ULTIMATE AFRICA SAFARIS
Ultimate Africa travel and wildlife news archive March 2002 Zimbabwe Pre-Election Update, March 3 2002 Zimbabwe will hold Presidential elections the weekend of March 9 and 10, 2002 Colin Bell, one of Wilderness Safaris' director spent the last few days in Zimbabwe getting a first hand feel for things and noted the following: I went up to Zimbabwe for three days and got back yesterday - just 10 days before the Presidential elections. I wanted to get a feel on what was happening on the ground. We talked with all of our Vic Falls staff of which, not one has moved because of politics. The scheduled flights from Johannesburg to Vic Falls and back were 75% full, the streets were buzzing; the hotels had surprisingly good occupancies and the service and food was great. It was a very different picture than the one painted in my mind from watching TV and listening to the radio. There was a great vibe in town. We have been training for Cape Town's Argus bicycle race on March 10th so we rode our bikes around town and around all the back streets. There is nothing but goodwill in the people. The amount of wildlife we saw from our bicycles was wonderful too - impala, warthog, jackal and we were on the receiving end of a great elephant charge. Getting revved by an elephant on a bicycle is a great way to get the adrenaline pumping! We met and talked to our staff and camp managers from the different camps in Hwange, Matusadona and Mana Pools. They are all bullish and positive - and their camps and parks are still islands of peace and tranquillity. All of the guides and managers were bubbling about the great wildlife viewing experienced during this summer and were looking forward to the year ahead. There has not been a lot of rainfall around this summer... just enough to keep the trees and the grasses green - but not enough to allow the elephant and buffalo move into the hinterland - so they have been seeing record game concentrations this summer around the camps. It seems as though the average Zimbabwean seems determined to see through their troubles in a positive manner. Its truly refreshing to see how the Zimbabweans are handling the political situation. Wilderness Safaris would like to note the following until we can see how the elections play out: 1) We are happy sending guests to Vic Falls 2) We are not making arrangements for guests to travel to the other parts of Zimbabwe besides Hwange, Matusadona and Mana Pools. 3) Transiting through Harare is fine - but we suggest that guests don't overnight in Harare for now. If one is landing there, make sure you are being flown out to your safari camp on the same day (Ultimate Africa has been recommending this for over 9 months now). Robin Pope's Zambia Update, March 3 2002 Robin Pope Safaris of Zambia sent us the following late February update of life in the bush: There have been exceptional (often surprising) wildlife viewing opportunities and outstanding birding this rainy season...all of which is set in a landscape transformed into a paradise of lush green, of flowing rivers and sparkling full lagoons. Lovely!! This week we heard the familiar, yet mournful bellowing of another buffalo succumbing to a lion attack. Matthew and Sara spent many hours awake in the dead of night last week listening to the whole sorry event....it sounded as though it was only meters away from their house but in fact was way off in the bush and not possible to find in daylight. If it wasn't the sounds of the intermittent death call of the buffalo keeping them awake it was the baboons launching into a barking frenzy that ensured a sleepless night! During the day we were picturing the scene...lions everywhere, sleeping near the carcass, too full to move. A few days later whilst enjoying lunch at the Nkwali bar the familiar sound could again be heard. This time it was across the river... Matthew and Sara's aardvark (well it isn't actually theirs but it would have to be the same one they saw last month outside their house) has obviously been busy. One morning last week it had been snooping around for termites leaving its tracks all over the place. You could even see where it had rested its back legs as it stuck its head into the mound. What a coup it would be to be able to say that it was seen again. Some great friends of Sara and Matthew's from Australia have come to stay this week...it is their first visit to Africa and so far they are having an awesome time. They spent the weekend driving around the Park with S & M and enjoyed some brilliant wildlife viewing. Yesterday they were out early for a full day of wildlife viewing, a long picnic lunch and a bit of night spotting on the way home. They saw a serious quantity of zebra and lots of foals. One foal in particular looked as though it was only a few days old. They also saw several elephant herds near Chichele and there were two little babies under one month old. Amazing to find large numbers of them together at this time of the year...there is so much for them to eat and drink that the eles normally scatter about at this time. The wildlife viewers also saw a beautiful group of six giraffe and a kudu. The birding was fantastic...no doubt fueling Matthew's keen interest in showing off how many bird names he can reel off to anybody who cares to listen! They did see a large number of birds of prey, in particular vultures. One such group of circling vultures led them to a large number of them on the ground with a fresh impala kill. The picnickers then headed for Chichele Hill for lunch at the top of the ridge, under some shady trees and looking out over a rocky outcrop and the Valley below. Lots of eating, sleeping, sipping pims, enjoying the breeze and marveling at the beautiful scenery before heading homeward in the late afternoon. A storm developed in the distance, creating a stunning backdrop of dark cloud and sheets of lightening. On the way home they spotted several hyena running about the road and saw fresh lion tracks. They could hear the lion calling but it was too difficult to see. So never a dull moment at this time of year on the wildlife viewing front. It will be much the same when Nkwali reopens for Easter in late March Duma Tau Tented Camp February Report, March 3 2002 Duma Tau Tented Camp is located in the Savute / Linyanti area of Botswana. Here is an update of how things are there: The weather has been hot and dry with far less rain than last year. This could explain the large number of elephants still in the area towards the end of the month. Overall the wildlife and birding has been phenomenal. The presence of two new male lions from the east has caused erratic movements in the Savuti pride, now numbering 15. They have been spending much of their time in the thick bush around the Channel or occasionally heading west into the Selinda concession. On one of our late night drives Brandon was treated to the pride trying to take down and elephant, failing, and going on to kill a wildebeest. Very exciting for all who had waited patiently with them for several hours - perseverance pays off in the end. The wild dogs have been incredible. Two packs, one of five and one of twelve have been regularly sighted. In January nineteen days out of the month produced quality wild dog sightings, with 13 days out of 25 in February! We had guests here that came ONLY for the dogs (knowing how rare they are) and they managed to see them on 6 out of 10 wildlife drives during their stay. They are all in fantastic condition and killing regularly. It is quite something to watch the pack of 12 taking their pups for an afternoon run around Zib Lagoon, disturbing flocks of egrets and ruffs on the way. Another highlight is the presence of a pair of Schalow's Loerie in the camp. They arrived at the beginning of the year and have been a delight of color in the mangosteen canopy ever since, exciting twitchers and non-birders alike. After much debate and other people's opinions we believe they are now considered the same species as the Livingstone's Loerie. A narina trogon was also spotted near the airstrip (sadly..or not...only the managers were present for this lucky day!) Botswana Guide Training Update, March 3 2002 Wilderness Safaris of southern Africa has been investing a lot of time and money into improving the knowledge of its Botswana guides and managers. Training has been taking place at Kaparota Camp in the Okavango Delta during the green season and Ultimate Africa is happy to note great improvements in the overall quality of guides - especially since Wilderness has imported the Zimbabwe guide training program. The second month of training has now come to an end. Four courses were held for guides and four for citizen managers. Every single course, according to what we saw and from feedback we have received, has been an overwhelming success. To give you an idea of what went down, I shall run through a basic program. Kaparota was run as close to a full operating guest camp as possible. The managers ran the camp while 2 duty guides were responsible for wake up, preparing early morning tea, serving brunch, serving drinks, preparing high tea, announcing dinner and serving wine at dinner. Duty guides also had to escort their guests (i.e. other guides) back to the tents at night. The rest of us, trainers and guides, acted as close to typical guests as possible. Those duty guide's who preformed a poor duty service had to redo their duty toward course end. Most mornings we would wake early and go out on a field activity, coming back for brunch and lectures for the rest of the day. Huge emphasis was put on guides attitude, guiding etiquette both in camp around meal times, and out in the field, as well as walking and weapons proficiency. Other subjects covered on all courses were as follows - radio procedures, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles, fish, amphibians and birds and primary first aid. The subjects detail depended on the level of education and knowledge of guides on each course. Guides at similar levels were grouped together. Each night or at tea, guides were given topics for presentation. Topics such as traditional marriage to the origin of totems and various natural history subjects were presented. Some interesting points came up. One particular funny story was from Sam Setabosha at Xigera. He spoke about his first introduction to guiding. This occurred when he could speak little English. He recalls a friend of his, who happened to be a mekoro poler telling him that if he wanted to make money he should try out this polling thing. Sam could not get it. The fact that you put some travelers in the mekoro, pole them around and actually get paid for it. He was stunned. His facial expressions while telling the story were as if it had just happened! On many walks lion, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, impala, wildebeest, zebra, sable, tsessebe, lechwe and great birds were encountered all in one outing. Some guides new to the walking game, were not too keen when things got "hot". One particular walk on the first course, we were hot on the heels of 2 male lions. We heard them roaring and proceeded to track them on the road. Expecting them around the next corner, oxpeckers alarmed and 2 dagga boys (old male buffaloes) appeared on the road 15 meters in front of us. We froze and were given that typical "you owe me money or your life stare!" Rifles were on the ready and several guides legs were shaking. With a snort and shake of the head, luckily the buffalo headed off in the opposite direction. We pursued the lion to eventually find them some kilometers further. Upon return to the camp, one driver / guide commented that after the buffalo incident, he was sure we would end the walk and could not believe us when we walk forward on the lion spoor. The weapons proficiency test caused much stress and competition between candidates. What was evident is that those guides who had the exposure and showed the skills made it through. From there, they went on to complete a walking evaluation. This walking evaluation involved guides walking us trainers into big game. On most courses lion, buff and ele were encountered. So far out of 39 guides, 12 have passed the full walking and weapons proficiency test. Wildebeest have Started Calving, March 3 2002 The plains and woodlands around Ndutu, on the border of Tanzania's famed Serengeti National Park, are alive with wildebeest. Wherever guests drive, they pass vast herds of wildebeest bulls, adolescents and mothers, most of whom, have given birth to their biscuit colored youngsters sticking close to their sides. Such a plethora of babies is all due to the interesting survival strategy wildebeest have evolved by synchronizing their births. I'm sure I've said this before but it's worth repeating since the figures are so amazing - Scientists estimate that up to 8,000 calves a day are born over the main three week calving period. In fact this year, the main wildebeest expert, Dr. Estes, reckons that the peak calving period took place in a brief one week span. The first calves that are born are at great risk from predators such as lions, hyenas and also cheetahs. But as the calvings increase the predators are just swamped by so many and each individual then has a far greater chance of going unnoticed in the crowd. The last-born calves are again at greater risk as these wobbly, shaky youngsters stand out from their stronger siblings. Many guests have seen actual births. One person timed a little calf getting to his feet a few days ago. He was on his feet and staying up in just under 5 minutes, suckled successfully after 9, and was running with his mother within 14 minutes. Evidence, indeed, that out of all the antelope, wildebeest give birth to the most precocious young. As a result of a very wet January, the normally, parched yellow plains are now a vibrant green with a carpet of yellow, mauve, blue and white flowers. With 241 mm it was the wettest month ever recorded since rain records began 18 years ago. Because of this, the area around the lodge has been much refreshed, and I don't think I've ever seen it looking so beautiful. The lodge water hole itself is full of water, which is attracting numerous animals. Elephants have been coming to drink and swim most days over the past week. Last night they left heaps of steaming evidence to show that they had silently passed between the guest rooms on their way to drink. Unfortunately they don't have a monopoly on the water hole. Giraffes, zebras and, to a lesser extent, wildebeest also come to drink, but have to patiently wait for the elephants to finish before drinking themselves. Apart from the elephants, the herds face another new problem. A hippo has taken up temporarily residence in the pool and guards his new territory jealously. Marceli, a waiter who is in his 35th year at Ndutu has never known a hippo in the lodge water hole during his time. So its really lucky to have the most unusual and grand sight of watching him grazing peacefully in front of the rooms in the late evening. He's probably come from nearby Lake Masek and is enjoying the fresh water, which must be a pleasant change from the brackish water at Masek. But he's outnumbered when 30 or so elephants pile into the pool like children on a summer outing. Once all the trumpeting and splashing of the elephants has stopped, he always seems to emerge unscathed and none the worst for the disturbance. If last month was the cheetah month, then this is the month of the serval cats and the caracal. Lots of elusive spotted serval cats have been seen lately. The caracal, which is an African version of a lynx with long ear tufts are by far the most difficult cat to see at Ndutu (staff haven't seen any for over a year). Then, suddenly, we've seen three in a week. Last night we watched a young caracal being harassed by two black-backed jackals not far from the lodge. Although there was lots of snarling from the caracal, I don't think either party was particularly bothered by the other. One of the radio collared, European white storks, which we mentioned last month has arrived in Tanzania. He's called Felix and has landed about 300 kilometers east of Ndutu and everyone is hoping he'll make it all the way here sooner or later. For sheer numbers and variety of game, these past few weeks have been, and still are amazing. It really is a very exciting time, for nowhere else in the world can you see hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, huge herds of zebra, and so many fat, contented lions. To add to the excitement a newborn baby elephant was seen yesterday. All this adds up to an unparalleled wildlife spectacle. White Rhino on the Move, March 10 2002 Eight white rhinos are to be relocated to Kenya's Meru National Park in an attempt to restock the park with wildlife found there before it became ravaged by poachers. The rhino are coming from private wildlife reserves within Kenya. Kenyan authorities will also relocate 20 endangered Grey's zebra and 200 Burchell's zebra to the park. South African Airways Drops Boeings for Airbus, March 10 2002 South African Airways (SAA) dropped a bombshell recently, announcing it will replace its entire fleet of Boeings with 41 new Airbus aircraft. The new fleet will consist of nine Airbus A340-600s, six A340-300Es, 11 of the A319-100s and 15 of the A320200s, with the latter replacing the Boeing 737-800s. The Boeings will be replaced when their leases runs out between 2010 and 2012. The acquisition is part of a long-term strategy for SAA, designed to transform the company into Africa's predominant airline and the international airline of choice for business travelers and tourists. Wildlife Painter Raves about Botswana Safari, March 10 2002 Wildlife painter Paul Augustinus lived in Botswana for about 10 years in the 1980's and is a regular visitor to Botswana safari camps. He just returned from a 10 day safari to Mombo Camp and Duba Plains Tented Camp in February 2002 (during the rainy season). His mother Rosemary joined him. She has lived all her life in east and southern Africa and is now 83 years old. Here are their comments: This was a leopard and lion trip supreme! We saw things that we had never seen before or never seen so well before in relation to leopards and lions. Mombo Camp was a dream as usual - the camp is a fantastic place on its own - the staff were all superb. Julius, our guide, delivered big time on leopards with cubs. Not just one female but two separate females with cubs in lairs that were only ten minutes away from each other. This led to some rather uncertain moments when we wondered what was going on at the other lair - especially if things were quiet at the one we were at. Should we move over to the other lair? Would we miss anything if we did? Would we miss anything if we didn't? These are tough decisions but lovely decisions to have. I cast my mind back to the 70s and 80s when months of safari could only deliver a few sightings and only glimpses at that! Which brings me back to Mombo and what a fantastic cat (and everything else) place it is for a difficult customer like me - jaded as I am after three decades of African travel and adventure. This time we stayed at Little Mombo. The views are great from the tents. I love the way that BK the manager keeps things lively in the evening. By the way your new cook is superb, the menus and cooking several notches higher than it was last year - and it was really good last year. Mombo is the best camp in Southern Africa. But wait! You insisted that we go to Duba as well this year, and I have to say I was sceptical as all the stories I had heard about the lions and their interactions with buffalo there were rather too over the top for me to believe. You know what a sceptic I am. However, thanks for insisting!!!! Duba lived up to its reputation for lion kills and it did so in the space of one days wildlife viewing -incredible! I am now a member of the Duba fan club. "Unbelievable" my mother said at the end of that day. Not only that, she decided to qualify the statement adding that it had been "the best days wildlife viewing in 83 years!!!" - referring to her life in Africa. The day was a spectacular one for us. In the course of that morning the lions chased and stalked two warthogs, tried to dig another warthog out of its burrow, and made three spectacular forays into a herd of a thousand buffalo each time getting a buffalo calf, dropping the calf's on two occasions as they were forced back by buffalo bulls but finally succeeding with the third attempt. The calf was only an appetiser for the thirteen lions. When this final attempt was over it was 10:00 AM and getting hot in the Landrover, so we returned to camp for brunch. What really hurts is that if we had stayed with the lions we would have seen them take a full sized buffalo because when we found the lions (still close to the herd) that afternoon they were busily eating a large buffalo! I loved Duba Plains Tented Camp. It was much more like the safari camp from another era, and had a lot of the character that made the old Mombo such a special place, and of course all the staff - every one of them - were superb as usual. Again I was struck with the quality of the guides and James was up there with the best I have had the pleasure of knowing. Best of all he delivered and thats what counts at the end of the day, and he did it with style. This was the best cat safari I have ever been on. Thanks again! Paul Augustinos Kings Pool Tented Camp February Update, March 10 2002 Kings Pool Tented Camp is located in Botswana's Savute / Linyanti region. The camp has a brand new entrance with hesian walls that give the camp a very warm feel. The new walkway to tents 1 to 5, takes the guests away from the kitchen area and pathways used by serving staff. The old (and now converted) entrance to the office offers managers privacy from the guests and makes the camp have a less formal feel to it. The new 'drawing room' / lounge offers magnificent views and when the new furniture arrives guests won't want to leave camp. The drawing room offers reading chairs and writing desk and soon a library will be in place. Tents 5 and 10 now have "wheelchair" ramps. The family room is coming on well. The decking is down and soon the tent will be up. Wildlife wise the sunken "underground" hide has been a fantastic. On a recent visit we found 2 hyenas with an impala carcass. Presuming they had stolen it we looked around to find a young male leopard on the ant hill next to the hide. He clearly wanted his meal back. The young hyena who was not getting a look in on the meal got frustrated and attacked the leopard who retaliated and the hyena backed off. The dominant hyena got agitated and took the carcass into the water , while 8 yellow billed kites swooped down attacking the hyena. Next an elephant bull arrived and chased off the hyena with their carcass across the road to another pool of water closely followed by the leopard waiting for the opportunity to regain his meal. In general the elephants have been at King's Pool Tented Camp in large numbers, but recently dissipated with two days of rain. Mombo Camp February Update, March 10 2002 Weather wise February was a dry month with only 27 millimeters of rain recorded (just over 1 inch of rain). Wildlife viewing has been excellent. Two different leopards (bird island female and Maun road female) have cubs and they have provided some remarkable sightings, throw in a couple of cheetah kills and the odd lion kill as well just for good measure and you have a typical Mombo safari. We now have fairly regular sightings of the new rhino's which are providing us with a record of the Big Five species in less than 2 hours! Duba Plains Tented Camp February Update, March 10 2002 We only had a few isolated afternoon showers all month. The days have been warm, reaching maximum temperatures of 37 degrees Celcius. The combination of having our best wildlife viewing at this time of year - and the lower prices November through March (when compared to the April to October prices), probably accounts for Duba being so busy. The predator activity, specifically the lion / buffalo interaction has been outstanding this month. Duba's reputation as having the highest concentration of lion in Africa is certainly no idle boast. If guests want to see lion on hunts, this is the camp - and as a bonus most of the hunting takes place during the day! In addition to frequent lion sightings we were fortunate to witness a heavily pregnant cheetah take down a warthog as well as a leopard sightings now and then. It seems that the Duba Plains are swarming with new babies ranging from many young calves amongst the herds of buffalo, numerous breeding elephant herds, lots of baby warthog and one two day old hyena pup. Our 9 lion cubs are strong and healthy with no changes to our sub-adult and adult lion populations. On a more sad note, the camp's resident little African Wild cat became prey for a python in the early hours of one morning this month. Rocktail Bay Update, March 10 2002 This report just came in from professional guide Conrad Hennig who recently returned from Rocktail Bay Lodge in South Africa: Rocktail Bay Lodge is continually re-inventing itself and is turning out to be one of Southern Africa's finest beach and diving experiences. There is something like 60kilometers of pristine and undeveloped beaches there; the activities are plenty and varied and the communities are shareholders - all the ingredients for a wonderful beach and coastal forest experience with truly the best diving in South Africa. Picture a balmy calm with waves less than a half a meter, 27-28 degree Celcius water, close on 30 meters+ dive visibility. I did not dive with a wetsuit it was so warm and balmy!, In fact conditions were so amazing we did a 67 minute dive on Regal, went dolphin snorkeling twice, and saw the ragged tooth shark at Island Rock (while snorkeling). Adam Cruise from National Geographic simply got the most INCREDIBLE footage on film. We went out on March 3rd, and saw the mother of all Leatherback turtles (about 2.4 meters - a real bus!). Then we saw turtle hatchlings making their way from their nest - Adam managed to capture the exact moment they broke through the sand surface. Then a day later the guys found a nest with "club-footed" hatchlings (probably a genetic default). Later we dove Brewer's Garden, an extraordinary dive with the most amazing corals and bommies. The team at Rocktail are fantastic. The motivation is seriously high, we have taken serious bush people (Dean and Leza) and turned them into advanced divers (Dean saw a 3 meter Tiger Shark on his advanced qualifying course yesterday) and they are now sea-obsessed. Robbie is doing an incredible job down there, and the food is great. As for the dive team, we just could not have found better people- from a professional point of view (you guys should see the comments book at the dive centre- it's worth publishing!), but also from being so personable and conscious. Gametrackers Botswana February Update, March 17 2002 February saw little rain in Botswana. At Eagle Island Camp the water level in the channels and lagoons is now down to 60cm, a drop of 20cm from the same time last month. This is most likely the lowest the water has been in the past two years. All motorboat activities have been suspended until the water levels increase again. On the north eastern side of the delta the Khwai River has dropped dramatically. The water has receded well into the dense water dependant vegetation. Unlike Eagle Island however this drop in water level has not posed any activity problems for the Khwai team. Grasses have started to brown especially at Savute and Khwai. At Eagle Island Camp the low water levels has seen water lilies popping out everywhere. The white and sometimes purple flowers being most evident as soon as the sun starts its climb to its midday zenith, when they open to receive the suns rays. At Savute the hot dry conditions have caused natural water holes in the Mababe area to dry up, which has in turn lead to the return of the zebra migration. The masses of striped donkeys have filled Savute from pump pan in the north to the far end of the marsh in the south. With wall-to-wall prey in the area the lions have being having a feast. We had over 250 lion sightings (not necessarily different animals) during the month. Other predator sightings have included wild dog, which successfully managed to pull down an impala right in camp, and cheetah. Leopard sightings have been few and far between most probably because of the large numbers of lion. Guests have enjoyed some great sightings from their tent decks. Further south along the Khwai River the wildlife viewing was almost as hot as the daytime temperatures. With the dry weather the animals' movements in the Khwai area are predictable to a large degree. At least five elephant bulls seem to have made the river in front of camp their regular daytime haunt. The now famous five spend hours wading, swimming and eating the lush river front vegetation much to the delight of the guests. The birdlife throughout the region has been spectacular with our guests being able to tally up to 120 odd species easily during their stay. One particular sighting that will be talked about for a while was recorded at Savute. For the first time in a very long time the magnificent crowned crane was seen in the Savute marsh. The sighting was in fact of three birds and was reported to a rare sightings committee member in Maun. With regards to birds it is almost time to say good-bye to the summer migrants. Very soon many bird species will start their long journeys north, whilst others will merely move closer to the tropics to miss out on the southern African winter. The woodland kingfisher is one species that will only need to make a short hop of a thousand or so kilometers into Angola. The steppe eagle on the other hand will go to Kazakhstan where it breeds. As most birds must brace themselves against some of the harshest conditions, both natural and manmade, we wish our feathered friends a safe journey and speedy return. Apart from the odd crocodile sightings and thousands of red-lipped skinks around the camps, few sightings of the slithery kind have been reported. One particularly interesting sighting however was that of a shield-nose snake. This snake, which closely resembles a cobra, is not seen often and is can easily be confused with the latter. The sighting ended quickly when out of the blue (or should I say bush) a slender mongoose snatched up the unsuspecting snake, never to be seen again. At Khwai River Lodge "the long nosed" gardener has returned. The culprit, we suspect a member of the famous five elephants mentioned above, not only works on plants and grass in the camp but also on Harold's nerves. It seems as of yet the elephant has not really paid the new landscaping pots much attention, something he no doubt will in the near future. In conjunction with the elephant problem Harold has another headache. As the river levels drop the Khwai River Lodge lawns are becoming more and more enticing to the thirty odd, 2,000 kilogram lawn mowers that live in the area. The resident hippos are now making regular moonlight raids on the well-manicured gardens. There is one elephant at Savute Elephant Camp that is so smart he manages to get a drink of fresh water almost every day. No, he does not jostle with 20 - 80 others for the pipe at the water hole. This elephant simply reaches for an irrigation point located very close to the swimming pool, opens the tap and has a drink. No fuss, no mess and best of all no waiting in line. Kenyan Tourism Continues to Dwindle, March 17 2002 In the 1960's Kenya was the safari destination of choice. Now Kenya's tourism industry is barely clinging to life…Tourist arrivals to Kenya fell considerably in 2001 (arrivals also fell each of the last 5 years). Kenya was not only affected by strong competition from southern African countries and the September 11 terror attacks - a large number of scheduled airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France and Alitalia, have withdrawn their flights to Kenya. Kenya Tourist Board figures show that in 2000 a total of 227,168 tourists arrived in Nairobi. For 2001 the figure dropped to 206,710. In comparison South Africa saw over 6 million tourist arrivals in 2001. Zimbabwe, with all of its political problems in 2001, recorded 1.8 million tourist arrivals! During the first two months of this year, comparative arrivals show a downturn for Nairobi with 24,727 compared to 43,370 last year. South African Airways Ends Joint Venture, March 17 2002 South African Airways (SAA) has pulled out of its joint venture with Nigeria Airways. The airlines have assured passengers on the Johannesburg-Lagos-New York route with confirmed tickets of its resolve to ensure they were not stranded. SAA and its Nigerian partner will still operate between Johannesburg and Lagos. Zimbabwe Elections Over, March 17 2002 Zimbabwe's President Mugabe has won (stole) a 5 term in the recent Presidential election. Ultimate Africa Safaris does not foresee any safety concerns for travelers wishing to visit this beautiful country, however we will take one to two months before wholeheartedly endorsing travel to Zimbabwe. Tanzania Update, March 24 2002 The usual November - December short rainy season seemed more like a continuation of the dry season last year. In the Serengeti, only the central, northern and western sections of the ecosystem received rain in small amounts. By the end of December the southern plains should have been cloaked in the green of new grass. Instead it was a desolate spectacle of drought and emptiness, occasionally interrupted by isolated green patches. These patches attracted hundreds of Thomson's gazelles together with them their specific predator, the cheetah. In the dry patches small herds of Grant`s gazelles, whose adaptation to drought is well known, gave life to the plains. The large herds of wildebeest and zebra, the "migration", had split into small groups to most efficiently survive. The typical image of the Serengeti plains teeming with wildlife was only a memory. Even migratory birds such as the European rollers, European and Abdim's storks had flown past southwards, in search of more suitable habitats. The largest herds of wildebeest could be seen in the Malanja Depression. The Tarangire and the Lake Manyara region suffered the same aridity and the huge elephants of Sinya turned to feed again on the yellow bark acacias (Acacia xantophlea) the way they do when the supply of grass is short. But climatic whims are only a small operational obstacle that does not prevent clients from enjoying their safaris! Thus, last Christmas camping safaris planned for Ndutu and Nassera Rock in the Gol Mountains, were shifted to Ol Doinyo Rongai and Moru Kopjes, blessed at that moment with some intermittent rains and therefore favored by the presence of part of the migratory herds. This is a clear proof of the advantages of mobile camping above other options on safari in the Serengeti. Has anybody ever seen a Safari Lodge being moved to follow the animals ? Christmas Eve 2001 will be difficult to forget for clients at Rongai Camp when in the early morning 11 lions entered the kitchen area. Not too polite with the unexpected guests, the camp staff chased them off although they made away with a jerry can of water that they left empty a few meters away. Fortunately they did not take the wine! In mid January , huge cumulus clouds began to grow in the skies and humid winds from the east brought rain. From mid January onwards, rains became widespread all over Tanzania and the color of the land changed virtually overnight - it seemed as if you could see and hear the grass growing! Within a few days the Serengeti's southern plains were filled with thousands of herbivores. The first newborn wildebeest, the premature ones that generally do not have a very promising future, began to run the plains. Despite the unusual climatic conditions of the months before calving took place in mid February in the correct area - the short grass plains of the southern Serengeti. The rains also changed the rough face of the Lake Natron basin, dressing it with a tender green which contrasted with the dark tones of the volcanic rocks. The migratory storks: the European and Abdim's arrived soon after, sending a message of hope to the people. It is well known that the arrival of the birds is the signal for farmers to start planting their maize. Of late it seems that the rains are here to stay, at least until the end of the long rainy season (Masika) in late May. British Airways to Launch Lusaka - London Flight, March 24 2002 British Airways (BA) will, from next month, launch direct flights between Lusaka, Zambia and London Gatwick using the new Boeing 777-200ER (Extended Range) aircraft. BA country commercial manager Raul Burbano said as of April 3, 2002 the Boeing 777-200ER would replace the currently used Boeing 747-400 London-Harare-Lusaka operation. Burbano said BA was delighted to offer customers non-stop flights on the Boeing 777-200ER, the aircraft with the world's largest twin engines. He said they would continue to offer, on the new aircraft, First Class, Club World and World Traveler which would be upgraded from June this year. The flat beds in Club World and the World Traveler Plus cabin would also be gradually introduced on the new fleet. Burbano said the new aircraft represents the latest generation of wide-bodied planes, has considerably more cargo capacity than the 747 owing to its circular body. Burbano said "The year 2002 is an epoch-making for us as it marks the 70th anniversary of our operations in Zambia." Access
Following in
the footsteps of many travel insurance companies who have made drastic changes to
coverages in the wake of September 11, 2001Acesss America Travel Insurance will, as of This leaves
America’s largest travel insurance company, Travelguard, as the only major travel
insurance that will cover travelers for the financial default / bankruptcy of any tour
operator. For clients who
purchased an Access America travel insurance policy before As the total
number of elephant’s in southern The Botswana
Ministry of Trade, Industry, Wildlife and Tourism has been called upon to collaborate with
the Botswana ministries of Agriculture, Lands, Housing and Environment to ensure that the
coexistence of animals and man take place without one prejudicing the other. New Insect Discovered in A new insect
has been discovered in Wilderness
Safaris The plans for the building
Wilderness’s new Tubu Tree Camp are
well under way. It is going to be a 5 roomed tented camp, on a very large island to the
northwest of Jao Camp in the Jao Concession. Cathy and Dave Kays are designing and
building the camp in a remote part of their concession. Tubu is going to be raised well
off the ground, with incredible views across the plains and grasslands in front of camp.
Wildlife viewing will be good here as there is a very large island that has resident
lions, leopards and cheetahs and lots of general plains wildlife. It’s may very well
be the best wildlife area in the Jao concession. The main activity will be wildlife
viewing drives, but mekoros, walks and night drives will also be on offer. Tubu’s
opening is planned for June 2002 Jao Camp was recently
featured (9 pages) in Architectural Digest magazine. Kings Pool Tented Camp has had a facelift with a
new entrance and a more intimate main lounge / dining room area. The underground hide at Kings Pool has proved to be
a huge hit. (Guests can view elephants etc
drinking at the waterhole at toe-nail level from the safety and comfort of this
underground hide.) The building of family rooms is
underway at several camps. The Only 24 guests in total will be
allowed ( Vumbura Camp was closed for most of
December and January as Wilderness Safaris hosted 120 kids from the villages around the There are now 5 white rhino running
free and wild at Mombo Camp and Wilderness will be introducing several more by the time
peak season starts this year. Xigera’s wildlife viewing is
improving month by month. Guests have been able to enjoy wildlife viewing drives all year
on a new island called Ingashi. The ability to drive all year regardless of the flood
levels has made a huge difference to the overall experience. The tsetse fly eradication program has
been a wonderful success in the In Tourism in The In Return to Weekly Update Archive |
