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Ultimate Africa travel and wildlife news archive

November 2001

High Acclaim for Singita Game Reserve, November 4 2001

Singita Private Game Reserve in the Sabi Sands Reserve in Mpumalanga, South Africa has again been honored in the authoritative US subscription newsletter, "Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report" for 2001 receiving first place in its Top 20 listing of International Resort Hideaways (with less than 50 rooms).

In its overall listing worldwide of the Top 20 International Resort Hotels, Singita received 6th position, the only property in Africa featured.

Environmentalists Condemn Kenyan Government's Deforestation Plans, November 4 2001

A leading Kenyan environmental group recently lambasted the Kenyan government for its decision to cut down more than 70,000ha of forest, calling it a politically motivated step that would damage the environment and economy.

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources published its intention to cut down the trees in February to loud criticism from environmentalists, who assembled a petition of 32,000 names and took the government to court.

According to Wangari Maathai, head of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, legal proceedings have made virtually no progress.

Forests cover approximately 2% of Kenya's surface, but provide vital moisture catchment for rivers, and so are crucial to sustaining an agricultural industry that supports much of the 30 million population.

Opposition politicians reportedly say that land is one of the only resources still available to the government to buy support ahead of general elections due next year.

White Rhinos for Uganda, November 4 2001

Two southern white rhinos (Sherino and Kabira) will be translocated to Uganda from Solio Ranch in Kenya's Laikipia District on November 3 and 4, 2001. The two animals will find a new home at the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC), formerly known as the Entebbe Zoo.

At the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC), the rhinos will remain in quarantine for one month. The public will be able to view the two rhinos in December this year.

Rhinos have been extinct in Uganda since the early 1980's. Remaining populations in east and southern Africa are alarmingly low. The acquisition of the two rhinos was spearheaded by Rhino Fund Uganda in an effort to increase community awareness of the plight of the species, gain credibility within the international rhino conservation community, facilitate fundraising drives and gain a comprehensive knowledge about this unique species, as the first step in the long-term objective of reintroducing them into Uganda's wild.

The next step, phase II of the rhino reintroduction program, will involve a breeding program for eastern black rhinos. Preparations for the establishment of a sanctuary on a ranch in Luweero have recently begun.

Rocktail Bay Update, November 4 2001

Rocktail Bay, situated on the east coast of South Africa, offers one of the finest diving experiences in the world. But what really makes the diving special and unique, is the total isolation. If you were to travel up and down this coast by boat you would see there is no one else around! Simply beautiful untouched white sand beaches lapped by the warm Indian Ocean!

The turtles are now back and guests can go out at low tide at night with the turtle researchers and watch them laying eggs.

The lodge now has 11 rooms. Here is the lodge's October 2001 update:

The water is warming as we head into the southern African summer. We should start having good sightings of whalesharks by the end of the year or early January.

We've had a brilliant month, let's take you through some of the bigger highlights as they've happened.

On October 3 a male Raggedtooth shark sighted off Island Rock. No strange behavior was recorded as we were snorkeling and he just kept moving away across the sand.

On October 7 whilst diving Island Rock, a female Raggedtooth shark was sighted by some. She'd no sooner left the area when Clive and his remaining divers looked up to see a Tiger shark scavenging in the distance. All they could see was sand flying and just as they were watching, the shark shot out from where it was foraging and came towards them, jaws moving as if it had just eaten something. It had a very good look at everyone and then moved off. Clive, who isn't ever nervous, said that he felt uneasy with the shark's whole manner.

On 08 October, a new batch of qualified PADI divers emerged. Everyone handled the change from confined water to open water really well and must be congratulated on their efforts. It is still the most satisfying thing to teach an openwater course and see the look on new divers faces when they see the reef and fish for the first time. Really inspiring!

We had the privilege of hosting the Getaway magazine crew for about 4 days during October. Geoff Spiby, a very well known underwater photographer in South Africa, had some stunning camera equipment but not nearly as large and cumbersome as some of the international photographers that have frequented our shores. I've already seen some of his footage and it's brilliant. We had unsettled diving whilst they were here and unfortunately the whales weren't in the mood for cameras again and kept their distance. They did manage to get some good footage along the way though. We had the extreme fortune of flying with the crew over the entire area and what an awesome sight from the air. We tried to spot new reef but the visibility wasn't good enough. We did manage to spot quite a few whales far out to sea and a pod of dolphins inshore. Plenty of photos were taken and it's now just a question of waiting to see the finished project. I'm told that it's due for release February 2002.

Geoff did get the chance to film a Raggedtooth shark on Elusive and as soon as the camera flash went off, off went the Raggie. Amazing!

Straight after the Getaway crew left, we were graced with a journalist and top photographer from Unterwasser magazine in Germany. Now this is a top international diving magazine and the South African Tourism Board invited them to our shores for a 32-page article. They went to Aliwal Shoal and were recommended to come straight to us instead of going to Sodwana Bay. What a scoop!! They were suitably impressed and the camera equipment was frightening. Two huge metal boxes were loaded onto the boat for the different cameras and Clive was also asked to be a camera bearer. I witnessed excellent footage being taken and we wait with bated breath for the issue to come out - January 2002. Apparently, according to these guys, this is the first joint venture between the magazine and a tourism board to do promotional work. The journalist stated that they have never done a 32 page article before.

Along the nature front, we witnessed 2 octopus mating on Coachman's Ledge. What an awesome sight. The male just sits there next to the female and nonchalantly you see one tentacle out of place. Truly amazing how they do things.

On 23 October a mother and calf humpback whale were sighted just off my buoyline about 10 meters from the boat. We have still been witnessing the whales heading south and we've definitely seen more heading back than what we saw going north in June/July.

Their songs are clearly heard underwater and on October 28, no fewer than 8 groups were sighted off Island Rock. A mother and calf were spotted just behind the backline, lobtailing etc. Really beautiful.

The latter half of October has produced excellent visibility, ranging from 25 meters + to 30 meters. The water temperature has increased by 1 degree to 23/24 degrees Celsius.

On 24 October right at the end of the dive Clive & Tony from South Africa Breweries noticed a dark patch much further north and when they were doing their safety stop, Clive looked down and yelled for Darryl. Darryl took landmarks and we dived the spot on October 26. What a brilliant dive spot. The depth varies from 19 meters on the sand to 15meters on the actual reef. The site is quite far north of Yellow-Fin Drop and after some deliberation, we decided to name it "Brewers". There are plenty of fish around and two potato bass were spotted. On an interesting note I came across 2 fishing rods, quite far apart from each other. They are so encrusted with life that they've obviously been there for some time. I couldn't even get one section out of the sand. They're resting half on the reef and half in the sand and you can just make out the metal near the handle section. The eyes on the road are missing but the rest of it is in perfect nick. We took some divers there for the first time on the same day that we dived it and they were blown away with its beauty and fishlife.Needless to say, we're really thrilled and we now have our 12th dive site.

We've been seeing quite a lot of turtle activity lately. Whilst on the boat Darryl has been spotting leatherback & loggerhead turtles out at sea and some have been spotted underwater.

Damaraland Camp October 2001 Update, November 4 2001

Damaraland Camp is situated in Namibia, in southern Africa. Elephant sightings were excellent during October. Desert elephant were seen each day. The herds have spent their time near camp - the bulk often in the Huab Valley. The breeding herds have, as usual, ranged from the Aba Huab River with occasional recess to Twyfelfontein. A lone bull was seen crossing the open plain from slang pos which made for some great camera fodder.

Trips to "Poachers Camp" have resulted in seeing black rhino on all but one day. General wildlife sightings have been excellent in both areas. No sign of my slog pos cheetahs but fresh leopard tracks have been seen in the Hoab.

It was very hot start to the month but turned cold and windy for the last two weeks. Guides were surprised by fog a couple of time in the Huab. There were a few overcast days but they failed to deliver rain.

Sossusvlei October Report, November 4 2001

Sossusvlei is located in Namibia, the site of the world's oldest desert and largest sand dunes! Here is a summary of October events:

October has fooled all of us on the weather front, and has not lived up to its reputation of being the "suicide" month. The month started with very high temperatures (40 Celsius), hot winds and little relief from the heat. We were all a bit worried that if this was the start of summer, how would we survive the rest of the hot months, but our prayers where answered as the weather did a 360 degree change on us. We had a lot of cloud build up in the middle of the month which brought with it a relief in the temperatures. For the second half of the month we have had very mild temperatures, and cold nights: perfect sleeping weather.

As always, the vlei is the main attraction at Sossusvlei. We are still waking up at 4:30 AM and leaving the lodge at 5:15 AM. The first half of the month was very hot out in the vlei by 11:00 AM we had to get the guests back to camp by 2:00 PM, and then they all spent the rest of the afternoon in the splash pools. The second half of the month was a lot more pleasant in the vlei and we were not so pushed for time.

Big Daddy (the largest sand dune) was not attempted as often this month with only a hand- full of people making it to the top.

The area around the lodge is very dry at the moment and we have had two small fires on the property, which we managed to get under control before the fires could spread over a large area. The small waterhole in front of the lodge is very popular with the animals as most of the natural pools of water have dried out. An oryx bull has adopted the small tree at the pool as his day time resting place.

Everyone is eagerly awaiting the first rains. There was an intriguing brief shower late October while guests were walking on Dead Vlei, a very surreal experience.

Mombo Camp October Update, November 4 2001

Mombo Camp is situated in Botswana's Moremi Reserve - one of the leading wildlife viewing destinations in Africa. Here is an update of October's happenings:

October was a hot month and Mombo Camp had its first big thunder storm on October 27th. The rain transformed the Delta over night, cooled it down and its really looking beautiful. Now the good light for photography starts!

The biggest achievement this month is the remarkable standard of food with the arrival of a new chef - Craig! They are doing a served brunch comprised of a starter and choice of 2 dishes and finished off with a cheeseboard and fruit platter. There is also a chef at the grill for those who prefer the good old bacon, eggs, omelets etc. It is running incredibly well and guests love it.

Wildlife wise there have been phenomenal sightings everyday. The highlight was definitely the arrival of the new Mombo rhino's!!!! This is by far the most impressive contribution Wilderness Safaris has made to conservation and to Botswana. Guests have noted that Wilderness Safaris' is tops in terms of combining conservation and tourism. For the first time in years people will have the opportunity to see the big five in Botswana (actually it is not really the Big 5 as white rhino are not included in the Big 5, black rhino are).

The bird Island leopard is very pregnant and will probably drop in the first 2 weeks in November. The paradise plains leopard (also a female) is doing exceptionally well with her cub. Lets hope the Torillas female will turn out to be a worthy mother this time around!! Her cub has managed to make it to 18 months and is still growing rapidly. The male leopards have been surprisingly scarce, sightings have been few and far between.

Cheetah sightings have been excellent with the 2 cubs at almost the same size as mom now. Steroid boys are still seen on a regular basis and the other 2 males are slowly becoming more habituated to the vehicles. Sadly the guides have reported that the Motsumi female had both her cubs stolen and killed by a territorial male on the entrance road into camp! Not a pleasant sighting but definitely interesting.

Wild dogs have been seen often - but sadly in small numbers. The general wildlife has been brilliant as usual. All the impala are popping at the seams, waiting for the rains to give birth.

October at Duba Plains, November 4 2001

Duba Plains Tented Camp is located in Botswana's Okavango Delta. Here is the October update:

The busy season is just about over and the first splash of rain arrived. The bush is greening up nicely and temperatures cooling down. The Okavango is really looking good.

The lion Vs the buffalo battles have continued. The Tsaro pride has once again come out on top with 20 sightings and 9 kills watched by camp guests. The Skimmer pride, with two young males, have started to call and are upsetting the Duba males who have now started patrolling a lot more intensively. The Pantry prides cubs have not surfaced but one of the females is regularly away from the pride and we believe she has her cubs hidden near Hammerkop island.

The hyena den has been great entertainment and the bat eared fox den on the same plain has brought out many a ooh and aah from the guests who prefer the cuter creatures. On the 29th guests had the pleasure of finding a second hyena den close to Paradise.

Other highlights have been the sighting of the young male leopard as he tried to figure out how to hunt an abandoned buffalo calf but came up with no plan of action. There have been good sightings of honey badger, genet, serval, civet, the odd crocodile and some large water monitor lizards around camp.

On the birding side the first woodland Kingfishers have officially announced spring and everyone is awaiting the rest of the migrants due in soon. The flamingo has definitely decided Duba has preferential feeding grounds to the Makgadikgadi if not the breeding opportunities. The Wattled Cranes have been seen by the keen birders.

Duba Plains Lion Research Project, November 4 2001

Duba Plains' (situated in Botswana's Okavango Delta) lion research project is going ahead full steam! It looks as though the Duba / Vumbura area has probably the highest concentration of lion anywhere in Africa!!!! There are currently 63 lions just around Duba alone - in a number of different prides! They specialize in hunting massive buffalo herds which can be up to 4,000 animals. Guests have been enthralled at the incredible hunts they have been witnessing in broad daylight! The lions and buffalo line up to face each other like a game of American football and they thrash each other for hours at a time.

Vumbura Camp to be Made Smaller, November 4 2001

Vumbura Camp is located in Botswana's Okavango Delta.To make Vumbura even more intimate, Vumbura will be run as a 12 bedded camp starting in 2002. Little Vumbura will stay a 10 bedded camp.

Tubu Camp to Open, November 4 2001

A new camp, Tubu Camp situated in the Jao Concession in Botswana's Okavango Delta will open in 2002 for the peak season only. Dave and Cathy Kays will operate Tubu as a small 5 roomed tented camp, from the 15th of June till the 10th of November 2002. It will be a small camp with tents on the ground / hurricane lamps etc. This type of camp is also a lot less expensive for guests, without cutting back on quality. Drinks and all activities are included.

Rhinos Arrive at Mombo, November 4 2001

They guys in Botswana are really pumped up. After six years of dreaming and scheming, there are finally four white rhinos sitting in the newly constructed bomas just to the north of Mombo Camp!! Wilderness Safaris' paid for three of the rhino and the Botswana parks donated one to make up the complement of two females and two males. Botswana's Parks and a lot of private companies helped with the program, donating expertise and personnel, covering insurance costs etc. These rhino will provide the nucleus of a new breeding program in the Moremi Game Reserve. Their horns have been trimmed so as not to entice poachers into the area. The rhino will be released back into the Moremi Game Reserve in early November to become property of the nation.

Now Wilderness are after black rhino! If anyone has ideas to raise funds for black rhino, please let us know. They cost about US $60,000 a piece, plus transport etc.

Wilderness Cancels Tanzania Expansion Plans, November 4 2001

We can finally let the cat out of the bag - Wilderness Safaris' top people took a good look around Tanzania in August 2002 and were keen to start up a company there. However Wilderness have decided to not pursue the Tanzanian operation for a number of reasons. The main reason for not starting a company there was that they were extremely disappointed by Tanzania. Colin Bell, one of Wilderness Safaris directors, had not visited the country in about 8 years and discovered dramatic and negative changes. There were some high points, but they were few and far between.

The only areas (and camps) they really liked were Mahale Mountains and Katavi National Park with Roland Purcell's operation and Sand Rivers in the Selous. The rest of the country they felt had been over-commercialized and the true wilderness feel had been sadly ruined. Most disconcerting was how poorly the animal populations were standing up to the poaching and hunting pressures. Lions were mating with their sisters or cousins!! The writing is on the wall unless the authorities stop their greed, corruption is squashed and the overcrowding of tourists is minimized.

If anything that safari made them appreciative of how lucky they are in southern Africa - and in Botswana in particular. Southern Africa offers true privacy and areas of pure wilderness that completely knock the spots off Tanzania - and more importantly are sustainable.

As Colin Bell noted "Eight years ago, I would not have imagined that I could ever feel this way. I was truly blown away by Tanzania then, but how quickly times have changed! Our sentiment was that we would rather support countries that are genuinely focused on conservation and the communities. We are not just in this business to make a buck. We want to part of the solution and not a company that contributes to the problem."

The Mana Canoe and Walking Trail, November 4 2001

A canoe and walking safari through Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park has to be one the best safari options! It is only till one has done this trip, that he or she can fully appreciate how invigorating, exciting and rewarding the safari is. Andy Ault and his wonderful Swedish wife, Jenny, run the Mana Canoe and Walking Trail and will be back again for next year. Hooray!

What makes this canoe safari special is that the guide is always a full "pro" or walking guide in addition to being a canoeing guide. Guests can and do a lot of comfortable and exciting walking on this safari. The walking here is incredible and guests track lion, get up close to many many different animals in what must be Africa's finest walking area. Those big and relaxed Mana elephant bulls on those vast open Mana floodplains are one of the many highlights!

Makalolo's Underground Hide, November 4 2001

Makalolo Plains Tented Camp situated in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park has a new underground "bunker" hide near the camp.It is proving to be a huge success. Professional guide Garth Thompson was in the hide for 31 hours last September and counted well over 1,200 animals that came to drink at the waterhole next to the hide.

Makalolo Tented Camp is now offering guests the opportunity to sleep out in the bunker hide - but only if you spend three nights at Makalolo. The hide can sleep a maximum of four people at a time. Its first come first served.

New Family Rooms at Wilderness Camps, November 4 2001

Earlier this year Wilderness lowered their minimum age limit to 8 (unless a family booked out a full camp), with the proviso that the family had their own vehicle so that the youngsters did not upset other guests on game drives. Some of the camps will now have a family room as well. The plan is to put an extra tent onto the back or side of the existing bathroom, so a family will share one bathroom, but will have two private bedrooms right next to each other. If there is only one child in that extra family room, Wilderness won't be charging a single supplement.

The camps that will have family rooms by April 2002 will include: Kings Pool, Vumbura, Pom Pom, Kulala Desert Lodge (no age restriction), Kulala Tented Camp (no age restriction), Damaraland Camp, Ongava Tented Camp, Little Makalolo, Ruckomechi (maybe) and Rocktail Bay Lodge (already built - no age restriction)

Travelers Really Enjoying Nature, November 4 2001

It has been incredible to see how much clients who have traveled to Africa after the September 11th terror attacks have enjoyed their safaris. They have enjoyed a double dose of happiness! The first dose comes from their satisfaction of being on safari in really remote locations. The second dose of happiness comes from getting away from all the trauma of watching the news and TV all the time - and substituting this with great wildlife viewing and quality time. There is no question that travelling right now into parks and into nature IS the best tonic. Ultimate Africa staff experienced this ourselves. We too started to feel a bit down after watching CNN and our recent trip to Kenya was really soothing! We came back from our trip feeling totally rejuvenated and refreshed. Nature heals and refocuses ones lives like nothing else can. My suggestion for all those folk who are feeling down - get out to Africa!!

Steve Bolnick's October Update, November 4 2001

Steve Bolnick is a professional Zimbabwean guide who lives at Victoria Falls, in Zimbabwe. Many of our clients know him from his Monde Village Tour near the Falls. We are in frequent communication with him and we thought you may be interested to read his comments on October:

"The air is hot and thick. Clouds flourish, building vast luminescent-orange cotton-wool peaks that vainly promise relief. Every evening these clouds dissipate and the morning dawns - fiercely and mercilessly.

Meanwhile in the midst of this heat and dust, the bush is a stunning bride, dressed in the virginal white flowers of the Mocambique Combretum and perfumed by the Mahogany and Kigelia.

October is the hottest and driest month of the year in Zimbabwe. While the heat can be challenging for those not familiar with it, October also has rewards. Many of the trees are beginning to flower in anticipation of the rains. The contrast between the aridity and the fragrance and sight of this multitude of flowers is very special.

In early October I was fortunate to host the Boulet's on their return safari to Zimbabwe. This determined couple from France had two daunting targets for their safari - to find Black Rhino and Leopard. Together we tracked Black Rhino for days across Northern Hwange. While we found fresh tracks almost every day, and got within very close distance on a few occasions, we were never successful in finding animals. Conditions were difficult and luck was not with us. However Marc & Catherine were impressively determined, sometimes walking for up to 11 hours through 40+ Celsius degree heat. Their determination was rewarded with some wonderful very close encounters with elephants, kudu, impala, hyena, warthog and a superb morning of successfully tracking lions and finally finding them (at very close range) in thick bush. We later located these lions again while they slept and approached them to within 5 meters before they woke-up. And the black rhino and leopard remain an elusive promise for next year.

Botswana has been very exciting this past month. On a single game drive in Chobe, two weeks ago we saw lion, buffalo and elephant within the first 10 minutes...and then went on to see leopard, roan, sable, hippo, crocs, giraffe, zebra, waterbuck, puku, impala, warthog, lechwe, bushbuck, as well as wonderful birds and trees - all in a single drive."

Chobe Safari Lodge introduces Safari Rooms, November 4 2001

From March 2002 clients wanting luxury accommodation have the choice between the river rooms and the new safari rooms. The rooms decor will be contemporary African chic, tastefully but extravagantly decorated with stylish African furnishings and art.

The safari rooms are currently being built and will be discreetly sited under large shady Ebony trees, along the Chobe River. Each safari room is extremely spacious, and includes a large secluded veranda (resplendent with large potted plants). All the safari rooms will have sunset views of the Chobe River. The deluxe safari rooms will be ensuite with bath, shower and toilet and also have tea/coffee making facilities together with telephone, TV and air conditioning. These rooms will be the same rates as the River Rooms.

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