bush notes from botswana

While summer is coming to an end and the flood waters arriving, One-Eye and the rest of the Shinde pride are permanently residing on the northern area of the concession. Four lionesses (recent arrivals to the area) have been increasingly successful in their hunting, often killing several times a day.

Lioness of the Shinde Pride

One such incident occurred at the famous Killing Fields when a sounder of warthogs were grubbing peacefully early in the afternoon, blissfully unaware of the impending danger in the grass.

The lionesses had killed a lechwe that morning and swiftly closed in on the warthog. The lionesses pounced on a young warthog and when the mother attempted to rescue her offspring, the lionesses turned on her killing both female and young.

During all the commotion, a male lion arrived intent on taking his share of the feast. Initially he was fended off by the females, but returned later forcing the females to concede their prey. Having lost their meal the females were again hunting less than an hour later. for all information about a Botswana Safari please follow this link

Botswana Honeymoon

Want to honeymoon somewhere different? For many couples, Botswana provides an ideal honeymoon destination; although a landlocked country it is possible to be on a luxurious safari one day and combine it with an idyllic island hideaway, somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean such as the Seychelles or on the shores of Mozambique or Zanzibar the next.

However, even without a break in the Indian Ocean or on the African Coastline Botswana is a fantastic destination for a honeymoon for a number of reasons:

The accommodations throughout the country range from extraordinary colonial hotels with palatial suites to small five roomed luxury tented camps; there is something for every taste.

Botswana has numerous remote and pristine wilderness locations where romantic lodges are tucked away in private reserves away from the crowds.

Victoria falls is without doubt one of the most romantic places in the world. Sitting above the falls whilst having a romantic meal is a must for any couple on honeymoon!

The right lodges take special care of honeymooners; we will not tell you what they do as it spoils the surprise but our guarantee is that some lodges can be simple outstanding!

There are many elegant and small lodges offering a private and personal feeling well away from other tourists.

The weather between May and October (which is when most couples seem to get married) is hot, dry and low in humidity and fantastic for game.

Botswana is virtually on the same latitude as the United Kingdom and therefore benefits from there being no jet lag.

Over the last ten years we have arranged hundreds of honeymoons to Botswana; it is our belief that your honeymoon stands out from anything else on the market and for this reason we highly recommend coming into our offices in Fulham, London for a private presentation. We have spent years designing honeymoons and can talk you through all your options, making the first steps in designing an itinerary that gets exactly what you want. Please contact us if you would like to arrange a time to come in for a chat.

If this is not possible then we can talk you through and advise on any itinerary over the phone. The key is to talk to us so we can understand exactly what you want and what you expect....the more we talk, the more personalized your trip becomes and ultimately, the better your honeymoon is. We also carry stocks of every brochure for every lodge in the country - please email or phone us if you would like to be sent any of these. It is also well worth looking at the testimonials page which has a number of "post honeymoon" feedback from clients.

Our personal favorites for honeymoons are the River Club, Tongabezi and Sindabezi for lodges up the Zambezi, near Victoria falls. Savuti, Kings Pool, Jao, Chobe Chilwero, Stanleys, Duba Plains and Little Vumbura (whose honeymoon suite has a fantastic outdoor bath in the bush!!) are all reliably great options for an exquisite safari.

New Malawi Lodge possible for Botswana Safari add on

Robin Pope has just opened Pumulani on Lake Malawi.....it is possible to add this on to a safari in Botswana and it is located in one of the only places on the lake that has no bilharzia!!

Pumulani, "the place of rest", is situated on the westside of the Nankumba Peninsula in the south end of Lake Malawi – romantically called “The Lake of Stars”. Pumulani is uniquely situated within the only national park in Malawi that incorporates the lake. This park, now a World Heritage Site, was established to protect the cichlid fish of the area.

The Lodge
• The lodge is on a hillside – giving fantastic views from all the buildings.
• The main building has a dining room, bar and leads onto a large deck
• The horizon swimming pool is on a lower terraced deck

The Villas
• Space and privacy are key – the villas are 125-175 m2 and are separated by rocks and trees
• Each of the ten villas has a bedroom, bathroom and sitting area, with elevated decks.
• The bathroom is luxurious with double sinks, showers and a stand alone bath
• 4 twin, 4 king, 1 honeymoon and 1 family that sleeps 5

Activities
included - snorkelling, fishing, sailing, nature and village walks, sunset cruises on the dhow, kayaking
excluded - scuba diving and motorized water sports (waterskiing, fun tube, picnic tours)

The Beach
We have a private beach and there is a beach bar offering drinks and light snacks. Next to the beach and along the shore are beautiful shaded gardens for those not wanting too much sun!

Rates
The opening special offer is $390 rack for 4 or more nights during the months of July-September 2008.
Pumulani rates Note these are rack and your normal commission with RPS applies.

Meals
The food will be of the highest standard and meal times are flexible, served in the restaurant, on the deck or by arrangement in your room

Children – most welcome, no age limit except during high season July-Sept then age limit of 7

Access
Fly to Club Makokola airstrip then a 45 mins road transfer through villages.
From Lilongwe a 1 hour flight.
From RPS Luangwa Camps to Pumulani, door to door will be around 4 hours (only 30 mins more than to Livingstone.

Health
This is a bilharzia free area and we test monthly so we can state this with confidence!

Kwando Game sightings September 2007

Herewith the latest sightings report from Kwando:

September 2007:

Lagoon

. Lion sightings were good throughout the month, with the four male lions establishing their territory in the Lagoon area. They were seen on numerous occasions but were unfortunately not seen making any kills.
. Four different leopards were seen in the Lagoon area during this month. All these leopards were very relaxed and made for some good photographic opportunities.
. The two cheetah brothers made their monthly appearance in the Lagoon area as usual. They were seen stalking and killing an impala next to the river in the water cut area,
. The Lagoon pack of 6 dogs and their 9 pups are doing extremely well. Although they have left the den for quite some time now, they are still seen on a regular basis. They six adult dogs were seen killing an impala and then they brought the pups in to come and share the kill.
. Night sightings were very good this month, with an elusive aardvark being seen. Chameleon, springhare, and giant eagle owl were also seen on some of the night drives.
. Big groups of elephants, breeding herds as well as bachelor groups, have been seen on the floodplains and on the riverbanks. Some of the single bulls have also been visiting the camp during the nights.
. Big mixed herds of buffalo, some of them with 1500 and more buffalo in the herds continue to been seen grazing on the flood plains. Some of the bulls were seen mating with the cows and there are lots of calves in the herds.
. General game was very good with both roan and sable antelope being found. Big herds of zebra and large journeys of giraffe were also seen. Wildebeest, steenbok, lechwe, and impala made up some of the many other species of general game that were sighted.
. A record of 4 porcupines was sighted on one game drive during this month. Honey badgers were also seen on a regular basis
. Birding was good during this month, with secretary birds as well as some ostriches being seen. Marabou storks and black-bellied korhaan were also spotted.


Lebala

. Two male lions killed a buffalo east of Lechwe Island. A new pride consisting of 2 adult females and 4 one-year-old cubs appeared on the scene and were seen on a regular basis. The resident pride of 3 lionesses, 8 cubs and two males had made several kills during the month. The pride of 13 also moved regularly between Selinda and Lebala.
. Leopard sightings were excellent during this month. A male leopard was found after 45minutes of tracking, but he was not relaxed. The resident female was found with an impala kill but she lost it to the hyena as the kill was still on the ground when they appeared. Two other males were found in separate locations. One of them had killed a porcupine while the other one had a steenbok in one tree and an impala up another tree, 30 meters away.
. An unknown female cheetah was seen in the area for 3 days. She managed to kill an impala on the third day and then left the area after feeding on her kill. A new coalition of four cheetah had been spotted in the area but they were very nervous and could not be approached. The two-brother cheetah also spent some time here and managed to kill a young kudu near halfway pan.
. A pack of 11 wild dogs and their 2 pups made a surprise visit to the area for one day. They managed to kill an impala during their visit but some male lions robbed them of their kill. The lagoon pack, consisting of the 6 adults and 9 pups also put in a short visit before moving back towards Lagoon camp.
. Big breeding herds, bachelor herds and some single bull elephants are a common sighting on the flood plains.
. Big herds of buffalo, some ranging between five hundred and a thousand animals were found along various plains. They were mostly seen mating and drinking with some of the bulls fighting for females.
. Excellent general game with many large journeys of giraffe, impala, waterbuck, Tsessebe, Wildebeest, Steenbok zebra, red lechwe and kudu. Some herds of roan and sable antelope were also seen during the drives.
. Night sightings were good with both species of jackal being seen. Some of the hyena clans were seen feeding on a buffalo calf at Tsessebe Island while another group stole a leopard kill.
. Birding was excellent during this month, with most of the summer residents around. The carmine bee-eaters are breeding and the weavers are busy making nests. Lots of kingfishers around as well as a giant kingfisher spotted on the railing of the camp bridge.
. Porcupine sightings were great throughout the month and some guests were lucky enough to see a very elusive pangolin. African wildcat and honey badgers were also seen almost every day as well as many species of mongoose.

Kwara and Little Kwara

. Lion sightings were again very good during this month. A pride of 7 females managed to kill a zebra, while the two big males killed a buffalo. There were lots of hyena and vultures around these kills. The pride of 5, consisting of four females and one young male were hunting zebras but had no luck.
. The well-known female leopard and her cub were seen often throughout the month. She managed to kill a reedbuck and left the kill to go and fetch her offspring. When they got back the kill was already taken over by a clan of hyena. Two other female leopards, one fully grown and the other a young one were also seen during the month. They were both very relaxed and made for some good photo opportunities.
. Two groups of cheetah were seen during this month. A female with her 3 sub-adult cubs were seen hunting but they had no success. The 3 brothers were also seen hunting impala but they were also not successful.
. A small pack, consisting of two wild dogs spent some time in the area. They were seen hunting impala but no kill was witnessed.
. Only a small amount of bachelor herds and some single bull elephant were seen during this month. Some of these bulls were seen swimming as well as crossing the channel in front of the boat cruise.
. Big herds of buffalo have been visiting the area. These herds are coming out of the mopane woodlands where all the waterholes are now dry.
. Hyena was seen most nights patrolling around the camps. Both black backed and side-striped jackal were seen during the night drives.
. General game sightings continue to be very good. Giraffe, zebra, tsessebe, warthog, kudu and some sable antelope were seen.
. Good sightings of Civet, Serval and African Wild Cat have been reported. The game drives have found numerous active Aardvark holes but animals have been eluding the drives up to now.
. Birding was spectacular in this month. All the summer residents had turned up and started breeding at Gadikwe lagoon. The heronry is filled with yellow-billed storks, marabou storks, egrets and many other species of birds.

Botswana Safari

Botswana Odyssey is committed to running the best Botswana Safari trips possible. Of all the tour operators who specialise on safari in Botswana, we have an exceptional level of knowledge, some of the team writing guidebooks on Africa and the remainder having travelled throughout Africa extensively. Please contact us for a list of references and unbiased biews on safari in the country.

Botswana Odyssey: info@botswanaodyssey.com 0044 (0) 2074718780

Safari in October?

What will a safari be like in October ?

It is hot – really hot but never will you experience game viewing like this – well worth the sweat. Day temperatures rise regularly above 40˚C and nights are warm with averages in the 20’s˚C. Start early and leave late – that is the solution. Botswana offers safaris in private area so clients have the option of departing on game drives after 17h00 and returning well after dark.

There is no place to hide - everything is bare and the grasses are eaten or trampled. Night drives are at their best and the pervading dust makes all scenes dramatic. Predator chases erupt into clouds of dust as the eternal game of eat and be eaten plays out daily in the very open plains. Scenes like this are often witnessed by guests and their committed and enthusiastic guide & tracker team who are out late during the night - with meals oftern served later or being brought to them in order to futher enjoy rare and unusual game sightings like lion kills and nocturnal game.

Fishing frenzies with the annual catfish (barbell) runs in the rivers.

Botswana: When to go

The best time of the year to be in Botswana is considered to be the winter months from May to November. This dry season is when game viewing in the main parks is at its most impressive; water holes dry out and game congregates around the remaining areas of standing water and the countries rivers. Temperatures at this time are perfect throughout the day getting progressively hotter until their peak in late October and early November, just before the rains come.

The summer months, from November to April also offer great game throughout the country, especially in such areas as the Central Kalahari. Victoria Falls is also at its most impressive in this period. The bonus at this time of year however is superb value for money as at the start of the season the lodges drop their rates for the months to come.

The Delta itself is in full flood from approximatly May to September every year