Mashatu Tuli Block
 

As you are by now all aware we are rather keen on photography and video.
At Mashatu there are no facilities for having a private vehicle at Tented Camp however you try, so we had no option but to stay at main camp. As the vehicles from Tented Camp were normally packed with up to 10 people this could have been a good choice

Main Camp was not at all to our taste, firstly it is “walled”, secondly the accommodation was completely over the top each unit is a semi with a ¾ bed and normal single. The seating area faced a large French window which allowed you a view of all of the trees and shrubbery outside and not much else. Unless you slid the window open there was no sounds of the jungle. There is one large bathroom with bath, shower and toilet, plus a separate toilet.
A complete contrast to the blend into the wild and listen to it approach adopted at our favourite camps.

The camp was run with a strictly regimented approach, wake up 06.00 coffee, tea and biscuits at 06.30 Morning drive 07.00 returning at the latest at 10.15, Brunch 11.00, High Tea at 15.30 Afternoon Drive 16.00, returning at latest at 19.15. Evening meal at 20.00 sharp followed by singing!! We did however manage to go out at 05.30 on two occasions to see the wild dogs.

For the first two days we had a 6 seater Land Cruiser with guide and tracker, the tracker sat at the back, we were told it was unsafe to have a tracker at the front. This off course meant that on the rare occasions he spoke or pointed out something you could neither hear nor see him, a great breakthrough.
On the final two days we were put into a 9 seater Land Cruiser, probably the most uncomfortable experience ever!
Finally at no stage was any tracking undertaken by the guide or tracker, the only time they left the vehicle was for toilet breaks! The pictures of the Young Eagle were only taken as a result of Helena’s spotting neither guide nor tracker saw it!

With the exception of Wild Dog recently introduced from those nice people at SANPARKS, then there was very little of interest to see unless you like collars on the majority of Male Predators and on FOUR adult wild dogs, east o avoid for photography but not video!
The major exception to this was the extremely large amounts of Eland.

In addition to the Dogs we saw 5 lion 3 females and two relatively young males with whom they had clearly been breeding. One of the males was collared by “researchers”. The purpose of this was unclear but appeared to be how long you can keep a small collar on a growing Lion before it is strangled, absolutely disgusting. We complained to one of the researchers who responded that it was not one of the Lions he had collared so he could do nothing about it (eco friendly or what?). We saw the same female Leopard on three occasions, and a brief glimpse of a male without a collar a rare sight indeed, we only hope he can escape the researchers. As for the famous Elephants none were seen in any number (10 at best) and no Bulls at all. In addition we saw a few Zebra, Wildebeest, Steenbok etc, plus a couple of nice sightings of Bat Eared Fox.


I will not mention our guides name but he was clearly disheartened, the reason for this was evidently the researchers. These people interfere with the running of camp and sell their guided tours to unsuspecting tourists were it not for Helena restraining me I would gladly have collared the lot, the tales they told were monstrously false, it was quite sickening!

A final item of interest was that we were perplexed to find that despite the fact that we were the first to leave Main Camp early in the morning when we went to see the Wild Dog, we discovered vehicles already there, it turned out that these were vehicles from Rock Camp, this is apparently a Syndicated Private Lodge near the banks of the Limpopo in the south of the concession. Whilst not as bad as finding two WS camps in your exclusive concession it is yet another deceit practiced on customers expecting exclusivity. In addition horse back safaris are also run on the concession we were delighted to discover several riders approaching the Wild Dog den and scaring both the pups and adults, more fun ensued when Helena was able to video the Wild Dogs with the sound of their camp being dismantled. Even more bizarre was the subsequent discovery of a small “jumping” course for the horses!!

All in all very disappointing we shall not return, but may consider investigating other lodges in the Tuli block. There are apparently several others despite the Mashatu Map being sold in the shop indicating that they are the only lodge in the Tuli Block.

My photos can be found at the following:

WILD DOG
http://sniktawkwild.zenfolio.com/p760253380

In case you wonder why there are many Dog pictures it was because most were taken on the dry Limpopo River bed

OTHERS
http://sniktawkwild.zenfolio.com/p541368421

I have always wondered what happened to those luckless animals who have been collared. Although I realize that in some instances valuable research data has been obtained some of the younger animals surely would have to be monitored closely and have collars removed. One documentary I saw said that the large collars on elephants had small (very small!!) explosive devices which would detach the collar after a certain period. I wonder if that is true or an urban myth.
The experience sounds disappointing although you would never think it from the photos.
10 visitors in a vehicle … ummmmm

Too bad about your Mashatu experience. I think it is a wonderful first class place.

We enjoyed the game drive schedule, "walled" camp and guides/trackers.

I would have been overjoyed to just have seen wild dogs.

It seems to me that you have very specific safari camp requirements. If the camp could not or did not meet those requirements. Why go? It seems to me you are setting yourself up for failure.

Just a thought.

I was recently at Mashatu, albeit the tented camp.

We enjoyed our stay and it didn't feel anything like you've described.

Our guide and tracker worked really hard to ensure we had great sitings. The camp felt very relaxed. There were fixed meal times but we didn't get the feeling that we had to rush back for a particular meal.

We did see one collared lion but we also saw other lions, leopard and cheetah that weren't collared. We chose not participate in any of the researcher activities as I've done soemthing similar before. Those that did participate found themselves tracking collared animals which I guess is normal in that type of situation.

Good info., appreciate your honesty, snik.
Photos are great, as well.

Scootr29

I certainly do have specific requirements,this camp failed miserably in meeting them.Many others do not, but I figure that you always get a dud on most trips.


Cybor

Thanks for your comments, it is clearly possible to get some good photos in most places even there.

Snik..not to get in a shouting match but...

My wife and I know that we do not like cruise ships. Why would we take a vacation on a cruise ship?

Your description of Mashatu as a "dud" is not fair, especially if you knew before hand it would not meet your specific requirements. Why spend $700 plus a night for a "dud"?

Your stay at Mashatu could have been averted by making a simple phone call or sending a simple email with simple questions. Or by asking the folks on the board who have been..including me.

For instance:

1) Is the camp "walled"?

2) Does the tent camp have access to private vehicles?

3) Are the game drives on a specific schedule?

4) Does the tracker sit at the front of the vehicle?

5) Is there any research going on at Mashatu?

6) Does the concession share with other camps?

7) Are the vehicles comfortable?

These simple questions may help you in weeding out the "duds" in the future.

I personally think that any safari experience at any safari camp is as far from a "dud" as you can get.

The maximum number of guests on their website indicates 7 at the main camp and 8 at the tented camp. Did you have the max number of people in your vehicle each day? That can certainly be challenging for photography. I have found that I select my camp locations based on my ability to prearrange for private use, and avoid those locations where I am not able to do so. There are some exceptions, such as camps that guarantee a maximum number of around 4 people per vehicle. Sorry you had a bad experience at Mashatu. The collaring situation doesn't sound ideal, to say the least.

For how many days/nights were you there? In September?

I don't like the game drive start times for photography. 7.00 would seem to be a bit late and 16.00 is certainly too late for this time of year. 15.00 would be much better, what are you doing in camp anyway until that time of the afternoon? I've had these discussions before with other camp management and they seem to fixated on the idea of "winter" and "summer" hours. However, it is very possible that your guide will agree to go out earlier if everyone in the vehicle also wants too.

10 guests in a vehicle? NO thanks. How many guests usually in your vehicle?

regards - tom

Very nice photos of the wild dog pups playing. Love them. The bat-eared foxes are really nice too.

Your sightings actually sound very good for four days, but I'd be leery of any place with conference facilities.

You avoided the collars nicely with your photos.

Can you give an estimate of the % of your predator sightings that had collars?

I think it is interesting I have not seen collars brought up before and collars are a significant variable.

But then I saw one or two collars on wild dogs at Chitabe and did not mention them because the collars did not interfere with my wildlife viewing.

Scootr 29

We were booked into Tented Camp with private vehicle at the last moment we found out from Skimmer that this was not allowed. When we asked my agent she said the lodge had never informed her of this.
Six weeks before departure it was apparently impossible to change anything, so we had little option but cancellation at loss, so we went ahead. Your other comments are silly who would ask these sort of questions.
Hindsight is an amazing thing and given that most people on this site rave about this place we thought we were on a reasonable bet.

If you have never been to a dud safari camp then you are lucky, but I am sure that what we consider to be dud is entirely different to that of other less experienced visitors.

Andy

We had a private vehicle hence just the two of us. We always do this to ensure no overcrowding and normally great flexibility.Waving a 500mm around is not a possibility on these overcrowded vehicles.

Atravelynn

We were there for 4 days.

As we saw so few predators % would mean nothing.As I stated in my report 1 Male lion was collared in a most cruel manner. 4 adults in the Wild Dog pack, the only other predator we saw was a female leopard we were told that female predators are not collared. We also saw one male leopard for around 10 seconds this was not collared, for obvious reasons we asked that this should not be reported.

I'm sorry you were so disappointed by your visit. I was at tented camp for 5 days in July and loved it. I could never in my wildest dreams afford a private vehicle so the most I can hope for is being with a group that has similar interests.

We saw leopards every day and none of them were collared. We also saw a group of 4 cheetah and another pair and no collars there either. There were no collars on the wild dogs we saw either, but then we only saw 4 of them. The one male lion we saw was collared and I have to adnmit it didn't seem "right" somehow. We were told that there are few adult male lions at Mashatu and they don't know why. When they do show up they never seem to stay.

I understand the need for research. And with todays modern electronics it seems like there are more unobtrusive methods of tracking. We spent a morning with the elephant researcher. She agreed that there are probably more subtle things, but it all boils down to $$$$. Researchers have a limited budget so they can't take advantage of all the latest electronics.

We loved it at Mashatu and saw a lot more of the smaller things that seemed to get skipped in the Sabi Sands quest for the Big 5. And we loved the hide at the tented camp.

We stopped by the main camp one day and it isn't my type of place either.

We also saw tons (literally) of elephants every day. It's odd that seeing a collar on an elephant was not as disturbing to me as seeing one on a lion. I'm not sure why..that's just my gut reaction.
The only collared elephant we saw was in Sabi Sands. We thought that little yellow box just behinnd the top of her head made her look like a taxi cab!

The guides at tented camp were wonderful. I'm sorry you ended up with a "dud."

You still ended up with some wonderful photos.

I tried to find the rest of your trip report but can't find it. Can you point it out for me? Thanks.

Just a few thoughts after looking at the Mashatu web site (www.mashatu.com)

From the look of it, their beds look quite appropriate, and not small like you appear to be mentioning. It looks like the have a queen size, a twin size plus a sleeper sofa all in the same room. here is a photo:

http://www.mashatu.com/gallery/MSHA115.jpg

as far as the walls go, that is just a personal preference that you have. I don't think that is something you should complain about. It is something to take into consideration if you are looking for a more wilderness type of feeling.

from what I read, lodges and camps have a food and game driving schedule that makes it easy for the staff to know what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. I am sure there are exceptions. Did you request or ask?

I couldn't tell from your text, but are you complaining that the tracker was in the rear of the vehicle? I can only suspect that having a tracker in the front would be both dangerous for him and also a hinderance for some sort of photography.

Charging wildlife, a rearing black mamba, stumps that fly off wheels and a vehicle stopping against an object have all been known to cause injury to trackers.

FWIW, regarding tracker up front on the vehicle finder/wing -or- up back on top. MalaMala is the only camp that I have been to that puts them up back. The four other camps that I've been to that use trackers put them up front. As a guest I much prefer to have the tracker in back out of the way of my view.

And yes it is possible to change the game drive schedule times. Guides are usually very wiling to do it if all guests on their vehicle agree. Going out earlier in the afternoon does not impact the dinner hour (after the game drive) and staff.

regards - tom

J Gardner,

You and others clearly take your customers to be stupid and gullible little creatures!

It is absolutely amazing that you quote exactly the same words as those used by Mashatu in the response to a travel agent who had forwarded you my comments.

Are you by any chance related to the respondent you quote?

I can only wonder why you chose to leave out the following parts of the response from Mashatu in relation to my comments on Wild Dogs and Horseback Safaris which appear at thend of my report.




This is also something that I will draw to Management's attention and ask that the Horse Safarisare monitored for what I would deem to be a serious misdemeanour. Notwithstanding this,

1. the horse safari operation was in place many years before the dogs decided to den close by!!
2. the horse safari operation requires that ALL participants are able to adequately handle a horse before they are allowed amongst big game whilst mounted. A small "jumping" course is their way of ascertaining the ability of each rider. Again, the dogs neglected this aspect when choosing a home for their pups.

I will leave it to those on this forum who are not TA's or operators to decide about your selective recollection of "facts".

I presume many others may wonder why such a "wildlife friendly" lodge apparently excuses the behaviour on their concession by blamimg Wild Dogs for picking the wrong place to raise their pups.

These comments alone should be enough to open a few eyes.

You may wish to wonder why anyone could think it let alone put it in print!!!

Yikes, the introduction of wild dogs has created so much excitement and buzz for the area it scares me if that is the management attitude toward them, especially in the first year of denning for a species with very high mortality rates.

In an issue of much less importance a 'tracker' must sit out in front where it is easily possible to find the spoor to track. From the back at slow speeds an occassional trail may be spotted but nothing like what can be done from the front. As someone who puts great importance on the tracker this is a factor when I select where to stay and thus I wish that camps/lodges would say they have a guide and a 'spotter' if that is the set up. The spotter can still add a lot of value with extra eyes in a high perch and the ability to share with guests from the back but it is different than a tracker who may find the trail that leads to the sighting as opposed to only seeing what is already in view.

Wel, that's Mashatu off my list of places to visit.

As for the tracker...PB is completely correct. A guy sitting on the back row is a 'spotter'. As I travel on my own I usually get a whole row to myself...this allows me to position myself on either side for the best angle. I ceratinly wouldn't go to any lodge where the spotter takes up one of the seats.

I've never had any photography issues with thetracker on the bonnet - they nearly always get into the vehicle when in close proximity to predators.

FWIW, to continue this, I don't mind if the "spotter" sets in the back row. The back row is my least favorite setting position since it is up high and many times gives you a looking down perspective on the animals. Especially when the guide typically positions the vehicle as close as they can. (Likewise in mini vans where you have to stand to photograph).

Most trackers I've seen on the fender do not get in the vehicle at any time. And the tracker in front can really be in the way if you're videoing animals crossing in front of the vehicle or walking along side.

regards - tom

What a strange message this is!
1. I have had a private vehicle at Mashatu at Tented!
2. 10 Guests could not fit on one Landrover.
3. It is logic that would make me figure that Tented Camp is tented andMain camp is not! So I would expect to find walls. Wrong choice of camp, i think!
4. 99% of Safari camps in Africa run on this 'regimental' timing. You can join in or not. If you want to change this, then yes, you have to hire a private vehicle, if avaialble. How else would you suggest they do this without increasing your costs more? Although you say it is strictly regimented",..you asked to go out earlier for the wild dogs, and did! Not so strict!

5. I agree with the logic of the tracker being high up and at the back. He has a far better view up there, and he does communicate with your RANGER on what he spots. I have also seen a Tracker alsmost maulled by an Elephant on the front seat of a LandRover before! He is safer and far more effective for TRACKING/SPOTTING on the back, in my opinion! It is your RANGER who should be communicating with you. Not the spotter!


6. As a lion grows, so the researchers will adjust the collar!
They are doing GREAT research work!

7. I doubt if I paid for a map to be produced to promote my Hotel in New York, I would put the names of other hotels you can also stay at!

I feel a lot of this is very unfair and gives a very incorrect impression of a unique destination

The beauty of the Internet is that we can go to the www page of the safari lodge and see that it has walls for example! If we don't like the look of it...DONT GO!

Mr Safari



1. Well that is fine then, Mashatu must have lied to me.

2. If there are 9 seats and one next to the driver than that is 10 of which one is the "spotter", are you saying that we did not see this?

3. Given the obvious fact that you must not have read my report which clearly states the reason for our need to stay in this camp, then I find your comments bemusing.
The term "walled" is an accurate description, it is apparently meant to represent the Mmamagwa Ruins, why do you find the use of it offensive.

4. I doubt that 99% is an accurate figure but is does strangely equate the the percentage of customers (quoted by Mashatu) that are apparently "happy" with this type of arrangement. The purpose of my report is to inform others of the operation of the camp, why should the regimented nature not be pointed out. We know of lots of camps where this is not the case. Again if you had bothered to read my report you would notice that we asked for and were provided with a Private Vehicle at extra cost. The fact that we got nothing extra other than the vehicle is not normal in 99% of the camps we have stayed in with a private vehicle.

5. You may agree but we do not, and we are entitled to express this. The views expressed by PB sums this position up entirely and with great accuracy.If you honestly believe that you can track better from the back of a vehicle rather than the front then you have clearly never tracked an animal.I have never seen this before in any camps that use a Tracker/Spotter so I suppose Mashatu/Mala Mala must be correct and the remaining 99% of operators are completely ignorant of the dangers posed.
You are correct in stating that there should have been some form of communication but none was noticed.

6. How do you know this? The researchers told us the collar would not be removed as it was fitted by a researcher currently not operating in the area. Do you believe the researcher lied to us, and why in spite of our complaints and those of others was nothing done about it!

Can you explain exactly what research was being undertaken and why, the researchers could not come up with a convincing explanation.

7. Would you also assert that the entirety of New York was yours?

Everything in the report is accurate whether it is fair or not is up to your interpretation. Once again I see you are upset by the use of "walled". You are correct that I could have looked it up on the Internet, and I did look up the camp that I booked, which was Tented Camp. Again if you bothered to read my report you will see that it was roughly 3/4 weeks before departure that we were told by email directly from Mashatu that private vehicles were not available for customers of Tented Camp.Given that our booking was made almost at the beginning of the year then we think that the notice was a bit late. We were also on a self-drive through Namibia and Botswana for 4 weeks, attempting to make changes at this late stage would have been almost impossble, so we had no alternative but to go with what we were offered. As it turns out this was not a very good decision.

Finally you are obviously not disturbed by the comments made by Mashatu relating to the Horse Back Safari having a right to interfere with the Wild Dog den because they were there first.

Tanky

Thank you very much, it was not my intention to dissuade people from visiting this camp, Perhaps Mashatu have managed this with their own words.

Sniktawk,

Personally I appreciate your report and think it's perfectly fair to report your personal experiences. Whether they match up to those others have had makes them NO LESS valid or worthy of sharing.

I am appalled that this camp accepted your booking so long ago, with an agreement (and payment taken) for a private vehicle only to let you know so close to departure that they would NOT fulfill the contract they had made with you after all. I would be absolutely furious if that were to happen to me and that alone, even without considering the rest of your report, is enough to put me off making a booking for this property. It is simply NOT an acceptable way to treat customers.

Regarding your other points:

As a fellow keen photographer, I admit I also don't like destinations where a high number of predators are collared. I know that the data that comes out of (good) research projects is very important, but from a selfish point of view, it does impact on photography and that's a huge part of why I go. So for me, knowing that there are a number of collared animals there is worthy of note.

I'm also disturbed by the report that a lion with too tight a collar is not being assisted by current researchers because a previous researcher collared him and left without removing the collar. That's unprofessional of BOTH current and previous researcher. It needs to be resolved. If the previous researcher comes back and gets upset his collar was removed, he should have made arrangements for it to be replaced/ loosened before leaving!

As for the comments about the wild dogs denning in the wrong place, how outrageous! The jumping / skills test area could and should be moved. Riding routes for customers could and should be re-designed. Rare animals should be put first and doing so would not impact on their profits so it's unforgivable not to do this. Again, knowing this reaction sent to you from the camp management tells me a lot about their thinking and it's not thinking I'm admiring.

As for the tracker issue, it wouldn't even OCCUR to me to ask whether they sat in front or back as I've only ever come across them perched at the front. Where a service offered is different to the norm in most other places, I think it should be up to the camp to make it clear to guests, not for guests to psychically guess what questions they need to ask ahead of time!!!

As you know, I disagree with you about a lot of stuff, but I think your reactions are absolutely fair and thank you for reporting.

I'm not denying the experiences of those who have a different view of the camp to you. Nor should they deny yours!

Kavey,
Thank you very much for your kind comments, they are much appreciated.

As you have commented on the collaring situation I think it is only fair to state that the reply I received indirectly from David Evans (apparently the Rattray's stepson) did give me numbers of collared animals in the Tuli block. These appear to be not as excessive as I may have lead people to believe.

Unfortunately I cannot attach the table to this response.

There are apparently 6 elephants and five leopards collared in Mashatu. The collared lions apparently number only two and are in "Charter", I have no idea what this means. The four collared Wild Dogs in one pack apparently are the responsibility of NOTUGRe, this is apparently a SANParks abbreviation for Northern Tuli Game Reserve.

Sorry for being late to the game on this one.

Personally I would much much rather have a tracker in the back row of a vehicle than out in front. As a photographer, having a tracker interfere with my field of view just doesn't work for me. I don't think that 99% of people would care that a tracker was in the back, so why bother disclosing it? If you care, then you will bother to ask ahead of time.

I agree about the collaring issue. Just horrible to hear. Hopefully your experience was just bad fortune, and that other guests don't have the same experience. Perhaps your feedback will wake them up to revisit their entire program.

Andy,

Your comments on trackers surprise me. Personally I prefer a private vehicle so I can move where I need to be. I have never had the slightest problem with a tracker getting in the way of shots, this is because the places where I generally visit position you correctly for photography.I also prefer my tracker to track.

Yeah, I think it is just a personal preference thing. I haven't had any issues with trackers in the back at Mala Mala, and I did see where they do a great job when helping navigate through the bush, both forwards and backwards. They can see obstacles that the guide simply cannot see. As far as actual tracking goes, a guide should be able to do this on his own and no tracker is needed to do this. So when it comes to my own personal preference, I would choose that no tracker be in the vehicle at all.

very interesting in deed!

- mashatu is meant to be an upmarket camp which should - based on rates - by far put no more pax then 6 max in a car!

- the most disturbing fact for me is the collaring which obviously is sloppily monitored.
i would expect the camp management to have an eye on that and report to wildlife service authorities as this is live threatening to the lions! i would not consider this negotiable but insist actions are going to follow!

- safari routine should be adjusted if everybody agrees incl. guide/tracker team!
an upmarket camp always focuses on to clients interests and also requests far in advance guests preferentials so that the camp can prepare and act accordingly.

- tracker belongs in front so that guests can observe and even support tracking! passenger seat remains vacant if tracker needs to retire to safety. the reason given for putting a tracker in the back is hilarious.

- especially on safari the ability and enthusiasm of the driver/tracker team is indispensable for a safari's success.

not at all a good resumee for both mala mala which let's that happening as well as for mashatu.

div

oops - too quick....

i forgot to ask:
do they offer full day drives incl. packed breakfast and/or lunch?
if yes - do they charge for that?

div

mr safari
- your assumption that 99% of camps have strict safari routine is nothing but false! mostly - even more moderately priced camps and lodges adjust to clients whishes as much as possible!

- tracker means TRACKING and not watching! tracking means reading tracks which cannot be done thoroughly from a high vantage point.

- interpretation of main camp being not tented is also a rule mentioned by you which i have not figured out yet.

div

This continues to get more interesting and for me more disappointing.

Mr. Safari: it sounds like you are involved with this operation, if so could you please address these comments made on the wild dogs. It is very disturbing. If you do have intimate knowledge of Mashatu then I am also distressed to read this statement "As a lion grows, so the researchers will adjust the collar!" I hope this is just an area that you really do not know the details of because it is absolutely irresponsible to collar a wide-ranging animal that is still growing under the assumption that you can re-capture the animal and adjust the collar. In the case of a young male lion he is possibly going to disperse a great distance or is already nomadic. It has to be assumed that one day the lion can wander far off, perhaps into another country even considering the proximity to Zim and South Africa and thus no adjustment is possible and he may strangle. If a growing animal is going to be collared it is vital to invest in a self-expanding collar and or one that can be programmed to fall off. I sincerely hope that is what has been done in this case and you are just incorrect in what you are reporting. Who ever is responsible for this lion's collar needs to be contacted ASAP and alerted while it is in the area and can be corrected.

Andy: I think the problem for those of us that appreciate trackers is you do check since that is an important consideration for booking and the literature and staff will tell you there is a tracker not saying they are actually just a spotter.

I also think if a high percentage of people do not care where the tracker sits or think they don't need one then they have not had the great fortune of seeing a master of bush craft at work. I think its important to consider that in places like National Parks where you cannot go off road or Mala Mala where there are many vehicles in a relatively small area so animals are constantly being spotted and shared the value of the tracker may be small but in giant wilderness that only has two or three vehicles on thousands of acres active tracking is often how you get any picture of far ranging species. Good guides in off-road areas position so the tracker is not in the way of photos but what I'm saying is if he is in the way for the first 30 seconds with a leopard the point is you are seeing a leopard that never would have been found without the tracker. At places like Kwando camps, Mapula Lodge, and Deception Valley Lodge it is common to track down predators over vast areas and I have seen them find multiple leopards, lions, wild dogs and cheetah that would not have been found by just driving the roads. At Deception Valley Lodge, which has thick Kalahari scrub I was with a bushman tracker who over 25 minutes took us right to a leopard. After leaving her we drove ten minutes and he picked up another trail which he tracked to a second leopard. These were by far my two best leopard sightings ever with tremendous photo opportunities that would have never even happened without the tracker.

Some guides are good trackers but it is extremely difficult to drive, track, talk to guests and continue to spot all at the same time. When guides do actively track it usually goes much slower due to needing to drive than with a dedicated tracker and with each passing minute the chance of finding the animal goes down. In my view this is definitely a case of the sum of the team far exceeding what one person can do with regularity. Some camps have trackers but they are not dedicated to active tracking, I think its one of those things that once you see it really it action you become a believer.

PB
we experienced exactly what you are describing:
our tracker found 2 collared sub-adult lions in LZNP. the collars were extremly tight. we asked the guide to take care of the problem getting that addressed to the zam wildlife authorities as we were told these lions crossed the river from mana pools/zim.
we got the confirmation that the collars had been taken off soon after they were spotted.
i hope that wasn't just lip service.

div

sniktawk-
I must add my opinion that if you were promised a private vehicle and it was not delivered then that is unforgivable.

Was the additional cost include in your cost quote for the safari? Bet not, big clue. HOWEVER, it was your AGENT that promised the private vehicle, right? So who made the promise and who is to blame? Seems to me the fault is with your agent. Yeah, sure the agent said it was not-my-fault, what else would she say? Maybe it was an honest misunderstanding between her and Mashatu? But if it is important to you, a deal breaker for you, then you should have questioned/checked more throughly. First clue, was additional vehicle cost part of the quote?

Also, tracker, spotter, scout, guide, ranger, lead, captain, etc. I feel we are arguing semantics not purpose or function. And I still want do not want a tracker on the fender, he is very much in the way of photography. And it only complicates how the guide must position the vehicle.

regards - tom
ps - I'd think twice before using that agent again.

Sniktawk - your comments concerning the collars and dogs are very concerning to me. I do want to comment though on the vehicle and horse situation.

Especially as someone who is very particular about your safari experience, I am very surprised that you did not check into Mashatu at all before you booked it. It very clearly states on their website that at the tented camp there are a max of 8 clients per vehicle and that sole use of vehicles isn't permitted. It also discusses the predator and ivory drives done with the researchers and the horseback riding safari option.

I don't know how you could have not known any of this until so close in. I don't mean to sound rude, but I really feel like maybe you share in some of the responsibility in this confusion.

I will be going to Mashatu in December, and I truly hope to have a great time. I certainly don't want to see lions in trouble or dogs being run off by irresponsible tourists or guides. I do however know the "rules" of camp because I read their information provided.

Tom, don't know if I'm understanding correctly BUT given that others here have said that Mashatu DID provide private vehicles for them in the Tented Camp, I would assume that the property did indeed confirm to the agent that this was available/ booked and, for some reason, changed their mind at short notice.

From my understanding, what then happened is that Ken switched to Main Camp, as they said that they COULD provide private vehicle for him there.

Hence not being happy about the accommodation, even though it may be as described on website, it's not what he originally chose and booked.

Also, if I'm correct, this means he DID get private vehicle, albeit in wrong camp, and therefore SHOULD have been afforded more flexibility on game drive times, especially in terms of staying out longer.

kavey
regarding the SUV and doing game drives to snit's desire:
if one pays 350+$ for SUV one doesn't pay that amount to leave that car in the parking lot!

of course if one has got a SUV he/she can stay out as long as wished respecting park rules.
therefore it's always wise to make sure the guide/tracker team is keen on staying out as well and also educated how to drive the car into the best position in order to take great pics considering leaving camp in the morning in order to exploit the light, angle, sunshine etc.

div

Guess I'm confused about this whole private vehicle deal at Mashatu. I'm now thinking that snitawk did have a private vehicle at Main Camp. The 6 seater and 9 seater Land Crusers he refers to had ONLY they two in it. Not 4 or 7 other guests. Anyway, not worth the bandwidth to figure it all out. So, never mind :-)

regards - tom

....I have been many many places where my guide had adequate skills and desire to to tracking for himself. I am not saying that a tracker on the front of the vehicle didn't do his job for you, but rather a good guide worth his own salt can do tracking for himself. Just my experience and expectation of a guide. If a guide cannot track then he really isn't a great guide, IMHO.

Well it seems to have been busy since I last visited, and on initial reading no further spook postings from Mashatu.

Yes we did get a private vehicle but could not have one at Tented camp where I was meant to be booked.
Yes I should have looked at the website but why should I when I am told that what I asked for is booked.
I will repeat it was not until Skimmer mentioned it that we found out that this was the case if anybody had told us earlier then we would not have made the booking in the first place. It may have been the fault of the agent I do not know. I feel that this is unlikely as Mashatu did not react to this part of my report. Given their overall tone of blaming everything on everybody else not themselves then I am surprised that they did not take the opportunity to pass the buck on this aspect.
Yes having a private vehicle should give you a better time and more attention, this did not happen at Mashatu, it is the first time that we have had this experience. Given the fact that we use private vehicles for most trips since 2005 i.e. the last 4 years then we found this a little odd.

What I find hard to believe is the portions of my complaint that people single out to comment on. The only really important parts are the comments made by Mashatu on the Wild Dogs , which are the most appalling thing I have ever had said by a Lodge. Thankfully some posters have spotted this and reacted accordingly.

From these comments alone nobody who considers themselves a Wildlife enthusiast should ever visit them again, but it is your choice.

The rest may be explained by the various excuses offered and my failure to dig deeper despite having got what we asked. The presence of so many spooks is a clear indication that this has touched a nerve at Mashatu. Perhaps they may take the collar from that poor Lion?

Finally the tracker/spotter situation still bemuses me. I find it hard to believe that anybody would not wish for a tracker, perhaps it is because not many lodges have them anymore. They used to have Trackers at all WS lodges but they were all dismissed after 9/11. This system is far better and works well, in the few places it is practiced properly.

Just last month we found Wild Dog in dense Mopane, this could not have been achieved with simply a guide. This was achieved by intensive tracking by two people whilst I drove the vehicle, something that I am very happy to do if you end up with Wild Dogs or anything else for that matter.

Even more surprising is that Div and I agree on something

Mala Mala has been mentioned here with regard to their trackers/guides. I must stick up for them. Although the tracker/spotter was at the back of the vehicle he was definitely tracking. We spent a great morning tracking a leopard and eventually finding him and another afternoon tracking a rhino.

I must admit that at Mashatu it was more spotting rather than tracking but it didn't spoil our stay there as we still had good game viewing and our guide and tracker/spotter were still working hard for us.

Sniktawk: I am very concerned about your wild dog and lion comments and wish that we could have some sort of definitive answer from Mashatu, other than the strange post from Mr Safari. Perhaps someone has a good contact there who can look into this?

Lynneb

We clearly do not agree on the tracker thing but who cares its a free world (hopefully).

I have not been to Mala Mala so would not comment other than David Evans told me that the same system is used at all Rattrays camps. I am glad it worked for you at Mashatu.

As I stated the source of my comments from Mashatu is David Evans who I am told is the stepson of the Rattrays, this seems to be somebody who is probably high up, but I do not know.
No response was provided regarding my concerns about the Lion collar other than a list of collared animals. As for the Horses coming before Wild Dogs, this is a direct quote from the response of David Evans.

You can ignore Mr Safari and J Garner there source seems to be the same response as I received and I doubt that it was sent to them. Interestingly Mr. Safari is a first time poster with amazingly detailed knowledge.