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KaliCA

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Tomorrow, I will show you what we saw in the Khwai area of Moremi. Cheers!

Edited by KaliCA
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Almost lost track of this report! What an adventure you have had, and what excellent photos to show! The last one is so peaceful, yet the one I liked most is the huge ellie in the water #1 in last post. Great job, @@KaliCA !

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Almost lost track of this report! What an adventure you have had, and what excellent photos to show! The last one is so peaceful, yet the one I liked most is the huge ellie in the water #1 in last post. Great job, @@KaliCA !

 

I know, I think it's hard to find, because of where it was put by admin. but I'm glad you found it and are with us on this trip.

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The next morning, we drive towards our next goal which is Khwai campsite. We find a great breakfast spot along a lagoon. A kudu male makes its way to water and drinks and later, a hyena shows up and sits in the mud to cool off. Soon a female ellie is making her way towards us and when she is getting a little too close, we abandon breakfast and hop into the car as she passes not two meters away from the car and proceeds to drink. Fantastic. Followed by 5 more ellies who are extremely eager to get to water.

Later, we watch a pied kingfishers and even a malachite kingfisher as they hover over the water until they spot prey. Sadly, a herd of roan antelope disappears almost as soon as they come out to drink, because someone is chopping wood nearby( not allowed!) and the noise scares them off. Another reason why we love self-driving in Moremi is because of the possiblity of having varied and intimate animal encounters in the wild.

 

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Early AM view from campsite in Xakanaka

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When this phalanx marched in, we had to retreat.

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Edited by KaliCA
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Later, we reach Dombo Hippo Pool Hide, a hut on stilts that looks over Hippo Pool, a familiar sight. The water level is much lower, but there are two big pods of hippo, ellies, storks, and lechwes all enjoying the water.

Tip: Use caution when using some park infra structure. The ladder up to the platform is quite dangerous to climb and had missing steps.

Sometimes, we see the funniest and most unexpected animal combinations: six buffalo lying in the shade of a sausage tree, while kudu are feeding next to them and baboons foraging in the same tree.

After lunch we game drive along the Khwai River and happen upon two lions under a bush, a handsome young male and a beautiful younger female. We stay with them quite a while and watch them botch two hunts, once they let a warthog pass by and then a herd of kudu was approaching, one of them just meters away from the lions who were both crouching in ready-set-go position. At the last second, the kudu sees them, snorts, then runs. Only then does the female start running after the kudu, but alas, it's too late. We have a serious human to lion talk with them and tell them all about how timing is key when hunting. They seem to pay attention! Not.

It was exciting and heart-pounding to watch, nonetheless, and... we had this sighting all to ourselves.

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Dombo Hippo Pool

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The inept hunters

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To the left are kudu, on right crouching lion (no hidden dragon)

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We check into Khwai campsite for the third time in our lives and get campsite MK 5. It's not river front, but a nice site set back 50 meters with a lot of space, tall trees, and a very dilapidated cement table. For sunset we head east to Saguni Hippo pool, really just a spot in the river where the river runs a little deeper and hippos congregate. The sunset over the river with hippos heads peeking out does not disappoint.


Tonight, as I prepare dinner at dusk, a hippo walks casually by our car. This is a first and I can hardly believe it. Another thing that's hard to believe is that we pay $50 per person per night for this site, but the ablutions have no functioning lights. But this is Africa: as foreigners, we rarely get value for our money, but still we come back, and we all know why.


We go to sleep with a very strong wind blowing through the roof tent, bringing with it some much desired cooling off.



Tip: MK3 is the best and only true riverfront campsite. You will see the bridge and HEAR every time a car rattles across it. MK2 and 4 are second best


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​MK 5, huge site under huge trees. Watch out for Vervet monkeys stealing your food.


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Tomorrow I will show you what kind of treat Khwai had in store for us. Cheers!

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Just chipping in sideways here, I am still on page one of this section. The mating lions are cool, the view of the Boteti is great, but the photo of the doves against the rising sun! Man, that's stunning!

 

Will start reading page 2 tomorrow morning.

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Tomorrow, we will enter Moremi Game Reserve, experience some wild camping, and I will show you some of the wildlife we found there.

Cheers!

Hey what's that about Europeans? Not the Brits we don't even go to bed on safari! Lol
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The next morning sees us back at Saguni Hippo pool where teenage hippos are play-fighting and a mother and her calf are out of water. Hippos seem to be more active at sunrise. For breakfast, we camp out on a small peninsula with many lechwes grazing, wattled cranes feeding, bee-eaters flitting about, kingfishers hovering and hunting, African Fish Eagles crying out. In short- just a wonderful spot to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds that is the beauty of nature.


Then a game driver tells us where to find a lion under a bush. There are many bushes, but his description is very clear and accurate and just as I scan under "the" bush, the hairy blob shakes its head and yes, it's a male lion. We are happy and it's number 32 lion of this trip. We let him snooze on.


Back at camp, we do some laundry and hang it up to dry on a line strung between trees. We bring pants and T-shirts made from dry-fit fabric, so things dry within minutes in this 104F/40C heat. Then, an ellie walks by my laundry line, not minding us humans at all.



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​Magic Breakfast and lunch spot: Horseshoe Bend

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On our last full day in the Khwai area, we get woken up by roaring lions at 3:30 and by whooping hyena at 4:30. Not much sleep in the wild! At first light we are back at Saguni Hippo pool. There is a fish eagle sitting at the edge of the river tearing away on a fish. He is surrounded by two Hammerkopp birds who steal bites when the eagle isn't looking, but this doesn't seem to bother the eagle. Could he be sharing?



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We game drive around Horseshoe bend again and after a few km we find one of the best sightings of our trip. There is a young male lion drinking from a channel by the road.


But wait, there is more....there are two more blond males sitting in the road and then the one who is drinking joins them by throwing himself on top of the other two. A tangle of golden manes, fur, and legs. Just gorgeous. They look to be a male coalition and I'm guessing they are about three years old.


We stay with them as they get up, spray a bush, walk to the river to drink, throw themselves in the grass and on top of each other, and then walk for quite a while - the cool lion walk, manes getting blown back by the wind - to a bunch of trees. This is one of those wonderfully long and intimate lion sighting we love. Here are some pics of the three musketeers.



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We are psyched about this fantastic lion sighting and our adrenaline is pumping. We go back to "our" spot on horseshoe drive and have a celebratory breakfast.


The rest of the day we spend game driving up river and choose all the tracks that lead to the right. We find the usual suspects and lots of hippo, as well as a rather rare sighting of two roan antelopes. A highlight of the evening is another few quiet hyena visits as well as a small cat visit, but I can't identify it in the dark.


It's not easy being vigilant about wildlife while grilling dinner and doing chores around the car.



Tip: Some people I know, will grill in the middle of the day or afternoon, rather than having to worry about food AND animals at the same time.



Another eerie highlight of today is hearing lion roar and hyena whoop in the semi-darkness of the shower lit up only by my flashlight because the regular lights are out of order, again.




Tip: Some people take their shower during day light, so they do not have to worry about running into wildlife while returning to the campsite in the dark. We have come across wild dog, elephant, hyena, buffalo, and hippo after showers, and that's just the animals we could actually see. There may have been many more lurking in the dark.



​Thanks to all who are silent readers, push the "like" button, or leave a comment. Much appreciated.


​Tomorrow, we will take the bumpy road to Savuti under our wheels... so hang on...more cats to come!

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Love the Carmines, and what a glorious Lion sighting. Really a great and very different TR, it takes some courage to self-drive in Botswana, and it seems the parks´ facilities don´t make this too easy.

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I like your tips, @@KaliCA ! The one about shower will be adapted to: Some people don't take their shower while on safari .

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Tip: Some people take their shower during day light, so they do not have to worry about running into wildlife while returning to the campsite in the dark. We have come across wild dog, elephant, hyena, buffalo, and hippo after showers, and that's just the animals we could actually see. There may have been many more lurking in the dark.

 

 

I am one of these, but my primary reason is that it gives me the best chance of having hot water.

Now, with my trailer equiped with geyser for hot water, this may well change...

 

I am still enyojing this trip, although with my precarious position holding on to the back bumper, I am unable to contribute any photos... :rolleyes:

Edited by Peter Connan
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I like your tips, @@KaliCA ! The one about shower will be adapted to: Some people don't take their shower while on safari .

 

Whew, I hope not! As you will find out, camping is a dirty affair. I love going up to the roof tent all clean.

PS after showering, I always wear socks and shoes so as not to get dirty feet again. DH doesn't, so he has to wash his feet again before climbing up to RT. One night, a hyena came to drink his feet water he had left at the bottom of the ladder. Whew again.

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Tip: Some people take their shower during day light, so they do not have to worry about running into wildlife while returning to the campsite in the dark. We have come across wild dog, elephant, hyena, buffalo, and hippo after showers, and that's just the animals we could actually see. There may have been many more lurking in the dark.

 

 

I am one of these, but my primary reason is that it gives me the best chance of having hot water.

Now, with my trailer equiped with geyser for hot water, this may well change...

 

I am still enyojing this trip, although with my precarious position holding on to the back bumper, I am unable to contribute any photos... :rolleyes:

 

 

You are absolutely correct. When you shower during the day, the water may still be hot or at least hotter than late at night, since the water is heated by solar panels.

Your trailer has hot water? How does that work? As in an outside shower? :o

 

If its too bumpy back there, get in the cabin already! there is enough space. ;)

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Milky Way over Khwai

 

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Star trails over Khwai

 

 

 

Summary: Savuti and Ihaha, Chobe NP

October 6-13, 2016

 

Highlights: Savuti Marsh pride, Boat ride safari on Chobe River, Puku sighting, Ihaha camp, Ihaha pride, number of giraffe

 

Lowlights: Savuti Wasteland, Thebe River Lodge, boat traffic on river, fear of robbery

 

We say good-bye to Moremi and start our drive to our next goal, Savuti camp. We leave via the rickety old pole bridge that crosses the Khwai River, through the very poor Khwai village, then across the new bridge. There is good signage pointing to the Mababe gate and the road is surprisingly flat and even. After 21 km, there is a sign marking the boundary to Chobe National Park. From there it is 11 km further to the turn-off to the Mababe Gate, which we reach after a further 7 km. All in all a very fast and easy connection from Khwai to Mababe Gate. We check in and show our permit and camping voucher as per normal.

 

Tip for first-timers: You have to show your voucher for your pre-booked campsite and you can not just show up and hope to camp if there is a free site. There is seldom any communication between the gate and the people in Maun who do the bookings. In other words, people at the gate do not know if there is space available.

 

A few kilometers north, we practically run into two huge male lions with fat bellies, lying across the track. This is a beautiful surprise as we were under the impression that there is no water around Mababe and therefore no animals. We stay with them for a few minutes and they deign themselves to sit erect for pictures. Not 2 km later, just by happenstance, I spot the rest of the pride, resting under a acacia tree. I just love that feeling of spotting lions by myself! There are 4 females, 2 teenagers, and two small cubs.

Wow, 10 lions before breakfast! We love it.

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members of the Mababe pride

 

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Tip: Some people take their shower during day light, so they do not have to worry about running into wildlife while returning to the campsite in the dark. We have come across wild dog, elephant, hyena, buffalo, and hippo after showers, and that's just the animals we could actually see. There may have been many more lurking in the dark.

 

I am one of these, but my primary reason is that it gives me the best chance of having hot water.

Now, with my trailer equiped with geyser for hot water, this may well change...

 

I am still enyojing this trip, although with my precarious position holding on to the back bumper, I am unable to contribute any photos... :rolleyes:

You are absolutely correct. When you shower during the day, the water may still be hot or at least hotter than late at night, since the water is heated by solar panels.

Your trailer has hot water? How does that work? As in an outside shower? :o

 

If its too bumpy back there, get in the cabin already! there is enough space. ;)

Kali, the trailer is equiped with about 200l of water tank, a pump and a gas geyser. There are four taps, two hot and two cold.

 

The shower is an extra tent, a 2.5m dome tent without a floor (we use seperate high-density foam panels) and with a hole in the roof.

 

There is a thread about the trailer build in the self-drive section, but it needs updating.

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Tip: Some people take their shower during day light, so they do not have to worry about running into wildlife while returning to the campsite in the dark. We have come across wild dog, elephant, hyena, buffalo, and hippo after showers, and that's just the animals we could actually see. There may have been many more lurking in the dark.

I am one of these, but my primary reason is that it gives me the best chance of having hot water.

Now, with my trailer equiped with geyser for hot water, this may well change...

 

I am still enyojing this trip, although with my precarious position holding on to the back bumper, I am unable to contribute any photos... :rolleyes:

You are absolutely correct. When you shower during the day, the water may still be hot or at least hotter than late at night, since the water is heated by solar panels.

Your trailer has hot water? How does that work? As in an outside shower? :o

 

If its too bumpy back there, get in the cabin already! there is enough space. ;)

Kali, the trailer is equiped with about 200l of water tank, a pump and a gas geyser. There are four taps, two hot and two cold.

 

The shower is an extra tent, a 2.5m dome tent without a floor (we use seperate high-density foam panels) and with a hole in the roof.

 

There is a thread about the trailer build in the self-drive section, but it needs updating.

 

 

Wow, 200 liters, sounds impressive! I always say nobody knows bush camping like South Africans. You guys build camp cities with all the comforts from home.

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The ranger lady is recommending to take the dusty Marsh road to Savuti and skip the Sandridge road. True to her word, the Marsh road is indeed very dusty and also quite bumpy as the whole marsh is dried out, no green anywhere and no animals around. So different from two years ago and quite disappointing.

Then, 20 km south of Savuti, we find the first animals in proximity to the Marabou Pan pumped waterhole. There are Impala, giraffe, wildebeest and Hartebeest, most of them standing under shady trees. The famous Marsh Pride is spread out in the shade under different bushes and since it's not much fun seeing flat lions, we decide to come back in the evening.

There is some very deep sand driving until we reach camp. We check in and find CV 3 campsite. If there were water in the Channel it would be a great spot to watch wildlife, but with the Channel dry, it's just another campsite with a shade tree, a BBQ station, a waterspout inside a cement block, and very deep, very dirty sand mixed with ashes.

 

Tip: camping here is a dirty affair, so better not to bring white socks or anything else light colored.

 

The nice thing is that you will have small visitors when camping in Savuti. There are curious squirrels, cute dwarf mongoose, greedy hornbills and some nosy francolins all clamoring for a few scraps. Even a hawk comes down to check out the water basin I put out. It sure makes for great entertainment.

 

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We have two full days and two nights to spend in Savuti and we are wondering how we will spend our time here. With the marsh being dry and the fact that there are only two functioning pumped waterholes, the Pump waterhole 2 km from camp and the Marabou Pan waterhole 15km south of camp, there is no point driving the many game tracks far away from water. On top of this bad news, it is absolutely scorching hot and the few herbivores that remain in the Savuti Marsh seek shade and are under trees and bushes by 8 AM.

Well, we are here, so we will make the best of the situation. We do not see the Pump lion pride, but we visit with the Marsh pride 5 times, including the splendid two pride males. When papa strolls towards his pride, the youngsters greet him and there is affection displayed with head rubbing. So precious to see. Unfortunately, with the other visits, we do not have the intimate close-up sightings we are hoping for and we are not allowed to drive off-road. The pride seems to do their drinking before and after dark when we have to be back in camp.

The pride is quite easy to find because all we have to do is look out for the zebra-striped filming vehicle that goes off-road and stays with the pride 24 hours a day. When we talk to the film crew - a hardy, weathered bunch of guys - we find out that they have been filming the Marsh pride, leopards, and hyena in Savuti for two years. They tell us to look out for the documentary called "Savage Kingdom" on the Nat Geo Wild channel at the end of November. So what do you know? Those Savuti lions will be big stars now.

 

(P.S. I need to editorialize a bit here. I happened to see an hour of this docu-drama last week and was appalled and dismayed. What a waste of great footage! The story they concocted is full of contrived drama, pitting animals against each other, and telling it as though the animals are soldiers in a war! And... the animals have names, Queen so and so etc. Over the top IMO and not worth watching. I feel sorry for the crew who spent all that time out there in heat, rain, getting stuck in sand etc. for this? I may watch another episode while muting the pathetic story and monotone narration and just enjoy the film without the audio)

 

The next four pics show the Marsh pride who are featured on National Geographic Channel's "Savage Kingdom"

 

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