raelond

Arrived home Friday from 3 weeks in Africa. The trip I had waited to do for so long exceeded my expectations. Kwetsani and Nsefu were my favorite camps and the time of year was great. Cool and crisp in the mornings and warm in the afternoons. I thought this would be a once in a lifetime trip, but I have been bitten so bad that I am already thinking of when I can return.

matnikstym

Welcome back! Happy to hear you have "the fever"! Trip report due in 2 days...!

mistadobalina

What all camps did you stay at?

riverrunner

We leave Thursday evening for Botswana/Zambia (stopping in Paris for a few days on the way over) - Glad to hear that you guys had such a great trip & that the weather was good! Hope to hear more about it before we head out.

santharamhari

Raelond,

Welcome to the "club"!!! I'll add to what Dennis requested.......pictures, please!!!

Hari

Kavey

Welcome back and can't wait to hear all about your experiences!

raelond

I have no excuse for not starting my trip report as I am off work until September when school starts again. However, my son is getting married in less than 3 weeks so I may have to stretch this out.

We left Vancouver and had an uneventful flight on BA to London where we watched a World Cup game while we waited for our flight to Joberg. We lucked out and had an empty seat beside us on this flight. After a 2 hour wait in Joberg we got our flight to Maun and arrived at Riley's hotel about 1:00pm. We couldn't believe how great we felt. We took pills called "No Jet Lag" while in flight and they made a real difference. Once again we were able to see a World Cup game at the outside bar while enjoying the local beer. We had a great dinner at the hotel and tryed some traditional dishes. After sleeping from 8:00pm to 7:30am we were ready for our first camp. We were picked up at 10:00am and taken to Kwetsani camp. After the 30 minute flight and a 30 minute ride on a boat through narrow channels we arrived. The camp is beautiful with lots of wood and raised wood walkways. We had #6 the furthest away from the main area. It was the only one with a king-size bed. As we settled in an elephant was by our deck enjoying the vegetation. After something to eat we went on our first game drive and the first animals we come across were two lionesses and two cubs. A sight so beautiful I was moved to tears! I just couldn['t believe I was finally in Africa. As we waited in our tent to be escorted to dinner lions could be heard very close. That night we could hear the lions all around our tent (tents are raised). There was more water than normal in the concession due to the high rainfall in April. Despite all the water game viewing was excellent. The next day two male lions were fighting over a kill right in front of our camp while two females and two cubs watched. We went out in the vehicle and I couldn't believe how close we were to this amazing sight. Our guide Vundi was excellent and we did a walk that day to get as close as possible to an elephant. We set out single file and walked crouched down until we got as close as we could without the elephant knowing we were there. It was very exciting sitting in the bush watching the elephant. We spent the entire day out of camp, from 7:00am to 5:00pm, having a picnic lunch. The mornings were very cold, however sleeping wasn't a problem. We needed our thermal underwear and heavy coats and gloves on the morning game drives. I enjoy this kind of weather and putting on the heavy clothes reminded me of getting ready for a day skiing. By the time we got back to camp around 11:00 it had warmed up considerably. The next morning we were leaving our tent to go for breakfast (they didn't escort you) when we were surprised to find a elephant eating by the walkway. We weren't able to pass until a staff member came to our rescue. We did a mokoro ride to a hippo pool and drank tea in the mokoro while watching the hippos (at a safe distance of course). Kwetsani is a beautiful camp with great staff and we would go back there in a minute. Next up Duba Plains.

crystalsong

More! More! More! I just love reading these trip reports. I had no idea one could find so many lions at Kwetsani. I can't wait to read your report on Duba Plains!

matnikstym

Thanks raelond! Great start! I'll have to get some of that No Jetlag.

CheetahGirl

Hi Raelond -

On my first trip to Botswana in 2000, Vundi was a trainee guide being tutored at Jao by a masterful guide named Frank. Vundi was with us for several days and you could just tell he had a great deal of potential. He was so genuine and enthusiastic. Yours is not the first positive review I've heard of him since that time. It's great to know he has become such a wonderful guide.

Can't wait to read your Duba post. Let me guess ... you saw lion and buffalo interaction? ;-) and maybe even a kill?

Susan

Favor

Welcome back!

Don't apologise, get the report out as you can. Just be aware many people's lives are on hold and only partially complete till you've finished - so no pressure there!

raelond

I'm trying to do some things around the house, but I can't seem to think about anything else but our trip. So I will contine again. CheetahGirl, Vindi was amazing as he has such a passion for the animals. My husband seemed to really bond with him and they were constantly joking with each other. At one point Vundi said we were going to see a rare flower that grows only in Africa. He was tearing around off road going over large palms when he suddenly stopped. My husband started to stand up to see the flower when Vundi (in a loud whisper) told him to sit down. He then told us that we were there to see a leopard. Sure enough a beautiful leopard and her cub appeared. We watched them for a long time as they climbed a dead, fallen tree. They posed for us for a long time and then the mother went on a hunt. We followed and after a while had to leave. I was amazed at how many different birds there were at Kwetsani. It was very emotional leaving Kwetsani and our guide Vundi. We seemed to really make a connection with the staff there. It's amazing how that can happen in such a short time. We were told by more than one guide that there are people that go to Africa just to be able to tick it off as another destination. They take these people on a game drive and they show very little interest in the animals or anything else.

CheetahGirl

I've been on safari with those kinds of people and I just don't get it. After spending a few hours on this board, it's clear this community is populated with people for whom it has only taken one trip for Africa to touch their soul. Clearly you have joined our club! I'm headed on my eighth trip in September and I'm still as excited to go as I was the first time. The more you go, the more you appreciate it. I'm glad you noticed the birds on your first trip. They are amazing and the Jao Concession - where as you know Kwetsani is located - is jam-packed with birds. Having a good guide who is passionate about both the big and small things can really enhance the bird watching for you because he will be just as eager to show you a haededa ibis as he will be to show you a lion. And generally speaking, a good guide can make what would have been a great experience into an unforgettable experience. I'm not ashamed to admit that we've been fortunate enough to have had several guides that we loved so much that I have been brought to tears saying goodbye. It's amazing how quickly you can bond with someone over a matter of days, and that makes leaving tough.

I look forward to reading more about your adventure and seeing PIX!!

santharamhari

Raelond/Cheetahgirl,

That's why, i hv booked a private vehicle for my August trip to Kwando. Just want to enjoy every moment there is.

But love your trip report so far........cant wait to read more.......
and see some pictures after you catch up.......no pressure!!! hehee

Cheetah girl.....love the screen name.....

Hari

napamatt

Raelond

Sounds like you had a great time, glad you saw Lion at Kwetsani, did you see Lesser Jacana? They are a very cool little bird, and that is a great spot to see them.

Africa

Thanks raelond, great reading so far but don't stop. Kwetsani sounds like a great place....I'm glad I've got 3 nights there in November.

You are now the third person I've heard mentioning that you saw lion action from the raised walkways at Kwetsani. Are the resident leopards still around at Kwetsani? I have been told that the cubs still use the walkways to play (although they must be quite big now).

Regards

raelond

Napamatt, I checked our bird list and we did see a Lesser Jacana. I will have to check with my husband if we have a picture as he was taking all the bird shots.

Africa, we saw a leopard and her cub at Kwetsani. Cub was about 8 months old.

At our next camp Duba Plains we arrived about 2:30 and immediately went on a game drive. The bridge was out that connected the camp to where the game drives are done, so we had to go by mokoro to where the vehicles were parked. This meant the afternoon game drive was done earlier as we had to be back in camp before sunset (6:00). We saw the 2 male lions (Duba Boys) and 2 females with one cub. The males are huge. As they are now 14 years old they will soon be challenged by other males to take over their pride. The guides are concerned about how things may change at Duba depending on which males take over. The females need to open a kill up before the males can eat as the males teeth are so worn down. We had another wonderful guide at this camp, Lebo entertained us with stories. We saw a water lizard and an aardwolf which is on the endangered list (aardwolf). We had a wonderful encounter with a herd of elephants when one elephant decided to check us out and came within 10 feet of our vehicle. Rather unnerving! That day we stayed out all day and had a picnic lunch. This is a wonderful option. We saw an elephant carcus with vultures and maribou storks eating what was left of it. We then came upon 2 female lions, a cub and an elephant. The lions were walking single file with the elephant trailing closely behind. Lebo said this was most unusual. At one point the elephant got between the females and the cub. We watched as the cub sat down and waiting while the 2 lionesses, followed by the elephant continued in single file. The females then communicated with the cub and the cub made a wide berth around the elephant in order to reunite with the females. It was a very interesting interaction. We enjoyed the staff at Duba and had long conversations with James (a guide), Paul and Eva (the managers) and Tony who trains the guides in Botswana and was visiting Duba. They kept my husband updated on the World Cup scores. We had lots of laughs with them and learnt a great deal. We saw lots of buffalo, but not many lions as the lions had killed a buffalo two days before we got there and the buffalo herd became split in three. When we went looking for the lions the next day we found their tracks. They had crossed the channel (where we couldn't go) in pursuit of the buffalo herd. Two days earlier and we would have seen lots of lions. Despite this we had a wonderful time at Duba. It was once again emotional leaving this camp. Tony and Paul gave us their personal e-mails so we can keep in touch.

CheetahGirl

Thanks, Hari. After seven trips I've finally and unequivocally decided cheetahs are my favorite animal, closely followed by reticulated giraffes. So hence the screen name. (My real name is actually Susan.)

We've used private guides before, too, and that can be really great - especially if you have a wonderful guide who you don't want to share with less knowledgeable people On the other hand, we've also shared vehicles with some pretty cool people that we really enjoyed hangng out with, so it can definitely be a trade off.

Are you going anywhere besides Kwando in August? The Kwando camps seem to be a real favorite for people on these boards. What's the allure? I'm definitely interested in seeing for myself, especially since the only non-Wilderness camp I've stayed in over five Botswana trips was Chief's Camp - where, btw, we saw the most AMAZING wild dog and hyena interaction that I think I'll ever see.

raelond

After arriving at Duma Tau and having something to eat (something we seem to be doing all the time), we went back to our tent and discovered a squirrel had been chewing on our toothpaste and other plastic containers. We were amazed at how much damage he did in one hour. We had to get a metal container from the manager of the camp to put all chewable items in. This squirrel continued to reside in our tent the entire 3 days, even chewing on the label of the bottled water that sat on the night table as I slept. Despite the squirrel we had a wonderful time at Duma. Our first game drive we saw zebra, girafee, elephant and baboons along with various other animals. As we were driving by a small channel of water out of the bush 4 wild dogs appeared chasing an impala. We stopped the vehicle and watched the hunt continue. The dogs were so intend on the chase that they totally ignored us and ran very close to the vehicle in hot pursuit. The impala got away and the dogs ran off into the bush. It was a wonderful sight to see. On the drive back to camp after dark, we saw a leopard and a cub. It was a great introduction to Duma Tau. The next day we saw a dead lioness. Apparently two young male lions from across the channel had crossed and tryed to kill the female's cubs. The female would have tried to protect her cubs. As a result two lioness were killed. The dominate males of the pride were not around when this happened. At this time no one knew what happened to the cubs. It was very sad to see. As we continued on we found 2 cheeta lying in the sun. They were brothers and didn't seem to have a care in the world. We saw many more zebra, girafee, elephants and birds. The same day we found leopard cubs in a tree where the mother would have left them while she was out hunting. It was an amazing day and a half. We were kept awake that night with baboons above us in a tree throwing things on our tent and at one point we heard what sounded like something urinating on our deck. It seemed to go on forever. When we came out of our tent the next morning the smell was overwhelming! The next day we found the two male lions that had been away from their pride when the lioness were killed. The lions were near the channel from where the other lions had crossed. They were roaring continually, pacing back and forth and marking. This went on for a long time and was fascinating, yet sad to watch. Lions could be heard from the other side of the channel. Finally the males lay down. When we got back to camp we heard that the cubs from the dead lioness were seen with another lioness. Our guide never used the term dead, but said "the lioness that have gone to heaven". The two cubs were only one month old and the guides were worried about their chance of survival. On our last game drive at Duma Tau we went to an area that was thick with mopane trees. Before we knew it there was an elephant on the road in front of us. He was running into trees, forwards and backwards. He was making all kinds of noise and putting on quite a show. A hyena came out of the bush and the elephant started to chase after the hyena. The elephant was apparently in need of a female, which explains his strange behavior! We decided to back up and go another way. Before long there were elephants all around us. It's amazing how quiet elephants are and how hard they are to see with a lot of trees around. Every turn we took there seemed to be more elephants coming through the trees onto the road. We were relieved when we finally saw our last elephant that day. We got to the Linyanti River where it joins the Kwando River and Namibia was just across, about 30 feet from us. We watched mating hippos before going back to our camp.

santharamhari

Susan/cheetah girl,

Hi! Yes, i'm going to Phinda prior to my trip to Kwando. I read a lot about Phinda's cheetah conservation efforts and hence want to chk it out.

Kwando.......i am really impressed with their USP, which is game viewing!!! On my previous trip, i routinely had 8-10 hour days in the jeep. This i have rarely done at camps of other companies. I do like Wilderness also, but, somehow Kwando is special to me.....their camp management is awesome too.

Sorry, Raelond didnt mean to hijack your thread, but......has been great reading..

Hari