Zimbabwe & Zambia 2013

[Pennyanne]

@@Pennyanne

Great photos and trip reportage! Though in the lion sequence I think that they are eating an Eland, not a Kudu.

@@ZaminOz Yes. You are correct it is an eland. Very obvious now looking at it but for some reason we'd thought it was a kudu. Thanks for pointing this out.

[Pennyanne]

@@Pennyanne,

Just read your trip report (so far). What an adventure! Very envious of your start to finish lion buffalo kill. Your report is most enjoyable and the pictures illustrate the text beautifully. If I added your time on safari correctly it's over 30 nights! That has to be a record here for one safari. What made you decide to do such a long and as stated by someone earlier, epic trip?

Look forward to the next installment. Thanks for sharing.

@@AKR1 Thank you. Yes, it was a long safari but we live in north central BC, Canada and Africa is on the other side of the world so it takes a long, long time to get there and the airfares are not cheap. When we considered the time and money it takes just to get to Africa we decided to stay longer on this trip .Our first safari in 2011 was about 3 weeks long and we wanted more. It is expensive but we saved a bit by going later in the season and also by staying longer at camps run by the same owners so we could get a discount. We liked the length of this trip. As we did walking, driving and river activities it was nicely varied. I don't think we would have enjoyed a trip this long if it had been only driving as I find my back starts bothering me after too much time on those rough roads but the ability to walk kept us both feeling really good.

[wilddog]

Wow, what a trip. Thoroughly enjoying this TR. The Mucheni pride were really chilled for you. What a fantastic experience.

[Pennyanne]

Goliath Camp continued: Elephants

 

The next day we went for a walk searching for an elephant that stands on his hind legs to get food. On our way we were charged by a very cross bull elephant who was trumpeting and stomping, shaking his trunk. We were behind Stretch but still very close to the elephant. No one got a picture as we were all quite stunned. Stretch moved us along and sat down on a log, held up his hand and spoke gently but firmly to the bull.

 

 

As Stretch spoke the bull gradually calmed down and relaxed. It was amazing to see the change in body language. We moved on and the bull followed us at a distance but now in a very calm manner. He seemed very curious about us. We encountered many elephants on this walk:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found the elephant “dancer” (nicknamed Fred after Fred Astaire) who did his amazing balancing act for us.

 

 

 

 

So much weight on two legs! Once he’d got a big branch to eat

 

 

Stretch took me by the arm to give me what he calls a “moment” and up we went to meet the elephant.

 

 

Here is a photo taken by @@wildlifepainter of me with the elephant:

 

 

This was a most incredible experience standing face to face with a large bull elephant.

 

 

He was very relaxed and I felt greatly privileged to be accepted in such a calm manner. It had been another exceptional Mana Pools day! Yesterday lions, today elephants. We were happy!

Edited March 5, 2014 by Pennyanne

[AKR1]

This is getting better and better! Great shot of you with Mr. Loxodonta africana?

[Pennyanne]

Goliath camp continued: more lions, wild dogs, and hippos

 

 

Each day at Goliath was an adventure. One morning we drove to a more remote area accessible only to permit holders. It was very beautiful and we spent some time walking back and forth through long grass trying to find a lioness with cubs.

 

 

 

Stretch knew they were there somewhere. We didn’t find them but it was a good walk in a lovely area. We did find other lions though back closer to camp. They were mainly sleeping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One day we spent the morning tracking wild dogs on foot. This was not easy and although we found tracks we walked for about 5 hours without finding them, although it was a good walk. The following day we tried again and found the dogs! We sat down and crept up to get close. Here are a few photos but the light was not good.

 

 

This was our first sighting of wild dogs so we were very excited. I love the way they are constantly moving and interacting with each other although that does make it hard to photograph them. This was the to be the first of a number of wild dog sightings on the trip.

 

Another day we walked down to a pond with hippos. We crouched down and sat on the edge so we were at eye level with them.

 

 

 

A different perspective although we had wet pants from sitting in hippo muck. Had to have a wash when we got back.

[Pennyanne]

Goliath camp continued

 

Another afternoon we swam (sitting is more accurate) in the Zambezi River in a shallow sheltered spot off a small island opposite the camp.

Canoe that took us over to the swimming area:

The Zambezi water is very clean and clear and wonderfully refreshing on a hot day. Unfortunately it’s also full of crocodiles! Although we were in very shallow water we still had a guide with a gun guarding us.

 

Mana Pools is a beautiful park and a number of times we drove out to various pans and just walked around or sat quietly for a few hours watching the animals coming to drink.

 

Guineafowl

 

Nile crocodiles

 

At one pan there were many nyala which we had not seen before. They are impressive animals.

 

 

Here are some more photos taken during our stay at Goliath. Most are when we were on walks.

 

 

Spotted hyena

 

Eland

 

 

Mana has beautiful light:

 

 

Kudu

 

Zebra

 

Our 4 nights at Goliath were not enough and we could easily have stayed twice as long. It was a joy to be guided by Stretch and we had some good conversations with him. We also very much enjoyed the company of @@wildlifepainter and her husband. They were heading off to another park and we were heading to Vundu Camp just a few hours away. I felt quite sad to be leaving but there were some very good adventures in store for us.

 

 

[Pennyanne]

Vundu Camp, Mana Pools 4 nights

 

Vundu is another good camp in Mana Pools with well appointed tents looking over the river. We had the end tent which was huge.

 

Our tent

 

 

The path to the tent went by a small waterhole. Elephants and a pair of warthogs were here most afternoons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were very fortunate to be paired up with our own guide, Dean McGregor, who was excellent and loved to walk and was a lot of fun. So we could choose exactly how much we wanted to do each day and we wanted to do a lot. Despite the heat one day we took a 5 hour walk into an area we called the Never Never Wood that had a wonderful remote feeling. Not a lot of wildlife but the atmosphere of being away from everything was great.

 

Rick and Dean under a baobab tree in the Never Never Wood:

 

 

I don’t think Vundu usually gives you a private guide but there were two large groups of 5 and 6 so they each had one guide. Vehicles at Vundu usually seated two per row. They were getting quite old and were breaking down while we were there but we were told they will be replaced before next season.

We had breakfast and an early start for our walks. Then back for lunch. We had a break in in the afternoon but it was so hot (43 Celsius one day) that the standup fan in our room was blowing such hot air that we had to move it so it didn’t blow on us while we were trying to nap. I found it was cooler to just stay up and keep moving than try and lie down. I spent part of each afternoon watching the animals at the waterhole behind our tent. After the break we had afternoon tea then off for another walk or drive. The camp was flexible with food and would keep aside a meal if you were out late. On the day we left we had a late breakfast cooked just for us. The food was very good especially lunch with lots of great salads.

 

Vundu Camp

 

Some scenes from walks from Vundu:

 

Waterbuck. I love the way they pose.:

 

 

Eland nursery

 

 

 

Next up: Wild dogs!

[graceland]

One of the few times I am speechless; this report and photos are so amazing; more so because you are mostly on foot!!

Thank you for fueling my own enthusiasm! If I see half of this, I'd be thrilled.

[Pennyanne]

Vundu Camp continued - Wild Dogs!

 

Wild dogs were the stars at Vundu and we saw them 3 out of the 4 days we were there. There were some great sightings while we were walking and others from the vehicle.

 

 

 

 

 

One day tracking them on foot into the woods we heard a baboon alarm call and followed that to find the dogs. We sat quietly on a termite mound and watched them. They were “belling” and greeting each other then moved off. We followed them and one made some token growls and almost woofy sounds at us at us but then they just ignored us and went about their activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That afternoon we drove out and found them on the road.

 

 

We followed them to the river and parked, then followed on foot to see them kill an impala which they tore apart and then they moved on to have a drink.

 

 

 

 

 

The speed they tear apart an antelope is amazing. They are certainly very efficient organized hunters. My dog photos are not good but they will give you an idea of what we saw. I think the dogs are just constantly moving so much that the camera never focused properly.

 

Our time at Mana had now come to an end and we would be moving on to Lower Zambezi in Zambia where we had some fantastic sightings.

 

We agree with others that Mana Pools is a very special place and the light at certain times of day is remarkably beautiful. I love the fact you can easily walk and be quite spontaneous even while on a drive – just stop and hop out of the vehicle if you see something interesting. We will definitely be returning to Mana Pools.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

Absolutely fantastic stuff, @@Pennyanne , your Mana Pools adventures are extraordinary. It must be thrilling beyond words to get so close to lions... or elephants ... or the dogs. And the scenery is just breathtaking.

 

Thank you for sharing this.

[FlyTraveler]

So many beautiful sightings and photos, I will have to come back to the last few installments when I have more time.

 

Why is Stretch always holding his clients by the arm when approaching elephants (except you mentioning it, I have seen this on several videos)? To prevent them from running away? The photo of you, Stretch and the bull elephant is a killer! Thanks for sharing your amazing experiences in Mana Pools.

[Tdgraves]

 

 

I love the fact you can easily walk and be quite spontaneous even while on a drive – just stop and hop out of the vehicle if you see something interesting. We will definitely be returning to Mana Pools.

 

 

 

@@Pennyanne I really liked this too. As it was very hot when we were there, it was nice to know that we could be driven back to camp or could just do a quick stroll, rather than a 4 hour hike

[TonyQ]

@@Pennyanne

Wonderful sightings - and experiences

The elephant, lions and then the dogs while on foot - amazing

Also good to see elephant and warthog near your tent.

[westcoastexport]

Pennyanne - I feel like I'm reading a book that i can't put down. Amazing sights and experiences!

[Geoff]

Wonderful Mana chapter and some nice images too.

[Pennyanne]

After Mana Pools we transferred to Lower Zambezi Park and it was a long rather tedious travel day. This was all the more frustrating as we were only going across the Zambezi River which would have been a very short boat trip. But we had to make a long excursion to the border at Chirundu and then back down again to Lower Zambezi Park. First we drove 4.5 hours by road to the Chirundu border. The last part of the road up to the border was on a highway littered with the ruins of dead trucks. As we were in an open safari vehicle we just chugged along at a low speed feeling somewhat insecure as trucks passed us so I was glad to reach the border. The border was quite confusing and there were possibly up to a hundred trucks lined up waiting to cross. We were told it could take days before a truck might get through. As they were laden with goods this seemed an incredible waste of resources to have all these big trucks tied up like that. We were met at Chirundu and transferred into another vehicle and guided through. As we had to go to a number of different places to get processed it was good to have a guide who knew everyone and could steer us through.

 

The Zambia side of the border was a very busy market.

 

 

 

 

The formalities did not take long then we drove to Gwabi Lodge (which looked very nice) in Zambia where we transferred to a small boat for a 2 hour trip down the Zambezi to Chongwe River Camp. We saw lions, elephants and buffalo from the boat but unfortunately the weather that day had turned cool and windy so it was a bumpy boat ride and not quite the pleasant sunny trip I had imagined. It even rained a little bit! This was a surprise as a few days earlier the temperature had been over 40 Celsius.

 

We were very happy to arrive at Chongwe River Lodge.

 

 

 

 

[Pennyanne]

So many beautiful sightings and photos, I will have to come back to the last few installments when I have more time.

 

Why is Stretch always holding his clients by the arm when approaching elephants (except you mentioning it, I have seen this on several videos)? To prevent them from running away? The photo of you, Stretch and the bull elephant is a killer! Thanks for sharing your amazing experiences in Mana Pools.

 

@@FlyTraveler I think it is to stop you from suddenly panicking and running. He held everyone firmly when escorting them to animals.

 

It was one of the most memorable and special experiences I have ever had.

[Pennyanne]

Chongwe River Camp Lower Zambezi 3 nights. The lovely Zambezi River, marabou storks, elephant at cocktail hour

 

We arrived at Chongwe River Camp late afternoon and were offered a short boat cruise. But we were pretty tired after our long travelling day and had just spent a few hours on a boat so we opted to settle in and have a drink instead. The staff at Chongwe made us extremely welcome, especially Flossie one of the managers.

 

We loved this camp even though the wildlife was not as prolific in the immediate area as it was later around Old Mondoro. The guides, however, were extremely good. The camp is at the confluence of the Chongwe and Zambezi Rivers and we had a well-appointed tent that looked out over the Chongwe where much wildlife came to drink so we had many animals to watch right from our tent. The tents are quite luxurious and the food was superb.

 

 

 

Our tent. The tree was popular for a scratch.

 

 

Very comfortable tent

 

 

There was an attached open air bathroom

 

 

 

We spent happy afternoons watching animals from our tent.

 

 

 

 

 

Elephants were in camp much of the time which required caution and there were staff watching all the time to escort you if necessary.

 

 

[Pennyanne]

Chongwe continued

 

During cocktail hour at the bar on our first night a large bull elephant walked right into the middle of the bar area and stood on the Asian rug. We were ushered behind the bar while he wandered around looking very pleased himself. He then walked over to stand right in front of the nearby bar/dining area toilet building. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy causing a disruption. We learnt he was a frequent visitor and was called Slash as he had a slash in one ear.

 

Slash wandered around camp every day with two other large bulls, Majestic, named for his large size, and Tom for Peeping Tom as he liked to come right up to the tents and peer in through the screen.

 

Here's Tom peering in at me. I suddenly realized I was eye to eye with a bull elephant with just a tent screen between us! So I retreated.

 

 

 

We had great fun watching the three big elephants. Here's one visiting the neighbours.

 

 

Coming over to see us.

 

 

 

A good scratch

 

 

 

They enjoyed the water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[graceland]

Chongwe looks beautiful; love the ellies in camp....any OTHER way (like small aircraft?) to transfer. rather by the long tedious road.I'm afraid that would have driven me insane.

 

What a marvelous adventure you are having..

 

On my very fIrst safari an ellie came to visit my window as I was packing to leave (I was in a SabiSands lodge) and "naive" me went outside to visit with him. I chatted with him and took pics. The staff came running telling me how dangerous it was; but truthfully I felt no fear and loved being so close. A young bull happily munching on trees; he let me photograph him, then turned around and walked in to our Plunge Pool (yes had our very own that first time). I've never forgotten those moments and think one reason I want to keep returning.

 

Now I know better, but innocence was bliss at the time.

 

Looking forward to more, @@Pennyanne

 

Love seeing your guys in camp!

[Pennyanne]

Chongwe continued

 

One drive took us to a spot where there was an elephant carcass being eaten by a large group of Marabou storks.

 

 

 

 

 

White backed vultures were waiting their turn

 

 

Marabou storks and impala. Those storks are huge!

 

 

A Hadeda Ibis was also there

 

 

Another morning we had a great long walk along the Chongwe River

 

 

where we met buffalo and elephants causing us to detour a few times. Another day we saw a samango monkey up in the trees in this area. This was the first time I’d seen one but unfortunately he was too far way for a photo.

 

 

 

One afternoon we opted to have a sundowner boat cruise with just the two of us and our guide. Beautiful scenery and so quiet and peaceful floating down the river.

 

 

 

 

Fish Eagle

 

Some elephants who were definitely not happy meeting us on the road.

 

 

 

Warthogs

 

A surprise lunch on the river one day.

 

 

 

After Chongwe we transferred to Old Mondoro by boat down the Zambezi. The weather by now was warming up and was clear and sunny again. A welcome change from the cool overcast skies.

The weather while we were at Chongwe remained strangely cool for October and we wore fleeces in the morning. There were a number of rain storms up in the escarpment area but we did not get any rain. On our last day it started to warm up again.

 

Flossie waving goodbye

 

[ZaminOz]

@@Pennyanne

That Chongwe/Zambezi confluence looks like a very scenic area. I have never been to that spot, but always wanted to visit, so it's nice to get a little perspective from you of the area.

[TonyQ]

@@Pennyanne

Lots of ellies in the camp and around the area

Always good to see!

[pault]

What a superb trip. Amazing sightings and experiences. Lucky you - and wise you to go where you did. An hour has just flown by for me, reading this.