Musekese/Ntemwa, Kafue - A September Saga, from 5 ST members

[wilddog]

This was my first visit to Ntemwa camp. The camp was reminiscent of the Musekese accommodation in 2016., but the layout was different. Lovely private accommodation with a little pond just outside mind and of course a family of bushbuck in residence.

Electric lighting inside too and solar lights to show your chalet at night, with lamps along the footpaths. Back to lovely bucket showers which ordered on rerun form a drive. Hot water provided for washing with a wake up call

 

The boma was on stilts and had comfy sofas, books and a dining area and a bar. Breakfasts were taken around the fire in the mornings, as were pre dinner drinks. Charging was available there too, as it was at Musekese. Unfortunately I did not take a photo of the Boma. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the amazing meals

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2022 by wilddog

[wilddog]

On arrival at the camp it was really good to find @Tony Busangaacting as local camp manager. Like many I have known Tony for some years and it transpires that my first trip to Zambi was with his company in 2004.My guide at Ntemwa and on Rurn to Muskese was James Duncan Anderson. He has is own safari company but has worked for Phi and Tyrone regularly over the years. I found him very skilful informative and fun.

The first day at Ntemaw was to be an all day drive. On this occasion,  Tony and I went out with James while Tyrone took Mark on a whistle stop tour. Mark would be leaving the next day.

 

Well today was a full on Lon Day. 11 lions on total 8 of who were males. James suggested tha the proprtion of males to feamels is a bit worrying for future cub numbers. Any reason for tis imbalance is not clear.

 

So Male Lion 1.

 

Spotted by Tyrone who set off just before us, this male was apparently guarding a warthog burrow in the hope of a snack. We reached him a little later and to us he seemed out of sorts as he hardly noticed us or moved which caused us some concern.

 After a while we left hm in peace and agreed we would try to find him again on our return.

 

 

 

Further on we came across Male lions 2, 3 and 4.  The first of this group was distant from his companions but got up and ambled over to join them The other two remained where they still but he then took a leap ober the stream. You can see th vultures in th becak ground which suggested an earlier kill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2022 by wilddog

[BRACQUENE]

@wilddog

 

Thanks a lot for this trip report ; brings back quite a lot of memories ; In 2019 when we went to Musekese it had already been upgraded and since then some more minor changes have been done from what I read  but the most amazing transformation is Ntemwa Busanga which was a simple tented camp then with zippers to enter and to be honest taking into account the cold spell and the wind we had in September that year it wasn't so comfortable as what I see now 

[wilddog]

Thanks @BRACQUENE I thought Ntemwa would have been tents of some sort previously.

 

Re temperature we had hot water bottles in our beds at night, but, to be honest, I did not need it as it was not that cold this year. 

[wilddog]

I am afraid there will be a slight pause in this report. My editing software is playing up and I am about to  throw my PC out of the window..

 

I will get back on it in the morning when I feel more chilled.

Many more lions to come, and other wildlife.

Edited October 5, 2022 by wilddog

[AfricIan]

3 hours ago, BRACQUENE said:

Ntemwa Busanga which was a simple tented camp then with zippers to enter

 

As I understand it (& probably totally wrong), when Musekese moved from "old camp" to "Eden" the "old camp" tents were moved upto Ntemwa Busanga.  Prior to that, visits to the Busanga plains were courtesy of "mobile" dome tents, normally pitched on the banks of the Lupufa river not far from the "Treetops" schools camp.

 

1 hour ago, wilddog said:

I am about to  throw my PC out of the window

Isn't technology wonderful (when its working!!  Hope all gets resolved soon & we can enjoy the next instalment(s)

[wilddog]

Male Lions 5 &6, plus females 1,2 &3

 

This proved to be an entertaining half hour.

First they were spotted at a distance but the size of one of the males particularly caught our attention. He was huge.

 

There were masses of lechwe beyond, with most grazing peacefully but there was one male lechwe acting as sentinel, who was watchful throughout. You can see him at the back of many of the pictures.

 

 

The big male seemed to be somewhat separated from his male companion and the 3 girls.

It became apparent that the big guy was not really happy about the proximity of the other male to the girls so he stood up hoping the get over to the two of them.

 

When he did so it was clear that he had a very fully belly and after some consideration he sat down again. He probably did this about 3 times and then decided to make a move, getting his front paws down the gully and then sitting down again.

 

The Big Guy...............

 

 

The other guy with lady companion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am afraid we were laughing at him a bit and we were chided by James.

 

Finally the big male managed to get up and descend in to the first gully, walk along it and get up the other side, only to find there was another shallow gully to cross.

 

After much hesitation he sort of jumped across but not with the dignity and agility of the young male earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having achieved his goal he moved in on the other male who seemed to be too close to the female for his liking.

 

The 2nd male moved away and then the first male got close to the female only to find the other girls surrounded him, which James said was to protect their sister.

 

 

 

 

Calm and pride of place are restored ...........and the sentinel has watched all the time

 

 

James also suggested that these boys were probably on trial as potential fathers. It was now very hot on the plains and he thought the girls might be testing the boys strength by keeping them there and not seeking shade.

 

It was on this trip that I learnt that lionesses will use placatory sex to pacify possibly aggressive male lions. Suffice to say that this did not happen while we were present.  We hoped we would catch up with them later

 

Edited October 7, 2022 by wilddog

[wilddog]

We had been advised by Tyrone that there were 2 more males further North. After traveling some considerable distance towards the papyrus, James spotted them under a tree.

 

Male Lions 7&8

Mix of phone and camera pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2022 by wilddog

[wilddog]

Of course there is more to the plains than Lions . Simply the vastness of the plains which make you gasp, the huge numbers of lechwe and and puku and all the other wildlife around in varying numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There must have been 5 fish eagles around this water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vultures and chick. Apologies for poor image

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back we saw the big lion and his companion under a tree, they had given into the heat.There was no sign of the first lion which we thought looked unwell. Perhaps a good sign

 

This had been a full-on day arriving back at Camp around 4.30 pm. I was ready for a shower and a large GT

 

......and finally an example of an 'Underground Tree' .

 

a book has been recommended to me by James to learn more about the effects of long term, excessive burning (which I understand is the cause of this is the cause) and to learn more about how trees communicate.

The book is 'The Hidden Life of Trees'

 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2022 by wilddog

[wilddog]

September 12th - last full day at Ntemwa

 

Today was a more gentle day and equally enjoyable. During the early part of the trip we checked out the area close to camp. 

 

 

 

 

Whilst there we found a group of Puku. One young male was performing the 'bash her legs'  behaviour that they perform to encourage mating, but every time he tried to mount her she wandered off. I hope he was lucky later.

 

We moved on and found Lion 1  from yesterday, who was in fine form; fat, and with some blood markings on his legs. We assumed that despite our concerns for his health, he HAD been waiting for a warthog to erupt from the burrow. Happy days.

 

 

 

 

Later in the morning we travelled further reaching the air strip which Mark would be departing from later. There were fires at the border of the park and these made for a quite smoky atmosphere at one point. Despite our concerns the smoke lifted and the flight took off.

 

 

 

 

After another enjoyable lunch (and time for a bit of packing), we headed for the water we had visited for sundowner on the first night. So many water birds; a tranquil scene.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then moved to a lovely  area tucked away in the bush with a 'lawn' at the edge of the water and I enjoyed a G&T sundowner seated on the 'lawn'. It was while we were there that James suddenly heard a bird which transpired to be a Grey Olive Green bull; the first James had heard in this area. it flited form tree to tree for a while and then went off.

 

 

 

Tomorrow, a return to Musekese.

[michael-ibk]

Great sightings at Busanga, you really had Lions galore! Ntemwa has received quite an upgrade, looks very nice. I enjoyed the old outfit very much as well.

[wilddog]

September 13th

 

My return to Musekese, in time for lunch and an evening drive

 

I had a change of room on arrival. Having had Chalet/tent 1 during my first sojourn, I was allocated Chalet/tent 4 for this section

 

I should just add that during sojourn 1 many of the residents of tent 2 and onwards were not able to walk to their tents after the drive as a bull elephant had a propensity to wander through that section of the camp, browsing on the trees adajacent to the tents. tent 4 however was equally comfortable, even if further to walk after a (large) sundowner and two glasses of red! ( I tend to go on a detox/ diet when I get home after a safari!)

 

Elephants were jus returning form the the river and, of course we find the girls in their usual place at the river end of the lagoon, doing...not much except show their assets! . However they did start to make a move as the night drew in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by wilddog

[wilddog]

September 14th

Today followed the normal routine

Another terrapin, quite large this time, which was probqbly on shore to deposit her eggs, elephants tussling and the girls doing what they do, including a bum shot to our

vehicle, but they did then move off to Hunt. 

 

Note the holes in the shell.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by wilddog

[wilddog]

Bush Dinner 14th

 

This evening we had the first Bush dinner of the season. A complete surprise to all the guests.

I have no idea exactly where we were but it was fabulous. I do hope that the subsequent guests had this opportunity too and had the sense to take some images. Sevarl guest were heading elsewhere the next day so it was a chance for some in-depth conversation before their departure.

[wilddog]

My last day in camp... 15th September

 

Over night we heard the lions roaring nearby, one of which was definitely close to camp and others at a greater distance. It was also noted that the previous evening someone had found fresh wild dog tracks. The pack had apparently moved off from the den a few weeks ago but signs of a return were evident.

 

So our agenda was set for the day.

 

We did a good search of the suggested area for the dogs to no avail but a female leopard had been spotted so James took us to investigate.

... and we found her hiding on a termite mound, in dense vegetation, with her kill.

 

But no photos for me

 

Minor rant coming.............We had a gentleman with us with 2 cameras both with zooms who had requested the front seat (not considering 2 elderly ladies who might have wanted i), and meaning that our spotter guide was relegated to the middle row, with me.

 

This meant that positioning the vehicle seemed to e focussed on 'camera man'. I could JUST see the spots of the leopard and a bit of the kill, but images................no. Cameraman requested that we reversed back and i said no, I could only just see her, so we moved a touch forward in the hope that I could see her fully/take a picure. This failed as she decided to move. We later her found her on the other side of the mound dragging her kill. 

No pictures for me as she was shifting quite fast.

 

I am going to make a plea here please could be people with big cameras who pay the same price as i do, please respect other guests right to see and photograph animals as much as you. Apart from positioning the vehicle for everyone's benefit can you please accept that swing your big zoom around, in all directions, can be of detriment to other guests viewing opportunities.

 

rant over we move on..........so what eles happened on this last day

 

We stopped for our leopard delayed coffee break, James gets out to prep the coffee a suddenly spots something and gets back in. Coffee will have to wait again

 

WHO IS THIS?

 

This wsa NOT one of the SZC pride. when we got back to camp James confirmed it was one the Eden pride. This would explain the roaring overnight if the group were heading back to their old home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At lunch it was a pleasure to finally meet up with @CaroleE

 

After a bit of a rest and packing for me, we would share the evening drive together with John D as our guide.

The other guests went on a river cruise.

 

We searched again for the visiting lioness, and leopardess from the day before with no success. We were told the the leopard had had her kill stolen by a big male. Life is harsh!

 

At the very end of the evening drive when James had spotted a leopard whilst heading  back from the boat cruise and called us in.

Finally for me.... some absolutely disastrous picture but..................

 

I KNOW that is the eyes of the leopard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wilddog]

16th September

After a hurried breakfast and goodbyes to my camp friends I was on the way back to Lusaka for my evening flight home.

I had assumed that I would have a morning drive but it was not to be as the traffic in Lusaka on a Friday, could prevent me from reaching the airport in time if I lef after the drive!  

 

Having thrown a wobbly about possibly spending  8+ hours at the airport I was offered accommodation for the afternoon at Wilddogs Lodge in Lusaka. After a very nice lunch I had a nap and made the journey home, which was uneventful

 

Post script

 

It was  a great trip

 

Tyrone and Phil were not around much BUT I know that currently they are spending a lot of time in Lusaka at meetings with African Parks to ascertain what the future looks like for the park, its residents, lodge operators and anti poaching arrangements.

 

It has taken a while to complete this but I hope I have set the scene for the other ST's members who will hopefully add to this. Maybe they all saw loads of leopards, wilddogs and even a pangolin (which still escapes me after 20+ Years) and loads of other wildlife.

 

I really look forward to hearing their experiences/sightings at the camps and certainly it would seem that that lone lioness from the Eden group was not the end of the saga of the lions at all.

 

Over to you, @CaroleE@Galago@Seniortravellerand @Zim Girl

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by wilddog

[Biko]

@wilddogThanks for your trip report, I would love to go to Kafue NP one day. What’s your impression of Wilddogs lodge as compared to Pioneer Camp? Which one do you prefer for an overnight stay?

[wilddog]

@BikoI have known Pioneer for sometime and always enjoyed it but it was very quiet this time, although very comfortable with good food etc. 

 

Wilddogs is a bit different................ rather more upmarket/sophisticated and busier, and I am not sure that is a good thing.

 

My understanding is that both are now owned by the Wildogs owner, so whether changes to Pioneer are afoot I don't know.

 

As these were included in my overall costs I have no idea of comparative costs.

 

Perhaps the others may comment.....

 

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by wilddog

[TonyQ]

Thank you for a very enjoyable trip reports. It looks like you had a great time with excellent sightings 

[michael-ibk]

Thanks for taking me back to Musekese and Busanga Linda, thoroughly enjoyed it! Glad you found your Leopard finally.

[Zim Girl]

Some really lovely lion and elephant encounters there @wilddog.  

We just got back on Friday evening, so not had a chance to look at any of my pictures yet.  We were lucky enough to have 8 separate sightings of leopard while at Musekese, although most in fairly tricky light/positions.  One of our best sightings was seeing the new 'pack of five' wild dogs, including them tearing apart a newly killed puku. 

Musekese camp was just as lovely as when we were there in 2020 and we loved the more simple bush camp at Ntemwa.

We had booked Phil to guide us for our 10 nights as we had enjoyed his guiding so much in 2020.  We had a fabulous time with him including many interesting conversations about the latest animal dynamics and the many challenges for Musekese Conservation, which is where he spends much of his time.

 

Also it was very nice to meet @Galagoand @Seniortravellerwhile in camp.

 

Edited October 10, 2022 by Zim Girl

[wilddog]

@Zim Girlwow you got the dogs and loads of leopard that is fantastic!

I am looking forward to hearing more when you have time. Sorting the images is the hardest bit I think and takes time, but they will be worth waiting for.

hopefully the others will chip in too.

 

 

[Towlersonsafari]

splendid report @wilddogglad you had a wonderful time zambia is a special place

[CaroleE]

Many thanks to @wilddog for kicking off this Safaritalk Kafue extravangza!
As I was the next one arriving I am assuming the baton has been passed to me.

 

Like many, this trip had been postponed and after 3 years of not being in the bush I was very happy to be finally on my way. My itinerary was fairly simple 2 nights Lusaka, 4 nights Musekese, 4 nights Ntemwa and 1 night Musekese. I arrived in Lusaka on the 13th September. I arrived in the Kafue on the 15th. I had booked road transfers to/from Musekese at time of booking but I was to be informed if flights were available. This never happened, maybe someone forgot. With the introduction of the Classic Zambia plane this may have been an option for me. There were lots of people flying in and flying out on it and I must admit a flight back to Lusaka before long flights home would be my preference.  

 

I had booked an extra night in Lusaka to not only get over my flight, I still can't sleep on planes! But also to give me an extra day in case of problems with flights. There have been summer long delays and cancellations at Schiphol therefore it was good to have some flexibility just in case. Flights, via Dubai, with Emirates were good. Flight to Dubai was delayed by about an hour and a half due to the horrendous queues at Schiphol (it took me 5 hours to get through back drop off, security checks and passport control) The pilot made some time up and I was sat at the gate at Dubai well before boarding started. The flight to Lusaka wasn't busy so it gave almost everyone space to stretch out, relax and sleep.

And then, just like that. I was back in Africa! On arrival in Lusaka no long health checks - I just had to show my proof of vaccination. The queue to get visas wasn't too long either, when I got through my bag was already waiting for me, as was the driver from Pioneer Lodge.
One of the first things I saw outside the airport was a "Visit The Kafue National Park" sign. I was so pleased to be back in Zambia!
Half an hour later I was checked in and enjoying a welcome drink at Pioneer.

 

Walk (or drive) down to the chalets at Pioneer

 

My chalet

 

The first Mosi. It went down very well. In fact I had to have a second

 

A small diversion for a quick comparison between Pioneer and Wild Dogs. @Biko maybe of interest to you. I had a few hours at Wild Dogs before going to the airport for my flight home. Pioneer and Wild Dogs are now owned by the same people.

 

I didn't notice any big differences at Pioneer since my last stay. This time I was in one of the bigger chalets. It was clean and had everything I needed. The first evening i was the only non camping guest, the next evening there were a few more quests. It was mid week and the staff said they were always busier during the weekend. The staff at both places were great: helpful and friendly. The food at Pioneer was good. As well as the standard menu, they had quite a few specials for dinner on both days I was there. They also handled my dietary requirments perfectly. But they do need to re think their portions - they were huge and I couldn't finish both of my dinners.

 

Wild Dogs is smaller, not so many rooms and also a lot smaller in terms of the whole place. The rooms are close to each other (most "semi-detached") and nearby and facing the swimming pool. It does look newer than Pioneer. There was no menu at Wild Dogs. For lunch I was given the option of a couple of toasted sandwiches with a small side salad. I heard other guests ordering dinner and they were also not given a menu. They were told there was only what was available in the fridge/freezer. The prices at Wild Dogs were more expensive. Wild Dogs and Pioneer are very close to each other and the whole neighbourhood has a lot more houses and is busier than at my last visit. In the afternoon I was there I found it a lot noisier than Pioneer. Not ideal if you have just arrived from your flight and want somes sleep.
I am curious what will happen to Pioneer in the future. But if it stays as is, it would still be my choice from the two.

 

[Galago]

Thanks @wilddogand glad you had such a good time. You are, of course, entirely right about Mr Big Lens Man. I experienced that in 2018 at Musekese with two guys completely taking over a boat outing and, quite simply, if you want the trip to be all about your photo opportunities, book private guiding! If you're in with everyone else, it's about share and share alike. I wish guides would sometimes be a bit more forthright about this, although I appreciate it's awkward for them. 

 

So fascinated to hear about the lions roaring overnight and then one of the Eden Pride rocking up. Was it one of the sub-adult females, do you know? As mentioned, earlier, we saw all 6 of them (on the evening of 24th Sept) and, when the loooong task of photo editing is finished, I will post.

 

5 hours ago, Zim Girl said:

Also it was very nice to meet @Galagoand @Seniortravellerwhile in camp.

 

And really nice to meet you @Zim Girl and Adrian!

 

On 10/9/2022 at 2:38 PM, Biko said:

What’s your impression of Wilddogs lodge as compared to Pioneer Camp? Which one do you prefer for an overnight stay?

We had a day room booked there, and for that it was really very nice. However, if I was staying overnight I think I'd still opt for Pioneer, for several reasons: the room was lovely but quite stuffy with no overhead fan, so at night it might be rather uncomfortable; lunch was fine but really expensive compared to Pioneer; there are some lovely trees but it's small and you don't get the variety of birds that you see at Pioneer. The day room cost $125 for two of us, then there was lunch - so not cheap! On the upside, the road isn't nearly as bad to get there! I understand that the owners of Wilddogs have taken over the management of Pioneer. This may help to improve it- in the face of pretty negative comments about it I heard earlier this year; however, does that mean the prices will go up?