Final Days in Africa

Posted on March 15, 2015 by soldstone

Life at Vumbura Plains was pretty plush. There were lots of little touches that contributed. When we first arrived, we were asked during our orientation what drinks we preferred for sundowners. We said gin and tonic, please. Then they asked what sort of gin we’d like! Upon returning from each game drive we were greeted with a cool or warm (depending on the weather), moist, scented towel to wipe the dust from our faces and hands. The service was excellent. The kitchen produced delicious food and we enjoyed having some of our dinners and all of our lunches at private tables. Meals were less time structured than at Chitabe, which was relaxing. They had some delicious house roasted nuts at sundowners which we also found in the mini-bar in our room. In an effort to be more sustainable and cut down on the use of disposable plastic water bottles, Wilderness Safaris gives each guest a stainless steel water bottle to use during their stay, and of course to take home as a souvenir. As at Chitabe, all the buildings and walkways were raised off the ground, and the common areas looked out over the watery plain. The guest bathroom near the “lobby” also faced the view, which you could see quite easily from the throne since there was no wall on that side! The wildlife was everywhere. While being escorted after dark back to our room to freshen up for dinner one evening, our flashlights lit up a hippo grazing in the grass just below us. At night the sounds of the bush were everywhere, including right outside our tent.

On a couple of occasions the elephants made an appearance in camp during the day. Elephants are mezmerizing. They exude a sense of peace and a slow and steady rhythm in everything they do. It’s infectious. I was thrilled when one afternoon, as we were lazing about on our deck, I saw some elephants making their way along the camp heading towards us. They were eating and walking at a leisurely pace and soon they were right in front of us. Not only was it a fun photographic opportunity, but it was exciting to be so close to simply observe them.

Michael viewing the elephants from the comfort of our plunge pool!

Bath time!

The time of year we visited the Okavango Delta was not the wet season despite the fact that the rains were just starting. The wettest time is from June to August when the waters of the Okavango river flood the delta. There is water in parts of the Delta all year long, but when the floods come, it increases dramatically. Even though it was not flood season, we still travelled through water sometimes in the vehicles and you could get an idea of what it would be like with a lot more water.

Here are some more of the birds we saw.

Ground hornbill

African fish eagle

Hammerkop

Slaty egret

Helmeted guinea fowl or “bush chicken”

Marabou stork. He was hanging around the lions waiting for his turn at the kill.

One afternoon we watched a giraffe take a drink. That may not sound like much but it’s a bit of an ordeal for the giraffe. First, because they are very vulnerable with their heads down low, they are very cautious about where and when they drink. This giraffe was constantly looking around for predators. Also, because of their long necks and the blood pressure that builds up when their heads are down, they can’t stay in that position for long. So giraffes tend to take a drink, stand up, take another drink, stand up, etc. They also don’t lower or raise their heads very quickly because that might wreak havoc with their blood pressure as well. The giraffe doesn’t want to pass out because he stood up too quickly!

We saw more elephants on our game drives, including a mom and her baby and a big bull elephant who we watched methodically eating the bark off some branches.

Mom, looking to see if the coast is clear.

Baby peaks out

Grabbing branches

Here are some photos of the sausage tree which I described earlier. Salami anyone?!

On our last visit to see the lion family with their buffalo kill we saw them lounging and playing in a very peaceful scene. The cubs were so playful and tried to engage their uncle, who was really quite patient with them.

Starting to wake up

Everyone wants a good stretch

The cubs can't resist jumping their uncle

The cubs can’t resist jumping on their uncle

Taking a drink. She did this about 3 ft. from our vehicle.

All that was left of the carcass.

Here is an elephant that came into camp one morning just as we were getting ready to go out on our game drive. We are in the vehicle waiting until it is safe to drive off. It’s amazing that the elephants don’t do more damage to the structures, but they’re pretty good at avoiding them.

On our last game drive we saw a lovely herd of elephants with young in tow.

Notice the baby you can see through her legs.

I really loved the elephants and could have watched them for hours. Particularly pleasing were the low rumbling noises they made to communicate with each other. It was an incredible sound.

The view from our deck.

On our very last morning we opted not to get up at 5:30am and go out on a game drive. We had seen so much already and had a very long journey ahead. So instead, we slept in and packed our things, had brunch and said our farewells. We were driven to the airstrip around 11am to catch our plane to Maun. Here is the pane that took us there. It was the largest of the three we took around the Delta.

On the way to Maun, we stopped off at another camp to exchange a few passengers. Here are a few photos of the flight as well as one of Maun as we were coming in.

Maun

The tiny airport in Maun was crowded and hot as we waited for our flight to Johannesburg. We had retrieved the extra luggage left with Wilderness Safaris without incident and finally boarded the plane for an uneventful flight back to South Africa. During our layover in Jo’burg we managed to change into some clean clothes for our transatlantic flight and re-packed our bags a bit. We found our gate and boarded the plane for the 16+ hour trip to Atlanta. It was a long flight and a bit of a blur. We watched some movies, tried to sleep, and simply endured. In Atlanta we had plenty of time to catch our flight to Albuquerque, so there was no stress getting through customs, re-checking our bags onwards, and finding a proper breakfast. I think we slept some more on the flight to New Mexico and arrived in early afternoon after about 33 hours of travel. At that point we had to decide if we were going to make the 3 1/2 hour car journey to Durango or get a hotel room and rest up first. We decided to go for it and used our last burst of energy to drive home. Our dog was very happy to see us and our house sitter had kindly left a pot of soup on the stove. Whew! It was a relief to take a hot shower and relax after our travel marathon.

Long journeys by plane are always a bit surreal. Your body is confused about what time it is and you have the sense of being in limbo when you’re on the plane. It is always a bit of a miracle to arrive someplace knowing you woke up that morning somewhere else, very far away. The long journey to Africa was well worth it. What a fantastic time we had. I think about it all the time and try to remember the details and nuances of what we experienced. I’m so glad I have the photos to look over as a reminder, but they are not the whole of it. The sounds and smells and tastes and people are there too in my memory. Thanks for following along as I chronicled our journey. Your encouragement and support has been a real help. I’m not sure what’s on the horizon for my next adventure, but I’ll be sure to let you know.

Cheers!

Sarah

Lions, Leopards, and Cheetah, Oh My!

Posted on March 8, 2015 by soldstone

Vumbura Plains delivered on the big cats in a big way. Not only did we get to see the lion family with the buffalo carcass on a daily basis, but we saw several leopards, a couple of cheetah, and other lions, including some that were hunting. It was a big cat fest as far as we were concerned, and we realized just how lucky we were when we met an American man stationed in Gabarone, Botswana, who had been on safari numerous times, and still had never seen a leopard, despite his fervent wish to do so.

One of our leopard sightings was a beautiful female lounging in a tree. The light was decent for once, at least until she turned the other way! After watching her for a bit we got to see her climb down the tree and go hide in the bushes. An approaching troupe of baboons was the cause. You would think a leopard in a tree would not have reason to fear a few baboons, but in reality, she was in grave danger as they could easily have overcome her. Baboons can be fierce aggressors and a lone leopard is wise to seek cover. Here are some photos of that gorgeous lady.

One of my favorite photos from the whole trip.

On the way down.

Peaking out from her hideaway.

We also came across two cheetah brothers who were having a siesta on a termite mound. We watched as they stretched and moved off through the grass to a different termite mound in search of more shade. Though they looked very relaxed, it was clear they were keeping a keen eye on their surroundings.

Shade was the order of the day.

Me and my cheetah friends!

There were, of course, other wonderful things to see besides the big cats. We had a lovely experience in a watery plain watching as two male kudu made their way towards us. With the engine off, we sat in silence, listening to the splash, splash of their steps and admiring the reflections of these magnificent beasts in the water. It was very peaceful.

Another favorite photo.

Another time, while out on the western edge of the concession that is used by Vumbura Plains, we had just spotted a secretary bird, which I was trying to photograph, when a sable antelope dashed out from behind a bush and ran away. I missed the secretary bird, but just managed to catch the sable. They are very rare so I was quite pleased to see one, even if only briefly!

Here is a smattering of other lovely creatures we saw while at Vumbura Plains.

Banded mongoose living in a termite mound behind our tent.

A bachelor herd of impala.

A bateleur

A vervet monkey

A yellow-billed kite

Crocodile amongst the flowers.

Cape buffalo

Red-billed oxpecker

One morning after transferring our English companions to another vehicle so they could go to the airstrip, we had Ben all to ourselves. He had heard there were some lions who had been following a herd of buffalo for some time, so we went in search of them. First we found the very large herd of buffalo who were accompanied by many birds taking advantage of the bugs stirred up by their passage. Then we found the lions. There were three of them perched on a termite mound keeping an eye on the herd, or more likely the older male stragglers.

As we sat and watched them, a couple of older male buffalo got closer and closer. Ben told us that if the lions took off in pursuit, we should be ready to hold on tight as he would try to follow. Not long after, the lions got up and started off into the long grass. It was hard to believe the buffalo weren’t aware of their presence as they were so close. We saw them spread out and slink through the grass, incredibly well camouflaged.

The males watch as the female closes in.

Finally, it all happened in a flash. The lions charged, the buffalo took off, and so did we. That was a wild ride! – two hands on the roll bars and big grins on our faces. The lions missed and the buffalo lived to graze another day, but it was very exciting to see first hand.

After the chase.

The next day we came upon yet another male lion waiting out the heat under the shade of a tree. He was a splendid sight and posed quite obligingly.

Next time I will share some photos of the incredible elephants we saw and heard and other fun things from our time at Vumbura Plains. Until then, be well and thanks for reading.

Variety at Vumbura Plains

Posted on February 28, 2015 by soldstone

Here is what I wrote while at Vumbura:

“Chitabe was lovely, but Vumbura Plains is a step up in luxury and comfort. Our room is huge, with a large deck, plunge pool, indoor and outdoor showers, as well as lounge areas. It’s all done in a somewhat rustic but tasteful manner, with tall screen doors and sweeping views of the waterways.

The view from our deck.

You definitely feel you are out in the middle of it all as the hippos and elephants graze just outside your room at night. There are LOTS of bush sounds and a constant chorus of birds chirping, or frogs croaking, or insects etc. You often hear the elephants calling to one another or the hippos making their grunting noises right from your room. Warthogs parade through camp and the mongoose are everywhere. Chitabe had very concentrated game and Vumbura is a bit less so, but there have been some pretty dramatic sightings–lots of lions, leopard, cheetahs, large herds of buffalo, many hippos, and plenty of antelope, zebra, giraffe and elephant. The roads are a bit smoother, which is nice as it means less bouncing around in the Land Rover. Lovely trees abound and there is more water here but strangely, we’ve seen fewer birds, or perhaps fewer at one time. I think it’s a matter of concentration. This feels more spread out than Chitabe was.

The food at Vumbura Plains is terrific. The service is excellent and they go out of their way to make you feel pampered. It is truly amazing to be this far out in the wilderness and have this level of luxury. Camping this is not, although you do feel cut off from the rest of the world.

This frog is real. He was perched atop a bottle stopper and I had to look closely to see if he was breathing!

Our guide here is Ben. He is a lovely, gentle giant who has done a nice job of showing us the area. We’ve had various companions including Germans, Brits, and Americans who live in Botswana. I have to say we’ve seen far more Americans in Botswana than we ever did in South Africa. I’m not sure how I feel about that as I didn’t really come all the way to Africa to spend my time with Americans. We’ve really enjoyed meeting people from other countries.

One interesting adventure here at Vumbura involved going out in a mokoro on the water instead of doing the usual game drive. A mokoro is a type of dugout canoe. Traditionally they were made of wood from the local trees, but Wilderness Safaris uses fiberglass ones because it’s more sustainable. They are quite narrow and propelled by a poler. So Michael and I both sat in the mokoro while Johannes stood at the back and used a pole to push us around through shallow waterways filled with reeds and lily pads. It was lovely to have everything so quiet– no engine noise. We enjoyed seeing a herd of elephants crossing the water in the distance ahead of us.

The view from our mokoro

Tiny frogs at eye level on the reeds. Look closely!

A tiny frog at eye level on the reeds. Look closely!

Little green frog

The view at sundowners that evening.

We also were treated to some entertainment before having a traditional dinner in the Boma one night. The entertainment consisted of singing and dancing and drumming performed by the staff and it was really fun. They are such good singers with nice harmonies. The staff at Vumbura are delightful, friendly, and welcoming. Our first evening here happened to be Michael’s birthday and they brought out a cake to him and sang for him which was all a surprise.

Another fascinating adventure was a walking safari. We were taken out into the bush by a guide to walk around on foot instead of riding in a Land Rover. This allows you to see the small things you don’t see from the vehicle and learn more about the plants, and ecosystem. Lazarus was our guide. He is very experienced and knowledgeable and usually does private guiding for Wilderness Safaris. In between those trips, he fills in at various camps where he is needed. At thirty-two, he is the youngest to qualify for this level of experience and knowledge. Since he works at many different camps around Botswana, he must know the labyrinthine road systems at all of those places, which in itself seems a huge feat. But he also knows all the nuances of the various habitats and the animals that share them. We had a wonderful 3 hour walk in the bush, enjoyed the quiet, and learned a tremendous amount. And we even saw some animals too, such as zebra, impala, giraffe, tsessebe, wildebeest, kudu and water buck. It was a totally different perspective to be on the ground. The animals in this area are mostly accustomed to the shape and sound of the Land Rover and know it is not a threat. However, humans are a different story. They are quite skittish of anyone on foot, so it was gratifying to have the opportunity to quietly observe some of them on their own terms, so to speak.

Heading out with Lazarus leading the way.

The weather in Botswana has not been nearly as hot as we expected. We had a bit of sun and heat at Chitabe and beautiful sunsets, but also some rain. And here at Vumbura, it’s been cloudy most of the time with a few showers and good breezes. It’s been cool and easy, not sweltering as we expected. The high cloud cover makes all the difference in the temperature, but it also makes the lighting a bit tough for photography.”

One of the first things we encountered on our first game drive at Vumbura was a pride of lions. We discovered a male lion looking very full and panting with a bloody muzzle. Clearly he had eaten very recently.

Look at that fat belly!

While we were looking at him, we heard a loud growl from somewhere in the bushes nearby. When we went to investigate, we discovered the rest of the pride just the other side of some bushes. They were just tucking into a cape buffalo that must have been killed very recently.

There were four lionesses and some young cubs. It was a bit gruesome, but fascinating to watch them beginning the process of devouring the buffalo. Everyone got in on the act, including the cubs. Over the course of the next four days, we were to see the various stages of destruction of the carcass and get a chance to see the pride resting and playing between feedings.

These lions became a familiar sight. They didn’t move far from the carcass the entire time we were at Vumbura, so it was easy to find them. The cubs, in particular, were adorable and fun to watch. There were six of them from two litters and they nursed at the two lactating females indiscriminately. That’s how it works in lion society. The large male was not their father, but rather more like an uncle. The dominant male of the pride was not with them at that time.

Sorry if this seems gruesome.

nap time for everyone!

Another thing we enjoyed seeing at Vumbura were the baboons. We had not seen as many before and found them fascinating. There was a troop of baboons near the camp that we saw several times, including their baby. Here are some photos of the baboon family.

With four days and abundant wildlife to view, I have many more photos to share from our time at Vumbura Plains, as you can imagine. Next time I’ll chronicle some of the more memorable sightings and share some more photos.

Until then, thanks for reading!

Chitabe Lions and Onwards

Posted on February 22, 2015 by soldstone

The weather was a mixed bag while we were at Chitabe Camp in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. We had expected it to be very hot but it really wasn’t so bad. In fact, while we were there, the rains started, so we had a few game drives where we pulled out the raincoats and ponchos. This cooled things down considerably so we never really felt scorched at any time. One morning after following the wild dogs for a while, we went off amidst drizzle and found lions. There was a male and two females who had eaten recently and were lazing about resting with full bellies. They were a bit muddy but otherwise didn’t seem too disturbed by the rain. The male had found himself a very small tree to act as a sort of umbrella for his head.

Waking up with a yawn

Cleaning time

Muddy girl

After we left these lions, the drizzle let up and not very far down the track we came across some more male lions, also lazing about.

There were other fun sights on our rainy game drive as well as the usual stop for tea. We even drove past a baby impala that had been “parked” by it’s mother in the remains of a dead tree. This is the preferred method of safe-keeping when they are too small to keep up with the adults. If baby stays very still, predators won’t see it.

A tsessebe

Gordon making tea

I think these might be pink-backed pelicans

Mom is probably in the background with the herd.

So cute! And he never moved.

After the game drive and breakfast on our last day at Chitabe, we were driven to the airstrip to meet a small plane that would fly us north to our next camp – Vumbura Plains. The plane was small but the weather was fine. Our pilot suggested he take the scenic route and fly up the river. It was fantastic! We had the best view of lots and lots of hippos, some with young, and elephants and other animals as we flew over the landscape. It was a smooth flight and when we landed at the Vumbura Plains airstrip, we were met, as per usual, by a cheerful staff member in a land rover.

Our plane coming in to pick us up.

Vumbura Plains is another Wilderness Safaris camp located in the northern part of the Okavango Delta in an area where both land and water based activities are available. There is more water than at Chitabe and the landscape was subtly different. Vumbura Plains was a step up from Chitabe in luxury which seems incredible, but there you have it. As at Chitabe, there was no WiFi or internet so I wrote a bit about our experience without posting. In my next installment I’ll post that passage and more pictures of this amazing place!

The Big Boy

Posted on October 30, 2014 by soldstone

On our last evening at Ngala we went out on game drive a little early because Bernard said a male lion had been seen in the area and we wanted to see if we could find him. We had the vehicle to ourselves again and after driving to the part of the reserve in which the lion had last been seen, Bernard and Jimmy got out to track him on foot. They were successful! I had told Bernard in the beginning that I wanted to see a large male lion and he delivered. Jimmy knew where he was in the bush after their walk and so we drove in to get a closer look. It turned out he was not alone! Our big boy had found himself a lady friend. Not only did we get to see a large male lion in all his glory, but we got to see him mating with a lioness. We felt a little bad about intruding on their interlude but, Wow! It was really cool to see. This lion had clearly been in a scrap as you will see from the photos. We weren't sure if he had been in a fight with other males or females or what, but his left eye was pretty banged up and he had some wounds on his face. This is actually pretty common with lions. They can be very aggressive with one another as well as towards their prey. Jimmy thought this lion would recover just fine so that made me feel a bit better.

All cats have needs regardless of size!

This was an incredible sighting to cap off our time at Ngala. Ngala means lion in the local Shangaan language, so it was quite fitting. We were lucky to sit with these lions and observe them by ourselves for quite a while before anyone else showed up. By that time we were ready to go off to find the perfect spot for sundowners and the sunset.

Ngala Private Game Reserve

Posted on October 27, 2014 by soldstone

The Ngala reserve is a little different than Londolozi. Ngala is a private reserve, but the majority of the territory they explore on game drives consists of land in the Kruger National Park on which they have exclusive traversing rights. It's rather a large area, so on each drive we started out by driving down the length of the private reserve and out into the park portion. Another difference is that there are fewer roads and tracks, so it becomes harder to track the animals. Kruger maintains the roads but doesn't want them making new ones. The area also has less water than Londolozi. The Timbavati river only runs seasonally through the reserve. There are several dams that have created ponds so the animals have water sources, which also attracts and keeps the animals in the area. However, in general, it seemed drier.

Our first evening we saw buffalo, zebra, and another leopard. Jimmy spotted her by the side of the road in the full dark and we followed her into the bush by spotlight and watched her scent-marking her territory. It was lovely to see zebra as we hadn't seen any yet. And there were lots of buffalo– bachelor herds of older bulls and large herds of cows and calves. Ngala has wonderful birds as well and we saw many including the Bateleur, African Fish-eagle, Double-banded Sandgrouse, Magpie Shrike, African Bee-eater, and the Red-crested Korhaan a bird that does a dramatic display of falling from the sky and pulling out of its “death spiral” at the last minute with a swoop. I guess this behavior is supposed to impress the ladies! We also saw Marula trees, the fruit of which is used to make a liqueur similar to Baily's. We had this in our coffee at our morning tea and snack stop on game drives. Quite yummy!

Bernard, though young, turned out to be a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable ranger. We really enjoyed exchanging stories and conversing over the 4 nights and 8 game drives we spent there. He hails from Pretoria, South Africa and clearly has an immense love and respect for the bush. He is particularly good at birding and so we enjoyed learning about a lot of the birds in the area. Jimmy, our tracker, was also very talented. He has been tracking for eleven years and has a keen eye and a quiet way. He spotted an African Wild Cat in the dark one evening and a Spotted Eagle-owl as well. This cat is the one to whom most house cats are likely the most closely related. It looks a lot like a slightly large house cat and is not often seen. Jimmy and Bernard together went off in the bush once to track down a male lion and were successful. We felt very fortunate to have such a fantastic team guiding us on safari, but more than that, we really enjoyed their company.

Another thing we were fortunate in is that we ended up having a virtually private safari vehicle for most of the time. This was the luck of the draw really. The Germans we met the first night had some unfortunate medical complications which took them away, and the German couple who joined us the following evening were leaving in the morning. We had one other delightful companion on one evening drive, a man named Devern, also from Pretoria. So for 5 out of 8 game drives we had the vehicle to ourselves. In fact, on one morning, I skipped the game drive because I wasn't feeling well, so Michael had a private tour all by himself! This is not the norm and we saw other vehicles with 6 and even 7 people. That isn't too bad, but what a treat it was to have such flexibility and a relaxed atmosphere with just us and our Ranger/Tracker team.

Here are some photos of the wonderful things we saw at Ngala including a pride of lions with cubs, a lovely leopard siting in a tree, a large male rhino, hippos, and beautiful African sunsets. There were so many things we saw that I can't recount them all. I think we saw 5 different leopards while we were there, but there were also lots of impala, zebra, birds, buffalo and so many other things.

Wildebeest

Leopard orchid - an epiphyte

Bernard and Jimmy setting up sundownders

Londolozi Finale

Posted on October 25, 2014 by soldstone

Our last morning at Londolozi we had one more game drive in which we saw more lions. This time it was the Tsalala pride with 3 lionesses and 4 cubs. As expected, they were enjoying a morning nap.

Sacked out

Scanning the horizon

We also saw a Jackal and an African Fish eagle that morning, and another Lilac-breasted roller.

Part of my African Bums collection

African Fish-Eagle

Lila-breasted roller

To finish our drive Kate parked the truck and led us on a walking safari back to camp. It was a beautiful morning with the Drakensberg mountains in the distance and it was really fun to get a totally different view of things. We saw a Stiletto snake crawling into a termite mound and marveled at all the details you don't see as well from a vehicle.

Stiletto snake - quite toxic!

Drakensberg mountains

Lions!

Posted on October 25, 2014 by soldstone

The remainder of our time at Londolozi continued to awe and amaze. We were treated to sightings of two lion prides, two more leopards, countless antelope of varying types, rhino, hippo, buffalo, giraffe, birds galore and even some reptiles. The food and service were equally amazing. I will really miss those breakfasts! I particularly enjoyed the huge variety of birds. It was such a luxury to have a guide to point them out, describe their habits, and one who knew all the names and calls so well. Some of my favorites include the Lilac-breasted roller, the Goliath heron– largest in the world, and the various eagles. After the storms of the night before, the bush seemed refreshed, clean, and sparkly. It really is beautiful to be out just after sunrise to see everything just waking up. And a little bit of rain immediately makes everything spring to life. As the summer rains are about to start up in earnest, soon the bush will be lush and green with new growth everywhere. The weather improved and we had some sunshine mixed with clouds. In general it has been much cooler here than I expected. It's preferable to being scorching hot, but I never expected to be chilly! Still, the clothing I brought seems to have worked out just fine.

Kate and Life in the morning- see where he sits?

Wildebeest

Red-billed Hornbill

Marshall eagle

Life

The first lions we saw were from the Sparta pride. Quite a lot of time was spent tracking them down, narrowing down their location by searching for tracks along the roads, and eventually searching on foot in the bush. We knew they were close by but still hadn't found them when, along came a Land Rover full of Tracker trainees. The Tracker training program at Londolozi is quite well known and very comprehensive. It is led by a man named Rennius about whom we'd heard from Kate. She had called in The A-Team as they called themselves! Life went off with them into the bush and we drove off to find a suitable spot for tea and rusks. Not three minutes down the road we got the call the lions had been found! Life and Kate had tracked them to right under our noses it seemed. We turned around and raced back, bid adieu to the A-Team, and drove into the bush to see our first lions. We found 4 or 5 lionesses and one young male. You could see his mane was not fully developed but he looked distinctly different from the females. They were doing what lions do most of the time– lying around napping. It was a bit hard to photograph them through the tall grass but you get the idea.