NEWSLETTER APRIL 2008

Dear Friends,

The rainy season has come to a close and the grass is turning golden. It has been a pleasure to see Botswana covered in green. The waters are still very high and we are expecting the floods in June/July – it promises to be an interesting and unusual season.

The area is nearly impassable due to rains swelling our channels to overflowing. The country side is lush, overgrown and truly wild. Buffalo herds frequently pass near our mobile camp and we wake at midnight to the sound of bellows and grunts and munching of grass. The herds are followed closely by lion and invariably the baboons, hyenas and side-striped jackal send up warning cries through the night. The bird life is phenomenal. We have rescued hundreds of stranded bream in the muddy shallows but the ones left have attracted Sacred Ibis and Openbill Stork in the scores.
We are waking up to magnificent sunrises and starting early in the day to make the best of the cool mornings. Siestas are warm and hazy and, when the day is over, we sip sundowners in the glorious sunset light.

Our first safari of the season was in Moremi Game Reserve, which was covered in wild flowers and long green grass. We had the pleasure of viewing 17 wild dog on our way into the Reserve and as can be seen from the photograph, they were unconcerned, playful and curious. Game viewing was a challenge through the long grass though but we had good sightings of elephant and lion.

Deception Valley was exceptional with long stretches of wild flowers growing on the fertile pan bed. Oryx were plentiful and in good condition. Springbok grazed on the short prickly grass below and were watched by the cheetah sitting tall on the high rises of old dunes. These dunes no longer move and are pinned by the encroachment of wind blown seeds of grass and trees. Pale Chanting goshawks flew off their perches as we drove down Passarge Valley to the beautiful Tau (Lion) Pans that lie south of all the campsites.

We are very excited about this new season and all its abundance of water fowl and game concentrations. The days are flying past and soon we will be into our winter magic of warm colours on our vast open flood plains.

Best wishes and looking forward to seeing you in our beautiful country soon.

Lloyd, Storm and Daphne.

Wilmot Safaris (Pty) Ltd
P.O. Box 37,
MAUN.
BOTSWANA.
Tel & Fax (267) 6862615
Cell Phone : (267) 71697200
Email : lloydlws@botsnet.bw