Victoria Falls, Chobe NP, Moremi GR, Jao and Khwai Concessions

[madaboutcheetah]

Wow - a Pel's!!!! Great images of the scenic shots and the delta landscapes ..........

[FlyTraveler]

Sango Camp, Khwai community concession. June 01, 2014

 

 

The eles playing in the water was one of the most beautiful scenes that I have seen on safari @@Atravelynn.

 

 

@@madaboutcheetah - the Pel's fishing owl was a resident at Pelo Camp. It lived right next to the tent occupied by the only other guests at the time we were there. Too bad that I could not go and photograph it on regular basis (would disturb the camp-mates' privacy).

 

 

On with my TR - after landing at Khwai airstrip we looked around for a Sango Camp vehicle, but could not see any. There were quite a few vehicles from other camps plus people working on the second airstrip construction, so we were not all alone while we waited for the pick up. After the serenity of the inner delta this airstrip felt so busy, almost like a regular city airport.

 

The Sango Camp booking was part of my idea about staying at one "wet" and one "dry" camp in the delta. The camp was conveniently located on the bank of Khwai River right between Moremi GR and Khwai community concession, so they offered game drives in both the reserve and the concession. The camp was also lower priced than anything else in this area.

 

After about 20 minutes a Sango Camp Land Rover appeared at the airstrip and we were greeted by Face - the general manager. He was quite talkative and was telling us a story about the camp, which I honestly don't remember well, something like his brother owned the camp, then sold it, but Face decided to stay as a general manager. The guy was crazy about football (soccer) and considering the upcoming world cup in Brazil this was the main topic of conversation at the dinner table (I'd rather be listening to safari stories).

 

We passed through several villages in the Khwai community, quite close to the camp:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upon arrival at the camp, we were greeted with the traditional for Botswana staff choir singing in A Cappella style. These ones were amazing, I seriously asked Face if they were auditioning staff during the hiring process. There was a big number of travel agents on educational at the camp and we were surprised to find Gabba from Safari Specialists there. This pretty much determined our faith in terms of choice of a guide, actually the lack of such. Face has allocated his best guide Four-Four (4/4) to the agents and we were left with the less experienced DiTiko (DiTi). At the very beginning I liked the idea, because we were less people in the vehicle, but quite soon I realized that we were left with the "shorter stick". Nevertheless DiTi was a nice guy and we had good time with him, especially on one morning drive when I and my wife were the only guests in the vehicle. I will write more about the camp and will post photos later.

 

 

The first drive was in the Khwai concession. DiTi said that we would just drop a British couple at the mokoro station first. Stopping just for birds wasn't really welcomed by the vehicle-mates, I still insisted that we did it (by this time I have already overcome my initial shyness regarding insisting to stop at sightings).

 

Lilac-breasted roller:

 

 

 

Southern red-billed hornbill:

 

 

 

African openbill stork:

 

 

 

At the mokoro station there were quite a few hippos in a very close proximity which made me wonder about the safety of the trip, but since we were not going on it, I just didn't raise the issue.

 

 

 

 

[Marks]

"Can't get enough" of those views is right...

[graceland]

You can start a thread on just "Aerial views" of Africa. It'd be fun to see. I love these; thanks so much for taking the shots and sharing, Fly.

 

I am missing Green Season Botswana.

 

Also hate it when a camp turns all its' attention to a visiting agent. Some of them are just taking time off with family or friends - and really don't care about the camp for their clients. I've talked to a few and they laugh about how they can use this time for a cheap getaway. Doesn't seem right, but what do you do?

 

Just pull out the camera and take some great bird shots

[FlyTraveler]

You can start a thread on just "Aerial views" of Africa. It'd be fun to see. I love these; thanks so much for taking the shots and sharing, Fly.

 

 

 

This is actually a great idea, if I start such a thread, other participants can also post aerial images and we can collectively put together a quite impressive collection. The question is in which section to start it (which country)? Perhaps several threads could be started for each individual country - "Botswana aerial images", "Kenya aerial images" etc. The other option would be to start a general "Africa aerial views" thread in the photography section... I just want to finish this TR first. In the meantime if anyone starts such threads, I will be happy to participate.

[FlyTraveler]

Sango Camp, Khwai community concession. June 01, 2014

 

 

The rest of the game drive in the Khwai concession wasn't very impressive. We had already lost about 40 minutes while driving a British couple to the mokoro station (I assume that the management should have driven them separately with a different vehicle). Then DiTi took us to a spotted hyena denn, I guess the guides take guest there if there is not much else to see. There were already several vehicles there and somehow DiTi managed to take the most inconvenient for viewing and photography spot, despite of other possibilities. The convenient spots were quickly taken during the next 10 minutes by new comming vehicles. I managed to take just a few not very good shots of hyena pups on this sighting. The good part is that we spent about 45 minutes at the den all by ourselves on the next day (more about this later).

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few impala shots during the "golden hour" and that was it for the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back to camp we did kind of a night safari, the only problem with this is that when there is no tracker / spotter and only a guide, he holds the steering wheel with one hand and searches for animals with the spot light in the other hand. This didn't seem to work well, in any case not as well as in the private concessions in Kenya where there was always a spotter in the vehcile (Selenkey, Ol Kinyei) or in the private reserves adjacent to Kruger park, where there is always a tracker. Nevertheless we got very lucky and saw a servel while it quickly crossed the road in front of the vehicle. Didn't have time to take a photo at all.

 

I realize that this time of the year (beginning of June) is not the most productive period for wildlife viewing in the area, but still chances could be maximized by good guiding.

[FlyTraveler]

Sango Camp, morning game drive in Moremi Game Reserve. June 02, 2014

 

 

We got lucky for the morning game drive in Moremi Game Reserve - I and my wife were the only guests in the vehicle.

 

 

The bridge over Khwai River with Moremi GR North Gate in the background:

 

 

 

Soon DiTi found two lionesses (initially) next to a termite mound:

 

 

 

They started walking towards us and then we realized that there were three of them, the last one being injured / sick (looking extremely skinny, most likely it wouldn't last more than a few days). We saw the sick one again during the afternoon game drive - she was performing very specific duties, but more on that later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The injured / sick lioness was the last one to pass next to our vehicle:

 

[madaboutcheetah]

I'm sorry you didn't think much of Khwai - I thought it was a great game rich destination ..... in years past, I've heard that they had great Lion/Buffalo interaction and definitely good for wild dog. Sounds like the camp ethos plus a dodgy guide might have had a part to play?

[TonyQ]

@@FlyTraveler

That third lion looks very unhealthy

[FlyTraveler]

I'm sorry you didn't think much of Khwai - I thought it was a great game rich destination ..... in years past, I've heard that they had great Lion/Buffalo interaction and definitely good for wild dog. Sounds like the camp ethos plus a dodgy guide might have had a part to play?

 

 

It is not that I didn't like the Khwai concession, it is an iconic safari destination, we just had a slow game drive and I was comparing to the private reserves in Timbavati and Sabi Sand or the private concessions in Kenya, where no one other than guests staying there is allowed on game drives. I am also aware of the fact that we stayed at perhaps the lowest priced camp in the area at the beginning of the dry season. Nevertheless, we still had some great sightings.

[FlyTraveler]

@@FlyTraveler

That third lion looks very unhealthy

 

Yes, @@TonyQ, she was very unhealthy, we thought that she would last for a few more days only. It is quite interesting that in the afternoon we saw her babysitting a cub while the other lionesses were away, perhaps hunting.

[FlyTraveler]

Sango Camp, morning game drive in Moremi Game Reserve. June 02, 2014

 

 

I liked the scenery in Moremi GR quite a lot. Here is a photo of the sick lioness next to a safari vehicle in what I believe to be a leadwood trees woodland:

 

 

 

 

 

Group of red lechwes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then DiTi found a lioness with a cub, but since we were in the Moremi GR, we could not drive off-road and get closer. Waited for about half an hour for the lioness and cub to stand up and move under a shade, but once they fell asleep, we decided to move further.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we drove for a while, we saw perhaps the highlight of the day - two quite fiercely looking nomad male lions, most likely brothers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They were on the move and we were able to follow the for quite a while.

Edited August 19, 2014 by FlyTraveler

[FlyTraveler]

Sango Camp, morning game drive in Moremi Game Reserve. June 02, 2014

 

 

On with the two nomad lions sighting - they were on the move, so we were following them for about 40 minutes, which is not an easy task in Moremi GR (no off-road driving). When the lions used the road we would follow behind them, we had the best views when they went off the road, but not too far, and when they disappeared in the bush, the only option we had was to go ahead, wait at a turn and hope that the lions would appear nearby. Here I should give DiTi a credit and mention that he did a great job with following the two brothers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DiTi during a tea break:

 

 

I used the fact that we were the only guests in the vehicle on this game drive and took quite a few impala photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

The lion in the second pic is a bit of a bald pate, isn´t he?

[madaboutcheetah]

Haha +1

[Dam2810]

I love the colours of the delta in May/June. Great pictures

[FlyTraveler]

@@michael-ibk, @@madaboutcheetah, yes, one of the nomad lions is bald, which makes him even more fierce looking, in my opinion.

 

Thanks @@Dam2810, appreciate your comment.

[FlyTraveler]

Sango Camp, morning game drive in Moremi Game Reserve. June 02, 2014

 

 

There was quite a lot of water in Moremi GR and Khwai concession, DiTi said that it was a rain water, not from the Okavango flood. In and around water there are always crocodiles and birds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

African fish-eagle:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another image from the album "The Intimate Life of the Wild Animals":

[Atravelynn]

A bit of a hiccup in Khwai, but who would know by your shots. You made the best of it. Getting impala herds can actually be harder than all the predator shots. Those prey species like to turn tail and flee. Nice going.

[FlyTraveler]

A bit of a hiccup in Khwai, but who would know by your shots. You made the best of it. Getting impala herds can actually be harder than all the predator shots. Those prey species like to turn tail and flee. Nice going.

 

 

Maybe I have become just too picky after Timbavati and Sabi Sand or the private conservancies + Freeman Safaris in Kenya last year...

[graceland]

Well Fly we are all enjoying it. You certainly made up for a few less sightings with a few more in Moremi!

 

I try not to compare my game drives, but there are times when you wonder why you are where you are.

Fortunately those don't last too long in Africa; something always surprises you around the corner.

 

Love the colors/lighting/and the sad, sickly lioness...wondering what was wrong.

[Sangeeta]

I try not to compare my game drives, but there are times when you wonder why you are where you are.

Fortunately those don't last too long in Africa; something always surprises you around the corner.

 

Love the colors/lighting/and the sad, sickly lioness...wondering what was wrong.

 

With you on both thoughts, @@graceland. Did you see that lioness again? Nice rear shots of the brothers.

[FlyTraveler]

Thanks @@graceland and @@Sangeeta! We saw the sick lioness again during the afternoon drive. She was babysitting an about 14 months old cub and they were both waiting for the rest of the pride to come back.

[FlyTraveler]

Sango Camp, Khwai Concession. June 02, 2014

 

 

A few words and photos about Sango Camp. The camp has an excellent location on the bank of Khwai River with a direct view towards Moremi GR. Large en-suite tents (I forgot the exact number, perhaps 7 or 8) and nice common tent with sitting area and a self service bar - guests can just open the refrigerator and get a beer or fix themselves a gin-tonic at pretty much any time. Nothing super fancy, but the camp offered all the comforts that we needed and the atmosphere was very nice.

 

The only complaint I would have would be that tents are were too close to each other (some of them to the common area, as well) and almost all guests and staff share a common "acoustic picture". It was especially funny when the "a capella" style song of the staff choir (while meeting newcomers) mixed with the noise from one of the toilets, thus performance ending with a loud "chord" coming from the latter place at the same time as the manager said "Welcome to Sango Camp".

 

 

An aerial view of the camp:

 

 

Exterior photos of our tent (view towards Khwai River and Moremi GR):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interior images of the tent:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The common tent with the bar and place for meals / bonfire (we saw a lion chasing an impala from here):

 

 

 

Edited August 23, 2014 by FlyTraveler

[FlyTraveler]

Sango Camp, afternoon game drive in Moremi Game Reserve. June 02, 2014

 

 

The initial plan was to do the afternoon game drive in the Khwai concession, but after the good lion sightings in Moremi in the morning, the guide decided to try Moremi again in the afternoon.

 

 

The North gate of Moremi GR:

 

 

We saw again the sick lioness which we observed in the morning, this time performing a specific task - babysitting a cub and waiting for the other members of the pride. DiTi said that the cub was 3-4 months old, but it seemed quite a bit older to me (10-12 months?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DiTi would always phone a friend from the company he used to work for (Bushways - a mobile safari operator) when he knew about a good sighting. Then he would wait at the sighting until the Bushway vehicle arrives: