Parks are continuing to achieve good results, and we are having good successes in tracking some of the newly-released rhinos, also some of our more established rhinos who have been moving to new areas to find the very best grazing. Also we have been enjoying the ongoing "rhino soap opera" as the territorial bulls try to detach females from their groups, and are busy marking their territories against incursions by other males. The Delta is now certainly marked again as rhino territory, with more rhinos due to arrive this year to underline this major achievement. Muchenje Lodge Update, February 15 2004 Muchenje Lodge is located on the western boundary of Botswana's Chobe National Park. Here is Sandi's latest update on the lodge: We have had good rain, but none over the last week. The grass is taller than me (not very tall you might say) so lions are rather scarce. We have gone up to 3 days without seeing them although yesterday we saw 9. Elephants are still in abundance as is all plains game. Morning drives can be rather quiet but over all, still good game viewing. Neo saw a leopard last week but only once. We have also had wild dog but again only once - good to know they are around. Okavango Delta Floods, February 15 2004 Each year Botswana's Okavango Delta floods - it is in fact the world's largest inland river delta. The flood figures of February 10, 2004 were 690 cusecs as measured at Mohembo on the Okavango River just as it enters Botswana. This is a figure last reached on February 20, 1984. In other words the amount of water in the system is higher than on the same date in that benchmark year. This is incredibly exciting and the ecological implications are great. Suffice to say one of the worlds great freshwater habitats is going to be resplendant this year. In fact, this will just mean some grand opportunities for safari goers. We are expecting a total flood input to peak above 1,000 cusecs sometime in April or May, as we are receiving reports and data from Namwater that Rundu is at it's highest level for two decades and rising. Further is the report from the chief hydrologist Department of Water Affairs, Botswana from his colleague in Angola that "in excess of 1,000 mm (1 meter) of rain fell at Huambo (catchment Cubango river) during the month of January, 2004. This water has not yet been measured at Rundu. The input from the Cuito River is not measured, but will usually only manifest itself on the Mohembo flood figure during April of any year. However, it appears that rainfall on the Bihe section of the highlands was very similar to that of Huambo and so the Cuito, Kwando and upper Zambezi rivers will rise rapidly over the next few weeks. Orient Express Safaris Update, February 15 2004 Orient Express is one of Botswana's leading luxury tour operators. Here is their latest update on their 3 properties - Eagle Island, Khwai River Lodge and Savute Elephant Camp: Temperatures during the past month were very mild due to some very good rainfall we had. The highest temperatures recorded for January were at Savute on the 27th and 28th and were 38 C and 41 C. Savute also had some extreme weather, with a severe windstorm hitting the camp on the 3rd of January. Many of the large camel thorn trees were severely damaged during the storm. Standing water in the bush is more than abundant, with all natural pans filling up and even overflowing in some areas after the good rains. At Savute hippos can be seen in these natural pans of water, like at Disaster Pan for instance. The abundance of standing pans of water in the bush also attracts many species of frogs and other aquatic biota. One of the greatest experiences this time of year is approaching one of the rainwater pans on a night drive and then listening to the cacophony of the frogs' mating calls around the water pan. These amphibians include the giant bullfrog, bubbling- and red-legged cassina, and the banded rubber frog. As mentioned, the good rains triggered a bloom in the vegetation, and northern Botswana has turned into a green paradise. The grass sward at especially Khwai and Savute is extremely tall, in some places up to 1.8 meters tall. The most dominant species are Bushveld Signal Grass (Urochloa mosambicencis) and Fan Grass (Eustachys paspaloides). Both species are extremely palatable and suitable for grazing. Especially the Savute marsh has undergone a spectacular metamorphosis, and where it used to be bare open plains in October and November, it is now so densely overgrown with grass that even the larger animals like zebra are hard to spot. The Jackal Berry trees are presently coming into flower, and these trees are literally buzzing with activity, from both birds and insects alike. At Savute a pack of 12 wild dogs were frequently seen around the camp, and were quite often seen at the waterhole where they came to drink. The arrival of two hippos that took up residence first in Disaster Pan and then later in Harvey's Pans caused some excitement, as these are not animals commonly seen in Savute. The cats were rather hard to see in general, since they were quite spread out and difficult to see in the tall grass. In the beginning of January two male lions killed a buffalo about 200 meters from Savute Elephant Camp, and the lions around Khwai were quite active around the camp and near the airstrip. Savute proved itself to be aptly named "Elephant Camp", as literally thousands of elephants concentrated in the area. Breeding herds consisting of more than 100 individuals were not an uncommon sight, especially late afternoon on the Marsh. Khwai River Lodge also had some luck with wild dogs with a pack of 10 dogs frequently spotted inside the Moremi Game Reserve. Eagle Island also produced a few sightings of cheetah and lion, but at all three camps leopards were particularly scarce. Only one good sighting was recorded at Savute of a leopard that stole an impala killed by lions at Presidents' Camp. Guests at Khwai River Lodge were often treated to a good sighting of a large female hyena. She was often seen lying on the pathway in front of Tent # 7. At both Eagle Island and Khwai large groups of giraffe were seen; some groups numbering into the thirties. All game appears to be in terrific condition, this being a time of plenty for herbivores in particular. January was a very interesting birding month indeed. Savute delivered some of the most exciting sightings as waders and water birds flocked to the rainwater pans. Red-billed teal, Hottentot Teal, Knob-billed Duck, Egyptian Geese and Pygmy Geese are very abundant. Some of the interesting water birds in the Savute area include Black-Winged Stilt, Painted Snipe, African Crake, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Greenshank and Three Banded Plover. The Carmine Bee-Eaters also make a game drive across the Savute Marsh a delightful experience. Not only can they be seen riding on the backs of the Kori Bustards, a symbiotic relationship peculiar to this area, but they also converge in large flocks around any moving vehicle, catching all the insects disturbed by the vehicle as it passes through the tall grass. Sightings that would make any birders' heart throb faster include Lesser Jacana (Xaxanaxa near Khwai), Grey Headed Kingfisher (Khwai), numerous sightings of Arnot's Chat in the Moremi as well as Pels' Fishing Owl and African Skimmer (Eagle Island). Peculiar to this time of year is especially the abundance of butterflies. The brown veined whites are starting to pick-up in numbers, and we did see some migrations taking place in January. These butterflies were moving in a northeasterly direction, as is the habit of this species. The common grass yellows were also very abundant in the Savute area, where they could be seen in large numbers on fresh elephant dung. Another beautiful species of butterfly that was quite abundant in January was the koppie charaxes. These butterflies were especially abundant in Savute, in the vicinity of the Gubatsaa hills, as these rocky outcrops are ideal habitat for them. With the widespread good rains in January, came many standing pools of water - ideal breeding grounds for frogs. After the heavy rains Khwai River Lodge had around the 21st, the bush came alive at night with frog calls. Some of the species we could identify were bubbling kassina, painted reed frog, banded rubber frog, broad-banded grass frog and then the huge giant bullfrogs as well. Guests to Eagle Island Camp had a special New-Years' treat. On the afternoon of the 1st, some of the guests together with Ruth, the bar lady, had the fantastic opportunity to witness a hippo giving birth in the lagoon in front of the Fish Eagle Bar. Even the guides could not believe this, as this is very rare to witness, and none of them had ever seen it happen. Being human, we expected the baby to enter the world quite helpless. This is definitely not the case with hippos, the baby hippo was already twitching its ears as soon as its' head appeared, and could swim very soon after birth already. Several days later the baby was seen again playing in the water, with his feet in the air. Unfortunately the baby was under threat from some of the big males, and the mother had to move away to a safer area. News from Northern Tanzania, February 22 2004 Finally rain! Several weeks ago the Alamana Camp in The Ngaroi officially opened for the season despite an acute absence of rain making the short grass plains a place that at first glance was devoid of any game whatsoever. Of course these peripheral wildlife areas always retain an element of resident game whose hardiness is almost unbelievable yet seem to weather even the toughest years of bad grazing. Thankfully it only took a few days of thundershowers for the parched grasslands to turn into a myriad of lush greens irresistible to the multitude of migratory hoof stock already on the edges of The Ngaroi. The rush of excitement as one is woken by the thundering hooves of a large herd of zebra will never loose its thrill for me and the added excitement of sitting on the veranda of my tent and seeing this as the sun rose over Oldonyoi Lengai on a crisp January morning is about as good as it gets! We've all been busy in many different directions with the season in full swing and with the never ending changes and up-grades to the camps requiring even more input from us all we have had a full work docket. Despite this over the past 4 weeks all three of our management team have found time to separately conquer Tanzania's three highest mountains! Kilimanjaro, Meru and Lengai Madness! The 4 weeks after Christmas was unusual in as much as Godfrey climbed Oldonyoi Lengai, Marianne climbed Kilimanjaro and I climbed Mount Meru! All three of us of course have had experience of each of the three mountains before but with opportunities cascading on each of us to hike the peaks over such a short period of time it seemed only sensible to don our walking boots and hit the trail! Godfrey started the ascents by taking on Lengai over Christmas with Mylene and Gian Marc. Mylene had hoped to descend by paraglider but weather and geographic conditions prevented that plan so the three of them ascended and descended the normal way. Oldonyoi Lengai is Tanzania's only active volcano and with daily movement of lava flows at the crater on the summit is one of the most exciting climbs we have in East Africa. Oldonyoi Lengai is especially interesting as it is accessible from the Alamana Camp in The Ngaroi and do-able in one day with an especially early start to summit around day break. Next up was Mount Meru and yours truly! Having last spent time on the slopes of Meru some 5 years ago it was with some trepidation that at 4:30 AM we set off for the starting point in the forest reserve south of the mountain rather than the more well traveled route through the national park. Accompanied by good friends Johnny Moses and Mike Peterson, the one day attempt to ascend, summit and return home was ambitious to the extreme and has now earned the name of suicide stupidity amongst other less easily published descriptions! Mount Meru stands at a little over 15,000 feet and reputation wise in the Shadow of Kilimanjaro, unjustly so in my view as the normal route through Arusha National Park is not only breathtakingly scenic but also as exhilarating a final ascent along a knife edge ridge as one could ask for. Our ascent through bamboo forests and alpine meadows soon gave way to the more dramatic grey volcanic rocks of the upper slopes with dramatic ridges and valleys seemingly presenting themselves from nowhere. The vibrant colors of the many different wildflowers, beautiful calls from Colobus monkeys, Trogons and Parrots all added to the experience lower down whilst the drama of the rock formations on the upper slopes needed nothing more than a break in the clouds to take ones breath away. We had to content ourselves on the final stages with bad visibility however the exertion was sufficient notification that Meru had been climbed! The ascent for me was the hardest with knees popping and seldom used muscles crying out in anguish however, on arrival home, luxuriating in a hot bath with a glass of Shiraz the pain was quickly overshadowed by the experience! Marianne conquers Africa's highest summit! I have lived 2 hours away from Mount Kilimanjaro for the past 12 years, but could never bring myself to attempt to reach its peak - there was always something else to do on my holidays, like going to the beach! All this changed in January 2004 when both my husband and I were invited to Climb Africa's highest peak. Not only the ascent would be guided by one of our closest friends and Tanzania's best mountain guide, but we were going to go via the Shira Route - this was too much to resist and we soon began excitedly to make plans for who was going to look after the kids during our absence, borrow clothes and boots, and go to the gym (well the one time we tried there was a power cut and all the machines were down - we jumped rope though!). It takes 7 nights on the mountain to climb via the Shira Plateau Route. This slower and longer ascent allows the body to acclimatize slowly to the altitude, thus increasing by a wide margin the chances of success. Accommodation is in pristine private camps and not in crowded huts or campsites, which gives us the impression that we are all alone on the tallest freestanding mountain in the World. The last ascent night is spent inside the actual Kibo Crater in a private camp set on the crater floor itself, right next to icebergs, at 18500 feet. Apart from its stunning location, the position of the camp is only 2 hours hike to the summit the next day, which can be done at first light. This is not possible on any other route where climbers need to hike the best part of the night in order to reach the summit. Our climb started on a Monday - the week before, a storm had hit Northern Tanzania, covering Kilimanjaro with abundant snow. It had been raining regularly and we had nightmares about slugging through rain at 16000 feet. But we were lucky. The weather was fantastic throughout. After driving to the Western Park Gate of Londorossi, we walked for about 3 hours though undisturbed forest to our first camp, at 9000 feet. We were welcomed warmly by our porters - who seemed already surprised that we made it that far - and shown to our heavy duty tents. The set up is luxurious by mountain standards far exceeding any other outfitters on the mountain, with hot water to wash hands and face, hot drinks and snacks in the mess tent, and an array of different types of food at mealtimes, with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. I was already wondering if the altitude was going to make a dent in my usual big appetite (you will be happy to know that it didn't, I did not fail to eat heartily even at 18000 feet, much to my companion's dismay). The next two days took us through the stunning Shira Plateau, a World Heritage Site: we took our time walking through the forest and spotting various species of birds and plants, as well as through the upper heath zone. From there we had the first daunting good views of the Western Breach, which was the way by which we were going to climb. Day 4 showed a more radical change of habitat, the alpine zone. We hiked 6 hours that day an our camp had been set up at 14300 feet, next to the Lava Tower, a 300 foot high volcanic lava plug which juts out of the side of the mountain. The next day was an easy-ish 2 hours hike - we were keeping our strength for the two next days which promised to be the hardest. Still we camped at 16000 feet and had a small snow fall, it was hard to imagine that we were in Africa. The total hiking time on day 7 was over 6 hours, but we climbed slowly and steadily up to the crater floor. Half-way up the rock face we found our lunch laid out for us in between a few boulders by Happymac, our cook. In addition to feeding us in every situation possible, he wore tennis shoes all the way though - a true hero. In spite of the hard climb that day, we arrived relatively fresh on the crater floor, and decided to take a look at the inner crater and the ash pit. Little did we know it would take another hour to reach, and we were already exhausted. To top it all a harsh wind and snow was blowing in our faces: we were not happy and a mutiny was brewing among the ranks! We softened up when our camp came to view, snuggled up next to magnificent glaciers. Dinner was swift that night, everyone feeling the biting cold, and the altitude to a small degree. The next morning however we were all ready for the summit, and took off at 06.30 am amid cheers from our porters and crew. We reached the highest peak in Africa by 08.00 am, and it was an amazing feeling. We were on our own and the views were stunning - it was a very emotional moment for all of us 'first timers'. The walk down the mountain via the Mweka Route, although long, was not unpleasant, especially as we could talk away without gasping for breath. It was not before lunchtime that we met other climbers - we had spent 7 days on this famous mountain and had not met another soul! Our last night in Camp was spent congratulating ourselves and toasting our success. A very memorable adventure. An interesting part of my work these days is with the communities that allow exclusive use of some of the most beautiful and game rich areas in Northern Tanzania. Our agreements with the communities have been forged over more than 13 years and rely as much on personal mutual respect as they do on the official legal contracts between company and community, something that thankfully potential interlopers find almost impossible to emulate. Negotiation between us and the village government involves many lengthy meetings on a time scale that would infuriate other Captains of Commerce but which to Godfrey and I merely adds to the color of the experience! Recently we have been involved in the process of renewal of The Ngaroi contract, which has seen Godfrey and I journeying backwards and forwards to Arash in the Loliondo district close to the borders of The Ngaroi. These journeys seldom follow the same path each time and are used more as exploratory safaris to eek out even more information on the areas between Arusha and The Ngaroi. As anyone will know I love to run with gazelles across the open plains and use every opportunity to explore new corners of our paradise! The village meetings themselves seldom follow a set time frame and never conform to what would be considered a regular format! Arrival at the meeting place, which when we first started working with Arash was under a large fig tree in the village center, is heralded by the Masai elders leaning their walking sticks and rungus against the neighboring trees in a gesture of respect to the other community members whilst the younger warriors do the same with their spears, burying them in the soil with a resounding thud! Anyone in the community has a right to voice their opinion in open meetings so the process of decision making can be lengthy but certainly not boring! Members of the community stumbling into the meetings under the influence of honeybeer a particularly potent and I have to say delicious brew are gently escorted away with a lot of laughter! The utilisation of The Ngaroi has always been about exclusivity and the delicate balance of providing benefits to the community in a responsible fashion. Arash always appreciated our efforts to protect the delicate grasslands which provide valuable grazing for the community herds and the wildlife as well as our commitment to community development, so the renewal of our contract was embraced unanimously allowing our guests to continue to enjoy the exclusivity that only we can boast. At the final meeting Godfrey and I and several of the elders were invited to sample the first roasted meats prepared in the acacia smoke of a slow burning fire. The liver was produced with much glee roasted gently on an acacia twig along with a gourd of liquid that I still have not identified! We were all handed chunks of rare liver which left trails of bloody juice on our chins and which I have to admit was delicious! As I mentioned before-a colorful experience! With continued development at The Ngaroi including horseback safaris, increased walking routes and the Rift Valley experience it is always good to know that the community supports us 100%. Well again I am sat in my tent at camp whilst all around me the sounds of an African Dawn herald yet another day in paradise! The plains are green and camp is full of animals both of the grass eating variety and meat eating type! Last evening around the camp-fire over cocktails a pride of lions serenaded our gin and tonics whilst the al fresco supper had sound effects from the resident rock hyraxes on the kopje at the back of the lounge tent spooked by a wandering wild cat interested in making the squealing creatures into a snack. With warm wishes, Gary & Jo Botswana is Africa's Most Globalized Nation, February 29 2004 The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has ranked Botswana as the most globalized nation in Africa. In its fourth annual "Globalization Index" released at a ceremony in Washington DC last week, Botswana at position 30 is the highest ranked African nation in world ratings.Importantly Botswana is next to world giant Japan at position 29.For the third year in a row, Ireland was ranked as the world's most globalized nation, followed by Singapore, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Finland Botswana was ranked 17 in the world in the economic category, whose variables included the percentage of trade as a share of the country's GDP, inward and outward FDI and other portfolio investment, and international income payments and receipts as shares of GDP. Botswana's political ranking was seventeen 17 in the world. The variables in this category included participation in international organizations, peacekeeping missions and other international contacts, as well as issues of transparency and good governance. In terms of government transfers, Botswana was ranked number one in the world. Kenya Welcomes Lifting of Australian Travel Ban, February 29 2004 The Kenyan tourism industry has welcomed the lifting of a travel advisory warning Australians against visiting Kenya. The chairman of the private sector Kenya Tourism Federation, Mr Jake Grieves-Cook, while welcoming the Australian decision as "a positive gesture and vote of confidence on Kenya", noted that only the advisory by the American government warning its citizens against non-essential travel to Kenya now remained in force. Australia issued the warning mid 2003 together with the US and some European countries. The US warning has had massive impact on Kenyan tourism and wildlife conservation, costing the country US$30 million in foreign exchange earnings from cancelled US tourists, he said. Parks and reserves have lost around US$3 million in entry fees from the missing US visitors. Other countries which have lifted the warnings are Britain, Germany, Belgium, France. Ndutu Safari Lodge Update, February 29 2004 Here is the latest news from Ndutu Safari Lodge located on the boundary of Tanzania's famed Serengeti: The full moon signaled the start of the wildebeest calving this month. If buffalo plod and aardvarks trundle then wildebeest calves gambol! There are literally thousands of them to be seen this week gambolling around beside their mothers and guests have witnessed many actual births. It's always interesting to mark the time it takes for the calves to get to their feet, suckle and ultimately run along side their mothers - generally it's only a matter of minutes. Everyone seems preoccupied with the wildebeest at this time of the year but there are many other interesting things going on. I counted over fifty elephants in the lodge water hole the other day. Our largest bull elephant is in town at the moment, a huge grand old animal that we call Tabasco. He is in full musth and dwarfs all the other elephants as he moves back and forwards looking for estrus females. Other animals seen in large numbers have been giraffes; a group of forty- eight were seen on the lakeshore. It looks like there's been another takeover of the Masek lion pride this year. Three young blond maned lions have moved into the Masek pride's territory. On two different occasions male lions were seen killing cubs last month. There has also been a lot of mating activity this month as the females rapidly come into estrus. One wonders what happened to the previous males as it was only last season when they took over the pride. It's hard enough for lions to survive the long dry seasons but without stability there's no hope for the young cubs. Lets hope these males are more successful and can hold on long enough to sire cubs that reach adulthood. At the lodge itself we've seen plenty of action this month. Most days sees the long crested eagle perched in the top of a tree in front of the dining room. They are a truly grand sight as they fly from tree to tree, their white wing patches showing and their uncontrollable crest blowing all over the place in the wind. The black cuckoo has been heard much lately, constantly calling over and over again and I have to confess slowly driving me mad. The last thing you'd expect to walk pass the campfire is a hippo but that's exactly what happened the other day. He looked as confused as we were as he watched us watching him before setting off on his journey again. Other visitors were a little more alarming, such as the huge herd of wildebeest that stampeded through the lodge one evening. It was a truly fantastic sight that we saw in our torchlights but a little unnerving when they came thundering past. Although we should be used to it by now as we seem to be stampeded at least once a year. The planets Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter can be seen weather permitting from the campfire at this time. But the most wonderful thing for me has been the serval cat sightings around the lodge. Many times we've watched a very tame serval cat walk by the campfire of an evening or hunting rodents in front of the rooms. On one particular day when we were watching a family group of elephants that had just bathed in the water hole and were slowly making their way right up to the lodge. It was then that we noticed the serval moving through the grass very close to the elephants. The tranquility was soon broken when one of the older elephants noticed or smelt the cat and went screaming mad chasing the serval out of the long grass and into full view. The sight of one of these beautiful spotted cats being chased by an angry elephant is something not to be forgotten. On one of their forays to the water hole one of the elephants decided to have a scratch on the goal post at the staff soccer field. Naturally these were never built for this, so it immediately collapsed but this is a small price to pay for being in such an exciting place. Cheers - Paul Namibia Sets Tourism Standards, February 29 2004 Namibian tourism establishments and operators offering sub-standard facilities and services to clients will be out of business if they don't shape up.Minimum quality standards which are contained in new regulations are to be announced by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism soon. The Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) has come up with prescriptions that would assign characters to different types of tourism businesses. The new classification not only applies to accommodation establishments but also tour and safari operators, air charter operators, shuttle and transport services and foreign tour operators, amongst others. The Tourism Board cautioned tourism operators to improve standards. "We have the statutory obligation and we owe it to the Namibian nationals and tourists alike to maintain standards, thus, we will not be sympathetic towards those operators offering sub-standard facilities and services to tourists." The Tourism Board, as the tourism regulator in the country, is empowered to deregister operators that do not toe the line. Return to Weekly Update Archive |
