Predator Biologist Trip Report: Madikwe & Botswana
Apr 16th, 2006, 09:37 AM
#41
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Thank you for the interesting report on Kwara.
I was very pleased with the management and the guides at Lebala/Kwara when I was there in December 2005. The guides were just outstanding (Joe at Kwara and Steve at Lebala).
Until now I had only mixed up feelings about Khwai river lodge and Chief's camp (last visit in June 2005).
I am always sitting next to the driver (because of the better angle) so luckily for me the number of seats in the Kwando vehicles are not an issue for me.
Greetings,
Johan
I was very pleased with the management and the guides at Lebala/Kwara when I was there in December 2005. The guides were just outstanding (Joe at Kwara and Steve at Lebala).
Until now I had only mixed up feelings about Khwai river lodge and Chief's camp (last visit in June 2005).
I am always sitting next to the driver (because of the better angle) so luckily for me the number of seats in the Kwando vehicles are not an issue for me.
Greetings,
Johan
Apr 16th, 2006, 11:05 AM
#42
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As you all know camps change managers and guides frequently. Overall I really enjoyed our Kwara experience and I have no problem recommending it on its wildlife value and scenic location.
Our guide was relatively new to the area and clearly the mekoro scheduling conflict was frustrating but beyond that he was a good guide, very nice man with lots of experience and good knowledge of flora and fauna. He did get a little over zealous with the baby lechwe -- unfortunately I think many guests like the in your face experience and encourage it but don't consider the stress on wildlife.
We were very fortunate to have the vehicle to ourselves (4 people) at both Kwando camps so I didn't have any issue there but I wanted to make others aware of the situation because I think it would be horrible to pack 6 in as we saw in some other vehicles. Also, I wanted to pass along that Kwando is aware of that and considering a new approach. Vehicles limited to 4 would change this from a disadvantage to an advantage in my view. Breakdowns happen in all camps but I was a little surprised to have the same issue 2 days in a row. I think having to drive through high waters was a contributing factor.
The camp managers were new coming from a horse back safari lodge. They were personable and I was pleased that my mekoro issue was addressed and rectified.
I try and post the positives and negatives to give an accurate picture but I also urge that everyone remember the fluctuation in people's experiences. Kwara camp was a good experience and I would not hesitate to return but I think coming on the heels of my review of Deception Valley Lodge (one of the best experiences I have had) Kwara seems more average.
The worst experience that I have ever had at a camp was by far and away Mombo camp so you just never know how it will shake out for sure since there is a lot of flux at these camps.
Our guide was relatively new to the area and clearly the mekoro scheduling conflict was frustrating but beyond that he was a good guide, very nice man with lots of experience and good knowledge of flora and fauna. He did get a little over zealous with the baby lechwe -- unfortunately I think many guests like the in your face experience and encourage it but don't consider the stress on wildlife.
We were very fortunate to have the vehicle to ourselves (4 people) at both Kwando camps so I didn't have any issue there but I wanted to make others aware of the situation because I think it would be horrible to pack 6 in as we saw in some other vehicles. Also, I wanted to pass along that Kwando is aware of that and considering a new approach. Vehicles limited to 4 would change this from a disadvantage to an advantage in my view. Breakdowns happen in all camps but I was a little surprised to have the same issue 2 days in a row. I think having to drive through high waters was a contributing factor.
The camp managers were new coming from a horse back safari lodge. They were personable and I was pleased that my mekoro issue was addressed and rectified.
I try and post the positives and negatives to give an accurate picture but I also urge that everyone remember the fluctuation in people's experiences. Kwara camp was a good experience and I would not hesitate to return but I think coming on the heels of my review of Deception Valley Lodge (one of the best experiences I have had) Kwara seems more average.
The worst experience that I have ever had at a camp was by far and away Mombo camp so you just never know how it will shake out for sure since there is a lot of flux at these camps.
Apr 16th, 2006, 02:09 PM
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Pred
No I have not, but Brian at Kings Pool says they are seen relatively frequently in the Linyanti so I am hopeful.
Agreed on Kwando vehicles.
Sounds like your experience was similar to mine in Kwando, hmm.
No I have not, but Brian at Kings Pool says they are seen relatively frequently in the Linyanti so I am hopeful.
Agreed on Kwando vehicles.
Sounds like your experience was similar to mine in Kwando, hmm.
Apr 19th, 2006, 09:39 PM
#44
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About Kwara.......we were there in first week of December. We had relief managers Mel and Grant who were very good......they free-lance and i do know that the week after our visit they left for a short relief visit to Chitabe. So, i guess Pred had some other temp managers. The original managers for Kwara were away on an extented break.....they should have been back by now, i presume. However, for their new Little Kwara camp Mel is going to be there full time........
Usually, Kwando's guides are mostly very good......however, there are the odd slip-ups from what i read here. Kwara itself, the tents are very average.....
Let's all wait to hear what Pred has to say about Lebala........
Hari
Usually, Kwando's guides are mostly very good......however, there are the odd slip-ups from what i read here. Kwara itself, the tents are very average.....
Let's all wait to hear what Pred has to say about Lebala........
Hari
Jun 15th, 2006, 12:10 AM
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Next up …Kwando Lebala
Wow – sorry for the huge delay in finishing this report. Field season has begun and my free time has become very scarce.
I had anticipated that Lebala would be the highlight of the trip so we had 3 nights for the big finale. We were greeted at the air strip by our guide Thabo (had been at Kwara until recently) and our tracker Mowetti. We had the relief team in as camp managers, 2 very friendly women, Lebo and Thepo (who typically works in the home office in Maun). The Lebala tent was much larger than Kwara’s and more luxuriously appointed as well.
Camp was almost filled up but we were very fortunate to still get a vehicle for just the 4 of us while the other two camp vehicles were stuffed with 6 guests each. Unfortunately rain would have a large impact here as we would spend as at least half our time in rain ponchos over our 6 drives. The highlight of the first drive was our quick spotting of dung beetles deconstructing elephant droppings. It was fascinating to see over one hundred dung beetles attacking these mounds and escaping to trot off with their ever growing balls of dung. Definitely worth stopping and getting out for. We saw some typical plains game but did not have a very fruitful drive. In the dark on the way back we did have a tremendous highlight. All of a sudden Mowetti shined the light over our shoulders behind the vehicle and I turned to discover a pearl-spotted owl only about 5 feet behind us on a low perch. The sighting was brief and would be the best highlight that was not captured by camera. I have done work with an owl in the United States (northern pygmy owl) that is in the same family and is virtually a clone to the pearl-spotted so I really enjoyed it. We also spotted the nightly hyena who would be found near our arrival to camp each evening.
The next morning began the water torture, no big deal at first but would become quite tiresome. We woke up to a steady rain. Following coffee we hit the road and were soon notified of male lions near Lagoon Camp. We drove on for a little more than an hour, raining all the way, to reach the 2 male lions in vicinity of Lagoon Camp. These two were sacked out in tall grass just off the road. These chaps were also very not pleased with the rain and with the wet grass it was clear that they did not want to move at all. Our presence was barely acknowledged as we parked on one side of them. After 10 minutes or so we repositioned to the other side of them. Then something unusual happened. Supposedly the lions always know where you are even when they seem to be dead asleep – well this was not the case this time. After another 10 or 15 minutes it appeared that no action would be seen today, all of a sudden one big boy raised his head and when he saw me staring at him from 5 feet away his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and he sprung to his feet, turned instantaneously and quickly was joined by his shocked brother as they ran like their lives depended on it. I could see the look of surprise and fear in this startled king and I imagine I looked quite shocked as well. It was truly a fight or flight moment and I’m glad these boys realized they had space to escape in the other direction rather than spring at the danger hovering just above them. Our guide and tracker admitted they had never seen such a response. As they distanced themselves it became clear that one of the lions had a pronounced limp with an injury to a hind leg. They likely endured quite a battle during the night and through injury and exhaustion were not as aware as they typically would be and were certainly not relaxed as one would expect sleeping lions to be. I took it as a great reminder that even when you think you know a species or even know individuals that just like us they can be under stresses that cause changes in moods and behaviors from what you have come to expect. We watched from a greater distance as they licked each others wounds and decided to move on and give them the space they needed to cement their bond and overcome whatever hardships had occurred. We were on the long drive back in the rain when Mowetti tapped the hood with his hand and pointed to turn around and head into the grass. He tracked the spoor of lionesses through the grass and then moved to the front seat. About 3 minutes later we found 6 lionesses traveling through the grass. This was going to have to last us because our next 2 drives would include more soaking rains and little excitement on the wildlife front.
Our next two drives brought very little in the way of mammals. With all the rain they were not to be found with the exception of one breeding herd of elephants we saw almost no mammals. I definitely took the time to notice every bird, which was great for developing my id skills but even the birds were reluctant to move around much in the rains. At this point virtually all of our clothes are wet or at least damp and nothing in the tent will dry including our towels. Laundry service is no help because they cannot wash and dry clothes either. The rain also lead to a miniature ant invasion, luckily they kept mostly to the edges of the tent due to spraying a boundary. A trip to the camp store to buy a fleece (I love calling it a jumper as my Londoner friends did) was a rejuvenating purchase as I had one clean, dry element of clothing to cling to. To be honest as a field biologist I am not a stranger to inclement weather and my wife use to lead canoe trips in Florida and also copes pretty well so despite the disappointment of reduced wildlife sightings we were managing fairly well. However, I was feeling terrible for our friends/clients who trusted me to lead them on this adventure. They had been to the Sabi Sands on their first safari where they saw the animals line up and report for sightings so I knew they had to be a little disappointed. True to the British stereotype they never complain or moan about anything, which is great but made it so I wouldn’t know if they were struggling at all. On top of it I had been vomiting for a day and half now – not sure why and I tried to conceal that I wasn’t feeling well but they knew as my beers had turned to ginger ales at least half the time. As we gathered for lunch which I did not eat the sun came out! Throwing around my knowledge I went out on the limb and ensured our party that we had seen absolutely nothing because all the animals had just shut down with the rains but now they were going to be very hungry and grumpy and there was going to be big action for the next 24 hours – our last 2 drives of the trip. Then I had to go be sick and try and take my first nap of the trip.
A couple of hours later pre-drive tea time comes and the sun is still out. I make a change to bring us new karma – no Windhoek Lager for me, I crack open a cold Castle instead. Thabo notices the change and I let him know its game on now. Right away wildebeest then a large herd of giraffe. Clearly the animals are back out, now would I be right in my prediction of it being action time. We spot vultures soaring into an area, as we investigate in the distance there is a tree covered in vultures – a sure sign that a kill is nearby. We drive around a little and then my arm shoots out with a point to lionesses on a kill. We approach to find 4 lionesses devouring a recently killed wildebeest. We are the only rover at the kill for a good 30 minutes parked only about 20 feet away watching the feast. We observe the banquet until it is time to adjourn for our sundowners, the last of the trip. We have a beautiful spot by a pond with its resident hippo and the final sunset is brilliant. We are all ecstatic to have seen such a sight and to be free of rain ponchos.
Dinner evolves into a birthday celebration for one of the guests in camp with a surprise serenade from the camp women. This is followed by more songs and dancing with all the staff getting involved. A true joy filled the dining area and carried over to the bar for a final night cap.
There is no doubt as to the mission of our last drive. We want cheetah – I have yet to see one in the wild and it has moved to the number 1 position for all four of us. We had missed the 3 brothers seen by all at Kwara while we were boating so maybe it is just not meant to be. Thabo warns us that the cheetah move throughout a huge area and that they may not be anywhere near Lebala – he suggests that we return to the lion kill and see what’s going on there. Without hesitation we all agree that we have had great lion viewing already and that we would rather check the best habitat for cheetah and see if we can find them or not. I’m still feeling confident that there is a lot of action going on following the rain lock down and the lion kill can’t be the only show in town. We begin cruising excellent plains habitat in our cheetah quest. About an hour in we come across 3 hyenas moving deliberately in a loosely spaced single file line. They are clearly sniffing the air and seem to be moving toward a goal of their own. My instinct is to follow the hyena – if there is a kill to be found they probably will find it easier than we will. I am about to request that we follow them since I personally would be very interested in observing hyena plus I think they will lead to something else but I decide to leave it in the guides hands. After a brief observation we proceed on, clearly the plan is to cover as much of the lebala (open plains) as possible to maximize the opportunity to spot cheetah. We drive and drive covering a lot of ground – ostrich, waterbuck, impala, wildebeest, the plains are active but no cheetah. It seems it will not be as the morning is getting late and we have done a full circle around the habitat and we are starting to move into the wooded edge. Then to the left at the same time one of our friends and I both spy the slinky shape of a cat and can’t believe it that it is actually a cheetah! It walks into the grass and lays down with his brother. This is the surviving two Savuti brothers (for many years there were 3 of them) who patrol the large area through numerous concessions. I had seen many pictures of them when I stayed at Duma Tau on my first safari 3 years prior. We watched them as they decided to go for a stroll, bellies bursting it was clear that they had eaten recently. It was then that I realized the hyena we spotted had been heading in this direction and I surmised that they probably marched straight on to the cheetah kill. It had taken us too long to find them to see the feast and possibly interaction with hyenas but as these two strutted by a large waterhole with the blue shimmering behind them I felt like I had never seen more beautiful animals in my life. I had seen them at the zoo and in films and knew they were stunning but here in wild Botswana in my presence I felt completely awestruck by their incomprehensible beauty. Perhaps my long desire to see them added to the effect but as someone who lives in fascination of virtually all wildlife and has dedicated my career to wildlife I have been blessed with many more amazing sightings than most people will ever experience so I was quite surprised at how powerful the feeling was to see these magnificent cheetah. It was thrilling as we observed them stare down a wildebeest bull who stomped the ground repeatedly and snorted at them. They then proceeded to a dead tree where they have a scent post. To see them sniff at it learning all kinds of information that we cannot decipher and then mark it first with cheek glands and then with the cat spray one after the other was a huge highlight for me getting to observe these classic behaviors. They then proceeded to a small impression holding a deep puddle where they drank. As they moved on one of the other vehicles finally arrived (we had a long viewing all to ourselves) and our vehicle began to malfunction – it could only turn in one direction without stalling. We left the cheetah and returned to the road where we stopped to sort out our broken vehicle. It turns out we were only about a half mile back to camp and our vehicle managed to slug it out the rest of the way. This was the kind of big finish that left everyone smiling ear to ear and feeling satisfied enough to leave Botswana without totally tearing up.
Wow – sorry for the huge delay in finishing this report. Field season has begun and my free time has become very scarce.
I had anticipated that Lebala would be the highlight of the trip so we had 3 nights for the big finale. We were greeted at the air strip by our guide Thabo (had been at Kwara until recently) and our tracker Mowetti. We had the relief team in as camp managers, 2 very friendly women, Lebo and Thepo (who typically works in the home office in Maun). The Lebala tent was much larger than Kwara’s and more luxuriously appointed as well.
Camp was almost filled up but we were very fortunate to still get a vehicle for just the 4 of us while the other two camp vehicles were stuffed with 6 guests each. Unfortunately rain would have a large impact here as we would spend as at least half our time in rain ponchos over our 6 drives. The highlight of the first drive was our quick spotting of dung beetles deconstructing elephant droppings. It was fascinating to see over one hundred dung beetles attacking these mounds and escaping to trot off with their ever growing balls of dung. Definitely worth stopping and getting out for. We saw some typical plains game but did not have a very fruitful drive. In the dark on the way back we did have a tremendous highlight. All of a sudden Mowetti shined the light over our shoulders behind the vehicle and I turned to discover a pearl-spotted owl only about 5 feet behind us on a low perch. The sighting was brief and would be the best highlight that was not captured by camera. I have done work with an owl in the United States (northern pygmy owl) that is in the same family and is virtually a clone to the pearl-spotted so I really enjoyed it. We also spotted the nightly hyena who would be found near our arrival to camp each evening.
The next morning began the water torture, no big deal at first but would become quite tiresome. We woke up to a steady rain. Following coffee we hit the road and were soon notified of male lions near Lagoon Camp. We drove on for a little more than an hour, raining all the way, to reach the 2 male lions in vicinity of Lagoon Camp. These two were sacked out in tall grass just off the road. These chaps were also very not pleased with the rain and with the wet grass it was clear that they did not want to move at all. Our presence was barely acknowledged as we parked on one side of them. After 10 minutes or so we repositioned to the other side of them. Then something unusual happened. Supposedly the lions always know where you are even when they seem to be dead asleep – well this was not the case this time. After another 10 or 15 minutes it appeared that no action would be seen today, all of a sudden one big boy raised his head and when he saw me staring at him from 5 feet away his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and he sprung to his feet, turned instantaneously and quickly was joined by his shocked brother as they ran like their lives depended on it. I could see the look of surprise and fear in this startled king and I imagine I looked quite shocked as well. It was truly a fight or flight moment and I’m glad these boys realized they had space to escape in the other direction rather than spring at the danger hovering just above them. Our guide and tracker admitted they had never seen such a response. As they distanced themselves it became clear that one of the lions had a pronounced limp with an injury to a hind leg. They likely endured quite a battle during the night and through injury and exhaustion were not as aware as they typically would be and were certainly not relaxed as one would expect sleeping lions to be. I took it as a great reminder that even when you think you know a species or even know individuals that just like us they can be under stresses that cause changes in moods and behaviors from what you have come to expect. We watched from a greater distance as they licked each others wounds and decided to move on and give them the space they needed to cement their bond and overcome whatever hardships had occurred. We were on the long drive back in the rain when Mowetti tapped the hood with his hand and pointed to turn around and head into the grass. He tracked the spoor of lionesses through the grass and then moved to the front seat. About 3 minutes later we found 6 lionesses traveling through the grass. This was going to have to last us because our next 2 drives would include more soaking rains and little excitement on the wildlife front.
Our next two drives brought very little in the way of mammals. With all the rain they were not to be found with the exception of one breeding herd of elephants we saw almost no mammals. I definitely took the time to notice every bird, which was great for developing my id skills but even the birds were reluctant to move around much in the rains. At this point virtually all of our clothes are wet or at least damp and nothing in the tent will dry including our towels. Laundry service is no help because they cannot wash and dry clothes either. The rain also lead to a miniature ant invasion, luckily they kept mostly to the edges of the tent due to spraying a boundary. A trip to the camp store to buy a fleece (I love calling it a jumper as my Londoner friends did) was a rejuvenating purchase as I had one clean, dry element of clothing to cling to. To be honest as a field biologist I am not a stranger to inclement weather and my wife use to lead canoe trips in Florida and also copes pretty well so despite the disappointment of reduced wildlife sightings we were managing fairly well. However, I was feeling terrible for our friends/clients who trusted me to lead them on this adventure. They had been to the Sabi Sands on their first safari where they saw the animals line up and report for sightings so I knew they had to be a little disappointed. True to the British stereotype they never complain or moan about anything, which is great but made it so I wouldn’t know if they were struggling at all. On top of it I had been vomiting for a day and half now – not sure why and I tried to conceal that I wasn’t feeling well but they knew as my beers had turned to ginger ales at least half the time. As we gathered for lunch which I did not eat the sun came out! Throwing around my knowledge I went out on the limb and ensured our party that we had seen absolutely nothing because all the animals had just shut down with the rains but now they were going to be very hungry and grumpy and there was going to be big action for the next 24 hours – our last 2 drives of the trip. Then I had to go be sick and try and take my first nap of the trip.
A couple of hours later pre-drive tea time comes and the sun is still out. I make a change to bring us new karma – no Windhoek Lager for me, I crack open a cold Castle instead. Thabo notices the change and I let him know its game on now. Right away wildebeest then a large herd of giraffe. Clearly the animals are back out, now would I be right in my prediction of it being action time. We spot vultures soaring into an area, as we investigate in the distance there is a tree covered in vultures – a sure sign that a kill is nearby. We drive around a little and then my arm shoots out with a point to lionesses on a kill. We approach to find 4 lionesses devouring a recently killed wildebeest. We are the only rover at the kill for a good 30 minutes parked only about 20 feet away watching the feast. We observe the banquet until it is time to adjourn for our sundowners, the last of the trip. We have a beautiful spot by a pond with its resident hippo and the final sunset is brilliant. We are all ecstatic to have seen such a sight and to be free of rain ponchos.
Dinner evolves into a birthday celebration for one of the guests in camp with a surprise serenade from the camp women. This is followed by more songs and dancing with all the staff getting involved. A true joy filled the dining area and carried over to the bar for a final night cap.
There is no doubt as to the mission of our last drive. We want cheetah – I have yet to see one in the wild and it has moved to the number 1 position for all four of us. We had missed the 3 brothers seen by all at Kwara while we were boating so maybe it is just not meant to be. Thabo warns us that the cheetah move throughout a huge area and that they may not be anywhere near Lebala – he suggests that we return to the lion kill and see what’s going on there. Without hesitation we all agree that we have had great lion viewing already and that we would rather check the best habitat for cheetah and see if we can find them or not. I’m still feeling confident that there is a lot of action going on following the rain lock down and the lion kill can’t be the only show in town. We begin cruising excellent plains habitat in our cheetah quest. About an hour in we come across 3 hyenas moving deliberately in a loosely spaced single file line. They are clearly sniffing the air and seem to be moving toward a goal of their own. My instinct is to follow the hyena – if there is a kill to be found they probably will find it easier than we will. I am about to request that we follow them since I personally would be very interested in observing hyena plus I think they will lead to something else but I decide to leave it in the guides hands. After a brief observation we proceed on, clearly the plan is to cover as much of the lebala (open plains) as possible to maximize the opportunity to spot cheetah. We drive and drive covering a lot of ground – ostrich, waterbuck, impala, wildebeest, the plains are active but no cheetah. It seems it will not be as the morning is getting late and we have done a full circle around the habitat and we are starting to move into the wooded edge. Then to the left at the same time one of our friends and I both spy the slinky shape of a cat and can’t believe it that it is actually a cheetah! It walks into the grass and lays down with his brother. This is the surviving two Savuti brothers (for many years there were 3 of them) who patrol the large area through numerous concessions. I had seen many pictures of them when I stayed at Duma Tau on my first safari 3 years prior. We watched them as they decided to go for a stroll, bellies bursting it was clear that they had eaten recently. It was then that I realized the hyena we spotted had been heading in this direction and I surmised that they probably marched straight on to the cheetah kill. It had taken us too long to find them to see the feast and possibly interaction with hyenas but as these two strutted by a large waterhole with the blue shimmering behind them I felt like I had never seen more beautiful animals in my life. I had seen them at the zoo and in films and knew they were stunning but here in wild Botswana in my presence I felt completely awestruck by their incomprehensible beauty. Perhaps my long desire to see them added to the effect but as someone who lives in fascination of virtually all wildlife and has dedicated my career to wildlife I have been blessed with many more amazing sightings than most people will ever experience so I was quite surprised at how powerful the feeling was to see these magnificent cheetah. It was thrilling as we observed them stare down a wildebeest bull who stomped the ground repeatedly and snorted at them. They then proceeded to a dead tree where they have a scent post. To see them sniff at it learning all kinds of information that we cannot decipher and then mark it first with cheek glands and then with the cat spray one after the other was a huge highlight for me getting to observe these classic behaviors. They then proceeded to a small impression holding a deep puddle where they drank. As they moved on one of the other vehicles finally arrived (we had a long viewing all to ourselves) and our vehicle began to malfunction – it could only turn in one direction without stalling. We left the cheetah and returned to the road where we stopped to sort out our broken vehicle. It turns out we were only about a half mile back to camp and our vehicle managed to slug it out the rest of the way. This was the kind of big finish that left everyone smiling ear to ear and feeling satisfied enough to leave Botswana without totally tearing up.
Jun 15th, 2006, 01:22 PM
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Thanks to all of you for your kind words and for taking the time to follow my experience through the lengthy report. I kind of killed the momentum with the long delay but hope it will be a good resource for others, and of course it is delightful to share with those who understand the passion.
Jul 21st, 2006, 04:46 PM
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PB,
It was cool to look at your photos first then read your trip report. It was fantastic, thanks for a terrific report. You really had your work cut out for you pushing and pulling planes and broken down vehicles! I love the fact that Mrs PB spotted the lion cubs...way to go Mrs PB!
It was cool to look at your photos first then read your trip report. It was fantastic, thanks for a terrific report. You really had your work cut out for you pushing and pulling planes and broken down vehicles! I love the fact that Mrs PB spotted the lion cubs...way to go Mrs PB!
Mar 1st, 2007, 04:52 AM
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Thank you for posting details of your trip. I have really enjoyed reading about your adventures.
I have been very lucky in that i have been able to visit a number of countries on safari but always return to the open spaces of Botswana and the feeling of wilderness!
I was very interested in your review as I have previously been to Madikwe although i stayed at Mosetlha which is very basic (no luxury's here) but highly recommended and agree that the game viewing was well organised in that they restrict the numbers of vehicles but it did feel a bit like a safari park.
I was especially interested as i will be visiting DVL and the three Kwando camps in a fortnight - very excited!!
Does anyone know if DVL have managed to build a gate in the fence?
I was also wondering if anyone knows which horse back camp the mangers refered to at Kwara came from and are they still there? As you called him Cornelieus could it be Corn`e?
Thanks again i'm now really looking forward to our time with the San.
I have been very lucky in that i have been able to visit a number of countries on safari but always return to the open spaces of Botswana and the feeling of wilderness!
I was very interested in your review as I have previously been to Madikwe although i stayed at Mosetlha which is very basic (no luxury's here) but highly recommended and agree that the game viewing was well organised in that they restrict the numbers of vehicles but it did feel a bit like a safari park.
I was especially interested as i will be visiting DVL and the three Kwando camps in a fortnight - very excited!!
Does anyone know if DVL have managed to build a gate in the fence?
I was also wondering if anyone knows which horse back camp the mangers refered to at Kwara came from and are they still there? As you called him Cornelieus could it be Corn`e?
Thanks again i'm now really looking forward to our time with the San.
Mar 1st, 2007, 08:03 AM
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timsp: I'm glad you found and enjoyed the report.
The last I know of (about 6 months ago) DVL had not received permission yet to put in an access gate but it would be great if you would ask when there and give an update.
Walking with the bushmen remains at the top of my Africa travel experiences, I am sure you will be touched to rediscover the things forgotten since your ancestors left Africa.
The last I know of (about 6 months ago) DVL had not received permission yet to put in an access gate but it would be great if you would ask when there and give an update.
Walking with the bushmen remains at the top of my Africa travel experiences, I am sure you will be touched to rediscover the things forgotten since your ancestors left Africa.
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