skimmer

Hello everyone,

As told, I went on a trip with Masson safaris last month. By clicking on the following link - http://www.aardvarktravel.net/chat/v...ic.php?t=42719 - you'll find the first leg of my trip report.

Greetz,

Johan

twaffle

Very interesting Johan, thanks. Some lovely landscapes and you prove that being in the wilderness is wonderful even when sightings are hard to find. I remember the wonderful photo of the many many elephants taken on your trip last year. Don't remember whether it was yours or Jochen's.

Lillipets

Thanks! A Massons mobile is still on my "to do" list.

HariS

Hi Johan,

Thanks for sharing this wonderful report along with all of your assortment of photos. Can't wait to meet Ewan in person!

Regards,
Hari

matnikstym

Great report Johan and pics.

atravelynn

I certainly believe your oryx sighting even without photographic proof. Your night time safari activities are as exciting as the daytime with all the lion roars. Great sunsets/landscapes and even the viewing platform/hide is beautiful. I love ground hornbills!

Massons is consistently a good choice regardless of the conditions.

atravelynn

Oh, and your elephant herd in the perfect light for a perfect picture--great photo.

skimmer

Thanks everyone for your lovely comments.

Although I try to photograph a lot of my sightings, there is so much more which will make a trip unforgettable than good photos.

And in August, it must have been the activity at night, the ability to drive around in Chobe (which most people only associate with the riverfront) for 4 days without seeing anyone else and the transformations in the different eco-systems.

The second part of the report will follow soon.

Greetz,

Johan

skimmer

Hello everyone,

My stay at Savute: http://www.aardvarktravel.net/chat/v...=161932#161932

Ciao,

J.

tockoloshe

Hi Johan

Enjoying your report and photos very much, very interesting to hear your impressions 2009 versus 2008, and learning more about the lesser-known Chobe forest area. I've had my map out to follow your route and associate the photos with the area, and was wondering if you could clarify that the Nogatsaa & Tchinga campsites are HATAB only? (you make a ref to 4 HATAB campsites in Savute, but I can see just 2 in that area, and my map doesn't specify that they are private). Ewan may not thank you for making the area sound so attractive to us self-drivers!

I would be interested to know if Ewan made any comments about the proposed new regulations to clamp down on self-drivers - maybe as a professional he welcomes a change, since "Complaints have been heard from the mobile sector that self-drive tourists allegedly have no respect for the environment in places such as the Moremi Game Reserve" (Ngami Times editorial). As a self-driver I would obviously say that isn't the case, and we've seen more guides with clients going off-road and driving up far too close to game than any of the self-drivers we came across.

Looking forward to the Moremi section too. Have you seen this website http://moremi.earth-touch.com/ which follows a pride of lions in the Xakanaxa area, I enjoyed reading about the same lions we probably saw ourselves as well as the other animal goings-on.

I agree that it's not just the photos that make the trip, but the scenery and sounds of the wilderness - our most memorable moments were at night when lions, hyaenas and elephants were walking just meters from our tent- we couldn't photograph them but the memory is there!

Thanks for taking the time to write a report.

twaffle

Skimmer, lovely elephant photos enjoying the water. What a contrast to recent photos of the drought effected elephants in Samburu and other Kenyan areas. Feast or famine.

I really liked the photo of the Secretary bird in the tree, mine have always been on the ground.

pixelpower

Tockoloshe,

Johan and I know Earth Touch, yes. We've seen them at work the previous time Johan was there with Ewan (and me).

In fact, we had a fun thing happen before our eyes. A pride of lions was following a herd of buffalo, so we drove ahead and ended up somewhere where we could see both. The hunt wasn't really on yet, but it was clear the lions were up to something; they were definitely not planning on sitting on their asses.
A video team from Earth Touch ended up on the opposite side. Both of us kept a fair distance as to not disturb the lions. Then another vehicle popped up, one from the lodges. The guide positioned himself RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of lions and buffalo. As a result the lions stopped chasing the buffalo.
Then, the guide let a male lion fall asleep in the shade of his jeep. As such, that is not sooo bad perhaps, but he obviously did not tell his clients how to behave when lions are near. At one time the lion looked up to the (open) jeep as he clearly wanted to know what the commotion was all about. Then he clearly saw that the jeep was not a creature as such, but that he could see creatures inside. He fixed his eyes on a woman, and in turn, the woman froze as well. This whole thing was SO CLOSE to becoming very ugly, and their guide had not even seen it; he was dozing off behind his steering wheel, looking the other side.

I'm mentioning this as you wanted to know what Ewan thinks about the plans to allow less self-drives. I assume he'd say; "why not look at all those rookie guides of the lodges? They are perhaps more of a problem than us"

Ciao,

J.

HariS

Lovely piece on Savute, Johan. I did have a smile when I read the "radio controlled game drive" reference in your report.

Regards
Hari

PS: I don't think I've seen the red-necked falcon before. Very pretty!

skimmer

Thanks all again.

There is a BOGA campsite close to Nogatsaa (http://boga-bw.com/camps.html). I also mentioned it in my trip report as we were tracking lions in that area.

There were plans to build a lodge in the area but for certain reasons the project was postponed. I agree that it is an attractive area but for most of the year I would only recommend it for "old hands". It's also mentioned in the Bradt travel guide but you seldom read something about in on travel websites.


From what I heard there are 4 HATAB campsites around Savute. Here is what I found on the web: (http://www.jacanaent.com/PDFs/GPSList.pdf)

I can't speak for Ewan but I can give you my opinion:

For example the area between Xakanaka and Third bridge is overutilised as there are so many facilities and camps around. The fact that some of the roads can't be used nowadays, makes the area that vehicles can cover even smaller. Especially as so many people are focused on "predators" - most of the "cat" sightings are useless in terms of photography there. You can compare this with what's happenning between Kasane and Serondela.

I had a fantastic time at Xakanaka (you read more about it in my last chapter).

Obviously self-drive people are not the only ones responsible for all of this (it's actually a combination of different factors). I am not going to discuss this in full detail right now.

Off-roading: for me it's simple - people take chances if they think they can get away with it -it happens and no one has the monopoly on it.

I am pretty sure when they raise the entrance fees in the national parks, some people lobbied for it. Botswana has to decide for itself what future it sees for its safari industry and we as individuals would maybe not like it but at the end we have to live with the new rules and regulations.

Most secretarybirds I saw where just walking but you now the saying: the more time you spend on safari the more luckier you get.

Radio-controlled game drives are not really my kind of fun and as I said, most of my best photographs were taken when we found the animals first.

Also on this trip, I saw the "Xakanaka pride". The website you mention is great to watch.

Cheers,

Johan

skimmer

Hi again,

I finally made it to Moremi: http://www.aardvarktravel.net/chat/v...=162184#162184

Greetz,

Johan

atravelynn

Love the birds. A secretary bird nesting is a rare sight. You were perfectly positioned for the eles in the water. Waiting for the next Moremi chapter.

amycyma

Thanks for the trip report, and your wonderful photos.

Th bird photos in particular are amazing.

I had my first Safari to Botswana and while I felt I had a most wonderful time, it is interesting to not your comments as well as others who have previosly been there not the effect of the water in the area.

Thanks for posting.

amy

skimmer

Thanks again,

Flood levels and the rains in June had a major impact on this safari. If we keep having a similar amount of rainfall in the next couple of years in the Angolean highlands, some of the permanent camps in the delta will face serious problems and some areas in the national parks will be inaccessible during parts of the year.

It was a successfull safari but we had to work harder to see game compared to previous trips.

Timing and choosing your areas will be even more important and out of a client's perspective (having the best possible gameviewing) it's utterly insane to book far in advance as you don't know what the weather conditions will have been in the summer prior to your safari.

atravelynn

Good advice on booking. In the past we could take for granted that a certain time of year meant relatively good conditions. It's more of a wait and see situation now.

Unpredictable delta conditions may offer opportunities elsewhere that had not existed before.

You certainly made the best of your situation, water levels, and wildlife. Some unique and beautiful images.

skimmer

Interesting in many ways: my stay at Bodumatau

http://www.aardvarktravel.net/chat/v...ic.php?t=42719

Johan