Mana Pools as a photographic destination. Trips 2022 and 2023.

[ElenaH]

Let's talk about Chitake

 

The nest part of my TR I want to dedicate to Chitake Springs an dhere is an appetizer:

 

 

[Peter Connan]

20 hours ago, ElenaH said:

It's interesting that you know Jens ;-) As far as I know his vehicle is stored in Bolswana now. Last time I saw Jens with some kind of a travel tripod, a small one. Normally we used to see profis with RRS or Gitzo. Which one do you have?

Elena, Jens's father owns a company that manufactures tripods, camera bags and lighting equipment.

It is one of their products.

Cullmann Germany › Cullmann Germany

This particular one is Aluminium, not carbon fiber, but in terms of manufacturing quality and features it compares very well to a Gitzo I once borrowed (for this trip: 

 

 

[ElenaH]

3 hours ago, Peter Connan said:

Elena, Jens's father owns a company that manufactures tripods, camera bags and lighting equipment.

Sure I know the company! Everybody in Europe knows that company. I also have some stuf from Cullmann. But I had no idea that it belongs to his father! 

I had such thought that there must be a relation  ... because of the name "Cullmann" but I've never asked Jens about it 

[offshorebirder]

Thank you for posting that gripping video of the lions and buffalos @ElenaH- and for this trip report that is full of helpful advice.

 

Your video skills are improving - that most recent one is as good as a big-production wildlife documentary.

 

 

[ElenaH]

12 hours ago, offshorebirder said:

Thank you for posting that gripping video of the lions and buffalos @ElenaH- and for this trip report that is full of helpful advice.

 

Your video skills are improving - that most recent one is as good as a big-production wildlife documentary.

Oh! Thank you very much!  I appreciate it very much! There are still a lot of mistakes in my videos adn they are still not so good like those of big productions but I try to improve and  it makes fun! The most important think is that others like it and watch it! Then the goal achieved! 

[Zim Girl]

Excellent video @ElenaH, I really enjoyed watching it.  It brings back many great memories of Chitake.

[ElenaH]

53 minutes ago, Zim Girl said:

Excellent video @ElenaH, I really enjoyed watching it.  It brings back many great memories of Chitake.

Thank you, @Zim Girl! 

[ElenaH]

Camping at Chitake Springs

 

 

We visited Chitake twice. In 2022 we were staying one night at Baobab Campsite and 5 4 nights in Kavinga Safari Camp. And in 2023 we were staying 5 nights in Chitake campsite 3B.

Baobab campsite is actually an overflow site and you will pay per person per night. It is not expensive. I think we paid about $35ppn. But now I cannot even see the rates for Baobab. Perhaps, it is now charged as a picnic site ($100).  Baobab site is located after the view point. You just need to follow the road. The site is nice, it is on the hill with a few very big baobabs but there is not much shade. However, there is often windy and you will not feel hot.

 

 

 

 

Chitake 3B site is a located 300m from Chitake 1 site. There is a sign. Actually Chitake 1 and Chitake 3 lie directly on the road to Springs whereas Chitake 3B a bit aside. Chitake 3 site is used by mobile operators. So, we spent 5 night at 3B with our Zimbabwean friends and photographers Frank and Gail. The site is so big that you would not see each other ;-) And it is very beautiful with a lot of shade.

 

 

Here are Baboons at 3B:

 

 

Probably reading a pray before the meail:

 

 

 

 

The main attraction at Chitake Spring are the buffalo and the lions and their interaction. People are coming to the view point by a Fig tree, sitting there and waiting for miracle to happen. So, that means that you mostly spent your time by waiting for buffalo to come. Lions are normally always there and at the end of your stay and can have a feeling that you more often see a lions face than a human face  

So those faces you will see every day:

 

 

 

 

It is quite a big pride. You are on foot and they are on the other side of the riverbed. The riverbed has very steep banks so, the lions will not jump over. Each morning we got up early and made a walk along the gorge from the view point to the place where the river makes a turn. We located lions and were waiting for buffalo. The lions like more or less the same place to stay.

This is how the river looks like. The water in the riverbed comes from the springs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you are walking you must be very careful. Once I almost step on the lion.  But luckily he was sleeping and I was very silent so, he didn't get it ;-) 

But this one lady is not so friendly 

 

 

 

Sometimes the lions can be met along the road on the other side of the river opposite to the viewpoint. However, it is not recommended to use this road because the buffalo often come from that side and can be disturbed.

The lions can be found on the tree avoiding heat and tse-tse flies:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ElenaH]

When buffalo are coming

 

 

 

Bingo! You are lucky and a heard of buffalo coming for a drink! You extensive waiting paid off! 

 

 

 

Depending on the daytime you can make dramatic pictures of buffalo.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the view point by a Fig tree:

 

 

There are people sitting along the gorge. It could be very hot and you might need to sit under the sun without any shade. The cameras got also very hot. It is tough! But it is very adventurous and exciting!

 

 

Buffalo are waiting to come down:

 

 

 

 

They dare!

 

 

 

 

The hunters. Very boring, right? No, I just don't care about those buffs at all! Just lying here on the beach.

 

 

And the next morning can look like this:

 

 

 

Impala on the background.

 

 

 

During my very first day I visited Chitake in 2022, the first what I saw were those lions:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 16 by ElenaH

[ElenaH]

When buffalo are not coming

 

 

Last year we realised that you can spent many days in Chitake but the buffalo will not come or come only once and you are not there ... The problem is there there are two other lodges Kavinga and Kamakara which have their own waterhole and the herd can go there and will not come to Chitake. It became a big problem. So, what to do if there are no buffalo and you booked a campsite for a few nights and just sitting and waiting..

 

 

Well... Definitely there are birds! 

 

 

 

Bee-eaters coming to have a drink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And how without Hornbills?

 

 

I assume it is a Warbler?

 

 

White-crested Helmetshrike 

 

 

 

Elephants are also coming to have a drink:

 

 

 

Impala:

 

 

 

 

 

Lioness:

 

 

 

And baboons! They can be really very funny! Once we were sitting by the water and taking pictures of bee-eaters coming to drink as baboons came nad one of them came really close to us. And he was coming closer and closer and took different positions as if he was working as a model. We started to laugh but it didn't disturb him. He definitelly was satisfied with himself 

 

 

 

 

Here the Chef is chasing a mother with baby. 

 

 

 

Two males talking about their masculinity:

 

 

And here a kid is talking to his father:

 

 

The sunsets are also excellent in Chitake!

 

 

 

[Bush dog]

The buffaloes in the dust, great shots.  You should try your luck in an international competition.  There is a fairly large one in France, for example.

 

https://www.photo-montier.org/en/competition/reglements-modalites/

 

Your waebler looks more to me like a common bulbul?

[ElenaH]

12 hours ago, Bush dog said:

he buffaloes in the dust, great shots.  You should try your luck in an international competition.  There is a fairly large one in France, for example.

Thank you, @Bush dog! I've got a first place on one video competition organised by Fototest magazine with my short video. I didn't expect it at all   just opened a magazine and almost fell down from my chair 

It is in German ;-)

 

 

12 hours ago, Bush dog said:

Your waebler looks more to me like a common bulbul?

 

So, it is? Dark-capped? I don't see Common Bulbul in my Robert's Birds but only Cape, African Red-eyed and Dark-capped...

[Bush dog]

Congratulations!

 

Yes, you are right, it must be a dark capped, the common is only found in northern and central Africa.

[offshorebirder]

1 hour ago, ElenaH said:

I've got a first place on one video competition organized by Fototest magazine

 

Like I said, you are in the big leagues now.    :-)

 

Congratulations @ElenaH

[ElenaH]

6 minutes ago, offshorebirder said:

Like I said, you are in the big leagues now.

Oh, thank you very much, @offshorebirder!

[Peter Connan]

Congratulations on the video award.

The photos of the buffalo in the dust are great, but the drinking bee-eaters are fantastic!

[ElenaH]

12 hours ago, Peter Connan said:

Congratulations on the video award.

The photos of the buffalo in the dust are great, but the drinking bee-eaters are fantastic!

Thank you, Peter! And yes, I love the Bee-eaters as well. This shows that there is always something to see and take pictures of and sometimes the Bee-eater photo can be a winner and not the photo of lions ;-)

[ElenaH]

Kavinga

 

we spent 5 nights in Kavinga Safari Camp which I described in a thread in Zimbabwe section - Kavinga vs. Chitake - Mana Pools in Action

It is worth to read it! There is a video and a number of photos!

[pscrimshaw]

What an amazing read! As someone who is trying to plan a trip to Mana Pools, this has been so valuable to me. I'm obsessed with photographing the wild dogs, but it seems like they are so hit or miss. I have no idea which camp to book because I genuinely don't know where the dogs will pop up. Sometimes I feel like I should stay right on the floodplains where most lodges are, and other times I feel like I should stay further east towards Nyamatusi  (mostly looking at John's Camp) in case they are found there. I guess there is no perfect strategy with wildlife! So jealous of your photos of them though!

[madaboutcheetah]

7 hours ago, pscrimshaw said:

What an amazing read! As someone who is trying to plan a trip to Mana Pools, this has been so valuable to me. I'm obsessed with photographing the wild dogs, but it seems like they are so hit or miss. I have no idea which camp to book because I genuinely don't know where the dogs will pop up. Sometimes I feel like I should stay right on the floodplains where most lodges are, and other times I feel like I should stay further east towards Nyamatusi  (mostly looking at John's Camp) in case they are found there. I guess there is no perfect strategy with wildlife! So jealous of your photos of them though!

Might I recommend, Botswana !!! for those dogs ......

[ElenaH]

9 hours ago, pscrimshaw said:

What an amazing read! As someone who is trying to plan a trip to Mana Pools, this has been so valuable to me. I'm obsessed with photographing the wild dogs, but it seems like they are so hit or miss. I have no idea which camp to book because I genuinely don't know where the dogs will pop up. Sometimes I feel like I should stay right on the floodplains where most lodges are, and other times I feel like I should stay further east towards Nyamatusi  (mostly looking at John's Camp) in case they are found there. I guess there is no perfect strategy with wildlife! So jealous of your photos of them though!

I agree with @madaboutcheetahbut the problem is that you normally don't leave your car in Botswana. Why normally? In some private concessions with some guides you can leave vehicle and make pictures from a low perspective. But it is only in some cases. In Mana Pools you can do it always. So, the perspective does matter.

 

For the lodges it depends on the time you go there. If it is mid of Septmber and later than you can stay near the flood plains becasue it looks like the dogs like to hunt there when having puppies who are following.

Other than that I would recommend the tour operators who are geting up early like Stretch Ferera Safaris or Robin Pope Safaris. They were always the first ones on the way (an hour or more earlier than the others).

 

Or you look for specific photographic safaris. They are quite expensive but get in touch with Carole Duschuymere  https://caroledeschuymere.com/ in Facebook or in Instagram. I think, she makes the most afordable photographic safaris and they will get dog for 100%. Carol stays with her group in Mwinilunga Safaris camp. The camp is quite basic (not luxury but very good) and it reduces the price. 

 

Nyamatusi is intersting because they are close to Nyamatusi area and can drive there as the first in the morning. And in this area are very few vehicles. The camp belongs to African Bush Camps operator and I would combine it with Kanga Camp wich is in a different area or with Zambezi Expeditions which is closer to flood plains and get a discount for more nights with the same company.

 

The other very good choice is Nature Ways. They set up a mobile camp and have excellent locations -  one of which is flood plains and the other between Nyamepi and Mana Mouth. They also do safari in Chitake Springs. I think, it is the only operator who provides safaris in Chitake.

You can also see a tour with Africa Geographic Travel here  but I think, they make it with Nature Ways as well. I think, the price is quite ok. But you can check also Nature Ways. Some of our SafariTalk members made the tour with them. Yes, it is 700$ per night. But if you think, how we did it - we paid 300$ per night per sight plus about 150$ per night for the car with full insurace plus food and fuel. Well it is for two or more persons. But you need to work hard! Pitch your tent, cook the meal, wash the dishes, make a shower, dig the toilet... and it is all by +38 or more ;-)  So, self-driving gives you a lot of freedom and flexibility but also a lot of work and responsibility.

[wilddog]

@ElenaHThe reason you can get out of your car in Mana Pools is that the park has always had walkers as, for Zimabaweans, it is like going to their 'back garden'.  Walking has been going on 'for ever' there and the animals are accustomed to seeing people on foot. hence the few 'roads'

 

In most other safari areas  getting out of the vehicle would cause alarm to the animals and quite possibly provoke an attack.

Walking is not without risk, which is why many use a Zim guide to walk with them to ensure they don't bump into an unseen roaming hippo, pride of lions or a defensive elephant. A guide is also recommended in the park rules.

 

Over the years I have had some amazing times on foot there, as have others. 

Never take this paradise,  or it's animals, for granted.

[ElenaH]

@wilddog

sure, I absolutely agree with you.

Mana Pools is also quite an open space, the animals can see you far away and if they don't feel comfortable they move away.

I never take somthing for granted. Especially, the possibility to be in the bush. Actually, we cannot take for granted our lives, too. And this is a priveledge to see the wildlife. I think, this is why I am trying to make good photos and videos of wildlife and trying always to learn and develope myself in this topic.

 

Tja.. in Botswana I would not leave the car if it is not necessary. 

I remember, in Kwara I left the car to mark my territory as I saw after a few minutes s guide and my partner gesticulating me something from the car.. and yelling. I rashed back. A big male lion was about 100-200 metres from me. And as I was leaving the car nobody saw him! Even not a guide. 

So, no low level photos in Bots

[pscrimshaw]

8 hours ago, ElenaH said:

I agree with @madaboutcheetahbut the problem is that you normally don't leave your car in Botswana. Why normally? In some private concessions with some guides you can leave vehicle and make pictures from a low perspective. But it is only in some cases. In Mana Pools you can do it always. So, the perspective does matter.

 

For the lodges it depends on the time you go there. If it is mid of Septmber and later than you can stay near the flood plains becasue it looks like the dogs like to hunt there when having puppies who are following.

Other than that I would recommend the tour operators who are geting up early like Stretch Ferera Safaris or Robin Pope Safaris. They were always the first ones on the way (an hour or more earlier than the others).

 

Or you look for specific photographic safaris. They are quite expensive but get in touch with Carole Duschuymere  https://caroledeschuymere.com/ in Facebook or in Instagram. I think, she makes the most afordable photographic safaris and they will get dog for 100%. Carol stays with her group in Mwinilunga Safaris camp. The camp is quite basic (not luxury but very good) and it reduces the price. 

 

Nyamatusi is intersting because they are close to Nyamatusi area and can drive there as the first in the morning. And in this area are very few vehicles. The camp belongs to African Bush Camps operator and I would combine it with Kanga Camp wich is in a different area or with Zambezi Expeditions which is closer to flood plains and get a discount for more nights with the same company.

 

The other very good choice is Nature Ways. They set up a mobile camp and have excellent locations -  one of which is flood plains and the other between Nyamepi and Mana Mouth. They also do safari in Chitake Springs. I think, it is the only operator who provides safaris in Chitake.

You can also see a tour with Africa Geographic Travel here  but I think, they make it with Nature Ways as well. I think, the price is quite ok. But you can check also Nature Ways. Some of our SafariTalk members made the tour with them. Yes, it is 700$ per night. But if you think, how we did it - we paid 300$ per night per sight plus about 150$ per night for the car with full insurace plus food and fuel. Well it is for two or more persons. But you need to work hard! Pitch your tent, cook the meal, wash the dishes, make a shower, dig the toilet... and it is all by +38 or more ;-)  So, self-driving gives you a lot of freedom and flexibility but also a lot of work and responsibility.

That's a really good perspective! I'm leaning towards going just by myself simply because I'm so dog focused that I know my interest wouldn't make for a pleasant group trip. Will definitely check out Zambezi Expeditions and of course the Robin Pope Camp. Hopefully the dogs will be in the right spot whichever I end up choosing!

[ElenaH]

18 hours ago, pscrimshaw said:

That's a really good perspective! I'm leaning towards going just by myself simply because I'm so dog focused that I know my interest wouldn't make for a pleasant group trip. Will definitely check out Zambezi Expeditions and of course the Robin Pope Camp. Hopefully the dogs will be in the right spot whichever I end up choosing!

it depend also on the time you are going. What month are you going? and year?