Flying Solo In Botswana and South Africa...Rocco's Trip Report
Jan 4th, 2007, 05:13 PM
#24
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raelond,
Sexy is a state of mind.
Sexy is 90% mental and 10% physical...errr, okay, maybe it is 50% mental and 50% physical.
Sexy is being able to rewrite the "I'm too sexy" song the way that Atravelynn has to fit the occasion.
Sexy is a state of mind.
Sexy is 90% mental and 10% physical...errr, okay, maybe it is 50% mental and 50% physical.
Sexy is being able to rewrite the "I'm too sexy" song the way that Atravelynn has to fit the occasion.
Jan 4th, 2007, 05:16 PM
#25
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Lynn - 
Rocco,
Love your writing style - amusing observations and very informative. You are a tease, though, 16 dogs and hyenas fighting!! Look forward to that, and those pictures you're promising.
Thanks for posting;
Sherry
Rocco,
Love your writing style - amusing observations and very informative. You are a tease, though, 16 dogs and hyenas fighting!! Look forward to that, and those pictures you're promising.
Thanks for posting;
Sherry
Jan 4th, 2007, 11:31 PM
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Hi lbj
Re. Quote
"I think Rocco has highlighted a fact that encourages the use of the zoom over the prime. A zoom will give you the flexibility required when not in a private vehicle. You do not need the zoom if you control the whole vehicle"
You get around this by taking 2 bodies,
eg. For our 15 night trip to Zambia in Sept I'll be taking 1x Nikon D2Xs with 300 f/2.8 VR + 1.4 TC and 1x Nikon D2Hs with 70-200 f/2.8 VR. Plus a nice 12-24 super wide angle for landscapes.
That way you have the best of both worlds ;-)
Cheers
Marc
Re. Quote
"I think Rocco has highlighted a fact that encourages the use of the zoom over the prime. A zoom will give you the flexibility required when not in a private vehicle. You do not need the zoom if you control the whole vehicle"
You get around this by taking 2 bodies,
eg. For our 15 night trip to Zambia in Sept I'll be taking 1x Nikon D2Xs with 300 f/2.8 VR + 1.4 TC and 1x Nikon D2Hs with 70-200 f/2.8 VR. Plus a nice 12-24 super wide angle for landscapes.
That way you have the best of both worlds ;-)
Cheers
Marc
Jan 8th, 2007, 06:19 PM
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Greeting fellow traveller,
I have been 'lurking' on this sight for a few weeks, and now that I'm on summer holidays and I can fully indulge the 'Africaphile' within.
My partner and I travelled to Southern Africa for 19 days in April 2005. We are now feverishly planning a 2008 60-70 day extravaganza through Zambia, Namibia, South Africa and returning to the love of our life Botswana and Vic Falls (Zambian side).
Reading all the posting about places we have visited rekindles so many fabulous memories.
We also visited Baines Camp and participated in the 'Ele Experience'. We were both unable to speak about it without bursting into tears of Awe and wonder for a little while afterwards. I am not a sook or prone to tears but Roccco is right when he speaks about how impressive these Ele ambassadors are. I too never felt in danger and I loved Doug's safety talk about what to do if " things get exiting". Jabu enjoys the attention and apparently has been known to 'not appear’ ie. not come when he's called if there are only a few guests! They are all truly charming. Any one who thinks it is cercus like should suspend judgement until after the experience. Doug stresses that all the ‘tricks’ which each elephant now performs on command has arisen out of behaviour they have displayed independently and originally unprompted. Jabu’s party trick with the hat started this way when he did it to Doug. It is also worth noting that the Elephants are at no time chained and my understanding is that this is true 24/7.
Doug’s main mission however is to educate locals about elephants to minimise conflict through better understanding. We were more that happy to support his efforts and will do so again in 2008.
I am sorry that your guide didn't seem up to scratch at Baines. When we were there our guide was Cort (not sure if that's how it's spelt but that that’s how it sounded). I think I have read somewhere recently he is now at Stanley’s, Sanctuary’s' other Okavango operation. He was very good and knowledgable as was his cousin Kaiser (again not sure if that's how it's spelt but that that’s how it sounded) who was the Community/ council representative and who are compulsory on drives in this concession. Although no lion or buffalo the game viewing was superb and Cort quickly picked up that plants were just as important as animals to us, as were small things. Cort said my partner was the most gifted leopard tortoise spotter he had met for some time!
Baines does attract an eclectic mix of clients. On our stay it varied. Two South African travel agents who only talked 'shop', which lodges they liked, what their last clients itineraries were… We were the only other guests that night and it was our first in ‘wildest Africa’ so we ended up feeling a bit out of our league so to speak and not inclined to share our simple wonder of the place. They hogged the host, who was on her own that evening, through dinner despite the leopard and hyena sighting that very afternoon. However on our last night a very interesting (and we think very rich) couple from Arizona US joined us. They had clearly been on lots of safaris but they were, suprisingly, the most encouraging and interested in our trip even though we were 'newies' at the time, on our third night in Africa and quickly coming under her spell. The Arazonians were our kind of people, interested in wildlife and Nature with a capital W and a capital N.
Other than that it was Australians like us! Lots of jokes about the ‘Aussie invasion’.
The food at Baines is superb and if I was to criticise it at all, it was a bit on the rich side for our palette. Indeed when ask what we would like for lunch before our onward flight to the next camp, scheduled for that afternoon, we really craved something simple like a ham sandwich, which was provided.
I too look forward to the rest of the report.
Until then, happy travel.
I have been 'lurking' on this sight for a few weeks, and now that I'm on summer holidays and I can fully indulge the 'Africaphile' within.
My partner and I travelled to Southern Africa for 19 days in April 2005. We are now feverishly planning a 2008 60-70 day extravaganza through Zambia, Namibia, South Africa and returning to the love of our life Botswana and Vic Falls (Zambian side).
Reading all the posting about places we have visited rekindles so many fabulous memories.
We also visited Baines Camp and participated in the 'Ele Experience'. We were both unable to speak about it without bursting into tears of Awe and wonder for a little while afterwards. I am not a sook or prone to tears but Roccco is right when he speaks about how impressive these Ele ambassadors are. I too never felt in danger and I loved Doug's safety talk about what to do if " things get exiting". Jabu enjoys the attention and apparently has been known to 'not appear’ ie. not come when he's called if there are only a few guests! They are all truly charming. Any one who thinks it is cercus like should suspend judgement until after the experience. Doug stresses that all the ‘tricks’ which each elephant now performs on command has arisen out of behaviour they have displayed independently and originally unprompted. Jabu’s party trick with the hat started this way when he did it to Doug. It is also worth noting that the Elephants are at no time chained and my understanding is that this is true 24/7.
Doug’s main mission however is to educate locals about elephants to minimise conflict through better understanding. We were more that happy to support his efforts and will do so again in 2008.
I am sorry that your guide didn't seem up to scratch at Baines. When we were there our guide was Cort (not sure if that's how it's spelt but that that’s how it sounded). I think I have read somewhere recently he is now at Stanley’s, Sanctuary’s' other Okavango operation. He was very good and knowledgable as was his cousin Kaiser (again not sure if that's how it's spelt but that that’s how it sounded) who was the Community/ council representative and who are compulsory on drives in this concession. Although no lion or buffalo the game viewing was superb and Cort quickly picked up that plants were just as important as animals to us, as were small things. Cort said my partner was the most gifted leopard tortoise spotter he had met for some time!
Baines does attract an eclectic mix of clients. On our stay it varied. Two South African travel agents who only talked 'shop', which lodges they liked, what their last clients itineraries were… We were the only other guests that night and it was our first in ‘wildest Africa’ so we ended up feeling a bit out of our league so to speak and not inclined to share our simple wonder of the place. They hogged the host, who was on her own that evening, through dinner despite the leopard and hyena sighting that very afternoon. However on our last night a very interesting (and we think very rich) couple from Arizona US joined us. They had clearly been on lots of safaris but they were, suprisingly, the most encouraging and interested in our trip even though we were 'newies' at the time, on our third night in Africa and quickly coming under her spell. The Arazonians were our kind of people, interested in wildlife and Nature with a capital W and a capital N.
Other than that it was Australians like us! Lots of jokes about the ‘Aussie invasion’.
The food at Baines is superb and if I was to criticise it at all, it was a bit on the rich side for our palette. Indeed when ask what we would like for lunch before our onward flight to the next camp, scheduled for that afternoon, we really craved something simple like a ham sandwich, which was provided.
I too look forward to the rest of the report.
Until then, happy travel.
Jan 9th, 2007, 05:53 PM
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Bat, it's stuck in my head too.
Thembi, extravaganza indeed with 60-70 days. Interesting comment on Jabu preferring a larger audience. That's the plus side of going with quite a few others. The fact that you are returning says it all.
Thembi, extravaganza indeed with 60-70 days. Interesting comment on Jabu preferring a larger audience. That's the plus side of going with quite a few others. The fact that you are returning says it all.
Feb 10th, 2007, 04:56 AM
#31
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(Sorry for the long absence...it has been a hellish monthlong process getting internet setup in my new place...more on that later)
CHIEFS CAMP
It was a short 15 minute air transfer from Baines Camp to Chiefs Camp. Although I had not seen a single lion in my prior six nights at Linyanti Bushcamp or Baines Camp, I was not at all worried, knowing that the Mombo Concession has one of the highest lion concentrations anywhere. I don't know if this is accurate or not, but I once heard that the Ngorongoro Crater had the highest lion density, followed by the Mombo Concession (Chiefs Camp and Mombo), followed by the Sabi Sand.
Upon arrival I was met by my guide, Ali, a big brawny former boxer. When Ali asked if I needed help with my bags, I gave him the heaviest one, my camera bag. He then boasted about his strength, saying that he was happy to carry the big bag because his shoulders were bigger than mine. I playfully took offense and put my shoulders next to his shoulders and challenged his statement...I think in reality we were about even.
Ali and I got on very well with his interest in professional boxing (given my boxing photojournalism) and my interest in wildlife.
Chiefs Camp was a beautiful camp and quite large compared to Baines Camp with 12 luxury tents and a much bigger common area. Chiefs Camp overlooks a big grassy plain but by November the grass was a bit high.
Upon arrival, I was introduced to the managers, various staff and other guests. For the first night, there were quite a few single travelers and, as a result, all the single travelers were grouped together for dinner. That was fun and we were even joined by the spa therapist (or The Rapist as we nicknamed her), a very nice black South African woman in her mid 20's who really had a joie de vivre to her.
The rooms at Chiefs Camp are fantastic...huge luxury tents with beautiful bathrooms with indoor and outdoor showers, beautiful bathroom appliances, ceiling fans and ELECTRICITY!
Just as I had enjoyed at Baines Camp, I REALLY liked my fellow travelers at Chiefs Camp. It was quite a diverse group and I was matched mostly with a very nice attractive Belgian couple in their mid/late 40's, he a physician and she an attorney. He had such a striking resemblence to actor Geoffrey Rush that it was uncanny.
Usually there was another rotating couple in the vehicle with us and that was fine. Never at any Sanctuary camps were there more than 5 of us in the vehicle.
It did not take long at Chiefs Camp until we were treated to lions and really, by the end of the stay, lions were so common that we sometimes did not even stop for them! I mean they weren't like impalas, but by then we had seen so many that we were more interested in looking for leopards and especially for rhinos with the Chiefs Camp part of the Mombo Concession the only place one can occasionally see rhinos in Botswana.
One very special and unexpected treat at Chiefs Camp was when a call came over the radio that a pack of three wild dogs were hunting and one of the other Chiefs Camp vehicles was on the scene. We raced as fast as we could to catch up with this and as we arrived, the wild dogs had just made a kill an impala couple minutes earlier.
Seems that the impala tried to hide under the Chiefs Camp vehicle and the dogs killed the impala right there in front of some very lucky guests, starting right under their vehicle!
It was still nice to see the dogs as they were feeding on the kill and following their dining experience, they then were very playful with each other. Given that this was my first ever wild dog spotting, I was absolutely ECSTATIC.
As the dogs started trotting off, there was a huge Rock Monitor (like a Water Monitor but land based) that was not far from the dogs. My guide was very hopeful that the dogs would come across it. He said while they would not kill it, they would tease it and it would be a fun spectacle to watch.
Further adding to the drama, there was a beautiful, huge Marshall Eagle in a nearby tree with its eyes locked on the Rock Monitor. Ali explained that the Marshall Eagle would go after the Rock Monitor if it was hungry enough and that if it did, we would have some amazing photos as it would be a true fight to the death, with the eagle winning, but taking some time.
Unfortunately, the Marshall Eagle vs. Rock Monitor death match never materialized either, but just the hope and the drama of it all made it very exciting.
One other highlights of the Chiefs Camp was watching mating lions, another first for me.
Food at Chiefs Camp was absolutely wonderful, similar in quality to Baines Camp. The high teas, however, were better at Chiefs Camp, likely because they had more than twice the guests they were able to offer more variety.
On our final morning, we went out looking for the rhinos and went far off into a new area. While there were rhino tracks, no rhinos. I was not as intent on seeing rhinos as others because I knew I would see plenty of rhinos later in the trip at Sabi Sabi and Mateya in South Africa.
However, in our search for rhinos, we did come across the largest elephant groups I would see during my safari. Perhaps a group of about 100 elephants, and then another group of about 50 - 60 elephants. Plus, the scenery was beautiful.
All in all, Chiefs Camp was an amazing experience featuring very luxurious accomodations, warm hosting, sumptuous food and excellent gameviewing (too many lions to count, three or four separate leopard spottings, including a mother leopard and cub with impala kill up in a tree, very big elephant herds, buffalo, wild dogs, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, rock monitors, very good birding, etc.
Chiefs Camp is deinitely on the short list of camps that I will definitely return to in the near future. Best of all about Chiefs Camp is that it offers seasonal pricing and even in mid November, I found the gameviewing spectacular.
NEXT UP: KWANDO LEBALA
CHIEFS CAMP
It was a short 15 minute air transfer from Baines Camp to Chiefs Camp. Although I had not seen a single lion in my prior six nights at Linyanti Bushcamp or Baines Camp, I was not at all worried, knowing that the Mombo Concession has one of the highest lion concentrations anywhere. I don't know if this is accurate or not, but I once heard that the Ngorongoro Crater had the highest lion density, followed by the Mombo Concession (Chiefs Camp and Mombo), followed by the Sabi Sand.
Upon arrival I was met by my guide, Ali, a big brawny former boxer. When Ali asked if I needed help with my bags, I gave him the heaviest one, my camera bag. He then boasted about his strength, saying that he was happy to carry the big bag because his shoulders were bigger than mine. I playfully took offense and put my shoulders next to his shoulders and challenged his statement...I think in reality we were about even.
Ali and I got on very well with his interest in professional boxing (given my boxing photojournalism) and my interest in wildlife.
Chiefs Camp was a beautiful camp and quite large compared to Baines Camp with 12 luxury tents and a much bigger common area. Chiefs Camp overlooks a big grassy plain but by November the grass was a bit high.
Upon arrival, I was introduced to the managers, various staff and other guests. For the first night, there were quite a few single travelers and, as a result, all the single travelers were grouped together for dinner. That was fun and we were even joined by the spa therapist (or The Rapist as we nicknamed her), a very nice black South African woman in her mid 20's who really had a joie de vivre to her.
The rooms at Chiefs Camp are fantastic...huge luxury tents with beautiful bathrooms with indoor and outdoor showers, beautiful bathroom appliances, ceiling fans and ELECTRICITY!
Just as I had enjoyed at Baines Camp, I REALLY liked my fellow travelers at Chiefs Camp. It was quite a diverse group and I was matched mostly with a very nice attractive Belgian couple in their mid/late 40's, he a physician and she an attorney. He had such a striking resemblence to actor Geoffrey Rush that it was uncanny.
Usually there was another rotating couple in the vehicle with us and that was fine. Never at any Sanctuary camps were there more than 5 of us in the vehicle.
It did not take long at Chiefs Camp until we were treated to lions and really, by the end of the stay, lions were so common that we sometimes did not even stop for them! I mean they weren't like impalas, but by then we had seen so many that we were more interested in looking for leopards and especially for rhinos with the Chiefs Camp part of the Mombo Concession the only place one can occasionally see rhinos in Botswana.
One very special and unexpected treat at Chiefs Camp was when a call came over the radio that a pack of three wild dogs were hunting and one of the other Chiefs Camp vehicles was on the scene. We raced as fast as we could to catch up with this and as we arrived, the wild dogs had just made a kill an impala couple minutes earlier.
Seems that the impala tried to hide under the Chiefs Camp vehicle and the dogs killed the impala right there in front of some very lucky guests, starting right under their vehicle!
It was still nice to see the dogs as they were feeding on the kill and following their dining experience, they then were very playful with each other. Given that this was my first ever wild dog spotting, I was absolutely ECSTATIC.
As the dogs started trotting off, there was a huge Rock Monitor (like a Water Monitor but land based) that was not far from the dogs. My guide was very hopeful that the dogs would come across it. He said while they would not kill it, they would tease it and it would be a fun spectacle to watch.
Further adding to the drama, there was a beautiful, huge Marshall Eagle in a nearby tree with its eyes locked on the Rock Monitor. Ali explained that the Marshall Eagle would go after the Rock Monitor if it was hungry enough and that if it did, we would have some amazing photos as it would be a true fight to the death, with the eagle winning, but taking some time.
Unfortunately, the Marshall Eagle vs. Rock Monitor death match never materialized either, but just the hope and the drama of it all made it very exciting.
One other highlights of the Chiefs Camp was watching mating lions, another first for me.
Food at Chiefs Camp was absolutely wonderful, similar in quality to Baines Camp. The high teas, however, were better at Chiefs Camp, likely because they had more than twice the guests they were able to offer more variety.
On our final morning, we went out looking for the rhinos and went far off into a new area. While there were rhino tracks, no rhinos. I was not as intent on seeing rhinos as others because I knew I would see plenty of rhinos later in the trip at Sabi Sabi and Mateya in South Africa.
However, in our search for rhinos, we did come across the largest elephant groups I would see during my safari. Perhaps a group of about 100 elephants, and then another group of about 50 - 60 elephants. Plus, the scenery was beautiful.
All in all, Chiefs Camp was an amazing experience featuring very luxurious accomodations, warm hosting, sumptuous food and excellent gameviewing (too many lions to count, three or four separate leopard spottings, including a mother leopard and cub with impala kill up in a tree, very big elephant herds, buffalo, wild dogs, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, rock monitors, very good birding, etc.
Chiefs Camp is deinitely on the short list of camps that I will definitely return to in the near future. Best of all about Chiefs Camp is that it offers seasonal pricing and even in mid November, I found the gameviewing spectacular.
NEXT UP: KWANDO LEBALA
Feb 10th, 2007, 05:17 AM
#32
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As a sidenote, not wanting to devote an entire topic to it, and if anyone wishes to discuss further, please e-mail me, I just wanted to confirm reports that I am now operating on my own as Julian has launched his own operation, which is fine. Also, as some may already know, I have also chosen to operate solo in my personal life, filing for divorce after returning from Botswana. So I am now in a beautiful new place in the Old Town Pasadena area and I apologize for taking some time to respond to e-mails, etc., over the last month as I have had a hellish time finally getting online in my apartment and literally I was just able to finally get on after 6 weeks, earlier this morning. It took an AT&T tech doing a home visit, a private consultant, Geek Squad, a subsequent trip to Best Buy to have Geek Squad do some further work and finally one more call to AT&T this morning before the problem was solved. In retrospect, I would have been better off buying a new laptop or three as I was unable to be as responsive as necessary to hold onto a couple enquiries/bookings, so my apologies again, for my lack of response over the last few weeks. Everything should now be back to normal and I cannot wait to reconnect with all of my lovely fellow Fodorites, and even the ones that are not so lovely.
Feb 10th, 2007, 05:56 AM
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Thanks Hari,
Although it may not sound genuine, I am truly happier now than I have been in as long as I can remember and I am now free to realize all of my dreams.
Sent you an e-mail.
Although it may not sound genuine, I am truly happier now than I have been in as long as I can remember and I am now free to realize all of my dreams.
Sent you an e-mail.
Feb 10th, 2007, 08:03 AM
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Dang, Rocco, it's about time! We've REALLY missed you. It hit home again yesterday as I was browsing through Fodor's Africa as I do, it seems, every day, and I came across some of your older posts. I thought to myself, "Where IS he?" Was really hoping all was okay with you, as okay as one can be, given the the upheavals in your life.
I showed the slides of our most amazing journey to Zambia (thanks largely to you) to my dive club last night. I had them broken down among Lower Zambezi (Chiawa and Old Mondoro) and South Luangwa (Luangwa River Lodge). It was after the regular business meeting and getting rather late, so I apologized after the first group of 100 or so photos, and said I would show the rest some other time. But, no, they wanted more--and more. Couldn't get enough of Africa. Neither can I.
Welcome back!
Jim
I showed the slides of our most amazing journey to Zambia (thanks largely to you) to my dive club last night. I had them broken down among Lower Zambezi (Chiawa and Old Mondoro) and South Luangwa (Luangwa River Lodge). It was after the regular business meeting and getting rather late, so I apologized after the first group of 100 or so photos, and said I would show the rest some other time. But, no, they wanted more--and more. Couldn't get enough of Africa. Neither can I.
Welcome back!
Jim
Feb 10th, 2007, 08:04 AM
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Rocco: glad to see you back and adding to your trip report. I know how busy and chaotic things have been for you and glad to see you excited with your new developments.
Congrats on your first wild dogs, sounds like Cheif's really delivered for you.
Congrats on your first wild dogs, sounds like Cheif's really delivered for you.
