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

[michael-ibk]

Thanks Pedro, I'm sure you would enjoy it a lot!

 

Ok, time to finish this, we are already at our last (full) day.

 

 

We had debated a bit what to do the previous evening. Try for Sable? Go look for the Dogs? Explore a more remote area? Ultimately we decided to not to try for anything but just amble around the lake area.

 

 

 

The first Wooly-necked Storks of the trip.

 

 

Knob-Billed double act.

 

 

A very patient Black-bellied Bustard.

 

 

We had coffee at a Hippo pool. Always interesting watching these grumpy giants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that I decided I needed some Waterbuck photo. Gorongosa is the ultimate Waterbuck park so they deserve to be featured a bit more.

 

 

 

 

It's really difficult to capture the enormous numbers of them in a photo.

 

 

 

Yes, the sun did come out a bit, hooray!

 

 

[michael-ibk]

Soon we found some Lions, a Mum with a daughter and two boys.

 

 

 

It was already hot now, so they were mostly just sleeping, with only a few short movements inbetween to please their photo-hungry guests.

 

 

 

 

Even with the insane amount of prey around them there was little hope they would do anything but enjoy their nap in the heat so we moved on.

 

 

Last Roller of the trip. Always a bit of a downer when you have to thinks of sightings as the last ones of a safari.

 

 

We found another (big male) Lion but he was sleeping deep within a bush.

 

 

The rest of the morning was very, very birdy. There are a couple of very scenic ponds and lakes a bit more East along the lake. Lots and lots of waterbirds here.

 

 

"Paradise Pool", IIRC.

 

 

 

Weird to see a Darter here, not their habitat at all. Apparently he simply wanted to have some company.

 

 

 

The first Avocets I have seen in Africa.

 

 

Don't know which problem this guy here had.

 

 

 

Three-banded Plover.

 

 

 

I tend to think of Glossy Ibis as a big bird but the comparison shot with an Openbill made me re-evaluate that.

 

 

A Malachite - finally.

 

 

We made it all the way to Hippo House on the Eastern shore. Another derelict building from times long gone. A very hot drive back to camp, we were there around 12:30.

Edited February 17 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

 

Flap-necked Chameleon in camp. It's fascinating how well they blend in. This is not a small animal but it was very hard to see between the leaves.

 

 

Emerald-spotted Wood Dove. I'm very fond of this one. Not because of its look but I really like its melancholic song.

 

 

Oribi on the watchout. With so many Dogs in the park definitely a very good idea to be very, very careful.

 

 

 

 

The light was nice this afternoon but we wasted it a bit with driving, driving and driving.

 

 

 

Why did we do that? Well, because we were looking for the Dogs. And just could not find them. Served us right. We had gotten smug about them, they had been so easy the previous days. Which is why we had decided to finish the trip with them. Easier said than done. And a good lesson to never, never take the Dogs for granted.

 

At the start of the week they had always enjoyed hanging around close to the road. But not today. The road network in  Gorongosa is not really very tight, there are extensive patches of forest inbetween. Richard and Doug did their very best, and ultimately we did find the Dogs after a lot of tracking and offroading deep inside the forest.

 

 

Have to hand it to them, they had found a really nice spot. Shade and water, perfect for them.

 

 

With a colourful gem even.

 

 

But it was almost 18:00 now, the light was long gone and dawn was setting in. So while it was good to see "our " Dogs again and being able to say Good Bye, it was a pretty unrewarding sighting. First they were sleeping, and when they finally got active it was already dark and they quickly ran off into the dense vegetation where we had no chance keeping up with them. Disappointing Dogs really.

 

 

Told you we had become too smug!

 

 

Camp staff had prepared a surprise dinner for us on the top of Lion House - very nice!

 

 

Finally a posing Genet on the way back to camp after dinner. Had seen dozens of them but mostly running off.

 

Edited February 17 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

 

We still had a few hours next morning, our flight was only leaving a bit after 10. First we dropped off Doug at Chitengo - he had a very long driving day back to Harare ahead of him. We could see some brownish animals on the airstrip. "The Dogs are there for you", Doug and Richard excitedly told us. They both were quite embarrassed when we got closer and saw, uhm, no, actually Baboons. Well, happens to the best of us.

 

 

The one place we had not really seen yet was along the Pungwe River, so that's how we spent our last two hours of the trip.

 

 

 

 

As mentioned before the rivers marks the park's Southern border.

 

 

White-crowned Lapwing.

 

 

The road is quite tricky here. The Elephants are very active in this area, as they move across the river to go on their raiding parties into the villagers fields. So lots of branches and trees coming down. The guides avoid this road in the afternoon (when the Eles mostly pass through), very easy to get trapped in the middle of a herd. For once, we were quite content with not seeing an Elephant when we explored (although we could hear their rumbling).

 

 

Lucky and his machete were busy!

 

One bird I was looking here was Green Twinspot, a tiny but beautiful species. Heard them tantalisingly close but no visual. We were on foot when Richard told me to look up, he had it (or so I thought). I was looking up to the bush where he pointed, and was confused. Did not see a Twinspot, and wouldn't they move around a lot, nervous little flickers as they all are? Just could not find it. I was getting desperate because of that. And Richard was desperate too. How could I not see what he was pointing at?

 

The problem was, he was not pointing to a Twinspot. I had not realized that we were talking about a different bird now. A far bigger one. And one far higher up, so it was not "look up into the bush", it was "look up through the bush and into the canopy above".

 

 

Yippie-yeah-yoh, a Pel's Fishing Owl! One of Africa's holy grail birds for birders, and a species I've been trying to see (without success) for years now. Michael was a happy birder.

 

And with that, I am concluding this report. Thanks for commenting, liking or just reading along. Hopefully this report did spark some interest in Gorongosa - it really deserves to. We enjoyed it a lot, the varied and beautiful landscapes, the number of animals, the great birding, a wonderful "wild camp" in the best sense of the word, the excellent and friendly staff, the company and excellent guiding of Doug and Richard. And the Dogs of course! Would love to go back, and am pretty certain we will.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 17 by michael-ibk

[wilddog]

Dinner on top of the Lion House! Fabulous idea.

 

Thanks for telling us all about your time in Gorongosa.  It has certainly changed since I was there, and all very positively.

Just lovely

[Peter Connan]

If I ever do win the lotto (unlikely since I don't play), I will immediately book a trip with Doug to Gorongosa and then on to Mana Pools.

 

That Waterbuck in the road really adds a sense of scale to that magnificent forest, and you caught the essence of dinner at the Lion House magnificently. Really lovely photos all around.

 

And congratulations on finally getting a Pel's.

 

Thanks for enriching my life with this trip report.

[Zim Girl]

What a fantastic sighting to end with, Michael.

Great report, thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

[Towlersonsafari]

splendid report @michael-ibklooks like a very interesting area to visit!

[xelas]

One more adventure for you, @michael-ibk, and one more excellent trip report for us to read and enjoy. Are you ready for the next one?!

[Dicky Lloyd]

Amazing trip report, I really enjoyed reading and looking at your excellent photos.

 

[AfricIan]

Thanks very much for another of your excellent reports @michael-ibk, certainly looks like somewhere to add to my ever expanding list of must go to places 

[michael-ibk]

Thanks a lot for your kind comments @wilddog, @Peter Connan,  @Zim Girl, @Towlersonsafari, @xelas, @Dicky Lloydand @AfricIan!

 

On 2/21/2024 at 8:16 AM, xelas said:

Are you ready for the next one?!

 

You know I am. 😎 Sitting at the airport in Vienna right now and waiting for the flight to Oman. 🙂

[pedro maia]

Thanks for the report Michael, definitely a place I have to visit sometime in the future.

[michael-ibk]

I know you will @pedro maia! 

[Kitsafari]

Finally caught up with the last day. the Dogs were Darn Dandy Dutiful Dogs that appear anytime for you guys. I've enjoyed the rides with you and @AndMic and was there in the car just looking at the brilliant photos. 

 

Oman? Birding, I assume? 

 

 

[Grasshopper_Club]

@michael-ibkWow, another great trip and trip report so far from your side.

 

Wonderful sightings and Gorongosa looks fantastic! Great Dog sightings and I love the picture of the mash mongoose. Quality sightings with a quility guide, I was with Doug on a 10 day Gonarezhou trip just before he was heading to Mozambique to meet you last October.

 

I was so thrilled by this Gorongosa report and Dougs recollections of Mozambique, that I just booked a July 2025 trip with Doug to Mozambique (14days Niassa Game Reserve & Grorongosa NP).

 

TR like these are keep us going to new places....so keep it going

 

 

[michael-ibk]

Thanks @Kitsafariand @Grasshopper_Club!

 

On 2/25/2024 at 3:00 AM, Kitsafari said:

Oman? Birding, I assume? 

 

Indeed, just 9 days, flew by quickly. 

On 2/29/2024 at 3:30 PM, Grasshopper_Club said:

I was so thrilled by this Gorongosa report and Dougs recollections of Mozambique, that I just booked a July 2025 trip with Doug to Mozambique (14days Niassa Game Reserve & Grorongosa NP).

 

Now that will be a very interesting trip, make sure to do a report please! Wish I could join you. 🙂

[TonyQ]

Thank you @michael-ibkfor an excellent report. Beautiful park, lovely birds, stunning dogs, great guiding.

A very enjoyable read.

And welcome back!

[michael-ibk]

Thanks @TonyQ!

[Soukous]

I'm coming very late to this TR. I don't know how I missed it.

Wonderfully detailed and illustrated Michael, Gorongoza has certainly come a long way since I was last there in 2010. Back then animals - apart from Waterbuck - were very scarce, but even then I remember seeing more waterbuck that I thought possible.

 

Like you, I don't understand why some people are not excited by Wild Dogs. They are great fun and almost always doing something.

[offshorebirder]

Hearty congratulations on the Pel's Fishing-Owl @michael-ibk   The thrill of seeing one for the first time is incomparable.

 

Thanks for this excellent trip report with all the good information and photos.

[Atravelynn]

About time I return again to Mozambique via your report.  To think I am welcomed back and greeted by mud-caked feet!  Actually, I am not at all surprised.

 

The wild dog stills and videos, even the more gruesome ones, are excellent glimpses into their gritty lives.  The baby waterbuck is one of the youngest I've seen.  Great job on the Green Oriole, Red-winged Prinia, and of course the Pel's Fishing Owl, and compliments to your guide for those sightings.  You earned them by the looks of your rain soaked "joy of birding" pictures.

 

How nice you were able to support the pangolin project and spend some time there.  Fascinating creatures that need all the help they can get.  That pangolin tongue went on forever. 

 

I'm glad you brought the collared lion to the attention of the staff.  Before I even read your commentary, I thought it looked misshapen in the shoulders.

 

Classy looking bird, the Black-throated Wattle-Eye.  Just one of many fine bird pics.

 

Your report will send more visitors to Gorongosa. I hope to be one.  I see a trip in the works now, elsewhere in the forum, for later in 2024.  I won't be on that one, but hopefully one in the next couple of years!  This report will be helpful for all of us planning to visit Mozambique one day for wildlife!  Thanks for this and happy travels coming up.