Just Back from Kwando
 

Just thought I would give an update on the sightings since you were all so helpful with our planning. I will do a more extensive trip report as I recover from jet lag and go through our 2000+ photos...We stayed three nights at Kwara, four nights at Lagoon and three nights at Lebala. Highlights were the 3 cheetah brothers on the hunt at Kwara taking down an impala (right before our eyes), the 6 separate wild dog sightings at Lebala and Lagoon (the Selinda pack of 16 and the Lagoon pack of 6) and the three wild dog hunts we were on (1 succesful, although stolen by those pesky hyenas!)...the sight of the hyenas stealing the impala from the dogs and then ripping it apart in a matter of seconds is an image I won't soon forget. The cheetah kill was more civilized!

We had booked a private guide and vehicle (which I would recommend after seeing 6 people crammed into one Uri). We had three guides...the first was Steve at Kwara, who is OUTSTANDING and I would highly recommend him. Unfortunately another couple had already requested his services at Lagoon and Lebala, so we didn't have him as our guide but were fortunate enough that he was there with his great tracking abilities and always found the dogs...and was always letting us know where they were. Thabo was our guide at Lebala... he wasn't as good of a tracker as Steve but was very funny and entertaining. He was always making us laugh and we had a really good time with him.

Unfortunately we can't say the same for the four nights we spent at Lagoon with Petros. The first day went really well as the dogs were a lot closer to Lebala than Lagoon so we drove about an hour to get to them and it turned out to be a great day as we were able to spend a lot of time with them and that was the night of their successful hunt. But the next three days were miserable as we found Petros to be surly and uncooperative. Getting him to drive to see the dogs was always a fight (even though Steve was taking his group out to the dogs every day). Anyone with knowledge of wild dogs knows they're always moving and they don't stay in an area very long and we knew we might only have a few days to see them and they might be gone by the time we got to Lebala...as it turned out we were right as we only saw them once when we arrived at Lebala before they headed back to the Selinda concession. And he would never tell us anything...he would be taking on the radio but wouldn't translate what was said...we'd be left sitting there wondering where we were going or what was happening.

Although I will admit, while he does have extensive knowledge of the territory and the wildlife, he is lacking in the social aspect of the job. As well, there was a weird incident on the third day of our stay at Lagoon when the Lebala guides wouldn't tell Petros where the dogs were and we spent all morning running in circles. I don't know if the Lebala guides thought this was funny or if it was a reflection on what the other guides think of Petros, but I do know that considering how far we had to come and how much money it cost, I didn't find it very funny. The strange thing is, once we got to Lebala, all of the guides were really great and friendly, so we wondered if it didn't have more to do with "office politics".

Aside from that bit of drama, it was a really great trip and we'll have memories to last a lifetime. It was neat to see a lot of familiar names in the visitor's book (Rick from London, for one). We'll try and post some pictures as well. Thanks again to all who answered our never ending questions (especially Hari).

Howdy Loru - hope you recover from jetlag soon and add to your trip report and post those photos!

Thnaks for the initial report. Bummer about Petros and the "office" politics.
Hope you will find all the good things to remember and the bad bits fade with time. This harks back to earlier threads about the importance of guides, eh?
Look forward to the next installment :)
Jude

Hi Loru100,

Just wanted to say,"welcome back" and sounds like greaat sightings.....also very fortunate to have Steve K as your guide.

Any idea if the lagoon pack is getting ready to den? or have they already had the pups? Thanks....

Hari

Some good sightings and your memories to last a lifetime. Drama with the dog hunts too.

Hi Hari,

The Lagoon pack has not had their pups. From what the guides told us, they're confident the Lagoon pack will den in the area. The Selinda pack will den in the Selinda concession, as usual, due to Lebala's high hyena population (which you probably know).

We were very fortunate to have Steve. We can't stress enough to anyone who is thinking of going to be sure to ask for Steve. He is freelance, but Kwando will request him for you. If there are any animals in the area, Steve will find them everytime. It seemed the other guides/trackers were just waiting to hear what Steve was doing.

Thanks for the info....i'm keeping my fingers crossed about the location of the den site!!!

Selinda pack....hard to tell as they were at Duma Tau last year....again, fingers crossed!!!

Thanks,
Hari

Can I ask a newbie question about the Wild Dogs and when they den?

When they den, do you no longer get to see them because they are hidden away or are they easier to find because they stay in the same area for a longer period of time?

We are in the Selinda area on our safari in May so just wondering.
Sarah

They stay around the same location until the pups are ready to move(for about 3-4 months)greater distances. Sometimes they move den sites during this period, due to other predators or fleas at the current den location...

buzztechie,

If a den is located, it's a simple matter to see a pack on a daily basis. It can be more difficult if the den location is not known. In the case of the Selinda pack last year, even though they denned inside the Duma Tau area, they were frequently seen hunting in their usual home concession, Selinda (they've denned there in five of the past seven years). They don't tend to roam very far while denning, and their hunting area usually encompasses both concessions.

Denning normally starts in June-July, and the pups can be running with the pack by late August. That's when they start to roam more widely and places like Lebala get to see them more often.

John

Thanks so much for your report and looking forward to your more extensive one later.

Regarding the issues you had with Petros - have you fed them back to the company? I think it would be worthwhile - as you say you pay a lot to be there so being given the runaround by your guide is not really acceptable. Only by feeding back issues like this can a company resolve them for future visitors.

Can't wait to see your photos too as it sounds as though you had fabulous sightings!

We plan to send a letter/e-mail to Kwando just to get their thoughts. Although it's too late for us, it might save someone else the same grief we had.