Mana Magic and Hwange Highlights

[Atravelynn]

"Nothing I found online seems to confirm that, though. It seems to me the ones in Hwange (second photo) have more pronounced shadow stripes and the inner side of their legs seems more stripe-less?"

I agree

 

"When you do potentially dangerous things on safari, and let´s be honest, walking up to lions and elephants of course does have its risks, it´s vital that you have somebody that you completely trust. And we did trust in Doug, completely."

Direct Mum to this statement. She'll feel better.

 

Love those drinking banded mongoose. "Business drinking," has a nice ring to it.

 

Your summary reminded us of your array of trip sightings and highlights. Truly a spectacular safari with Doug!

[Geoff]

@@michael-ibk I'm pretty sure this is a Variable Skink Mayuba varia. If not it is a close relative, Striped Skink Mayuba striata. Very common. From memory the breeding males get that vivid orange yellow on the throat.

 

And the Non-Feathered List

Awesome Tent Gecko (Reptilianus incognitus domesticus) - yes, I have no idea about small reptiles.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Geoff

[TonyQ]

@@michael-ibk

What a wonderful trip - from WIld Dogs on the road to your final elephants from the air. Excellent sightings throughout.

I have really enjoyed your writing - it communicates your enthusiasm so well. The whole report has been beautifully illustrated - a pleasure to read

The two of you obviously had a great time and future trips planned already

Thank you for all of the work that has gone into this

[SafariChick]

Bravo! What an incredible report from beginning to end. Gorgeous photos, great story-telling, fabulous wit - thank you so much!

Edited January 3, 2016 by SafariChick

[wilddog]

Fantastic report with wonderful images and great stories told. You really got the best that Mana and Hwange can offer. Thank you both so much - @@AndMic and @@michael-ibk - for taking the time to pull this together. It is a work of love, I would guess, for the whole experience.

[xelas]

@@michael-ibk & @@AndMic

 

You are such fantastic persons! Taking all that time to work on such an extensive, detailed, brilliant trip report does require a huge amount of love: to the place you have visited, to the readers that have/will enjoy it, and to Africa and to travels in general!

[LarsS]

Thanks @@michael-ibk for this wonderful trip report. I enjoyed reading every bit of ot. And ofcourse the photos, just amazing what you spotted on your gamedrives/walks. Thanks for sharing!

 

The whole pan here was pretty desert-like with almost no vegetation left. In the green season this becomes a green carpet irresistible to all grazers and is then a very good place for Cheetahs as we were told. But not now.

 

In april I'll be visiting Zim. If we're around Wexcau pan, I'll talk to guide how the wildlife is over there. Maybe I can deliver you some pics how it looks then, hopefully with a lot of grazers and who knows...

[Peter Connan]

@@michael-ibk, thank you for a fabulous trip report. That is an incredible list of sightings!

[Marks]

That is a great recommendation for Doug.

I like your species roundup a lot. This may have been a hard trip to top, as you say, but it'll also be a hard trip report to top. Nonetheless, I expect you're up to the challenge!

[Anomalure]

@@michael-ibk Just a fabulous trip report with some really awesome sightings! Thanks for posting.

 

Regarding your giraffe, the ones in Hwange should be Angolan, the same as in Okavango.

 

Regarding the Zebra, the animals in Hwange should be Chapman's (chapmani), the same as in Okavango, etc. These have the pale shadow stripes.

 

Not sure about what exactly the zebras in Mana are - some people think Selous', but others say Crawshay's. The ranges and even validity of these subspecies are not fully agreed-upon.

[Zubbie15]

Thanks for sharing @@michael-ibk, seems like it was a fantastic trip, enhanced by the informative and entertaining writing style.

[Zim Girl]

@@AndMic & @@michael-ibk

 

Simply brilliant trip report. So pleased you had such an amazing time in Zimbabwe and not at all surprised that you will be going back.

[michael-ibk]

Thanks so much, @@Atravelynn , @@Alexander33 , @@Geoff (especially for that Skink ID!) , @@TonyQ (and a good trip to you and @@Thursday's Child - when are you off?), @@SafariChick , @@wilddog , @@xelas , @@LarsS , @@Peter Connan , @@Marks , @@Anomalure (thanks about the Zebras!) , @@Zubbie15 and @@Zim Girl !

 

 

Are the bold bird names the ones from Hwange?

 

 

No, Lynn, just the first bird in the list with a new letter in the alphabet.

 

 

In april I'll be visiting Zim. If we're around Wexcau pan, I'll talk to guide how the wildlife is over there. Maybe I can deliver you some pics how it looks then, hopefully with a lot of grazers and who knows...

 

 

I will be very interested to hear all about it, Lars! What is your itinerary? Hopefully the Cheetahs will be there for you.

 

 

Regarding your giraffe, the ones in Hwange should be Angolan, the same as in Okavango.

 

 

Anomalure, that´s what I thought but the Wilderness checklist labelled it specifically as Southern? I was also confused a bit because Safaridude had labelled some Giraffes from the Kwando concession as Southern.

Edited January 5, 2016 by michael-ibk

[LarsS]

@@michael-ibk don't have a complete itinerary yet. for now, we'll fly into Jo'burg and next day to bulawayo. The only thing that's planned for now, is a three night stay at Ivory lodge in Hwange at the end of our 2,5 week trip.

 

Before, we'll definitely visit Matopos (hopefully find some horned friends), VicFalls (from the Zim side this time). I'm still figuring out what to do else, but probably we will include a two/three night visit to Chobe as well from VicFalls. I'm figuring out what the best areas of Chobe are, but we'd like to include a boat trip there. I'll probably check some posts on here, I'm sure there must be some good trip reports. If you have any advice: I've started a topic on here, so I'm not hijacking this post

[Atravelynn]

 

Are the bold bird names the ones from Hwange?

 

 

No, Lynn, just the first bird in the list with a new letter in the alphabet.

Right. My pattern recognition skills were not engaged.

 

You deserve a round of applause for your fantastic report, both photos and commentary!

[deano]

Okay @@michael-ibk. I needed an excuse to spend the whole evening on safari talk with a Jamesons and since I had promised you that I would find my favourite quote from your trip report along with favorite images...why not kill two birds with one stone.

 

Favourite quote has to be post #128 about not ever being in a place that is as beautiful as this.

 

Favourote image; a tough choice as there were so many but I narrowed it down to six (it was a double Jamesons). I liked a lot of the images that showed any animal set in and against the magnificent scenery but these particular more intimate shots really caught my eye along with two that might surprise you........

 

Leopard drinking at waterhole in the black night. Lovely reflection. Very atmospheric.

 

Lioness with kudu kill. The eyes have it. Amazing sighting.

 

Post #81 river bed. It has to be viewed while reading the comments about dinosaurs! I can sense the anticipation of what might be around that next bend.

 

Post #162 another river bed (just before you found the dogs. I could imagine myself sat there all day just watching and waiting. Even if nothing came by I would have had a wonderful time.

 

Lioness looking straight at you while you are on foot. It means much more than you are not in a vehicle. No doubt the fading light just made that even more intense.

 

Cheetah sequence. I like the third image in post #247 the best as it really tells you what the cheetah is going through.

 

Now. I need another drink to decide which one I like the best....this could take some time.

 

Thanks again for fantastic images, video and words. Just brilliant.

Edited January 12, 2016 by deano

[michael-ibk]

Thanks, @Atravelynn , and Cheers, @@deano !

 

Deano, really appreciate that you took the time to single out certain images - and a quote! Did I mention that I love Africa too, btw?

 

The two surprise pics would be the riverbed ones, I take it? A bit surprised, yes, these were more included for "setting the scene" and showing what some situations were like. But happy to hear they did the job! The others you mentioned are among the ones I a most pleased with myself.

[panamaleo]

What an amazing, thorough, and beautiful report. Thank you. I am counting the months (wish I could say days!) to my month-long Zim safari in July.

 

I am not a photographer like others on safaritalk; more of a writer. I hope to offer a report of my experiences upon my return in August.

[michael-ibk]

Thank you, @@panamaleo , much appreciated, like all your prior kind comments here! A month-long Zim safari will be fantastic, I´m sure, and I am looking very much forward to hearing all about your experiences once you´re back, with or withou photos. Have you told us about your itinerary? I remember Zambezi Lifestyles is on your list?

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@michael-ibk and @@screentraveller and @@AndMic

 

Such a classic trip report deserves uninterrupted time. During the semester, which concluded yesterday, there was never a suitable opportunity to quietly read, look and savor.

However, today, in-between packing for tomorrow's safari departure, the time came.

Nothing could more fully prepare me for heading out on my first safari of 2016 than reading through your masterful Zimbabwe trip report.

High quality writing throughout was a pleasure to read. The photography shows how to do it. Everything is excellent with regard to both technical and aesthetic aspects.

• The views of Harare were eye-opening to one who had no sense of what Zimbabwe's capital might be like.

• Encountering a wild dog on the highway turned out to be a favorable portent for the entire safari.

• After reflection, I couldn't conjecture why fruit was prohibited.

• The monitor with a scorpion is a terrific capture.

• I wholeheartedly agree with you about the pleasures of outdoor showers, which I'll be enjoying two days from now in Sabi Sands, South Africa.

• You were frequently remarkably close to elephants. I liked the quote concerning humans not having earned the trust of elephants.

• Doves featured prominently throughout the trip report, giving them the prominence they deserve. I've never seen several of those dove species.

• The tusk perspectives you achieved were sensational. The detail in the ivory and the sense of three-dimensionality was impressive.

• A number of excellent civet sightings.

• I loved the scimitarbill photograph. That's a species I've never seen.

• The waterhole kudu and eland were fine images. Your photographs captured their beauty.

• The detail of elephant trunks in action is unlike any other photos I've seen.

• The saddle-billed stork with a catfish is a terrific capture.

• I really liked the aesthetic quality of the tiny red leaf on an elephant's toenail.

• The spur-winged goose photography was special, and is yet another species unknown to yours truly.

• Wow! The yellow-bellied greenbul is a stunning bird portrait! I really admire your skill in taking that!

• The rich color and fine details in the first bushbuck image are exemplary.

• You saw porcupines? Great!

• Fascinating to know what the background is behind the “elephant scratching point” which becomes a “wood polishing point”.

• Oh, my! Gotta love those Lilian's Lovebirds! Superb images!

• The hooded vulture in flight is one of the finest vulture-in-flight images I've seen.

• Your spotted bush snake series grabbed my attention, as such lovely images are a challenge to make, yet you did it!

• A group of yellow-billed storks is my idea of a dream subject. Their size and beauty adds visual excitement to the landscape.

• I like the layered sunset images with ridges receding in the distance, elephants in the foreground, providing scale.

• I'd never observed a herd of young elands, thus your image was of particular interest.

• The deep red wing feathers of the Purple-crested Turaco — Great!

• You included a lovely burgundy-eye dragonfly. The image was striking, especially due to the blurred background.

• That Red-billed Hornbills were ubiquitous interests me. Do they lack natural predators in that area?

• Sad that you heard the mourning whinnies of the zebra mother whose foal was eaten.

• The lion series wherein they're walking straight towards you with cubs is breathtaking!

• The Moon photograph is tremendously detailed, showing what illuminated your evenings.

• I appreciated the image of the buffalo in a side-channel where water plants were blooming. Such an appealing contrast.

• Lovely nyala images, of both male and female.

• The leaping kudu shots are marvelous! I smiled when I saw them.

• Very humorous to have female nyala turn into bushbuck...and easily understandable.

• Your trip report was the first that I'd ever heard that photographing airstrips or bridges was unacceptable in Africa. Very good to know.

• The copper sinks in the bathroom at Little Makalolo were gleaming — very well maintained.

• The Natal Spurfowl portrait is a work of art of a species wholly unfamiliar to me.

• In an image where a sable antelope is drinking water, there appears to be distant termite mounds. If so, they look rather sizable.

• What a beautiful bird is the Greater Blue-eared Starling!

• I liked the comment by @@wilddog that “images are secondary to the experience itself”.

• Three especially lovely birds were the magpie shrike, the red-headed weavers and the female African Paradise Flycatcher.

• The farewell aerial shots are impressive.

Thank you so much for the intensive, sustained effort to write such an eloquent trip report, profusely illustrated with safari images which would be prizes in anyone's collection.

That you had a wonderful time is self-evident throughout the trip report. You've given me a fine time by showing your experience in such a magnificent way.

May your 2016 safaris be as eventful and soul-satisfying as was your Zimbabwe visit.

With Appreciation,

Tom K.

Edited January 16, 2016 by Tom Kellie

[michael-ibk]

Thanks so much, @@Tom Kellie ! :-)

 

Fruit is prohibited because Elephants love them, and apparently there were incidents with Eles trying to get to them. Doug said that this was just one Elephant, however, and nobody checks. As a matter of fact I was eating an apple when we passed the rangers at the entrance. :-)

 

"Ubiquitous" Red-Billed Hornbills was certainly an exaggeration but we saw them several times a day on the flood plains.

 

Have a great safari in South Africa, and fab return trips to Kenya. I'm already curious how many safaris you will manage to squeeze out of 2016. :-)

[panamaleo]

My itinerary is a follows: July 16-August 17

 

Panama City to Sao Paulo, Brazil (overnight near airport)

South African Airways to Bulawayo via Joburg (easy direct 8 hour flight to Joburg; good connection to Bulawayo)

Overnight at Banff Lodge, Bulawayo

Private road transfer from Bulawayo to Chilo Gorge, Gonarezhou NP (8 hour drive)

5 nights Chilo Gorge (3 nights in lodge; 2 in "lux" fly camp)

Road transfer from Chilo Gorge to Camp Amalinda in Matopos N.P.... I'm going to get to know the drivers(s) and the terrain! Another 8 hours drive! Very difficult to get to Gonarezhou as a solo traveler.

3 nights at Amalinda in Matopos (hopefully have Paul Hubbard in residence)

Road transfer to Somalisa Acacia, Hwange (about 4 and a half hours; the last half via game drive)

5 nights at Somalisa Acacia (celebrating my birthday on July 29!)

Fly to Kariba; 1 hour boat transfer to Rhino Camp

5 nights at Rhino Safari Camp

Boat/ road transfer (3 and a half hours) to Mana Pools NP

3 nights at Zambezi Lifestyles, Mana Pools

Road transfer (one and a half hours) to Goliath Camp, Mana Pools NP

5 nights at Goliath (hoping Stretch Ferreria is there!)

Flight to Harare

1 night at Highlands House, Harare

Return to Sao Paolo, Brazil on August 16 (another overnight)

Home to Panama on August 17

 

Would be great to meet some fellow STalkers, should our plans intersect!

 

Louise @panamaleoi

[michael-ibk]

That´s a fantastic itinerary, @@panamaleo , I´m sure this trip will be sensational.

[dlo]

@@michael-ibk

 

I've fallen way behind here as a new puppy allows little time to relax! So many great shots on page 11 as I finish the mana pools section. To comment on any one would be a disservice to the rest but but besides hornbill's and eagles you're landscape shots are what I find most striking. They bring out what I imagine mana pools to be and bring a desire for me to be there more than any marketing ever could.

 

looking forward to finishing this soon but surely it can't get better can it?

[Sangeeta]

Okay then, I hereby nominate this as one of those epic ST reports that we'll still be reading & enjoying years from now... What a safari this was and such a memory jogger - was with you every one of those Mana days

 

Fantastic report, Michael, you really wrote this from your heart.