ARTICLES WRITTEN BY Paul

June is one of my favourite times of year in this part of Africa. Lovely warms sunny days with temperatures in the mid-twenties are complimented by cool evenings. Colours are still bright and the bush still green following the rains which usually finish around March.

By June, dwindling water supplies are drawing the wildlife closer to Zambia’s beautiful rivers providing excellent and easily accessible game viewing.

On this trip we visited Zambia’s three best known reserves, South Luangwa National Park in the East, Lower Zambezi in the south and Kafue in the centre area.

Compared to other top safari locations, Zambia’s parks are relatively unknown, visitor density is low and there are just a few relatively widely spaced safari camps, particularly outside of the central Mfuwe area of South Luangwa so you really do feel as though you are pioneers in wild Africa.

SOUTH LUANGWA NATIONAL PARK

This large park is Zambia’s flagship national park and is without doubt one of Africa’s finest containing a huge pool of wildlife.

South Luangwa is also one of Africa’s most scenic parks. Around the floodplain of the Luangwa River and the many oxbow lagoons the wildlife is very dense and the birding spectacular.

The biodiversity here is not as great as in some parks with cheetah, rhino and ostrich notable absentees.

South Luangwa is particularly famous for its leopards and it did not disappoint on this occasion including two excellent daytime sightings. Wild dogs are also doing well and each time I have visited I have seen more of them, on this visit we saw three packs including one pack of three on a hunt at dusk and a large pack on a waterbuck kill one morning.

South Luangwa is also famous for its walking safaris, these can be shorter walks of one or two hours or longer walks of up to 6 hrs, often walking between different camps. We did take a couple of very enjoyable shorter walks. June is a good month for walking as it is not too hot.

We started in the South of the park a three to four hour game transfer from the airport. This area is very remote, and the camps down here are very small, most of them operated by the excellent Bushcamp company. Despite their small size the camps are of a very high quality and the guiding excellent, they are also surprisingly affordable.

The game viewing was good but due to the late finish to the summer rain the bush was quite thick and the grass still quite long, so the best game viewing was on the floodplain of the Luangwa and Kapamba rivers.

Perhaps the highlight was watching a pride of lions jumping over a wide channel whilst a large crocodile who was aware of the wildlife crossing point tried to grab one of the jumping sub adults but without success.

Favourite camp – Chindeni Bush camp for its spectacular location with Bilimungwe  Bushcamp a close second

We then moved North to the Nsefu area where the park extends to both sides of the river. This area is also remote but here there are slightly more camps and lodges some of which are a bit larger.

In addition to traditional day and night drives and guided walks, overnight sleep outs are also a highlight in this area and great fun for a small group.

We stayed at Luwi Bushcamp which is further from the river and also in a couple of camps close to or on the main river whilst also doing a site inspection of most of the other camps in the area.

We did see a new first for me in the Cookson’s wildebeest a rather handsome animal that is endemic to this part of Zambia and more common in North Luangwa National Park.  This was also the only area where we spotted Eland.

In June the grass is still a bit long in the more remote areas deeper into the park and there were more Tsetse flies in evidence, so I would suggest early in the season that the camps close to the river are a better option with the other areas coming into their own by mid-July.

Favourite Camp – Lion Camp due to its recent luxury rebuild, great location and value for money with Tena Tena a close second. I also really liked Mwamba Bushcamp and Kaingo Camp with its photographic hides.

We finished our visit to the park in the central Mfuwe area. This is by far the most touristy area of South Luangwa with accommodation to suit all budgets.

The game viewing in this area, as I have observed on previous visits, is perhaps the best of all as the wildlife is used to safari vehicles and generally quite relaxed. The park is large enough to absorb the greater number of visitors and one does not see that many vehicles on game drives, the downside is that with the bush telegraph very effective, premium sightings such as the successful wild dog hunt we witnessed can attract a bit of a circus in a short time.

The highlight here for me was, when whilst watching the wild dogs, a leopard out patrolling his territory in broad daylight got a bit of a fright when he walked right into the feeding pack and decided that he had better make himself scarce quickly.

Favourite Camp – Nkwali is a nice mid-priced camp on the river, but at the top end Chinzombo is very nice and the more budget orientated Flatdogs camp offers great value for money.

The purpose of this trip was to acquaint ourselves with the new camps and areas that have opened up to photographic tourism since my last visit five years ago. Botswana banned all forms of hunting in 2014 following on from the trophy hunting ban that was put in place a couple of years ago and new areas have been leased out for photographic tourism as Botswana endeavors to take advantage of the tourist boom and worldwide interest in the country.

Flying over Northern Botswana it is incredible to see the vast swathe of pristine wilderness below and know that despite the building of new lodges in the former hunting concessions the Botswana Government policy of low impact/high value tourism will keep these areas pristine for the foreseeable future.  With a few exceptions and despite the fact that Botswana’s tourist industry is running at capacity you will probably not see any other vehicles on your game drives.

Our visit was in the shoulder season months of May and June. At this time of year the rains have finished and the days are warm and sunny whilst the evenings are cool. The heaviest rains in living memory during the 2016/2017 wet season have left the bush looking unusually green and there is a great deal of water throughout Botswana’s northern parks so many areas which are normally expected to be dry by May including the Okavango Delta are still holding rainwater which will soon be supplemented by the annual floodwater coming down from Angola.

Game viewing in Botswana is excellent at any time of year provided the right safari camps and lodges are chosen. Our nine-night trip here provided superb game viewing in all of the areas we visited with elephant everywhere including inside the camps. All the iconic species were seen at some some point including lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog. The only animal not seen were Rhino as we did not visit the areas of Botswana where they are now found following their successful reintroduction over the last couple of years.

The birding was also outstanding and very varied even though this is not prime birding season.

All the safari camps we visited were in the “affordable luxury” category which in Botswana means between US$425 and US$1000 per person per night depending on season.

My conclusion is that the exclusivity and variety of wildlife combined with the wide range of safari activities on offer which include day and night game viewing, mokoro trips, boat safaris, guided walks, sleepout hides, fishing and bushmen walks will continue to make Botswana one of Africa’s premier safari destinations and certainly one of mine.

Makgadikgadi Pans National Park

The pans are located between the Okavango Delta and the Central Kalahari game Reserve in a semi-arid area. There is a surprising amount of wildlife here sustained by the now permanently flowing Boteti River and during my visit the area was very green with good grazing.

Plenty of wildlife is drawn to the river but unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity to venture deeper into the park, as time did not permit. Birding was also excellent along the Boteti River

May is normally the Zebra Migration season in Makgadikgadi Pans but the exceptional rainfall has delayed it this year, although at the time of visiting the advanced guard had begun arriving.

This park is worth visiting at the beginning or end of a longer Botswana journey but the density and variety of wildlife here is less than in other parts of Northern Botswana so may not appeal to everyone.

Perhaps the highlight of the visit for me was the opportunity to join a family of San Bushmen, men, women and children on a cultural walk in the bush where we were shown how the bushmen live and the various plants and shrubs that are used for water, food and medicine. We were also shown how the bushman make and apply the poison they use on their arrows to hunt for food.

Stayed at Mena a Kwena Safari Lodge

As this is a national park, night drives, off road driving, walking and fishing are not permitted within park boundaries.

Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta is huge, its size can only truly be appreciated as you fly over it on route to your safari camp. Not surprisingly the areas has a wide range of habitats from wetlands and woodlands to open plains and consequently the variety of wildlife and birds that can be seen here is equally varied.

The Okavango Delta also includes the Moremi Game reserve which is the National park located in the Delta area. In combination with Chobe Game Reserve and the Khwai, Linyanti and Selinda Reserves this is one of the largest truly wild and protected and pristine areas on the planet.

We had expected at the time of our visit in May for much of the Delta to be dry as would be normal at this time of year with water only in the permanent channels. The exceptional rainfall this year has changed all that and there is water everywhere with more expected as the annual flood flows into the Delta from Angola.

We saw most of the main species of game in our two day trip with the exception of Wild Dog and  Cheetah and the birding was superb. There are no rhino currently in the concessions we visited although the recently introduced rhino in other areas are gradually beginning to spread out.

Our first camp, Gomoti Plains, was in a large new concession in the dryer South Western Delta. The Gomoti Plains area had previously been used for hunting but has now been leased to the new owners and a permanent camp has been built with a new airstrip to open shortly. The concessions adjacent to other areas of the Okavango Delta which are known for their outstanding game viewing and as the wildlife becomes familiar with safari vehicles this will in future years become one of Botswana’s most sought after safari areas. The birding here was superb and Gomoti seems to be a giraffe hotspot. The full range of Delta activities are possible including fishing and mokoros.

Stayed at Gomoti Plains camp

Our second camp was Kanana, a long-established camp in the permanently flooded areas of the South Eastern Delta. This area is best known for its boating and mokoro trips and for walking, but is also, when water levels permit excellent for game viewing. Kanana camp is a very comfortable but reasonably affordable choice which is ranked number two on “Trip advisor” it is easy to see why.

Stayed at Kanana Camp

Khwai Private Reserve

This reserve is less well known tha other areas of Botswana and is basically a community operated area lying to the North of Moremi Game Reserve up to the borders of the Chobe national Park.

The area was previously used for hunting and also had a few camp sites used by mobile safari operators, in recent years a number of new high quality safari camps have been built and the area has a well deserved reputation for its outstanding game viewing.

I can remember visiting the Khwai area on a self-drive camping trip in 1999 and being amazed at the exciting wildlife experiences we had there.

The area does not have the exclusivity of the Okavango delta as the density of camps is slightly greater and you do see the odd vehicle from other camps and mobile safari operators but generally it is a bit cheaper to stay here.

Our game viewing here was good, the highlight being an excellent leopard sighting at Machaba Camp.

We stayed at two camps in Khwai, Hyena Pan Tented Camp and Machaba Camp which was outstanding and visited the newly opened Sable Alley Camp.

Chobe Game Reserve

We visited two very different areas within this large reserve which is mostly covered in thick woodland. Our first stop was at the Savute Marsh area of the National Park, this is the prime game viewing area in the heart of the park and world famous for its extraordinary big game encounters. We stayed at the relatively new Ghoha Hills Camp which has a stunning position atop a large Kopje overlooking the bush and the marsh beyond.

Our game drive on the Marsh was extremely productive and this was the only place in Botswana that provided cheetah sightings on this trip, there were also many elephant and a good variety of plains game. Our camp was a bit far from the main game viewing area of Savute, although there was excellent birding around camp and we did see plains game including roan antelope near camp.

I think if travelling outside the peak game viewing months of July to November, from a purely game viewing point of view, it would make more sense to stay in one of the camps located close to the Marsh. In peak season the Ghoha area comes into its own as the permanent waterholes attract every species of game which can be observed from a game viewing hide beside the waterhole..

Stayed at Ghoha Hills Safari Lodge

The second leg of our trip visited the Chobe River floodplain in the North of the park close to the borders Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The river here attracts staggering quantities of elephant and buffalo in the dry season and for the rest of the year the game viewing remains outstanding.

The only drawback to visiting this area is the large number of tourists that are driving the main riverfront roads, these include many self-drivers from neighboring countries and day trippers from Victoria Falls as well as guests from the larger lodges located to the east of the national park. We stayed at the Western end of the reserve where there are just four lodges. Fewer visitors make it out to this area so you do not get the same number of guests at each sighting as are found further east.

Our sightings here included wild dog, lion and buffalo as well as hyenas with cubs.

A big attraction here are boat safaris on the Chobe River where excellent birding adds to the excitement of close encounters with wild game from your boat.

As this is a national park, night drives, off road driving, walking and fishing are not permitted within park boundaries.

The Chobe river front is close to the airport art Kasane is a good place to start or finish a safari.

Stayed at Muchenji Safari Lodge

Kigali, 6 May 2017 – The Rwanda Development Board today announced an increase in the price of Gorilla Permits from US$ 750 to US $1,500 for all vnew permits issued from today.

A new exclusive package for tourists who wish to book an entire family of gorillas was also introduced at US$ 15,000, and will receive exclusive personalized tour guide services. How this will work in practice is unclear.

Tourists who visit other national parks (Nyungwe and Akagera) for a minimum of three days, in addition to gorilla trekking will receive a discount of 30%.

The rate hike coincides with the opening of some very expensive, high end lodges in Volcanoes and Akegera National Parks in line with Rwanda’s high-end tourism strategy, the price increase aims to strengthen conservation efforts and contribute more to the development of communities living around the Volcanoes National Park.

Also last week 15 black rhino were introduced into Akegera, a savanna type game reserve on Rwanda’s Eastern border with Tanzania making Akagera the first “Big Five” reserve in Rwanda.

Most visitors to Rwanda at present visit the gorillas and then move on the neighbouring Tanzania and Kenya for a general safari. The new moves appear to be an attempt to keep tourists in the country for longer and spending more mone, following the Botswana model of low impact buy aciclovir tablets online uk high value tourim.

We imagine that guests on a tight budget who wish to see the mountain gorillas will now choose to do so in Uganda, where, at present the cost of a permit remains at US$600. The effect of this is likely to make it difficult for the many low cost lodges and hotels in Rwanda that have sprung up to cater for gorilla tourism to attract their traditional backpacker and overlander tourists on which they have relied in the past.

The new tariff will enable the tourism revenue sharing rate for communities adjacent to the park, to be increased from 5% to 10%, which will quadruple the absolute revenues received by communities. Over the last 12 years, more than 400 community projects have been completed including hospitals, schools, business development centers and water supply systems to facilitate access to clean water. These projects directly benefit the people living around the parks.

Ms. Clare Akamanzi, the Chief Executive Officer at Rwanda Development Board said:

“Gorilla trekking is a highly unique experience. We have raised the price of permits in order to ensure sustainability of conservation initiatives and enhance visitors’ experience. We also want to make sure that the communities living near the park area receive a bigger share of tourism revenues to fund development projects and empower them economically.”

We hope all our guests both past present and future have enjoyed lovely Christmas and wish you a prosperous new year.  We look forward to having you travel with us again soon.

Few holiday experiences can compare with the thrill of getting up close and personal to wildlife in its natural surroundings. At Safari Club, we pride ourselves on giving you an unforgettable safari holiday combining the best wildlife viewing and guiding with attractive pricing.  We hope you will enjoy our latest newsletter.

Gorillas Express

We are delighted to note that Rwandair will be commencing overnight flights from London Gatwick to Kigali in Rwanda and Entebbe in Uganda from March 2017. This opens up the enticing prospect of short tours or long weekends specifically targeted at seeing the highly-endangered mountain gorillas.  If of interest, please see our “Lord of the Forest” and “Gorilla Express” tours.  Perfect for guests to experience top quality primate viewing if your time is limited or to combine with a longer safari in Uganda or neighbouring Tanzania or Kenya.

Kenya Specials

We have several special offers that are available for travel at any time in 2017 some of which are exclusive to Safari Club. We have combined some of these to produce great value, high quality holidays for our guests. Here are two great new itineraries

Family Adventure Holiday

A Week on the Wildside

Liuwa Plain – Another road less travelled

Most people have never heard of Liuwa Plain which is in the remote west of Zambia, in a part of the country known as Barotseland. The park was created in 1972 but its remote location and the lack of tourist facilities has meant very few people have visited this stunning reserve. A couple of upmarket camps operated by two of Zambia’s top safari operators have recently opened. And from 2017 twice weekly, light aircraft, scheduled charter flights will be flying to Liuwa meaning a trip here will no longer involve a major expedition. The reserve is home to huge populations of plains game and is famous for the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa. The apex predator here is the Hyena which exist in clans of up to 50 individuals which are supported by a cast of smaller predators including cheetah and wild dog. Liuwa is also famous for a spectacular range of rare birds. The lion population here had declined to just one lioness, known locally as Lady Liuwa, however recently two males were introduced and successfully bred with the queen of Liuwa producing three cubs which are now around two years old. The hyenas may not have it all their own way in future. Visits to the reserve are usually in small group, set departure safaris of around 4 to 5 days’ duration so most guests will combine a trip to Liuwa plains with one of Zambia’s other outstanding national parks or Victoria Falls.

Call 0845 0545889 or e mail us to plan a safari to Liuwa.

Vanishing Kings – A sad story

You may have seen the recent wildlife documentary “Vanishing Kings” which aired early in 2016 and featured a coalition of five lion brothers seeking to survive in the hostile environment of the Skeleton Coast alongside the isolated communities eking out an existence on the fringes of the desert, a few of our guests buy acyclovir 400 mg have even been lucky enough to see them. Unfortunately, we have sad news. 2016 has not been a good year for this magnificent band of brothers known locally as the “five musketeers” as four of them have become victims of human/wildlife conflict, perhaps the biggest problem facing wildlife conservationists in Africa today. One of the lions was shot by a villager at a temporary cattle post in July which raised fears for the other lions resulting in a plan being devised to move the “Musketeers” to a safer location.

Unfortunately, in August, before they could be translocated three more of the brothers were poisoned by angry villagers after feeding on a poisoned donkey carcass.  The remaining musketeer was relocated to a safer location near the mouth of the Uniab river but tracking information indicates that he has been moving back towards the area where his brothers were killed possibly in a fruitless search for his kin. Guests interested in visiting Namibia should contact us to for a tailor made flying or self-drive itinerary.

More about Human/Wildlife conflict

Affordable Botswana – Mobile camping

Botswana’s private concessions are outstanding with wonderful game viewing, but invariably very expensive to visit. Why not take an all-inclusive, overland, mobile safari through Northern Botswana’s finest National Parks? You will be in a small group staying in luxury tented accommodation at private campsites within the Chobe National Park and Moremi Game Reserve. Camp sites are set up in advance and no guest participation is required. It is also possible to provide these safaris on a private basis for groups of friends and family groups. These safaris are ideal to combine with a few days at the Victoria Falls.

6 nights- Moremi Game Reserve and Chobe National Park US$2800 to US$3840pp

8 nights – As above plus two nights in a lodge in Savute area US$4320 to US$5280pp

No Single supplement and children 6 to 12 years’ half price.

Mobile Camping Itinerary

South Africa and Botswana – Early booking

These two iconic African destinations are enjoying an unprecedented tourist boom, South Africa alone had a 18% increase in tourist arrivals in the first six months of 2016. Space is extremely difficult to find for high season in 2017 particularly between July and September and for the Christmas 2017 period. We strongly urge guests considering a visit to these destinations to book as early as possible, ideally before January to avoid disappointment. This is particularly important for family accommodation.

Planet Earth 2

I am sure many of you will have been enjoying the fantastic wildlife and photography on the latest David Attenborough BBC Documentary. Safari Club do provide tailor made itineraries to many of the featured destinations including the spectacular East African plains and the incredible landscapes and wildlife of Namibia, perhaps Africa’s most unique country. I was very pleased to see that the little known Kaziranga National Park home to one horned rhino, tiger, Asian elephant, and sloth bears was featured in the “Grasslands” episode. We provide trips to this unusual park in our “Big Four” itinerary and “Wild Assam Cruise” and would be happy to include it in any tailor-made trip to India.

Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe is one of Africa’s finest reserves and is probably Africa’s premier park for elephant.

Bordering Botswana, Hwange National Park is Zimbabwe’s largest game park with an area of 14,600km². Its sheer size means that its scenery, vegetation and game vary hugely, ranging from the semi desert scrub on the edge of the Kalahari in the south, to forests, granite hills and valleys of mopane woodlands in the north.

Despite Zimbabwe’s widely publicized differences with Western countries and the subsequent meltdown in the economy Hwange has been well maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers and the park authorities and is a very safe place to visit.

The park has an excellent road network and it is only two hours to the nearest park gate from Victoria Falls Airport making it very accessible. There are also reasonably priced charter flights into the reserve.

The “Big Five” plus cheetah and wild dog are found in the park as well as spotted and rare brown hyena. The large sable and roan antelope, are rare or absent from many African parks but surprisingly common here.

The park sees very few visitors but has a small number of excellent little safari camps. Some of the safari camps in the reserve are based in their own private wildlife concessions ensuring a high level of exclusivity for guests and protection for wildlife. These include Linkwasha and Little Makololo Camps. We would suggest that if guests have the time they should spend around 6 to 8 nights in the park split between two contrasting areas.

The success of this park is due in no small part to man’s intervention. The park is a paradise for wildlife for nine months of the year but for the three to four months of the late dry season there is very little surface water which would minimise the wildlife population. Historically, during the dry season, wildlife has migrated from Hwange to areas such as Botswana’s Okavango Delta and the Zambezi buy aciclovir tablets 400mg Valley and other areas where there is human settlement and farming on the fringes of the park. Ted Davison the first warden of the park decided that if the park was to be a success then action had to be taken to ensure wildlife remained throughout the year and did not compete with settlers for water and food. A decision was taken to dig boreholes widely dispersed throughout the reserve and powered initially by windmills. These have now been replaced by diesel and solar powered pumps creating permanent waterholes dependent on human beings for maintenance.

The result has been an explosion in the elephant population which now number around 44000 and reside permanently in the reserve. The waterholes attract huge numbers of wildlife in addition to the elephant and those close to the lodges are usually floodlit allowing guests to take some wonderful close-up photos from hides on the water’s edge.

It may be possible for guests at certain lodges such as Bomani Tented Camp or Camelthorn Lodge to join the team that maintain the pumps on the weekly pump run visiting some of the most remote areas of the park and assisting the team maintaining these vital lifelines for the wildlife.

The quality of the guiding in the park is of a very high standard and in addition to game drives, most safari camps offer night drives and guided walks in their own private concession areas.

A visit to Hwange is incredibly good value compared to other parks in Southern and East Africa, look at our Land of the Giants and Elephant Trails itineraries for safaris that visit this reserve.

Most guests visiting this reserve will combine a stay in Hwange with a few nights at Victoria Falls but it is also possible to combine a stay here with the world heritage Mana Pools reserve on the Lower Zambezi River and Matusadona National Park on the shores of Lake Kariba to create a very varied itinerary.

Two recent tragic incidents of human/wildlife conflict have served to bring into sharp focus the issues that face wildlife and an expanding human population living close to protected and remote wilderness areas.

The victims in both cases were lions, famous as the stars of recent wildlife documentaries.

First came the tragic news that three members of the Marsh Pride stars of the BBC documentaries “Big Cat Diary”  had died after feeding on the poisoned carcass of a cow.

Whilst the perpetrators of this act are unknown, the poisoning of carcasses is not unknown in the Maasai Mara.  The local Maasai people have given up some of their traditional grazing rights in return for a not inconsiderable stipend from the local authorities and conservancies. The Maasai use that money to buy more cows, a traditional measure of wealth in Maasai society, but they have less land for those cows to graze on. The resulting overgrazing means that the herders need more land to graze their cattle.

During the day, tens of thousands of unfenced cattle graze near the reserve. At nightfall, when the tourists go back to their camps, the animals are herded into the reserve where the grazing is better. This brings the domestic animals into contact with nocturnal predators, including lions with inevitable consequences.

The second tragedy occurred in Namibia where a trio of male lions died in August also as a result of poisoning. They were three of the five brothers, known as “the five musketeers,” who starred in the film “Vanishing Kings: Lions of the Namib” which aired on the National Geographic channel earlier this year.

Philip Stander, founder of the Desert Lion Conservation project, the organization tracking the lions, found their carcasses on August 10 near the village of Tomakas, according to the Namibian. It is believed that this was an act of retaliation by farmers who had laced a donkey buy acyclovir online us carcass with poison after the lions had killed the donkey.

“This is truly a tragedy for Namibia’s lion conservation efforts in a very challenging environment that balances lion and human coexistence,” Stander said in the Namibian report. “With no more than 150 lions remaining in the country, the unnatural loss of any of them is cause for concern”

This isn’t the pride’s first tragedy. A villager shot and killed one of the other brothers in July after an incident at a temporary cattle post, which intensified fears over the remaining brothers’ safety prompting a decision by the government to move the lions from the Tomakas area to the Uniab Delta, which was thought to be safer. Alas tragedy struck before this plan could be put into action.

Namibia’s desert lions, which mostly roam outside protected areas in remote, arid northern Namibia, evolved to survive some of the harshest conditions for animals on Earth. Thick coats help them adapt to colder weather, and they can subsist without drinking water, consuming prey such as ostriches and antelopes to hydrate themselves.

Like most of the wild lions in Africa, the desert lions have to contend with threats from farmers trying to protect their cattle from the predators. Stander’s organization has been working to try to help humans and lions coexist peacefully.

Whilst lion were the unfortunate victims in these cases the same conflict between humans and wildlife affect elephants and grazers all of which compete with humans for limited resources and there can only be one winner.

 It is to be hoped that enlightened conservation policies and working with local communities to educate people on the benefits of living alongside wildlife will eventually lead to a situation where both wildlife and humans benefit from coexistence.

Our newsletter this month features some of the more unusual and adventurous safari activities, most of which can be stand-alone trips or part of a longer wildlife safari.

Climb Mount Kilimanjaro

The deep sense of personal achievement you will feel on reaching the summit of Africa’s tallest mountain is immense. Our partners in Africa run set departure treks of nine nights’ duration with a minimum of two and maximum of eight guests. Seven nights are spent on the Mountain. Guests on these fully serviced treks are accompanied by a team of fully trained mountain guides, a chef and an experienced crew of porters. The Kilimanjaro Treks follow the most scenic routes up the mountain and are unhurried with plenty of time to acclimatize and admire the view. Our aim is to ensure that every guest reaches the summit whilst fully enjoying the experience. A reasonable level of fitness is required. Private departure tour for groups of 2 or more guests are also possible.

These trips are fully inclusive and cost around US$4145 per person sharing in 2017.

Safari and Beach Holidays

Many of our guests like to combine a safari break with sometime at one of Africa’s idyllic beach destinations. Kenya in particular has some beautiful beach destinations offering the classic combination of white sand, swaying coconuts palms, clear blue coral sea and some of Africa’s friendliest people. Here are a few new flexible, safari and beach combinations, to suit all tastes and budget.

Taste of Kenya 12 Nights from £2250 per adult sharing

Shadow of Kilimanjaro 10 nights from £2688 per adult sharing

Big Cat Trail to Diani Beach 11 Nights from £3114 per adult sharing

Luxury Safari and Beach Adventure 9 Nights from £3453 per adult sharing

Safari and Beach Premium Tour 11 Nights from £4656 per adult sharing

Take the Train?

Africa does not have an extensive rail network however guests visiting South Africa have the opportunity to enjoy a luxury rail experience on the Blue Train, which connects Cape Town with Pretoria and Hoedspruit for Kruger National Park a great way to experience more of South Africa. Rovos Rail also offers luxury rail tours reminiscent of a bygone age and travels further afield with journeys to Namibia, Durban and Victoria Falls.

We are very happy to include these epic rail journeys in a tailor made itinerary just for you.

Classic rail journeys are also a feature of Indian travel we can include Journeys on the Maharaja’s Express or the Palace on Wheels in our Indian itineraries.

Wild Chimpanzees

In all the excitement of “big Five” safaris in Africa our cousins the great apes are often overlooked. Yet wild chimpanzees, as well as gorillas, are perhaps the most interesting of all animals to observe as they go about their daily business. As these primates live in forests along with various monkey species, visiting them gives a completely different perspective on Africa. One of the best places to see wild chimpanzees is Kibale Forest Reserve in Uganda which can be combined easily with a visit to the mountain gorillas of Bwindi.

My personal favorite are the Chimpanzees at Mahale Mountain on the shores of the beautiful Lake Tanganyika a truly idyllic location at the end of a fascinating journey by air and boat. Guests visiting Mahale will usually combine a visit here with a classic safari in the Serengeti or Ruaha National park.

What makes Botswana special?

Botswana is an expensive country to visit on a safari and guests invariably wonder if it is worth the money. We think that the low volume/high quality tourist policy of the Botswana Government has got it spot on, resulting in probably the best overall wildlife safari anywhere and worth every penny. If you would like a taste of what to expect on a safari holiday in Botswana, please look at the monthly sightings report for July 2016 from Kwando Safari Camps. We think you will agree!

Five Hundred elephants move home in Malawi

An operation is currently underway in Malawi to move 500 elephants from the overpopulated Liwonde and Majete National Parks to a new home in the Nkhotakota Reserve close to the shores of Lake Malawi. Malawi already has the “Big Five” in a couple of Reserves and the wildlife population is steadily increasing, this initiative will help to enhance Malawi’s reputation as a serious wildlife destination. Find out more

Kafue – a Road less travelled!

For Safari enthusiasts who have visited Africa’s best known reserves and would like to try something different why not plan a trip to Zambia’s Kafue National Park. This huge national Park has tremendous biodiversity, few visitors and a range of landscapes that includes, forests, lakes, wetlands, pristine rivers and game rich plains. The park is now easily accessible for both self-drives and by air. This park represents the real Africa of bygone years and will in our opinion become one of Africa’s prime safari safari destinations within the next ten years.

Have you ever wanted to visit an African Game Reserve where you will see few if any other vehicles reminiscent of the raw, wild continent seen by the first European visitors and by myself on a first visit to Zambia in 1975?

Kafue National Park, was during the eighties and early nineties neglected, mismanaged and suffered from poaching. Most visitors to Zambia choosing to visit South Luangwa and the Lower Zambezi two other outstanding wilderness reserves but that is now changing.

For most of its length the Kafue River runs along the edge of the park with other major tributaries the Lunga and Lufupa Rivers also providing a lifeline for game. Lion, elephant, buffalo and leopard are found throughout the park and both wild dog and cheetah are also present in healthy numbers.

Following some major investment in the past ten years in anti-poaching and tourist facilities Kafue is now on course to be one of the finest and most varied destinations in Africa. An affordable destination for adventurous self-drivers, mobile camping expeditions and those who prefer to fly in and out.

Boat safaris on the rivers and lakes, canoe trips, night drives, guided walks and fly camping are all possible here meaning a trip to Kafue will be a true adventure.

Here is a brief introduction to a journey through Kafue from south to north.

Nanzilha Plains

The extreme south of the park is easily accessible from Livingstone by road or air but has only one six-tented camp Nanzhila Plains Camp and receives very few visitors. Nanzhila can be a short add on to a Victoria Falls trip or the start of a journey through the reserve.

The plains themselves have plentiful wildlife with a good chance of spotting as many as ten different antelope species in including both roan and sable antelope and are also an excellent place to find cheetah which are absent from Zambia’s other major parks. Birders will love this area with the black cheeked lovebird being a birders specialty.

Lake Itezhi Tezhi

Heading north through the park one comes to Lake Itezhi Tezhi, the lake was created by a dam in the 1970’s and is now reminiscent of Lake Kariba. The lakeshore is teaming with game and birdlife while traditional local fishermen, on the far lake buy aciclovir shore are a fascinating to observe going about their business. Game viewing along the lake shore by boat and road is very productive as wildlife comes down to the lake to drink. Wild dog are often spotted here as well as serval cat. The only accommodation in the vicinity is Konkamoya Lodge with just four very comfortable large guest tents. If you have never seen an aardvark this could be your chance as the lodge offers a special night safari aimed at finding these elusive creatures.

The area is close to the David Shepherd Elephant Orphanage which is an another interesting side trip at Konkamoya.

Central Kafue

Kafue National Park is bisected by the main tarred road from Lusaka heading to the Western Province. Ease of access means this area is the most developed with a several good lodges. This is not a drawback however as the visitor density is miniscule compared to other reserves in Africa but with more vehicles around than other areas of the park, wildlife is more habituated to human presence and as such it is easier to get close.

Heading North

The area north of the main road along the Kafue River and Lufupa River heading towards the Busanga Plains is home to several small, owner managed, safari lodges. The area has good game viewing with a number of game drive loops along the way making for an interesting journey, some very large lion prides are found here. Some of the camps here offer “catch and release” sport fishing in waters that have not been commercially fished since the park was created, making for some great sport. Most visitors spend a day or two here on route to Busanga Plains.

The Busanga Plains

Busanga is the Holy Grail for many safari buffs, fabled for its outstanding game viewing and extreme remoteness. The plains are a wetland area only accessible between June and October reminiscent of Botswana’s Okavango Delta and famous for tree climbing lions, the plains are also home to cheetah and wild dog and are one of the best places to see roan antelope and the secretive and rare, water loving, sitatunga.

Covering a large area, the plains are home to a few small upmarket safari camps which are seasonally open from June to October.

Guests interested in visiting Kafue either as a stand-alone destination or as part of a longer trip should call us to discuss and start planning a trip.

Take a look at the sightings report for July 2016 below and we think you will agree Botswana is worth every penny.

Kwara Private Concession – Okavango Delta

Boat cruises are a lovely relaxing activity – perhaps getting to see a hippo, maybe a crocodile, and if lucky elephants coming to drink or cross. But their main focus is to see the beauty of the waters, birdlife and aquatic plants – to experience another side of being on safari. The Okavango Delta being what it is, always has a surprise up its sleeve… a morning boat ride along the channels into the Moremi Game Reserve came across three large male lions contemplating a swim in the chilly winter waters, standing on one side of the channel. They seemed intent on getting to the other side, but a lot of thought was being put into this. Eventually, two stopped ‘pussy-footing’ around and edged into the deep water, swimming to the other side. The third one, however, had had enough, and backed off the way he had come, preferring the safety of dry land.

A male leopard was found along River Road, hunting, but had no success whilst we were watching.  Another day, and another male leopard hunting. In spite of his stealthy effort at stalking a group of impala, they caught sight of him before he could make his move and he left empty-handed. A female leopard also struggled to make a kill along Boundary road, just missing a reedbuck.  Meanwhile, the female leopard that has a cub is doing well in the area, and the cub is growing bigger every day as a result of mum’s successful hunts. 

We were also lucky enough to see two male leopards meet each other – not something that is seen very often. It’s likely that the scent of a female leopard nearby caused the males to ignore any territorial rules and duel it out for the right to mate. A very impressive sight!

In case there are not enough lions in the Kwara area, an unidentified sub-adult male arrived into the area near where Mma Leithlo’s pride are resident.  Young males have to roam until they can establish their own territories, and form coalitions, but it’s a very dangerous time for a single lion, as any other male will automatically see them as a threat. Being sub-adult, he is not an experienced fighter, nor has the weight or muscle to defend himself against a fully grown male.  Not far away, two of large males from the Zulu boys were busy hunting warthog, unaware of the new presence in their territory for now…

The mother cheetah and her cubs spent five days at the beginning of the month along the Kwara floodplains, but did not seem to be having any luck in their hunts. Finally, on the sixth day, persistence paid off, and it was definitely worthwhile following them: they spent a lot of time trying to get close to a herd of impalas without being noticed, and sure enough, closing that distance paid off as when they sprang into action, they managed to catch one and kill it just in front of the vehicle!
The very small pack of wild dogs – just  three adults – were found denning in the Tsum Tsum area of the concession. We did not have any luck seeing the pups, and it took us some time to relocate the den when they moved it  – about 100m from the original den site.

Other interesting sightings this month were a big herd of buffalo (not so common in the Kwara area in such large numbers), honey badgers strolling around, and a very active hyena den.  We had lots of elephant activity – in and out of camp – and large congregations of giraffes, as well as all the normal general game we see – kudu, warthog, zebra, wildebeest, tssessebe and so on.

Kwando North Private Concession – Linyanti Reserve

Driving from the airstrip one morning we found a dead impala tucked under a bush, next to the road. Whose was it?  Returning a few hours later, we found a female leopard feeding on it. She didn’t get to feed on it for much longer however, as hyenas arrived and chased her off the meal.

On the first day of the month we were also lucky enough to see the first sighting of the tiny wild dog puppies at their den site. The 14 adults were playing around the den when five little puppies came out of the den and joined in! By the end of the week, more puppies had emerged from the den – making a total of 10 in the litter. Whilst they are so small, one or two of the adults remain with the pups at all times, whilst the rest of the dogs go out and hunt. After a successful hunt, they return to the den, and regurgitate food for both the puppies and any adults that have remained behind.

Arriving at Half Way Pan on the morning of the same day, we spotted a large male lion looking fairly majestic, sitting under a tree. On approaching, we realized that the male had been assigned a task perhaps not normally associated with the “King of the Jungle” – babysitting. He had been left alone to supervise eight cubs! The mothers were either ‘out’ hunting, or perhaps taking a chance of a bit of peace and quiet…  A few days later and the same pride were seen again in the same area. The lionesses had blood on their faces when they appeared, and soon led their cubs away to a warthog they had killed earlier.

Another day, and another wild dog hunt. This time, guests didn’t even have to leave the comfort of their fireside chairs to witness it. Early one morning, 13 wild dogs came chasing a kudu at full sprint through the camp, only stopping when they got to the fireplace and saw a rather startled group of people sitting around having coffee and porridge for breakfast. A quick detour by the dogs, and another hunt began finally catching a male kudu close to the airstrip (and followed by a rather rushed group of guests having given up on breakfast and dashed out to the cars.

You don’t always find exactly what you are looking for when tracking animals in the bush – a fair amount of time was spent tracking a leopard, only to come across two male cheetahs off in the distance. We were able to sit and watch the hungry-looking animals for some time, whilst they stalked their prey, eventually chasing and catching a female kudu. We left the leopard hunt for another day!

Later in the month, we were again following the dogs hunting – they had had several order acyclovir online uk warthogs over the last few days, and even attempted to chase sable herds to harass the youngsters. They were moving from one termite mound to the next as we followed them, apparently searching for more warthogs, when all of a sudden they gave chase and disappeared through the bush. We could hear them barking – not something wild dogs actually do very often. On re-locating them, we found them all around the base of a tree looking up – at a very unhappy male leopard that had obviously just scrambled up there in the nick of time!

Tables were turned slightly, when the pack of dogs were found feeding on a kudu. Whilst we were watching a big male lion appeared, chased the dogs off, and began feeding. The dogs hung around for some time, trying to see if they could risk an attempt at getting the kill back, before giving up and moving off after an hour. They returned to the den site and regurgitated what they had managed to eat for the puppies.

Kwando South Private Concession – Linyanti Reserve

Lots of activity at the hyena den, with six cubs of varying ages being looked after there. Four adults are seen around the den, trying to keep the cubs somewhat in line. Not the easiest thing to do when they are so boisterous! You can imagine, when the adults aren’t there, things get even more interesting… naturally curious, any vehicle visiting becomes a possible target for an over-eager hyena cub, wondering what a mud-flap is like to chew on.

18 lions is a lot of lions to feed (even if eleven of them are not fully grown) so it’s not surprising that the lion pride tries to kill as big a game as possible. This month, they were seen feeding on several buffalos and a zebra.  Apart from the big pride, we also had lovely sightings of a mother suckling her young cubs, and an attempted hunt by three lionesses of a kudu, that was unsuccessful, due to the rather over-excited and  eager 5 month old cub that tagged along for the ride and didn’t stay put when told to!

And if you think six youngsters might be a handful, try 15 of them. The Southern Pack of wild dogs – thirteen adults – is busy raising a litter of 15 little puppies at their den site. They all seem in good condition and healthy. With so many mouths to feed, the adults have to be sure that they are hunting often enough to ensure everyone gets a fair share.  When they do have successful hunts, they try harder than ever not to lose the kill to another predator. This was the case when we witnessed them kill an impala and three hyenas immediately approached to try and take the kill off them. The dogs and hyenas spent some time tussling with each other, before the dogs had to retreat – too big a risk of injury when having to fight the much heavier and bulkier hyena.

We were lucky enough to see a female leopard with her two young cubs a few times this month. This is the small family that set up shop in and around the camp last month – this month, they were found a little further away. We also followed them when they were walking along the road, and were very relaxed with us following them. After a while, they moved off into the thicker surrounding bush, and we left them to their evening.

General game this month was wonderful, with lots of big herds of elephants everywhere – including in the camp, making it tricky to get to your room at night –  as well as the bulls interspersed amongst them. Zebra, impala, wildebeest, reedbuck, kudu and lots of warthogs. Interesting and unusual sightings this month included porcupine and serval cat.

Nxai Pan –Makgadikgadi Pans

Lots of sightings of bat eared foxes about at the moment – although common throughout the year, they are very noticeable at the moment, as they are trying to keep warm in the colder temperatures. To do this, they hunker close to termite mounds, which keep their residual warmth even through the coldest of the nights.

Although the zebra migration has long since moved on, we are still left with our resident zebras. These are seen mingling in the middle of the pan with the springbok, and even a few ostrich as part of the crowd.  Definitely safety in numbers with a good collection of eyes to keep watch on whatever predator may try an attack from the wide open surrounds.

Chaos abounds in the large Nxai Pan lion pride – the two adult males decided it was time for the eight sub-adult males to leave –before they get too big and become a threat to the dominance of the adult males. With the youngsters forced out, the pride fractured for the time being, and the three lionesses and two female sub-adults also moved off from the two males. The males are likely to try to rejoin the lionesses at a later stage, seeking them out for mating, but also for the benefit of being able to get a few free meals off them.

A relaxed female cheetah was found resting in the shade of a tree. She appeared to be lactating, but there was no sign of her cubs. Likely they are still very small, and hidden away for safety, with her visiting to suckle them between hunts.

Lots of bull elephants, and even breeding herds, coming to the camp water hole to drink. Some of the males are still making forays into camp, even though there is sufficient water for them to drink at the waterhole. Part of this is pressure from too many males being at the waterhole at once, and the eternal search for one’s own personal water fountain. Luckily, breakages have been at a minimum this month – partly due to teams of staff sitting up all night to deter overly enthusiastic individuals – as well as regular cleaning out of the waterhole to make it even more enticing!

Elephants are not the only nightly visitor to the camp – three buffalo bulls are regularly seen coming into the camp at night – seemingly believing that the camp grounds offer a safe haven to rest up from the dangers of the bush.  Since lions have also been seen in the camp, this possibly needs a re-think.

Unusual sightings this month include honey badgers, and an aardwolf that appears to have denned near to the main water hole. Add to that some very strange visitors – a herd of eland passing by in front of camp!

See our Botswana in the Secret Season safari for an example of a safari visiting these concessions.

In early July 2017 one of the world’s largest and most significant elephant translocations began in Malawi as 150 elephants made the 350km journey to their new home, Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve.

The elephants are being moved from Liwonde National Park and Majete Wildlife Reserve, in southern Malawi, where there are too many jumbos, to a new home close to Lake Malawi in central Malawi. This first group of elephants, the first of 500, are amongst a host of animals being transferred to Nkhotakota National Park. Nkhotakota supported over 1500 elephants twenty years ago but currently has less than 100. It will provide a safe home in an area which has suffered from neglect and poaching in the past but which is now very much on the mend.

Due to the dense human population in Malawi there are no natural corridors between the parks. Also with Majete and Liwonde parks suffering from elephant overpopulation these result in increasing wildlife and human conflict

So far all the translocated elephants are doing well and staying within the perimeter fencing. African Parks, who are leading the translocation, plan to collar a total of 35 of these first 250 elephants in order to monitor them in their vast new home. Collars will be attached to 10 bulls and the rest to matriarchs.

You can visit the elephants in Nkhotokota buy acyclovir 800 mg National Park staying in the stunning Tongole Wilderness Lodge, on a Malawi Safari Holiday. The location can easily be combined with Zambia’s superb South Luangwa National Park or a holiday on Lake Malawi.

Since 2003 African Parks has, in partnership with the Malawi government, managed Majete Wildlife Reserve. This partnership has seen the reserve restored and restocked with 2,500 animals including the Big Five. Majete has been a great success and is now one of Malawi’s premier wildlife sanctuaries, conserving and protecting more than 8,800 animals. With the addition of Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve in 2015, African Parks now manages three of Malawi’s nine protected areas and with goals to match all that has been achieved in Majete. African Parks are transforming the wildlife of the country.

African Parks is a non-profit conservation organisation that takes on the complete responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks in partnership with government and local communities. African Parks manages 10 national parks and protected areas in seven countries covering six million hectares. The countries involved are Malawi, Zambia, Central African Republic, The Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Chad.

To learn more, please visit www.african-parks.org.