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    • Atravelynn
      Feb (March is good too with fewer people, more wilde calves already born)--choose a camp with vacancy.  Ndutu Lodge seems to be economical but I have never managed that.  I've stayed at Njozi run by the Wild Source 2x and that was good.  The other places I've stayed are not operating now I believe.  At least as important as the camp (IMO) is the ability to stay out all day with packed breakfasts and lunches in my opinion.  A nice long day in the bush is always good, but I think it is essential in Ndutu in the green season to see hunts, maybe births, and cover ground to go where the interesting activity is.
    • Atravelynn
      The title of your trip report is giving me geographic whiplash.  What a productive time for Namibia!  The brown hyena were out in force, escorted by a hippo.  Nice mole snake among everything else.
    • Atravelynn
      My husband just breezed by my computer as I was looking at that "big male" howler monkey and it caught his attention. He asked me, "Are you sure you didn't do some AI on that?"   The photo hide on the river is a good idea.
    • Dave Williams
      As you can see from the map on the last entry, the ranch we were staying on covers a fairly huge area and there is a network of trails you can follow which are quite well marked with numbered posts. Having been tucked up in bed and fast asleep by 10pm I was up early the next morning woken by the roar of the Howler Monkeys which started at around 3.30am  and the content call of the Ferruginous Owl which went on all night and well in to the morning. I searched but couldn't find the Owl. By now Phil and Christian were up and around so we went to the spot we'd seen the Lineated Woodpecker the night before but no luck there. There were lots of Parrots flying over but most carried on going but this White-fronted one stopped briefly in a distant tree. White-fronted Parrot by Dave Williams, on Flickr A Social Flycatcher was more accommodating Social Flycatcher by Dave Williams, on Flickr As was a Stripe-headed Sparrow, one of the more common birds we'd seen in Costa Rica to date. Stripe-headed Sparrow-topaz-sharpen by Dave Williams, on Flickr Overall it was disappointing but we were undaunted and hoped better was to come. Breakfast is served , again a served buffet for all the guests , at 7.30. The offering is nice enough but it's strictly portion controlled!  After breakfast we set off to explore the trails leading through fields taking us to the to the Salt Pans. There wasn't a lot to see, on arrival at the Pans what few waders were there took off and we were still 100m away. Obviously not keen on human presence it seemed. By 9.30am it was hot and by 10.00am unbearably so and we made the decision to retreat back to our cabins. We managed a couple of birds on the way back though including White-necked Puffbird White-necked Puffbird by Dave Williams, on Flickr and Cinnamon Becard Cinnamon Becard by Dave Williams, on Flickr but that was about all. Later that morning I went over to the restaurant area where lunch was being served and the British couple showed me were to find the Owl. I assumed it would be the Ferruginous one but no, it was a different one altogether sat in it's nest hole. Pacific Screech-Owl by Dave Williams, on Flickr Pacific Screech Owl I think and it certainly brighten up the day anyway! We ducked out on lunch , it was too hot to eat and meals were not that good anyway se we had a beer instead! When the sun had cooled down later in the afternoon we set off in the car to see if we could find a better spot somewhere. Along the way we stopped for a  Ctenosaur, also known as Black Iguana, which was crossing the road Ctenosaur by Dave Williams, on Flickr A tree full of blossom was providing a meal for a small flock of Orange-fronted Parakeets which allowed us very close views for a change. Orange-fronted Parakeet by Dave Williams, on Flickr Then a bit further down the road we spotted a large lake which looked interesting. Before we got to the turn off that led there, a farm track it seemed, we crossed a river bridge and a Wood Stork sat in a tree. Wood Stork by Dave Williams, on Flickr The Stork wasn't that co-operative and flew off but looking down at the river and lower branches of the trees there were dozens of Black Vultures, some were roosting on the branches others simply enjoying the sun. Black Vulture by Dave Williams, on Flickr Why so many? What was the attraction? When you looked carefully the river was full of fish skeletons and we could only assume that the farm track to the lagoons  was to some kind of farmed fishing arrangement and they processed the fish and discarded the remains in the river. Unfortunately as the track was gated access was denied but in the distance we could see dozens of Wood stork, Great Egrets and even a couple of Roseate Spoonbills. They could set up a photo hide on the side and do quite well out of it I imagine and who knows, maybe they will in the future.  The one thing we were beginning to notice was how commercial everything has become in Costa Rica. Every one is out to extract as many tourist dollars as possible and that included La Ensalada Lodge in my opinion. What they offered was well organised but quite expensive for what it was and that included the meals. TBC
    • Dave Williams
      After our final boat trip our continuing journey north to La Ensenada Lodge was uneventful, our intrepid navigator only missed one turn which was easily remedied with a U turn and an extra 10km on the clock but not a disaster by any means. Arrival was in time for lunch so we decided that was a good idea as we'd had no breakfast and been up since the early hours. The Lodge itself is a great example of a ranch farm diversifying and they have created quite a business it seems. I have. feeling there are 35 cabins in all and they a nicely equipped. Nothing too fancy but perfectly functional with two single beds in each it seems.   The dining area suggests they can cater for large numbers and the long table was set up for a bird tour group of 16 which were from the USA.   I really don't understand why people pay large amounts of money to be in a party of 16 to bird watch but there again it appeared that someone them were too old or weary to go out on the guided walk both that evening and the next morning too before they left. Other than the big group there were probably no more than 10 others staying at the lodge including an British couple who were on a tour but without a guide, just transport that dropped them off at the various places they stayed then left them. In the cast of this place they had three days to wander the vast acreage that the farm has to offer. I'm not sure I'd like that idea much either! Anyway, after lunch and a couple of beers we had time to settle in to our cabin before heading out to see what we could find. It was pretty obvious there were Howler Monkeys about, the roar they make carries considerable distance but in this case they were very close to the row of cabins, no more than 50m at most. One by one they came down from the tree they were in and followed the ranch fence to the next tree they decided to investigate. They were led by a big male, big in many senses. I felt sorry for him, particularly when I saw the trees they were climbing. Howler Monkey by Dave Williams, on Flickr The big fellow spotted a fallen fruit and dropped down to retrieve and it it. They might be vegetarian but look at those teeth! Howler Monkey by Dave Williams, on Flickr The rest of the troop followed, there were at least a dozen in total Howler Monkey by Dave Williams, on Flickr Just look at the bark on the tree and you can see why I feel sorry for the male! Howler Monkey by Dave Williams, on Flickr Anyway , they gave us some nice photo opportunities before we moved on in search for something else.  A few Parrots were flying over and when a pair landed in a tree we had a chance for a better look. Although not obvious because of the branch these were Yellow-naped Parrots. Yellow-naped Parrot by Dave Williams, on Flickr Other than those two the only other photo opportunity was a distant Lineated Woodpecker that flew before we could get any closer. I was disappointed and hoped we'd get another chance tomorrow. Lineated Woodpecker. by Dave Williams, on Flickr With little else around we went to watch the sun go down but we were facing the wrong direction, still the view was stunning and by the looks of it the Lodge run boat trips from their jetty but having just been on two we didn't bother enquiring about them either. It had been a long day so after an acceptable but largely unexciting dinner which is served buffet style to everyone at a set time, 7.30pm, we were off to bed wondering what tomorrow might bring. TBC   TBC
    • PeterHG
      Next on our itinerary was Don Inthanon National Park, with Thailand’s highest peak at 2565 metres  above sea level. We had booked a simple homestay there: the Pea Moo Homestay situated a few kilometres off the main through road, already in the National Park. The dirt road to the hamlet was under repair, which meant that every time we used it, a heavy excavator had to make way for us. They happily obliged, but this involved moving away some big boulders and levelling the surface enough for us to drive through. A bit of a nuisance, but we only used the road twice a day. The homestay itself was very basic. Nothing wrong with that, but for an older guy like me the beanbags on the terrace are not ideal. Lowering myself into one of them was ok, but getting up was a different matter. The host, a woman in her thirties, was the nicest person you could imagine. The stay included breakfast and when we told her we would be picked up early the next morning by our guide, she immediately assured us this was no problem at all. And there she was, at 6:30, with a delicious take-away Thai breakfast, wrapped in leaves of a banana tree.         Finding a guide for Don Inthanon had not been very easy. Most of them start from Chiang Mai and were fully booked or just too expensive. In the end I found a guide through the https://www.gowithjoetravel.com website. He picked us up at 7 am and took us to several birding spots along the road leading up to the top of Don Inthanon. The trip lasted till early afternoon, which was long enough for us. He charged 6000 bht  for the two of us. He was a cheerful guide and good company. He only had a few years of birding experience and was definitely not as knowledgable as our previous guides, but we had a good time with him.       Perhaps the best birding area is the boardwalk right at the top. This leads through dense mossy forest and has some interesting species that seem to be quite at ease with the passing humans, so they are more approachable than elsewhere. Of course photography is not easy under the trees, but you can’t have it all.. When we got there with our guide it was already late in the morning, when the place gets quite crowded with all the tour vans, arriving from Chiang Mai, packed with tourists having booked a day trip. We were approached by a bewildered Frenchman, who asked us if we knew where the viewpoint was. He had just arrived with his family, all armed with walking sticks and ready to hike down the treeless slopes of the mountain, enjoying endless views and perhaps even some snow-covered mountain-tops. When we told them those vistas were not to be had here he left us thoroughly disappointed and muttered something about the Pyrenees.           We went there again early in the morning, the day after. It was only 7 degrees then, so quite chilly As it turned out, most of the birds thought so, too and it wasn’t until 9 or 9:30 that more of them started to show. Among them some beautiful sunbirds that we did not see anywhere else.     The Dutch couple we met at Don Lang had told us there was another homestay (Rang Bon Doi: 18.5389, 98.5505) that had some bird hides in the forest, which might be worth checking out. It  As in Baan Maka this turned out to be a good choice and we spent a few pleasant hours in the hide that afternoon.          
    • kittykat23uk
      We were out again for our afternoon safari, and we didn’t get far before we spotted the Wild Dogs again. This time I was able to spend as much time as I wanted with them, which was most of the afternoon and we were able to follow them as they travelled around the reserve. We didn’t see them hunting, but it was still lovely to see the pack interacting. We were also hoping the guys would make it in time for part of the drive, as we were pretty close to camp. Unfortunately it became clear they were still some miles away and hadn’t yet entered the park by the time the dogs  eventually moved into an area where we couldn’t follow.   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   At this point Carel suggested we move on to go and find a family of cheetah, and who could argue with that plan! We got to them in the late afternoon so the golden light was playing on their beautiful spotty coats. The cubs got up and started to play around a termite mound, one of them was noticeably smaller than the others. Mum kept a wary eye out while they frollicked around. As before, we had the best of the sighting and the family moved into thicker scrub as other vehicles arrived. I think at that point we got word that they guys were on their way to the lodge so with it getting towards dinner time we decided to head back to meet them, get an early tea and then get out early for the night drive.    Mole Snake by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Sure enough there they were, when we got back and I think we all breathed a collective sigh of relief that we were together in time to move on to our next lodge. The guys were naturally itching to get out on a drive, after being a bit gripped off by the success I’d had already, so we ate quickly and were soon out the door again. Before we even left the lodge we stopped for a Pearl-spotted Owlet and then on the drive a small mouse-like thing caught our eye, but it was not a mouse, it was a Bushveld Sengi. We got our first Brown Hyena, too far for photos but I did get some interesting thermal imagery of it. An  African Wildcat was hunkered down under a bush and we had a few Springhares bounding around.    Arriving back at the waterhole by our rooms we were surprised to find another Brown Hyena, but I think the hyena was more surprised to find us as he quickly moved away behind a hippo. Of course it was at this moment that I needed to change my camera battery so I missed getting more than a record shot, though I needn’t have worried! A Cape Hare provided interest with a silhouette shout against the waterhole lights. We stayed up for a while in the hope the hyena would return but it was not to be. Black-backed Jackals were also present though none came close enough to photograph and we would not be short of views of those on this trip.    Pearl-spotted Owlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Bushveld Sengi - Elephantulus intufi by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Wildcat by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Wildcat by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Hippo & Brown Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Cape Hare by Jo Dale, on Flickr  
    • kittykat23uk
      24/9/2023 - Day 2 Erindi   Bat-eared Fox by Jo Dale, on Flickr   With the weather much improved we were out early for our extended morning private game drive from 6.30am to 11.30am. We first spotted a lovely Bat-eared Fox, a few Dassies in a rocky area and then a male White-quilled Bustard AKA Northern Black Korhaan strutting around. Carel knew where a pair of lions had been seen the day before so we made a beeline for them, and sure enough after quite a bit of searching in thick scrub we finally managed to track them down and what a pair they were! One was snoozing away but the other one was posing more nicely for a photo, with the early morning sun setting the edge of his mane ablaze.    Rock Hyrax by Jo Dale, on Flickr   White-quilled Bustard AKA Northern Black Korhaan by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Kori Bustard by Jo Dale, on Flickr   After spending some time with the lions we made way for another group and went to try and track down a leopard. En route we found a gorgeous tiny little giraffe calf with its mum. Carel’s skill with the radio-telemetry meant that after some tracking we did manage to locate the female leopard, although she wasn’t easy to locate in the thick bush of this part of Erindi. We were rewarded with a nice sighting of her. She was on the move, patrolling her territory, making use of the local termite mounds to get a bird’s eye view of her surroundings.    Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr   She was moving with a purpose and the bush was getting thicker and thornier and another couple of cars soon joined us. Given that we felt we’d had the best of the sighting by this point we let her go and moved on to see what else we could find. We came to a more open area where we found Springbok, Waterbuck, Kudu and more giraffes. A pair of Yellow Mongoose were also located foraging by a termite mound.  I also had a brief sighting of a slender mongoose.   Springbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Springbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Waterbuck by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Waterbuck by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Greater Kudu by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Impala by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Yellow Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Yellow Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Yellow Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Yellow Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr   I should also note that they offer Pangolin tracking here and Carel and other guides did try to locate one for us during our stay. However it was not to be here and, given our next stop was Okonjima, Carel advised not to worry too much about finding one here. After that it was time to get back to the lodge for lunch and some down-time. But it’s hard to have down-time when there’s always something going on at the waterhole at the restaurant and I watched a steady stream of visitors whilst enjoying a couple of ice cold Savannahs. Of note were a herd of Red Lechwe (introduced here beyond their normal range), a beautiful male Sable, Elephants and a whole bunch of hippos which left the water and climbed to the ridge overlooking the waterhole. The scenic backdrop here makes for some lovely photos.    Hippo by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Hippo by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Hippo by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Hippo by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Warthogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Warthogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Red Lechewe by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Red Lechewe by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Red-winged Starling by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Nile Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr   lizard sp by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr
    • kittykat23uk
      23/9/2023 - Day 1 Windhoek to Erindi   I landed at Windhoek at 8am, connected to the wifi to be met with relief as Jason informed me that he had received a very kind offer from Henry Fernandes of Sikereti Camps at Khaudum National Park to take me at no extra charge the approximately 223 kms north to the Erindi Private Game Reserve and that he would be waiting for me in arrivals. Henry was renting us the hire car, a 4x4 Landcruiser 76 and we would also be staying at his camp later in the trip. So I quickly connected with him to thank him and let him know where in the arrivals process I was and then cancelled the other taxi I’d booked.    I changed money and then we grabbed a quick coffee for the journey. I had hoped to purchase a local sim card as well but the network was completely down in Windhoek so we couldn’t get one organised. This would cause us a few issues later in the trip. Henry was great company and he runs a local printing firm as well as managing Sikereti camp. He’s used this to print a little photo book of Khaudum park which of course, given his generosity of spirit, I felt compelled to purchase as a souvenir.      Along the way we encountered a troop of Chacma Baboons, a couple of Warthogs and a few Tawny Eagles on the main road. From the turn off it’s about a 40km drive through the park to the camp. I saw two zebra, a few impala and some giraffe, all of which I would see plenty of later on. I didn’t have my camera unpacked at that point so I didn't take any pictures. We arrived in time for lunch at about 1245 and I said my thanks to Henry. Before he left we discussed that I had a private transfer booked from Sptizkoppen Lodge to Windhoek for my return journey. Henry advised me to cancel it as he would be able to sort me out with a cheaper transfer back, we left the details to be sorted out later on as there was no rush to organise it at that moment.  I think Henry found it useful to take me to Erindi as he’d never been to Erindi and so was able to get a flavour of the place before he departed.   I had one of the luxury suites, overlooking the small waterhole. It was a lovely room, although on a trip like this one I really don’t get a lot of time to appreciate it as I’m out most of the time. The bed was, however,  very comfortable from what I can remember.    Erindi waterhole by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Lunch was a nice buffet style and the restaurant overlooked a waterhole where there was often something going on. A few waders, including Little Stint and Three-banded Plover, as well as some common bush birds such as Kalahari Scrub Robin, Crimson-breasted Gonolek, and various starlings frequented the bushes around the waterhole as did some skinks. A striped snake slithered across my path, (not identified or photographed as it was too quick but guessing it might have been a striped sand snake), and Hippos and Crocs were there when I arrived. I spent time relaxing around the waterhole until my game drive. I filmed a crocodile that I believe was displaying in the water as the water seemed to be vibrating around it.  I was in contact with the guys who had managed to book themselves onto a new flight via Addis which would get them into Windhoek the following morning. So I was hopeful they would join me for the afternoon drive.    P9230090 Crimson-breasted Gonolek by Jo Dale, on Flickr   [url=https://flic.kr/p/2pin6Rj ]Kalahari Scrub-robin[/url] by Jo Dale, on Flickr   P9230204_02  Nile Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr   P9230227_01 Nile Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr   P9230353 Red-billed Spurfowl by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Purple Roller by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Wild Dog by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Wild Dog by Jo Dale, on Flickr   As Camp Elephant has now closed, self-driving is no longer allowed at Erindi. Luckily for me this meant that Jason had booked all activities with the lodge and I had a private guide named Carel (pronounced Coral)! The first activity was an afternoon standard guided game drive from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. I was surprised by the weather. I had expected Namibia to be wall to wall sunshine at this time of year but in fact it was very grey and overcast and starting to rain.    We first came across some Angolan Giraffes crossing the road in front of us. Then I was delighted to encounter a pack of 18 African Wild Dogs, one of my favourite African mammals. They were mostly sticking around some quite thick bushes but we were still able to enjoy watching them for a while. I don’t think they were actively hunting, they just seemed to be hanging around the area.    African Wild Dog by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Wild Dog by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Wild Dog by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Eventually Carel persuaded me to move on to allow other visitors some time with the dogs, I reluctantly agreed! It seems they try and keep to one car per sighting here to maintain the private feel to the sightings. So we went to look for some other animals. We saw a good range of other game, including Eland, Red Hartebeest, Steenbok, Impala, Springbok, Blue Wildebeest, Gemsbok and Greater Kudu. We passed a Kori Bustard, as well as an old giraffe carcass before we managed to track down a pride of four lions, lazing about. We spent a good amount of the afternoon with them before heading back, on the way into camp we found the wild dogs again, but they quickly moved off into cover.   Blue Wildebeest by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Kori Bustard by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Steenbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Steenbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr   African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr   We returned to the lodge for dinner and then went out again. The evening private guided game drive should have been from 9pm to 12am, although we left as soon as I was done with dinner. Overall though, it was a bit of a washout with the weather deteriorating into strong wind and rain showers. We persevered for a while, sighting Common Genet, Elephants, a brief Bat-eared Fox, a couple of Cape Hares and a nice Spotted Eagle Owl. We also had a Marsh Owl but I didn’t manage to get a photo. It at least gave me a chance to try out my new thermal attachment for my phone, which worked pretty well and certainly impressed Carel.   Cape Hare by Jo Dale, on Flickr   P9231357_01 Spotted Eagle-Owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr   P9241390 Cape Hare by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Sunset at Erindi by Jo Dale, on Flickr
    • kittykat23uk
      Brown Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr   Introduction   Some people may recall one of my previous trips, “Sleepless in Borneo” where a group of us had a lovely time hallucinating from sleep deprivation whilst not seeing a clouded leopard. Well three of us who were on that trip decided to plan another trip together, (yes, I know!) and this time I think it was me that suggested Namibia, having read quite an interesting itinerary that Pictus Safaris ran there.    A big draw was of course all the mammals and this time it would not be (for me at least) a single species quest, so I was excited that we had a number of targets to look for. Whilst we were not successful on every front, we did manage to see over 70 species of mammals.  My itinerary was as follows, with the two guys staying on for a further week in the desert and along the coast.   2 nights Erindi Old Traders Lodge 2 nights Okonjima Plains Camp 3 nights at Sikereti camp in Khaudum 1 night fly camping in North Khaudum (Khaudum Camp) 3 nights Ndhovu lodge 1 night Namutoni Rest Camp Etosha 1 night Halali Rest Camp Etosha 2 nights Okaukeujo Rest Camp Etosha 2 nights Dolomite Rest Camp Etosha 1 night Hobatere concession 2 nights Palmwag Lodge (Damaraland) 1 night Cape Cross Lodge 1 night Spitzkoppen Lodge.   All credit for organisation of this tour has to go to Jason, https://wildglobetours.com/ and who, along with Jens, made up our trio of participants. Jason did all the planning, all the negotiations with the lodges, organised all the activities that could be booked in advance and he also organised a hire car. The plan was that we would be using a combination of self-drive activities, with Jason and Jens being the drivers of the group, combined with guided activities for some of the private concessions/lodges.    The only thing left for us to do was to sort out our own flights.    22/9/2023 - Day 0 - In transit   The fun began almost immediately as we all had different flights arranged via Lufthansa. My connection was the earliest at 1330, and we allowed so much extra time that  after dropping me off at LHR, I think Ian actually got back home to Norwich before I even departed.     Jason and Jens on the other hand both had quite tight connections. They were due to arrive between 2000 and 2030 and our connection was due to depart at 2155. Whilst I waited in the terminal at Frankfurt a storm of biblical proportions engulfed the airport, pounding it with torrential rain! Well suffice to say this really messed up the guys’ flights!    I was willing them to arrive in time to board, but their flights were getting more and more delayed. As I was starting to board, I knew Jens had landed but Frankfurt is so vast that he did not make it to the gate before they closed it. It didn’t help that they closed it about ten minutes earlier than they were meant to!! Poor Jason had no chance. It was really annoying that I was then sat in the plane on the runway knowing that the guys were right there in the airport unable to get on the flight. But worse still, we were meant to be all going together to pick up the hire car to drive to the first lodge. So I was in a bit of a bind as to what to do. Before departing I made a few urgent enquiries and managed to line up a taxi transfer, whilst the guys urgently tried to rearrange their flights and get a bed for the night. 
    • Zarek Cockar
      @inyathi yes we visited a couple of places on this trip that you and I didn't go to two years ago, but I think we also missed one or two that I remembered from 2022. Bachikele was wonderful.  Not a huge variety of birds there, but I did find Blackstart, which got me excited.  I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but OROA was tough.   These dates provide a happy medium for the best time to visit Ennedi and Ouadi Rime Ouadi Achim as well as almost the best time to visit Zakouma. You can go later, but the heat in Ennedi and OROA would make things very uncomfortable with no respite. As it was, this year was already considerably hotter than similar dates in 2022, when I'd be wearing a thin fleece in the mornings in Ennedi. This year, by the time we were in OROA, temperatures were hovering around 42 degrees and we had no shade, other than the big white teepee canopy you see in the photo of the camp, and limited options for cooling down.  By the time we got to Zakouma, it was 44-45 degrees in the afternoon, but it's a little more bearable there with shade, overhead fans in the room, and showers. If we were just doing Zakouma alone, mid March to early April would probably be the best time.  I know there's a group from@Pictus Safaris there right now, so I'm interested to hear how their game viewing compares to ours.
    • soleson
      @ricmiles@ice@AtravelynnIf you could pick one month and one camp to stay in around the Ndutu area, when and where would it be?  I have Kenya (Amboseli, Ol Pejeta, and Mara conservancies) lined up for next fall but am thinking of going back to Tanzania again next time.  I have never been there in the green season and would like to give it a try.  Thanks.
    • ice
      I am pretty sure that unless you are willing to pay 2.000 USD per person per night and more in a private concession in Botswana (and most likely still will have to share your vehicle with others) nowhere else in Africa you will have better chances of seeing as much as much predator action as around Ndutu, it's as simple as that. For me personally, there are quite a few other reasons, but that is the main one.
    • John M.
      Sometimes you can be lucky and get the story in one shot. Publishers love economical material    
    • Atravelynn
      @icecan certainly answer for himself but I will mention that I saw people in Ndutu that I had seen before and a couple of us carried on conversations from previous visits.  Sort of like a reunion.  I was told that there were Ndutu regulars who could be seen year after year.  The area is just bursting with new life during green season and there is a vitality and excitement that goes along with that.  Very good time for cheetah cubs and hunting cheetah and cheetah cubs learning to hunt, as you saw.  In fact part of your title hints at the attraction: "Calving Season" & "Predator Action."  I have thought to myself that when the time comes that I cannot travel as extensively as I have had the good fortune to do in the past, I'd just do annual trips to Ndutu in green season, for however long I could manage.
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