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A stunningly beautiful park, amazing landscapes expertly photographed.

The bird photos at your new camp were worth lying in the mud for!

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I was really thrilled that we also had some Skimmers. They are not here permanently so we were lucky.

 

294504988_TR_0391_Zimbabwe_1994_AfricanSkimmer-Bearbeitet.JPG.6f2877bb9f26c4208c5182b9040ce0e6.JPG

 

1339767642_TR_0392_Zimbabwe_1999_Saddle-BilledStork_AfricanSkimmer-Bearbeitet.JPG.acb08844c1462517c9c6be4c4d5f36ea.JPG

 

There are few things on safari I enjoy more than trying to get Skimmers skim. This was a really good place for that.

 

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Used up a lot of memory space this afternoon - had a very, very good time. When it got too dark for the Skimmers I tried to pan them but with only limited (no) success:

 

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We had another very, very cool sighting but I´m handing over to Lynn now.:)

 

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Edited by michael-ibk
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14 minutes ago, TonyQ said:

A stunningly beautiful park, amazing landscapes expertly photographed.

The bird photos at your new camp were worth lying in the mud for!

 

Thanks Tony! It really is, such a beautiful place. Will definitely return, hopefully sooner rather than later. :)

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Thanks for detailing and illustrating our route to Massasanya.  The Sililijo Valley Loop was very beautiful.  I could see landscape photographers spending lots of time here.  We game drove between Chilojo Cliffs Campsite and Massasanya from 5:15 to 11:45 am.  Doug said a direct route would be under 90 minutes.

 

"I had to be careful - many, many Crocs here, and they seemed to develop an interest in me when I was too motionless for long."  That comment along with the ominous croc shot is creepy.  Actually the shot is really great.  But worth the risk for all your fine wader shots. I must say I was a bit concerned at times looking out at you lying flat and still in the dry riverbank area.  At least  not too close to the water.

 

 

The guys had flocks of carmines in Mana Pools.  I was pleased to get this one.

 

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Carmine Bee-eater, not a common sight

 

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Start of the rains bring out the Lily Fireball.  I combined the flora and my new found love of logs.

 

 

 Can 3 giraffes be called a Tower, especially if one is not really considered "towering" in height?

 

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With and without the bird.  These were the only giraffes I photographed on the trip.

 

 

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Doug said his family would use the bristly leaves of this lily to scour pots.  Since he never let us help with the dishes during the self-catering part of the trip, II was not concerned he’d make us pick lilies and scrub pans.

 

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Brown Snake Eagle

 

 

The waterhole at Massasanya was conveniently located right outside our cottages and very active.

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In come the elephants at Massasanya Camp waterhole

 

 

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Massasanya Camp waterhole

 

 

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1177763798_DSC08609eleherdnearwater.jpg.7fd303982626aa99576678b4bfe32ca9.jpg

Massasanya Camp waterhole

 

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Massasanya Camp waterhole

 

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1581271410_DSC08789eledarkinwater.jpg.f36f4bcaea614f8a22c1c12a442244c0.jpg

 

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Playful elephants at Massasanya Camp waterhole

 

 

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There go the elephants from Massasanya Camp waterhole

 

 

It is possible to take some wader shots without the risk of becoming croc prey at Massasanya Camp’s waterhole.

1533114804_3M7A3726shorebirdwhitefrontedplover.jpg.b29ef48ca9af01c9a7d5e424700c1763.jpg

White fronted Plover showing us its white derriere

 

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3-banded Plover

 

 

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Pair o’Saddle bills

 

 

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I like the errant feather on this Yellow-billed Stork, Massasanya Camp waterhole

 

 

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Incoming Spoonbill to accompany Yellow-billed Stork, Massasanya Camp waterhole

 

 

When we realized we’d be privileged to view some amazing skimmer action, we started making outlandish demands of the birds.  I recall one request for skimmers skimming in front of a lightning bolt.  Michael asked for skimming in front of an elephant.  Yah, right.  Well…

 

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 At Massasanya Camp, an African Skimmer skimming in front of an elephant is not farfetched

 

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Skimming in front of a croc at Massasanya Camp waterhole

 

 

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Everyone getting into the act at Massasanya Camp waterhole

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DSC08822 fish eagle fly.jpg

 

Edited by Atravelynn
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The 15 kg weight limit for our charter flight out had me wondering if I should bring the heavy Canon 7D Mark IV with my 100-400 lens.  My Sony RX10 does such a good job with so much less heft.  Since it was just 3 of us flying out, the 15 kg limit was more flexible, so I packed the Canon and came in at 20.5 kg.  As soon as I saw the skimmers, I knew packing it was the right decision.

 

 Doug suggested a contest of the best skimmer shot.  With the perfect conditions we were all winners!

 

544928608_3M7A3817skimmerandspoonbill.jpg.8fa0c24ba0314af019dc6d07c1b0a7e9.jpg

Skimmers gonna’ skim and Spoonbills gonna’ spoon

 

 

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Note the crocs at Massasanya Camp waterhole

 

 

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1945878651_3M7A3891skimandbackgroundbirds.jpg.74ef249832f377643ba1c2a8dbb75ef0.jpg

There are 3 species present in this shot

 

 

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1750531386_3M7A3897skimmerinair.jpg.50225b602eeaa01b260ea45ec0cc9034.jpg

 

1933127541_3M7A3903skim.jpg.766e6ba59de7f55481f2246c9dde9c0c.jpg

 

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814389969_3M7A3912skimyellowbilledstorkbehind.jpg.4e5b25529559dadb94c2561eaf86c28e.jpg

Skimming with a friend

 

 

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1651963572_3M7A3966skimmingreverse.jpg.7982093fba616dd9f1f492db3ff4f5fe.jpg

 Reverse half-twist, extra points for degree of difficulty

 

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Note the crocs at Massasanya Camp waterhole

 

 

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Note the crocs

 

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Waterbucks at Massasanya Camp waterhole

 

 

Just when the light for the skimmers was fading, the moon came out, along with a leopard.

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Massasanya Camp waterhole, leopard

3M7A3902 skim.jpg

Edited by Atravelynn
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madaboutcheetah

Love the Skimmers.

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Towlersonsafari

what a wonderful pace that waterhole looks!

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547975225_DSCN5498Michael.jpg.7dd6e24ec36cae340d856a33362fcca8.jpg

Back at the Runde River—The Man and his Camera and a Bird Above.  Egyptian Goose I think.

 

 

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Massasanya says good morning

 

 

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This hyrax says good morning with a stretch

 

 

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Waterbuck

 

 

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Sharpe’s Grysbok

 

 

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 1173266062_DSCN6006kuduwalk.jpg.2cec322b6a00d8ccbf922a46b880f671.jpg

 

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Kudu, frequently seen

 

 

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Klipspringer

 

 

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Little Bee-eater

 

 

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Brown-hooded Kingfisher

 

 

On a walk we encountered an Eastern Rock Senji and a Giant Plated Lizard.

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The Eastern Rock Senji was a quick-moving, cautious and elusive animal.  Seen on a walk.

 

 

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Giant Plated Lizard.  Seen on a walk.

 

 

At the Massasanya Dam

 

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 A good luck rock is added when driving past the dam.  We did not add a rock.  I considered the Eastern Rock Senji, seen on the way to the dam, to be our good luck symbol.

 

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Distant elephant near the dam

 

 

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Lesser Striped Swallows near Massasanya Dam

 

 

 

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Striated Heron at the dam

 

 

Life around the dam was my focus, not the dam itself.  Maybe Michael or Andreas will have infrastructure shots.

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Back from a “dam good morning,” we are showing off our Doug Macdonald Safaris gaiters.

 

 

 

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Golden-breasted Bunting

 

 

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Brown-crowned Tchagra

 

 

Around Massasanya Camp before and after lunch there was lots going on.

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Saddle-billed Stork at Massasanya Camp

 

 

The impending rain greatly excited the Village Weavers who lived in trees at Massasanya Camp.  They were in the process of constructing their nests with great vigor and volume.  Fun to watch.

306095219_DSCN6537weaverbuildingnesttighter.jpg.a507ec1fc6a9619a8cc0580d97d55ba2.jpg

Village Weavers at Massasanya Camp

 

 

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Village Weavers at Massasanya Camp

 

 

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Village Weavers at Massasanya Camp

 

 

The dull light shows that storm clouds are gathering.

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Elephants and Spoonbill at Massananya Camp

 

 

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Croc at Massasanya Camp

 

 

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Threatening skies over our lovely Massasanya cottage

 

 

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Imminent Rain at Massasanya

 

 

Despite the threatening skies, we braved a game drive but did not get far before the deluge.  Doug put the pedal to the metal and got us back to camp. 

1436863124_DSC09386rainsacomintighter.jpg.2dc2aafc1c5085a8f7abbce5251046b8.jpg

My sole afternoon game drive photo, before the skies opened up

Edited by Atravelynn
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What a fun time this looks like!  I am green with envy!

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Lynn showed remarkable restraint with Leopard photos, I don´t have that much self-discipline.

 

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Obviously this was not the kind of photo-suited close-up sighting one often enjoys in the Delta, the Mara or Luangwa but we were super-thrilled to finally see a Big Cat in Gonarezhou again.

 

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In general Leopards are quite shy in Zim. So this one was rather bold to do his open parade in front of us, even at quite a distance at the other side.

 

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Some more snipptets from our full day based in Massasanya:

 

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Mobile photo

 

Such a nice place to enjoy breakfast. Perfect private seclusion, all of camp was ours of course.

 

227787738_TR_0446_Zimbabwe_2355_EllipsenWaterbuck-Bearbeitet.JPG.c088770bd548ced578476a55cad58e81.JPG

 

Signs of the impending afternoon´s tempest were already there in the morning, basically we waited for the skies to open up all day long.

 

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Which did not prevent us from taking a good long walk. The temperature was very pleasant.

 

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The view to the Runde Gorge bridge - or rather the "Nkwangulatilo (rainbow) Causeway". Try to say that three times fast!

 

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An impressive - and very new - piece of construction. It was opened only in 2019. Important too, since in the rainy season (when the river becomes impassable) it´s the only viable connection to the South of the park.

 

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I found it fascinating how different the river was looking here - like we were in a totally different park.

 

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A somewhat unusual setting for an Elephant.

 

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A "No, I´m not posing for photos, thank you very much" Nyala bull.

 

939666277_TR_0479_Zimbabwe_2425_GreaterKudu.JPG.d9a9eb0ed34ae77639a77cfa66c27d3d.JPG

 

Very impressive horns on this Kudu - a real backscratcher!

 

1566104486_TR_0481_Zimbabwe_2436_Pearl-SpottedOwlet-Bearbeitet.JPG.3f3b1e2b935a328ed43096cbcef34f66.JPG

 

Not a great photo but Owls (Pearl-Spotted in this case) are always cool to see.

 

681462085_TR_0482_Zimbabwe_2438_Pearl-SpottedOwlet-Bearbeitet.JPG.e777fe0cb33a6b12801f7ee06f5b5d2d.JPG

 

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We are all Klippspringer fans - and this was perfect habitat for them, so we saw several.

 

234762840_TR_0485_Zimbabwe_2449_KoriBustard-Bearbeitet.JPG.9e8e1e0f8a11fb7e2396d6ca436b5a1c.JPG

 

More surprising to see a Kori Bustard (the only one of the trip) in this rocky terrain.

 

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"Of course, splendid idea to go out now, I´m sure we can zig-zag the clouds and avoid the rain."

 

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Oh wow, did we get soaked. :D

 

Which was at least a good excuse to drink plenty of coffee with Amarula in camp. B)

Edited by michael-ibk
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TR_0387_Handy_115.JPG.0c982ce4b9e9021fd0dc28bf7e567412.JPG

 

Meet Matt! Host, camp manager, cook and all around nice guy. He came with us (with two staff members) from the mobile camp here to Massasanya as well.

 

Like most people, I really enjoy good food. But it´s not a priority for me on safari. And normally I quickly forget about what I ate where and when during a trip. Not this time. When Lynn, Andreas and me did a "Top 10 list" for this trip we all agreed the food experience easily made it.

 

Doug told us he had been getting kinda fed up with the token "African night" many camps have. When they present "authentic food". "African food" is a stupid concept in general because there´s no such thing  - Africa is a huge continent with myriads of different peoples and customs. So Doug came up with the idea of showcasing a different country´s cuisine each and every day. And so we enjoyed Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Marocco, South Africa - and Zimbabwe of course. A terrific idea, but an idea alone is not enough.

 

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But fortunately the execution was equally terrific - best and most entertaining meals I´ve ever had on safari. A lot of the stuff (especially the seasoning and the sauces) is prepared in Harare by a specialist cook, and then deep-frozen. Doug came up with most of the menus himself. As we had found out in the Vumba he is a really good cook himself. With the help of staff members Donald and Melody Matt took care of the preparation, especially the meat. We were looking forward to each new meal and were always curious: Which country would it be today? What food would be typical for it? And were never disappointed. I even made my peace with Ethiopian food which was quite an achievement by our clever chefs de cuisine. I had had a pretty nasty case of food poisoning there and swore I would never touch Injera again. Matt and Doug cured me - thank you Gentlemen.

 

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A particular highlight - Nigerian pork skewers with peanut ceme and lemon. My mouth is watering writing about this!

 

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I think this was Morocco.

 

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Lunch was always quite light food - welcome in the heat of the day.

 

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A Coastal South African specialty, forgot the name - a brilliant Curry you pour into the bread. Delicious!

 

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Every day we also had these really nice and informative sheet cards about the respective countries and their cuisine.

 

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The last evening was of course Zimbabwean, a classic Brai with really interesting side dishes.

 

I´m off now, have to go eat something!

Edited by michael-ibk
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2 hours ago, Double Dare said:

What a fun time this looks like!  I am green with envy!

 

Thank you - it was! Great company, great guide, great staff, great park, great food. :D

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6 hours ago, Double Dare said:

What a fun time this looks like!  I am green with envy!  Thanks! Not as green as the newly sprouted leaves that surrounded us wherever we went.

I must chime in on the food as well.  Truly outstanding and noteworthy.  Healthy too!  And a fine food photography job, Michael!  The editors of Bon Appétit  will likely be calling soon.

 

When we were summing up our safari highlights at the end of the trip, we all put these African meals on that list.  That noteworthiness extended to the bush snacks, which also were themed after the various countries.  I'll let future clients of Doug's in on a secret.  We were never told which country we'd be "visiting" so it was a guessing game when we sat down to lunch.  But, the snack boxes we took out on the drives were labeled with the country name, so I'd sneak a peek at our mid-morning coffee/tea/nibbles stop.  Hope I don't get banned from future Doug Macdonald Safaris for sharing this!

 

Also, depending on the level of your palate, you might be able to guess the origin of the snack and therefore the country of the day without any secrets divulged by me.

Edited by Atravelynn
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Another safari highlight was our dip in a very shallow crocodile-free section of the Runde River.  It was a sure way to beat the oppressive heat.  I abhor cold water, but this was bath-water warm for the most part though we could seek out pockets of cooler currents.  We all loved it!

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Into the Runde

Twenty minutes after exiting the river we were all dry.

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Rain last night, sun this morning.

 

We were in klipspringer territory.

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Two klipspringers present in each of the above 2 shots

 

 

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Dwarf Mongoose on the run

 

 

There was a lot of elephant activity at a small waterhole.  We sat beside the vehicle to watch.  The elephants were relaxed throughout.  I like the contrast of the white grass.

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Egyptian geese leading the elephant

 

 

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The ever-present kudu...

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Happy to find my favorite bird.  Doug shared a hoopoe photography tip with us (that maybe many of you already know).  When a flying hoopoe lands, the crest is extended.  That’s a hard shot to catch, but something to try for.  This hoopoe was grooming, not flying.

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African Hoopoe

 

 

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Checking us out

 

 

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My second baboon photo of the trip, which includes leaves

 

 

I managed just one warthog photo because they were always darting off.  Throughout Gonarezhou this skittish warthog behavior was the rule.  Even @BRACQUENE, who was there a couple of weeks before us, made this comment about a rare warthog photo he was able to get, “For once a warthog that didn't start to run away but posed nicely ...”

 

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Warthog on the run, typical of the warthogs we saw in Gonarezhou.  Cute little tail.

 

 

Arrival at Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge, the third of our three accommodations.  We stayed in the Nhambo Cottages. 

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View from my cottage at Chilo Gorge, sunset

 

 

The intricate winding pathways throughout the Chilo Gorge grounds with lookout points over the river could offer a safari without ever going anyplace.  The following photos were taken during our 2-night stay while wandering around those paths from our cottages to the main lodge or gazing out my balcony or scanning the outer walls and floors for life.

 

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Scorpion on wall of outdoor kitchen, Nhambo Cottage common area at Chilo Gorge

 

 

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Note the suction on the frog's feet, sticking to the wall of outdoor kitchen, Nhambo Cottage common area at Chilo Gorge

 

 

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Flying ants, brought out by the rain, are food for the geckos and lizards, Nhambo Cottages common area at Chilo Gorge

 

 

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Trumpeter Hornbills were quite at home on thewalkways of Chilo Gorge

 

 

 

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Giant Snail put into perspective, walkways of Chilo Gorge

 

 

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Giant Plated Lizard on rocks next to the walkways at Chilo Gorge

 

 

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Giant Plated Lizard posing for closeup on rocks next to the walkways at Chilo Gorge

 

 

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 Looking very reptilian on rocks next to the walkways at Chilo Gorge

 

 

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  Mocking Mountain Chat in the dining area at Chilo Gorge

 

 

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Easern Nicator on the walkways at Chilo Gorge.  About the only thing visible in the rain is the yellow flecks.

 

 

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Mother and tiny hippo baby seen from the dining area at Chilo Gorge

 

 

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Seen from the dining area at Chilo Gorge

 

 

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Just before rain, elephants seen in the Runde River from my balcony at Nhambo Cottage, Chilo Gorge

 

 

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Rain is on the way

 

 

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View from my cottage at Chilo Gorge, sunrise

 

 

 

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Baby baobab and me at Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge

 

Edited by Atravelynn
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After reading this TR so far can there be any doubt ? This is simply one of the best safari’s you can ever book and as I have done most of it myself you may be certain you will have a remote experience you will never forget : and the food is indeed divine !!

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@michael-ibk and @Atravelynnyour wonderful report continues!

Beautiful photos and great writing. You had a really good mix of environments.

The food looks excellent, and was obviously much appreciated 

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The rains had really cleared the air, it was a beautiful morning when we said our Good Byes to Matt, Donald and Melody and started our long drive to Chilo Gorge Lodge, at the very North-Eastern end of the park. More than 60 km as the Crow flies, and I´d estimate at least double that distance along the road following the winding river.

 

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The first part of our route lead us through the very same hills again we had transgressed after arriving to Gonarezhou, so we´d eventually pass our mobile camp site again too. Again the hills were very enjoyable, a lot of general game around.

 

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Tawny Eagle, quite scarce this trip.

 

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I´m all ears Baby!

 

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The animals were just loving the fresh vegetation everywhere.

 

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Grey Go-Away BIrd

 

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Lynn´s Dwarf Mongoose are just running away all the time. Mine are much better behaved, I trained them to pose.

 

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Quite a handsome Waterbuck male.

 

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Sitting at this waterhole with the Elephants was wonderful, such a peaceful and tranquil setting.

 

 

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Friendly as they all were this one came a bit too close for comfort and Doug asked us with faked calmness to get into the car again. :D

 

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Another Vulture congregation close to our Cliffs camp site.

 

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Lynn´s favourite bird? Mine as well.

 

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Doug told us a bogeyman story of a criminal who allegedly used to live in this very Baobab for years.

 

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It was noon now, and we had only come halfway. It also was one of the hottest days we had experienced so far. That and the rugged road were getting to us, and I think that´s why that bath in the river also easily made all our "Trip Top Ten" lists. It was vital to cool off.

 

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I confess I already had had a "swim" in the morning at Fishman´s causeway. Back then Lynn and Andreas had only rolled their eyes. Crazy stupid childish Michael, let the Crocs have him! Now they swore they would never ever leave the water again! It was difficult to get me out as well.

 

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The scenery changed again, more and more Palm Trees came into view. The Eastern end of the park is a really beautiful area, and it definitely was the most game rich.

 

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But I think it was just too hot for all of us to really take photos anymore. Only Andreas did never stop of photographing one Baobab after the other!

 

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We finallly arrived at Chilo Gorge Lodge at 5 pm. It´s actually outside the park, we first had to cross the Save river.  The crossing point is somewhere at the back end of the river in the photo below.

 

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The main lodge is beautiful. Not a real safari type camp, more catering for all audiences. They also run a tented camp within the park.

 

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Our cottages. Very spacious, very comfortable. After all these bush showers (even though I love them) it was so cool to enjoy a shower with high water pressure and non-stop running water.

 

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Our balcony:

 

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Mocking Cliff-Chats were always around.

 

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White-Throated Robin-Chat

 

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The Save River.

Edited by michael-ibk
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1 hour ago, BRACQUENE said:

his is simply one of the best safari’s you can ever book and as I have done most of it myself you may be certain you will have a remote experience you will never forget

 

It really is a remote Wilderness in the very best sense of the word. Like I said, I definitely want to return. :)

 

45 minutes ago, TonyQ said:

Beautiful photos and great writing. You had a really good mix of environments.

The food looks excellent, and was obviously much appreciated 

 

Thanks Tony - it is a remarkably diverse park. Much appreciated indeed, too much actually - but that´s what holiday is for. :)

 

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Watching the video, MIchael, I was right back at the waterhole with the elephants.  You trained not only the mongoose but these giants as well.  They were very well behaved getting their drink.

 

5 hours ago, BRACQUENE said:

his is simply one of the best safari’s you can ever book and as I have done most of it myself you may be certain you will have a remote experience you will never forget

 

It really is a remote Wilderness in the very best sense of the word. Like I said, I definitely want to return. :)

Totally agree on all your points! This was game count weekend and the park was totally booked because this event draws so many people.  How many did we see?  Just a handful in a week's time.  Maybe 6 sightings of another vehicle or someone camping.  We really had a remote and secluded experience.

 

 

3 hours ago, TonyQ said:

Beautiful photos and great writing. You had a really good mix of environments.

The food looks excellent, and was obviously much appreciated 

 

Thanks Tony - it is a remarkably diverse park. Much appreciated indeed, too much actually - but that´s what holiday is for. :)

And cliffs, we had cliffs!  We only traveled in the northern part of the park but we were amazed at how the terrain changed.  In fact our last couple of days in the eastern most part of the park, it seemed like we were still in the dry season.  It rained the day after we arrived, but when we first got there, it was like we had changed climates.

Edited by Atravelynn
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Just when you thought the cliffs were a thing of the past in this report, THE ADAPTER appears atop one.  Actually 2 adapters. There are also 2 elephants down below.

 

For the entire Zimbabwe itinerary, the TYPE G ADAPTER was used.  All camps had adequate charging.  We often handed our batteries and chargers to the staff who charged them for us.  Nhambo Cottages at Chilo Gorge had plugs in the room.

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Edited by Atravelynn
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1667357130_18dDSCN6949waterbuckandscenery3.jpg.821edb3f06aa548e3f376a1b45a514db.jpg

Looking dry in the eastern part of the park around Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge

 

 

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Waterbuck and Fish Eagle

 

 

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Count the baobabs

 

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Goliath Heron

 

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Red-headed Weavers were feeding on flowers

 

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Red-headed Weavers were feeding on flowers

 

 

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Red-headed Weavers were feeding on flowers

 

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Woodland Kingfisher

 

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We rounded a bend and there they were, under a tree, not far from the road, as if they had been waiting for us—wild dogs!  I believe 19 were counted.

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Our plan was to return to the wild dogs in the afternoon, but heavy rain prevented us.

 

I had been trying to get a good squirrel shot for much of the trip.  Like at home, they were plentiful enough but rarely paused.  Finally, squirrel success!  As was the entire trip, thanks to my safari buddies and guide Doug and of course to the magnificent Gonarezhou!

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  Smith’s Bush Squirrel

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 Smith’s Bush Squirrel

DSC03242 butterfly  2.jpg

DSCN7075   dog looks up.jpg

Edited by Atravelynn
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Well well, our last day already! Quite cool to wake up, step on the balcony and see this:

 

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Immediately after we entered the park we came upon a pair of Bushbuck - the female looked very mangy:

 

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This part of Gonarezhou is very beautiful - I would have loved to spend more time here.

 

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We witnessed a massacre - the Ants had raided a termite mount and were going home, their prey firmly in their jaws.

 

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Very Mana Pools.

 

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An exceptional sighting - a non-sprinting Warthog!

 

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A strong Nyala bull.

 

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Common as they are, always difficult to resist a posing White-Fronted Bee-Eater.

 

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If Sharpe´s Grysbok is your thing Gonarezhou is definitely the top place. I was constantly amazed how relatively easily this normally secretive Antelope was ofen found here.

 

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Needless to say we were elated to find our Dogs. A great finale, even if the rains spoilt our afternoon plans for them.

 

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They all looked very healthy - and full.

 

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No more Mr. Nice Guy!

Edited by michael-ibk
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It was raining heavily in the afternoon and also most of the time next morning before our departure. I often went out (the lodge area is lovely and quite productive) but had to retreat to the cottage quickly. Still found a few nice ones (some also from the balcony). Of course I have to finish in a birdy way!

 

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Eastern Nicator

 

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Yellow-Bellied Greenbul collecting nest material

 

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Spectacled Weaver

 

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Puffback

 

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Jameson´s Firefinch

 

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Collared Sunbird

 

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Green-Winged Pytilia

 

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The female

 

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And my highlight - a Red-Throated (or Peter´s) Twinspot. Delightful bird!

 

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Doug had already left after breakfast, we still enjoyed a lunch and then were on our way.

 

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It was quite a relief that we were able to depart - we had discussed even leaving one day earlier because of the rains. Which would not have been possible anyway given the weather the previous day. Our pilot had to zigzag the storm clouds to get us to Harare safely. The advantage of that was he flew pretty low - we saw a fair bit of beautiful Zimbabwe. I really enjoyed that flight.

 

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And that´s it from me! Andreas and me greatly enjoyed this trip, and like I said really would like to go back. Sure, there are parks with higher wildlife density but for me the beauty and unspoilt vast wilderness of Gonarezhou, the feeling of really being far out, away from everything, totally makes up for that. And we loved all of our accommodations - have I mentioned the great food? The Vumba was cool as well - need to go back just for Tony´s Café. And I do have unfinished business to take care of - looking at you, skulky Gorgeous Bushshrike!

 

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And thank you Lynn, as always, you are such a good (and fun!) travel mate. Atravelmate. To many more shared adventures!

 

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And thanks Doug, great job again! This was our fifth trip together - and we just booked Nr. 6.  If you want a great private guide who´s 100 % about seeing cool stuff and maximising your time in the bush he´s your man.:)

 

 

Edited by michael-ibk
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