johan_belgium

A promise is a promise so here we go.


I experienced one of the most thrilling safaris until now.

Prelude

The flight from Frankfurt to Johannesburg had a delay of two and half hours.
Luckily instead of flying directly to Maun I decided to stay overnight in Johannesburg at the Grace Rosebank. Otherwise I would have missed my flight into the delta.

It was quite a nice place to stay and luckily I wasn’t far away from the shopping mall so I was able to buy some spare batteries for my digital camera (was sold out at my local store).

In the afternoon I had a pleasant meeting with Maurice, one of the many Fodorites on this planet. He gave me some good advice on photography and showed me some wonderful pictures.

As a Belgian I like good food and in the evening I tried the Zafferano at the Hyatt Regency. The food was ok but nothing to remember unlike La Colombe in Constantia Uitsig.

After a good sleep, I was ready for the real work.

Kwara:

After a pleasant flight to Maun and (I had a nice talk with one of the directors of Wilderness Safaris) I was back home. At the airport I saw Tshepo, a very friendly girl who was working at Kwara in December 2005 and is now working at Maun office. After
an easy transfer to Kwara I met Mothusi, who was gonna be my companion for the coming 4 days. He’s a very enthusiastic guide who was keen on his photography. So what more could I ask for.

Because Little Kwara was not open yet I had to stay at the original Kwara Camp, which was fine for me. Mel and Peter (used to work for Wilderness Safaris) were managing Kwara. Mel told me that Little Kwara was gonna be in business from the 29th of May and at the moment of my stay three teams of construction workers were still working at Little Kwara. The rooms weren’t ready yet but from what I saw and what I was told, it seemed to me that the rooms were gonna be more spacious than in the other camps but not as luxurious as the premier camps of Wilderness. To me they looked more in the style of Baines Camp (Sanctuary lodges).

Should be a nice place to stay – the only thing that bothers me is that this camp is only 5 minutes away from the original one.

Originally it was planned to be built an hour away from main camp but because this site was in the Moremi Game Reserve itself, it was finally rejected by the Wildlife Department.

The terrain around Kwara was quite wet because of the high amount of rain they received in summertime. They told me that the incoming floods wouldn’t be that high because of the relatively low rainfall at he Angolean highlands. As a result the guides had to work hard because the game was scattered.

Because I like taking pictures in the golden hours (first hour after sunrise – last hour before sunset) we decided to go out a hour and a half before sunrise (which was at 6.45). The reason we did go out that early was that the more productive places in terms of gameviewing were a bit far away from camp. And you know the saying: “the earlies bird catches the fattest worm”.

It seemed a good strategy because on our first morning we came across a pride of lions who killed a zebra that night and were feeding on it. At a certain stage, a big male lion came on the scene and it seemed he was in for an easy snack. After a ferocious fight with one of the lionesses, he finally got the zebra for himself. After dragging the carcass into the thickets, he stuffed himself like only male lions can. We found him again in the afternoon in a position like you mostly see lions (sleeping after a copious meal).

When driving back to camp, we had a brief glimpse of a leopard. But like so many times, if these cats decided not to be seen they are definitely not to be seen.

Next morning, there wasn’t any sign of the male lion, but his place was taking over by two big male lions. The other members of the pride were still around and were waiting for the males to leave. In the meanwhile the young males of the pride were playful and teased the lionesses all the time. After this sighting, we decided to go to an area with is not so much accessible because of the summer rains but which is very beautiful.

Jama, our tracker did hear the sound of a cheetah. So we decided to give it a try although there was a high possibility of getting stuck. After driving through deep water we finally got sight of him. He was not at ease and was constantly calling probably for his brothers. And finally, these two brothers showed up.

It seemed that they were all hungry so we decided to follow them – in the meanwhile some of the other vehicles tried to come to this place (+/- 2 hours from camp) but got stuck so after spending a hour with those magnificent cats we had to quit them to go for a rescue mission.

So we weren’t successful (to pull them out) and had to leave the vehicle behind and had to drive back to camp because one of the other guests transferred to an other camp on midday.

The two following afternoons, we spend looking for a malachite kingfisher on a boat cruise. The first day we weren’t successful but the sunset was great and it’s always nice to do a boat cruise in the delta. Because I was so determined, we decided to give it a try again the next day. And this time, I got luck at my side, we had a problem with the engine not far from the boat station so we had to float back to the station by using a pole. After fixing this, we went out again and after five minutes, we came across a beautiful malachite kingfisher, who was sitting still for +/- 5 minutes. So action time … We also managed to take some amazing pictures of a stone chat, a black crake and a little bee-eater. We decided not to go to the heronries at Godikwe because it was to far away and there wasn’t that much to see this time of year.

If you like taking pictures of tiny waterbirds, I find it more useful to go by a small boat (more stability) than by mokoro. The trick is the following: you stop the engine from a distance and float to the object you want to photograph.

The other morning games didn’t produce any interesting sightings and we focussed on the smaller things (mainly birdlife and antelopes). I hardly saw any elephant here because they still had sufficient waterholes in the woodlands.
Before leaving to Lebala, I took some pictures of Hilda, who I first met at Lebala last year.

It was a nice start and by now I was ready for the real work.

Lebala:

For me one of the top camps in Africa because of its abundant game. I had a warm welcome by Harry and Monique, the managers and I gave them a collection of my pictures of my last safari at Lebala/Kwara in December 2005.

Charles Sebaka, who is one the senior guides there, would be my guide. He is mentioned in Africa Geographic (March 2006) for driving Christophe Courteau when taking pictures of a clash between hyenas and wild dogs there.

I also met Spencer, who was on leave in December 2005. He is also well known and mentioned in the Botswana the insider’s guide (a book by Ian Michler). He’s a great entertainer and knows the area like few do (unless Steve who is so determined when it comes to find and follow the dogs). The only thing he can’t spot are polar bears.

There were so many highlights during my 8-day stay here that I will mention only the most memorable ones.

The third day, we decided to stay out all of the day – the plan was to drive to the Lagoon area and bring a brief visit to this camp but like so many times things are not going like you originally planned them.

First of all, we came across four lionesses, which we had seen on almost every drive before. Charles suspected that one of the lionesses had cubs, which until then hadn’t been seen.
And he was right, we saw the four lionesses and two beautiful cubs (+/- 2-3 months old). They were very playful and we had some very good sightings of them while the lionesses were resting at a termite mound.

So after spending 90 minutes with them, we decided it was time to drive to Lagoon but only a few hundred meters away, Simon, our tracker spotted a cheetah. We drove close to it and saw they were actually two. It were the 2 brothers (used to be 3) who reign in the area for many years and were very experienced hunters. It seemed that they were very hungry so we decided to stay with them. They were sleeping for +/- 5 hours and from time to time they lifted their head up or changed position. At midday, we had a fantastic brunch a few foot away from these cats.

In the meanwhile, a pack of +/- 20 dogs was spotted. So what should we do, stay with these cheetah or go to have a look at the dogs. I decided to stay with the cheetahs because I hoped the dogs would still be sleeping. Could be a wrong decision but you can’t predict nature.

So after the yawning and stretching, the two cheetahs decided it was time for a walk. Unfortunately, these cats were walking straight into the direction of the lions. Luckily for them, there were some giraffes around and one of the lionesses decided to give it a try. But like so many times she failed and because of that the cheetahs saw the lions and run off.

After walking for a kilometre or 2 they came across a herd of wildebeest with some sub-adults. They tried to stalk (+/- 30 minutes) them but because it would be a difficult hunt, they gave up and walked off. But luck was on their side, a hundred meters, further they came across some warthogs. They chased them right away and managed to capture one of them. I was able to take some amazing shots of that sequence. After killing it, they quickly started feeding on a well deserved meal. It was surely not everyone’s cup of tea and the warthog was screaming like hell.

Now we taught it was about time to have a look at the dogs. We found them still resting and after 30 minutes they decided that it was time to hunt. Unluckily for us, the terrain was very difficult to follow them so we lost them and after a while, we found some of them again resting (so they didn’t make a kill yet).

The next day, we looked for them again but couldn’t find them so Simon and Charles decided to track them down and after 4 hours we found them resting at a waterhole under a big tree near Selinda.

We left them and came back in the early afternoon to see them (hopefully hunting again). Our patience got rewarded and they started to move to an open plain and walked straight to a herd of impala. They chased them all over the place and we were able to see the hunt going on but although many attempts no success yet. Some of the dogs were resting at a termite mound (just before sunset). We were taking pictures when we heard other dogs calling these ones. And yes, they made a kill and we found them feeding on the impala. It’s not for the faint of hearted … so I was lucky to have a private vehicle because sometimes you sit together with people who don’t want to see this and you can’t monopolize a car.


On the following morning, we found two big male lions feeding on a buffalo carcass. We had seen the 4 lionesses all covered in blood before. So we suspected that they made the kill but were chased away.

After a while, Spencer saw something moving in the thickets. It were those lion cubs we saw earlier. We could only guess what happened. But we thought, it was the following: the lionesses caught the buffalo, called the cubs and were then chased away by hyenas. Those cubs climbed into a tree. At night hyenas were chased off by the two big males.

We saw lots of hyena tracks around so that’s why we thought hyenas must be around. So these cubs were in a bad situation. If they would come down, the males would kill them.

Next morning, we found the cubs again shivering from the cold in the tree. The males were still around and the lionesses were not far away. But like so many times, the males chased the females. So no hope for those tiny cubs. Probably we were the first and last to see them.

In the afternoon, there was no sign from the cubs anymore. What happened? We looked for them the next days but couldn’t find them …

The next morning, we had a flat tyre next to that carcass, where those males were still around.

We changed it (150 meters away behind some bushes). After we came back – the males were gone and one of the females (a mean old lioness with almost not teeth left) was licking at the bones (that was all what was left). She was challenged by a hyena but she stood her ground.

In the afternoon, Spencer had a look at the kill and found only hyena and vultures around.

One of the other guides had seen a leopard with a fresh impala kill near the road, not so far away from camp. So we drove towards that direction but by the moment we arrived, the leopard was gone before it had dragged the kill for +/- 150 meters. But we couldn’t find him of her. We went back in the afternoon – still no sign – she/he had been feeding during daytime. Even the next morning, the carcass was still there, but the leopard hadn’t dragged it into a tree nor feed on it – even hyenas hadn’t seen or smell it.

The last morning, the lion cubs were seen with their mom again and it was a big relief to us all that they managed to escape. Hopefully I’ll see them again in September.

So what could I say: Lebala did it again!!!

Other highlights at Lebala were the following: - a relaxed male leopard walking/lying on the road; lions chasing buffalo on several occasions; lions killing a buffalo calf; a long-crested eagle in good light. The only thing we didn’t see were huge herds of elephants. The reason is that they can still drink in the woodlands due to the abundance of water.

Interludium:

Before I went to Mala Mala (first time) I stood overnight in the Grace Rosebank again. The next morning I had a coffee with two girls, who worked for Wilderness Safaris in Botswana.
So after an exquisite breakfast and a shower I was ready for the last part of this safari.

Mala Mala:

I don’t know why but for an odd reason I never visited Mala Mala before. I heard such good things about it so it was time to have a look if the reputation was well-earned or not.

After a smooth flight to Mala Mala, we were welcomed by our ranger: Devon Myers, a young enthustiatic guide, coming from Durban. Our tracker Johnson, is what you call, an experienced tracker (more than 30 years did he work at Mala Mala) and he still is very good at spotting cats and other game. Because of safety precautions (about weight) some of the luggage was not there. Luckily it arrived 5 hours later so nothing really to worry about.

For this part of the trip, I didn’t book a private vehicle (I never do when visiting an area for the first time). The first three days I spent the vehicle with two couples (one on their honeymoon and another on a side trip (after a business meeting in Jo’burg). They were great company , the next day I had the vehicle for myself and the last two days, I shared the vehicle with a very nice family (parents and their son).

Normally, you have breakfast at 7.00 and go on a game drive at 7.30. But the last three days, we started at 6.00 and it paid off again. In my opinion, it’s so much better to start before sunrise, so by the time you come across an interesting sighting, you’ll have good light for +/- 90 minutes.

What surprised me about Mala Mala was that everything was arranged into the finest details. They did have a policy about courtesy. When you entered the lounge, the guides had to stand up to greet you. I have never experienced such a thing. It didn’t bother me – it was just funny to see that in the 21th century, they are still able to run a place in that way.

There were so many highlights on this stay – so I would mention only the very best:

We saw the cheetahs (a mother with three youngsters (two males and one female I think) on several occasions (at a termite mount, waling for more than 5 kilometres through thick bush, feeding on an impala/lying near the banks of the Sand River). But on the fourth morning, we came across those cheetahs around 6.15 in the morning. Because nobody was out yet, we could spent almost 90 minutes with them (without another vehicle). The youngsters were very playful and were teasing each other all the time. It must be an extremely careful mother, that she is able to raise those three youngsters in a place were other predators are so abundant.

On the last evening drive, we had a look a beautiful female leopard (Dudley female) in a jackalberry tree. She was such a beauty and she really gave me some great opportunities to take pictures of her. Less than 300 metres away, lions probably killed a giraffe, but were not seen at that kill when we were there. Hyenas were feeding on it and when lionesses of the Eyrefield pride tried to sneak in they were chased off by those hyenas (more than 10 strong).

The next and last morning, we went back at 6.00 to the kill and to our surprise we found another pride (namely the Selati pride) around the carcass. When some lionesses from the Eyrefield pride tried to feed, they were chased by the Selati pride. When members of the Selati pride were resting, the old female of the Eyrefield pride was feeding. But after a while, most of the members of the Selati pride decided it was time to eat again. And what happened then, was something of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. The old lioness was attacked by several members of the Selati pride and for less than half a minute, we had a fierce battle. We were literally surrounded by lions, who were biting, gnarling and snarling at each other. Only two rangers saw this happen and according to Devon it was the best lion action he had seen for 6 months.

Of course, we saw many different leopards and other big game (+/- 10 rhinos/a herd of +/- 200 buffalo/a herd of +/- 50 elephants/nyala/kudu). Birdlife this time of year was not so impressive but all the rest was. So definitely a place to go back.


Conclusion – in terms of photography:

This are my thoughts – take it for what is worth.

If you are a keen photographer, try to book a private vehicle and experienced guide/tracker. It really pays off. Also try to go out as early as possible because most interesting pictures are taken in the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset. Also if you really want to take great pictures, you’ll have to spend time with the animals otherwise if you drive from one spot to the other – you’ll miss it all. If I come across an interesting scene, I’ll often stay there for the all drive.

And try to buy the best lens that your budget allows you.

On this safari I used the following lenses and bodies:
200mm-400mm F4 + D200: 55% ;
80mm – 200mm F2,8 + D2X: 35%
18mm-70mm F3,5-F4,5 + 10,5mm F2,8 + D70: 10%


Greetings,

Johan

santharamhari

Great trip report Johan.......

Thanks

Hari

Kavey

Wonderful report, thank you so much... I'm really wishing we could do an African safari this year but I really do want to attend my cousin's wedding in India so it's a return to India in October instead. On the plus side we should have a private vehicle and guide which will allow us to have more say in the timetable as well as how long we can stay at a sighting - we too like to stay and watch and wait rather than rush from sighting to sighting. We have sometimes lucked into a private vehicle but only because of guest numbers rather than having booked it.

Where next for you, Johan?

johan_belgium

Kavey and Hari,

Thank you very much - I had to force myself to write it down - taking pictures is a much easier job.

It's great to travel to India to attend a relative's wedding. I wish some of my relatives married abroad.

In August I will be in Namibia - my main focus will be on the Namib desert and I really look forward to stay at Wolvedans.

At the end of September I'll be back to Botswana - I will be visiting two favorite camps of mine (Lebala and Duba Plains) and probably have a short stay in Capetown.

Greetings,

Johan

thit_cho

Thanks, excellent report, and I got a big laugh from the following, which hopefully was a joke, and not true: "They did have a policy about courtesy. When you entered the lounge, the guides had to stand up to greet you."

johan_belgium

It's really true - I couldn't believe it either and even if I said it wasn't necessary to stand up they did.

sundowner

thit-cho, it's not a joke. They do stand when you enter the room. And if your ranger isn't there, they find him quickly.

johan, great trip report to go with your great photos!

napamatt

Johan

What an amazing trip. I'm very glad you had such a great time at Mala Mala, I've found the rangers are very accomodating about being out early, taking breakfast along etc, you just need to ask. They really get a kick out of people who are really interested. That kill must have been in the south, because that's where there is a decent Hyena population capable of keeping Lions off a kill.

What lens did you use to get the Malachite shot?

johan_belgium

Matt,

That kill was towards the south of the concession but according to my ranger the Selati pride has never been seen so far towards the northern direction.

Those shots of the malachite kingfisher were taken by using the following lens:

Nikon 200mm-400mm F4 VR. At a certain moment we were even to close to that bird.

And by the way have a great time at Mombo.

Greetings,

Johan

thit_cho

Johan, have you posted any photos? I got some great photos of malachite kingfishers along the channel at Queen Elizabeth NP in Uganda -- there were lots and I should have better appreciated their rarity. Some of the kingfishers rival the rollers, bee-eaters and sunbirds (I can't believe I just named four bird families -- before my first safari, my bird knowledge was limited to ostriches, vultures and flamingos).

Michael

johan_belgium

Michael,

I posted +/- 400 photos under the following thread: the ultimate safari - pics Johan.

I also didn't know much about birds before my first safari but by now I am familiar with most of them.

Greetings,

Johan

Leely

Johan,
Great report--succinct yet full of detail. Strange about the courtesy rules, but I guess it takes all kinds and I'm sure many appreciate it. Having already viewed your photos, I'm not surprised at the excellent sightings you had. And if this is what you come up with when birdlife is not so impressive...well, I can't imagine when it's prolific.

Thank you.

Kavey

Johan,
Well my parents are from India - they came to England before I was born (here) and ended up staying though I don't think that was their original intention.
There are no other family members in the UK.
My dad's sister and my dad's brother are both in Florida with their respective families.
Everyone else is still in India.
I haven't been able to attend the weddings of all my cousins - I'm very close to many of them through childhood visits every few years growing up. But now we're self-employed we don't have such a difficult restriction on number of days we take off per year so it's easier to go.
Besides which I have two cousins which I'm closest to (I know one shouldn't have favourites within family, or at least express it but there you go) and I managed to attend the wedding of one in 2003 and now the second this year!

Oh and I can't wait to hear what you think of Wolwedans. I'm apprehensive because ALL the three managers from when I visited have left (not because they had problems with their jobs but because each hung on longer than intended precisely because they did have such good relationships with the owner before finally moving on at around the same time) and I'm curious about whether their approach has successfully been handed over to the new team.
I'll await your report.
Certainly, as I'm sure you've read, it's a magical place for me, it's where we renewed our wedding vows in 2004 (and adopted the fairy circle in which we did so) and it's where I'd like my ashes scattered, if possible, when I pass away.
I hope you love it even half as much as I do.

johan_belgium

Kavey,

Now I am looking even more forward to go to Wolvedans.

Best regards,

Johan

Kavey

I am looking forward to hearing whether or not it's retained it's magic...

Africa

Thank you Johan, a wonderful report to compliment your great pictures. If only I had the discipline to write my Zambia report??

Johan, what settings and lens do you use for your night-time photography? Do you use an external flash?

Thanks

Gaurang

johan_belgium

Gaurang,

I mainly use my 200mm-400mm lens VR4 and I am working on ISO 1250 (D200). I don't use a flash - the light of the spotlight is most of the times sufficient.

I know there must be better ways but I am not that much into night photography.

Greetings,

Johan

sundowner

If you use an external flash for night photography (or daytime, too), the Better Beamer really makes a difference. There is a review and sample pictures here http://www.luminous-landscape.com/re...r_beamer.shtml

santharamhari

Johan,

When in August to Namibia? If we transit in Joburg at the same time, we must meet for a chat!!!

Hari

atravelynn

Your explanation of very early light and last rays of the day makes sense, and as I mentioned in the photo post, your photos use the light so well.

Such fantastic viewing you had at two action packed camps.

Do you know how much a private Mala Mala vehicle is?

On the days you went out real early at Mala Mala, did you just make that request? How did that work to go early?

You have me looking forward to my first Mala Mala visit, which will occur in about a year.

Thanks for the report.