Gorongosa & Anvil Bay - a Bush and Beach Safari in Mozambique

[Atravelynn]

You did a great job photographing the welcome party. 

"The Canon R7 (with the 100-500) is not half-bad but really not a good choice for low light situations (especially with fast moving animals)."  What would be a better choice under for these trying conditions?

 

[Kitsafari]

fabulous welcoming party! those blonde dogs are quite similar to those blonde dogs seen in botswana. so far - admittedly only your first few hours - gorongosa looks lush and green 

[ice]

@michael-ibkIs off road driving allowed at Gorongosa?

[Peter Connan]

Wow, what a sighting!

Love the wider-angle shots especially. Amazing sky!

[Zim Girl]

Incredible wild dog sighting. What a start!

[BRACQUENE]

Finding dogs just after your arrival in Gorongosa  : how lucky can you be ! Great pack

[xelas]

On 1/14/2024 at 2:18 AM, Atravelynn said:

You did a great job photographing the welcome party. 

"The Canon R7 (with the 100-500) is not half-bad but really not a good choice for low light situations (especially with fast moving animals)."  What would be a better choice under for these trying conditions?

 

Any camera body with full frame size of sensor and a prime long lens with f/4 aperture (or f/2.8 if money is not an issue). 

[michael-ibk]

Thanks @JimS, @TonyQ, @pedro maia, @Atravelynn, @Kitsafari, @Peter Connan, @Zim Girland @BRACQUENE.

 

On 1/14/2024 at 2:18 AM, Atravelynn said:

What would be a better choice under for these trying conditions?

 

Well, what @xelassaid. But that's not an option for me, the R7 will stay my main camera because of its reach. And I certainly am not willing to spend big bucks for basically a backup camera. Right now I'm using an old 70D for landscape (and backup just in case) but that one is falling apart. Canon's R6 II is getting cheaper (but is still expensive), so maybe that one. Considering the 70-200 2.8 (also expensive), but a bit too short (and does not work with a teleconverter). Might as well just accept my shooting limitations, would save me a lot of money.

 

On 1/14/2024 at 7:37 AM, ice said:

Is off road driving allowed at Gorongosa?

 

Yes, and we were offroading quite a bit.

 

On 1/15/2024 at 9:14 AM, Peter Connan said:

Love the wider-angle shots especially. Amazing sky!

 

Important to note that as always many photos (especially but not exclusively wide angle photos) were taken by @AndMic.

 

[ice]

So where exactly in Gorongosa did you stay? Is there still only one camp?

[michael-ibk]

We arrived in camp after dark and left it again next morning before sunrise so did not see too much of it We were quite curious how our new home for the next six nights would look in daylight. But no time for that, a park to explore. We had breakfast (Muffins, cereals, pancakes, fruits, toast) at 04:45 and left  a bit after 5. Mostly kept to that routine, except for one day when they kicked us out of bed even earlier.

 

 

 

I don´t intend to do a full description of the park and its history here - @Pictus Safarisdid such a fantastic job with that (especially here and here), so please just go have a look at his two splendid reports. Suffice to say for here that Gorongosa NP was once a highly popular safari park until the Civil War started. An incredible amount of wildlife was wiped out during that terrible, far too long period (1977 to 1992). Wiki says the large mammal species suffered losses of 95 %. But for almost 20 years now, The Carr Foundation/Gorongosa Restoration Project, a U.S. non-profit organization, has teamed with the Government of Mozambique to protect and restore the ecosystem of Gorongosa National Park and to develop an ecotourism industry to benefit local communities.

 

Gorongosa is a big park, more than 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi) park - for comparison, the Greater Mara ecoeystem amounts to about 1,510 km2 (580 sq mi).

 

But enough general stuff, let's get on our game drive.

 

 

A lot of pools in the immediate vicinity of camp. Not really this one, but most had lots of Waders and Knob-billed Ducks and Spur-winged Geese.

 

 

 

It's not called Spur-Winged for nothing!

 

 

The recent rain had brought out a young sprinkle of grass - always lovely to seen when nature re-awakes after the harsh dry season.

 

 

Good number of Oribi in the park, we had regular sightings of this small Antelope that's often so elusive. Here they are a bit bolder. Their numbers are declining though - presumably because of the increased predator pressure, and in their case most likely because of the Dogs. They are great Dog food after all. Not my presumptions (which really would not be worth much), when I mention species trends I 'm referring to the  2022 Aerial count paper - a very interesting read. In 2022 1383 Oribi were counted in the counting block (which seems to be roughly 2/3 of the park), and 4485 back in 2014. A consistend downward trend for them.

 

 

 

A Red-Necked Falcon

 

 

We were not looking for anything but just very relaxedly got acquainted with the park, and of course I birded a lot. I have to stress that if you will deliberately look for Lions for exampe (we did not) you will certainly see way more than we did - and we did see quite a few.

 

 

 

A Monitor, also a regular sighting.

 

 

Their claws are quite powerful weapons.

 

 

 

Lesser Masked Weaver

 

 

Red-headed Weaver, one of my favourites.

 

 

 

The calls of Brown-hooded and Striped Kingfishers were everywhere in the park, a lovely trill.

 

 

 

Emerald-spotted Wood Dove

 

 

Zebra Waxbill, a bird that was some work. Fortunately no problem here to get out of the car and hunt a bit on foot. Always love to get out of the vehicle.

 

 

Unlike Oribi Kudu have been doing well in the last ten years - 2279 counted in 22, more than double than the 14 numbers. Not super relaxed, they tended to pose for just a few seconds after the car stopped then ran.

 

 

 

 

Palms like these are the perfect habitat for Collared Palm Thrushes.

 

Edited January 16 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

23 minutes ago, ice said:

So where exactly in Gorongosa did you stay? Is there still only one camp?

 

I will get to that when I'll do the post about our camp, probably tomorrow.

Edited January 16 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

We had coffee at Paradise.

 

 

Well, that's at least the name the guides gave to this place. Quite understandably.

 

 

No trip report without this one.

 

 

 

A Fish Eagle throning over his kingdom.

 

 

Bushbuck has become a complicated animal. Here in the South it's Cape Bushbuck or "Imbabala" (a good species now apparently). Their "number seem to have stabilised. Wild dog have likely had a significant initial impact on their numbers especially south of Lake Urema." (From the report, last count 1550 animals).

 

 

After we left Paradise we had a very cool sighting:

 

 

Bushpig!

 

 

Have only seen them from great distance in the Kafue (Musekese), and one or two extremely fleeting glimpses in other parks. This was much better!

 

 

Wiki says "the pigs are essentially nocturnal, hiding in very dense thickets during the day." Not here apparently, for whatever reason. Gorongosa may be one of the best places to get a good sighting of them, our guide Richard told us this was not too unusual. But I would not think they are a certainty. Apart from these three we saw a few running in terror from the Dogs later, and another fairly distant individual out in the open. So might well miss them on a short stay, but very good chance if you give Gorongosa the time it deserves (IMO).

 

 

Photos cropped quite a bit, Richard did not want to spook them so we kept our distance.

 

 

346 Bushpigs were counted in 2022, more than ever but I guess this must be such a difficult animal to count that I have no idea what to make of these numbers.

 

 

Two Dagga Boys. We did not see Buffalo herds. The reintroduction of them was a success, their numbers are going up but they are also dispersing (out of the park). A bit more than 1,200 were counted in 2022. A far cry from the 14,000 that once called Gorongosa their home. But still a great effort - not a single Buffalo was detected in the park after the Civil War according to Wiki.

 

 

 

 

 

Little Bee-Eater

 

We tried to get a bit closer to Lake Urema, the heart of the park.

 

 

But not really possible here, after a quite arduous offroad drive across the bumpy plains (all underwater for many months of the year) we realized there was no way to get close to shore. A pity, the lake was teeming with birdlife. But far too far away.

 

 

Kittlitz's Plover

 

 

As this map shows most game viewing is done just in a relatively small corner of the park South of the lake. It was getting really hot now, and we decided to slowly make our way back to camp.

 

 

 

 

 

Bearded Scrub-Robin

 

 

Knob-billed Duck

 

It was a quarter to noon when we finally were "home". We had not seen a single other car. Gorongosa was our private paradise!

Edited January 16 by michael-ibk

[Atravelynn]

Not just bush pigs, but bush pigs with a trail of water drops whisked from the tail!  I remember watching bush pigs and red-headed weavers with you.

[madaboutcheetah]

Looks a stunning park, and thanks a lot for your wonderful images @michael-ibkand those wild dogs!! 

[michael-ibk]

Thanks @Atravelynnand @madaboutcheetah!

 

20 hours ago, Atravelynn said:

I remember watching bush pigs and red-headed weavers with you.

 

Bushpigs around Musekese, RH-Weaver in Gonarezhou and Lake Langano?

[michael-ibk]

 

We stayed at Gorongosa Wild Camp - a fairly basic but in my opinion pretty perfect little (seasonal) bush camp in the heart of the park and in the middle of its probably most prolific game viewing area.

 

 

IIRC there were six tents. A bit too close together for my taste maybe but apart from the last two nights when a couple from Germany arrived we were the only guests in camp. So mostly private camp as well - we were spoilt!

 

 

The tents are not huge but the beds were very comfortable, the lighting excellent and it was possible to charge all the time. Also had a fan which was much appreciated. It got really hot during lunch break, beyond 45 ° C (1134 Fahrenheit) at times. Better yet to find a cosy place outside when there was a breeze.

 

 

We had to think a bit about how best to organise our stuff. After we asked for two extra chairs (some extra space to put camera stuff or clothes on) we were fine.

 

 

Classic bucket shower. And a flush toilet, luxury!

 

 

 

 

The view is apparently much nicer earlier in the season. The pool has a lot more water then, and has hundreds of birds.

 

 

Good choice and plenty of drinks, just as I like it. The staff members were super friendly and attentive, especially head waiter Joseph and ranger Jeremiah. Who always escorted us to and from our tent for dinner and also looked after me when I was birding a bit farther from the tents. Very nice chap with good English.

 

Food was of course not as fancy as in Anvil Bay but very, very good and plenty. A lighter lunch lunch like Pasta with salad and the classic three course dinner.

 

 

Before our afternoon drives we were always spoilt with savoury snacks or sweets. Andreas was most delighted about a chocolate cake!

 

 

The lounge where I sometimes rested after lunch - always a pleasant breeze here (and a fan!).

 

 

We had lunch (and sometimes dinner) a bit outside, with a good view on the pan. (Not sure why Doug is looking so stern here. ) One evening we saw some Lions during dinner, and they seemed to kill a Warthof or Bushpig. A lot of drastic squealing going on. Also saw a Lioness with two cubs at night who apparently liked the safety of the camp area. Unfortunately we never found her during daylight.

 

 

Dinner and fire place.

 

All in all, a really nice camp where we felt very comfortable.

 

Right now there are two other options:

 

Montebelo Hotel right at the park headquarters in Chitengo. Rates at the link. The bungalows are nice and comfortable from what we were told, and (really not a bad thing especially late in the dry season) have AC. And there is a pool! Used that once - really wonderful in the heat. The downside is this is really not much of a wilderness experience. But the garden is great for birding, and it's in a good location for game viewing. Cheaper than Wild Camp.

 

And then there is Muzimu Lodge, a classic luxury safari camp, so obviously the most expensive option. Six chalets. Has a pool. No rates to be found on the homepage but IIRC around the USD 600 or 700 pppn range. We did not see it but were told it's nice and elegant. I have found no online reviews so really cannot comment further on it. I remember @Pictus Safaristhought that its location is not ideal.

 

 

 

[Pictus Safaris]

Enjoying this very much @michael-ibk. For reference, the rack rates at Muzimu are $975pppn sharing, $1460pppn single.

[ice]

@michael-ibkor @Pictus SafarisAny idea how high and low season are defined?

[Atravelynn]

8 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Thanks @Atravelynnand @madaboutcheetah!

 

 

Bushpigs around Musekese, RH-Weaver in Gonarezhou and Lake Langano?

I don't remember the RH-Weaver in Lake Langano.  I was probably too distracted by the Yellow-fronted Parrot!

 

I feel like I am right there with you and Doug, gathered around the table, ready for lunch!

 

Edited January 18 by Atravelynn

[Peter Connan]

Beautiful camp, and beautiful photos! The RH Weaver in flight is awesome.

 

That's a really impressive Waterbuck bull too.

[ice]

On 1/13/2024 at 8:36 PM, michael-ibk said:

We were told each pack averages 18 members. That would be almost 200 Dogs!

 

Is that really possible? As far as I understand the size (square area) of Gorongosa is +/- 20% of the size of Kruger NP and Kruger only has about 200 dogs. I would love to believe those numbers for Gorongosa, though.

[Pictus Safaris]

22 hours ago, ice said:

@michael-ibkor @Pictus SafarisAny idea how high and low season are defined?

 

No seasonality, prices are static from opening (mid-April, rains dependent) to November.

 

4 hours ago, ice said:

 

Is that really possible? As far as I understand the size (square area) of Gorongosa is +/- 20% of the size of Kruger NP and Kruger only has about 200 dogs. I would love to believe those numbers for Gorongosa, though.

 

Yes, the population cracked 150 pretty quickly. I don't think they've quite cracked 200 yet, but they won't be far off. Wild dog populations are generally measured by numbers of adults and yearlings, as including numbers of pups can be misleading. From what I recall, the number of adults and yearlings in the Kruger is indeed just under 200, with a total population of around 350. The number of adults and yearlings in Gorongosa is significantly lower, probably around 90. Still very good going, and a much denser population than in Kruger (unsurprising, given prey densities, and the relative paucity of dogs in the north of Kruger) - there's no question that Gorongosa is a very, very reliable spot to see dogs. We had clients last year who hadn't seen dogs in 20+ visits to Kruger, and we had great views quite promptly in GNP. If anyone feels like they've had bad luck with dog sightings, I'd recommend GNP as somewhere to get that monkey off your back.

[ice]

@Pictus Safaristhanks a lot for your answers. However, according to this website

 

https://gorongosa.org/standard-bungalow/

 

at least this place has varying rates for what they call "low and high season". Other than that, as a wild dog buff I am more than tempted to give GNP a try.

[Pictus Safaris]

@ice- ah, Montebelo is not run by Gorongosa, so you're probably best speaking to them directly for low/high season rates. None of the Gorongosa properties have a low or high season indicated in their rates. For what it's worth, I certainly wouldn't consider having clients stay at Montebelo again.

 

EDIT: @ice, I did some digging for you into my archives, and Montebelo class low season as March-June and September-December. High season is July and August. This information dates from immediately post-COVID, so may have changed, but hopefully that helps. 

Edited January 19 by Pictus Safaris
Additional info added

[ice]

3 hours ago, Pictus Safaris said:

For what it's worth, I certainly wouldn't consider having clients stay at Montebelo again

 

What makes you say that? ( @michael-ibkI hope you don't mind me asking these questions in your thread)