TRIP REPORT: I Speak of Africa… (Botswana 22 June – 7 July 2006)
Aug 6th, 2006, 06:04 AM
#84
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JUNE 29: OKAVANGO DELTA (MOMBO)
I woke to the sound of lions roaring around 530am – a real African wake-up call. To my surprise, when I left my tent the surrounding vegetation appeared mostly intact. And it was even a balmy 11C.
Spa Girl’s hidden virtues were becoming more apparent – because she needed her beauty sleep (actually, I don’t think anything short of a sample sale at Louis Vuitton would get her out of bed early), she and her boyfriend would be joining the morning drive later in the day. It was the kid’s birthday and he wanted to sleep in as well, so I had a private vehicle for most of the morning drive. It’s great that Wilderness has this sort of flexibility. After a quick breakfast of porridge and tea (provided by States) we were off.
Compared to yesterday evening virtually anything would seem slow, and the drive did start off pretty quietly. We saw some general game on the way out of camp – the impala looked fluffy with their fur standing on end to keep them warm. A lone hyaena looked surprisingly handsome in the early morning light (proving beyond a doubt that lighting is everything when it comes to looking photogenic). We also saw a really adorable nest of tiny young tree squirrels sunning themselves on the side of a tree. They were grooming each other and chasing each other around – it was very sweet.
We checked on the leopards, but both cubs and kill were gone. There were no drag marks at the kill site, and Cilas surmised that Legadimo had probably lost the kill to another predator sometime during the night. I hoped that she at least got a good meal out of it.
I got some nice shots of ellies feeding on the lush green Delta foliage in the warm morning light, and a herd of zebra on a floodplain. A short while later, I caught a quick movement in the grass and a flash of black and white – it was a honey badger! We had a great sighting of him foraging in the grass before the thickset little guy did an amazingly speedy disappearing act – my best sighting of a honey badger yet.
The rest of the group arrived to join the drive. During the transfer we received a radio message from the camp – the helicopter flight would be $400 per ½ hour flip, and the pilot was available from 11pm onwards. My first instinct (which turned out to be correct) was to go with 2pm, but Spa Girl and her boyfriend wanted to make sure they had a long afternoon siesta and booked for 12 noon, with my group (myself and the father and son duo) at 12:30.
The timing of the helicopter flight (well, the timing of Spa Girl’s siesta) meant that we did have to leave a great sighting of a little leopard cub (about 2 months old) rather earlier than I would have liked – and after that, the helicopter was late. Spa Girl and her boyfriend ended up leaving at 12:50 and my group left around 13:30. Next time I’ll book the helicopter ride for the afternoon to avoid losing any game-viewing time, or the very early morning to see game on the Delta – and book a private vehicle. I did take advantage of the wait for the helicopter to take some pictures of the public areas of the camp for the Safari Photo Album.
I’ve been travelling to Africa for quite some time now, and up until this point I’ve been able to honestly say that the closest I’ve ever been to a snake was seeing its track in the road. However, that was about to change. On the way to the helicopter pad (actually an open area which was sometimes used as a football pitch by the Mombo staff) we saw something that looked like a stick lying across the road in front of the vehicle. But this was no stick – it was a black mamba. We all jumped (well, except for Cilas) as it slithered off the road and coiled up under a bush, eyeing us balefully. I wish I’d gotten a picture, but I just didn’t think – I was too busy being glad it had retreated. This is the closest I’ve ever been to a seriously poisonous snake in Africa, and it was more than close enough for me – though as it turned out I’d be getting much closer by the time this trip was done.
I woke to the sound of lions roaring around 530am – a real African wake-up call. To my surprise, when I left my tent the surrounding vegetation appeared mostly intact. And it was even a balmy 11C.
Spa Girl’s hidden virtues were becoming more apparent – because she needed her beauty sleep (actually, I don’t think anything short of a sample sale at Louis Vuitton would get her out of bed early), she and her boyfriend would be joining the morning drive later in the day. It was the kid’s birthday and he wanted to sleep in as well, so I had a private vehicle for most of the morning drive. It’s great that Wilderness has this sort of flexibility. After a quick breakfast of porridge and tea (provided by States) we were off.
Compared to yesterday evening virtually anything would seem slow, and the drive did start off pretty quietly. We saw some general game on the way out of camp – the impala looked fluffy with their fur standing on end to keep them warm. A lone hyaena looked surprisingly handsome in the early morning light (proving beyond a doubt that lighting is everything when it comes to looking photogenic). We also saw a really adorable nest of tiny young tree squirrels sunning themselves on the side of a tree. They were grooming each other and chasing each other around – it was very sweet.
We checked on the leopards, but both cubs and kill were gone. There were no drag marks at the kill site, and Cilas surmised that Legadimo had probably lost the kill to another predator sometime during the night. I hoped that she at least got a good meal out of it.
I got some nice shots of ellies feeding on the lush green Delta foliage in the warm morning light, and a herd of zebra on a floodplain. A short while later, I caught a quick movement in the grass and a flash of black and white – it was a honey badger! We had a great sighting of him foraging in the grass before the thickset little guy did an amazingly speedy disappearing act – my best sighting of a honey badger yet.
The rest of the group arrived to join the drive. During the transfer we received a radio message from the camp – the helicopter flight would be $400 per ½ hour flip, and the pilot was available from 11pm onwards. My first instinct (which turned out to be correct) was to go with 2pm, but Spa Girl and her boyfriend wanted to make sure they had a long afternoon siesta and booked for 12 noon, with my group (myself and the father and son duo) at 12:30.
The timing of the helicopter flight (well, the timing of Spa Girl’s siesta) meant that we did have to leave a great sighting of a little leopard cub (about 2 months old) rather earlier than I would have liked – and after that, the helicopter was late. Spa Girl and her boyfriend ended up leaving at 12:50 and my group left around 13:30. Next time I’ll book the helicopter ride for the afternoon to avoid losing any game-viewing time, or the very early morning to see game on the Delta – and book a private vehicle. I did take advantage of the wait for the helicopter to take some pictures of the public areas of the camp for the Safari Photo Album.
I’ve been travelling to Africa for quite some time now, and up until this point I’ve been able to honestly say that the closest I’ve ever been to a snake was seeing its track in the road. However, that was about to change. On the way to the helicopter pad (actually an open area which was sometimes used as a football pitch by the Mombo staff) we saw something that looked like a stick lying across the road in front of the vehicle. But this was no stick – it was a black mamba. We all jumped (well, except for Cilas) as it slithered off the road and coiled up under a bush, eyeing us balefully. I wish I’d gotten a picture, but I just didn’t think – I was too busy being glad it had retreated. This is the closest I’ve ever been to a seriously poisonous snake in Africa, and it was more than close enough for me – though as it turned out I’d be getting much closer by the time this trip was done.
Aug 6th, 2006, 06:26 AM
#86
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Hi Hari,
It's $400 for the helicopter, so the cost per person depends on the number of people. You can seat a maximum of 3 people (two in back and one in front) if you want everyone to have a window seat.
Cheers,
Julian
It's $400 for the helicopter, so the cost per person depends on the number of people. You can seat a maximum of 3 people (two in back and one in front) if you want everyone to have a window seat.
Cheers,
Julian
Aug 6th, 2006, 06:37 AM
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Julian, I was exaggerating about the pangolin, aardvark and caracal (of the three, I have only seen one caracal, and that on the return into Savuti after dark, and while we watched it for a minute or so, we weren't able to get any photographs).
After my return from Botswana, I didn't realize how lucky I was to see wild dogs (funny, before I corrected a typo, I had transposed two letters and typed wild "gods"
, because I found them easily at my three Botswana stops (saw them many times at Chitabe and a lone dog ran alongside us in the Savuti channel for several minutes, and I saw one dog along the Chobe River waterfront).
As for snakes, I have seen very few, but we did see a python on a drive from Chitabe, and I have seen several boomslangs.
That's a very reasonable price for the helicopter -- I was expecting it to be more expensive.
After my return from Botswana, I didn't realize how lucky I was to see wild dogs (funny, before I corrected a typo, I had transposed two letters and typed wild "gods"
, because I found them easily at my three Botswana stops (saw them many times at Chitabe and a lone dog ran alongside us in the Savuti channel for several minutes, and I saw one dog along the Chobe River waterfront).As for snakes, I have seen very few, but we did see a python on a drive from Chitabe, and I have seen several boomslangs.
That's a very reasonable price for the helicopter -- I was expecting it to be more expensive.
Aug 6th, 2006, 07:03 AM
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Hi Michael,
I figured you were joking, but you never know!
When I was at Mala Mala I heard a funny story known as 'The Japanese Pangolin.' There was a group of Japanese tourists who were the ultimate list-tickers -- they had arrived with a list of animals they planned to see in hand and, come hell or high water, they were going to see them all. And, to their ranger's frustration, all they wanted to do was just that - tick them off on the list. They had no interest in actually watching the animals, or learning about their behaviour. It was tick and move on.
Since it was Mala Mala, where the game-viewing is phenomenal, they were able to to tick every animal on their list bar one - the pangolin. (It became clear that they had no idea what a pangolin was, or what it looked like - they just knew it was rare and wanted to see it). For the last two days of their trip, they cruised around Mala Mala, passing up wonderful sightings of other animals and badgering their ranger endlessly about the pangolin. 'Oh, lion, that's nice - where is the pangolin?' It got to be a running joke among the other rangers - whenever he appeared at dinner, they would say, 'So, how about that pangolin?'
The guests were flying out very early in the morning to make their flight back to Tokyo, so their last drive at Mala Mala was a night drive. As they headed back to camp, pangolin-less, there was a rumble of mutiny from the back seat. They had all heard so much about the game-viewing at Mala Mala, and how easy it was to see all of the animals there. But this was a nefarious lie! There was no pangolin!
Just as they entered the road approaching camp, a mongoose darted across in front of their vehicle. The guests leaned forward in a flurry of excitement - what was that? The ranger turned slowly, and, in a solemn voice, said, 'It was a pangolin.' The final animal on the list was ticked, the guests were ecstatic, and the legend of the Japanese pangolin was born.
Seriously, the question of where the best game-viewing in Africa can be found is a debate that can go on forever, and in the end I think it's a matter of, as we say over here, 'picking horses for courses' -- one person's best place may be different from another's. I've found it very challenging to get good viewing of my favourite two species (leopard and wild dog) in one place, so Mombo is perfect for me.
I also love seeing the small cats, and I really enjoyed my caracal sightings at Savuti. I hope you'll get a chance to see caracal there.
Cheers,
Julian
I figured you were joking, but you never know!
When I was at Mala Mala I heard a funny story known as 'The Japanese Pangolin.' There was a group of Japanese tourists who were the ultimate list-tickers -- they had arrived with a list of animals they planned to see in hand and, come hell or high water, they were going to see them all. And, to their ranger's frustration, all they wanted to do was just that - tick them off on the list. They had no interest in actually watching the animals, or learning about their behaviour. It was tick and move on. Since it was Mala Mala, where the game-viewing is phenomenal, they were able to to tick every animal on their list bar one - the pangolin. (It became clear that they had no idea what a pangolin was, or what it looked like - they just knew it was rare and wanted to see it). For the last two days of their trip, they cruised around Mala Mala, passing up wonderful sightings of other animals and badgering their ranger endlessly about the pangolin. 'Oh, lion, that's nice - where is the pangolin?' It got to be a running joke among the other rangers - whenever he appeared at dinner, they would say, 'So, how about that pangolin?'
The guests were flying out very early in the morning to make their flight back to Tokyo, so their last drive at Mala Mala was a night drive. As they headed back to camp, pangolin-less, there was a rumble of mutiny from the back seat. They had all heard so much about the game-viewing at Mala Mala, and how easy it was to see all of the animals there. But this was a nefarious lie! There was no pangolin!
Just as they entered the road approaching camp, a mongoose darted across in front of their vehicle. The guests leaned forward in a flurry of excitement - what was that? The ranger turned slowly, and, in a solemn voice, said, 'It was a pangolin.' The final animal on the list was ticked, the guests were ecstatic, and the legend of the Japanese pangolin was born.
Seriously, the question of where the best game-viewing in Africa can be found is a debate that can go on forever, and in the end I think it's a matter of, as we say over here, 'picking horses for courses' -- one person's best place may be different from another's. I've found it very challenging to get good viewing of my favourite two species (leopard and wild dog) in one place, so Mombo is perfect for me.
I also love seeing the small cats, and I really enjoyed my caracal sightings at Savuti. I hope you'll get a chance to see caracal there.
Cheers,
Julian
Aug 6th, 2006, 07:20 AM
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JUNE 29: OKAVANGO DELTA (MOMBO) Continued
I took some shots of the helicopter as it came in to land. Spa Girl and her boyfriend hopped out – apparently they had seen some absolutely enormous crocs, as well as herds of ellies and plains game from the air.
The pilot had already taken the doors off for the previous flight – ideal for aerial photography). We arranged it so that both of the photographers (the father and myself) were on the same side of the helicopter so the pilot knew which way to turn for the best angle. Photography is better from the back seats (in the front the windshield can get in the way, particularly if you have a long lens). I suggested flipping for it, but it turned out that the father wanted to sit in front because of his interest in flying so it was fine.
Up close, a helicopter is amazingly loud – we all had to wear headsets with mics to communicate with each other. Having the doors off was ideal for photography, but did introduce the potential for our gear (or us) to fall out on a quick turn, so the pilot made sure we were firmly strapped in before putting our camera bags in the boot. I did have a momentary waking nightmare about watching one of my 20Ds go spiralling to a watery grave in the Okavango, so I looped the one with the 70-200 around my neck and the one with the 24-105 crosswise over my chest.
As we took off we passed quite low over a herd of lechwe, who leapt away in a series of splashes. The view from a small plane absolutely cannot compare to the view from the helicopter – we were down much lower, and with the doors off the view was crystal clear. I got some wonderful shots of animals from above – lechwe, ellies, hippos, giraffes, and crocs – as well as some stunning shots of the Delta itself. I probably would have gotten even better shots without the lens hood – it did cut glare but had a tendency to catch the wind and vibrate at an inopportune moment.
I learned from the pilot that Wilderness will be offering helicopter transfers in the Delta in the near future, in addition to scenic flights from most Delta camps. If you can do a helicopter transfer, I’d highly recommend it – it’s a totally different perspective. A half-hour flight is plenty of time. One thing I’d definitely recommend is wearing a fleece or a jacket – I went up in just a linen shirt and was pretty cold by the time we landed.
When we got back to camp, I had just enough time for a post-helicopter shower (it does kick up a lot of dust) before tea. The offerings at tea didn’t really appeal to me (too heavy), so I was just going to have some tea (I always eat way too much on safari anyhow). I was very surprised (and the envy of the people sitting next to me) when States appeared with a huge slice of yesterday’s chocolate cake.
The afternoon drive was pretty quiet, meaning ‘only’ sightings of a breeding herd of ellies coming down to drink and play (the babies are so funny!); several pairs of black-backed jackals hunting mice at different points during the drive; and a perfect African scene of impala, giraffe, zebra, and elephants together on an open floodplain, bathed in golden light – like something out of a movie.
The boma night at Mombo was a less traditional affair than the one at Savuti – the guests all sat at a table covered in white linen and ate with forks and knives (I was glad about the last part – eating with your hands is a pain). The food was posher (also a plus from my standpoint as this meant less fatty) and the atmosphere bit more refined, with the staff performance accompanied by a guide playing a guitar rather than a kudu horn. We stayed around the fire talking for awhile afterwards before heading off to bed.
I took some shots of the helicopter as it came in to land. Spa Girl and her boyfriend hopped out – apparently they had seen some absolutely enormous crocs, as well as herds of ellies and plains game from the air.
The pilot had already taken the doors off for the previous flight – ideal for aerial photography). We arranged it so that both of the photographers (the father and myself) were on the same side of the helicopter so the pilot knew which way to turn for the best angle. Photography is better from the back seats (in the front the windshield can get in the way, particularly if you have a long lens). I suggested flipping for it, but it turned out that the father wanted to sit in front because of his interest in flying so it was fine.
Up close, a helicopter is amazingly loud – we all had to wear headsets with mics to communicate with each other. Having the doors off was ideal for photography, but did introduce the potential for our gear (or us) to fall out on a quick turn, so the pilot made sure we were firmly strapped in before putting our camera bags in the boot. I did have a momentary waking nightmare about watching one of my 20Ds go spiralling to a watery grave in the Okavango, so I looped the one with the 70-200 around my neck and the one with the 24-105 crosswise over my chest.
As we took off we passed quite low over a herd of lechwe, who leapt away in a series of splashes. The view from a small plane absolutely cannot compare to the view from the helicopter – we were down much lower, and with the doors off the view was crystal clear. I got some wonderful shots of animals from above – lechwe, ellies, hippos, giraffes, and crocs – as well as some stunning shots of the Delta itself. I probably would have gotten even better shots without the lens hood – it did cut glare but had a tendency to catch the wind and vibrate at an inopportune moment.
I learned from the pilot that Wilderness will be offering helicopter transfers in the Delta in the near future, in addition to scenic flights from most Delta camps. If you can do a helicopter transfer, I’d highly recommend it – it’s a totally different perspective. A half-hour flight is plenty of time. One thing I’d definitely recommend is wearing a fleece or a jacket – I went up in just a linen shirt and was pretty cold by the time we landed.
When we got back to camp, I had just enough time for a post-helicopter shower (it does kick up a lot of dust) before tea. The offerings at tea didn’t really appeal to me (too heavy), so I was just going to have some tea (I always eat way too much on safari anyhow). I was very surprised (and the envy of the people sitting next to me) when States appeared with a huge slice of yesterday’s chocolate cake.
The afternoon drive was pretty quiet, meaning ‘only’ sightings of a breeding herd of ellies coming down to drink and play (the babies are so funny!); several pairs of black-backed jackals hunting mice at different points during the drive; and a perfect African scene of impala, giraffe, zebra, and elephants together on an open floodplain, bathed in golden light – like something out of a movie.
The boma night at Mombo was a less traditional affair than the one at Savuti – the guests all sat at a table covered in white linen and ate with forks and knives (I was glad about the last part – eating with your hands is a pain). The food was posher (also a plus from my standpoint as this meant less fatty) and the atmosphere bit more refined, with the staff performance accompanied by a guide playing a guitar rather than a kudu horn. We stayed around the fire talking for awhile afterwards before heading off to bed.
Aug 6th, 2006, 08:00 AM
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JUNE 30: OKAVANGO DELTA (MOMBO)
The lions were roaring again this morning – who needs an alarm clock? Fortunately the elephant had apparently found greener pastures – I love the sounds of hippos grunting and splashing, but can do without the crashing and snapping of an elephant feeding on / devastating the surrounding vegetation.
I was surprised to find Cilas coming to escort me to the lounge at 630 – under normal circumstances you can walk to the lounge by yourself since the no night-drive rule means that it’s reasonably light outside by the time they wake you up. But a leopard had killed a baboon in camp last night, and stowed it in a tree next to the main walkway between my tent and Tent 7. One of the guides, following the drag marks, had seen the leopard under the walkway, accompanied by a small cub – Cilas thought it might be the cub we saw yesterday as the camp was part of her mother’s territory. She seemed to have slipped away as the camp woke up, but would probably come back once things had quieted down.
My vehicle-mates had once again decided to sleep in, so once again I had a private vehicle at the beginning of the morning drive. (As it turned out neither pair ever showed up at all, so I had the private vehicle for the whole drive). We saw a hyaena on the way out of camp (the same one from yesterday?) as well as a fairly relaxed herd of lechwe.
Down by the edge of one of the pans we saw a comical sight – an entire pack of banded mongooses standing on their hind legs facing the sun. They scattered as we drew closer so I didn’t get a picture of them standing up, but I did get some nice shots of them foraging for mice in the grass. Their banded coats are really beautiful.
I got some very nice shots of a pair of black-backed jackals sunning themselves, followed by my second sighting of giraffes necking. Watching giraffes neck is an amazing sight – you know it’s a form of combat, but it looks like a very slow dance, and they always look so nonchalant. The two bulls shouldered each other back and forth, whilst swaying their heads towards one another, veeeeerrrryyyy sssslllooooowwwlllyyy. Even battle looks peaceful when performed by giraffes.
We were driving through a clearing in a wooded area when three warthogs trotted past with tails held high. Cilas tracked where they had come from, and stepped on the brakes – there was a young female leopard resting in the shade just ahead. She was so beautiful in the dappled light. Ass we watched her, Cilas noted that she didn’t look like she’d fed recently, and said that she might hunt if presented with the opportunity. We saw her go on alert as a group of impala emerged on the fringe of the nearby woods. This time, with no first-timers on board, I was able to sit and wait to see what happened.
Her entire demeanour transformed as she went into hunting mode. For a fascinating hour and a half we watched her stalk, slinking from tree to tuft of grass to tree, taking advantage of every scrap of cover. We were able to stay very close to her – she completely ignored us, all her attention on her prey. Another vehicle stopped by to see her, but moved on as she wasn’t doing much at the time – their loss.
In the blink of an eye she went flat as an unwary francolin walked in front of the tuft of grass where she was hiding. A bird in the paw is worth an impala in the bush, and she pounced in a blur of movement. The francolin let out a strangled squawk, but slipped away, and the leopard came up empty. In the manner of embarrassed cats the world over, she turned her back on the francolin and its loud alarm calls and began to groom herself. We left her under a tree contemplating her lost lunch.
Over my own lunch I met my new vehicle-mates, two former college roommates from Vermont. They’ve done quite a bit of travelling together, but this was their first trip to Africa – and they were certainly going first-class with an all-six-paw itinerary. We all got on quite well, and had similar safari interests – mammals rather than birds, with a focus on predators, especially the cats. They’d never heard of wild dogs before, but when I told them about how I had seen pack members helping an injured dog at Londoz they agreed that they would definitely like to see them. When I mentioned Spa Girl, they knew immediately who I was talking about – apparently they had crossed paths with her at their last camp.
After a quick shower, I took the opportunity to walk through the nearly empty camp taking photos of all the rooms from outside. Virtually everyone in the camp except me and the people in Tent 9 had checked out, and the new guests (a party of 14) had not arrived. The baboon was still in the tree as I took pictures of Tents 7 and 6 (I really hoped the leopard would come and retrieve it soon – it was starting to smell a bit). I moved through the main lounge and took shots of Tents 1-5 (1 is furthest from the lounge and looks very private; 5 is closest to the lounge).
According to Sharon, the manager who runs the shop, a pretty major overhaul is planned for all of the six-paw camps during (African) summer 2008 – she wasn’t sure if this meant January 2008 or December 2008. It sounds like there will be some upgrades, particularly for Mombo and Jao which are the oldest of the six-paw camps. Jao will definitely be getting private plunge pools, and Mombo may do depending on the response of the National Parks board. The furniture will be re-upholstered, and the floors stripped and re-finished. Spa Girl will be in heaven if she can ever be persuaded to return to Botswana, as Mombo, King’s Pool, and Vumbura Plains will be getting spas.
The lions were roaring again this morning – who needs an alarm clock? Fortunately the elephant had apparently found greener pastures – I love the sounds of hippos grunting and splashing, but can do without the crashing and snapping of an elephant feeding on / devastating the surrounding vegetation.
I was surprised to find Cilas coming to escort me to the lounge at 630 – under normal circumstances you can walk to the lounge by yourself since the no night-drive rule means that it’s reasonably light outside by the time they wake you up. But a leopard had killed a baboon in camp last night, and stowed it in a tree next to the main walkway between my tent and Tent 7. One of the guides, following the drag marks, had seen the leopard under the walkway, accompanied by a small cub – Cilas thought it might be the cub we saw yesterday as the camp was part of her mother’s territory. She seemed to have slipped away as the camp woke up, but would probably come back once things had quieted down.
My vehicle-mates had once again decided to sleep in, so once again I had a private vehicle at the beginning of the morning drive. (As it turned out neither pair ever showed up at all, so I had the private vehicle for the whole drive). We saw a hyaena on the way out of camp (the same one from yesterday?) as well as a fairly relaxed herd of lechwe.
Down by the edge of one of the pans we saw a comical sight – an entire pack of banded mongooses standing on their hind legs facing the sun. They scattered as we drew closer so I didn’t get a picture of them standing up, but I did get some nice shots of them foraging for mice in the grass. Their banded coats are really beautiful.
I got some very nice shots of a pair of black-backed jackals sunning themselves, followed by my second sighting of giraffes necking. Watching giraffes neck is an amazing sight – you know it’s a form of combat, but it looks like a very slow dance, and they always look so nonchalant. The two bulls shouldered each other back and forth, whilst swaying their heads towards one another, veeeeerrrryyyy sssslllooooowwwlllyyy. Even battle looks peaceful when performed by giraffes.
We were driving through a clearing in a wooded area when three warthogs trotted past with tails held high. Cilas tracked where they had come from, and stepped on the brakes – there was a young female leopard resting in the shade just ahead. She was so beautiful in the dappled light. Ass we watched her, Cilas noted that she didn’t look like she’d fed recently, and said that she might hunt if presented with the opportunity. We saw her go on alert as a group of impala emerged on the fringe of the nearby woods. This time, with no first-timers on board, I was able to sit and wait to see what happened.
Her entire demeanour transformed as she went into hunting mode. For a fascinating hour and a half we watched her stalk, slinking from tree to tuft of grass to tree, taking advantage of every scrap of cover. We were able to stay very close to her – she completely ignored us, all her attention on her prey. Another vehicle stopped by to see her, but moved on as she wasn’t doing much at the time – their loss.
In the blink of an eye she went flat as an unwary francolin walked in front of the tuft of grass where she was hiding. A bird in the paw is worth an impala in the bush, and she pounced in a blur of movement. The francolin let out a strangled squawk, but slipped away, and the leopard came up empty. In the manner of embarrassed cats the world over, she turned her back on the francolin and its loud alarm calls and began to groom herself. We left her under a tree contemplating her lost lunch.
Over my own lunch I met my new vehicle-mates, two former college roommates from Vermont. They’ve done quite a bit of travelling together, but this was their first trip to Africa – and they were certainly going first-class with an all-six-paw itinerary. We all got on quite well, and had similar safari interests – mammals rather than birds, with a focus on predators, especially the cats. They’d never heard of wild dogs before, but when I told them about how I had seen pack members helping an injured dog at Londoz they agreed that they would definitely like to see them. When I mentioned Spa Girl, they knew immediately who I was talking about – apparently they had crossed paths with her at their last camp.
After a quick shower, I took the opportunity to walk through the nearly empty camp taking photos of all the rooms from outside. Virtually everyone in the camp except me and the people in Tent 9 had checked out, and the new guests (a party of 14) had not arrived. The baboon was still in the tree as I took pictures of Tents 7 and 6 (I really hoped the leopard would come and retrieve it soon – it was starting to smell a bit). I moved through the main lounge and took shots of Tents 1-5 (1 is furthest from the lounge and looks very private; 5 is closest to the lounge).
According to Sharon, the manager who runs the shop, a pretty major overhaul is planned for all of the six-paw camps during (African) summer 2008 – she wasn’t sure if this meant January 2008 or December 2008. It sounds like there will be some upgrades, particularly for Mombo and Jao which are the oldest of the six-paw camps. Jao will definitely be getting private plunge pools, and Mombo may do depending on the response of the National Parks board. The furniture will be re-upholstered, and the floors stripped and re-finished. Spa Girl will be in heaven if she can ever be persuaded to return to Botswana, as Mombo, King’s Pool, and Vumbura Plains will be getting spas.
Aug 6th, 2006, 08:01 AM
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WOW Julian - the more I read the more envious I am . What a fantastic trip and all those Leopards!!!! Looks like Botswana is making it to the short list for our next trip- we REALLY want to increase our chances of having a decent leopard sighting (we saw our first and only leopard this trip in Nakuru but it was quite a way off in a tree). And that helicopter trip sounds like fun.
Thanks for the info on Chui also.
Can't wait to read more!!!!
Imelda
. What a fantastic trip and all those Leopards!!!! Looks like Botswana is making it to the short list for our next trip- we REALLY want to increase our chances of having a decent leopard sighting (we saw our first and only leopard this trip in Nakuru but it was quite a way off in a tree). And that helicopter trip sounds like fun.Thanks for the info on Chui also.
Can't wait to read more!!!!
Imelda
Aug 6th, 2006, 08:09 AM
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Maybe I'll reconsider my observation about Mombo being the best for game after I visit Mala Mala for the first time next year.
The helicopter is not outrageous if it flies at capacity. Don't think I'll be booking a copter transfer, but I too thought it could be twice that. I heard of one couple getting a surprise helicopter transfer because it just worked out. That would be a nice surprise.
Michael, I liked your typo comment. Here is a joke that goes with it.
<i>Did you hear about the dyslexic agnostic with insomina?
Stayed up all night wondering, "Is there a Dog?" </i>
The helicopter is not outrageous if it flies at capacity. Don't think I'll be booking a copter transfer, but I too thought it could be twice that. I heard of one couple getting a surprise helicopter transfer because it just worked out. That would be a nice surprise.
Michael, I liked your typo comment. Here is a joke that goes with it.
<i>Did you hear about the dyslexic agnostic with insomina?
Stayed up all night wondering, "Is there a Dog?" </i>
Aug 6th, 2006, 08:11 AM
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Awesome to hear you got to see Legidima. she spent some time under our tent and under our vehicle in jan 2005.
Michael, i will try to explain what makes Mombo different that any other camp. Because their are so many predators in the area, there are almost always predator/predator or predator/prey interactions going on and at close range. i have seen plenty of predators at other camps, but no where have i seen so many unique interactions than at Mombo. i have visited 2 times for a total of 7 days and have seen the following interactions:
lion hunting buffalo full out
lion stalking and hunting zebra
lion standing off rhino at a waterhole
lion battling with hyena
lion feeding on buffalo, babboon, zebra
leopard hunting warthog
leopard hunting impala
leopard hunting tree squirrel in camp
leopard under our tent
leopard under our land rover
leopard feeding on impala
hyena interacting with wild dog
wild dog hunting impala
all of these sightings and the stays were both during what is not supposed to be good viewing season in botswana, January.
i like you dont like the crowds or obnoxious other guests but the game outweighs any negatives. plus if you go in dec or jan you usually dont get those types of people, the game is still at its best there, and the photography is great. people say why would i spend the same amount of money to visit mombo in dec/jan as aug, and my response is the game is just as plentiful then and u get more hours of daylight which particularly there is important.
Michael, i will try to explain what makes Mombo different that any other camp. Because their are so many predators in the area, there are almost always predator/predator or predator/prey interactions going on and at close range. i have seen plenty of predators at other camps, but no where have i seen so many unique interactions than at Mombo. i have visited 2 times for a total of 7 days and have seen the following interactions:
lion hunting buffalo full out
lion stalking and hunting zebra
lion standing off rhino at a waterhole
lion battling with hyena
lion feeding on buffalo, babboon, zebra
leopard hunting warthog
leopard hunting impala
leopard hunting tree squirrel in camp
leopard under our tent
leopard under our land rover
leopard feeding on impala
hyena interacting with wild dog
wild dog hunting impala
all of these sightings and the stays were both during what is not supposed to be good viewing season in botswana, January.
i like you dont like the crowds or obnoxious other guests but the game outweighs any negatives. plus if you go in dec or jan you usually dont get those types of people, the game is still at its best there, and the photography is great. people say why would i spend the same amount of money to visit mombo in dec/jan as aug, and my response is the game is just as plentiful then and u get more hours of daylight which particularly there is important.
Aug 6th, 2006, 08:46 AM
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Wow Julian this is an amazing report, it is like reading a really great novel when you can't wait to get back to it to read more. I also loved my time at Mombo so much, I felt like I was in a fantasy land. It is really amazing to me that someone would miss out on the opportunity for game drives at Mombo when there is so much to see. I could have stayed out for the entire day and never been aware of the time, I was so mezmerized. Thanks for sharing such a detailed and compelling account of your trip!
Aug 6th, 2006, 09:09 AM
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Hi Bigcountry,
Good points about the green season - I've often wondered what it's like at that time of year, but I just can't tolerate the heat and humidity. I may try April or May at some point, though.
Cheers,
Julian
Good points about the green season - I've often wondered what it's like at that time of year, but I just can't tolerate the heat and humidity. I may try April or May at some point, though.
Cheers,
Julian
Aug 6th, 2006, 09:10 AM
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JUNE 30: OKAVANGO DELTA (MOMBO CAMP) Continued
The party of fourteen arrived just in time for tea, and turned out to be three generations of a family from the US celebrating the patriarch’s 75th birthday. A guest at Jao had warned my vehicle-mates about this family, having crossed paths with them at Jack’s Camp, but I found them to be really pleasant. There was the patriarch and his wife; their three daughters and sons-in-law; and various grandchildren – fortunately all of the grandchildren bar one were teenagers. The two teenage boys raved about Jack’s Camp and how much fun they had had on the quad-bikes there; one of their uncles described the walk with the Bushmen as unmissable, but warned me to make sure I wore plenty of layers on the quad bike excursion. At least now I have my fleece.
What was really great about this family was their philosophy towards travel. Through some undisclosed means the grandfather had made a fortune, and rather than sitting on the money he pays for a big family trip like this one every five years. The grandparents also take each grandchild on a week-long trip when they turn thirteen – they’d taken one of the boys to Galapagos. They saw experiences shared and time spent together as a much more valuable gift to their children and grandchildren than the money would be. What was particularly amazing was that the children seemed to actually have some grasp of how rare this sort of opportunity is.
Travelling with them was their long-time travel agent and his wife, who were staying in the guide’s tent (Tent 10). He was in charge of the logistics, which must have been considerable., Tent 10. Since both the agent and the grandparents were birders, they had booked three vehicles (normally their group would have had two, but they had paid for a third vehicle – hence my difficulty in getting a private vehicle, as they had quite understandably booked four years in advance to secure the space in all their camps). One was the designated ‘Birdmobile’ and the other two were for people who were interested in mammals. As much as I wished I could have had a private vehicle, I had to admit that this arrangement made perfect sense – otherwise there probably would have been a mutiny in the Birdmobile.
The family had just come from Duma Tau, where they had seen four wild dogs from the Selinda pack (which was denning on Selinda but making frequent excursions into the Linyanti) on their last drive. I was green with envy, and mentally kicked myself for swapping Selinda for Savuti on the last day of my Linyanti itinerary – I hadn’t wanted to move camp for only one day, but a chance at seeing the dogs would have been worth it. Oh well – there’s always next year…
My new vehicle mates really wanted to see lions, so they were chuffed when we found a pride of four early in our afternoon drive. Three males and a female had just finished polishing off a zebra, and were lolling on their backs like beached whales – I’ve never seen such distended stomachs in my life. They really did not look comfortable, and kept shifting positions – it was pretty comical. One of the males got up for a drink – if you have never seen a lion waddle, take it from me that it’s a really funny sight.
Cilas said that these lions were some of the younger members of a pride of 28, known as the Matatu (‘Trouble’) pride, that dominates a large part of the Mombo concession. The young males were reaching the age where they would be driven out, and were already spending more time on their own to avoid the unwanted attentions of the pride males.
The remains of the kill had been taken over by the scavengers, and in attendance at the carcass were a large number of maribou storks – Cilas called them ‘the undertakers’ and they certainly do look the part – as well as several species of vultures. The hyaenas had apparently been and gone, though we saw the evidence of their powerful jaws on the splintered leg bones. We spent some time watching the ‘clean-up crew’ in action – fascinating stuff.
In addition to good general game viewing (quite exciting for my companions) we shared sundowners with a breeding herd of ellies on the opposite side of a pan. On the way back to camp we saw a few spring hares, an African wild cat, and heard the haunting cry of the jackals.
After a delicious dinner, I found that there were a number of current and former Girl and Boy Scouts among the family of 14, who were delighted with the homemade marshmallows. It was fun to watch the teenagers try to explain S’Mores to the Batswana. They were as excited as I was about the leopard in camp, and we made arrangements to be woken up if she came back during the night.
The party of fourteen arrived just in time for tea, and turned out to be three generations of a family from the US celebrating the patriarch’s 75th birthday. A guest at Jao had warned my vehicle-mates about this family, having crossed paths with them at Jack’s Camp, but I found them to be really pleasant. There was the patriarch and his wife; their three daughters and sons-in-law; and various grandchildren – fortunately all of the grandchildren bar one were teenagers. The two teenage boys raved about Jack’s Camp and how much fun they had had on the quad-bikes there; one of their uncles described the walk with the Bushmen as unmissable, but warned me to make sure I wore plenty of layers on the quad bike excursion. At least now I have my fleece.
What was really great about this family was their philosophy towards travel. Through some undisclosed means the grandfather had made a fortune, and rather than sitting on the money he pays for a big family trip like this one every five years. The grandparents also take each grandchild on a week-long trip when they turn thirteen – they’d taken one of the boys to Galapagos. They saw experiences shared and time spent together as a much more valuable gift to their children and grandchildren than the money would be. What was particularly amazing was that the children seemed to actually have some grasp of how rare this sort of opportunity is.
Travelling with them was their long-time travel agent and his wife, who were staying in the guide’s tent (Tent 10). He was in charge of the logistics, which must have been considerable., Tent 10. Since both the agent and the grandparents were birders, they had booked three vehicles (normally their group would have had two, but they had paid for a third vehicle – hence my difficulty in getting a private vehicle, as they had quite understandably booked four years in advance to secure the space in all their camps). One was the designated ‘Birdmobile’ and the other two were for people who were interested in mammals. As much as I wished I could have had a private vehicle, I had to admit that this arrangement made perfect sense – otherwise there probably would have been a mutiny in the Birdmobile.
The family had just come from Duma Tau, where they had seen four wild dogs from the Selinda pack (which was denning on Selinda but making frequent excursions into the Linyanti) on their last drive. I was green with envy, and mentally kicked myself for swapping Selinda for Savuti on the last day of my Linyanti itinerary – I hadn’t wanted to move camp for only one day, but a chance at seeing the dogs would have been worth it. Oh well – there’s always next year…
My new vehicle mates really wanted to see lions, so they were chuffed when we found a pride of four early in our afternoon drive. Three males and a female had just finished polishing off a zebra, and were lolling on their backs like beached whales – I’ve never seen such distended stomachs in my life. They really did not look comfortable, and kept shifting positions – it was pretty comical. One of the males got up for a drink – if you have never seen a lion waddle, take it from me that it’s a really funny sight.
Cilas said that these lions were some of the younger members of a pride of 28, known as the Matatu (‘Trouble’) pride, that dominates a large part of the Mombo concession. The young males were reaching the age where they would be driven out, and were already spending more time on their own to avoid the unwanted attentions of the pride males.
The remains of the kill had been taken over by the scavengers, and in attendance at the carcass were a large number of maribou storks – Cilas called them ‘the undertakers’ and they certainly do look the part – as well as several species of vultures. The hyaenas had apparently been and gone, though we saw the evidence of their powerful jaws on the splintered leg bones. We spent some time watching the ‘clean-up crew’ in action – fascinating stuff.
In addition to good general game viewing (quite exciting for my companions) we shared sundowners with a breeding herd of ellies on the opposite side of a pan. On the way back to camp we saw a few spring hares, an African wild cat, and heard the haunting cry of the jackals.
After a delicious dinner, I found that there were a number of current and former Girl and Boy Scouts among the family of 14, who were delighted with the homemade marshmallows. It was fun to watch the teenagers try to explain S’Mores to the Batswana. They were as excited as I was about the leopard in camp, and we made arrangements to be woken up if she came back during the night.
Aug 6th, 2006, 09:48 AM
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JULY 1: OKAVANGO DELTA (MOMBO)
Our leonine alarm clocks went off right on schedule. The baboon was gone from the tree, but no one had seen the leopard, who had come and gone like a ghost in the night. On the plus side, at least in my opinion, no one had seen the vervet monkeys or the baboons either – maybe her presence will keep them away.
Our morning drive started out with a sighting of a giant eagle owl in the forest – this huge raptor is a very impressive sight. Giant eagle owls can supposedly carry off impala lambs, and looking at this one I could believe it.
From there it became a lion drive (with a few hyaenas thrown in for good measure). We heard a lion calling and followed the sound to one of the pride males from the Matata Pride. He was huge, with a magnificent mane – rufous around his face and running to dark brown further out. Looking at him standing in the morning light underscored how far the young males at the zebra kill had to go before reaching their prime – where they were a bit gangly and awkward he was sleekly muscled and full of power.
We watched him pace across an open area, making occasional contact calls. As he moved it became apparent that he had a slight limp. Cilas theorised that he might have been in a fight – as the waters rise in the Delta, lions from neighbouring territories are pushed into Mombo from flooded regions. He was probably trying to locate his brothers.
Speak of the devil – as we were watching the large male, we heard that one of the other groups had located the pride of 28. It was likely that the male would be going to join them, but they were quite far away so Cilas suggested coming back to the sighting later when they were all together.
After leaving the lion we saw some good general game, before rounding a corner to find a mother hyaena nursing two cubs in the middle of the road. The little cubs were starting to lose their black baby fur, but were still very cute, particularly when they had finished nursing and started to explore the area around their den. I got some great shots of them.
We headed towards the last location of the lion pride. You’d think that 28 lions would be hard-pushed to disappear, but it took some searching before we located them resting amongst the Kalahari apple-leaf trees. It was hard to count them, but there were definitely a lot of lions there – I counted at least 15 easily visible ones, and I’m sure there were others further back in the bush. We’d hoped to see them all together on open ground, but I still managed some nice pictures of some of the cubs.
One cub had a nasty-looking cut on his face – Cilas said that one of the pride males had swiped at him when he got too bold at a kill. The original injury had apparently resulted in a flap of skin hanging from the cub’s face, but it looks much better now. Luckily for the cub (now known as Scarface), there didn’t appear to be any permanent damage to his facial mobility.
While driving from the hyaenas to the lion sighting, we had come across what looked like a bush breakfast in preparation. Cilas had told us that it probably belonged to Chief’s Camp, which surprised me given the new restrictions on traversing on Chief’s Island (the camps no longer traverse each other’s areas). It turned out that it was indeed a bush breakfast in preparation – for us! Cilas hadn’t wanted to ruin the surprise.
It was a very civilised bush breakfast, with tablecloths, pewter-handled cutlery, glasses, and china plates. There was also a ‘bar’ stocked with various beverages in ice (lots of Pimms) and bush loo like the one at the Savuti hide. The food was amazing – I had a starter of apple and lentil soup (very good); ham and cheese quiche; fruit and fresh bread; and a chocolate crepe made on the spot over a campfire.
After taking a shower and going through my daily camera-cleaning ritual, I finally had a chance to spend some time in my sala. The view was wonderful, and I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon reviewing my photos and writing in my journal. I could hear my neighbour (a male warthog who appeared to spend most his time in the lagoon next to my tent) foraging in the area under the sala, and saw two white egrets ‘dancing’ (courting or fighting?) on the floodplain. It’s hard to think of a better way to spend an afternoon.
Our leonine alarm clocks went off right on schedule. The baboon was gone from the tree, but no one had seen the leopard, who had come and gone like a ghost in the night. On the plus side, at least in my opinion, no one had seen the vervet monkeys or the baboons either – maybe her presence will keep them away.
Our morning drive started out with a sighting of a giant eagle owl in the forest – this huge raptor is a very impressive sight. Giant eagle owls can supposedly carry off impala lambs, and looking at this one I could believe it.
From there it became a lion drive (with a few hyaenas thrown in for good measure). We heard a lion calling and followed the sound to one of the pride males from the Matata Pride. He was huge, with a magnificent mane – rufous around his face and running to dark brown further out. Looking at him standing in the morning light underscored how far the young males at the zebra kill had to go before reaching their prime – where they were a bit gangly and awkward he was sleekly muscled and full of power.
We watched him pace across an open area, making occasional contact calls. As he moved it became apparent that he had a slight limp. Cilas theorised that he might have been in a fight – as the waters rise in the Delta, lions from neighbouring territories are pushed into Mombo from flooded regions. He was probably trying to locate his brothers.
Speak of the devil – as we were watching the large male, we heard that one of the other groups had located the pride of 28. It was likely that the male would be going to join them, but they were quite far away so Cilas suggested coming back to the sighting later when they were all together.
After leaving the lion we saw some good general game, before rounding a corner to find a mother hyaena nursing two cubs in the middle of the road. The little cubs were starting to lose their black baby fur, but were still very cute, particularly when they had finished nursing and started to explore the area around their den. I got some great shots of them.
We headed towards the last location of the lion pride. You’d think that 28 lions would be hard-pushed to disappear, but it took some searching before we located them resting amongst the Kalahari apple-leaf trees. It was hard to count them, but there were definitely a lot of lions there – I counted at least 15 easily visible ones, and I’m sure there were others further back in the bush. We’d hoped to see them all together on open ground, but I still managed some nice pictures of some of the cubs.
One cub had a nasty-looking cut on his face – Cilas said that one of the pride males had swiped at him when he got too bold at a kill. The original injury had apparently resulted in a flap of skin hanging from the cub’s face, but it looks much better now. Luckily for the cub (now known as Scarface), there didn’t appear to be any permanent damage to his facial mobility.
While driving from the hyaenas to the lion sighting, we had come across what looked like a bush breakfast in preparation. Cilas had told us that it probably belonged to Chief’s Camp, which surprised me given the new restrictions on traversing on Chief’s Island (the camps no longer traverse each other’s areas). It turned out that it was indeed a bush breakfast in preparation – for us! Cilas hadn’t wanted to ruin the surprise.
It was a very civilised bush breakfast, with tablecloths, pewter-handled cutlery, glasses, and china plates. There was also a ‘bar’ stocked with various beverages in ice (lots of Pimms) and bush loo like the one at the Savuti hide. The food was amazing – I had a starter of apple and lentil soup (very good); ham and cheese quiche; fruit and fresh bread; and a chocolate crepe made on the spot over a campfire.
After taking a shower and going through my daily camera-cleaning ritual, I finally had a chance to spend some time in my sala. The view was wonderful, and I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon reviewing my photos and writing in my journal. I could hear my neighbour (a male warthog who appeared to spend most his time in the lagoon next to my tent) foraging in the area under the sala, and saw two white egrets ‘dancing’ (courting or fighting?) on the floodplain. It’s hard to think of a better way to spend an afternoon.
Aug 6th, 2006, 10:05 AM
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After tea, we headed back to check on the lion pride – it was cooling down and they should be becoming more active. Apparently someone forgot to brief these lions on the rules of lion behaviour, because they slept on long after when lions would normally have been active. We decided to leave them for now and check back later.
We were watching a journey of giraffe browse on some candlepod acacias – close enough to hear them crunching the pods – when a strange white apparition emerged from the bush. It was a white giraffe. Not an albino giraffe, as he did have dark patches, but a giraffe with leucism, the same genetic mutation which creates white lions and tigers. He stood out strikingly against the bush and the other giraffes, which made me wonder about his long-term survival chances. Cilas said white animals are sometimes ostracized by members of their own species, perhaps because of the visibility factor or just because they look odd. White lions have sometimes had this problem, as have white lechwe.
While we were watching the white giraffe (who did stand somewhat apart from the others) Cilas noticed that another giraffe was staring at something. With their superior height, giraffes make great sentinels (for other animals) and great ‘predator pointers’ (for us). They often team up with zebra, who have a superior sense of smell, for protection against predators.
We followed the giraffe’s stare to a large, dark-maned male lion sprawled out sleeping in the grass. He wasn’t one of the pride males, so he was probably an interloper driven in by the rising floods.
Leaving the lion to his rest, we drove to a very picturesque pan for sundowners. We then stopped in again to see what the Matata Pride was up to – not much, as it turned out. Most of them were still asleep, though some of the cubs were half-awake.
After another delicious meal we gathered around the fire for after-dinner drinks. I had just settled down with my cup of rooibos when I heard someone cry, ‘Look! A genet!’ There was a beautiful large-spotted genet on the dessert table, looking to help himself to the cheese and biscuits and homemade chocolates (apparently he is a regular visitor, and stole a chocolate the night before). Unfortunately for him, he was early, and the food hadn’t been put out yet. I really wished I had my camera – I’ve never been so close to such a relaxed genet.
It had been a bit windy all day, and the wind seemed to pick up after I went back to my tent. Hearing the wind whistling outside, I was very glad to be inside...with that thought I went to sleep.
We were watching a journey of giraffe browse on some candlepod acacias – close enough to hear them crunching the pods – when a strange white apparition emerged from the bush. It was a white giraffe. Not an albino giraffe, as he did have dark patches, but a giraffe with leucism, the same genetic mutation which creates white lions and tigers. He stood out strikingly against the bush and the other giraffes, which made me wonder about his long-term survival chances. Cilas said white animals are sometimes ostracized by members of their own species, perhaps because of the visibility factor or just because they look odd. White lions have sometimes had this problem, as have white lechwe.
While we were watching the white giraffe (who did stand somewhat apart from the others) Cilas noticed that another giraffe was staring at something. With their superior height, giraffes make great sentinels (for other animals) and great ‘predator pointers’ (for us). They often team up with zebra, who have a superior sense of smell, for protection against predators.
We followed the giraffe’s stare to a large, dark-maned male lion sprawled out sleeping in the grass. He wasn’t one of the pride males, so he was probably an interloper driven in by the rising floods.
Leaving the lion to his rest, we drove to a very picturesque pan for sundowners. We then stopped in again to see what the Matata Pride was up to – not much, as it turned out. Most of them were still asleep, though some of the cubs were half-awake.
After another delicious meal we gathered around the fire for after-dinner drinks. I had just settled down with my cup of rooibos when I heard someone cry, ‘Look! A genet!’ There was a beautiful large-spotted genet on the dessert table, looking to help himself to the cheese and biscuits and homemade chocolates (apparently he is a regular visitor, and stole a chocolate the night before). Unfortunately for him, he was early, and the food hadn’t been put out yet. I really wished I had my camera – I’ve never been so close to such a relaxed genet.
It had been a bit windy all day, and the wind seemed to pick up after I went back to my tent. Hearing the wind whistling outside, I was very glad to be inside...with that thought I went to sleep.
