Southern Okavango, Botswana

I’d had such an amazing time during the last few days in Vumbura.

As our charter plane climbed into the air, I looked out of the window to see the concession for one last time. The view was jaw-dropping. The beautiful landscape was littered with acacia trees. Elephants and hippos sunbathed in the Delta channels. It was idyllic.

After twenty minutes or so of taking in this breath-taking scenery, my daydreams were rudely interrupted by the pilot, who announced that we had arrived at Chitabe concession. This was to be the final stopover on our travels. We would spend the next couple of days here before heading back home.

The Chitabe concession is situated at the southern edge of the Okavango Delta; right on the borders of the Moremi game reserve. During the rainy season, this area of the Delta is completely flooded. At the time of our arrival, however, the floodplains were already receding. As the waterholes began to dry up, the animals started to congregate more densely. This meant that there was an abundance of wildlife in the area.

Map of Concession

View Larger Map

By the time we reached our camp, it was mid-afternoon. The staff were at the entrance waiting for our arrival. They chorused, “Du me la!” which means “Welcome” in Tswana.

After quick introductions, we went to our hut, got freshened-up and headed out again. For the next three days, we continued to soak-up the beauties of the Botswana wilderness and all it had to offer.

There were plenty of wildebeest, zebras and impalas surrounding us.

A giraffe feeding on the acacia tree.

A mother elephant and her calf.

A Greater Kudu.

We were rewarded with more leopard sightings! How lucky!

Lastly, a male baboon.

All too soon, our Botswana odyssey was over. Whilst I was undeniably sad, I was grateful for the memories which I would take with me. Not only had I experienced incredible wildlife sightings, but to have personally spent time in the spectacular Okavango Delta was the epitome of bliss!

Stay tune for the upcoming posts on Tanzania and Kenya. Watch this space.

The Leopard

When you are out on safari, it is not uncommon to see vast numbers of wild animals, including huge herds of buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and all kinds of antelopes. With an experienced guide, you even have a good chance of spotting some of the big cats, such as lions and cheetahs.

However, there is one particular animal in Africa which is very elusive and can be a real challenge for even the most experienced of guides to track: The Leopard.

Leopards are largely nocturnal creatures and usually spend their days resting high up on tree branches. Their camouflaged coats, dotted with rosettes, enable them to blend in seamlessly with the surrounding foliage. With such unique characteristics, most people find it very difficult to spot these exotic felines.

Fortunately, I had the privilege of spotting these beautiful cats several times during my game drives in Botswana. On one particular occasion, while we were casually driving back to camp, not expecting to see anything special, we came across a handsome looking male, purely by chance. Not to let this wonderful opportunity slip by, I grabbed my camera and began to click away.

The African Painted Dogs

Following our wonderful stay in Kwando, it was time for us to move on to our next camp. Before I boarded the charter plane, I took one last look at the Linyanti reserve and said to myself, “I’ll definitely return here someday.” 

We were to spend the next few days at Vumbura concession, which is located at the northern edge of the Okavango Delta. The ‘Delta’, often referred to as the ‘Jewel of the Kalahari’, is a huge inland floodplain. It is created as the annual rains falling in the Angolan highlands flow into the panhandle of the Okavango river, which then fans out into an enormous delta; never reaching the sea.

Map of Okavango Delta

View Larger Map

The flight from Kwando to Vumbura was short. Upon arrival at the airstrip, we were greeted by our guide who warmly introduced himself as Sevara. He drove us a few miles to a small jetty, overhanging the Delta. From there, we had to take a boat ride in order to reach our camp.

The channel banks were covered with papyrus plants and reed rafts. Sevara gave me a chilling reminder of how this innocent looking vegetation, floating above the sand bed, was a perfect hiding place for the local crocodiles!

As the boat cruised along the channels, I dipped my finger into the water and said to Bill, “I can’t believe it. We’re actually cruising on the Okavango Delta!” For me, this was a dream come true!

The path leading to our camp.

Once we reached the camp, we quickly dropped our bags, grabbed our essentials and headed straight out to the bush. My camera was on standby and I was ready for another adventure. As we began the game drive, I wondered to myself, “What does Africa have in store for me today?” 

We were sharing our vehicle with an elderly English couple. The nice lady leaned over and whispered to me, “Sevara is brilliant at tracking wild dogs. We have had some amazing sightings.” 

She was right. Sevara certainly did not disappoint us. Within twenty minutes, he had managed to track down a pack of dogs. There they were, resting under the shade of the bushes, taking their afternoon siesta.

As we drove towards them, one of the dogs must have sensed our presence and looked up. Although I couldn’t see its face clearly, I could trace the silhouette of its head with its big round ears; alert like huge satellite dishes.

The African wild dog is an endangered species. Several decades ago, there were upwards of half a million of them roaming through the vast plains of Africa. Nowadays, their numbers have dwindled to fewer than 5,000. Loss of habitat, competition with larger predators for food and epidemic diseases are just a few of the causes for such a drastic decline in their population.

An African wild dog, Lycaon Pictus. They face an uncertain future.

The pack must have numbered around forty dogs, half of which were puppies. Thrilled at discovering such a large pack, we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon with them. Although they were relatively inactive, even the occasional flick of a tail or twitch of an ear was enough to set my heart thumping with excitement.

Eventually, a lone male began to stir from his deep slumber. He let out a huge yawn, stretched himself and trotted over to the rest of the pack members to greet them. 

Pretty soon, they were all nuzzling each other and twittering incessantly. This peculiar greeting ritual is a kick-start to their pre-hunt preparations.

They were excited and ready for the off.

Awake and hungry.

We followed them as they commenced their hunt.

African wild dogs typically hunt twice a day; early in the morning and before sunset. They are formidable predators, even taking down large animals such as Eland. Built for endurance, they are able to chase their prey relentlessly over long distances. Once they have singled out their ‘target’, there is little or no escape; with around 85% of hunts ending in success.

One of the dogs let out an alarm bark. Within seconds, the chase began. Sevara shouted, “Hang on tight!” He started the engine and we took off after the dogs.

We followed them through open plains and thick woodlands. Though we had no idea what they were after, we were just exhilarated to be part of the chase. 

After a few minutes, we caught up with the pack leaders and were greeted by the most extraordinary scene. The dogs were surrounding a tree, baying and causing a general ruckus. I grabbed my binoculars to check out what all of the commotion was about. There it was, a leopard at the top of the tree seeking protection from the menacing dogs! They had seemingly flushed out their fellow predator and pursued it to its precarious position.

 

Can you spot the leopard?

Realising that the skittish cat would not be coming down anytime soon, the dogs gave up on the situation and decided to search for another 'victim' while there was still enough light to hunt. Once the coast was clear, the leopard scampered down from the tree and disappeared into the thickets. 

“That was certainly a lot of excitement!” I thought to myself. However, I did not realise that there was more to come. 

Having located the dogs once more, we continued to track them closely. The atmosphere was peaceful - for a while. Suddenly, all hell broke loose. The dogs went into hot pursuit again. This time they were after a spotted hyena.

The poor hyena was running for its dear life.

Once again, Severa shouted to us, “Hang on tight!” This time he meant it. We sped through the shallow waters of the floodplain like a torpedo. The spray was billowing out from either side of the vehicle as we hurtled after the chase. 

I had one hand clutched tightly onto my camera and the other onto the vehicle as I hung on for dear life. My adrenalin was pumping. I took a quick glance at Bill. He seemed oblivious to the bumpy ride; too engrossed in the moment.

The dogs soon caught up with the hyena and surrounded it.

Over the course of the next few minutes, they attacked the hyena relentlessly from all directions; snapping and nipping incessantly at its bloodied body.

The hyena mustered all of its strength to defend itself from the vicious pack. Somehow it eventually managed to escape from the dogs’ clutches and made a mad dash towards the woodlands. 

Its fate was not yet over as the dogs continued to pursue it. We managed to capture some of the action on video.

 

I asked Severa, why would the dogs be chasing leopards and hyenas? He explained how predators, such as lions, leopards, hyenas and the dogs themselves, all compete with each other for food. Given the opportunity, any one of these animals would not hesitate to kill their rivals in order to eliminate competition. 

By this time, it was getting too dark for the dogs to continue hunting. We watched as they decided to call it a day and retreat back to their den with empty stomachs. The day did not belong to them. The puppies would go hungry for the night. 

For our part, we marvelled at what we had witnessed during the day. It dawned on me that wildlife professionals often take weeks or months to document such sightings. We had been privileged enough to experience them during our first day in the Okavango Delta. I said to myself, “What more could I ask for?”

An Introduction to the Wilderness

“If you are a regular reader of my blog, you should know by now that I don’t usually write about stuff that is unrelated to Yours Truly. Occasionally, though, I make an exception. So, for the next few postings, I will hand my blog over to the Missus who will tell you all about her experiences in Africa.”

Homer

***

Having spent most of my life growing up in the city, I never dreamt that one day I would go to Africa; let alone fall in love with the place. The thought of travelling to remote and undeveloped places simply had not appealed to me.

So, when my husband proposed to go to Tanzania on a safari trip in 2009, many nightmarish thoughts went flashing through my mind: ferocious predators, disease-carrying insects, venomous snakes and a whole host of other creatures whose domain was totally alien to me. Hmmm… Curious? Maybe. Convinced? No.

However, after a lot of cajoling, he finally convinced me to take the plunge. After all, I love adventures and I am always up for a challenge. So, without further ado, I traded my ‘Manolos’ for a pair of hiking boots; bought a pair of binoculars; invested in a basic DSLR camera and headed down to the Serengeti for the annual wildebeest migration. And I’ve never looked back.

Following that initial trip, three years ago, I have had two further expeditions to Africa: journeying to Botswana in late 2011 and returning to Tanzania at the beginning of this year. For the next few posts, I shall be blogging about my wildlife experiences during these latest two visits.

During the course of my holidays, I took literally hundreds of photos and it would be impossible to show every one of them. To keep it simple, therefore, I will only select some of my favourites. For those who have been waiting to see them, sorry it took so long. (I did not realise that photo processing and writing could be so time consuming!)

Anyway, I hope you will enjoy these blogs as much as I enjoyed my time in the African bush.

The Missus

***

Linyanti, Botswana - September 2011

The first few days of my safari in Botswana were spent at the Kwando concession in Linyanti. This concession is located on the northern edge of Botswana, close to the Namibian border. Due to its location and climatic extremes, it does not attract as many tourists as some of its sister concessions in the Okavango Delta. This is a great pity – those who overlook this gem are missing out on a mind-blowing wildlife experience.

Map of Kwando Concession

View Larger Map

It was 6am when we set-off on our first game drive. The morning air was cool and crisp with a distinctive smell of African wild sage. The hyenas were whooping in the distance; zebras were communicating with each other in their high-pitched barks and hippos could be heard snorting and grunting away from their riverbed. A herd of doe-eyed impalas were grazing on the plain, oblivious to our presence. The entire scenario seemed so surreal. I looked at the wilderness in awe and it felt good to be back in the African bush.

We drove for a while. A low rumbling noise came from nowhere. We scanned the woodlands and spotted a herd of elephants in the distance. They were busy stripping off the tree bark with their majestic tusks.

Sensing our presence, they began to congregate and shielded their little calves from us. The matriarch took a few steps forward, flapped her huge ears and shook her head as if she was doing a little dance. “Dancing elephant” I chuckled to myself.

We drove past them quickly. I turned back for one last look and managed to get a glimpse of a baby elephant emerging from the adults. What a wonderful way to start the morning!

The African Elephant, Loxodonta Africana, belongs to Africa’s ‘Big Five’ animals; the other four being the African Cape Buffalo, the Lion, the Leopard and the Rhinoceros.

My interest in bird-watching began when I saw my first Batelur in Kwando. It was a ponderous looking bird with striking orange facial features. It stood next to the riverbank, preening its feathers and admiring its own reflection. I managed to sneak a couple of shots of this pretty looking eagle before it flew off.

A ‘narcissistic’ Bateleur.

We continued our drive and later made a quick stop for a coffee break. We chose a spot right next to a leafless Baobab tree. It looked like it had roots sticking up in the air. Baobabs are massive trees, with trunks measuring up to eleven meters in diameter. Some of them are reputed to be thousands of years old!

Enjoying our coffee break next to a Baobab tree.

It was time to move on once more. We still had a couple of hours left before we had to head back to our camp. We drove aimlessly for a while and suddenly our tracker signalled to our guide to stop the vehicle. He reached out for his binoculars and scanned the trees. He had spotted something moving amongst the thick foliage.

“Look. It’s a leopard!” he whispered.

We focused intently in the general direction of his gaze but, with our untrained eyes, we saw nothing. Grabbing the binoculars, I trained my vision on an innocuous looking tree in the distance. Lo and behold, there she was, staring right back at us!

A Leopard, Panthera Pardus, enjoying her siesta. According to our guide this was an adult female.

What a magnificent creature!

She must have been at least three storeys from the ground.

Suddenly, she took a few leaps and bounds and landed gracefully on the ground, just like a ballerina.

She moved swiftly into the tall, yellow grass, camouflaging herself in the plains. I was worried that we might lose her but our experienced tracker did not let her out of his sight.

She looked across the dry plains. Her loud rasping calls pierced the air. Was she looking for something?

She certainly was. By the time we caught up with her, she was already reunited with her beautiful cub. They stayed together, enjoying each other’s company for a few precious moments, before they finally moved on.

The sun was setting. As the colours of the sky became intense and vibrant, I couldn’t resist but to take a couple of snapshots of the African sunset.

Can you spot the leopard?