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


deano

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Peter Connan

Lovely dog and lion sightings, and great night sky shots @deano. Do you use the D500 for these? And what lens please?

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Thank you @Peter Connan - our wild dog streak continued in Botswana (adding to two parks in Zambia and two in South Africa on previous trips).

 

I have a full frame D750 and the night shots are with a 14mm F2.8 Rokinon (Samyang) manual focus lens. The "infinity" is notorious to find on them but every now and again it produces some stunning images. It does not like any light source shining across it but it was way cheaper than a 14-24mm (that I would rarely use) and with more practice I think I will get better with it. Milky Way season here in Cayman so I aim to get out and practice in the next few months.

 

Thanks and kind regards

 

deano.

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Peter Connan

Thanks @deano. The D750 is perhaps one of the very best cameras for that purpose.

 

Two tips, if I may:

1) I found it relatively easy to focus on a single star by using live view. I zoom in a couple of button-presses, then move the focus point until I find a star, and then zoom in on that as far as I can. The tilt screen is very useful for this as well.

2) This camera is virtually ISO-invariant. What that means i that the result from an image, taken at say 30 seconds, f2.8 and ISO 4000, and one taken at 30 seconds, f2.8 and ISO400, with exposure then lifted to the same overall brightness in post-processing are indistinguishable.

The difference is that you don't need to lift the exposure evenly over the whole image. You can lift exposure selectively. In this way, it is possible to under-expose in camera, and yet end up with a slightly less noisy image...

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offshorebirder

Catching up with this trip report after several days away.   Super stuff @deano!    The daily video compilations must have taken a lot of work, but they really enhance the TR.

 

Cooperative Leopard bookends to your stays at KPC and Vumbura is outstanding!    And you had good luck with Wild Dogs for sure.

 

Really cool Otter encounter right off your deck!

 

Also some very nice bird photos.  The Swallow-tailed Bee-eater profile shot in post #41 is superb.   And you had a nice encounter with a Coppery-tailed Coucal.  One minor correction on bird IDs - it looks like an African Darter in post #42 rather than a cormorant.

 

 

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safarigirl.se

@deano wow what a great day! Just amazing with the dogs, i can only imagine the trill when you saw the black ears in the grass..

...and the lions grooming, the cubs are just to died for :wub: what a lovely moment!

 

Vumbura camp looks dreamy, and such a nice way to celebrate your anniversary under the sky full of stars on the terrance. Very nice shots of the night sky! I need to practice night shots, so thanks for sharing, we got lots of good advice in this report. 

 

Looking forward to read more! :) 

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Thank you for the tips @Peter Connan - any and all tips are welcome (so yes .....you may....and keep them coming please).

 

I've had some luck with that Live View method - more here in Cayman but for some reason in Botswana I just had a few more "misses" than "hits". More practice required for sure. I will be trying that ISO trick so thanks for that although it sounds like I need to spend some time in post processing which is something I still need to wrap my head around. 99% of my images are edited in Photo on Mac and only 1% make it to the RAW editor where I process anything that I want to print. I use Photoshop Elements 13 and that is about all I want to tackle for now.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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I feel obliged to put in videos @offshorebirder as they tell a better story than my photographs can. They don't take that long to edit;  couple of hours for a really long one particularly when trying to match colors clip to clip from a dslr, 2 x iPhones and a GoPro; but most are done in as little as 30 minutes and I know how much I enjoy watching videos in other trip reports so it is only fair to repay that by putting mine in there. 

 

We had some great sightings as you say at both Kalahari Plains and Vumbura Plains (I really enjoyed the spotted necked otter). I don't want to give too much away but we have some more great sightings to come. Botswana really laid it on for us.

 

Thank you for your kind words about the bird photos - a colleague of mine who always wants to see my photos commented that my bird interest has definitely gone up judging by the amount of bird photos and I will now stop the vehicle for even the smallest LBJ. Hopefully I will improve my bird knowledge and bird photography.

 

You are of course 100% correct with the Darter. I even had that written down in my notes so no idea where I got cormorant from (although I seem to remember seeing a few of those as well) - thanks for pointing that out.

 

@safarigirl.se we got lucky with the dogs although 15 would be hard to miss even in the tallest of grass. The lions kept us entertained for hours and there was one tiny cub that I really wanted to photograph but he was being used as a cushion by his siblings!

 

Vumbura ranks at the top of our lodges visited (so far) and even without the sightings it is a an amazing place in a great location. I need to make more time for night photography as I really enjoy the images that are done successfully but that can take a few attempts when it is dark and you also have to stay safe of course.

 

Thank you for popping over again.

 

Working on Day 8 now - another day full of sightings in Botswana.....

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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Day 8 final morning at Vumbura and transfer to DumaTau (part 1):

 

Our Wilderness Air flight to DumaTau was not until 2PM so we had plenty of time for a morning drive and lunch without rushing back from game drive  but we were still out early. Just us two again with guide Nas and we were again looking for the dogs but stopping to look at the smaller things on the way

 

Just us two so I could spend a bit more time with the birds.

 

Like this giant eagle owl (pink eyelids are what I now look for with these)

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Striped kingfisher?

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Meyer's Parrots

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LBR of course

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We were driving away from the wet areas and back into the scrub mopane so it was no surprise to find some of the animals more associated with these areas. Like this BBJ

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And zebra hanging out with their impala friends

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Nas told us that the Botswana football team is called the zebras and that they chose that name and the black and white strip to signify the harmony between blacks and whites. How nice is that and they will now have my support whenever I see them. Shame they are not in the World Cup this time around!

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One animal I had desperately hoped to see was a sable (remember I saw one on the drive to Vumbura from the airstrip but no photo?). Well we lucked out again with a sighting of not one but a whole magnificent herd of them. They had not been seen for a while so there was quite a bit of excitement and we were one of only two vehicles as they went about their business.

 

We were in Botswana to see what the fuss was about and this definitely some of that fuss eh?

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I took a lot of video of the encounter as they just looked so good when they moved and some of the footage is in today's video at the end of part 2 (to follow this one).

 

We left the sable to  carry on our wild dog search and after winding our way North we reached the limit of the concession with a distant wire fence (that had seen better days) marking the extent of where we would drive. Nas reckoned the dogs were long gone but since this looked like cheetah country we should try out luck. All 3 of us were looking at every stump and at my request we turned East onto a plain that bordered the fence while another Vumbura vehicle just happened to be in the area and went West. My "cheetah under a tree" turned out to be a stump but the other vehicle had better luck although how could you miss these guys if you were anywhere near close to them?

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A mother and two sub adults just laid up on a termite mound in the middle of the morning. Fantastic.

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Tried to get them both looking my way but you know how it is? We've all been there..........

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They were not at all bothered by our presence but it was hot so they didn't look like they would get too active and that allowed me to mess about with cameras and settings and try a close up taken with an iPhone and a pair of binoculars....I don't think this is half bad for a first effort and on mrs dean's 6 and not my newer 8!

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Some yawning action just before they changed positions (they moved to another termite mound in the shade!)

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There were a few more vehicles getting North now and so we left the cheetah and their shady termite mound for others to enjoy and Nas took us to a nice spot for our last drink stop where we enjoyed one last cuppa in Vumbura.

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You will have to take my word for it but there is a giraffe in the tree line  in the panorama below - she watched us the whole time we were there. Probably because she had a youngster that walked just behind those two bushes on the far right. 

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Finally, sadly, it was time to return although it is not so bad when you know you have 3 nights left in another camp. We still managed a few more animals on the way back to camp; like this baby croc who was living dangerously in a heavily driven water logged road channel type thingy.

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Spur winged goose

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We were back in good time at the lodge and we were pretty much packed already so I had time to just sit on the deck and take it all in one last time.

 

I was looking out for my lechwe friends and all of a sudden I heard the tell tale splashing of what I now know is an otter. I called for mrs deano (she had missed the otter the other day) and would you believe it but Vumbura was not done with us just yet. Not one but two otters and definitely not spotted necked. The one otter was vey inquisitive and climbed out onto a log and was definitely trying to figure out what we were.

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This was great as I was able to get a few photos before it plopped backing the water and then disappeared with its mate into the reeds. We waited a while but all we heard was splashing and whistling but we both agreed that this otter looked different and bigger to the one I had photographed the other day (in the flesh for me and in photos for her).

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Shortly after this we wandered up to the lodge for lunch and I grabbed a book on mammals to see if i could check on the otter. Pretty sure that these were cape clawless otters although the book only talked about the "contact whistles' for spotted necked otters.

 

We didn't see the animals that were making the whistling noises but they came from the area that we last saw two cape clawless otters so I am guessing it was them unless they are good mates with a spotted necked otter that hangs around that same log - room #6 - Vumbura Plains South.

 

I was really happy that we both got to see the otters this time.

 

Vumbura had been amazing and no doubt would be tough to follow but we were headed to DumaTau a bit more North and East in an area called the Linyanti. After a lovely lunch (Ostrich Bobotie) Nas drove us to the airstrip stopping along the way to photograph some elephants and a giraffe. We had seen too few elephants while at Vumbura  (I am  to complaining - just commenting - its not as if we didn't see anything else is it?!) and  I wondered if we might expect to see more at DumaTau._DSC1727.jpg.240b949ba86e2d52de7929323384bc96.jpg

 

Our very last sighting was a giraffe hiding in the shade. Not the nicest photograph but she had come to wave us off so she deserved a photo and a mention in my trip report.

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We sat with Nas for about 20 minutes and had a cold drink in the shade as other guests arrived for their transfers.  Nas was kind enough to have arranged his own private 'plane for us......

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Vumbura departure lounge

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Part 2 to follow .

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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Day 8 Part 2 transfer to DumaTau:

 

The short flight was very pleasant and we touched down at Chobe Airstrip and were collected by Rogers for our transfer to the lodge. It was about 2.45 when we landed and we were keen to get to camp and get sorted and out on game drive but you can't drive past a bull elephant having a mud bath can you? Especially since I had just made an observation about not seeing that many elephants this trip.

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By 3.30PM we were at DumaTau. Wow. What a setting on the lily filled lagoon right in front of camp and a herd of elephants crossing just a few hundred yards to the North. We were asked if we wanted to get in a boat to get closer? Are you kidding me? We're here to see what all the fuss is about so let's go! 5 minutes later we were seeing the tail end of a small crossing and I knew that we would love this place.  

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This was where we would be for the next 3 nights. Main lodge (and bar) up the stairs. Star deck on the water to the left (and another one less used just above it to the left of main lodge).

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After a quick orientation we were taken to our room and would you believe it there was an elephant right outside and the staff told us to be watchful at all times as there were frequently animals in camp. We had a quick wash and within 5 minutes were headed back up to the main area for afternoon tea. Like Vumbura, DumaTau has a series of raised walkways although here the walkways dropped down in places where animals had their own pathways to and from the water.

 

Not 5 seconds up the path and we hear an elephant trumpet and without looking we knew it was close. When we saw it we realized that we were too close - way too close -  but we just hadn't seen it (or rather we hadn't really looked!). The elephant was clearly annoyed with us and in a split second he showed us exactly how annoyed he was by charging a tree and trying to knock it down. Luckily, the tree held although it did shake and crack and I think was enough for him to have second thoughts. Out of instinct, we just stood rooted to the spot and watched him and the second that he turned away I was very relieved. After he had plodded off into the bush we were able to "quickly" walk across the dropped section of the path and back up onto the raised walkway. My heart was going a bit I can tell you and we advised housekeepers in the area to be on the lookout for a ticked off elephant.

 

What was that I was saying about not seeing many elephants.........

 

We rushed our afternoon tea for the sake of the other guests - Bodo and Claudia from Germany (another wonderful couple) but there was no sign of the third couple - also newly arrived.

 

We were introduced to guide Mocks - sense of humor, love of the bush, great with people  - and he turned out to be a great guide and one of the best we have had the pleasure of driving with. Mocks didn't want us to wait any longer for the other couple and told us that we would get going and they would catch us up in another vehicle.

 

Ten minutes later we meet Brian and Susan (an SA couple now living in Australia and sort of half SA and half Aussies) - ten seconds later and I was making jokes about coarse hands and too much sandpaper. Luckily, Brian was a cricket fan so he got the joke and more luckily still he had a sense of humour! Another great couple and all six of us had good fun on that vehicle for the next few days. I still don't know why team good enough to thrash us in the Ashes has to cheat ?

 

We also got to find out that Brian and Susan had also encountered the angry elephant except he didn't let them past and that is why they didn't make afternoon tea. 

 

The weather looked like it might change and rain threatened but it held off although it did make it a bit grey for a bit and after the excitement of an elephant charging into trees our first animal on game drive was this very laid back giraffe.

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And then in the gloomy light mrs deano spots a honey badger. We got a great view but he was moving fast and sadly no photos but we did watch it disappear down a hole right next to the car and we did see him stick his snout into the air a few times. I fired off some pictures and this is a crop of the best of them and you can just make out the nose and snout and part of a head if you look hard enough. 

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Mocks then took us down into the lagoon and wet area and the landscape was stunning. 

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With all this water about is was not s surprise to see a lot more elephants and we spent some time with this herd just before sunset.

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Brian and Susan had flown in today and so were starting to feel a bit tired. Susan told me later that she was about to nod off on the game drive when out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. We were all photographing the sunset while she saw this.

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Leopard! Unbelievable. Mocks suggested that this was a young male trying to carve out a territory and that we could lose him any minute in the dark so we followed him as he moved through the grass and scent marked (another first for me this trip - I got to smell leopard urine and it really does smell like buttered popcorn)

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It was quite dark in some of the places he was in and I was at ISO 8000 and even ISO12800 for some of these

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This was the last that we saw of him. Too wet and too thick to follow him but sometimes it is nice to just let them be.

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Time to grab those sunset pictures. No sundowners tonight but then that is the sign of a fantastic afternoon game drive. Day 1 at DumaTau and already a leopard sighting. Have I mentioned that I love Africa?

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Back at camp and  a large dinner table seated all guests together which was nice as we all got to mingle a bit and the buffett style service suited that as well. Excellent food capped off with a Jamesons while listening to hyenas and hippos. Magic.

 

Stairs down to the floating star deck.

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And the floating star deck

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Compilation video of today's events. 

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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Just devoured your TR to this point in one sitting, @deano in case you didn't notice from all the "likes".  What a wonderful trip so far and your photos are incredible.  Not a birder myself but I do admire your comorant series.  Nicely done.  And the leopards!!  And your landscapes!  Incredible.  I too have impending 30th and 20th birthdays and you've tempted me that Botswana might be the perfect milestone destination!  Eagerly awaiting your last few nights!

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Thank you @amybatt Botswana is definitely worth a visit with lots to offer. I am not a birder either which is probably why I wrote about a cormorant when in fact it was a darter! 

 

Working on the nest installment now.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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offshorebirder

Wow @Deano - fantastic Cheetah and Leopard day!

 

And you captured that rich golden color of Cheetahs in good light - one of my favorite sights in the entire world.

 

Thanks for  this ongoing great TR.

 

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DumaTau Day 9 Part 1:

 

I was awake early and then out on the deck setting up a time-lapse when I heard lions roaring. Very close and even my untrained ear could tell that they were moving somewhere behind camp. Up at the breakfast area we heard them again and they sounded even closer  - so much so that the staff were actually worried about guests in some of the more distant rooms - but still on the move and so we all rushed to get some food and coffee down and then jumped into the vehicle and set off in search.

 

Mocks told us that he reckoned that this was two males known as The Channel Boys and that they would be in the area looking for trouble. We knew they couldn't be far away so we stopped to watch the sunrise although my view was not too fantastic so I snapped a pic of this tortured looking tree instead.

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And a Swainsons spurfowl warming up in the early morning

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Mocks found the lions pretty quickly although we just saw the one male at first. On the move.

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This waterbuck was aware of their presence but they missed him and seemed intent on looking for something else and Mocks told us that they were not dominant over the DumaTau pride but that they had sneaked in sometime ago and mated with them and produced cubs and were definitely trouble causers.

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The second male then appeared and they set off down onto the lagoon area and definitely had a look about them that said they were after the DumaTau pride females while their males were out of the area. It was fantastic to watch them walking along the two track roadways and they did a bit of cheeky scent marking as well as Mocks tried his best to keep up and get in front for photography.

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We saw elephants ahead and we thought that we might get some interaction and we were right. Once the elephants got a sniff of the lions they tensed up and gave chase. We caught most of it on video and it is in today's compilation of clips at the end of Part 3 of today's installments. Needless to say - the lions got out of the way of the elephants pretty quickly.

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After that brief bit of drama they plonked down in the shade - some distance apart initially having been chased by elephants - but eventually they came together to sleep through the hottest part of the day. We stayed with them while Mocks guided in another vehicle that was traveling some distance to get to the sighting.

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Time to photograph the view in the other direction while the lions were static and almost flat at this stage.

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We had spent most of the morning with these lions but we had to leave them to go in search of other sightings. We were back down on the lagoon flood plain itself now and the scenery was amazing and we could see distant elephants and lechwe and then a few birds closer to home. We drove around a few of the palm dotted islands that can be found the place and stopped to watch this coppery tailed coucal who was very flexible.

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And very photogenic

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We got a bit closer to the lechwe as well

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And a blacksmith lapwing that was actually guarding a nest

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One of the things I had hoped to see in Botswana was lechwe running through water and I was indeed lucky to see it a few times but we never seemed to have the best light or camera angle. This is one of the better efforts but they were a long way off and this is a heavy crop and the light was against me as well but I quite like it still.

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We also stopped to watch this black heron in the hope that it would demonstrate its fishing technique but this one was not obliging at all and in fact didn't like the attention and kept moving onto the dry grass as if to persuade us to move along; which we did.

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This big bull elephant was not bothered about us at all though.

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He was a big boy. The grass was tall but he was still visible over the top of it.

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Some other wildlife about the place as we moved off of the flood plain and back up into the upland bush areas. Like this LBR - The most photographed bird in Africa?

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Mocks then drove us to the famous Savuti Channel which was very wet. So wet in fact that we couldn't actually have our drink stop as planned and we had to keep driving to find a dry spot. It was worth it though as the location was gorgeous and we enjoyed a nice cup of tea and some biscuits and such and I wandered off closer to the Channel (with permission) with my camera. Not too much going on except for a large water monitor that wandered into view but is was still a lovely place to stop and stretch the legs.

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As is usual at this time of day the temperatures are starting to rise and we headed back to camp for lunch. Always things to stop and look at and photograph along the way.

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Parts 2 and 3 to follow.

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safarigirl.se

So nice to be back and catch up on the last days in this TR. Very enjoyable reading! Thank you @deano 

It´s almost to much, haha - cheetahs, Sable, Otter, Leopards, Elephants in camp, Honey badger!! Lions... puuuhh! 

 

Such a jackpot with the Cheetahs, they are just amazing, and the did a great job posing as well :)

Great that you got to se Sable, I wasn't that lucky! :( So majestic creatures.. love the video of them. 

Loved the pictures of the Leopard in the gras, so nice scenary and as you said - it´s nice to just let them be! 

 

Looking forward to se more of DumaTau, the place looks great! and if you got lucky with the Honey Badger again, fingers crossed! :)

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michael-ibk

Just wonderful, Deano. Top photos and a very entertaining narrative, thanks for sharing this with us. All those Lions, Cheetah, and Leopard - wow! What a beautiful Sable herd, and how lucky you were with seeing not one but two species of Otters. Very special. I also love "Cry of the Kalahari", and the Central Kalahari resonated deeply with me, I really love that place. That Leopard with the Guineafowl tops it for me, what an awesome sighting.

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If there is one thing nicer than cheetahs in golden light @offshorebirder then it must surely be capturing the light on their amber eyes; Sadly, I was not that lucky but then again with cheetah in the morning and then leopard in the afternoon I know that I was lucky enough and amber eyes in golden sunlight would have been more than our fair share. But there's always next time....

 

Thank you for following along. Bean catching up on video edits today so next next installment overdue.

 

We went to Botswana @safarigirl.se to see what the 'fuss was about' as we had heard a lot about it through Safaritalk, our travel guide, friends and people we had met on trips in other places. We definitely felt spoiled with our sightings to the point that we are almost expecting to see nothing at all to make up for it on our next trip - wherever that might be.

 

Anyhow, this trip report is not over yet and DumaTau has some good sightings still to come. Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment (I know you are busy with other things....like building models of airplane luggage holds :P).

 

Thank you for your kind words @michael-ibk All three places were amazing but I do have to agree that reading a book like Cry of the Kalahari just before going there did add a little something extra to the whole experience.  I was surprised that very very few of our fellow guests there had read the book but those that had, as well as the guides of course, had that same awestruck look about them that I assume did. That leopard sighting was a special send off and I was lucky that we had a great view and plenty of time...and the padded camera supports clamped into the vehicle definitely helped steady my shaking hands.

 

More to follow and thanks to all that are reading, liking and commenting.

 

kind regards

 

deano.

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Day 9 DumaTau lunch cruise:

 

A slight change from my normal format with a video to start part 2.

 

DumaTau is sited on a magnificent lagoon and as you would imagine the water looked very inviting. Crocs and hippos make swimming a no no and so the next best thing is of course a boat cruise. Throw in a buffet lunch and your drink of choice (it was lunch time but I was on holiday so no prizes for guessing mine....and it makes a cameo in the video anyway) and it makes for a great way to spend some time messing about on the water

 

The boat cruise was really nice and very well done but there were only five of us guests to start with as Bodo had somehow misplaced his wallet while out on game drive earlier. Mocks had agreed to drive him back to the drink stop to see if they could find it. We reckoned that they were successful when we saw a James Bond type speeding in our direction in another boat and it was Mocks and Bodo (+ wallet) and they hopped aboard and our initial skipper took the boat back while Mocks enjoyed a well deserved lunch with us.

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I was enjoying my drinks I mean lunch but I had brought my camera along so I thought I should take a few pics although it was very bright (as is to be expected at lunch time on the water). The birdlife was proving hard to photograph but these day lilys were a bit easier.

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We noticed two swallows that seemed to be following us and we found out that they actually nest under the boat (a twin hull pontoon type) so that was hardly surprising. If any Safaritalkers have managed to snap a pic of these birds in flight then you have my deepest admiration...I tried but failed miserably. Thankfully, they were not always flying about at Mach 1 and they joined us on deck as it were. A pair of wire tailed.

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The room where we stayed for three fantastic nights

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Don't worry - I am not fallen over drunk - just using the GoPro to get close to the water.

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After our lunch cruise we had a look around the DumaTau gift shop and then had a bit of a siesta back at the room. Very warm in there and I would imagine that all of those floor and ceiling fans will get good use in the hotter months.

 

For the afternoon drive, Mocks wanted us to try and find the DumaTau pride; either them or those trouble causing Channel Boys and we headed out into the glorious afternoon looking for tracks and signs. The first animal we saw was an ostrich and they are apparantly not often seen in these parts.

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Giraffe are seen very often though and this one was looking intently off into the distance so we drove off in that direction hoping for lions but no luck.

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We did get to see my favourite bird - Southern ground hornbill

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Mocks then drove us to the carcass of an expired female hippo that had died of natural causes. Apparently, lions and hyena had been seen approaching the carcass but none had eaten any of it and so it was left to decompose with only the vultures feeding from it. This hooded vulture was the only one that stayed around for a photograph (we think the two others that flew away were white backed).

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About 5 minutes after leaving the hippo Mocks was onto lion tracks and (he) we soon found a part of the DumaTau pride moving through the bush. It was quite warm and we wondered if they might be on the hunt although it seemed a bit early but who are we to make them stick to a timetable.

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Young male (not a dominant male)

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All five were eventually seen as they regrouped in the shade of a termite mound.

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We had the sun either in our faces or coming across us so the photography was not perfect but we had five lions in front of us and we watched them nap, yawn, get up, flop down, move around the mound a bit....usual lion stuff.

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Part 3 to follow

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Day 9 DumaTau part 3:

 

We had noticed that the lions didn't seem to be settled and Mocks had thought that they might have been harassed all day by the Channel Boys who frequently popped in while the DumaTau males were away.

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You can see that they are not quite flat and all heads are up

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Time for a quick iPhone panorama

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We all know that animals senses are way beyond ours and the five DumaTau lions all seemed to sense something but none of us knew what.

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This female was looking intently in one direction.

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This one in another direction

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And then spinning her head to look in another direction as she heard or smelled something beyond anything we could pick up.

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This is the young male again - I had only seen this chap for about half an hour but I had spent a long time that morning with the Channel Boys and I was more worried about what might happen to this youngster if those two got a hold of him. We reckoned that the lionesses might just get a bit of a beating but he wouldn't stand a chance against two full grown males.

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Once all of the pride got up onto the mound Mocks was pretty sure that it was the Channel Boys that they had sensed.

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They sort of look worried don't you think? I know we should not humanize them but that was my feeling at the time. This lioness already has a wound on her right shoulder...and who knows how she got that.

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This lady had a proper look in a specific area.

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I had changed my settings to photograph another lion who was behind the mound and in the shade so I was a bit over exposed for this yawn against the brighter sky but I think I rescued it.

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I swapped settings to catch some of the light in the sky and she yawned again. The sun had set by now and the sky was a nice soft orange color then fading to pink and red as the sun dropped lower.

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Sure enough, the DumaTau pride had sensed the Channel Boys and they quickly left termite mound as the two males moved in.

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No time to hunt these impalas. 

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Thanks to some bush whacking by Mocks we were able to catch up with the pride as they splintered and ran through the bush. 

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We could tell that the pride were in survival mode and it was almost dark and we had missed our sundowners (again....another boring drive with Mocks as the saying goes!).

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Almost dark now and we had a bush transfer to contend with since mrs deano and I were bound for a sleepout in the channel area in a hide that is now called the DumaTau Star Bed. We had to transfer our four vehicle mates into another vehicle so that they could be driven back to camp while we moved on to the sleep out venue with Mocks. We could hear on the radio that the idea had been for all six of us to have sundowners at the slept venue but our lion sighting put an end to that idea.

 

Mocks was on the radio to manager NuNu, who was to host our sundowners at the sleepout, to advise that our plans had changed when out of the corner of my eye I saw a female being chased by a Channel Boy and she was running for her life. No photographs as the whole thing was over in a flash but she definitely got away and we got to hear the Channel Boys roaring after them from somewhere in the bush not 25M from us. I managed to capture at least the sounds on video and it is in the video compilation below. It was one of my favourite 'sightings' from this trip. It was just amazing.

 

After transferring our vehicle mates to another game drive vehicle, we headed off to our sleepout stopping along the way for four hippos that blocked the two track that hugged the edge of the water. It was dark by the time we reached the hide and I had seen a photos of the Star Bed on the Wilderness Safaris website but to see it for real was way better. Illuminated by lanterns and with two fire pit areas (one by the water and one up on an elevated deck) with a sleeping area, a bar area, dining area, seating area and a downstairs bathroom this place was just magical. There was a dome tent for Mocks (he told us he liked it!) and of course we had the vehicle if we needed it but this was a substantial structure so we felt very safe. 

 

The sounds of the bush were incredible. Frogs, hyenas, elephants and  hippos all contributed to the sound track in some way as we had drinks while the NuNu and the staff prepared our feast.

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The sleepout structure itself was of course very safe but it was simply not a good idea to be wandering about outside the vicinity in the dark taking pictures of the venue and since I knew that we had our own chef, server, manager NuNu and Mocks here just for us I thought that the right thing to do was to sit and chat while taking it all in. I did snap a few pics though and then set my camera on time-lapse and then enjoyed a fantastic meal cooked over the open fire to the sound of a frog chorus and the splashing of a nearby elephant crossing that was just beyond the beam of the torches. Have I mentioned that I love Africa?

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Venison kebabs and chicken wings (and corn on the cob and soup and salad and fresh bread........)

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Topped off with malva pudding and they had of course brought a bottle of J!  How thoughtful.

 

Video of the day's events as usual. One of the best days we've ever had.

Kind regards

 

deano.

 

 

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Fantastic dog and cheetah sightings over the last few posts, and your nighttime photography is stellar (pun only half-intended).

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Peter Connan

Lovely time-lapse at the end of the video!

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Towlersonsafari

very much enjoying your trip @deano with splendid sightings and infectious story telling-and otters from your accommodation!  did the guide say what kind of berries the jackel was eating? i assume it was from the .....sorry i have to say it....the Jackelberry tree?  

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Thank you @Marks but if we are going to do the corny "space" jokes then you could always Apollo - gize! (thank you very much folks, I'll be here all week and please remember to tip your server!).

 

That time lapse @Peter Connan was actually from my D750 with the 14mm Rokinon and is a video time lapse i.e. in camera rather than a photo time lapse that is created afterwards. The Nikon does a good enough job with the time-lapse videos and I have gone over 4 hours total shooting (full battery, warmish conditions) so you can pull out a 20 second finished product depending on your interval for a video at 30 fps. That lens does not like light sources shining across it though (you can see them at the start) and a time lapse video does not allow as much editing as a photo time lapse and I didn't really spend much time setting it up (I had an appointment with some BBQ food and a whiskey!).

 

I am fairly certain @Towlersonsafari that the guide would have told us what the berries were (Jackalberry (African Ebony) or otherwise) so the real question should be - did I take note of what the guide told us and write it down? Answer is of course no on account that I am a complete numpty. It took me two safaris to be able to separate Kudu from Nyala and several more to identify a Marula Tree (the only one I get right) so berry bearing bushes (BBB) eaten by black backed jackals (BBJ)  is about FYA (15 years away)...........

 

Thank you all for reading, commenting and liking.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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Thank you @Marks but if we are going to do the corny "space" jokes then you could always Apollo - gize! (thank you very much folks, I'll be here all week and please remember to tip your server!).

 

That time lapse @Peter Connan was actually from my D750 with the 14mm Rokinon and is a video time lapse i.e. in camera rather than a photo time lapse that is created afterwards. The Nikon does a good enough job with the time-lapse videos and I have gone over 4 hours total shooting (full battery, warmish conditions) so you can pull out a 20 second finished product depending on your interval for a video at 30 fps. That lens does not like light sources shining across it though (you can see them at the start) and a time lapse video does not allow as much editing as a photo time lapse and I didn't really spend much time setting it up (I had an appointment with some BBQ food and a whiskey!).

 

I am fairly certain @Towlersonsafari that the guide would have told us what the berries were (Jackalberry (African Ebony) or otherwise) so the real question should be - did I take note of what the guide told us and write it down? Answer is of course no on account that I am a complete numpty. It took me two safaris to be able to separate Kudu from Nyala and several more to identify a Marula Tree (the only one I get right) so berry bearing bushes (BBB) eaten by black backed jackals (BBJ)  is about FYA (15 years away)...........

 

Thank you all for reading, commenting and liking.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

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Day 10 DumaTau Part 1:

 

Not sure how I posted twice (see above)... anyhow; must get this one finished.

 

We had felt very spoiled last night with that meal and then this morning we wake up to find another chef and server cooking us a full breakfast over the fire. If there is one way to make me happy it is a fried breakfast and this one was much appreciated as were the cereals, fruits, toast and other goodies that were laid on. 

 

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Guide Mocks had slept in that dome tent; he told us he had heard a leopard sawing just after bedtime but we missed that.

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Eagle eyed viewers might have spotted  bottle of a well know brand of Irish Whiskey that was still left out in the 'bar area'; that bottle may or may not have made it to the breakfast table and may or may not have made it into my coffee; this may or may not have happened more than once.

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I chatted to the server during breakfast and he told us that the camp had tried to contact us last night to advise that those lions were heading in our direction; but we never got the message and never saw or heard them but since Mocks and I had heard baboons alarm calling while it was still dark - which is a bit odd - Mocks decided that we should get going and see what the day would bring.

 

After a hearty breakfast we packed our small overnight bag and thanked the staff and left our sleepout to meet our vehicle mates who had transferred to our location this morning in another game drive vehicle. Mocks had found lion tracks in the area and we trailed up and down but no lions although we thought they were close.

 

Soon, we received a call from another vehicle saying that one of the DumaTau lionesses had been found. She was crossing the Savuti Channel on a bridge (Mopane Bridge also called First Bridge) but we did not know if it was the girl that was chased last night or where the others were.

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The pride was split up after the events of last night and it would have been nice to see them all together again but no such luck.

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We followed for a bit but she must have settled down in the shade of some dense bush and while we waited for her to see if she came out (she didn't) Mocks pointed out a rare sighting and something only seen a couple of times a year at DumaTau - a female impala with horns.

 

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Eventually though she did move into a better spot for a photo.

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And a male for comparison

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We did wait a bit longer for the lioness but no signs so we moved on and headed back towards DumaTau but stopping to photograph anything that we liked the look of - which is pretty much everything.

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As we drove to a small watering hole (it looked like an old mud wallow that had filled with rain), Mocks points out a leopard and her young male cub just sat there watching us. Unbelievable - a leopard and cub out of nowhere and yet another boring drive with Mocks!

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We watched them as they observed each other from a distance and then again as they came together and had a very energetic playtime. They were rolling about and then stalking and pouncing and it was just brilliant and you could see how much they were enjoying it.

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Cub watching ripples on the water

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Then eyeing up mother for some rough and tumble

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Mother seen it all before

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When the female had had enough of playtime she simply walked off into the bush. Mocks suspected that she had a kill  in the area and sure enough she lead us straight to the carcass of a male impala stashed under a bush and a day or two old already.

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We got a grandstand view of her tucking in to it.

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After watching the leopard and cub for a bit longer we decided to leave them in peace to enjoy their meal as we headed off for a morning drink stop. Another boring drive with Mocks indeed!

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Part 2 to follow.

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Day 10 DumaTau Part 2:

 

Two of our vehicle mates (Claudia and Bodo) had to be back early today for a flight to Vumbura (how jealous were we?) but we still had time for a drink stop and then despite the good distance back to camp we were able to stop to photograph some elephants as they moved through the bush.

 

This one was easy to see.

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This one not so easy.

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Our run of giant eagle owl sightings also continued and we found three hidden high in a tree but only one obliged for photos.

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And then a hammerkop doing either a spot of yoga or his best Karate Kid impression

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We were back in camp quite early today and after saying good bye to our Vumbura bound friends I had a quick nap and then headed up to the North end of DumaTau to check out the pool area and a viewing platform that was right on the water. It was nice to stretch my legs although it was very hot today and I did return to the bar to grab a cold fizzy drink which I then enjoyed for a very peaceful hour as I was the only guest in that part of the camp. Plenty of fantastic scenery and birds and I watched bee eaters through my binoculars while listening to a pair of fish eagles that were far off at first but seemed to be getting closer.

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Time drifted by until it was time for the afternoon game drive and with just the four of us now Mocks headed us off down to the main flood plain areas again. I did finally get to see a fish eagle that afternoon.

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DumaTau is definitely a good place for elephants and we watched these two youngsters having fun in the shallow water.

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And then we found a gathering of giraffes (journey or tower...not my labourite collective noun). 

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They always seemed to be against the light but that should not stop you from trying to photograph them.

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The flood plain is dotted with random islands of palms and bush and this lechwe ambled down off of one such island and gave us a good view.

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After about 20 more minutes of slow driving I could tell that we were headed back to the area where we had the lion action yesterday and sure enough Mocks gets a call on the radio advising that the lone lioness is looking to cross back using the bridge. We soon reached the bridge but - after stopping to photograph this kingfisher - Mocks thought that it would be best to leave the lioness alone as she was likely in need of time and space to help her find her pride. Indeed, if she was the lioness that we saw getting chased by the Channel Boys then she would likely still be feeling the effects of that - whatever that might be for a wild lion.

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We crossed the Savuti Channel and Mocks took us to a beautiful spot to watch hippos in a pool that had gorgeous afternoon light on it and this was to be the site of our final Botswana sundowner for this trip. It was really nice there as we sipped our drinks of choice and enjoyed the company while watching the hippos - we felt safe on land and they felt safe on the deep water.

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We stayed until it was almost dark and then headed back to camp. We were all leaving tomorrow - we were headed home and Brian and Susan off to Vumbura (not jealous of them either?) so the vehicle was a bit quiet as we likely all reflect on the events of the last days and weeks.

 

Back at camp we had yet another Wilderness Safaris surprise as they had decked out our room with a lovely message and provided a gift for our Anniversary (a bottle of bubbly and a collection of the various soaps, lotions and shampoos) all of which was really not necessary after the sleepout but very much appreciated all the same. 

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We took the bubbly up to dinner and put it on ice to enjoy with Brian and Susan on the star deck later and after another fantastic meal we did just that. The stars were amazing that night and I really wanted to stay out later but all other guests were gone way before our group started to get tired and despite my protests I was back in the room for 10PM. Yes I was a bit tired myself but there is no time for tired on safari so I sat on the deck for a while taking in the stars and the sounds - frog chorus being the lead with hippo solos here and there with the odd hyena whoop.

 

Video of the day - would have had a nice dslr time-lapse in it if some idiot had remembered that the time-lapse video mode in his dslr crops in slightly from the image taken just beforehand to check composition and exposure and so while it captured the stars it completely cropped off the star deck! Duh! Thankfully, I had my GoPro set up as back-up and that does a good enough job.

 

Kind regards

 

deano.

 

Video of the day

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