Wildlife Sightings from various Safari Lodges and Camps in Africa

Kings Pool Camp Sightings for December 2011

2012-01-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

The festive season at Kings Pool Camp was, undoubtedly, the time of the hippo. It is currently almost impossible to walk even a few metres at "3-2-1 Diantsha" Camp without encountering a large mass of pink-purple making its slow and purposeful journey down to the water and back again, utterly unperturbed by the various merry activities of both staff and guests. The two hippo-highways that cut the boardwalk in camp have carried so much traffic this past month that it has become necessary even in the middle of the day to check right, and left ... and right again, before passing through. Meet and greets have been interrupted frequently to allow for photographs and videos to be taken of our obliging residents, and they have become extremely vocal during the early morning and evening, revelling in their now private lake, as the elephants have moved away since the rains arrived. Early morning duty for managers, chefs and waitresses is made all the more challenging by the silent train of hippos making a beeline for the water after a night of feeding.

It has not been entirely peaceful, however. There has been intermittent tension between some of the large males in the river, who may be fighting over territory or females. Their battles are epic, the screams and clashing of teeth tearing through the still summer nights, ending just as abruptly as they begin.

There have been other displays of rivalry in the water that concern both hippos and another vicious water-dweller. Recently, guests witnessed a strange assertion of dominance by the vegetarian hippo over the carnivorous crocodile. After the opportunistic snatching of a naive and oblivious impala drinking at the water's edge, a crocodile was feeding in the water, observed by two hippos that lurked nearby. All of a sudden, the two hippos confronted the crocodile and snatched the carcass away with no apparent reason or explanation. There seemed to be a scuffle underwater, as the crocodile was tossed in the air by the hippos and chased away. This type of behaviour is difficult to understand, as the hippos showed no interest in stealing the meat for themselves, rather choosing to demonstrate their superior strength. This type of 'bullying' has been documented frequently, and there is no clear explanation for it, but hippos have been known to chase crocodiles and even lions away from carcasses, in a seemingly impulsive show of aggression and dominance.

There has been evidence of clashes between hippo and lion this month as well. During a recent outing, a male hippo lurched out of the bushes in front of the vehicle, provoking gasps from those on board. He had been badly injured, and it was assumed at first that he was the victim of an attack by a larger male. One part of his back leg was torn open, severely hindering his attempts to walk. However, as the hippo turned, he revealed the large claw marks all over his rump and side. It seemed that lions had tried their luck here, and although they had not succeeded, the hippo was clearly in pain and wincing at the merciless beaks of the persistent oxpeckers on his back. He finally made it to the water, and seemed visibly relieved to be able to cool his battle wounds. This encounter proved that despite their formidable size and famously powerful jaws, hippo can still be vulnerable to attack by hungry predators.

The lions themselves have not disappointed this month either. Since his ferocious encounter with the nomadic male from the west a couple of months ago, the resident male lion, Romeo, has been living the life of a bachelor, as the females had been shying away from him. His roaring went unanswered every night, until finally, after three weeks of solitude, Romeo's ladies returned to the area. It is a relief to see them reunited, the adolescent male growing every day and benefiting from the influence of his powerful father. In the recent, unforgiving heat, the foursome have often be found slumped in the shelter of a bush, their position only betrayed by the tell-tale tuft of Romeo's impressive mane.

The leopard sightings have not dwindled despite the increasingly thick and overgrown bush. One particular young male, known as Mokoro, has been seen regularly. Now that he is beginning to move outside his mother's territory, he is frequently found by himself attempting to hunt tree squirrels or stalking unwitting impala lambs. His mother is usually around, however, when these escapades fail, and she tolerates his meek return, tossing scraps of her own kill down from her perch in the tree so that he does not go hungry.

The wild dogs are still gracing each corner of the Linyanti Concession with their presence, sharing their loyalties amongst all three camps in the area. With the bush as thick as it is, it is quite spectacular to witness a quiet sun-downer being abruptly disturbed by the sudden onset of panicked, fleeing impala that are followed keenly by a pair of hungry dogs. The pack follows shortly afterwards, and once a kill has been made it is only a matter of minutes before the impala is reduced to a pile of bones and the dogs are off again, leaving stunned guests and guides in their wake.

So we move into a new year at Kings Pool, and look forward to new adventures and more incredible sightings. For now we content ourselves with the grunting of hippos as the Linyanti sun goes down on a fabulous 2011.

Sightings at Xigera Camp in December 2011

2012-01-25T08:50:00.000-08:00

Xigera Camp in the Okavango Delta

With the water levels continuing to drop, more and more red lechwe and kudu seem to be gathering out on the floodplain in front of our guest tents. People at Xigera Camp have been enjoying sitting out on their front deck with a pair of binoculars, looking at the variety of bird species that are also attracted to this big open area, which provide the perfect spot to catch fish and other aquatic creatures. We have even had a couple of Great White Pelicans visit for a few days!

The resident bushbuck family is still enjoying our camp. The calf has tiny horn buds popping out and is very relaxed around us and has become habituated to human activity. An old and dark-coloured male giraffe also found his way into camp the one morning and stayed well camouflaged behind the bushes even though he was just a few metres from the boardwalk.

Our familiar vervet monkey troop is still around and cheekier than ever before - the little babies' playful antics continue to be a popular entertainment for all in camp. The smallest of them is now starting to leave his mother's comforting arms to play around on his own but as soon as he spots a human being he raises his eyebrows, looks terrified and screams as if he had just seen a monster - it is very funny! Never leave your plate of food unattended, that's all I can say.

The elephant seem to have decided to give the trees in and around camp a rest and have moved on to other areas, to the relief of our maintenance team as they were getting a bit tired of fixing broken boardwalks.

Out on activities, the month of December was rather exciting here at Xigera! As the roads are no longer under water, the guides have been doing both game drives and water activities with their guests. Big cats are not necessarily the first thing you think of when at Xigera, but in December, the predators decided to come and put on a show for us! A young female leopard was seen several times; she was very relaxed around the vehicles, giving some beautiful photographical opportunities. She has been seen hunting, feeding and resting up a tree.

It all got even more exciting on Christmas Eve, as a big and amazingly imposing male lion and a very shy and large female entered the territory. They were seen feeding on an impala that a young leopard had killed earlier - the poor spotted feline had to climb up a tree and hide for quite a while when the lions arrived. When out on an afternoon game drive, we found the two lions not far at all from camp, they looked rather tired (had they been mating possibly?), but when the sound of a dazzle of zebra running through the water reached the male, he suddenly stood up and started running at a surprising speed towards where the sound came from. Unfortunately for him, that attempt failed and he came back head hanging low. On Christmas Eve, all in camp had the privilege to be serenaded by the booming calls of the pair during the dark of night. The next day, we found their tracks just behind our solar panels.

Reptile sightings were also really good this month and on the subject of Christmas, we had a black mamba visit the bar area on Christmas day, taking cover in the thatched roof. A number of small water monitor lizards were also seen around camp as well as a large number of crocodiles while out on the water activities.

Another highlight for the month was the great sitatunga sightings which we enjoyed. These rare and beautiful aquatic antelopes were seen a number of times whilst on mokoro trips.

Leopard at Xigera Camp

Xigera Camp in the Okavango Delta

Sightings at Kalahari Plains Camp in Dec 2011

2012-01-23T07:45:00.000-08:00

December marked the arrival of the annual summer rains to Kalahari Plains Camp, characterised on most days by the thunderous storms and spectacular lightning bolts that the Kalahari is renowned for. The much-anticipated rain directly translates to a mass explosion of grass on the open plains and adjoining ridges. A plethora of annual flowers and seasonal herbs have also joined in. Botanists have had a blast as there is a huge diversity of vegetation, some of which is endemic to the Kalahari.

This diversity also brings out the best of our Bushman guides, as they relish on demonstrating the nutritional and medicinal uses of certain herbs that only occur at this time of the year.

In terms of wildlife, the rainy season is also very rewarding to wildlife enthusiasts. December marked the arrival of large herds of oryx (gemsbok), red hartebeest, springbok, wildebeest and many more into the open plains. This period is also the peak breeding time for most antelope species. We have witnessed masses of young calves and lambs of different antelopes throughout this past month. This feast of prey species naturally attracts opportunistic predators such as lion, cheetah, leopard and jackal, to name a few, into the open plains as well.

Lion and cheetah sightings have been plenty as their home ranges are now smaller due to the availability of food within the plains. This has been most notable at Deception Valley, where a game drive occasionally takes guests through two sets of lion prides within hours. The Lekhubu Pride's forays into the Deception Pride territory deserves a special mention here. The Lekhubu Pride is dominated by a prime black-maned Kalahari male who optimises the legend of huge Kalahari males. This beautiful male quickly displaced the two Deception males, sending them off into the distance, licking their wounds. Since then, the ever-dominant male has been seen mating with three females from the Deception Pride - possibly creating a super-pride in the area as he was also seen mating with a female from his own pride. The fragmented pride which has taken up residence around the camp still has five cubs which are growing rapidly. Hopefully they can avoid the black-maned male for some time so as to avoid infanticide.

Cheetah sightings have been frequent, as expected at this time of the year; the area around the camp continues to see unknown nomadic coalitions. Our resident female was recently spotted a mere three hundred metres from the camp after a four-month absence. The Deception Valley remains a prolific cheetah destination around this time of the year. As the rains wear on however, sightings become limited, possibly due to the grass being too high.

To birders, the Kalahari during December becomes a paradise to different resident and migrant species. Of note particularly are the raptor species. We have encountered great numbers of falcons such as Peregrine, Amur and Red-footed Falcons. We have also had great sightings of Montagu's and Pallid Harrier. The cuckoos have also arrived in full force as we constantly hear the calls of Diederick's, Jacobin and Black Cuckoo.

Thunder Showers at Kalahari Plains Camp

The Lions of Kalahari Plains Camp

Kalahari Plains Camp - December 2011

2012-01-20T22:33:00.000-08:00

December marked the arrival of the annual summer rains, characterised on most days by the thunderous storms and spectacular lightning bolts that the Kalahari is renowned for. The much-anticipated rain directly translates to a mass explosion of grass on the open plains and adjoining ridges. A plethora of annual flowers and seasonal herbs have also joined in. Botanists have had a blast as there is a huge diversity of vegetation, some of which is endemic to the Kalahari.

This diversity also brings out the best of our Bushman guides, as they relish on demonstrating the nutritional and medicinal uses of certain herbs that only occur at this time of the year.

Kafue's Rivers and Plains - Lufupa Camp - December 2011

2012-01-20T22:31:00.001-08:00

Weather and Landscape

We received a total of 308mm of rain in December, which was slightly more than we received in November. But still we had days in a row with no rain at all! This means that the rain would either come in a serious downpour, or stay away and leave us with sunny and clear skies. The temperatures varied from 18 to 35 degrees Celsius during the day. The nights were in general pleasantly cool.

The vegetation has become extremely thick and lush and has covered the ground in a thick carpet of green. A vibrant mix of flowers have also began to blossom, adding a kaleidoscope of colour to the greenery.

Wildlife

The rains have brought a huge variety of game to Lufupa. Herbivore and antelope species that normally prefer to stay in the open plains now look for higher and dry ground, driving them to Lufupa. Impala, puku, Lichtenstein's hartebeest, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, Defassa waterbuck, bushbuck, oribi, kudu and common duiker are likely to be seen.

At the beginning of the month, we experienced some great sightings of our resident wild dog pack and were able to find them on an almost daily basis. It was clear that the alpha female was heavily pregnant and we suspect that the pack has begun denning as we have not seen them for the last two weeks of the month.

Lion sightings have been good this month; as the Lufupa Pride has been around camp and the three brothers were often found at the big dambo close to camp. As for the other cats we have had good cheetah sightings, but the leopards have been hiding a bit in the thicket this month.

A special sighting that should be mentioned is our new 'member of staff' - Henry. Henry is a young male hippo, who was kicked out of his pod by the dominant male and has since taken up residence around camp. During the day he shows himself to the guests as he relaxes in the water. As soon as the sun sets he comes out and wanders through camp. Henry has become part of the Lufupa team and is mentioned in almost every single guest evaluation as one of the highlights! Thank you Henry for choosing Lufupa as your new family!

Camp Activities

With the rains it is getting more difficult to go on the game drives without getting stuck in the mud. In Kafue National Park we have black cotton soil and even the 4x4 game viewers struggle sometimes to get through! Luckily we have a tractor on standby to come to the rescue. A couple of times our guests enjoyed the adventure of getting stuck and unstuck again!

The water-based activities have been very popular and our guests have really enjoyed the boat and fishing trips.

Our Future Wildlife Custodians

2012-01-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

Children in the Wilderness at Jacana Camp

Jacana Camp recently hosted the "Children in the Wilderness Programme" with children from villages in the Okavango Delta coming together to learn about their environment. It was a huge success with the children at first being very quiet and shy at this new experience but very soon becoming relaxed with laughter as they became to know one another. The amazing thing was to see them sobbing when they had to leave as the impact and beauty of the Wilderness and its Wildlife set in.

CITW on a Botswana Safari

Our future custodians of the Okavango Delta

Sightings at Kwetsani Camp in December 2011

2012-01-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

The elephant have not been as busy in camp as they normally are, but we have had the odd bull pruning the vegetation around camp.

We have had fabulous sightings of the leopard on our trips to Hunda Island. What we are really excited about, is the shy leopard that has been gracing Kwetsani Island with its presence. It has been heard vocalising on several occasions very close to camp. On one occasion, it was seen dashing through the back of house. We do hope that it will make Kwetsani a more permanent home.

Several times this month, both a male and a female lion have walked through camp and then back round the front of camp on the floodplains back to Jao, every now and then letting out a roar to advertise their presence.

The hippo have been gathering in the larger pools for most of the month, so seeing them in big pods was a highlight for many of our guests. Another highlight was when the hippo came out of the water to eat the fresh, lush grass - this was a special treat to see their huge bodies out of the water, looking deceivingly docile and lethargic.

On this subject, one particular experience comes to mind: all of the guests were enjoying dinner, when a hippo bull passed the back of camp and started to graze. All of the guests quietly left their tables to get a better view of the aquatic mammal out of the water, when an opportunistic hyaena tried to sneak in and steal some food off of the table; luckily one of the waitresses spotted the spotted scavenger and chased it off.

Birds and Birding

We have had really good bird sightings in and around camp. We have put a bird bath on the deck, and within hours the resident birds knew it was there and were taking advantage of the new feature. The sausage tree in front of camp has also been providing some good birding, as it attracts large numbers of Meyer's Parrots, Green Pigeons as well as a variety of sunbirds.

Unfortunately, the Paradise Flycatchers which have been nesting outside the office lost their chicks to a hungry troop of monkeys. The birds have since moved out of the area. The Woodland Kingfishers have moved into the camp area in full force and are constantly calling and chasing other birds away.

A Verreaux's Eagle-Owl was seen in camp a number of times, but did not allow any good photographs as it was very shy. A large group of Wattled Cranes has also graced the floodplains in front of camp, often seen foraging amongst the red lechwe which have also taken a liking to the floodplain.

Kwetsani Camp

Safaris to Kwetsani Camp

Botswana Safari to Kwetsani

Botswana Safaris to Kwetsani Camp

Images from Vumbura Plains Camp in December 2011

2012-01-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos taken on a Botswana Safari to Vumbura Plains Camp in the Okavango Delta in December 2011.

Vumbura Plains Camp

A Botswana Safari

Botswana Safaris

Banoka Bush Camp - December 2011

2012-01-04T07:39:00.000-08:00

Here are some amazing sightings from Banoka Bush Camp in December 2011.

On a Botswana Safari to Banoka Bush Camp

Boomslang catching a Frog at Banoka Bush Camp

The new Lions of Banoka

Malachite Kingfisher

Snakes seem to be everywhere

New Lions seen at Banoka Bush Camp

2011-12-30T00:04:00.000-08:00

A new pride of four very pale lions has been discovvered at Banoka Bush Camp in the eastern Okavango Delta.

They were discovvered by two Lion Research teams who played the sound of a Buffalo Calf in distress. When the distress call was made the lions emerged from the nearby Mopane Woodlands but were extremely nervous as they probably had never before seen a vehicle.

As time goes by hopefully yhey will become more relaxed around vehicles and more sighting will occur on a Botswana Safari to Banoka Bush Camp.

Sighting from the Gym at Mombo Camp

2011-12-29T23:28:00.000-08:00

Guests at Mombo Camp were treated to an incredible sighting right in from of the gym. A small herd of Red Lechwe came to drink at a pan in front of the gym when a Crocodile caught one of the Lechwe. A Pride of Lion then came out of the nearby bushes and stole the kill. Among these lions was the famous 'maned lioness' of Mombo. The pride settled down to eat when one lioness pulled a foetus from the carcass and went off the enjoy it in the nearby shade.

Images taken on a recent Botswana Safari to Mombo Camp

Male Lion and Buffalo at Mala Mala Game Reserve

2011-07-14T23:09:00.000-07:00

Male Lion killing a Buffalo Calf at Mala Mala Game Reserve

Sabi Sabi Game Reserve Bushveld Style Entertainment

2011-07-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

Bushveld Style entertainment at Sabi Sabi Game Reserve

Traditional Dancing on a South African Safari

Little Makalolo Camp in Zimbabwe Sightings for June 2011

2011-07-14T09:04:00.000-07:00

Elephant in front of Little Makalolo Camp in Zambabwe

Rhino Sighting on a Zimbabwe Safari

African Safaris to Little Makalolo Camp in Zambabwe

On an African Safari you will see plenty Vultures

Wildlife Sightings from the Kalahari Desert

2011-07-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Giraffe with Sunset at Kalahari Plains Camp

Springbok seen in the Kalahari Desert on a Botswana Safari

A Kalahari Lion on Botswana Safaris

Wildlife Sightings at Kings Pool Camp on a Botswana Safari

2011-07-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Boating on the Linyanti River at Kings Pool Camp

Wild Dogs pups at Kings Pool Camp

Viewing Elephants on a Botswana Safari at Kings Pool Camp

Wild Dog seen on Botswana Safaris at Kings Pool Camp

Banded Mongoose are always seen on African Safaris to Botswana

One will always see leopard on an African Safari in Botswana

Whale Watching and Fishing at Rocktail Beach Camp

2011-07-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

Whale Watching at Rocktail Beach Camp in South Africa

Fishing on a South African Safari at Rocktail Beach Camp

Pafuri Camp Sightings for June 2011

2011-07-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

Lion Sighting at Pafuri Camp in the Kruger National Park

Nyala on a Kruger National Park Safari

Lion Cub sighting on a Safari in South Africa

South African Safaris to the Kruger National Park

African Lion Safaris

Jackal on Kruger National Park Safaris

Images from a Botswana Safari to Xigera Camp in June 2011

2011-07-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

On a Mokoro Trip on a Botswana Safari

Birding at Xigera Camp in the Okavngo Delta

Botswana Safari to the Okavango Delta

Botswana Safaris will produce many Hippo Sightings

A few Images of the Skeleton Coast on a Namibia Safari

2011-07-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

Anyone doing a Namibia Safari should consider visiting the Skeleton Coast as it is a remarkable place and Skeleton Coast Camp will accommodate in a very great way.

An amazing view of the Skeleton Coast Camp

A Namibia Safari to the Skeleton Coast

Images from Ongava Tented Camp in Namibia for June 2011

2011-07-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

Despite the water that is still plentifull, sightings of lions and rhino on a Namibia Safari at Ongava Tented Camp are amazing.

Rhino Sighting at night at Ongava Tented Camp

This is what a Safari in Namibia is all about

Namibia Safaris are sure to produce Lion Sightings

Wildlife Sightings from Anderssons Camp for June 2011

2011-07-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Namibia Safari filming Vehicle

Swarms of Red-billed Queleas at the Waterhole at Anderssons Camp

Lioness takes a baby Baboon on a Botswana Safari

2011-07-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

The following pics are not the normal beautiful images one sees of African Safaris but in reality it does remind one of how harsh life in the African bush can be. Its all about survival and no laws as we civilians know abide.
These images were taken on a Migration Routes Safari at DumaTau Camp on a Botswana Safari

DumaTau Camp - May 2011 - Botswana Safaris

2011-07-01T23:01:00.000-07:00

Great Images on a Botswana Safari at DumaTau Camp in the Linyanti Wildlife Reserve

Damaraland Camp – June 2011 – Namibia Safaris

2011-07-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

Some Images taken on a Namibia Safari at Damaraland Camp

Desert Rhino Camp - June 2011

2011-07-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

A Namibia Safari to Desert Rhino Camp

Duba Plains - June 2011

2011-07-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

A Botswana Safari at Duba Plains Camp in the Okavango Delta