mkhonzo,

Are you from SA? Or what gives you these down-to-earth thoughts?

Mitch

Mitch, they didn’t shoot AT the elephants and I don’t even now what kind of guns they had. Maybe it was airguns. When I arrived I was told that if I heard shots it was because they were scaring away the elephants. At Samburu Serena they throw stones at them if they come within 2 yards.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...16&start=0

Nyamera,
I appreciate your position, you are not obviously the average soft bellied tourist. There is risk guiding a group of foreigners who don't know and appreciate the terrain. And believe me when people, strangers to the African environment are confronted with a dangerous situation, no-one knows how they will react. And there is liability, whether you sign the indemnity or not. A shrewd lawyer will argue that insufficient care was taken to protect guests and hold the lodge liable. Regrettably it is a fact of modern society, few like you will lie down and take the charge.

Many incidents have occurred at numerous properties, sadly the animals involved were later exterminated. lions mauled a women to death some time ago at a reserve in SA. A ranger had his guests killed by an elephant in Namibia. Elephant killed a photographer in SA, Hyena killed a kid in Botswana etc etc.
All resulted in negligence related law suites. Fortunately these incidents are infrequent. Most African countries have stringent guide/ranger training programs and in almost all cases these were unpreventable incidents.

On your own, with sufficient bushcraft you can, as man has done for centuries, walk the bush unarmed, the signs of the wild are as alarge as bill boards for those who can read them!

Mkhonzo, I am a bit soft bellied – both literally and figuratively – but I try to do sit-ups every day. My heart should haemorrhage a lot more though.

And at this point if I were holding this discussion in person I'd say, lets go and have a drink.

And hopefully this stream has given RTW2006 some insights on camps in Botswana for his travels.
Have a good weekend.

Well, its Friday night in NY and I will take mkhonzo's advice, and will go get a drink.

Sorry, RTW2006, for hijacking your thread.

I looked in on a southern African thread because I’ve become addicted to a waterhole in Botswana. http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/n...a/wildcam.html

Lala salama

Hello, everyone:

I have a question about something that was said very early on in this thread: Why is it that the night sounds are so much better at King's Pool than at Duma Tao? As a totally blind traveler in Africa, that particular detail is of real intrigue to me. I am, in the process of researching our safari, actively seeking out the best locations for sound experiences in the bush. The more sound of wildlife, the better.

If anyone knows of, and can recommend, the best places to enjoy a maximum of sounds, please advise. We are still trying to make a decision between Botswana and Zambia, although according to our travel expert, Botswana may be the best option. I'm not yet convinced, but I'd love to hear what you all have to say.

Lisa

Lisa

There are Hippos in the pool right outside rooms 6-9 at Kings Pool and they create a terrific amount of noise, so much so that many people prefer the other end of camp.

Wow! That sounds excellent! What are the accommodations like? Are they raised or on ground level? How about lion sounds? Can one hear leopards and lions at night as well?

Thanks.

Lisa

Hello Lisa,

In my experience, lion and leopard sounds are much more of a random occurrence (depending on whether they have fed recently, whether a female is in oestrus, and whether they're in the mood) and thus harder to predict. Hippos, frogs, and night birds are more dependable.

Some of the most interesting night sounds I heard were at Little Vumbura -- little frogs and fruit bats that sounded like tiny bells.

Cheers,
Julian

I would like to echo Julian's comments about the African bell frogs...the sound is one of the most sublime things you will ever hear on this planet. They perform a nightly symphony, as though each frog is lightly clinking little percusion sticks. We would stay up as long as possible just to hear thousands of frogs produce this absolutely enchanting sound at Little Vumbura. I imagine that other water camps in Botswana have the frogs, as well.

The other sounds that I remember very well came from the multitude of birds in the surrounding trees. What a fabulous way to start your day. I don't think I've ever heard so many birds jabbering at one time, anywhere.

The accommodations are raised up and the tents are large and luxurious with canvas and wood framing under thatched roofs. Each unit has a plunge pool on one of the two attached decks. Our tent was across from the water hole and we very much enjoyed the sounds made by the hippos. They are quite entertaining along with the birds and night time roars of the distant lions.

African Bell Frogs? The sound that you have described is exactly like the frogs at Chongwe River Camp in Lower Zambezi. Once the sun goes down, the bell frogs start and the fireflies come out to play.

Thanks...I didn't know the name of these frogs before reading this. :)

Hi, everyone,

Thanks so much for your responses to my questions. I've got one more:

In terms of Duma Tao vs. King's Pool, is there anyone who has been to both and can describe the differences to me? Are the tents raised at Duma Tao as they are at KP? Is there a water hole outside the tents where wildlife will congregate? I understand KP is six paws and DT is 5; what creates this difference other than the price. And, in what price range does DT ten to fall in Late March/early April?

Sorry, I guess that was about a million questions! :-) Thanks for any help you can give!

Lisa