Safari and Beach - The Latest Blog from Safari and Beach http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog.php There was an amazing moment at Nuarro, Mozambique nbsp;last week. nbsp; An elephant playing, washing and wallowing in the bay in front of the lodge! These photos were taken by their wonderful dive master, Crissy - who expects to see other large grey mammals in the water (whale season by the way, is from June to November). What a unique experience as the photos below show. nbsp; But where did it come from? nbsp; We know that they have ellies at Lurio Falls (approx 150km away), so maybe he got lost? nbsp; Either way, he looks as happy to be at Nuarro and nbsp;they are delighted to have him to stay as long as he would like! http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/79/Elephant At Nuarro/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/79/Elephant At Nuarro/ Fancy nbsp;a cooking tour with a local Swahili Chef in Stone Town? This is a one of a kind authentic cooking lesson where you will be able to learn how to use the local spices which you can find at the spice farms of Zanzibar. The cooking takes place in a Zanzibar house, located in a building in Stone Town which is over 100 years old. The cooking is done with Chef Yaz, who is the Zanzibari owner of Green Garden Restaurant. nbsp; This is an amazing tour which allows you to really get a feel for how the Zanzibari rsquo;s cook in their every day life and to experience a local meal in a wonderful setting. Please ask us for more information. nbsp; http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/75/Cooking With Spices/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/75/Cooking With Spices/ Our favourite hotels and lodges are nbsp;already nbsp;getting booked up for summer 2012. nbsp; If you are thinking of nbsp;travelling over nbsp;Summer or even Christmas/New Year 2013 nbsp;we recommend nbsp;you start planning nbsp;asap to secure best availability. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/66/Availability Getting Tight/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/66/Availability Getting Tight/ Special offer at The Retreat, Selous, Tanzania and Vamizi Island, Mozambique. Stay 3 and pay for only 2 nights (or stay 4, pay 3) in any of The Retreat's stunning River Suites with private plunge pools and enjoy game drives, walks and so much more Stay 5 nights and pay for only 4 at Vamizi (valid for consecutive stays). Vamizi Island offers quot;barefoot luxury quot;, where each villa has its own stretch of beach. Clients can experience exceptional marine activities or simply unwind with the sand in their toes.... This combined offer is valid from 15 January to 20 March and from 15 September until 15 December 2012. Park amp; concession fees are additional for 3 nights at The Retreat. This cannot be combined with any other offers at either Vamizi or The Retreat. nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; nbsp; http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/78/Special Offer Safari&beach/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/78/Special Offer Safari&beach/ The wildlife viewing nbsp;in the Mara nbsp;has been superb over the past few months. The November short rains have been excellent and probably the best we #39;ve had in 15+ years. nbsp;The conservancies are beautifully green and lush resulting in plenty of food for the herbivores and the plains are teeming with wildlife including an abundance of topi, zebra, hartebeest, gazelle, and buffalo calves among others. nbsp; Add to this mix the big cats - lions, leopards and cheetah - all with cubs resident in our conservancies and it makes for a dramatic and exciting safari viewing experience. nbsp; Of course the rains have led to some muddy and slippery conditions with the occasional incident of getting stuck but all our clients have taken it with a spirit of adventure! nbsp; It looks like the rains may have ended as the past few days we #39;ve had no rain with bright and sunny days. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/77/News From The Mara/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/77/News From The Mara/ Kwara As always, Kwara Concession has been teeming with the majestic wonder and intimate sightings which it is so well known for! A lioness was spotted, attempting to imitate one of her closest rivals, the leopard, as she gracefully perched herself atop a Sycamore tree. As the sun began to set, she vacated her lofty hide and descended silently only to disappear in to the blue bush. Shortly following, a chorus of welcoming from her new cubs floated through the air to the nearby game vehicle. She has cubs! It is always an exciting day to discover new additions to a family! Nearby, another pride amused themselves with a baboon kill ndash; a mere snack for these vivacious eaters! Though guests are lucky enough to see these proud beasts quite often in the concession, it is always special to see them, especially when they are joined by the awesome presence of three large males! The resident hyenas entertained some of the visitors. Two clans clashed with long, unfriendly confrontations and threats. These territorial displays between the eleven adults did not, however, evolve in to any physical contact, but a thrilling sighting nonetheless! The cats continued to demonstrate their presence in the concession with a female leopard taking down an impala which she and her two cubs dined on at sunset. This delicate antelope provided a substantial feast which they were seen feeding on for three days!er game was also found in abundance. Elephants with their slow, methodical gate were ever-present companions to guests on their daily drives as well as buffalo, giraffe, impala, wildebeest, tsessebee and kudu along with the smaller versions of the cat family ndash; wild cats and cerval. Even the often shy and elusive sable antelope was spotted this month, with his princely curved horns which glean in the sunlight. Though a rare sight, they do appear occasionally to the delight of all to see! As we move in to a new season, the surrounding flora is exploding in all its beauty bringing with it some extraordinary bird sightings. The Xobega Heronry is an extraordinary sight boasting exquisite populations of storks, egrets and herons, amongst others which have been roosting there for some time now. Lebala Massive herds of elephant, typical for this time of year, have been spotted roaming the Lebala plains this month, feeding on the rich abundance of foliage which starts to appear around this time of year. nbsp; In fact, the guests do not need to venture far from camp to enjoy the sight of these peaceful pachyderms as they enjoyed a refreshing dip whilst crossing the channel that runs through Lebala camp. These intelligent creatures are frequent visitors to the camps and they are heard most evenings as they wade through the water and lumber softly by the tents. Visitors are gently lulled in to a restful nights sleep with this nightly Lebala lullaby! nbsp; nbsp; A massive herd of buffalo ndash; numbering nearly one thousand ndash; also wondered through camp as they headed South to Twinpools, the old daggaboys bringing up the rear in the protective fashion of the wisened sentry as the calves mewed from within the herd, seeking their mothers. Twinpools offered some incredible game viewing as usual ndash; with elephant herds numbering up to two thousand at a time! Even the lions which proved elusive in other parts of the concession chose Twinpools as their resting place for a few days. The pride of seventeen lions consists of three lionesses, four sub-adults and eight cubs and is often seen throughout the concession engaging in a variety of activities for the guests to see. Leopards, luckily, are a regular site in the concessions, but one particular female nbsp; decided to remain in the nearby vicinity of the camp for a few days, checking out her old routes, used the time to teach her cub a few of the life lessons it had yet to learn. She was also found with a kill ndash; a full-grown male impala! Her kill proved too heavy to drag up to the safety of the nearby tree, making her vulnerable to any competition. Sadly, the hyenas were attracted by her successful hunt and she lost her meal to their determined efforts. It was an exciting encounter to view from the game vehicle! Other game included giraffe, wildebeest, warthogs, steenbok, lechwe, zebras and hippos. The roan antelope, equally timid and regal as the Sable which was seen in Kwara, was also spotted in the area! As always, the birding was exceptional, from the friendly little carmine bee-eater flaunting its fabulous colours in the air, to the water birds wading through the water on the ground. The painted reed frogs also played their part as their choir twinkled their chorus through the night. Lagoon As the season changes and the heat of the African summer descends upon us, the elephants have found the perfect plunge pool in the Lagoon channel which they have been witnessed frequently crossing in to the Kwando water body system! Both bulls and breeding herds have made this their stomping ground. Calves were also witnessed making the crossing, using their trunks to lsquo;snorkel rsquo; their way delightedly to the other side. What a magical sight to see them emerge unscathed! It seems the buffalo also made their way over to the Lagoon area and were spotted, nearly a thousand of them in the area. It is quite a sight to see when they all move together, kicking up as massive cloud of dust that surrounds them in the midday heat. The wild dogs were seen at their lsquo;new rsquo; den. The parents appear to be doing a great job in caring for their pups as all appeared well fed and in excellent condition! Not only did the wild dogs have successful hunting this month, seen feeding on an impala, but a female leopard with her cub was also seen feeding on the calf of an eland. Another leopard shared her hunting behaviour as she frolicked from termite mound to termite mound scouting the area, to later settle comfortably up a tree. The Malasera Lion Pride seems to have found eland the choice for the menu as well and was seen at two Eland kills. They were accompanied by the two lsquo;shy boys rsquo; who lived up to their name and slowly sauntered off after being sighted. The pride was later discovered at the airstrip attempting to hunt some warthogs, though their efforts were in vain! Inter-African migrant birds have started to appear in large numbers as in common this time of the season, accompanying the graceful yellow billed kites and carmine bee eaters in their daily flights. Vultures and other raptors have also been seen frequently along with batelear eagles. As with at Lebala, the Black-backed jackal and hyenas were seen on night drives. Upon return to camp, the hippos serenade the guests as they prepared for dinner ndash; a wonderful nightly chorus of grunts and snorts as they communicated between themselves. This is Lagoon rsquo;s very own evening song to be heard most nights until the dawn. Tau Pan The Tau Pan Pride has continued to be seen, frequently passing by the water hole to drink in the mornings. On one such occasion, they left the pan and after a short walk, found the appropriate resting spot, where the adults lay down whilst the cubs entertained themselves by playing boisterously amongst themselves as the day progressed, to the delight of the guests! The cheetahs also used the pan as their watering hole, however, soon moved off to disappear, expertly camouflaged, in to the bush. The Oryx Gazella, or Gemsbok, with its long, gleaming black horns, was also seen at the various water holes to then disappear silently in to the surrounding landscape. The springbok, with its exquisite white belly, was spotted on the plains, along with steenbok, wildebeest and kudu. And the cheeky little ground squirrel was seen scurrying along, stopping and rapidly scratching in search of food, to be shielded from the sun with its large, fluffy tail. The slender mongoose also popped its head out of a hole a couple of times to check on the activity taking place around it. And a spotted genet ndash; a rare sighting indeed! ndash; catapulted itself out of its hiding place, and disappeared just as quickly in to shelter of the long grass. This constant activity as guests travel through the area is what makes Tau Pan such an exciting place to visit! Birds are also seen in abundance in this area - the lilac breasted roller, red crested khorran and the pale chanting goshawk were just a few of the variety of birdlife that has been seen and continues to be seen throughout the days. Honey Badgers are frequent nightly visitors to the camps; even seen stealthily creeping under the deck of one room to the delight of the occupant! One amazing incident also occurred, where a family of four were spotted as they searched for their breakfast. This interruption in their early morning ritual sent them bounding across the open plain at incredible speed as they sought a hiding place! Nxai Pan As with Tau Pan, Nxai Pan also was visited by its own pride this month. The watering hole seems to be the choice spot for many as the temperatures start to climb with the onset of a new season. On more than one occasion, lionesses bought their cubs to drink in the cool, refreshing waters before they continued through the concession. A number of cubs have been seen with various females; some cubs estimated to be but three months of age whereas others are older, possibly closer to a year. Elephants have also found the watering hole a welcome respite from the midday sun and large bulls and breeding herds were seen often, some even climbing in to cool off! They were, however, not in the mood to share this welcome oasis with the lions, which they quickly chased away. The cats seem to be the common theme through all the Kwando areas as the leopard and cheetah were also spotted throughout the month. The leopard, on one particular occasion, chose to sneak through camp and use the walkway as it silently passed between room six and seven. A female cheetah with her two cubs enthralled guests when she commenced a hunt shortly after being spotted! Fortunately for the steenbok which was her chosen prey, she was unsuccessful this day. That precise little antelope, the springbok, was also seen prancing around along with the gemsbok, impala, wildebeest and zebras. Scrub hares have been seen, a small family even having taken up residence under the deck in the dining area! Late afternoon drives have also allowed for some viewing of the African Wild Cat and the much loved Motswane (honey badger) was also seen exploring the area. The greater kestrel was seen circling the skies and other sightings of birds included the marico fly catchers, chat fly catchers, white backed vultures, and like Tau Pan, the Kori Busturd! http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/74/News From Botswana/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/74/News From Botswana/ Kulala Wilderness Camp will be closing permanently from mid-April 2012. nbsp; Kulala Desert Lodge will be closed from mid-January to mid-April 2012 inclusive to rebuild the main area and add 6 more rooms (5 twins and 1 family). Scheduled to re-open in mid-April 2012, Kulala Desert Lodge offers a great product in this area due to its rsquo; close proximity to the gate/access to the dunes and this will then be coupled with a remodelled and larger main area plus 6 more rooms providing additional capacity. Alternative arrangements have been made for any affected existing bookings ndash; both during the closure period of Kulala Desert Lodge and when Kulala Wilderness Camp ceases operating. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/71/Kulala Temporary Closure, Namibia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/71/Kulala Temporary Closure, Namibia/ This is an email from one of our friends based in Stone Town: Zanzibar is still in shock, coming to terms with a tragedy that has affected everyone we know in one way or another. The tales of loss that we hear regularly, the scale and scope of the casualties, reaches into every corner of the society, and yet it was all avoidable, need not have occurred if the usual regulations, the respect for human life to which we would hope that we are entitled, was honoured. We still don rsquo;t know the full extent of the loss, because whilst the boat was registered to carry 610 passengers, 602 have survived (thanks in no small part to a massive effort by Nungwi-based volunteers out in dive boats and dhows at 4am in the morning) and some 300 are now registered dead, but we expect this figure to double also. The boat lies hundreds of metres under the sea, and we do not know how many people were trapped inside the hull (lots of children were onboard returning to school after Eid, and these are not recorded on official passenger numbers), meanwhile bodies are still washing up along the East African coast. Government efforts to set up registration stations are proving ineffective, as any compensation that might be due is leading to false declarations of loss. On the ground nbsp;helpers have set up nbsp;website at www.saidiazanzibar.org, with bank account in the same name, and are running a fundraising campaign through this. There are adverts on TZ TV stations, national press are running full page requests on our behalf and donations are coming in from the broader Zanzibari diaspora as well as the local community and that of the wider Tanzanian mainland. These range from corporate donations to those of wealthy local families, to beach boys that have had a whip-round and come into the office. nbsp; The funds, clothing etc collected nbsp;is being directed to charities on the ground that we consider to be providing the most effective relief response, and whilst we support the government efforts, we will not be funding them. The intention is to try to help those families most affected, (inevitably the poorest members of the community were travelling on that boat) on a longer-term basis, and so we are indentifying charities with a strong community outreach programme and inviting applications for funding from them. These applications will require a budgetary breakdown, a clear goal of requirements and ongoing monitoring. If our revenue becomes sufficiently high, we then hope to work with some microfinance organisations to help businessmen who lost their livelihoods on the boat, get back into business. A local accountant/ auditor is joining our committee this evening to ensure probity, transparency and expediency on this and our general financial setup. It has become clear that the best way to get a real picture of the loss, is to engage with the Shehias (administrative units) in order to understand what is being reported and documented at local level. Some members of the committee are going out to Pemba this weekend to meet with Regional Commissioners and District leaders to start this process. This in turn will allow us to identify those agencies working in the field. We are also intending to work with the Zanzibar Outreach Programme (www.zopzanzibar.com) with whom we have met to discuss the most effective response. Many on this list know them, and Francesca has been handling their communications work on a voluntary basis for some time, but they have proved themselves again and again to be the organisation capable of dealing with problems effectively, with the most transparent interests of donors and communities in mind. They are also documenting the effects of the tragedy at a local level, through an existing health monitoring scheme that they run through schools, and with them we will be looking to indentify families in need, and define a data co-efficient that will allow us to formulate a donor programme that can make monthly donations for tuition fees, welfare, livelihood, business support etc over a two year cycle, monitored by them. We expect much of the finance that we collect to be ultimately donated to this process. This takes time to set up, however, and in the meantime, we are collecting medical supplies, clothing and anything else that we can. The first handover will be done this afternoon, and will be updated to the website thereafter. We hope to then start making bi-weekly updates to the website over the coming month, listing progress and the processes we undertake to distribute the donations. ...ends. If anyone would like to make a donation to SaidiaZanzibar, or Zanzibar Outreach Programme, details are on the respective websites. Or contact us at info@safariandbeach and we will forward your email. nbsp; http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/72/How To Help In Pemba/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/72/How To Help In Pemba/ Kwara Concession As we move into the what is traditionally known as the lsquo;flood season rsquo; , the slowly rising water levels may be the reason that the lions stay close by, allowing us to see them pretty much every day. Lions in the Delta are known to swim across channels, if the situation requires it, however it is not their favourite past time ndash; as can be seen when they hiss and hesitantly put their paws in the water. We can expect to have them around for a while! The five cubs are delighting us with their playful behaviour, and one could spend hours watching them ndash; as some of our guests do! The lion highlight this month was perhaps the Battle of the Giants: one, of the famous seven males was caught in a fight with the Splash boys, and the noise could be heard in camp the whole night! He survived, but with a few ugly cuts and scratches to show for the ordeal. A male leopard made a quick escape into a tree with his warthog kill, before the hyenas were able to catch up with him. Great news on the cheetah front: a female with three cubs has been sighted and she seems to be doing well, with the cubs being in good condition. We see more and more large breeding herds of elephants, especially in the early mornings and afternoons. Solitary bulls and bachelor herds are also seen very often. Good sightings of general game, like herds of zebras, giraffe, tsessebe, impala, baboons, red lechwe, wildebeest and tracks of buffalos have been spotted. Night drives were productive this month. Aardwolf, spotted genet, serval, African wild cat, hyena with pups at the den, and a chameleon! One group of guests had a lucky sighting of honey badger - moving with purpose straight down the road towards the vehicle, the badger seemed completely oblivious of the car that he was heading towards. Only at the last minute, when he was about to bang his head on the tracker rsquo;s feet did he suddenly look up and realise what he was about to walk into ndash; at which point he made a swift exit to the left! Rarely seen even at night, one serval is becoming accustomed to the vehicle, and is being seen regularly around the airstrip, even during day time and this serval also has 2 kittens! Frogs are competing with each other, and sing their arias every evening. The one sound that dominates is from the painted reed frog, also called the bell frog, and when you hear them you will understand the name! Sightings of water birds are very good. Lots of egrets, herons, ducks, and geese can be seen swimming and feeding in the floodplains. Lebala Sadly we got news that the pride of 17 is now down to 15. Two of the cubs are missing, and we don rsquo;t know what happened to them. The mortality rate of lion cubs is high, so it is not overly surprising, but it still makes it a little sad. Lack of food is certainly not a problem that the lions are facing at the moment: the pride was seen with carcasses of giraffe, zebra and on one occasion they were found with three wildebeest! Magician, the leopard well known to the Lebala guides made an appearance this month, as well as other more shy individuals. The three cheetah brothers are doing well, and have been seen with full bellies having a well deserved rest in the shade. ldquo;Our rdquo; pack of wild dogs was around, but in the beginning of the month we saw only their tracks. At the end of the month though the guides and trackers were able to track them down again and we had some wonderful sightings of that endangered predator. Massive herds of elephants are now in the area - breeding herds with babies of all sizes. They are all coming out of the woodland where they spent time during the rains. But now the floodplains are filling up attracting them in great numbers, due to the abundance of nutritious grass growing there. Buffalo are also coming out of the woodlands for the same reasons as the elephants. Apart from small bachelor groups, we see more breeding herds now. As in the Kwara concession there are plenty of water birds in the floodplains. Raptors are a common sighting too, with lots of eagles and hawks. There are regular sightings of both species of jackals - side striped and black backed, and occasionally spotted hyena can be seen, especially close to camp at night. One night two chameleons made a surprise visit, sitting in a tree just next to the dining area. Zebra, kudu, giraffe, impalas, wildebeests added to the number of species seen this month. Lagoon The two male lions that are recent arrivals to the concession have banded with two lionesses ndash; one of which is now heavily pregnant. The lionesses killed a buffalo to share with the males. The pride of 13 lions were lucky hunters too, killing a giraffe and a zebra ndash; all well fed and happy lions this month at Lagoon! Guides are reporting that they had more than usual leopard sightings, most of them on kills. Perhaps interested in a form of nouvelle cuisine, one leopard was observed hunting dwarf mongoose ndash; a slightly small snack for the leopard. The mongoose, however, was swifter and got away. The three cheetah brothers were seen on several occasions. One time they had an ostrich kill, and the other time they tried to hunt a baby zebra. The zebra mother defended her baby very well though, and after one of the brothers got kicked they decided to give up. The cheetah rsquo;s body is build for speed, not for strength, and risk of being injured in such a challenge is high. The pack of 11 wild dogs has been seen several times. They look fit and healthy, and were followed on a couple of hunts, some more successful than others. No sign of them denning as yet, but it should be within the next week or so. As in the other camps, the elephants are coming out of the woodlands, and entertain us watching them feeding and bathing. Some of them seem quite happy to enjoy the camp as much as the guests, and one of our walkways needed a bit of repair after an elephant decided to have a closer look at a particularly interesting tree one night. Everyone was tucked up in bed when this happened, so only the evidence was found the next morning ndash; perhaps he was heading for the pool? Herds of buffalo up to a 100 strong come out of the woodlands into the floodplains, and to have a drink at the river. General game was good too. Giraffe, zebra, impala, tsessebe, steenbok, hippo, ostrich, warthog, eland and maybe the highlight roan and sable antelopes! Lagoon had some of the rarer sightings this month like, porcupine, aardwolf and quiet a few chameleons. The two jackal species, side striped and black backed, and also the spotted hyenas were found. African wild cat, civet, honey badger, serval have been encountered on the night drives. Sitatunga have also been seen on the boat cruises. Lots of water birds, but also numerous raptors, like the brown snake eagle, bateleur and African fish eagle. Along the river banks we find a lot of kingfishers and bee eaters, both known to excavate holes into the bank for nesting. Nxai Pan It was a month with lots of lion sightings. One morning, a male lion was at the camp waterhole, so nobody had to go far to see them. nbsp; nbsp; The four lionesses had 2 cubs last month hellip;..this month there an additional three, only a couple of weeks old!! There is a female leopard around and the guides did see her several times at the same spot. She is relaxed and provides us with beautiful sightings. The two male cheetahs were also found and the one female cheetah was seen in camp one morning. Wild dog tracks were seen near Baines Baobab, and even though we don rsquo;t expect to see them in Nxai Pan, you never know! Lots of bull elephants, who congregate to big groups around the waterholes. General game has been good with lots of giraffe, wildebeest, springbok, oryx, steenbok, impala, kudu and zebra. On the birding side, we still get excited by the numbers of raptors, big and small. We also see kori bustard, secretary bird, violet eared waxbill, flycatchers and numerous guinefowls. Black backed jackals never disappoint, and are seen every day. Tau Pan The lions went into hiding for a little while, but luckily, towards the end of the month, they were back drinking out of the waterhole in front of the camp. It takes quite a bit of effort for lions to start moving if they are really quite happy where they are hellip;. Such as, right next to the airstrip with planes landing. One guide was driving his guests to the airstrip for the flight out, got to the strip, found the plane and the lions, but no pilot! Concerned that the lions looked a little well fed, he radioed back to camp to ask for assistance. Luckily, the pilot had been picked up by an earlier vehicle, and was enjoying watching the lions from a different vantage point! Cheetah were consistent throughout the month - several kills were observed, by several different cheetahs. It was a bonus that they were found often at Tau Pan, so we didn rsquo;t have to go far to find them! Amazingly, wild dogs were seen too. Again, we do know that they are around, but do not expect to see them. Central Kalahari Game Reserve is immense, and the dogs home range in this arid country are huge, so it is extremely lucky to see the dogs there!! Still no elephant to be seen, but plenty of signs around. Tau Pan always has a lot of black backed jackals, and in the evening you can hear them in the camp. A more rare sighting was the one of a cape fox, hanging around room1 early in the morning. General game sightings were of springbok, wildebeest, oryx, red hartebeest, steenbok and giraffe. Honey badgers were also seen and a black mamba. That mamba is not called the black mamba because of its body colour, but for the colour of its mouth ndash; not something everyone wants to see close enough to tell! http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/68/News From Botswana/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/68/News From Botswana/ After many months of waiting due to the quantity and quality of entrants in our photography competition - Kwando Safaris in conjunction with Africa Geographic have finally made the decision on who the winners were in our annual photography competition. nbsp; nbsp; The over all winner was this stunning nbsp;leopard / warthog shot (under category 4: action). The next competition is open and valid to all Kwando clients that have taken photo's in nbsp;camps from the 1st January 2011 until 31st March 2012 - please let us know if you would like a copy of the Terms amp; Conditions - the prize is a 5 night safari through any combination of the Kwando camps. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/69/Photography Winner/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/69/Photography Winner/ The nbsp;Zambian Carnivore Programme nbsp;(ZCP) team is based at Nkwali camp and last month was pleased to accompany guests on activities and share their work with them. nbsp; With the rainy season waning in late March, the first Carnivore Week, with members from the ZTB accompanying guests out in the field to learn more about the work of the Programme as well as that of their local conservation partners the nbsp;South Luangwa Conservation Society nbsp;(SLCS) and Chipembele nbsp;Wildlife Educational Trust nbsp;(CWET). Carnivore week is an extension of the popular Wild Dog Week but reflected the expanded ZCP emphasis on multiple carnivores, in addition to formally focus on cats and hyenas during those days when the dogs were off wandering in the Luangwa hinterlands! All in all it was a big success, with great sightings on lion, wild dogs, leopard and hyena during the course of the week. Large carnivores require immense areas to survive; therefore seeing them is a good indication of a relatively intact system and these species can consequently be used to promote conservation of these last great places like the Luangwa. ZCP works in various Zambian ecosystems to safeguard large carnivore species and their habitat in Zambia through scientific research, community education and conservation activities. ZCP has chosen a 3-tiered approach through: Research: Results from ZCP rsquo;s research will feed into the management strategies of the various ecosystems ZCP is working in to safeguard large carnivore species and their habitat throughout Zambia. Education: ZCP supports selected Zambian students from primary school all the way to Ph.D. scholarships in the United States to create local capacity for the sustainable conservation of Zambian wildlife. In those projects ZCP works closely together with Chipembele. Conservation: Addressing immediate threats to large carnivores. For example through supporting a Wild dog anti-snaring team, which is employed by another organization we closely collaborate with nbsp;South Luangwa Conservation Society nbsp;(SLCS). This team is directed to areas where wild dogs have a high risk of getting snared. For example during denning season this team is sent for snare sweeps and patrols around the area of a wild dog den. During Carnivore Week guests are informed about all those activities and take visits to both Chipembele and SLCS, but the main activity, of course, is to accompany ZCP on work in the field. Accompanied daily by ZCP staff members with their field equipment the guests had a number of excellent sightings, with the first encounter being the Chichele Lion Pride with a big surprise hellip;or rather 3 little ones as their new cubs emerged with the pride and gave us some great looks in the morning light. After some time watching the pride we moved on to leopards, spotting one in a tree feeding on a fresh impala kill, and then one strolling down the road in broad daylight! I think we followed her for over 30 minutes, watching her inspecting and marking bushes every so often, and relaxing next to the road from time to time. It was a remarkable day, further evidenced by sightings of even some hyaena strolling around during the daylight! Despite the great sightings nonetheless we were all aware that the toughest species to see hadn rsquo;t been seen yet. But on the last full safari day the rarest and most elusive of all carnivores showed up, the African wild dogs. The collared alpha female showed signs of a pregnancy, and should be giving birth in the next few weeks! All in all, carnivore week 2011 was a great success. nbsp; http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/64/Carnivore Week Zambia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/64/Carnivore Week Zambia/ Once again we experienced dry weather during the first week or so of the month - it just didn't seem to want to rain! There would very often be a big build-up of clouds all along the western and north-western horizon which would raise our hopes, but the first decent, soaking rains only came fairly late in the month. Last month's spate of rain (where it rained heavily for about four days) meant there was (and still is) lots of water in the marshes and luggas, which attracted a big collection of herbivores, especially zebra, wildebeest and elephant, in these areas. The Marsh Pride has been seen regularly around Bila Shaka and has fed there almost every night. It is amazing to see fifteen lions all together around a kill! The lioness with her four three month old cubs was seen a number of times around Musiara Swamp. They are still fit and healthy and seem to be making progress in, to them, what must seem like a harsh world. These poor little fellows were really thirsty one day and had the unfortunate experience of all falling into the murky water! One cub was covered in mud and mewled incessantly like a distressed child! The Paradise Pride has been seen mostly around the crossing below Serena Lodge, but on some days as far a-field as Chemorita. Notch and one male seem to have the urge to patrol more than the other males and these two have been seen between Rhino Ridge and Salinga on a number of occasions. One particular game drive vehicle was treated to the spectacle of about 16 hyenas trying to chase 6 lions off a warthog kill on the far southern reaches of Rhino Ridge. The lions were having none of it, but the noise and interaction was quite fantastic to experience! Leopards were seen fairly regularly last month, in fact as often as three times a week. A mother with two cubs was seen around Paradise quite often and on one day five leopards were seen together. These were the same three as mentioned above with two males. Watch this space in just over three month's time. The existing cubs are close to the age where they would leave their mother, so perhaps more youngsters are on their way! Of further interest was another female leopard with a cub of three months old in the quot;Base quot; area. Rhinos, as usual, have remained the more elusive of the Big Five. Even so, two males and a female with a three month old calf were seen fairly regularly between Chemorita and Paradise. Cheetahs were also less visible last month due to the movement of the bigger predators. The three brothers were seen in the Salinga area towards the middle of the month, after which they moved into the Paradise area. A young female was on Topi Plain for some time. The big herd of buffalo that seems ever present at the western base of Rhino Ridge was still very prominent last month. They too have many youngsters at foot. These grand beasts are often over-looked but can offer hours of entertainment should one take the time to sit and watch them. There is a definite method to their movements and their actions that bears observation. Especially their interaction with various bird species can be of great interest. The quot;little critters quot; remained captivating last month. Birding has been pretty good as the avian migrants are still around, but are soon to leave. One of our guests left Kenya having seen 203 species in 10 days. No mean feat considering he only visited Lake Nakuru National Park and the Masai Mara! Of course we are all waiting for the rains to come and the wildebeest that are sure to follow. We had to be very careful where we put our feet last month as there were huge collections and processions of quot;siafu quot; (safari ants), a sure sign that this is on the way. Once again nature moves through its processes as it has since time immemorial, seemingly with no big method but definitely with a plan and an end goal. All one has to do is quietly observe and all becomes clear. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/67/Masai Mara April 2011/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/67/Masai Mara April 2011/ La Residence has opened its doors in Zanzibar. nbsp;This brand new hotel offering a new type of luxury in Zanzibar is a new destination hotel for those seeking a more luxurious option. nbsp; La Residence, famed for its luxury hotels in Mauritius and nbsp;The Maldives, has spared nothing is making sure its Zanzibar counterpart fulfils nbsp;those criteria sought by nbsp;high end guests. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/65/La Residence Opens In Zanzibar/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/65/La Residence Opens In Zanzibar/ Looking south at Kilimanjaro from the Kenyan side. This picture was taken in mid-February, after 3 straight days of wet weather hit the area. It rsquo;s a pretty unusual sight to see Kilimanjaro with this thick a layer of snow, and also reaching quite low on the flanks. This kind of snow may last at least a couple of weeks before it has mostly melted away, and at most (depending on the regularity of the precipitation) about 6-8 weeks. nbsp;This has made climbing Kilimanjaro difficult and very cold and an added challenge. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/63/Peaky Kilimanjaro / http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/63/Peaky Kilimanjaro / Chimpanzees share about 98 percent of human DNA and express emotions including affection in many of the same ways we do. They hug, kiss, tickle young ones, and pat each other on the back in greeting. nbsp; nbsp; nbsp;Speak to nbsp;us about staying at nbsp;Greystoke nbsp;Camp at Mahale nbsp;and nbsp;experience these wonderful primates first hand. nbsp; http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/62/Chimps In Love/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/62/Chimps In Love/ The Lions of Siwandu in the Selous made it through the year successfully this time, raising the two cubs who are now about one year old. It seams that the old difficult time are over and all in the pride are healthy and successfully hunters. The big young male is still with the pride....which is unusual and no signs of mane developing yet, probably never will. He and the adult male seems to be in a good relationship still, no signs of fights yet between them, which could lead to the young male leaving the pride. The adult male has had a hard time. Last season and at the beginning of this season he has been seen moving up and down between the two prides, the Siwandu and Nzelekela. The Nzelekela's females were seen together with him and small cubs, assuming that he was the father, but since the presence of two big, young and strong male lions brothers in Nzelekela's area, the Siwandu male had to leave.The two brothers drove him off, for sure he couldn't stand against two lions together who became the dominants of the Nzelekela's pride and he returned back to Siwandu and settled. So the brothers took over the territory and the pride. As it is in lion behaviour, they have killed the cubs so the mothers could quickly be back into breeding condition and they could spread their own genes. They were seen mating with the two females and in fact, after a very short time, both females have been seen pregnant and today they move around with 5 pretty and lovable new cubs. We have more news about the Selous lion prides: a new one of 22 members of different ages has been recently seen hunting north of Manze in the Mwangu area. A guest's family was having breakfast in the bush when they saw this big pride pulling down a buffalo just in front of them and have their meal. Amazing! http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/61/Tanzania Lions / http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/61/Tanzania Lions / As we were expecting at the beginning of the season, this really has been a very interesting one. The wildlife in Selous has been very busy in the last months, offering amazing sightings, events and also surprises. Nature always make changes, that's the beauty of it! A pack of 10 Wild Dogs couldn't successfully raise the puppies, unexpectedly they have split up, forming two different packs of 5 members each. nbsp; The alpha male and female are still together with three of the young ones; while the subordinate female, who was also pregnant at the beginning of the season, decided to leave with the subordinate male and the other three young ones. nbsp; As often happens with Wild Dogs, it is the females who leave the pack, while the males remain in their natal pack to become helpers, while they wait for the loss of the alpha male to give them a chance to breed. nbsp; What pushed the subordinate female to leave the pack of course is not known, but we can assume that the reasons could be connected to the loss of the puppies. Maybe because she has been pushed by the alpha to abandon them and also by her instinctive wish to have chances also to conceive? Hopefully this may be clearer in the future. These days we often get the chance to see one pack or the other, resting or hunting here in the surroundings. Some of the guests out on a walking safari recently, spent more then 40 minutes a few meters from them sited on the ground, observing these very interesting creatures socialising and feeding each other, totally ignoring the presence of humans. There have been no more sightings of the pack of four that was regularly in the area around Impala camp last season. Since the original pack of ten took over this part of the reserve, they have disappeared. By the way this could be normal if you consider the fact that dogs occupy enormous home ranges that could also overlap with other packs and be in competition for food. We hope one day to come back to you with the news that the pack has been spotted again here, maybe in an increased number. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/60/Wild Dog In Selous/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/60/Wild Dog In Selous/ We've just come back from an nbsp;fantastic trip in Rwanda having seeing the amazing mountain gorillas. nbsp; December is one of the best months to see Gorillas and we were lucky to spend 2 hours with 2 seperate families during the trip at Volcanoes National Park. nbsp; The gorillas are highly protected and the investment provided by tourism has stemmed their decline. nbsp; This was one of those once in a lifetime experiences nbsp;and we would recommend nbsp;it to anyone. nbsp; In addition, Rwanda is such a beautiful country. nbsp; It is rapidly trying to recover from the genocide tragedy and we were impressed by the effort every single Rwandan seems to invest in making Rwanda one of the best countries in Africa. nbsp; The trip to the Genocide Museum in Kigali was an emotional experience nbsp;but we are so pleased the country is able to pick up and be so positive about the future. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/58/Gorillas In Rwanda/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/58/Gorillas In Rwanda/ One of our favorite partners Africa has been running a photo competition sent it by its customers. nbsp; This was the winning picture and we agree it's a great shot of a young lion cub. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/57/Photo Competition/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/57/Photo Competition/ Menai Bay, Unguja Lodge, Zanzibar. nbsp; We have just found a new spectacular dive site, deep though! Lots and lots of different species big fish, amongst them hammerhead sharks, reef sharks and... tiger sharks! http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/56/New Dive Site/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/56/New Dive Site/ Travel to the Masai Mara, Kenya nbsp;has been encouraged by Big Cat Diary shown on BBC. nbsp; This is now available on BBC i-player and is well worth a revisit to see the struggle of leopard, cheetah and the famous Marsh Pride of Lion. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00f4kc4 http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/76/Big Cat Diary/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/76/Big Cat Diary/ We have had one of the best migrations seasons ever! Dense concentrations of wildebeest and zebra have covered the plains. The herds have tended to group together at night, spreading out as the day progresses to dot the grassland. Similarly to the end of August hundreds of thousands of animals were to be seen from Governors camps looking out onto Rhino Ridge and to the east. Mid month they started moving around and over the ridge but returned again to The Marsh. The river crossings have been plentiful in September, from a few zebras to a few thousand wildebeest. The fat, ancient crocodiles still take the odd animal as they cross the Mara River, but are mostly content to watch from the sand banks as they have had their full. The river is littered with carcasses from panicked animals drowning because of the large numbers, high water and difficult exits. This is in stark contrast to last year's crossings where they mostly skipped across the river as it was so low, the crocodiles had to work hard for their meal then. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/55/Mara Migration Report/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/55/Mara Migration Report/ JO rsquo;S KILI DIARY RONGAI ROUTE UP, MARANGU ROUTE DOWN. Day 1 We arrive at Rongai Gate at 2000m. There appears to be at least 2 other climb groups assembled with a lot of noise and efforts to organise amongst the guides. We pass over our rucksacks and sleeping bags and see them loaded into porters rsquo; bags as they join the queue for everything to be weighed. We are directed over to the tourist hut where tables and chairs are erected for us to have lunch. We ensure our day packs are correctly loaded with 2 litres in our camel paks 2 litres in our water bottles alongside waterproofs and plenty of lsquo;fruit n nut rsquo;. This seems quite heavy but is what we will need to get used to carrying for the next 6 days. The walk nbsp;to first caves, to our first overnight stop, is pretty long but OK. The start was quite chilly and I slightly regretted wearing my lsquo;skorts rsquo; but stayed with it and doubled up on top. We couldn't believe the pace set by our guide when we first set off. It was so slow it seemed almost comical. But we developed a rhythm quite quickly and ambled up the path. The path is quite established starting off like the bed of a dry stream. We went through the last part of the government pine forest and withering corn fields and, just as we were entering the more indigenous forest, caught sight of 2 very smart collobus monkeys with their well groomed fluffy white tails in tow. The forest is maintained by a government trust which brings with it maintained paths: much kinder under foot. I drank about 3 litres of water, as recommended, and the whole group (of 4) seemed to be fine and not suffering at this stage. The last 20 mins or so was quite steep as we came out of the forest onto much more rugged terrain. However, there were lots of very pretty wild flowers and ferns and we felt we could almost have been in Scotland. Quite a lot of stops this afternoon - mainly so Clare could take photos - with opportunistic pees and a choccy stop. There was a lot of happy chatter as we approached camp. There seem to be 3 climbs going on simultaneously and we have all stopped in close proximity as we check in and sign the official register at Rongai Caves camp. Apart from the registration building, there are no permanent structures. The camp is basic but very comfortable considering it lies on the side of a volcanic mountain. We have a sufficiently spacious tent, near to the mess tent and close enough (but not too close) to the loo tent with a flushing loo. On arrival at camp we were given warm water to wash our bodies (strip wash) and afternoon tea with yummy choc brownies in the mess tent. We assemble our little nest. The porters have already laid out a foam mattress and we lie our airbeds and thick sleeping bags on top. I roll up my puffa jacket and stuff it in a t-shirt for a make shift pillow ndash; not too bad. Back to tent for little lie down and before you know it supper's ready. Delish veg soup, spaghetti bol and cake. We all measured our oxygen levels which were in the mid 90 rsquo;s so all OK. Clare, Eli and I were all taking Diomox morning and night which probably helped maintain the right levels. In bed by 8.30. Thermals plus trackie bums, hoody and today's socks. We both got to sleep q quickly but woke up at 10 for pee and midnight feast for Clare. Couple of other pee breaks in the night. Day 2 Woke early: 5.30. Tea delivered at 6.30 followed by hot water for washing at 7. Had To pack our things together so the porters could pack up camp. I rsquo;d bought some nice Clarins moisturiser at Heathrow and that felt like an overwhelming treat in our dusty surroundings. Breakfast at 8 started by purple porridge - made with millet apparently - but not that wow. Fresh fruit however was delish, followed by toast and fry up: omelette, tomatoes and hash browns. Very filling. Topped up water bottles including camel pak so 3 litres for the trek. We left camp at 8.30 for our 4 hour trek to lunch, climbing from 2800 to 3600m. The path turned much steeper then much more narrow amp; rugged. The porters all go ahead at a much faster pace. We follow in single file and mostly silence as we concentrate, head down, on where we place our feet. I felt the need to chat but that probably required extra air and wasn rsquo;t getting much of a response from my fellow climbers ndash; even Clare who usually has a lot to say. I tried introducing silly games, including guess who, but had little support. So a bit long and boring. We felt as though we were climbing for ages all the time waiting for it to flatten out a bit. Eventually it did and small trees turned to shrubs and mountain plants. We walked through the clouds so the atmosphere turned damp and chilly then, as we climbed through, the bright sunshine revealed the snow capped Kibo ridge above. It looked pretty daunting and I didn rsquo;t really want to look. About the same time my headaches started and I began to feel quite fluey as we gained altitude. Paracetemol and lots of water relieved slightly but I felt rubbish when got to the lunch camp. However a good fill sorted that out a bit and a lie down in the shade. The afternoon was more of a traverse up n down to Kicheche cave. Very narrow and lots of boulders and seemed to go on for ages. 3.5 hours but only 300m more to 3600m. The camp was a welcome sight although, again, there are about 4 groups here. Mind you we don't interact with the others just a polite wave. It's all quite dusty so a bowl of warm water for washing was very welcome, albeit all we wanted to do was crash. Set up our home then called for afternoon tea (popcorn and ground nuts) which practically took us straight into dinner at 7. Excellent soup again (pumpkin) followed by lasagne and choc mousse. Fresh Ginger tea afterwards was lovely and Kaen reminded us this is what we'll be drinking on the way to the summit. I have to say the summit seems a long long way and the likelihood of making it unlikely. Time to sleep on it and hopefully adjust to the altitude. Day 3 Woke up fine so obviously acclimatised. Beautiful sunny morning. Same routine at breakfast then off to Mwenzi Tarn at snail rsquo;s pace. The incline definitely increased and the path was not nearly so welcoming, very narrow with volcanic boulders and stones requiring full concentration. The climb seemed fairly endless with extensions to the hill appearing just as we thought we were near the top. We took it pole pole though and, even though we were climbing 800m didn't seem to suffer too much from the increase in altitude. The sun was shining above the fluffy clouds hindering Kenya's sunshine. And beautiful mountain flowers provided beautiful visual attraction with Kibo still dominating the westerly horizon. I tried not to focus on that too much - its presence still making me very nervous. I thought about Nick and the girls a lot today - they seem a world away and I miss them terribly. However, banter in the group seems to be gaining some momentum adding cheer and camaraderie. We passed 2 other groups as we came to camp. I say passed but actually with pee and drinking stops we all go at much the same slow steady pace, taking it in turns to lead. We arrived at the tarn after a good 4 hour walk and are surprised to see so many climb teams here. Mwenzi Tarn is quite a remarkable spot. The tarn (small lake) has evaporated quite a lot and looks somewhat green. Mwenzi peak dominates to the south, dark red and I notice some climbers sitting half way up managing an acclimatisation walk. Then, easterly, Kibo raises its head. Mmmm. So lunch (somehow they cooked chips on the mountain) and a much needed wash and nap. Very hot in the sunshine but as the sun dipped at 5ish so did the temperature - dramatically. Nice to have an afternoon off because tomorrow is a biggie: a 7 hour walk to Kibo then, at midnight, the big one. So far it's been t-shirts and shorts (in Clare's case) and light weight trousers. That all changes tomorrow. So tea at the camp, Clare took loads of photos of the whole team (incl 23 porters, chef, camp manager, Renartus the assistant guide, and very entertaining Kaen, our head guide. Not to forget the loo man whose unenviable job is to empty and clean our flushable portable loo). They all sang local songs as they posed for the camera. We are far removed from Devon! Time for a bit of R amp;R then supper time: Mexican tonight. Amazing what they put together at 4500m. Chat predictably centred around the climb tomorrow night with mixed feelings of anxiety, trepidation and enthusiasm. Who knows. But by 8.30 we are tucked up in bed and looking forward to a good night's sleep, save the loo calls. Mind you we seem to have those almost off pat by now and have learned not to deliberate but to get on with it. Day 4 Left Mwenzi at 8.30 for the long walk to Kibo. We were all in good spirits as we knew it was going to be a nice steady incline rather than the steep stuff we'd had yesterday. Firstly, we retraced our steps slightly then found ourselves on the saddle which is like a large open plain with 2 rather steep hills either side (Mwenzi and Kili). We could see the path that was predicted to take so long and which looked rather like something you might do on a Sunday afternoon on Dartmoor. But our baby steps and the distorting light made, what seemed close by, take forever. Just as we started the slight incline we saw the scattered remains of a small plane crash that had happened about 5 years ago. Very eerie. The dry atmosphere had kept everything intact and we were told the story of how a flight of 5 had crashed by failing to gain sufficient altitude. We stopped half way, where the crew had set up a kitchen and mess tent which seemed all very spoiling. Amazing what they come up with every time. We could clearly see the route up to Gillman rsquo;s which looked ridiculously steep but nothing too challenging. Ha. After lunch we set off for Kibo along the gentle track. Kibo camp was very busy with lots of chatter, excitement and the porters making a lot of noise as they set up their camps in the howling wind. I felt pretty groggy ndash; like the flue had returned. We had tea and then an early supper (6) so we could go to bed for a few hours before being woken up again at 11 for tea and snacks and ready in all our kit and headtorches for a midnight departure. We measure our oxygen levels ndash; now they were down to 79-84. I was definitely feeling nauseous and dodgy tummy so took a couple of immodiumClare and I were exhausted but I think the adrenalin stopped us sleeping so we weren't exactly on fire for the start but the altitude sickness had subsided slightly. At 11.30 we had cookies and tea coffee as a final refreshment then it was gloves, hats, jackets, rucksacks a-go-go. Day 5 What a way to start the day. We all lined up in the usual single file behind Kaen and headed off. The mountain was full of what looked like strings of fairy lights, as about 20 climb teams made their ascent and some of which had had made significant progress up the mountain. How jealous I was of their progress. It was a ridiculously slow pace, even more than we were used to, and seemed to start OK. Then we hit the gradient. Very soon we all started to feel a bit weird. The distance to go versus what we had achieved was enough to intimidate anyone. It became a struggle almost immediately. We would pass or be passed by other teams who were equally trepidatious and not showing any visible signs of enjoyment. Good we weren't the only ones. It must be one of the only challenges where overtaking someone is considered ignorant because of the necessity to acclimatise by going pole pole. We asked to stop quite early (Kaen had originally suggested 90 mins, 60 mins, 60 mins etc with 3 min breaks), but that didn't last long. We held out for the first hour then I think it was half hourly (max). Fortunately, Clare seems to have a small bladder so we were all very pleased with her frequent requests to stop. There's no doubt that all the walking we have done is extremely monotonous and even more so with this night time ascent. Altitude sickness soon kicked in for all of us. Peter felt nauseous, Clare was heady and out of breath, Eli had difficulty breathing. I felt drunk with a strong hangover thrown in. In fact much the same as I felt after Rosie's party. We all started going a bit dulally because your brain ceases to be capable of thought - what you're doing wholly taking up thought. For most of the ascent I was thinking I had 'that' hangover and that was all. Save later on where I simply counted to a thousand to fill in time. There was quite a wind but I enjoyed this initially - I think I probably had an altitude sickness temperature but later on this combined with local temperatures did mean we had to button up. nbsp; Shortly after half way Peter rsquo;s nausea was too much for him and he quit so Renaltus took him down. Shame. In fact quite a few people seemed to be bailing which made you feel good and bad. We reckoned Peter hadn rsquo;t drunk nearly enough water. But oh how painful and all encompassing altitude sickness is. Clare had a couple of panic attacks where she thought she might faint, Eli adopted a bent over pose and had to give his poles to Kaen because his gloves weren't warm enough. But we all got over ourselves, gritted our teeth, demanded lots of stops and eventually, scrambling exhausted over the top boulders, we made it to Gillman rsquo;s, 5700m. (The sun had started rising as we approached the top yet this was more of a quiet observation rather than appreciative enthusiasm). But brilliant. We had achieved but we were seriously underwhelmed due to exhaustion. Mohammed distributed Ginger tea which was OK (anything would seriously unimpress we felt so shite so probably the tea was fabulous) and all I wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep. But, oh no, get ready to go everyone. Just an hour and a half to Uhuru. I knew a lot of people gave up at Gilman rsquo;s but I felt I just about had it in me to keep going, certainly to Stella, but hopefully all the way if I dug deep enough. So on we went. I knew it was up and down to Stella and how lovely the downs were. I felt drunk, nauseous and had difficulty breathing and saw along the ridge fellow trekkers making their way to what I hoped was the top but suspected it might only be Stella. But struggled on we did, up and down lots of breathing, which I noted was much more rewarding thru the mouth, and I thought probably v loud, and we reached Stella. In fact, Stella was barely noticeable but that could be down to lack of observative skills on my part. We didn't even stop and made our way on. I knew it was only 45 mins and that I just had to do that because, in the scheme of things that was only such a small % of everything we had achieved thus far. My breathing got no easier, in fact nothing appeared to be easing. Stops were frequent if only for seemingly seconds. Hopefully it was safe for me to continue. Kaen didn't seem alarmed so I put my trust in him. We would pass people coming down who were all very cheery and would say encouraging words: well done, not far to go, easy now. I chose to believe them and started climbing the ridge feeling about 50% out of body. I was surprised we had to walk across snow but it was hard packed so not too bad. I hoped the snow wouldn't give me snow blindness. Gosh there are so many obstacles to overcome. Even though the path was relatively easy, I thought we'd never get there. But all good things come to those who endure and there it was: Uhuru, the highest point in Africa. We'd made it. 8.5 hours later. 5895m. I think we just about managed a congratulatory hug but that was about it in elation terms. There were a few photos by the sign - Clare had the Salcombe YC burgee and Eli his high school flags. I just wanted to sit down, relax and acclimatise but Kaen was keen we start the descent before any oedemas occurred. So back down to Stella and stop for Ginger tea. I think I felt slightly better, we were able to walk faster now which was nice and the nausea seemed to subside slightly. Then across to Gillman rsquo;s and over the boulders at the top. It looked a long way down. It was. The descent takes about 3 hours. After the boulders and bumpy paths it was all scree. We could have ambled down slowly but the scree allowed us to almost ski down which we did at high velocity - we were so delighted for altitude to be on our side and be able to breathe once more. But it was a long way down and quite testing on the legs. But nothing was going to stop us from getting back to Kibo huts asap. Eli was a little more careful than Clare and I but we were with reckless Kaen at this stage. The scree turned back to harder terrain about 3/4 of the way down. We joined hands with Kaen and marched back to camp. Hoorah. 12.30 ish. So celebratory iced tea and bed for an hour as a special treat. Peter had already left with Renaltus. Again, we couldn't sleep and the prospect of a 4-5 hour walk down to the next camp wasn't one we were looking forward to. Lunch in the mess tent, then pack up camp. We barely had the energy but got on with it and ready to go by 2.15. We were happy to turn our backs on Kibo. It was such a windy and desolate place. Lots of over excited porters, jubilant descendees (or not) and wide eyed enthusiasm for tonight's climbers. We tried to be as encouraging as possible but the greatest advice was it a challenge worth doing. How glad we were not to be in their shoes. So DOWN the well groomed path. No baby steps and room both in lung and path capacity to actually talk. How we enjoyed striding out. We walked back down the saddle down the Marangu route. So open plains and easy walking. The grasslands turned to bush with some rocky paths but altogether all much more groomed (or trodden) than Rongai. Horombo came with little exertion. After signing in and making up our tents, it was time for delicious supper. Our last supper on the mountain and fine it was. Spaghetti carbonara and fillet steak. Wow. Delicious. Horombo is still 3100m and very cold and windy. We watched with amusement all the newcomers - still looking very clean with their kit all shiny and new - just like themselves. We couldn't help but feel a bit smug. We were tucked up in bed by 9 and straight to sleep. We were exhausted. But happily agreed to get up early for the final hurdle. Day 6 6.00 wakeup with peppermint tea and water for washing. The dust was so ingrained now it seemed barely worth it but a quick scrub up, pack up, breakfast and out of there by 7.30. One problem: our legs were so stiff from the scree we could barely walk - it felt as though I had metal sheets inserted into my calves and thighs. Ouch. The walk was long but very beautiful. The bush turned to rainforest with such bright greens they seemed plastic. Tall trees covered in fluff (like cobwebs), rubbery plants and bright coloured flowers in between. A slightly damp atmosphere. Very refreshing. And a nice path underfoot to boot. After a couple of hours we crossed the new climbers. They were a real mixed bag and you could easily tell the difference between the professional and cheaper operators. Many groups seemed to be bouncing up which was a bit alarming but others were adopting the more pole pole way. We knew which ones were going to make it. We reached the next camp around noon where Clare took some great shots of a Collobus family. This camp was very green and lush and the buildings much more sophisticated than those on the north side. So, time for a little snack, then crack on we must. Our legs had seized up again and now we just wanted to get there. Fortunately the scenery was still very beautiful and we were all able to maintain an element of cheery chat. The walk from Horombo was 28k and it felt like it. By 2pm we reached the gate. It was over. Sign in and certificates issued. Last lunch in the tourist shelter, hand back hired kit, and gave Kaen our tips ($100) - although nothing from Peter very annoyingly (apparently Tanzanians don rsquo;t tip Tanzanians). We had to work out how much for each of the porters cook etc and then observe Kaen distributing. A bit tedious but, apparently, so we can see no dodgy dealings. My walking boots had come apart at the back so I asked one of the female porters if she'd like them. They were far too big but she seemed so thrilled she kept them. The other female porter seemed upset so Eli gave her a spare pair of sunglasses. She was happy. So, time for goodbyes and then back to Moivaro for that much needed shower we will miss Kaen's banter and funny laugh - huh-hugh. We were given a much nicer room at Moivaro and were excited to be returning the land of creature comforts. It was over. We'd done it. After a good night's sleep we could hold our heads high: we'd climbed the highest mountain in Africa. For the 40+ something female that's used to a few luxuries, I would recommend taking the following in addition to the recommended list: top moisturiser (with a very clean fragrance) - top lip salve (Arden 8 hour works well) - very moisturising body moisturiser - flannel amp; shower gel (to use with hot water) - facial and biodegradable body wipes (if caught short without a loo) nbsp;- dried mango/coco mango - fruit n nut - chewing gum/mints nbsp; - a pillow if you can fit it in - ear plugs if you're used to them nbsp; I nbsp;travelled with Safari amp;Beach and nbsp;who recommended nbsp;Nature Discovery as the local operator and guide team. Climb dates: Monday 12 July to Saturday 17 July, 2010 http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/54/My Kili Diary/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/54/My Kili Diary/ Did you know that helmeted guineafowls spend their days feeding on the ground, but roost in trees at night to avoid predators? Some Luangwa leopards, however, have become adept at hunting them in the treetops! http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/52/Safari Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/52/Safari Trivia/ Game viewing has been wonderful. There rsquo;s a pride of 17 lions around the Mfuwe area at the moment. The carnivore monitoring team tell us they think it rsquo;s an offshoot of the huge, 24 strong Mwamba pride. The pride killed three young buffalo in the week and have been providing exciting times for guests. nbsp; More good news about lions ndash; the Kakuli pride have emerged with tiny cubs. There was the most amazing sighting of a caracal in Nsolo late one night. She looked like a young female ndash; very skinny but otherwise healthy, nbsp;and a couple nbsp;watched her for over 20 minutes. Those amazing ear tufts, that red coat and those eyes hellip; hellip; what a find! http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/53/South Luangwa June/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/53/South Luangwa June/ Did you know that spotted hyenas make up to ten different types of vocalisation? Recent studies have shown that the pitch of the hyena's quot;laugh quot; reveals its age, nbsp; Whoops quot;, with long inter-whoop intervals, are primarily used to signal that two individuals have become separated, quot;Grunts quot; or quot;soft growls quot; are emitted when hyenas of the same clan come into close contact. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/51/Safari Trivia: Laughing Hyenas/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/51/Safari Trivia: Laughing Hyenas/ Did you know that recent research shows that a clear record of an elephant's diet can be obtained from analyzing the proteins that make up their tail hairs. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/50/Safari Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/50/Safari Trivia/ Central Kalahari Wonderful game all round here in the remote Kalahari. On Tau Pan itself we have had the pleasure of regular sightings of a female Cheetah with a sub adult and cub. They have been seen almost daily doing their best to avoid the two resident male Lions that outweigh the slim line Cheetahs over five to one! There was a unique sighting of a Honey Badger predating a Leopard Tortoise on one morning game drive. The Chelonians solid defences could not save him as the Badger managed to paw his way through the carapace and into the soft centre! nbsp; We are still seeing the three Cheetah brothers at Jackal Pan on a regular basis and there have been some good Lion sightings in Deception Valley where they seem to favour preying on the numerous desert Gemsbok. While on a champagne breakfast a lucky group of staff and guests witnessed the rare sighting of an African Polecat. These small black and white mammals are closely related to Weasels and Honey Badgers and if disturbed release a potent toxic odour to deter attackers Makgadikadi amp; Nxai Another stunning summer month at Nxai Pan this February. Impressive rains are continuing to sustain the thousands of antelope gathered on the Pans. Some guests were treated to a goodnight surprise one night while walking to bed. Their guides spotted some eye movement in the bushes and out shot a male Leopard who hastily scampered for safety away from the nosy people. With a nervous look over its shoulder is skulked into the Trumpet Thorn, no doubt to continue its night hunting. On the Pan itself the two Cheetah boys are often seen stalking the hapless Impala and Springbok on the eastern fringes towards the woodlands. Two lionesses were also spotted hunting an Ostrich one morning on the Pan. The hunt was ultimately unsuccessful with the speedy bird finally getting away. Perhaps a lucky escape for a lioness as the Ostrich kick has enormous power and could cause considerable damage. We have also spotted the Buffalos again towards Khama Khama Pan and expect them to stick around for the next couple of months until the rain finally subsides. Lying on the sun decks at Nxai in the afternoon, guest can also be fortunate enough to see Elephants and Zebras quenching their thirst at the waterhole. Okavango Delta The 2010 floodwater is upon us at Kwara once again. The extreme western areas of the concession have begun to rise ever so slowly in anticipation of the big push that will be coming in the next couple of months. The annual flood is a natural miracle of nature that provides multitudes of animal rsquo;s precious water supplies in the dry season as the surrounding Kalahari droughts. Buffalos, Elephants and a host of other game migrates into the floodplains to swell the animal populations and booster already spectacular game viewing for guests. Kwara is home to a new Leopard cub after a month old animal was spotted with its mother several times over the last few weeks. The pair are still understandably shy and defensive but lucky guests at Kwara have still managed to get some spectacular shots of our newest addition. The seven male Lions are still separated into two smaller groups at the moment and only meet up occasionally. One group was seen with a female who was spoilt for choice about which one to mate. Elsewhere we have been seeing Wild Dogs in the Tsum Tsum area once again this month. Kwando amp; Linyanti The Kwando River has also begun its annual rise just as its sister river, the Okavango, has begun to swell. The river has its source through the various tributaries in western Zambia and the rise in February is merely the vanguard from the first rains that fell up there in November. It takes several months for the water to travel down into Botswana just as the pans in the woodlands are beginning to dry. For now however, the Pans are still full as there has also been healthy rain in Northern Botswana this year. Vast herds of Elephants and Buffalos are dispersed in the Mopane woodlands west of Lagoon camp. The three Cheetah brothers were seen pulling down an Impala right in front of a safari vehicle close to half way Pan. The ambush was pulled off to perfection with one brother heading off behind the Impalas to cut off their escape. From then on the chosen victim did not really stand a chance. Hyenas now occupy the old Wild Dog den from 2009 with their own pups protected in the disused termite mound labyrinth of tunnels. Protection and anonymity is vital as three marauding lionesses have been spotted in the vicinity of the den. Elsewhere, bird and reptile life have been abundant of late. A Snouted Cobra was seen on a game drive and a Mozambique Spitting Cobra was seen close to camp climbing up a Large Fever Berry Tree. Migrant birds are still in the area before their long migration back to Central and Northern Africa and we had an excellent sighting of giant Martial Eagle swooping down and taking an Egyptian Goose in its talons. Visitors to Lebala this month were stunned to see a strange resident for these parts. A juvenile Lesser Flamingo took up residence in the floodplain directly in front of the drop off area and staff accommodation and stayed for a whole week. These migratory birds are not usually resident in the area and this one was obviously passing through on its way to either Lake Ngami or the Makgadikgadi Pans. Some splendid photos were taken by the fortunate guests. Elsewhere we have been very fortunate in Wild Dog sightings. Two packs have been regularly sited ndash; one of which contains 16 dogs and the other 9. We have been lucky enough to regularly follow them hunting and they have a high success rate. Strength by numbers usually ensures an Impala or Kudu stands little chance of escape if the dogs are a full team. We have also been seeing two male Leopards on a fairly regular basis. The choice of prey seems once again to be the hapless Impalas who are being picked on by all the predators this month. Cheetah and Lions have also been spotted from time to time lying up in the Kalahari Star Apple and Candle Pod Acacias in the middle of the day to protect them from the heat. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/49/Botswana Sightings/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/49/Botswana Sightings/ Did you know that leopards have been recorded feeding on over 90 different prey species? Their diet includes insects, rodents, birds, reptiles and carrion, but medium sized antelopes are a favourite target. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/48/Safari Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/48/Safari Trivia/ Did you know that the collective noun for a group of oxpeckers is a quot;fling quot;? http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/47/Twitcher Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/47/Twitcher Trivia/ Maun Residents in the Maun area have seen an exotic and dangerous array of African wildlife in recent weeks. The large rains in the village have brought out a vast array of venomous snakes including Puff Adders (Lebolobolo), Black Mambas and Mozambique Spitting Cobras (M rsquo;Fezi). Staying with the reptile theme, one lucky boatman on the Boro River witnessed the rare sight of a Chameleon braving the deep waters of the main channel to cross to the other side. Swimmers in the Thamalakane and Boro Rivers have also spotted decent sized Crocodiles that have returned with the larger floods of recent years. These floods have brought with them the schools of breeding fish that the Crocodiles predominantly feed on. Elsewhere, on the peripheries of the town there have been sights of Elephants feeding in the Mopane forests and troops of Monkeys gleefully feeding on newly ripened fruits. Central Kakahari The central Kalahari is teeming with wildlife as this successful rainy season continues to encourage vegetation and mammals alike. The blanket of green that is Tau Pan is dotted with thousands of dark shapes that on closer inspection include Springbok, Giraffe, Red Hartebeest, Wildebeest and Gemsbok. Two resident males have made themselves heard this January on Tau Pan. Barely a night has gone by when the roaring has not been heard. They are frequently seen passing close by the camp and sitting on the Pan, providing good photo opportunities. Over in Deception Valley Lions were also seen on a Gemsbok carcass they had pulled down the night before. On Phejuke Pan we have had several sightings of three Cheetah brothers stalking the large Springbok population there. Several less common mammals have been seen which makes for very unique game driving. The anonymous Aardwolf was spotted foraging on the Deception/Tau cut line and the Cape Fox has been seen at intervals on the various Pans. Black Backed Jackals, a rare Caracal and plenty of Honey Badgers (Matswane) are also around. Furthermore, we have had two strange bird sightings for these dry parts. The African Jacana which is synonymous with the Water Lillie rsquo;s of the Okavango Delta was seen on the arid Tau pan and the Dwarf Bittern (Heron) which is difficult to spot even in the waters of the Okavango was seen at Deception Valley at what must be the very southern extremity of their range. Makgadikadi amp; Nxai This month has seen the return of the Buffalo herds to Nxai Pan. Since the rain started it has taken them two months to trek from Chobe National Park through the wilderness to Nxai Pan. Here they will graze the new grasses until the rains stop before migrating back north for permanent water. The immense Zebra migration goes on to the amazement of guests at Nxai Camp. Thousands of Zebra are concentrated from Baines Baobabs all the way to Khama Khama Pan in the North of the park. Fresh, lush grasses are providing excellent nutrition for young foals to grow strong in time for the harsh Kalahari winter. Resident Lions of the pan are also enjoying this season of plenty and are routinely picking off the weak and the young from the vast herds. The open area in front of the camp before the water hole appears to be becoming a lucky site for cat kills. Once again this month we were treated to the spectacle of Lions consuming their lunch nearby our own dining room! Cheetahs have also been abundant of late. A female Cheetah and her young cub were seen feeding on a Steenbok (Phuduhudu) for a whole afternoon. The two male Cheetahs are a frequent site on the main Nxai Pan, often stalking Impala in the woodland or Springbok on the Pan. Many bachelor herds of Elephants are in the area around the water holes, Giraffes in large herds (Journeys) and plentiful plains game. Migratory birds such as European and Purple Rollers and Wahlbergs Eagles are still in the area as well as several good sightings of reptiles such as Chameleons, Rock Monitors and snakes Okavango Delta The seven male Lions of Kwara have split into two smaller groups for now ndash; perhaps as a reaction to the scattered game since the rains came. One group of four moved north to the Tsum Tsum channel while the remaining three remained closer to the Shinde main road. One eye and her two female descendants have been on the hunt quite regularly and were observed one night taking down a Kudu in the thick woodlands which is there preferred habitat. A family of six Cheetahs including last years star mother of five cubs was seen hunting Impala across Tsum Tsum mabala. The hunt provided excellent photographic opportunities for the lucky guests and it is great to see the family being so successful after all the trials of growing up last year. At Tsum Tsum we also had a pack of Wild Dogs that were extraordinarily mobile. The same dogs had been seen at the Santawani area of the Okavang Delta only a few weeks before and must have travelled at least 150km but probably a lot more to get here. Additionally, they would have had to cross the Maunichura or Khwai River which is a deep water crossing covered in a Papyrus reed bed. This is a fine example of the tenacity and endurance of these extraordinary animals. The camp itself is still enjoying excellent views across the lagoon of over 60 hippos that are becoming increasingly intense as competition for space hots up. The fresh flood water is still months away so the Hippos will have no choice but to fight or move on. All this should make excellent game viewing at the camp. Kwando amp; Linyanti Some stunning evenings have been spent on top of the brand new Lagoon double decker boat looking on with satisfaction at the beautiful summer sunsets. Stunning mosaics and colours illuminate the clouds as guests sip on Gin and Tonics and watch the sun go down. Hippos and Crocodiles are abundant in the Kwando main channel along with the elusive Sitatunga that hides in the Papyrus reed forests floating on the permanent waters. On the dense riverine islands we have seen a host of interesting animals from troops of Baboons and Monkeys to African Rock Pythons and the piscivorous Pels Fishing Owl. Out on the floodplains the game has been spectacular. Wild Dogs have been seen on a number of occasions chasing Red Lechwe and Waterbuck through the shallows. Buffalos and Elephants still come down to drench their thirst in the baking midday heat before returning back into the rich grazing areas of the west. Once in the woodlands we have seen our three Cheetah brothers many times. During the heat of the day they tend to rest up under the Blue Bushes waiting for an unsuspecting Impala to come past. Hunting usually occurs at slightly cooler temperatures but still diurnally to protect their kills against the heavyweight nocturnal hunters such as Lions, Hyenas and Leopards. Further out still towards the western Mopane the resident Lions have been following the Buffalo herds. A total of five Lions including two males were seen on a Buffalo kill towards the upper Kwando and stayed there for over three days feasting. This month has seen an explosion of life on the Lebala plains. Countless young antelopes frequent the grassy fields and the bird life has been quite staggering. Pelicans, Cranes, Storks, Herons along with summer migrants such as Yellow Billed Kite, Carmine Bee Eaters and European Rollers have been involved in a feeding frenzy throughout the area. Other small animals of interest include the nesting Foam Nest Frogs whose nests can be seen hanging over the areas pans and other potential spawning areas. The resident Lesser Spotted Genet has returned and can often be seen spying on guests at supper! Large breeding herds of Elephants are still prominent in the east towards the floodplains but in lesser numbers now that the Mopane pans are full. The occasional party of dagga boy Buffalos still strut around the western pans and there are countless harems of Impalas and Zebras scattered through the bush. On the predator front we have been fortunate to see two packs of Wild Dogs around Lebala this January. One of these packs consists of 16 dogs and the other of just 6. Generally the larger the Wild Dog pack the more successful a hunting unit they are and this has certainly been proven to be correct in this case. While the six dogs were not observed killing any prey successfully by our Guides, the sixteen had four recorded kills. Three Impala and a Steenbok. Three Cheetah brothers have also been seen on occasion, usually stalking Impala through the Mopane woodland. One huge Tom cat Leopard that has become a regular sighting at Lebala was seen dragging a Wildebeest calf into a Sausage tree for safe keeping. The three male Lions brothers have also been spotted patrolling the roads and marking their territory. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/44/Botswana Safari Report/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/44/Botswana Safari Report/ This month a new pride of ten lions has been seen crossing the main road going down to Nzelekela lake, nearest to Selous Impala Camp. Are they trying to take over the territory of the already established pride and to chase away the current three members with their two newly born cubs? Not at all! They are too young to fight and posses a territory. All ten members of the pride are about 4 years old, very healthy. They are very shy and alert. For sure it is a sign that they are not from the areas around. These young lions have migrated from their original pride on reaching adolescence. So we think they were on a study tour of a new area, but who knows they might consider the very rich Nzelekela area as their territory in future. They were seen after two weeks within the same area for the second time.....still showing extreme wariness. We all would wish to see them coming back to be part of our surroundings. Above all, the Nzelekela pride of three - two females and a male, with two tiny cubs is perfect, doing great even with all the pressure behind them for the territory, as not only the new pride, but also the Lake Siwandu pride of lions with two 8 months old cubs were seen close by. In the last months the Siwandu pride has been seen with injured members and all seem very unhealthy. Unfortunately the two cubs from Siwandu were seen on their own, deserted by the pride. One of the cubs was recently seen on the ground dead of starvation being still too young to hunt . The other one was still alive but very skinny. Since that day the live cub has not been seen with the rest of the Siwandu pride....no one knows what happened to her, we all hope she made it, but the lion world is very harsh. About a month ago, one of the Siwandu females left the pride (and this is one of the reasons that created the unhealthy balance of the pride, as she is the leader). She has given birth to new cubs that are still hidden somewhere in the bush and none of us have seen them yet. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/45/Lions In Selous, Tanzania/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/45/Lions In Selous, Tanzania/ The recent sight of a male leopard just outside the Camp raised our ears and made us think more about Mdonya Leopards seen in the area around the camp this last year. Leopard Females sightings are most frequent here. During one of our most gripping experiences with leopards in 2009, Eva Voogd managed to get this shot mentioned as quot;best picture of 2009 from Mdonya Old River Camp quot;. That evening a family of three leopards was seen, but only one of them, nicknamed Ceci by us, exhibited a special confidence with cars: jumping almost on the roof canvas. At her attempt, with all of us holding our breath, the tree didn't offer the stability necessary to make the leap. Maybe next time we will find out if our roof canvas is leopard resistant!! Mdonya Males: on the 13th of January 2010 Massimo Dameri's patience was rewarded. At a distance of 30m the leopard was half covered in the green grass. A few minutes later the leopard made its way to the car. With the leopard 5 meters away in the open, a beautiful portrait could be made of this young adult leopard. Last August 2009, a huge male leopard was caught by our trap cameras. nbsp; Comparing with Massimo's leopard, the different body masses show clearly that it was two different animals and a zoomed analysis on the spots confirms it. nbsp; nbsp; So is Mdonya Camp territory of two male leopards? It is not unusual that leopard territories partially overlap. It has been recorded in Tsavo that leopards share as much as 70% of their ranges. Scratching and scraping ground, spraying urine are avoidance mechanisms as fights can be cruel. In any case more has to be investigated about the Leopards of Mdonya. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/46/Leopard In Ruaha, Tanzania/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/46/Leopard In Ruaha, Tanzania/ Did you know that leopards nbsp;tails are so long nbsp;so they can nbsp;act as counterbalances when running, jumping or climbing trees? http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/42/Safari Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/42/Safari Trivia/ BBC Big Cat Diary's Jonathan Scott amp; legendary BCC guide and wildlife expert Phil Berry will be leading a once-in-a-lifetime safari (at Mfuwe Lodge) in South Luangwa Nov 03-10th, 2010. nbsp; nbsp; Contact us now to see how you might be able to join in such a fantastic trip to Zambia. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/43/Big Cat Diary In Zambia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/43/Big Cat Diary In Zambia/ Did you know that baby hippos are usually born on land or in shallow water, but suckle underwater? They remain with their mothers for up to eight years. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/40/Safari Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/40/Safari Trivia/ Junket author Lionel Shriver plugs paradise. nbsp; Author's new novel has glowing references to a resort where she enjoyed a free holiday worth pound;5,000 on the island of Pemba. For most of us it is a pipe dream in which we drink cocktails on a wooden deck lapped by the waters of the Indian Ocean and bathed in African sunshine. That rsquo;s how the hero of Lionel Shriver rsquo;s new novel sees it. But not Shriver. In need of a holiday and looking for ideas for her next work, the Orange prize-winning novelist landed a week rsquo;s junket in paradise worth more than pound;5,000. It is common practice for well-known authors to write travel pieces for Sunday papers. But Shriver, 52, who changed her first name at 15 to suit her tomboy spirit, has broken new ground by getting a holiday company and a resort to fund her research for her new novel, So Much for That. The research was hardly taxing. Shriver stayed in a pound;775-a-night suite on an isolated island off the coast of Africa. ldquo;I often go to places on other people rsquo;s dime, rdquo; she said last week. Those who turn to the acknowledgments section buried at the back of the book, which is published in March, will find her thank-you note for the hospitality at the resort. She says she is grateful to the owners and managers of Fundu Lagoon on the island of Pemba, 50 miles northeast of Zanzibar, ldquo;for enabling me to be obscenely pampered with sundowners, coconut curries and lemon-grass oil massages all under the hilariously respectable guise of doing lsquo;research rsquo; rdquo;. Her stay there is part of a growing trend. Hotels and resorts, keen to attract customers, are seeking plugs. Authors, facing a cap on advances, are looking for free stays to research books. Even big-budget Hollywood movies are not exempt. Up in the Air, George Clooney rsquo;s latest film, is awash with on-screen plugs for the Hilton hotel group as part of a multi-million-dollar deal. In one scene Clooney even explains how he is able to jump the queue at check-in because he is part of the Hilton Honors loyalty scheme. However, Shriver rsquo;s half-hidden thank-you note is a far cry from Fay Weldon, who openly acknowledged that she was being paid by Bulgari, the Italian jeweller, to mention it a dozen times in The Bulgari Connection. ldquo;I don rsquo;t care, rdquo; she said at the time. ldquo;They never give me the Booker prize anyway. rdquo; Shriver, who won the Orange prize and pound;30,000 in 2005 for We Need to Talk About Kevin, chose a resort that was created by Ellis Flyte, the Scottish fashion designer.... She was able to watch the sun go down while sipping cocktails, enjoy Swahili feasts and indulge in massages from two Balinese spa therapists. The novelist even penned a travel piece for The Sunday Times on her return to pay for any incidentals. In her latest book, the main character, Shep Knacker, who has been saving all his life for retirement abroad, only to see it threatened when his wife is diagnosed with cancer, shares her enthusiasm for the resort. Pemba is mentioned every few pages while Fundu Lagoon gets eight direct mentions, even down to the price of the superior suite. ldquo;The resort rsquo;s comically palatial luxury was perfect for this recuperative pause, rdquo; Shriver writes. ldquo;Catered meals, towels the size of bedsheets in high thread-count Egyptian cotton, and their encampment rsquo;s generous provision of everything that Shep might have forgotten: floppy straw sunhats, sandalwood shampoo, organic hibiscus teabags, bug spray, mosquito coils, straw carrier bags for beachcombing, and a copy of Africa Birds and Birding, not to mention the iced bottle of champagne and chilled glasses that greeted them on arrival. rdquo; Shriver rsquo;s endorsement is likely to have a knock-on effect among her readers, just as Louis de Berni egrave;res rsquo;s Captain Corelli rsquo;s Mandolin made Cephalonia a prime holiday destination among the Greek isles. Those who head for Pemba will find few places to stay apart from Fundu Lagoon and a backpackers rsquo; lodge. Shriver said: ldquo;The acknowledgment in the book is meant to be a thank you. I have heard from several readers who have seen proof copies that they are thinking of booking a holiday there. ldquo;This is not a product placement deal. I took the trip with a dual purpose and was completely upfront about that. I wanted to go there because this was where I decided to end my book. I was under no obligation to put Fundu Lagoon in it. rdquo; A spokeswoman for HarperCollins, Shriver rsquo;s publisher, said: ldquo;This was a private arrangement. rdquo; (Source: Sunday Times, 24.01.10) http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/39/Author Lionel Shriver Plugs Fundu/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/39/Author Lionel Shriver Plugs Fundu/ Where do you go when you really want to get away from it all? nbsp; To the lesser known islands off Tanzania, says Claire Gervat, who finds empty beaches and waters filled with incredible sea life. nbsp; CN nbsp;Traveller: February 2010 Issue. nbsp; Editor's letter: quot;Having just come back from the East African coast, I can confirm that the sea really is the brilliant turquoise and the white-sand beaches as pristine as the ones you'll see on page 116. Tanzania's lesser-known islands north and south of Zanzibar are quite simply sensational, says Claire Gervat; and if, after the hectic Christmas season, you just need to get away from it all, this is definitely the place to go. quot; http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/41/Get Away From It All In Zanzibar Says C N Traveller/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/41/Get Away From It All In Zanzibar Says C N Traveller/ Did you know that the horns of a male buffalo differ from those of a female by broadening into a heavy shield, known as a boss, across the forehead? Horn length may be as long as 160 cm along the outer curve in large males, with a horizontal spread greater than 90 cm. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/38/Safari Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/38/Safari Trivia/ Did you know that the pied kingfisher is believed to be the world's longest bird (measured bill to tail) that can sustain hovering flight in still air? This hovering ability allows it to hunt over shallow water without a perch. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/37/Safari Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/37/Safari Trivia/ Despite it being low season and rainy season, nbsp;there have been some exciting nbsp;sightings: Kwando amp; nbsp;Linyanti Two Male Lions have already been sighted killing a Zebra close to halfway pan early this year and they are heard roaring every night from Lebala Camp. nbsp; A large shower on New Years Day has encouraged more and more plains game to congregate close to Lebala and graze on the fresh grasses. Among them Red Lechwe, Tsesebe, Zebra, Wildebeest, Impala, nbsp;Waterbuck and Reedbuck. nbsp; Elephant herds continue to visit the area threading their way in and out of the Mopane forests to the West Lucky guests in the last few days have been treated to Wild Dogs hunting around the airstrip area of Lagoon Camp. Eventually they had success in chasing down a young Kudu bull which they killed in shallow water. nbsp; In addition, three brother Cheetahs have been seen already in the New Year lying up in some Kalahari Star Apple bushes. nbsp; Buffalo herds have been gradually moving north with the rain but the infamous males or lsquo;Dagga Boys rsquo; are still to be seen on the borders. Giraffe, Zebra and Elephant are a coming sight throughout Lagoons range this early January Okavango Delta Kwara concession has been pumping these last few days with a full array of predator and prey for all to see. The seven male Lions of Kwara were followed on a night drive over a distance of 5km on a hunt before they disappeared into thick scrub. nbsp; Three male Cheetahs were sighted yesterday and the day before on an Impala kill they had made early in the morning by the Shinde Road. A Leopard was also seen on a night drive last night. nbsp; There are now up to 80 Hippos in the Lediba (Lagoon) infront of the camp as competition for the deepest water intensifies with the dropping of the flood. Makgadikadi amp; Nxai Lucky guests early in the year have had the privilege of seeing two Lions successfully hunting a Zebra from the great migration, and feeding with their two cubs. The event took place close to Nxai Camp itself and provided excellent photographic opportunities. The migration from the Boteti and Khwai Rivers is now in full flow and there are literally thousands of Zebra, Springbok, Giraffe and Gemsbok to be seen. Central Kalahari A family of Meercats was amongst the highlights of the first week of 2010. The charismatic creatures were on top form as ducked and dived in and out of the ground and played with each other. nbsp; Elsewhere, five Wild Dogs have been sighted on the pan and the two big male Lions of Tau have also been around the water hole. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/35/Latest Report From Botswana/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/35/Latest Report From Botswana/ Did you know that play, both with adults and litter mates, helps young lions to develop such skills as stalking and pouncing? http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/36/Safari Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/36/Safari Trivia/ Did you know that the Nile Crocodile has between 64 and 68 cone shaped teeth, which are constantly being replaced as they get lost or damaged? An individual tooth lasts for about 2 years and a single crocodile might go through over 2000 teeth in its lifetime. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/33/Safari Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/33/Safari Trivia/ In March this year nine celebrities undertook the mammoth challenge of climbing the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Comic Relief. Thanks to the support of the British public their incredible effort raised over pound;3.5 million and this month six of the climbers will travel to Uganda to see for themselves how some of that money is helping to fight malaria, Africa's biggest killer. Ben Shephard, Chris Moyles, Fearne Cotton, Gary Barlow, Kimberley Walsh and Ronan Keating will be assisting with the distribution of half a million mosquito nets, and witnessing how these simple items can help save lives. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/29/Kilimanjaro Celebrities See The Net Result/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/29/Kilimanjaro Celebrities See The Net Result/ One of nature rsquo;s greatest dramas, the wildebeest migration, has once again moved its performance. This time it is the southern Serengeti in Tanzania that is the stage, with the dramatic spectacle currently playing out around nbsp;Kusini. The herds have returned, trailed by predators. The flames of old rivalries are being rekindled, creating some magnificent game sightings. It rsquo;s an experience not to be missed as photographs will not do justice to what is truly is one of the greatest shows on Earth! http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/30/Migration Returns To Southern Serengeti/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/30/Migration Returns To Southern Serengeti/ Did you know that gorillas can be identified by nose prints that are unique to each individual? Or that upright, males can reach 1.5 ndash;1.8 metres in height and weigh between 204 ndash;227 kg? The tallest silverback recorded was 1.94m and the heaviest weighed about 265kg. Each gorilla builds a nest from surrounding vegetation to sleep in, constructing a new nest every night, with the exception of infants who sleep with their mothers. Gorillas have no mating season and it usually the females who initiate mating behavior. A newborn gorilla weighs about 1.8 kg and spends the first few months of its life in constant physical contact with its mother. Weaning occurs around three years, although juveniles may remain with their mothers for years after that. A gorilla rsquo;s life expectancy is up to over 40 years of age http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/31/Gorilla Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/31/Gorilla Trivia/ This month the Selous welcomed the beginning of the short rains, the land was thirsty and the landscape was very dry. It has been great to see almost everything come back to life, as the new shoots came out from those deciduous trees that had no leaves and golden grasses on the ground have been now replaced by the green. Lots of Lilies appeared after the first rain, including Fireball lilies. It's amazing to see newly born Impala accompanying their mothers, tiny piglets trotting behind their Warthog mothers and all enjoying, learning and discovering what is around in their new world. It's a great time for the herbivores but also for carnivores that are now having an increased and healthy food supply in their menu. For the birders, it has been a successful month of rare sightings of the uncommon Pel's Fishing Owl and the very rare dark morph of the Little Egret along the Rufiji river. A pair of the most powerful eagles of Africa, the African Crowned Eagle, were seen grubbing and scooping up a two weeks old baby impala around Mzizimia lake recently. But a sad story follows after all this pleasant news; mother nature showed us her darker side this month. It concerned our Nzelekela Leopard female. She was an amazing leopard, very confident with the cars, not shy at all, very unusual behaviour for a cat. In the last two seasons our guests had good chances to observe her at length and in the last two months she has been seen with two little cubs in the wild plain between Siwandu and Nzelekela lakes. nbsp; nbsp; Unfortunately a few nights ago she was involved in a fight, probably caused by food competition between predators, or protecting her territory, or simply hunting a male impala and the following day she was seen lying down suffering under a tree seriously injured. She was struggling to survive, but she did not make it. She died in the night leaving behind two five month old cubs. nbsp; We have been driving out searching for the poor cubs, as it is unlikely that they can manage on their own, but in vain and no one has seen them since. nbsp; It's very sad, we will miss her a lot, but this is the wild side of Africa, this is the circle of life. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/28/Rains Arrive In Selous/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/28/Rains Arrive In Selous/ Green season in Botswana marks the time of year when the bush and its surrounds turn into bright colours. The season also welcomes the arrival of newborn animals and several migratory birds such as Woolley Necked Stocks, Yellow Billed Kites and the ldquo;rainbow birds rdquo;, the Southern Carmine Bee Eaters. These strikingly coloured birds are very sociable, gathering in large flocks. Their breeding season, between August and November, is spent in Chobe National Park. They move onto South Africa in the summer months and the rest of the year is spent in Equatorial Africa. The Chobe floodplains have also been home to some of the largest gatherings of buffalo and elephant this season. Just this past week Kebby, one of our guides, counted close to five hundred buffalos and almost three hundred elephants, a movement triggered by the onset of rains. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/32/Rainbow Of Migratory Birds In Botswana/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/32/Rainbow Of Migratory Birds In Botswana/ The weather amp; the plains: October was a dry, hot and dusty month with the odd splash of rain in the first couple of weeks and a good few days of rain at the end. The plains now look as if a million animals have come through, which of course they have. The migration however has left a large amount of fertilizer, which after a good season of rain should mean the plains grasses will reach 4 foot again. Indeed after the 8mm of rain nbsp;received on the 28th and 29th the plains were transformed in a matter of days from a dry, brown to a vibrant emerald green. nbsp; The Migration: nbsp; Large herds of wildebeest grazing around the Musiara Marsh for the first half of the month. They then headed off down toward the Talek River and south looking for fresh pastures to graze. There have also been large concentrations of wildebeest in the Mara Triangle area, the west side of the Mara River. Hot air balloon safaris pass right over this area and guests flying in the balloon have had wonderful views of the great herds. There are still some river crossings with wildebeest coming in from the west. The wildebeest still have to cross back over the river on their return back to the Serengeti. nbsp; The majority of the zebras remain to the east of the Masai Mara with smaller groups moving through Musiara, Rhino Ridge and Paradise plains areas. General News: The Rhino have been fairly elusive through October, however we have enjoyed some great sightings from the hot air balloon. October saw the arrival of many young Thomson Gazelle and impala fawns. Some of these fawns have fallen prey to some of the opportunistic predators around such as the Martial Eagles and larger male baboons. With the grass drying out on the plains the resident families of elephant have spent much of their time feeding on the lush grasses of the Musiara swamp and forest areas. Some days we have seen up to 50 individual elephants happily feeding in the cool swamp waters. The Cats: The Marsh Pride of lions are in great condition after having the wildebeest migration located in the heart of their territory for the last few months. The two pride males are looking tough and proud, they have a few scratches but nothing out of the ordinary, the lionesses are fit and strong. The young cubs are growing by the day and participating in some of the hunts, as well as initiating their own to but to no avail. As the wildebeest migration moves down into the Serengeti the pride will need to work a little harder to feed themselves. Perhaps in preparation for this the pride have already taken down a buffalo near Private Camp which is a bold move. The Paradise Pride have been spending their time down by the Mara River waiting for the wildebeest to cross back and forth. Notch has been spending time with one of his sons and the lionesses have been together with their seven cubs. Sadly one seems to be missing. The pride still has plenty of prey in their territory as the wildebeest are still coming across the river. Recently 2 lionesses have been located between both pride territories near the Mara River with two two month old cubs. They seem to have just come out from hiding and will soon introduce their cubs to the rest of their pride. This month nbsp;three brother cheetahs in the Masai Mara, Kenya nbsp;are doing extraordinarily well. With their combined strength and team work they have taken down sub adult zebras and wildebeest, large meals for cheetahs. Shakira and her three cubs are doing well. They spent some of the month on a walkabout, going as far afield as Tanzania and making their way across the Mara River. She could be showing her cubs other areas outside of their comfort zones before they become independent of their mother. The cubs are nearly fully grown and will soon have to go their own way and find their own home ranges to live and hunt in. Three, healthy, grown female cheetah cubs is very good news for the Masai Mara's ecosystem. Olive and her two leopard cubs are doing amazingly well. She was once seen with three kills in nearby trees. Leopards will often larder their kills in provision for lean times. She is however in a prime spot with her favourite meal; Thomson Gazelle in the area year round. The female leopard which traverses between Governors and Little Governors crossing point has been seen regularly, quietly disappearing into the forest. A couple of other lesser known leopards, a male and a female have been seen this month down river from Private Camp. The Serval cat has been fairly frequently sighted this month as the grass is short and is much more conspicuous. After the few days of rain at the end of the month, nbsp;there have been nbsp;vast numbers of quot;flying ants quot; reproductive termites taking to the air. These termites have buttery abdomens and are full of protein, a good source of nutrition for many animals and birds. The birding has been very good with the arrival of some of the migrants have into the marsh and river area. The Narina Trogon has been seen frequently along the forest line. The brown parrots have been feasting on the fruit of the African Greenheart tree (Warburgia Ugandensis) leaving pieces littered all over the ground. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/27/October Migration Report/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/27/October Migration Report/ A pack of wild dogs have been regularly seen on the Chobe River flood plains, Botswana. Guests were on a sundowner cruise watching a herd of elephants swimming across the river when they saw the wild dogs in hot pursuit of an impala running towards the river. The impala did not hesitate when it got to the river and instinctively started swimming towards one of the islands. Halfway across the river a crocodile grabbed the impala and drowned it barely twenty meters away from the guests on their boat. Meanwhile the wild dogs had started chasing a second impala which also plunged into the water but this time made it across to one of the islands. Guests saw lions virtually every day this past week, three of those on a kill! http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/26/Wild Dog In Botswana/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/26/Wild Dog In Botswana/ This month has seen large concentrations of wildebeest and gazelles mostly in the Musiara area, continuing down the Mara River to Paradise plains and over to look out hill. After some initial indecisiveness and a little rain, large herds of wildebeest have decided to spend considerable amount of time with us. The Mara River runs North to South from its water shed the Mau Forest into the Serengeti, then deviates West into Lake Victoria which in total is a 395km journey. A large portion of the migration move westward towards the river in search of grazing, even though there is still grass where they have come from there is an unexplainable driving force to cross the river. The viewing from the balloon has been exceptional this month as their flight path takes in the Mara River, the Olpunyata swamp and the Eluai plains in the Mara triangle. They have had great sightings of the migration, lion, leopard and the occasional rhino. The main herds of zebras numbering somewhere in the region of 200 000 have remained mostly to the East of the reserve, with scattered herds along the river. During September we have been lucky enough to have seen the birth of a variety of species in the Mara. The zebras have their fuzzy brown foals, two topi calves have been seen up at the air strip following their mothers very cautiously, tiny piglets following the mother warthog in a train, tails high in the air and the gazelles who lay low, ears flat in the grass hiding from their predators. We are still awaiting the ostrich chicks which, often hatch in large numbers as they have communal nests. Some of the eggs have however been targeted this season and eaten by lion and hyena. There are a few hyena dens out on Paradise plains, one of which the pups have become very accustomed to the vehicle and come right up to investigate, sometimes chewing the tyres to see whether they are edible or not - no punctures yet! The Marsh pride of lions have been spending their days under the shade of the trees around the Marsh, lying out on the grassed termite mounds or sleeping in the shade of our airplane on the airstrip! They have no need to move very far at all as the wildebeest have been in the area all month. The pride is doing very well and is stable with the two big boys ensuring the territory is safe from other males and the cubs nearing adulthood are secure. The younger members of the pride had an interesting encounter with a porcupine this month. After about half an hour of trying to discover whether the porcupine would make a decent meal the lions gave up and left the terrified porcupine to escape! The Paradise pride are fat and happy too. With the arrival of 8 new cubs into the pride in August their numbers are increasing rapidly and with plenty of antelope coming down to the crossing area; they seem to be very content. Notch remains with his one son in the paradise pride; the two other sons have moved across the river and have been seen with other lionesses. The remaining two sons are still nomadic and have not been seen with females. 'Shakira' the female Cheetah and her 3 cubs are doing very well. Her cubs almost fully grown (20 months old) are learning very quickly and will soon leave their mother and forge their own way. As the cubs are females they will split after some time and become independent of each other, each having to raise a family alone. 'Malaika' the other female, Kikes daughter is in the area and has been seen less regularly... The three Cheetah boys have been roaming the plains with their usual confidence as they have a strong coalition. They, like Shakira have to hunt daily as there are more mouths to feed and the success rate is not normally that high. The mother Leopard 'Olive' out in the Talek river area has been seen most days. She has been bold enough to bring out her cubs which were born mid August from hiding and lead them to various resting and feeding spots along the river. The young male leopard which has mostly been across the river in August whilst the river was low has been spotted a few times above the Little Governors crossing along the forest. He is a fairly relaxed young chap, posing perfectly on the fallen logs in the forest giving our guests some great sightings. The leopardess that frequents the river line between the camps has been seen frequently as well as the odd sighting of the rather large male that resides near the rocks past the main crossing point. We have had a couple of rare sightings of Caracal, once a mother with a cub. The cub was very curious and ran right to the vehicle and then returned to its shyer mother; an incredible sighting. nbsp; The Caracal is a smaller, tawny coloured cat with long tufts on its ears resembling a lynx. Serval cats have been spotted periodically as well, a beautiful animal with extraordinary markings. It has long legs and large elongated ears aiding them in hunting birds and mice in the grass. Elephants have been travelling longer distances in search of food as the grass has mostly been grazed and plants are less nutritious. We still recognise some of the characters that come through the camps, sometimes spending the whole night if they find a few trees worthy of their attention. The elephant sightings this month have mostly been matriarchal herds with few bulls moving through the area. On the whole, it has been an amazing month with the Mara continuing to support huge amounts of wildlife despite the droughts in Kenya. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/25/September Migration Report/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/25/September Migration Report/ Did you know that a giraffe is one of the few animals born with horns. A baby giraffe's horns lie flat against the skull when it is born and pop upright during the first week of life. The 'horns' are formed from ossified cartilage, and are called ossicones. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/24/Safari Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/24/Safari Trivia/ Latest nbsp;news nbsp;the Gorilla families of the Parc National des Volcans in Rwanda. The weather pattern in the Virunga Range remained very pleasant for most of the month, with morning temperatures between 9 and 14 deg; C at 6 a.m. and day temperatures reaching up to 25 deg;C in the early afternoon. Many mornings were beautifully clear, offering wonderful views from the lodge towards the Eastern Virunga volcanoes of Visoke, Mikeno and Karisimbi. Usually, clouds would build up rapidly in the afternoons, releasing their first drops well after nbsp;guests were back from gorilla trekking. The first of the rains arrived on the 2nd of September with a short sharp afternoon shower and the rains then continued until the middle of the month, when we received on average 21- 23 mm per day. From the middle of the month onwards the rain then tapered off. The prevailing winds came from the East and South-East, bringing in moisture from Lake Victoria. Though the long dry season was definitely over, it seemed that the heavy rains of October - November were still far away. In Volcanoes National Park, the return of the rain brought new growth to the bamboo forests triggering the bamboo to sprout new shoots and leaves. All this growth meant that many of the gorilla families became less mobile, than during the previous three months of the dry season, when they had to wander further afield in search of food. The Susa Group, one of the largest of the gorilla groups in the park, remained split this month and we think that this will probably lead to the creation of a new, totally independent gorilla family group in Mt Karisimbi area. The dominant males of the two groups (still considered as sub-groups within the Susa Group), seem to be avoiding each other more and more. The most significant and very sad event in the park's gorilla population was the death of Titus, leader of the group of the same name. This legendary silverback, aged 35 (he was born on 24 August 1974), was found dead in his nest on the morning of 14 September by trackers of Karisoke Research Station. Titus had been followed and studied since his birth. The newborn baby was first discovered by Kelly Stewart, an American student working with Dian Fossey at Karisoke at the time. It seems that the death of the old dominant silverback was hastened by the return of his son, 'Rano', another adult silverback male, who returned to the group after having lived as a lone silverback for a long period. Persistent challenging from Rano apparently exhausted the old leader, who fought for his status position until his end. Titus, may be the most famous gorilla in the Volcanoes National Park, was buried in the gorilla cemetery on the site of the former Karisoke Reaearch Camp during a special ceremony on 16 September. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/23/Gorilla News/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/23/Gorilla News/ The past couple of months have seen excellent wildlife in Okavango, not only on game activities but also in the camps. The Lala Palms at Shinde are full in bloom and the dates are much sort after by the resident elephant population . These gentle giants visit the camp on regular intervals shaking the palm trees in the hope some dates will fall to the ground for them to feed upon. Lions featured heavily on the game viewing menu, with a pride of six taking up residence around an elephant carcass on the channel. Easily visible from both land and water, the pride gorged themselves for a week. Shinde is renowned for the refuge it provides to wearily travellers from all over the world. A couple of weeks ago this include a juvenile hippopotamus, who seeking refuge from an older bull spent some time on the fire deck reflecting on the trials and tribulations of growing up. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/22/October Report From Okavango Delta/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/22/October Report From Okavango Delta/ On 19th August nbsp;an orphaned baby elephant was taken into care. He had fallen into a pit in a village 40 miles away and was unable to get out. He was all alone, with no sign of any other elephants nearby. A rescue team from the South Luangwa Conservation Society (SLCS), led by Rachel McRobb, was able to pull him to safety and with the permission from the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) they brought him to Chipembele in the back of a Land Cruiser pick-up. He was named Tafika, after a nearby tourist lodge that reported his predicament, and is about one year old. Tafika means lsquo;to arrive rsquo; in the local language. Tafika on arrival at Chipembele. Fortunately nbsp;they had just completed constructing a new secure elephant boma. After a first traumatic night, during which he cried out almost continually, he settled down. The Kafue Elephant Orphanage (sponsored by the David Shepherd Conservation Foundation in the UK) was immediatley contacted hellip; they are rearing Chamilandu and Chudoba, two orphaned elephants who were rescued in South Luangwa in 2007 and who stayed at Chipembele for a month each before being transferred to the Kafue Orphanage. They are both doing very well. A KEO elephant specialist, Rachel Murton, and an experienced Zambian elephant keeper, Gift, arrived here within 24 hours to help advise us and set up a feeding and care system. Two additional keepers and a full time SLCS scout were also engaged. There is at least one keeper by Tafika rsquo;s side 24 hours a day hellip; coming from a tight knit family he can never be left alone, even through the night. Rachel left after a few days hellip; thanks for all your wonderful help and advice Rach!... but left Gift behind to manage Tafika rsquo;s care. When he is moved to Kafue, at least he will know Gift. Gift feeding Tafika with a special formula milk, usually 2 litres every 3 hours around the clock. Tafika is now doing just fine and has bonded to his new keepers. He has adapted incredibly well to his new surroundings, despite the trauma of somehow losing his mother. He has just started daily walks and loves to play in a nearby water pool. With ZAWA rsquo;s approval we are planning to move him to the Kafue Oprhanage within the next month or so. It is a 30-hour road journey, which would be too stressful for such a young elephant, so he has to be flown via a charter flight.Tafika plays with his keeper, Sipho, in a nearby pool http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/21/Tafika, The Orphaned Elephant/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/21/Tafika, The Orphaned Elephant/ Did you know that an elephant's trunk is probably the most versatile and useful appendage on the planet? It is a nose, an arm, a hand, a voice, a drinking straw, a hose and much more, but youngsters may take years to truly master its usage. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/20/Safari Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/20/Safari Trivia/ We've recently been introduced to a troublesome teenager in Nkwali Camp, Zambia nbsp; ndash; an elephant. This young bull started coming through camp months ago and it was not an issue. nbsp; Elephants often come through camp. nbsp; But the key word is ldquo;through rdquo;. nbsp; However he has now become somewhat of a resident and rather too familiar! nbsp; We need to be very careful walking around corners. nbsp; But the annoyance is being trapped. nbsp; I have missed afternoon tea a number of times as he is outside the office. Here is Ray ndash; trapped! The first time he walked INTO the bar was quite a moment. nbsp; Here is the story from the guest who experienced it. nbsp; quot;It was our first afternoon at Nkwali, in fact our first day ever in Africa when we had a very close encounter with an elephant! nbsp; Following lunch, we went to sun ourselves on the deck over the river. nbsp; After a while we heard a noise and an elephant appeared. We watched with excitement as he made his way closer to the bar, snacking from the trees. However, our excitement turned to a bit of anxiety as he came closer and closer. nbsp; We moved into the bar. By then we were feeling very nervous so we slowly started backing up toward the rooms. nbsp; As we did so, the elephant actually stepped up into the bar, knocking over a few chairs. nbsp; Not finding anything of interest, he turned around and walked down the deck stairs, then back down the riverbank. Quite a moment on our first day in Africa quot; http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/19/Troublesome Teenager/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/19/Troublesome Teenager/ Wow not only did the weather provide dry cool days with lots of cloud cover to reduce the heat but the game has turned it on. There has been the most prolific sightings of Panthera Leo, Lion to the rest of us in great numbers with up to 29 lion stalking areas most loved by our guest. Inevitably a guest would have seen lions on a kill and then back to the lodge for ribs for lunch. Wild dogs are still at their den and we have managed to see the pups on a few occasions,otherwise more wild dogs have been sighted in Beho Beho river waiting for the elephants to dig a hole and leave so they can get a drink. It is going to be tough for many plains herds this year with the Selous drying up and all the water being concentrated in the lakes and has reduced areas for feeding. However the game viewing is fantastic and you can see right through the bush that 2 months ago was thick and impenetrable. Weavers of all types are busy at this time building nest and getting ready to start little families, our resident water monitors are also breeding under the lodge and mum can been seen daily walking in the bar to get to the hole in the stump. Our cheeky Black faced Vervet monkeys, known to all our guest continue to delight with their acrobatic attempts to steal lunch, but our ever watchful waiters know all there tricks frustrating them in their attempts to steal a muffin. The tiger fish continue to frustrate the most patient fisherman, tackle flys in all directions when they strike and it rsquo;s a fine line in landing the big one or lamenting the fight. Of course there are always enough landed to impress everyone with the fearsome appearance and strength, those who did land tiger fish this month well done. We have had some wonderful families stay recently and it has been wonderful to watch and listen as stories of safari are retold at night through the eyes of the young and young at heart, the common bond of safari allows everyone the chance to contribute and share the day. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/17/Live From Selous/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/17/Live From Selous/ Did you know that a crocodile has three eyelids? As well as the top and bottom, there is a clear eyelid that protects the eye underwater. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/16/Safari Trivia/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/16/Safari Trivia/ After a lot of waiting and guessing when the Wild dogs puppies at Lagoon would give us their first appearance ndash; it has finally happened. The following pictures were taken on Sunday 19th July, 2009. We are the proud parents to 9 new puppies. Their den is about 20 minutes away from Lagoon camp and the proud mother only showed them to us for the first time 1 week ago, and since then only in the evenings when the rest of the pack are around to ldquo;keep guard rdquo; of her babies. They have been seen eating regurgitated food that the rest of the pack bring back at siesta time after their twice a day hunt. Hyena pups are also in the area and as soon as we have some more information and pictures we will be sure to send that information and images to you.. http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/13/We Have Had Puppies/ http://demo.safariandbeach.com/blog/13/We Have Had Puppies/