Back from Botswana and Zambia
Jul 12th, 2006, 05:25 AM
#21
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Raelond,
You certainly had leopard cub luck at several points on the trip. That is really amazing. So you had toothpaste damage too. I experienced it once and figured it was a little mouse. But you apparently caught the culprit.
I hope the orphan cubs at Duma Tau can remain with the new lioness.
Another post mentioned that the owner of Duba Plains had his home at Duba burn down. Do you have any information on that? Also any new information on lion cubs being killed by a pride member at Duba?
Thanks and welcome back!
You certainly had leopard cub luck at several points on the trip. That is really amazing. So you had toothpaste damage too. I experienced it once and figured it was a little mouse. But you apparently caught the culprit.
I hope the orphan cubs at Duma Tau can remain with the new lioness.
Another post mentioned that the owner of Duba Plains had his home at Duba burn down. Do you have any information on that? Also any new information on lion cubs being killed by a pride member at Duba?
Thanks and welcome back!
Jul 12th, 2006, 01:54 PM
#23
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The final segment of my trip report:
We left Botswana and flew to Livingstone flying over the falls. It was an awesome sight. Arriving at the River Club we were looking forward to 2 days of not having to get up early. The River Club is a beautiful property with our individual bungalow overlooking the Zambezi River. The entire river side of the bungalows are open, with no walls. It is totally private with bedroom area, sitting area and bathroom. The private lawn area slopes to the river. Having a bath overlooking the Zambezi while the sun went down was wonderful. There was only one other couple staying at the River Club while we were there. We visited the falls with our own private guide who then took us to the museum and the market. We then visited a school and I gave the teacher of 60 grade 1 and 2's the items I had brought for the school. It was very emotional seeing what little they had and how excited the children were to have us visit them.
After 2 nights at the River Club we arrived at Tena Tena in South Luangwa.
As we didn't arrive until 4:00pm we had something to eat and went on a game drive. We saw 10 lions walking along the road. We followed them for awhile and then continued on our way seeing porcupine, civet, genet, mongoose and others. The camp is set up each May and dismantled every November because of the floods. As a result it was the most rustic camp we visited. A hippo was grazing near our tent during the night. We spend two nights here seeing more lions and a leopard. Our next camp Nsefu turned out to be one of our favorite camps. The setting is beautiful, overlooking a wide bend in the Luangwa River, home to a great number of hippos. We saw fish eagles, yellow-billed storks, maribou storks and pelicans feeding at a stream that was almost dry. It was fascinating watching the interaction between these birds, especially watching the fish eagle stealing fish from other birds. The staff was outstanding at this camp. Puku graze right in camp and a lion and a hyaena walked through camp one evening while we were having drinks. There was only one other couple for 2 of the 3 days we were there and we had our own vehicle on most of the game drives. We went to a huge stork colony where there were about 1000 storks nesting in 6 large trees The noise was very loud as the young cried for their mothers to bring food to them. Fish eagles and maribou storks were waiting to steal food whenever they could. We spent an entire day out in the bush doing a walk for part of the day and having a picnic lunch. We saw lots of giraffe, kudo, puku and buffalo. We were very lucky to see two leopards mating. On our final full day we finally saw zebra here. We also encounted a large herd of elephants that decided to mock charge us This was a little scary. Our last morning we visited a village and ate a tradional meal with some villagers. We then visited a school and once again we donated some school supplies, books and a soccer ball to the school. Our trip was sadly coming to an end. We spent that night in Lusaka at the Intercontintenal Hotel. It was a lovely hotel. We then flew to London and spent a night in Windsor staying at another great hotel called The Castle. Now to plan our next trip!
We left Botswana and flew to Livingstone flying over the falls. It was an awesome sight. Arriving at the River Club we were looking forward to 2 days of not having to get up early. The River Club is a beautiful property with our individual bungalow overlooking the Zambezi River. The entire river side of the bungalows are open, with no walls. It is totally private with bedroom area, sitting area and bathroom. The private lawn area slopes to the river. Having a bath overlooking the Zambezi while the sun went down was wonderful. There was only one other couple staying at the River Club while we were there. We visited the falls with our own private guide who then took us to the museum and the market. We then visited a school and I gave the teacher of 60 grade 1 and 2's the items I had brought for the school. It was very emotional seeing what little they had and how excited the children were to have us visit them.
After 2 nights at the River Club we arrived at Tena Tena in South Luangwa.
As we didn't arrive until 4:00pm we had something to eat and went on a game drive. We saw 10 lions walking along the road. We followed them for awhile and then continued on our way seeing porcupine, civet, genet, mongoose and others. The camp is set up each May and dismantled every November because of the floods. As a result it was the most rustic camp we visited. A hippo was grazing near our tent during the night. We spend two nights here seeing more lions and a leopard. Our next camp Nsefu turned out to be one of our favorite camps. The setting is beautiful, overlooking a wide bend in the Luangwa River, home to a great number of hippos. We saw fish eagles, yellow-billed storks, maribou storks and pelicans feeding at a stream that was almost dry. It was fascinating watching the interaction between these birds, especially watching the fish eagle stealing fish from other birds. The staff was outstanding at this camp. Puku graze right in camp and a lion and a hyaena walked through camp one evening while we were having drinks. There was only one other couple for 2 of the 3 days we were there and we had our own vehicle on most of the game drives. We went to a huge stork colony where there were about 1000 storks nesting in 6 large trees The noise was very loud as the young cried for their mothers to bring food to them. Fish eagles and maribou storks were waiting to steal food whenever they could. We spent an entire day out in the bush doing a walk for part of the day and having a picnic lunch. We saw lots of giraffe, kudo, puku and buffalo. We were very lucky to see two leopards mating. On our final full day we finally saw zebra here. We also encounted a large herd of elephants that decided to mock charge us This was a little scary. Our last morning we visited a village and ate a tradional meal with some villagers. We then visited a school and once again we donated some school supplies, books and a soccer ball to the school. Our trip was sadly coming to an end. We spent that night in Lusaka at the Intercontintenal Hotel. It was a lovely hotel. We then flew to London and spent a night in Windsor staying at another great hotel called The Castle. Now to plan our next trip!
Jul 13th, 2006, 12:27 PM
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Enjoyed your report. You are not the first one who thought Africa would be a once in a lifetime experience. Did you travel with the soccer ball deflated? Wondering how you fit all the school supplies in the severly restricted luggage allowance?
Jul 13th, 2006, 09:28 PM
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atravelynn,
I have no information about lion cubs being killed at Duba Plains. Paul, the manager of Duba had his house burn down the week before we got there. He told us that he had been entertaining a woman and he gave her his bed upstairs and he was going to sleep on the sofa, when she told him she was cold. While being the gallant gentleman that he is, he went upstairs to keep her warm. He forgot to blow out the candle on the table and in the middle of the night they woke up to find the table engulfed in flames. They just managed to get out. Paul lost everything in the fire.
Kavey and panecott - thanks for the kind words.
clematis1
We took a deflated ball and a small pump along with small soccer balls that had Canadian flags on them. We gave the large balls to the schools and we gave the small ones to our guides or staff who kept my husband updated with the World Cup scores. We told a duffel bag which contained mostly the school supplies and balls and only a few of our things. We put all our clothes in bag we told on the plane and our camera equipment and meds in a backback which we also took on the plane. We dressed in our fleece and carried our jackets.
I have no information about lion cubs being killed at Duba Plains. Paul, the manager of Duba had his house burn down the week before we got there. He told us that he had been entertaining a woman and he gave her his bed upstairs and he was going to sleep on the sofa, when she told him she was cold. While being the gallant gentleman that he is, he went upstairs to keep her warm. He forgot to blow out the candle on the table and in the middle of the night they woke up to find the table engulfed in flames. They just managed to get out. Paul lost everything in the fire.
Kavey and panecott - thanks for the kind words.
clematis1
We took a deflated ball and a small pump along with small soccer balls that had Canadian flags on them. We gave the large balls to the schools and we gave the small ones to our guides or staff who kept my husband updated with the World Cup scores. We told a duffel bag which contained mostly the school supplies and balls and only a few of our things. We put all our clothes in bag we told on the plane and our camera equipment and meds in a backback which we also took on the plane. We dressed in our fleece and carried our jackets.
Aug 13th, 2006, 09:40 AM
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Thanks Carla. We left June 16th and returned July 7th. It was a wonderful time of year to be in Botswana and Zambia. We saved some money in Botswana by going before June 30th when the rates went up and we had wonderful sightings, including wild dog.
Aug 28th, 2006, 01:45 PM
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Here's a question for you that I thought you might see if I put it in this thread.
You mentioned Eva and Paul were managers at Duba Plains. I met a woman named Eva at Little Vumbura who was a manager.
Was Eva very blonde, petite, and a cute young woman? I think she said she had been at Duba Plains, but maybe I'm imagining things. Just wondering.
You mentioned Eva and Paul were managers at Duba Plains. I met a woman named Eva at Little Vumbura who was a manager.
Was Eva very blonde, petite, and a cute young woman? I think she said she had been at Duba Plains, but maybe I'm imagining things. Just wondering.
Aug 29th, 2006, 07:30 AM
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Raelond
We must have missed you by a couple of days at Duma Tau. We too had the experience of looking in one direction to suddenly see Impala being chased by dogs in the other. That Squirrel took out a tube of Abreva, so shouldn't be having any problems with cold sores. She also chewed our space bags, which are handy for large coats, they stop your luggage being too bulky, but only when the air can be squeezed out.
We must have missed you by a couple of days at Duma Tau. We too had the experience of looking in one direction to suddenly see Impala being chased by dogs in the other. That Squirrel took out a tube of Abreva, so shouldn't be having any problems with cold sores. She also chewed our space bags, which are handy for large coats, they stop your luggage being too bulky, but only when the air can be squeezed out.
Aug 29th, 2006, 10:33 AM
#36
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atravelynn, the blonde woman you mention sounds just like Eva. I wonder what happened to Paul, the other manager.
napamatt, perhaps we had the same tent as no one else mentioned anything about a plastic eating squirrel. The woman in the tent next to us felt something crawl on her during the night and discovered it was a mouse in her bed. She spent the rest of the night in a chair. A squirrel I can handle, but a mouse crawling on me while I slept would have sent me over the edge!
napamatt, perhaps we had the same tent as no one else mentioned anything about a plastic eating squirrel. The woman in the tent next to us felt something crawl on her during the night and discovered it was a mouse in her bed. She spent the rest of the night in a chair. A squirrel I can handle, but a mouse crawling on me while I slept would have sent me over the edge!
Aug 29th, 2006, 12:47 PM
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Now I love critters and feel privileged to have bats roosting in my tent way up high, though I would not be happy with bat droppings falling on me as one Fodorite experienced. I love the little lizards that share my accommodations and once I even sought out a tent that had a shower chameleon. BUT, I would not be pleased about a mouse crawling on me. There are limits.
Paul may have been with Eva, but just not there when I stopped by. I only made a 15-minute visit to Little Vumbura because that was my original booking and my guide thought I might like to experience the boat transfer and see the place. I was upgraded, with my permission to Vumbura Plains because Little Vumbura was booked by a group.
Paul may have been with Eva, but just not there when I stopped by. I only made a 15-minute visit to Little Vumbura because that was my original booking and my guide thought I might like to experience the boat transfer and see the place. I was upgraded, with my permission to Vumbura Plains because Little Vumbura was booked by a group.
Aug 29th, 2006, 03:59 PM
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Hello,
I heard from the guides at Savuti that the rodent population has exploded this year due to the late rains -- it sounds like that was definitely the case at Duma Tau. When I stayed there last year there wasn't a rodent in sight (though I would have preferred a plastic-eating squirrel to the baboons that annointed my deck on a daily basis). There was a mouse in my boat at LV, though.
When I came back to pack my stuff up on my last morning at Savuti, I found a panicked squirrel racing around inside my tent -- it couldn't seem to remember how it had gotten in and couldn't get out. It was literally climbing the walls, clinging to the netting on the windows -- I was a bit concerned that it would get up towards the ceiling and fall off. In the end I had to prop the door open so it could escape.
Cheers,
Julian
I heard from the guides at Savuti that the rodent population has exploded this year due to the late rains -- it sounds like that was definitely the case at Duma Tau. When I stayed there last year there wasn't a rodent in sight (though I would have preferred a plastic-eating squirrel to the baboons that annointed my deck on a daily basis). There was a mouse in my boat at LV, though.
When I came back to pack my stuff up on my last morning at Savuti, I found a panicked squirrel racing around inside my tent -- it couldn't seem to remember how it had gotten in and couldn't get out. It was literally climbing the walls, clinging to the netting on the windows -- I was a bit concerned that it would get up towards the ceiling and fall off. In the end I had to prop the door open so it could escape.
Cheers,
Julian
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