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.