Botswana, Christmas in the bush, 2024

25.12.24: The first day of Christmas

I take off from Maun by helicopter in the direction of Atzaro Okavango Camp. It's a short flight and soon I'm at the destination of my dreams.

My adventure into the Okavango Delta begins early in the morning.

A driver takes me to the camp. It is the rainy season and everything is a lush green. In the distance, I hear the call of a fish eagle, and giraffes and lots of antelopes are walking in the grass in front of us. Two lions hide in the bush, look up briefly and go back to sleep, full and content.

Thanks to ABC for this fantastic camp. A paradise in the middle of the Botswana Delta with beautiful scenery and luxurious rooms.

Now it's time to wait. For the first excursion into the Delta.

The vehicle is ready and Lasty, my guide for the next few days, is standing in front of me with a broad grin. We drive out, past a breathtaking landscape, and after a long drive we find two handsome male lions. Brothers lying close together in the grass, lazy and full. They are enjoying the cool air in the early evening. After a lot of yawning and friendly, mutual teasing, they scent something in the air and we follow them for a while until it gets too dark. At the camp, a Burma banquet awaits us, with singing and dancing around the fire.

26.12.24 - The second day of Christmas

After a somewhat restless night, I'm woken up at around 5 o'clock this morning. I get dressed very quickly and reach for my camera equipment. With a hot coffee in hand, Lasty and I start planning today. It's going to be an adventurous trip. We quickly hear about a leopard that has been spotted not too far away. It is a magnificent male and we are lucky enough to watch him for quite a while. Then our car suddenly gets stuck in the mud and we have to wait for help. We can't get out of the tough ground on our own, but after a while another vehicle helps us and we can drive on. I keep looking in amazement at the incredible landscape and realize that this place is hard to beat in terms of beauty. We observe giraffes, impalas, wildbeests with young animals and elephants. We are accompanied by the calls of fish eagles and the loud chirping of cicadas. In the afternoon, we wanted to enjoy a mokoro boat trip, but shortly after setting off, we hear the sound of thunder in the distance. After a few minutes on the canal, we have to break off and return. It is one of those typical African thunderstorms: deafening thunder and bright flashes of lightning, followed by torrential rain. Lasty drives us back to the safety of camp in a sheltered vehicle.

27.12.24

Today Lasty and I explore a somewhat remote part of the delta. After about an hour, we hear a radio report of a sighting of a pack of wild dogs. We decide to change our original plan and head straight for the wild dogs. Lasky drives at high speed towards the dogs. It's a large pack, about 35 animals. They are very active and play with each other in the water, with many young animals among them.

In the afternoon, we drive straight to the wild dogs again and stay with them. As soon as it gets a little cooler, they all wake up, greet each other and start hunting. It's a crazy drive. Elephants, buffalo and giraffes look up startled as the dogs run past them. At dusk, the first flashes of lightning come from the sky, but the dogs are undeterred. They keep changing direction, catch their breath and hurry on, always on the lookout for the next gazelle.

28.12.24 - The last night

It's a morning with lots of clouds and a dark sky. Two young lions lie tightly entwined in the wet grass. They soon smell a small herd of buffalo grazing nearby. The two cats cautiously observe what is happening and decide to retreat into the nearby bushes. Three more young lions are waiting there. They all stay in hiding and we move on with the buffalos. It is a lonely drive through the bush, with hardly any animals to be seen. We hope for the afternoon.

Lasty drives into the open, wide open country. Vultures are sitting in a tree and birds are also circling nearby in the air. We search the area for a while for a carcass or an animal that has just been killed. And sure enough, we find a cheetah sneaking through the bush. We follow the elegant cat and have the chance to get some nice shots in the golden evening light. We hear on the radio that a leopard is close to the camp and decide to drive there. The leopard poses proudly on a dead tree. It's a male - a magnificent creature.

We spend the evening outside by the fire and rave about the exciting day.

29.12.24

The morning before departure. The sun is shining and a rainbow can be seen on the horizon. The landscape is green. We drive into the open country and quickly get the feeling of Africa. We see lots of zebras and wild beests. Suddenly there are two honeybadgers in front of us and we chase them. We drive slowly back to camp.

The helicopter is already waiting to take me to Maun.

South Africa 2024

4 - 8 August 2024 | South Africa, Greater Kruger NP, Timbavati - BATELEUR SAFARI CAMP

4 August 24

My flight arrives in Nespruit, from where I take a hire car to Timbavati, which is on the private border of the vast Kruger National Park. It covers 53,000 hectares.

The drive takes about three hours and in the afternoon I arrive at the Ennkhulu Gate, the entrance to the Timbavati area and my first stop in South Africa, Bateleur Safari Camp. The first elephant greets me after only a few minutes in the park. Impalas and giraffes are watching me. Two jackals peek out from behind an old tree before taking flight. More elephants, a small steenbok and finally I reach the camp. My guide and camp leader is Bill, the tracker is Lucky. Dinner on the open fire. Two honey badgers pass by and a lone hyena in the vicinity calls out the famous whoop.

5 August 24 - 6 a.m.

Getting up early. The weather is overcast and windy. Not a good day to see any wild animals. Nevertheless we find a young male lion. He is part of the Mayambula pride which has its territory here. The total number is 14. He is lying alone under a tree. He looks up from time to time to make sure he is not surprised by the wrong visitor. A little further along the path is a mighty old bull elephant. He is known as Apollo. He is a magnificent animal, around 50 years old. Elephants can live up to 60 years. He tears trees out of the ground with ease. I marvel and watch.

Besides the usual gazelles, giraffes and birds we meet three white rhinos on the way back. We watch them for a while and then return to camp for breakfast.

Afternoon - cloudy with strong winds.

Despite the bad conditions and a long afternoon without seeing any. We find the lions of the Sark Breakaway Pride in the early evening. A powerful group of 12 lions. They are out on the hunt and have ambushed a giraffe. It is too dark to see what is happening. But we hear the attack and how the giraffe finally goes down. The big dinner starts.

6 August 24 Morning - Cloudy no wind, 6.15am game drive, lions everywhere!

The morning starts chilly and cloudy. There are 3 rhinos on the way out into the bush. Stop for a quick one and off to see the Lions. The Sark pride was hungry and did not leave anything behind. The bones and the remains have been the prey of the hyenas. The lions are at rest with their bellies full of food.

The big male lion is present. He occasionally glances off into the distance, half asleep.

A second giraffe has been the victim of a night kill. A giraffe and a baby have been killed by the River Pride, another group of lions. The pride is led by one of Sark's brothers. The River Pride is a much smaller pride, but it also has two small cubs. Both are around 6 months old. Once again the lions are lying down in the grass with their bellies wide open. As we make our way back to camp, we can hear the contact calls of the wild dogs. Behind us there is a small herd of elephants, grouped together in a circle. With loud snorting and angry trumpeting they chase away the lone wild dog.

By chance we have a glimpse of a young female leopard asleep in a tree. She sleeps well hidden on a branch next to her prey. Her name is Dzindza and she is a female leopard about two years old. We pass a waterhole with hippos and kudus on our way to breakfast.

What a start to the morning!

The afternoon - sunny, clear sky, no clouds.

We make our way to the lions of the River Pride. All of them are lying lazily next to the remains of the giraffes. One lion from Sars has joined them. His strength is the reason for his acceptance.

We get out of the Land Cruiser and start to walk in the bush. Lucky, our tracker, has spotted rhinos and we stalk the small group carefully.

It's time for dinner and a chat about the day's game viewing.

7th August 24th, 6.15am, the sky is clear.

We are on the move to Dzindza, the female leopard. We then move on to River Pride, where we can watch the two cubs. They are very active and are having a great time playing in the trees.

Returning we see a white rhino sleeping at the waterhole. It is asleep and the oxpecker birds are doing their bit to keep it awake.

In the afternoon

A herd of buffalo is close by. We soon found it.

About 100 of them. In the light of the setting sun we can see a typical scene of a safari. Apollo, the mighty bull elephant, is very close to us. He feels comfortable in the trees.

On the way back we catch a glimpse of four rhinos walking leisurely towards the sunset.

Excitement follows. We hear on the radio that a female leopard has been spotted. It is Dzindza's mother - she is out hunting. But we only have a short time with her. It was already dark and she quickly disappeared into the thick bush.

The Big Five in one day.

8th August 24th August

Last day at Bateleur Camp. Bill has tried and failed to find any cheetahs - failed. We follow the tracks of an old female leopard, but once again we are unsuccessful. All we are left with are the elephants, who wave goodbye to me with their trunks.

I say goodbye and drive to Shonga Camp in the South of the Kruger Park. The drive through the public part of the park takes about 6 hours. It's a long drive and I take my time to look around - maybe I'll spot an animal or two along the way. In fact, besides antelopes and giraffes, I see a mighty bird of prey (Martial Eagle) and a huge crocodile near Crocodile River (where else?). Just before entering the Shishangeni Reserve I come across a strange sight. Three cheetahs are lying lazily on the ground next to one of the boundary stones of the reserve. A number of cars were standing around and watching the three big cats with great interest. One of the three of them jumps up on the stone, does his business, jumps down again with elegance and the three of them go on their way. It was late in the evening when I arrived at the camp. I had a quick bite to eat and then went straight to my tent for the night. Tomorrow morning we're on our way!

09.08.24 - Shishangeni - Shonga Camp, Southern Kruger NP, sunny and clear skies

The first morning in the Southern Kruger Park is very cool - unfortunately we leave at about 6.30.

We have heard the lions during the night and we want to go out in search of them. The area is privately owned and covers an area of about 15,000 hectares. Our guide is very young and seems inexperienced. We only have glimpses of the lions from a distance. Apart from that there is not much else to see: It's a trip to forget.

We finally see a crocodile and lots of hippos at Crocodile Dam. In the afternoon a new guide arrives at the camp. I have been talking to the camp manager for a long time and have pointed this out to him: We are in need of an experienced guide.

The afternoon

It's very hot and dry. Our new guide is called Bongs. We are driving a long way and Bongs is putting in a lot of effort. There are no exciting sightings though. Shortly before sunset we find a lion. It was injured and looked like a heap of misery - starved and weak.

It is the fires in the Kruger Park that we are more concerned about. A spectacular orange-red glow of fire in the sky. There is a smell of smoke in the air. But these are controlled fires. How this will affect our observations remains to be seen.

The camp has no electricity and dinner is served in the dark under an orange sky, smelling of burnt wood and grass.

10.08.24, 6 o'clock in the morning.

The air is thick with smoke, caused by the fires. The visibility is poor and there is a strong smell of fire in the air. We are on the move to a water hole near a lodge. This is where we meet the lion pride of Shawu. It's not a big group. But they have a small cub. The injured lion has also returned to the group and is looking a little better than before.

The afternoon

We are close to the Mozambique border. There have been no animal sightings during the trip. A couple of elephants with a very cute calf and some giraffes at sunset put us in a more conciliatory mood.

The fires burn again. On the way back to the camp, we are suddenly engulfed by the flames. It is only with great difficulty and with the help of the rangers that we make it back to camp in one piece. A special thank you to Bongs!

Even though the fire was a controlled one, the flames did not stop at the camp, where the rangers secured the camp and prevented the spread of the fire to the tents. It was close and dangerous for everyone.

11.08.24

Last day in southern Kruger Park. We have heard that there are a couple of lions in the area and so we are on the move. A warthog has been snatched by one of the lions. He growls at us. The rest of the lions are waiting for their chance. The mother lion and her young cub are also close by.

On the way back we spot a cheetah with a small cub. It is only a moment - but the call of the second cub is audible.

So we don't stay for very long.

A huge herd of buffalo blocks the road shortly after we set off in the direction of our last stop. After about 45 minutes we continue our journey into the private Nkomazi Game Reserve.

Afternoon - Nkomazi Camp

After driving for about 4 hours I arrive at Nkomazi Gate. This is a camp with a stunning and beautiful landscape. The open grasslands, surrounded by mountains, are vaguely reminiscent of either Kenya or Tanzania.

My local guide is called Respect. This is the English translation of his real name. On the way out, we spot a pair of lions. They are lying lazily in the sun in the late afternoon. The four cheetah brothers are the highlight of the day for us. Lying flat on the grass, they enjoy the sunset.

We return to the Burma Site to eat and have a big meal.

12.08.24

We start the day at 6am. It's very cold and we head straight for a female cheetah with her 5 cubs. We stay with them for as long as we can and are really enjoying the time we have with them. The cubs are very playful and chase each other around. The mother keeps a watchful eye on the surroundings.

Nkomazi is famous for its cheetahs.

The afternoon

We decide to pay a visit to the four cheetah brothers and find them lazing and sleeping in the flat grass.

On the way to a killed zebra we are informed that a lion is on the way. He calls out with a loud roar and is on his way to his brother. We followed the lion and came across the two brothers, who were keeping very quiet.

We had dinner on the banks of the river.

The search for the leopards has not been successful. A drive into the mountains and a visit to a bushman's rock painting.

The afternoon

Spend the afternoon with two young lions. Both are lying on the rock like stones. They are enjoying the evening heat radiating from the rock.

Unfortunately, the two don't want to move, so we set off as the sun goes down to return to camp and eat. Out of nowhere appears a brown hyena. It has caught a whiff of the strong smell of the zebra carcass. One of the two lions is still near the carcass and chases the hyena away with a menacing growl.

We drive back to camp for dinner.

14.08.24, Last trip into the bush

Before I have to leave Nkomazi, we go on one last game drive to see the mother cheetah with her 5 cubs and take our time. The cubs are very playful, but the mother is still out looking for some food to eat. In the end they are all lying down together and the cubs are being suckled by their mother.

Saying goodbye!

Zimbabwe 2023

08. - 12. April 2023 | ZIMBABWE, Mana Pools NP - NYAMATUSI CAMP (ABC)

08.04.23 - Nyamatusi Camp. Early afternoon arrival at Mana Pools airstrip by bush plane. For the next few days Trymore will be my guide. The pilot and his companion will also be staying here for the night. We drive to the national park office to get registered for the trip.

Mana Pools is a paradise - magical landscapes pass us by. Groups of gazelles are on the move and on the lookout. We arrive at Nyamatusi Camp in the late afternoon - a quick check-in, then we set off on our first game drive after team introduction. We see gazelles, a baboon basking in the sun - and marvel at the scenery. Long discussions and planning in the campsite at night. The sound of lions roaring in the distance - a sign of things to come in the morning?

09.04.23, 05:00 Rise and shine - the day begins. Trymor waits patiently. We leave at 06:00. We are on the lookout for the lions we had heard during the night. Unfortunately without success. After 2 hours of searching in the eastern part of the Mana Pools, we drive to the west in search of Bonzo, the famous bull elephant. Once again we are unsuccessful - instead we find a younger elephant bull, which we watch and visit on foot. He too is eating out of the trees and holding his trunk up in the air. A short time later we make a stop at the Green Pool to watch the hippos. We slowly drive back towards camp.

We set off again after lunch. The afternoon drive is without any memorable moments. Eat and talk around the open fire. It is time for bed.

10.04.23, 05:00 a.m. Wake-up call. We are on the move at 06:00 in the morning, heading west in search of Bozo, the old bull elephant. Instead, the radio reports that the lions have been spotted and are on their way to the east. A short time later we come across about 6 lions, but they are a long way away from us. There is no off-road driving in Mana Pool.

Our attempt to sneak up on a leopard on foot is an impossible task. The idea of frightening the animal in order to get a glimpse of it fails miserably. Instead we come across a beautiful bull elephant and approach it on foot.

After a break and lunch, we make our way down to the Zambezi River for a canoe trip along the coast. Zimbabwe to the right and Zambia to the left. Elephants and hippos can be seen and there are lots of birds.

As the sun sets, we spend the evening on the banks of the river.

11.04.2023, Daybreak 05:30 - I can hear a deep rumbling and crashing coming from outside the tent in the night. Through the canvas of the tent I can see the silhouette of an elephant. Nocturnal visitor - I carefully walk out of the tent and sit down on the ground. The elephant barely notices and eventually drinks from the pool. A quick greeting into the night - after 20 minutes it disappears into the darkness. ....The morning drive is sobering - no animals. After a long drive we meet a bull elephant, which we can watch from close by. We have lunch at the camp and have some time to explore the area close to the river. A kingfisher joins me.

Trymore seems to be excited - everything has to be done quickly.

The weather is cloudy and pleasant as we drive at high speed towards the eastern part of the park.

After a long non-stop drive we see the reason - a pack of African wild dogs lying lazily in the grass enjoying the cool breeze... Carefully sneaking up to them, we get out of the car. We sit down just a few metres away. We enjoy the rest of the time with the wild dogs until the early evening.

It was our last evening in Nyamatusi and we said a heartfelt goodbye.

12. - 14. April 2023 | ZIMBABWE, Lake Kariba - Bumi Hills Lodge (ABC)

12.04.23, Nyamatusi Camp to Bumi Hills, 08:00am departure

I had a good night's sleep. It rained a little during the night and impalas grazed outside the tent in the morning. Breakfast and off to the airstrip. We have plenty of time and try to do some game viewing. My driver this time is Chris, I said goodbye to Trymore last night. As the flight is late, we have a long and leisurely game drive before us. Elephants say goodbye in the Mana Pools.

By plane to Bumi Hills.

Unlike Manapools, this is a private reserve. There are no restrictions. You can drive off-road and there are no opening and closing times.

We set off in the early afternoon in search of three male lions who have formed a coalition. Blondie, Scarface and Nameless. We soon find them and don't leave their side. Roaring and yawning, the three walk a few metres and can be easily observed in the last ray of sunshine. Dinner with Harrison, very traditional. Bray and I eat fried grubs for the first time. Good night...

13.04.23, wake up call 5am, departure 5.30am We get up early to catch the first golden rays of sunshine. Instead it turns out to be cloudy. We set off in search of a group of buffalo. After a short drive with brief encounters with spiders like the golden obb spider and the buck spider, we find a small herd of buffalo. There are about 30 of them.

We return to the lodge along the shore of the large lake after a short visit to an old empty lodge with a room full of bats. We pass a large herd of elephants and stop to watch a pair of fish eagles.

Late afternoon boating on the lake. We sail into the sunset past crocodiles, hippos and lots of birds. We then head out into the night. We struggle to find a genet and a white-tailed mongoose. Of course we also see hippopotamus and elephants at night.

14. - 18. April 2023 | ZIMBABWE, Hwange NP - SOMALESI EXPD: CAMP (ABC)

14.04.23 Burni to Somalesi 08:50 Departure. A relaxed flight with a stopover in Somalesi, my last stop in Zimbabwe. Ndengo is my guide for the next few days. He is the same age as me and has been working as a guide for many years. This camp is fantastic - it is in the middle of nature, right in the bush. 6 classic Hemnigway-style tents. Elephants can come straight into the camp. After a short rest, we set off in the afternoon.We enjoy the elephants bathing at a nearby waterhole.Shortly afterwards, we come across one of my favourite cats, a leopard.He is lying on a dead tree in the sun and unfortunately doesn't give us much time.After a short break and another search for the cat, we find him sneaking up on a group of impala.Ndengo has a lot of experience and good intuition - he sees the leopard's path ahead and we watch as the animal deviates from its path and prepares to attack a fighting-eared fox that appears out of nowhere.The leopard is unsuccessful. Hearts pounding, we make our way to the sundowner. The leopard throws a spanner in the works - and again the cat tries to sneak up on the impala group, and again it is spotted. Grumbling, the leopard makes its way into the thicket with its typical mowing call. It is already dark and dinner is waiting for us. There is an elephant at the waterhole near the fire pit and we have a guest at dinner. On the way to bed, another wild cat says goodnight. The roar of lions can be heard in the distance - Inhwa means leopard in the Zulu language.

15.04.23 Coffee by the campfire in the early morning. It's cold and the coffee warms a little. The animals are deep in the bush to protect themselves from the cold. Silence with the first rays of sunshine. In the distance, two waterbucks chase each other and run in circles around our off-road vehicle. We also spot a roan antelope, which you don't see every day. Impala, kudu and steenbok also pass by. Otherwise elephants - it's a quiet day. Back at camp, Ndengo shows me a chameleon... In the afternoon, silence again and a few elephants at the waterholes. Then a snake on the way. It's a puff adder lying motionless on the path. A spitting cobra appears out of nowhere and bites into its opponent's head without hesitation. Sunset at the waterhole with no further sightings - early to bed by starlight.

16.04.23 Somalisa up early. It's cold and we warm up by the fire with hot coffee. The morning drive is unsuccessful... silence and only a few animals. Elephants at the waterhole. Giraffes on the horizon. The camp is visited by three elephants. Elephants everywhere in the afternoon. It's the day of the pachyderms. Beautiful light at sunset.

17.04.23 The roar of a lion can be heard from 05:00 in the morning. Lions at last! We set off early and follow the pride, always following the call. Hyenas are startled and after a short stop and following the tracks we see a male lion cub. It is one of the heirs of Cecil's pride. Later, we stop at a waterhole and observe a herd of elephants from a short distance. Back at camp, a handsome bull stands at the waterhole. Last evening in Somalisa and thus also in Africa. We watch two elephants under the starry sky.

18.04.23 Somalisa Camp to Victoria Falls Airport. One last early wake-up in Africa. The humming and soft trumpeting of elephants could be heard during the night. It is a quiet morning, few animals due to the cool temperatures. It warms up with the first rays of sunshine. We follow the tracks of 4 lionesses, but are unsuccessful. We hear on the radio that a male lion is nearby and we continue to search and follow the tracks. We only manage a brief sighting, but we have seen lions.

Short coffee break near 3 elephants who occasionally shake the tree with their skulls so that they can eat the fallen fruit. Departure from the bush to the airstrip and by bush plane to Victoria Falls Airport....

Goodbye Somalisa.