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Botswana April 2018 - to see what all the fuss is about


deano

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Day 4 Kalahari Plains Camp Part 1 of 2 - final morning at KPC:

 

We had the option for the bush walk this morning and Paul had advised us that if we went for a game drive that we could not travel too far as we needed to be back at camp early for our flight back to Maun (and then on to Vumbura). As much as like walking though we opted for a drive and since Eva and Rainer were going on the walk then we would be having a "private drive" to finish off.

 

We headed out in the chilly morning to the Big Pan area and stopped to photograph the landscape and some of the inhabitants._DSC0231.jpg.ee55c28cd40ba4994aa10d93876793c0.jpg

 

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It was a bit cool and so there was not a lot going on but Paul was keen on checking the various open areas and so we drove around between the few pans until he stopped in an area to answer the radio. He had just mentioned that we were in an area where they knew a male leopard held territory but they rarely saw him and were only aware of his presence from tracks and scat. As Paul answered the radio I looked to my left and saw this:

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Leopard! A complete but very welcome surprise and Paul called it in immediately to alert the other KPC guides. On closer inspection it was actually not one but two leopards.

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They looked like sub-adults and did not seem bothered by our presence and after watching us for a while they wandered off into a thicket. 

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Paul dis his best to stay with them and it looked for a minute like that was to be the last we saw of them but we caught another glimpse of spots and were able to get close to them as they rested up. As we watched the leopard in front of us it definitely looked to be cleaning itself and then after a closer look we were convinced that it was maybe eating something. Paul re-positioned and sure enough the leopard had somehow caught a guineafowl and was proceeding to pluck the feathers before tucking in. I took a lot of pictures so no apologies for the set that follows as I enjoy leopards and never expected to see one, let alone two, here in the Kalahari.

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If you were not sure that it was a guineafowl up to now then this pic should leave you in no doubt.

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Looks like he saved the legs until last!

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We were able to stay with the leopards for some time and watched the scene unfold with a clear view. Basically the one leopard had the bird to itself while the other was laid up not far away but hidden by a bush. There are not many vehicles operating in this area so Paul had asked us if didn't mind waiting for the others to make their way as without us to guide them in it would be tough for them to get here and find the exact spot. We didn't mind at all and even though we knew we had to leave asap I would have gladly missed a meal or a flight to stay with these magnificent animals. As it turned out, as soon as the other vehicle arrived the leopard with the guineafowl picked up what was left and hid behind a bush. Quite funny given that we had spent the best part of 30 minutes there and the leopard hadn't moved at all but as soon ads another vehicle gets on the scene it gets up and runs away!

 

Eventually though it was our time to leave and so we headed back to camp. I could not help but think back to last night when we had invited Eva and Rainer to join us on the star deck after that special meal - good karma indeed with a special last sighting in a very special place. Thank you Kalahari.

 

Time for one last image before we got back to KPC. Moody grass and skies.

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We had a nice cooked breakfast and managed to catch  up with staff and guests to say our goodbyes and then Paul shuttled us to the airstrip for the flight back to Maun (in a 4 seater).  We had some time to kill before our onward flight to Vumbura and Wilderness took us to their off site lounge facility which is about a 2 minute walk across the main street there. It was a peaceful spot to rest up and they had wi-fi and TV and that type of stuff as well as a great selection of drinks and some comfy chairs - definitely nicer than the departure lounge at Maun! Kalahari Plains Camp had been everything that we had hoped...and more and I reflected on that as I read a pretty book about Botswana while tucking into the packed lunch provided by KPC. 

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On to Vumbura now for 4 nights with Part 2 to follow tomorrow as I think 24 pictures of leopards is enough for one day. 

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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Peter Connan

Beautiful last sighting!

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offshorebirder

Quite the send-off on your last morning @deano!

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Leopards are always beautiful @Peter Connan even with a mouthful of feathers?!

 

Quite the send off indeed @offshorebirder and only 3 nights into a 10 night trip.

 

Thank you both - I am home for lunch and uploading some more images so that I can continue with the report later on Thanks for commenting.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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Day 4 continued (Part 2) transfer and first night at Vumbura Plains:

 

The 2 hour wait in the Wilderness lounge seemed to fly by and before long we were climbing into the next aircraft for the 30 minute hop up to Vumbura. As is to be expected, I pointed my iPhone at the view and took a few images but nothing in this report will come close to replicating the real thing. Absolutely stunning and it was easy to see what at least some of the fuss was about for Botswana.

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At the airstrip, we were met by Pro for our drive back to camp (our guide Nas was out on Game Drive with other guests). No sooner had we started driving when a large sable bull popped into view and then popped back out again before I could snap a pic. I had really wanted to see sable and hoped that this would not be my only experience. Pro then told us of a pride of lions with cubs that we should try and get to see on our way back but first we had an introduction to the wet Delta area around Vumbura.

 

Tall grass and dense bush but still plenty to see....even if it is mainly bums!

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We stopped for s sundowner and it was easy to see that we were in a beautiful part of the world and we were looking forward to our 4 nights here. These are the first lechwe we had ever seen._DSC0469.jpg.8594d8339b97bf80a87b80107faf7003.jpg

 

The vehicles at Vumbura are extremely plush. Lots of little extras like drink holders and pockets and such.

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Not hungry at all but these snacks were impossible to resist.

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After our first sundowner, Pro was keen for us to get the lions before they disappeared into thick bush so we headed off and caught up with them. They appeared to be doing what lions do best....not much but we were happy to see them and knew that we would likely catch up with them again. Only this cub really shows itself for a picture.

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By now, we had been informed of a leopard sighting close to camp and whilst we were not bothered either way (after all , we had spent most of our last morning at Kalahari Plains Camp with leopards)  we were happy to try and catch up with them. We stopped along the way to photograph some banded mongoose and playful baboons in the last of the light.

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Soon after, we caught up with the leopards who were now mobile and we got some lovely viewing as they walked on and close to the road.

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This was a mother and cub this time and we found out in the coming days that there was a second cub up until recently but that it had been killed by baboons. The mother still had cuts and wounds on her face and body from her defense of her other cub. Sadly in vain but that is life and death in Africa.

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Big wound under right eye

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And another wound on her left side

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Looks like it is not infected and should heal up nicely 

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We stayed with them until it got almost dark and then we turned towards camp and our first sight of the place we were to call home for the next 4 nights.

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Vumbura Plains Camp was quite the place and it was definitely the largest and possibly the best appointed of any camp we have ever stayed at. After the usual introductions and paperwork we unpacked and showered and then headed off to meet our guide and vehicle mates and all while enjoying one of the nicest most natural and fun filled "cultural nights" that we have ever experienced. Simply fantastic and I was sorry that I left my camera (and iPhone and GoPro) behind in the suite. The staff that participated had a great time and really enjoyed themselves - as did we as guests as their 'audience' but I got the feeling that they would have had just as much fun if we hadn't been there. It was honestly that good.

 

We ate some great local food and were fortunate that two local guests from Gabarone were there for their last night as well as an American couple Peter and Sabrina from New York who we really got on well with and the conversation within our group flowed easily with a lot of laughter....aided of course by a liberal dose of medicine.

 

A great end to a busy day with the stand outs being two pairs of leopards at either end of the day. Magic....and definitely part of what the fuss is about?

 

Video offering to complete the report for Day 4.

 

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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@deano Your Jameson secret is safe with me!

 

Wonderful leopard sequences, and your vertically-composed tree photo has fantastic lighting. Your second and third videos are as nice as the first. Can I ask what editing software you're using?

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safarigirl.se

@deano wow, what a great trip report. Kalahari is on my bucket list, and now more than ever. Lovely sighting of the bat-eard fox ?? and the Oryx is truly magnificent! 

 

I whent to the Delta last year in May and also had amazing leopard encounters.. love your feather picking photos ? Looking forward to the rest of the report. 

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Alexander33

A leopard send-off and a leopard greeting. What a day. It doesn’t get much better than that. I’m enjoying this report very much, and look forward to more. 

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Loving this trip report the sightings have been brilliant so far!

 

Two great leopard experiences in one day is hard to top. Jealous of all the Oryx you saw, they are no.1 on my wish list now.

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Thank you @Marks - we saw that tree from miles away and the light changed in the couple of minutes it took to drive there. If I was clever I would try and edit out the shadow. IF I was clever!

 

The videos are a mixture of footage from a dslr, two iPhones and a GoPro. I put the daily GoPro footage together in their studio software first by creating a long video of all of the footage and then drag that into iMovie (I am on a Mac) with the dslr and iPhone 'events' and then use that to create the uploaded videos.

 

It does everything that I need it to although I have been thinking of at least upgrading to whatever version is current.

 

Thanks for commenting.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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Hello and welcome @safarigirl.se and thank you for your comments. Can you believe that we thought those bat eared foxes were lions when we first saw them (they were laid down under a bush)! They were on my list of new animals and one of the reasons we visited the Kalahari. We had seen oryx before but on a fenced reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa but seeing them in the Kalahari was fantastic and you could do a study on just oryx if you went there....not hard to find at all. 

 

Leopards @Alexander33 seem to generate genuine excitement among guests and guides and we were definitely spoiled on our 4th day. Thank your for commenting and I am really trying to carve out the time to keep this one going.

 

Thank you @mopsy - we got lucky with the sightings for sure and in particular the Kalahari where we never expected to see so much.

 

More to come.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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Day 5 Vumbura Plains Camp Part 1:

 

We had a late night last night but there is no time for 'tired' on safari and I was ready to go at 5.30AM when our 'knock knock' came. Still dark here until after 6AM and so we waited for an escort up to the lodge and then I proceeded to sample the fabulous breakfast offerings at Vumbura...anywhere that cooked eggs and pancakes to order is a winner in my book.

 

At about 6.30AM we headed to the vehicles.

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At approximately 6.35AM we were looking at this. 

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It was the female leopard from last night and this tree was no more than 500feet from Room #6 - our room.

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The light was golden but she stayed in the shade but we were one of only 2 vehicles so I got to try different exposures.

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Like this one exposed more for her than the whole scene

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We knew her cub was around but a lot higher in the tree.

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The cub eventually climbed down and played with her mother on that tree limb - no photos at the time but I did get some nice video which will be included at the end of Day 5. I did manage to snap this one when the cub went exploring. We couldn't drive around the other side of the tree as it was a wet area and that is why we had to be on the wrong side of the light.

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This guy was hanging around the whole time.

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After a while we headed off in search of the lion pride from last night and we got to see the Delta in all of its glory as we traversed the wet and dry areas which these lechwe of course made their habitat.

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We passed through one spot where this pied kingfisher posed nicely for us.

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Happy to see my favourite antelope in good numbers here too.

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Plenty of wildlife along the way like these wattled cranes (another first for us)._DSC0595.jpg.a1ef19d604967272842fb10022b46b09.jpg

 

And a guineafowl; definitely seen them before but with not as many feathers...and missing the head!

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Nas knew roughly where the lions would be but it still required a great deal of bush whacking to find them but it was worth it as we got to see them in a selection of vegetation and light ranging from tall grass and thick bush and everything in between. Their movement through the dark and light made photography challenging but I'll take that over sleeping lions any day and  I took more video than photographs which I have included in the usual end of day edit.

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After some even more serious bush whacking we eventually found a two track and then a road of sorts and were able to carry on with the morning which included the normal drink stop and then a bit later a surprise Vumbura moment when we were greeted by another vehicle and three young men serving ice cold smoothies. I think they were trying to show me what at least 'some' of the fuss was all about and I was definitely seeing it!

 

Shortly after we saw what I think might have been our first elephant of the trip . We hadn't seen any at Kalahari and we thought we would see more here so this one was not a surprise but welcome all the same.

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Part of a larger herd that were approaching water for a drink.

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The drink turned into a mud wallow for some of them but it was quite hot and I couldn't blame them. Besides, it was great to just sit and observe these amazing animals doing their thing.

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Most of them got in to enjoy the water.

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These two had a silly half hour and looked to be really enjoying the splashing.

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After watching the elephants until they all exited the water we eventually turned and headed back to camp.  It really was hotting up now and while we had the cover of the roof in the luxurious Vumbura Plains vehicles the animals had to make do with whatever shade they could find. Unfortunately, this steenbok couldn't find any while doing his very best 'stone' impression._DSC0666.jpg.0bde176016f979c3f36b0eea8c191c7f.jpg

 

These buffs had the right idea though.

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As we neared camp Nas took a right turn just before the wooden bridge that crosses the last piece of water before the garage area. We headed to a bush not far from where we had seen the leopard this morning and would you believe it there were two wild dogs. A pair that had broken away from their pack. Nas did not rate their chances of surviving as very high but they are here and alive and able to breed so who knows? If they produce cubs though then that will be a tough time as the adults have to leave to go out on the hunt. Good luck doggies.

 

Oh and by the way...we were just outside our room #6 again. Have I mentioned that I love Africa?

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After 11AM now and very hot so the dogs didn't do much but it had been a great morning at Vumbura.

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Once back in camp, we arranged to meet  up for lunch but we somehow missed our new friends Peter and Sabrina who didn't see us as we sat in the dining area while they sat in the comfy chairs in the lounge area - that is how big Vumbura is that we didn't see each other at lunch!

 

The dining is a bit different at Vumbura and is set up for private meals and the a la carte menu is very good and you could see why this is rated as one of Wilderness Safaris' Premier Camps. I didn't write down what this was but it was very nice but then again I never had a bad meal anywhere we stayed but these were extra nice for sure.

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After finally catching Peter and Sabrina (sorry we missed you guys) we headed back to the room. Mrs deano had warned me that she needed a siesta which means "...don't be stomping about with your various cameras snapping pics and disturbing me..." or something to that effect! Luckily, I have learned how to do precisely that but without disturbing her although the size of the suite and deck (actually decks!) at Vumbura made it quite easy to leave her undisturbed.

 

I settled on the outside seating area (I would have called that a room on its own to be honest) and with a view of water on 3 sides and a distant island in front that I named Lechwe Island as they always seemed to be lechwes on or around it. I would spend many happy hours there in the next few days.

 

I had thought about nodding off but there was too much to look at - like this day lily right under the plunge pool.

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There had been good rains this year and so the area in front of camp was very wet with quite tall grass which made it tough to see what was making the splashing noises I kept hearing but frrom the sound of them I suspected a small hippo or elephant or maybe a lechwe. I even held out hope for the elusive sitatunga but all I got was splashing and no visuals of whatever it was.

 

Not much to photograph and so I settled in with  my binoculars and then the splashing got louder and nearer. I moved to the edge of the deck expecting a lechwe and then saw something below me. I wasn't sure what it was as it seemed to be under the water and then I caught another glimpse and knew that it was an otter. I watched it ducking in and out of the water until it finally showed itself and I was able to snap a few pics. I had to show the pics to Nas later to identify it - a spotted necked otter - and I was very happy to have seen that (to add to the leopards, lions and wild dogs...and the elephants and buffalo).

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It didn't hang around and was only out of the water for a  few seconds and this is a heavy crop but you can definitely see what it is.

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Part 2 to follow.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

 

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@deano Thoroughly enjoying the report both the stories and the pictures. I agree with you about leopards - I wonder if the attraction is that they are so elusive and almost seem to choose to grant you an audience before disappearing again? The second report from Botswana I've read this week that makes me want to go there...

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Thank you @pomkiwi and you might be right about the leopards. Even seasoned guides seem to step up their excitement when there is a leopard about. 

 

As the title of this report suggests, we went to Botswana ...to see what all the fuss is about. There is definitely something about the place or at least there was in the three places we visited and Safaritalk definitely sealed the deal as it were. But then I want to visit almost everywhere that I discover through this website and accordingly I have a huge bucket list but sadly not the funds to match.

 

Working on some more of the report now.

 

Kind regards

 

deano

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Day 5 Vumbura Plains Camp part 2 Mokoro trip:

 

After the excitement of the otter, the afternoon settled down and I spent the remainder of our siesta watching woodpeckers, starlings, squirrels and of course the distant lechwe all while being serenaded by a resident turtle dove who was constantly singing his song (you all know the one). At 4PM we headed up to the main area and saw that the place was full of local ladies making baskets and a fellow carving wood to make small mokoros and such. It was nicely done and no pressure to join in or by but I did have a go at wood carving and mrs deano had actually wanted to have a go at basket weaving and joined in with that. There was also the chance to buy any of the goods on display and I seem to remember that all of the guests bought something. If mrs deano can feed her need for creative and retail therapy in one go then that is a very good thing.

 

The massive suite #6 at Vumbura South. The trees to the left are Lechwe Island and that small sign on the deck behind the plunge pool is roughly where the otter was swimming about.

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Our afternoon tea on day 5. Wood carving in bottom left, baskets bottom right and an informative talk about how everything is made and where the materials are sourced etc. Tea and cake does not describe the offerings  - gourmet buffet is more like it.

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After sampling the activities, the retail and of course the 'tea and cake' we were quick to leave as Nas had told us that we were scheduled for a mokoro trip and that we needed to beat the sunset and had a 45 minute drive ahead of us first. I was really looking forward to the mokoro but we first had to check on the wild dogs who we had left having their siesta not far from room #6 and hey were just getting mobile as we got back to them.

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I would have liked to have stayed and followed these two but the bush was thick and being in the Delta there is a lot of water and following just two would have been challenging. Thrilling but definitely challenging. So we set off towards the mokoros and I think we were already running behind.

 

Nas was still happy to stop for whatever we saw though and we couldn't resist these birds.

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This is still one of my favourite images form the trip because I really enjoy Southern ground hornbills.

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Check out the eyelashes

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We arrived a bit late for our mokoro trip and were joined by another group that we had met on the 'plane coming in (staying at Vumbura North) plus we had one more person join our group of four  - Anja  - a journalist from Germany who was doing a story  covering a few different camps and areas. Anja had been traveling non stop from Germany and this was her first activity. Wow.

 

Mrs deano took this of me just to show that my Deception Valley sunburn had gone away....or was it show off my large snout?

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Nas was up ahead as lead guide in his own mokoro but before he paddled off (probably poled off but that doesn't sound quite right does it?!) we had a safety briefing and then a mention of a competition to see who found the most frogs. We saw a few but Peter and Sabrina were winners of that particular contest.

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I had my dslr with me and was always on the look out for something to photograph but the water was quite shallow and I am sure the guides had scouted the area to make sure it was safe and besides - this was more about the experience and it was quite that. A wonderful peaceful setting and with the sun setting it was the perfect thing to be doing. Mokoro in the Delta - that is what the fuss is about.

 

Anja on her own and then Peter and Sabrina.

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Peter and Sabrina might have won the frog spotting competition  but I was clearly hands down winner of best headwear.

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Me wearing my lily pad hat and mrs.deano with her lily necklace. 

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It was dark by the time we set off back to camp and we watched a few night jars and bush babies before getting back for (after) sundowners. We were all sat together for our meal and swapped stories and information while enjoying the food (Ostrich Terrine for me) and of course there was Jamesons at the party too. And he was introduced to our new friends who enjoyed his company with us.

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We had drinks at the bar while Anja was introduced to her suite. Peter was quite the story teller and I was in stitches at his story about a computer store in New York and a member of staff called Schlomo Glickstein. We had a drink for Schlomo more than once on this trip. Good times with good people.

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After dinner I was tired but wanted to photograph the stars off of our deck and set up for a few images. I will mess about with this one in RAW to pull out some details (and adjust the perspective on the vertical lines....this is from a 14mm wide angle). It was great to be out there in the almost pitch black and the splashing sounds and general atmosphere was almost intimidating even from the safety of the deck.

 

Sort of South and East

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Sort of South and West

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That was a great day in the Delta and we still had more to come. Day 6 to follow soon but not before the usual compilation video of the many different clips taken in Day 5. 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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Day 6 Vumbura Plains Camp Part 1:

 

Still dark when we were escorted to the lodge this morning but the sun was on its way so I snapped a few pics about the place._DSC0825.jpg.dc2f6e21a676bb62f71b02f2a960b91f.jpg

 

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After a solid breakfast we headed out and stopped at Vumbura International Stadium where we watched warthogs in midfield (this is where staff play football).

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After watching Pele (or Pumba), Nas took us to a different type of area today that was bit drier and we got into some Mopane thickets and started to see more impala and zebra. I seem to remember that ms. Anja was very excited to see these animals for the first time.

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Dwarf mongoose hanging around as well

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And the more you stop and look then the more you see. Like this LBR

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Next stop was a small watering hole where we stopped to watch this heron fishing. He didn't catch anything and was a long way from my lens but sometimes it is nice to put the camera down and just take it all in.

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This drongo was also watching and never showed its face all the time we were there

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As we drove away we spotted a pair of jackals that seemed to be leading us away from a termite mound - we thought it might be a den site and so drove closer but couldn't see anything but we did get tot see some true jackal behavior when they started eating berries from a bush. Never seen that before - read about it - but now I watched it for myself.

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About 5 minutedsafter leaving the jackals Nas found tracks for males lions and told us that he suspected that it was four males that were dominant in the area. We tracked them for a while but it was actually the other vehicle that Nas called in to help that found them (we put in all the hard work for them to get the prize....but I enjoyed the 20-30 minutes of tracking).

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Another BBJ was keeping tabs on the lions

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Swallow tailed bee eater was flying about doing its thing as we watched

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It was later in the morning now and quite hot and as is to be expected with male lions at this time of day .....they didn't look like doing anything other than sleeping. This glance to the sky was about as much action as we saw from them.

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After this high action sighting we moved away and had our drink stop and then headed home. We stopped at a large pan on the way to watch a troop of baboons and it was a very enjoyable time as we observed all types of baboon behavior such as mating, courtship, grooming, playing and some geophagy where baboons of all sizes just ate soil straight from the ground. Interesting to see and particularly nice watching a mother and baby in one 'pit' as they shoveled the mineral rich earth into their mouths in between mining for it with their teeth. 

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Still in the drier parts and seeing antelope other than lechwe, like this tssessebe.

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And the always pretty kudu

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This lady munching on flowers.

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Back at Vumbura and we asked for a group table again (which was no problem) and I must have really enjoyed my food as I wrote it down as "...poached egg, avocado, sausage, bacon, tomato and mushrooms with some toast - glorious..."

 

I also wrote down that we were exactly half way through our trip now with 10 out of 20 game drives in the bag and that whilst we had a somewhat quiet drive this morning that didn't matter  because it had been an epic first 5 days on safari.

 

Five more days to come with Day 6 Part 2 to follow shortly.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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Day 6 Vumbura Plains Part 2:

 

A fairly quiet siesta after lunch with a short walk up to Vumbura North to see the shop there and generally stretch the legs. I took my camera just in case and there is always something to see and photograph and probably a lot more if you spend the time to look.

 

Warthogs outside Room #5 (Peter and Sabrina were likely having a nap)

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Red billed spurfowl

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Resident squirrel

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Nas had informed us over lunch that we would be taking a boat trip this evening and the prospect of a sundowner on the water in the Delta was something we were looking forward to. The drive there was quiet (by Vumbura standards) but since our vehicle mate Peter was a keen photographer and since I was trying to improve my birding - although it is not hard to improve from zero knowledge - we were able to stop and watch this coppery tailed coucal for a while. I got to hear it make a call while I was watching and so now that is at least 1 bird that I should recognize in future.

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The wet areas are dotted with these raised driveways to allow safe passage but the vehicles do also just drive through the channels and we frequently had water over the bonnet and sometimes in the bottom of the vehicle so please remember to lift you bags up off the floor.

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Lots of hammerkop in an area like this

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Got close to a lechwe at last as well

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We reached the boat launch in good time and since it was closer to Little Vumbura there was some traffic on the water (I took this to show the type of boat we were in).

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After we were underway, Nas stopped and introduced us to the plants and vegetation with some hands on stuff with day and night lilys and the papyrus reeds. All good stuff and in a beautiful setting.

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There was still wildlife to be seen as well like this distant fish eagle.

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And this cormorant who looked like it might take off at any second. 

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And it did.

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Nas took us deeper into the waterways using a mixture of speed boating and drifting and it was just fantastic to be there. We stopped for sundowners as well and I really enjoyed my Jamesons and the snacks too. Now this is what all the fuss is about!

 

Skipper Nas while we enjoyed our sundowners.

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When the scenery and sunsets are as beautiful as this I think it is only fair to include as many images as you can so here is a mixture of images taken as we finished off the boat cruise. The subject of this first one is not necessarily beautiful though but the scenery most definitely is!

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Back at camp for dinner and we again requested a 'party table' more so because it was Peter and Sabrinas' last night (going on to CapeTown) and Anja would be leaving us and going on to another Wilderness Camp Mombo but we do enjoy company. We had a great meal and a great time finished off with drinks by the fire pit watching the stars. Have I mentioned that I love Africa at all?

 

One last image for the day as we headed from the lodge along the walkway back to our room. If you look closely you can see Orion dipping behind the trees just left of bottom centre.

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And of course a video for Day 6 for those with the time to watch.

Kind regards

 

deano.

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@deano.....great photos!  nice water lily hat too!

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Fredweinman

how re then isects in aprl?

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Fredweinman

how are the insects in april

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safarigirl.se

Thanks for sharing this amazing trip @deano love watching your videos, it´s such a nice way to make every subway ride enjoyable :)

I especially liked the part with the lioness and all the cubs strolling, so cute! And wow, what a cool sighting with the otter. 

 

We went to a different part of the delta the Nxbega/Kanana Reserve, west of Cheif´s Island, bordering Moremi Game Reserve it´s really interesting to se another part. It looks absolutely lovely! We didn't se any Waterbucks though :( maybe they were around but we missed them.. 

 

And finally a spider question, we had a Y shaped stick in the front of the Mokoro to catch spiderweb, I saw on your video that you didn't have one.. Soo no spiders in the Mokoro? :) I had plenty, haha. 

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Thank you @marg - I just realized that less than half of the photos included so far have been edited! Never mind, too late now.

 

As for the hat - I have to say that it was a very practical design and extremely cooling. Perfect for that place.

 

@Fredweinman I don't recall me or anyone on the trip ever complaining about insects in any of the camps. I don't suffer anyway (touch wood) but I did only get one itchy bite and that was towards the end of the trip and I just scratched it until it went away - typical male response to almost any problem really!

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Glad I could contribute to your daily(?) subway commute @safarigirl.se. I am following your report and will be popping over when I've finished my next installment and like you, I enjoy seeing the same region but a slightly different area.

 

We saw only a few spiders and/or webs on the mokoro trip but I can see that a stick of some sort would have been a good idea to intercept them although a large bottle of a certain brand of Irish Whiskey could do double duty for me if it needed to - spider interceptor and sundowner combo. They do say that necessity is the mother of invention........

 

Thanks for commenting.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

 

 

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Day 7 Vumbura Plains Camp Part 1:

 

Very warm last night and a restless night for me but when 5.30AM came I was up and dressed in no time as I wanted to take a few pre dawn pictures around the place.

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Our three vehicle mates were all moving on today and so we were a bit late leaving camp  but that meant that the other vehicles should be out and about and finding animals for us to come and look at. - right? On our way out we stopped to look at some storks that were actually feeding in the back of house area although I decided that this was a nice image to start with.

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2 minutes later and we got going again and to our left I saw big dark ears moving through tall grass. Wild dogs and this time way more than the two we had seen the other day. Had we left earlier we would have not seen these guys. all the other 'earlier' vehicles had missed them already.

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Nas identified them as a pack of about fifteen and we counted them although getting them to pose in a group was of course impossible.

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Nas called in the sighting and then we proceeded to follow them as they coursed through wet, dry, grass, bush and anything else they could find. It was unlike any other wild dog safari due to the many deep water channels that we had to try and cross to keep up with them.

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We lost them a few times and then found them again a few times but we never saw them flush anything out although what I did see that I found remarkable is that they ignored a male kudu - maybe they know that other prey is just less of a handful?

 

Or maybe they had come off worse in previous encounters...like the wound on this guy?

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After a good amount of time with the dogs we decided to leave to let others in to have their own sighting and so we went off in search of the lions. It didn't take Nas long to find them as they were close to where we had left them the other day but this time all of the males were present with the females and cubs and it looked like there were some full bellys and not a lot of activity. One male got up to make himself more comfortable but the rest of the pride was dotted about in the shade and not up to much but we knew that we could come back later to see what they were up to.

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Peter and Sabrina and Anja were to be met later in the drive with another vehicle (and hopefully their luggage!!) that would then take them to the airstrip but we had one last drink stop with them before that. Anja had a brand new GoPro but was short on memory cards so I gave her an old one of mine (it worked but sometimes reported an error for no reason). I didn't want anything in return by Anja gave me a gift of a carving knife from her home town in Germany which was vey nice and has been used a lot since we got home - thanks Anja... a fair trade in my book. 

 

After our drink stop we enjoyed a few last sightings together like this giraffe.

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And this pair of giant eagle owls that screeched at us as we drove by (that is now one more bird call that I should recognize!)

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And finally some lechwe in their typical Okavango Delta landscape.

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After saying our goodbyes in the bush as it were we set off in a much quieter vehicle back to Vumbura South.

 

This fellow was giving us the typical buffalo stare .

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Part 2 to follow.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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Day 7 Part 2:

 

It was very quiet in camp and especially so at lunch although we did get a nice surprise from the staff at Vumbura who presented us with a nice gift before lunch for our 25th Wedding Anniversary - a butter dish with elephant handle. Very nice and exactly the type of thing we buy on these trips so especially welcome (thanks again Vumbura). 

 

After lunch I decided that I should have a proper siesta but I first experimented with my 80-400mm zoom and the 1.4 TC to see what I could get a long long way in the distance at Lechwe Island.

 

This is 490mm (so not all the way) - a bit soft.

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This is 550mm (all the way) and very soft but better than nothing although there might be a bit of back focus looking that fallen tree.

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It was just Nas and the two of us for the afternoon drive and NAs had asked us we minded devoting some time ti finding those wild dogs? Not at all Mr. Nas and thank you for asking. First he wanted to check on the lions since we were first out and they didn't take much finding thanks to this fat male lion lounging by the water hole at what I called Baboon Pan (we watched baboons here yesterday).

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He was so full he could barely get up

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He did lead us back to the rest of the pride though and we spent some time with them as they showed us a their social nature with some grooming and playing. A very nice way to spend some time if you ask me.

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We left the lions to their grooming and playing (they all looked full and likely would not actively hunt tonight) and proceeded to the last known location of the dogs - an Apple Leaf thicket that was very dense and a tough area to track in as there was a lot of grass but only a few areas of sand or soil to show up tracks - but no signs. We did try for a good while and headed more North and East than we had been before but sadly no luck. 

 

We did see some giraffe and of course zebra and impala in this drier mopane scrub type area and we had a nice sighting of an ostrich that wandered past just as we were about to stop for sundowners.

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Our last sundowner at Vumbura was a quiet affair but in a gorgeous spot and I couldn't resist a time lapse (see iPhone in bottom RH corner) although I forgot to include the brief clip in the video which is a shame as it caught the sunset nicely.

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As we headed back to camp after the sundowners, we ran into the pride of lions again who it seemed had moved towards Baboon Pan and then decided to block the road.

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We couldn't really go anywhere except backwards which we didn't want to do so we watched them for a bit until they sort of shuffled off and allowed us a gap to squeeze past.

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I've noticed that lion cubs are a lot more inquisitive at night.

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As we got back to camp we were asked  - as usual - if we wanted to head to the room to freshen up before dinner or to proceed straight to eat. We normally go with the flow but since it was just us we opted to ditch our bags and go to the room before dinner. It was dark and so that required an escort and although Nas did a good job of distracting us I could see a light from lanterns on the private deck at room #6 and I suspected that we were in for a other surprise. We were. A private dinner for out 25th Wedding Anniversary and way more than we expected on our last night. The butter dish had been more than enough and also unexpected as was the Kalahari Plains private dinner on the star deck there.

 

Pictures (and some video) cannot possibly capture the full experience but it was absolutely amazing. The set up, the food and of course the drinks and we were served each course by attentive but discreet staff who left us alone just enough. The food was  gorgeous (venison  amongst other things) and we both really felt pampered. We are both very embarrassed by this type of thing but this was very well done and away from the other guests which made it very special. 

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The sky was pitch black which made it tough to focus so I took a couple of test shots then set the camera up to try and capture the night sky. Sadly, I missed focus a bit and also underexposed quite a bit as well but this picture will still help us remember a very special last night at Vumbura Plains.

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Day 7 video below.

 

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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