| 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.
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A ‘bathroom’
under the stars |
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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
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