Treepol

PB

thank you so much for this interesting and informative post. Its great to learn about accommodation options and I think I will return to Botswana when I plan my next trip.

Makgadikgadi Camp is definitely on my wishlist.

Cheers,


Pol

Kavey

Thank you, this is so useful, one of my top threads on Fodors Africa, I think!

PredatorBiologist

Thanks Kavey, that is high praise considering you have been on this board as long as anyone I know.

Lynn: one pack of meerkats will utilize a cluster of 5 or 6 warrens so when we looked at a couple warrens they were likely at one of their others. I do not know if the pack we were looking for was the habituated pack viewed by Jack's/San camps or not.

Being able to go out at night with the brown hyena research team would truly be an extraordinary experience and I need to devote some more time to working with Glyn and Makgadikgadi Camp to figure out how to best make it work for the research project and tourists. Browns are without a doubt one of the most impressive and interesting predators that go almost viturally unseen. I've been lucky to see one and it was a spectacular animal. The researchers also have great luck with seeing aardvarks and lions at night so it could be a top attraction if developed correctly.

Recovering the cut off collar was very disappointing but unfortunately after 9 years I think they are very used to such things. A wonderful black-maned lion had been sighted the day before leaving the park into the private ranch lands and everyone pretty much agreed it would be lucky to live for another day or two. That is the tough reality as cattle ranching and predators are at conflict so the mood was only momentarily dampened and I'm sure there was a little elation that the collar was found saving the project a couple of thousand dollars by recovering the equipment plus getting important data of the fate of the hyena instead of speculation on whether it had been killed or could it be an equipment malfunction. For a field biologist budgets are always tight so equipment loss is a stressful issue and having good data helps keep you funded so it could have been quite a bit worse but it is a tragic waste to lose the animal, not to mention all the effort to catch and collar it and then lose it from the study.

Pol: pleasure to share. I very much enjoy seeking out places that are not as well known. I like the sense of discovery and being able to help others find some new outstanding options.

MyDogKyle

Hi PB,
Thanks so much for writing this and sharing so many of your experiences with us -- I think this is one of the best trip reports I've read on this board. It's wonderful that you were able to meet all your goals (with budget, etc.) in planning the trip, and then on top of that have it turn out to be such a goldmine of wildlife activity! I'm saving this for my travel dreams file, in case I ever do get to go to Botswana... Thanks again for taking the time to write all your thoughts and observations and funny stories. Much appreciated!!

Kavey

PB Yeah I'm an old addict! I started posting on the Europe board back around 1998 and here on the Africa board, must have been 2000 I think. It was the year before my 2001 trip so that sounds about right.

I enjoy most trip reports posted here but this one is not only a pleasure to read but also very inspirational and of practical use too. Had I not already booked two fairly long and very expensive trips for this year I'd seriously be considering following in some of your footsteps before the secrets get out!!!

shazyb

PredatorBiologist: Great info and pricing. 2 of us are going to Botswana for 1st time in early March for 12 total nights, Looking to do 9-10 days safari with 2-3 days Victoria Falls at either Royal Livingstone or Zambezi Sun, Finally came up with a few possibilities, what do you think? And or other suggestions? Want good game experience, (not a big birder as we live near bird / everglades), more interested in big predators. Conflicting suggestions and not sure who gets the "lowest prices" since no one is too eager to show visible pricing. This is what we have come up with from various agent suggestions (with possible ties to certain resorts or opinions). Prefer right place for game, can't afford Mombo, which itinerary or alternative and who do you suggest is honest and will put together the best deal.


#1 Little kwara x3, Xakanaxa x2, Kwando Lebala x3, Savuti Safari LODGE x3, vic falls x2

#2 Little Kwara x3, Chief's x2, Kwando Lebala x3, Savuti Safari Lodge x3, Vic Valls x2

#3 Xakanaxa Camp x2, Kwara /Little Kwara Camp x3, Mapula Lodge x3, Muchenje x2, Vic Falls x2

#4 chitable x4 nights, Savuti x3 nights, Xigera x2 nights, Vic Falls 2 or 3 nights

#5 chitable x4 nights, Savuti x3 nights, Little kwara x3 nights, Vic Falls 2 nights

#6 Duba Plains x3 nights,Chitable x3 nights, Savute Camp x3 nights and 3 nights at vic Falls

#7 (not in this order) Chief's x2, Baines x2, Little Kwara x3, Kwando lebala x2-3 and vic falls x2-3.

Any suggestions?
Thanks for posting info and prices.

basto

Hello,

Just tried to google up Sankuyo plains to see if there was any news, and somehow managed to get to a hunting trip report from Sankuyo Camp in NG34.

Does anybody know how close this is to the new Sankuyo Plains camp?

regards,
Tom

HariS

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=4

Basto: recent thread on Sankuyo camp