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Selinda Kwando Trip Report

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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 04:49 AM
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sniktawk
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Selinda Kwando Trip Report

TRIP TO NORTHERN BOTSWANA 20th JULY TO 2nd AUGUST 2007


Unbelievably the Air Botswana flight was on time from Joburg to Maun!

Zibilianja (20th July to 24th July 4 nights)

We had our first 4 nights here. The promised “improvements” to the accommodation turned out to be some new cushions on the beds and a totally unnecessary mosquito net. There were some new chairs in the lounge, all of the old pictures (notice board) including the guest photos had disappeared to be replaced by photos for sale only US$600.
For a six bedded camp there was the now more than usual 8 guests!
The managers were on leave and no replacement managers were available. The manager’s duties were very well performed by a 21 year old from South Africa, via the Cayman Islands, and Durham where he is currently at University .He is an UNPAID “volunteer”, and turned out to be the best manager in years.
Luckily the catering crew was in place and Rose etc. provided us with very good food and service, a total contrast to our last visit when Rose etc were absent.
In view of the amount of guests we went out separately on our first two drives. We saw the 2 boys but not much else on the first night. The following morning we found the ”Selinda” pride consisting of two males 3 females and 8 cubs varying between 3 to 12 months.
Selinda is now operating a limit of two vehicles per sighting, so unsurprisingly there is reduced radio chatter as anything exciting is kept quite for a while. First on first off is the new rule!
For the rest of our stay we were treated to the promised ”refurbished” vehicles, which did have the required 6 window seats but were unbelievably scruffy, with nothing to assist mounting and dismounting, and nothing to hold on to or rest cameras on, no sign of the bean bags either. The vehicles were obviously second hand and had clearly had the advertising decals removed, none had any Linyanti Explorations signs. We did have new ponchos and hand warmers!
Viewing was not good in particular Plains Game in our 4 days we saw 1 Zebra! We did see lots of elephants, one large buffalo herd, which had lions in attendance. We were unfortunately required to return to camp as it was time for dinner! Needless to say the following morning the lions were feasting on buffalo.
The game drives now appear to be extremely limited. With constant repeats up to the spillway and back again, we only visited the Lagoon once!
After 4 days we were off to Motswiri!

Motswiri (24th July to 26th July 2 nights)

After a failed early start we set out down south, we luckily found the Savute/Bridge pride (this is the same pride as we saw in December last year) 3 females and 5 sub adults. They started to hunt warthog but failed! We had to leave them quickly as it was to be a long drive. The drive was around 4 hours (including a puncture); it was fairly uneventful apart from the sighting of a Black Mambo!

Having crossed the spillway our first sighting was a WILDERNESS SAFARI vehicle carrying staff from Motswiri to one of the two Wilderness camps in our “exclusive” area! It appears that these have been opened for at least a year and general management is undertaken by the staff at Motswiri.

The camp is in a nice setting, and if you have ever wondered where the furniture from Zib has gone it is there!
The tents had doors, and as they are by water there were no mosquito nets.
Our first drive was extremely poor although we did see 5 zebra!
The following drives got worse and worse; a few impala that were very skittish, elephants ran away at the sight of a vehicle! What game that you could see was generally the other side of the flooded spillway and totally unreachable!
We were told by somebody who must remain anonymous that it “is not really a game viewing camp”. The claims on the website regarding the viewing and the benefits of the abandoning of hunting were not apparent to us.

The airstrip is currently under water and flights are undertaken from Vumbara airstrip.

We had heard that there was a wild dog den in the area; dogs have apparently been seen near camp. After our 3rd drive we asked whether we could go to the den, we were told it was a hard walk and they did not really know where it was. We then asked whether we could return to Zib if we could not go to the dog den. We went to bed in anticipation of a visit to the den the following morning. Firstly we were offered a different walk, which we refused; we were then offered a return to Zib. Unsurprisingly we chose the later.
This camp may be OK in the summer moths December to March when the floods have receded, and it needs a lot more time (5 years) to recover from hunting. I could not recommend it to anybody who wished to do game viewing.
There are two alternative activities canoeing and snorkelling (I am not making this up)! Quite what you are going to see snorkelling is open to question, and canoeing along a river with no game may be peaceful but hardly exciting.

Zibilianja (Part 2) (26th July to 28th July 2 nights)

Whilst we were away there had been sightings of plains game in reasonable numbers as well as lions and cheetahs.
The major news was a dead hippo, and the resultant vultures, what a stink!
The remaining game drives were with a new guide who was another of those here is an animal the gestation period is type of guides.
On our final night drive we found the two boys and joined them on a successful impala hunt! Deference to the two vehicles from Selinda was given, and of course they left at 19.00 to prepare for dinner. This unfortunately meant they missed the Hyena stealing the scraps!

Selinda Summary

We understand that the new theme of Zib is to be canvas, where possible all wood will replaced by canvas, this will include the shop and toilet. The lounge is to be moved nearer to the waterhole. The bar is apparently to remain unchanged.
The tents will be slightly larger to allow for a much larger bathroom, the new bed frames have arrived (four).
The tents will be on the ground rather than raised.
Two new game viewing vehicles will be available based on Toyota Prados, another indication that there will be 8 guests!


Leballa (28th July to 2nd August 5 nights)

We were unbelievably transferred by plane (a 5 minute flight); we can only presume that this was done as we had already paid for a flight from Motswiri to Leballa.

The camp had no noticeable changes including the staff. The only change of note was the dropping of the afternoon meal to be replaced by high tea, a most welcome change!

We were greeted with the news that a special full day trip had been arranged so that we could visit the wild dog den at Lagoon. Apparently the management have decided that “cross border” trips should be limited, we think this is an attempt to get more people to use both camps, we normally do. We did not visit both camps this time as we wanted to try Motswiri, what a bad mistake!

The most noticeable initial difference was the abundance of plains game. On our first drive amongst many other creatures we saw a leopard thus preserving our record of seeing a Leopard on every visit to Leballa

Our long drive started with a Honey Badger, followed by tracking the 4 Male Lion coalition successfully, then a herd of over 1000 buffalo crossing water, a further Leopard sighting and finally the dogs. There are still six adults plus nine pups around 10 weeks old. We spent 4 hours watching their antics and taking plenty of photos, what a start!

Over the next four days we saw Leopard again on 3 occasions, one of the two males from the Selinda pride with the solitary Lioness, Honey Badger every type of game other than Sable. Most notably a herd of 70 Zebra, lots of Wildebeeste, Tssebe and 6 male Kudos, one of whom had the tallest horns we have ever seen. The 4 male coalition was also seen again on two occasions but failed to hunt.

We still await our first Aardvark!

Summary

The camps are large 8 tents in each but the private vehicles are affordable, especially for a group of 4. The guides are superb and of course you get a tracker and probably brand new URI game viewer. The management is knowledgeable and interested in GAME VIEWING. The food is very good, and if you are careful where you sit at dinner you should be happy. You can always ask for a private table, or pretend to be on honeymoon!





 
Old Aug 5th, 2007, 06:47 AM
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skimmer
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Loved your trip report!

Who guided you at Zib and Lebala?
 
Old Aug 5th, 2007, 07:00 AM
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At Zib Kanawe,for a while before being needed as the only guide qualified for walking safari! Then we had someone new who was not very good.
At Leballa the marvelois Charles ably assisted by PD.
 
Old Aug 5th, 2007, 07:01 AM
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sniktawk,

Thanks for the report.......appears like we saw lots of the same animals! You had superb luck with the two cheetah boys....hopefully, i will see them next September!

Good news on the pups and dogs at Lagoon. Those 4 male lions are incredible (especially the one lion which is hyper-active!). Appears like the single lioness may not be single any more!!!

However, i must say i had some better luck RE the game viewing of plains game in the Selinda. On one ocassion, i saw the largest journey of giraffe ever! saw a big herd of Roan on the open plains by the Zib airstrip and i must say the spillway was superb!!! I do agree with some of the other things you mention.....

May i ask who guided you at Lebala and Selinda?

Thanks
Hari
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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 07:03 AM
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sorry.....our posts crossed! Kanawe guided me at Zib.
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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 07:04 AM
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Your two vehicle limit explains, why i was the only one on the concession to miss the once in a lifetime Pangolin sighting.....
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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 07:18 AM
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Charles is incredible and I will be very happy to be guided by him again at Lebala.

Because Steve isn't guiding at the moment for Kwando, Spencer will guide me at Lagoon. It will be my first time with him, but I am 200% sure I am in good hands.

In Zib, it's probably gonna be BB.

While at Selinda in June, I found there was a lack of general game in the mornings but the afternoons never let me down when it came to good general gameviewing
(waterbuck/kudu/zebra/wildebeest/giraffe/hippo/ellies/impala).

I can't say that Lebala/Lagoon is better or worse than f.e. Selinda/Zibalianja in terms of gameviewing. I like Lebala a lot - mainly because of the following 3 reasons:

- fantastic guides;
- there is always something interesting going on;
- atmosphere in general.

Best regards,

Johan

 
Old Aug 5th, 2007, 07:34 AM
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Hi Johan,

BB, Charles and Spencer......sounds like the perfect recipe for a great trip!!!

Rgds,
Hari
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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 08:30 AM
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Hari,

I am pretty sure that this trip will exceed my expectations.

Best regards,

Johan
 
Old Aug 5th, 2007, 09:30 AM
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Great report! It sounds like the two boys helped salvage the Zib/Motswiri experience. I hope you will be posting pictures.

Lebala delivered its typical amazing experience. I think you nailed the key factor when you said that management at Lebala is knowledgeable and interested in GAME VIEWING, contrasted with your reports of having to return for an appointed dinner time.

It's tragic to me that more and more camps seem to be focusing on the camp experience at the expense of the game viewing, and it is especially concerning to hear that at camps in Selinda concession that have the traditional reputation for putting the game viewing first!
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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 12:18 PM
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Night drives in Selinda: can be very risky with so many ellies around the spillway and the surrounding woodlands.
A ferrari safari at night while being chased by an angry ellie has a great chance of ending as a catastrophy.

Camp experience versus gameviewing:

It's an issue when you don't have a private vehicle at your disposal. With a shared vehicle, there is always chance of a conflict of intrest (birds versus big five - early return or stay as long out as you can - photographers and non-photographers). It's true that quite a few people are not only their for the animals and that's one of the reasons why they are constantly upgrading the camps. To me, people (in my own experience mostly Americans) ask for the same luxuries as at home which is a bit strange while you are in the bush. And now that they paid so much money, they want to enjoy their rooms ...


 
Old Aug 5th, 2007, 12:59 PM
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I can't say that WS didn't provide me some excellent experiences - for me while choosing an area, I take the following things in consideration:

- area itself;
- quality of guiding.

F.e. James at Duba Plains is even more keen on his gameviewing than most of his guests.

Luckily I don't have to share a vehicle otherwise my choices would be different for some reasons mentioned above. While being in Northern Botswana, I am there for my photography and to tell you the truth, I get along very well with the staff members but not all the time with other ...

 
Old Aug 5th, 2007, 03:49 PM
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Over several years, my experiences of wildlife viewing in the Selinda area-- allied with the quality of guiding, the fantastic landscape, and the management style of the camps-- were second to none. The images on my website attest to this: www.afrigalah.com . That's why I kept going back and enthusiastically recommended this place.

Even under the new ownership, people mostly have continued to praise the quality of the guides. But a big danger now is that the changes in the camps, management style and the kind of tourist attracted there will dishearten those guides worthy of their good name. I can see their morale plummeting. A great pity.

John

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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 05:48 PM
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John, it's just a pity that some guests go to these fabulous locations to enjoy the luxurious facilities/amenities more than the fantastic gameviewing that is on offer!

The main problem with locations with these so-called improvements: i think the first time visitors will keep going as they are drawn by the facilities....however, may not be as many repeat visitors as in past years. But, who knows.....

Hari





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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 05:59 PM
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One more thing.....thanks for mentioning that Motswiri may take upto 5 years to recover from hunting. I am going to factor the same (5 year) scale to the new camps that are opening up in a differnt country where poaching and hunting were a major issue until now and people are marketing the new camps pretty aggressively.......
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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 06:19 PM
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I’m still new here, so maybe this is considered out of line, to be criticizing a prolific poster, or to be an opinionated American who smarts at being painted with a broad brush, but here goes. After all, one should indeed mind their manners whilst online.

Hey sniktawk, WTFRU to be passing such broad-brush judgements on people? “It is Wilderness Safaris in all but name a totally sanitised experience” – implying that people who use WS are somehow ignorant of, and perhaps undeserving of, a true “game experience.” Different people have different levels of experience, different desires, different needs, and different comfort zones. So what if WS supplies a product that meets these needs? I’m using them for my first trip to Africa, and I care nothing for the accommodation and everything for the game viewing (I will be on a camping safari). You sound like a “typical elitist Brit” (how’s that for broad brush?), who is “quite pleased that almost everybody supports my opinion,” and your broad statement that “the real culprits in all of this [sic] our allies from over the pond. They are unbelievably ignorant and noisy!” I work for a British company, have traveled extensively in the UK, and I’ve run into plenty of ignorant and noisy Brits – including those that go to football games looking to bash a few heads. Finally, PLEASE REFRAIN FROM USING CAPS TO MAKE YOUR POINT!
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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 06:26 PM
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Gee, Sniktawk, don't paint all Americans as spa/massage-loving safari camp goers!

When I stayed at Londolozi last year, it was the young South African couples that didn't go out for morning drives and spent the day having massages etc. The British couple and ourselves were the ones that wanted to see animals! Maybe because we traveled much further to see them?

I don't have to travel 20 hours and spend thousands of dollars to go to a spa. Much cheaper to do it at home.

Enjoyed reading your experience in the Botswana camps. Thanks for posting your report. I hope you have photos.

CW
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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 06:58 PM
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I have to agree with Skimmer.... i get the private vehicle for the exact same reasons. I am neither a great photographer nor do i have the talent to be one(although i am usually satisfied with what i come up with).....however, i will not compromise my game drive experience and hence book a private vehicle. I have observed some of the shared vehicles enough times to come to a decision as to what's best for my trip.

Game viewing and interaction with the guides and camp people are the main reasons i go on safari....even if i have one or two quiet drives in terms of game it's okay for me as i know it's just a privelage interacting with great guides like Spencer or Charles or Kanawe.

Peace!!!
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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 06:59 PM
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nice report until the part about the &quot;unbelievably ignorant and noisy allies from over the pond.&quot; you seemed to be much more intelligent than that, but in making such a statement, <b>your</b> ignorance shines through. not all Americans are alike as not all Brits, Indians or any other nationality in the world. I know for a fact that I am neither unbelievably ignorant nor am I noisy , but I am an ally from over the pond.
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Old Aug 6th, 2007, 12:01 AM
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I am deeply sorry if I have offended the USA by adopting a broad brush approach, but my comments refelect the majority of my experiences and it would appear from the above many other visitors. Yes it may be possible to have a good time at Wilderness camps and enjoy good game viewing and be well fed and watered. This is not what I and many others want. The Selinda concession was great it has now been sanitised and is no longer run as a &quot;wild life&quot; area, but as an experience. Just who needs wine tasting etc.
Refering to the other comments about other nationalities, I fail to see why South Africans using spa facilities has any relevance, other than surprise that they can afford Londolozi. I am British but not elitist and I live in South Africa
 


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