| Dear
Friends!
A
hugely exciting development! We are about to be
given permission to use an area which has hardly
been touched by tourism, standing wild and remote,
accessible only by a few who dare cross streams
and meandering channels of rain filled rivers.
This
new area will mean that we can visit parts that
have been closed to tourism for quite a few years.
Because of the wonderful rains that we have had,
the waters are high and the game abundant. An Eden
waiting to be explored. by mokoro canoe or on foot.
For those who dare to be free it is going to be
a true ‘lifer’, exploring new watercourses
and river crossings – truly the stuff that
adventures are made of! We’ll camp where day's
end or the action dictates and while the staff set
up camp we’ll find a magical sundowner setting
somewhere nearby to revel in the splendour of it
all. I can hardly wait.
So
far this season we have truly had some of the most
incredible, once off, wonderful trips to all parts
of Botswana. We have been to the southern Kalahari
- Deception Pan and seen it at its best in the early
months of our rainy season. We have been back to
Savuti many times but mostly concentrate on an area
south of Chief's Island, which is big game country.
We have everything there - especially large breeding
herds of elephants, herds of 300- 600 buffalo etc.
Lion follow them everywhere and we follow the lion.
|
|
A
‘bathroom’ under the stars |
Camp
Comfort |
We
have camped in wonderful comfort on good mattresses
in bug proof tents sitting down to a proper dinner
table. A special attraction ahs been the ‘starlight’
toilet and shower that we erected at every camp.
Until you have showered with the African skies as
your ceiling, you have not really lived!
Being
mobile we have mostly been able to call our own
tune with regards to where we camp, how long we
camp in one area etc. When come upon a lion kill
- we are free to sit and watch as long as we want
- breakfast waits for us and if needs be - it becomes
lunch or even supper!
On
one recent safari we had a few big herds of buffalo
hanging around our mobile camp, being hassled by
lion from one end to the other. Their black bodies,
standing chest deep in the long green grass was
a sight to see. I watched a herd, peacefully grazing,
all with their heads buried in the grass. A storm
started blowing, whipping up the wind as it rolled
black clouds towards us. The buffalo started running
and I was sure that something had spooked them.
They stopped and settled again but were milling
around in a somewhat strange fashion. I watched
through binoculars only to see them very content
and in a playful mood. The back of the herd would
start running, even overtaking the sides of the
herd, kicking up their legs as if full of the joys
of spring. The storm had got the whole herd, which
were as fat as butter from all the grass seed -
running around in circles and butting each other.
I am so used to seeing them dragging their feet
along in sand to look for some green grass, being
harassed by predators, hating the heat that I had
forgotten how like a cow they could be. They were
happy and content with life. We kept our distance
from them so that they would stay around camp, so
it was purely an observation of their behavior without
them being disturbed.
Once,
on our way to set up camp we crossed through the
buffalo fence and headed for the open flood plains
within a few kilometers of the fence. As we approached
the flood plains, I could see a really large herd
of buffalo in the distance standing alert and watching.
My eyes focused closer to hand and as we drove up
I saw 7 lion on a buffalo cow carcass. Again I surveyed
the area and down the road about 200 yards further,
were another 7 lion on a buffalo calf, all from
the same herd and pride. A shy, big male lion with
a beautiful mane slunk off to some thicker mopani
scrub and disappeared from view.
Just
before calling a halt to the day to camp, we saw
7 wild dog chasing impala and bringing down a big
ram. We sat with them for about a half an hour while
they finished every bit. One female was on heat
and the dogs wouldn’t leave her alone –
or even try to take her larger portion of the impala
away. She kept lying down and they couldn’t
get to her in any which way. Interesting how they
inter reacted with each other - always gentle and
no fighting.
Such
is our life in the great outdoors – join us
and enjoy a world of excitement and wonder!
Love
to you all
Daphne
 back
to newsletters listing
|
