Mufambe zvakanaka, Nyama!
 

Have an interesting, relaxing and informative stay in Zimbabwe!

Have a safe and wonderful journey!

Asante sana, Nyamera!
My itinerary slightly changed last week, but it has become even better now - I will totally avoid any night in Victoria Falls and spend the whole four weeks in the bush! Of course it will be interesting, relaxing and, most important, computer and mobile free. Operators already assured me that they have secured good supplies of the local brand of ((B))((B))((B)), so I certainly will enjoy the 'après-walk' and 'après-drive' at the camp fire... ((A))

Patty, thank you very much. Though it's a little early for this - I leave on Friday and still need to organize a lot of things, and of course, still have to pack (certainly will do this in the last remaining hours...).

Nyama,

Above all, I will be keenly awaiting your account of walking in Chiz. Have a great trip.

John

Thanks, John. Cross fingers that I will survive the culture shock at R**** Camp directly after the walk... otherwise no account. :-D

in sign language:
((B)) ---> ((^)) + ((D)) -?-> b(

I'm confident you can survive any shocking culture nyama ;)

Which camp? Email me.

John

Have a wonderful trip, culture shock and all!

Nyama,

Here's wishing you a great safari!!! Happy Travels ...... no heated plunge pools, eh? ;)

Keep me posted if you find any cheetah.

Rgds,
Hari

atravelynn -- thank you!

Hari -- currently I only know about one place which has a pool, as far as I know non-heated; I certainly won't use it (I'm talking about the "culture shock" place). However, it's a different story with the chocolate strawberries... I don't know if I could resist... :-"
Whatsoever, I contacted the camp's operator last night regarding a special souvenir for which I'm looking for some time now. They don't have it in Zim, but promised to organize one in Maun and send it to this camp. So with luck, I will be quite happy at this place too.

I will make GPS recordings of any sighting of Acinonyx jubatus harii (and of course, any Suricata suricatta lynnii).

Well, 40 hours ago I was sitting at a campfire, 3-4 metres away on same ground level from dozens (hundreds?) of elephants walking around in the dust at full moon light, only separated by some logs. Drinking beer and looking up to some tusks from this distance and in this light is incredible - a magical image, real unreal... (which let's you forget that certain woodpile hide in Linyanti...)

Now I have to face the culture shock of being back in civilization (and, maybe, back on Fodors :S-).

My 4-week safari in Zim was different than expected - and far better than I had imagined.

About 140 kms of walking (longest walk: 20 kms), and about 25 kms of unplanned canoeing. (I certainly will regard it as a joke now if someone tells me about Zambia as the "home of walking safaris".)

Some first "data" before I will fall into my bed for some sleep...

I made the Big 5 on foot within three days...

Closest distance to leopard (tracked down on foot in Hwange and watched for 3 minutes on eye level): 8 metres.

Closest distance to the tusks of an elephant bull (tracked down on foot in Mana Pools, only separated by a log and a single tree): 1 metre.

Closest distance to the tusks of an elephant cow (in the vehicle in Hwange): 1.5 metres (when she charged and speared the vehicle).

Closest distance to a pride of lions (2 males, 3 females, 2 cubs, on foot in Chizarira): 20 metres.

Closest distance to a herd of buffalo (on foot in Chizarira): 30-35 metres.

Closest distance to a dugga boy (in canoe in Mana Pools): 2.5 metres (the first time that I really freezed...).

Closest distance to a black rhino cow and her calf (tracked down on foot in Hwange): 35 metres (while I was constantly looking for the right tree...).

Closest distance to a habituated/tame black rhino cow and her calf (in the vehicle in Matusadonha): 20 centimetres (actually she put her head into the vehicle).

Closest distance to a pack of wild dogs (on foot in Mana Pools): 10 metres.

Closest distance to a pack of habituated wild dogs (on foot on Starvation Island): 1.5 metres

New command learned for walking safaris (beside FREEZE and RUN): LAY DOWN (when poachers are shooting).

Outstanding guides I met: Benson Siyawareva (www.ngoko.com; I already knew Benson from Savuti Camp), Flip Nicholson (currently no website), Leon Varley (www.walkafrica.com), James Varden (www.vardensafaris.com, www.natureways.com), Nick Murray (www.bushlifesafaris.com), and John Stevens, a living legend with whom I had the honour to share four unforgettable days (www.johnstevenssafaris.com, www.jsguidedsafarisafrica.com). (afrigalah and Geoff, you MUST contact this man...)

Nyama,

First of all ...... welcome back! Now, you sound like an adrenaline junkie trying to get to within feet of the animals ala Mad Mike and Mark ;) and FREEZE? tell us about that episode?

Btw, This Flip- the guide you mention? The one with the Tiger accident in India? If it's the same person i met him at a very good Botswana camp one time .......

Glad you had a great trip, though .......

Cheers,
Hari

Hari,

Adrenaline junkie? Well, I guess in some way you're right - just game drives can become quite boring over the years... and meeting all these animals on eye level is a complete different level of experience.

Flip is indeed "Tiger Man". This accident happened in a game park in Italy, and the tiger scratched away half of his face. Flip is a renowned guide for Mana Pools and Matusadonha (where he was my guide for 5 days). He is doing now a lot of free-lancing (for instance Kwando when Kevin was still in charge - but you already know that...). A great man whom I already would call a friend - we share a lot of common thoughts and had a lot of fun at the campfire. I certainly will see him again - he also works in Gabon which makes him very interesting for one of my next trips...

Btw, I saw no cheetah in Zim.

PS: I will tell more about my FREEZE later... I still have problems to operate the keyboard and mouse properly...

WOW! What a trip! Can't wait to hear more when you're rested, especially the elephant spearing the car. Met Benson in Hwange, we had his brother Foster for 4 days guiding. Welcome back!

Welcome back! Can't wait to hear more about your adventures.

Nyama, karibu nyumbani! I’m looking forward to hearing more about the freezing, laying down, unplanned canoeing, animals and guides. It’s sounds like a really great trip.

Pathetic ...

Welcome back, nyama. Sounds like your safari was mildly interesting, just as Geoff and I predicted ;) ;)

Can hardly wait to hear the detail. And privately, if everything is nicely co-ordinated!

John

John -- no good "co-ordination" for Chiz. The situation there is not the best. Before I joined the group, there were two shoot-outs between poachers and Parks within 48 hours. The second happened on the morning before I arrived, only a few hundred metres away from the clients, with one ranger heavily wounded. Not necessarily things clients want to see, and this all is the reason for the LAY DOWN command. Leon was very restricted with his walking areas, we stayed all the time close to HQ at Mucheni Gorge Campsite. Finally the stay at Chiz was shortened by a day. Situation in Hwange was peaceful and I got some data. Vikani Operator Campsite at Lukosi River was great. We also stayed two nights at public Masuma Dam Campsite where Leon, his son, a 60-year old lady from Australia and I slept in the hide, watching hundreds of elephants, and making night watchs for the possible appearence of leopard and rhino, unfortunately without success (my turn was from 02:00 to 03:00...)