A first visit to Limpopo Lipadi, Botswana.

[Game Warden]

My first visit to Botswana began with a road trip. My driving partner for the whole Southern African adventure was long time Safaritalk member and good friend, @. It had been a long but interesting drive to the Botswana border post at Martin's Drift / Groblersbrug and it was our intention to be through and cover the eighty odd kilometres of graded track before sun down... However, the shot above shows the sunset over the vehicles in the car park of the border post: we were delayed almost 2 hours at this point. Of course, for me, it was all part of the great adventure but one could see the frustation in the other people in the queue. I think partly due to Zanzibar Post being closed due to the high level of the Limpopo, it did not help that there was only one person able to deal with the paperwork for drivers, (a compulsary insurance is payable when crossing into Botswana as a self driver, in addition to having your passport stamped.) By the time Dikdik had got to the window, it was suddenly decided that they would not accept rands, (despite doing so for some other people in the queue), and he was made to cross the border into Bots on foot to a small currency exchange company to sort the money out. It seemed strange to me, he was not the only one this affected. Why could we not have been told in advance of arriving to the window? I could have done this myself whilst he waited in line or viça verça - there were many other employees milling around, none of them helped a bit. (I later reported this instance to a representative of the Botswana Tourism Board at the We Are Africa show who vowed to look into it.) The currency exchange issue left a sour taste in our mouths and caused problems with people having to re-enter the queue. There were poor people in the queue, rich people, tourists, businessmen etc: all had to wait for hours. However, whilst waiting for all this to be resolved, I was witness to the most spectacular sunset of my whole stay: over a car park and a collection of overland vehicles, 4x4s, lorries, buses and saloon cars...

 

It was a long slug to reach the gates of Limpopo Lipadi - 80 kms of mostly graded dirt road with some serious pot holes, dry riverines which we had to rattle through, bounce and bang whilst avoiding cattle straying across the road which looked stoned. At one point, in the serious dark of an unlit Botswana night, we hit a riverbed so hard, my head banged on the ceiling of the jeep, I cried out in pain, the lights went out and we slammed to a halt. It was like everything was buggered at once. My head. The jeep. The start of my Botswana trip. Had the lights gone out? No - the windscreen was covered in mud. Flicking the wipers on sorted it quickly and we were off again. Except my head still throbbed...

 

Our arrival at camp in the dark meant we braaied for ourselves: the fire had already been lit for us - I had no chance to look at my accomodation but instead get food ready. We had stopped at the last town in South Africa and bought a lot of meat, steaks, wors, ribs etc. So, Dikdik selected one cut of steak and some wors, I said, well, that's good for me, what about you? and so we ended up doubling the amount and whilst he left some of his, lightweight, me, being on the Atkins diet savoured every forkful - this was the first boerewors I eaten since 2008 and I loved it... Fat, full, beer in belly, despite the long tiring drive, I was in the African wilderness with a good friend, great food and the sound of the mighty Limpopo River flowing past our feet no more than 50 feet away...

The accomodation is formed of a series of chalets, each is available to a shareholder and their guests at a set cost. (Offhand I don't know what that cost is, or how or if it fluctuates seasonally - as soon as dikdik is back online hopefully he, @@Simon Espley or @@RedLeopard, all LL shareholders can chime in with more information.) I was with dikdik, and we paid to stay. Our chalet lodge was comprised of two suites interlinked by an open sided lounge and dining area, kitchen and open braai area which led to the riverbank.

 

Looking right, (below), from the braai pit.

And left...

And the classic pith pose...

Upon return to camp each evening, the fire was already lit and it was a place at which we lounged with sundowners, talked about the day's events, Safaritalk matters, made notes on conservation issues and conversations we'd had already on this trip. Then I'd scoop up some burning embers with a shovel, get the braai going and we'd eat and drink long into the Botswana night. The Limpopo splashing past us in the dark, the smell of wood smoke, an amazing starscape overhead and shooting stars skipping through the sky. This was where I wanted to be. Should be. This is where Safaritalk should be, what it is all about...

Dikdik proved to be a master at making the G&T, until he had to make one for one of the big LL shareholders, when he used water instead of tonic water... we sat round laughing as the chap tried to down the flat, tepid concoction... but even he thought it funny.

We spent many hours reclining with alcohol, swapping stories, reminsicing about my last visit to South Africa in 2008 when we'd first met. It set the tone for the whole trip: one could not hope for a better companion and host on a self drive safari. If you ever get the chance, have a braai with Bugs...

[Simon Espley]

Hey Matt, great story - looking forward to the sequels. To reply to your question, shareholders and their guests pay 300 Pula per unit (so 150 Pula per person) per night for accommodation. The Limpopo-Lipadi team clean the units, make the fire etc. We generally cater for our own food and do our own cooking, but we can also select to be fully catered for or for the LL team to prepare our meals - at an extra cost. Game drives (self-drive or guided) cost 7 Pula per kilometer, shared between the group on the vehicle. Shareholders that have passed a fairly relaxed test can do their own driving - which is awesome. Tourists (i.e. non shareholder groups) pay a one-off rate of 1,600 Pula per person per night for the entire fully catered package with game drives.

[graceland]

Looks like a laid back respite after the hours of driving bad roads (if you had worn the pith in the car, there'd be no OUCH) ..lesson to be learned there.LOL

Bureaucracy at its finest holding you in line only to force you to walk for currency and get back in the queue. At least you were in Botswana! And that glorious sunset!!!!

 

Best Ever

 

The lodge looks relaxing, and nothing beats a g&t by the river. "Atkins" is working for you; looking trim (well, most of you ) sporting a drink in hand, and dinner waiting on the bbq. Enjoy seeing pics of the lodge and your safari cohort.

 

Good start.....looking forward to more.

[lillipets]

Looking forward to hearing more! Limpopo Lipadi is on my list of potential places to visit. But it's hard to find much info about it. When I asked my Africa travel agent about it

she wasn't real familiar with it either. And what she researched wasn't very encouraging. But I'm still very very interested in a future visit!

 

Can't wait to hear more about it!

[Game Warden]

Certainly the best people to talk to are @@Bugs, @@Simon Espley or @@RedLeopard then who can tell you a lot more about the project than I will cover in this report...

[Marks]

This TR should be a good read. I have seen so many ads for Limpopo-Lipadi in Africa Geographic, very interesting to see a firsthand account.

[Jochen]

Eagerly awaiting info on what sightings you had at LL!

[Bugs]

You need to send that photo of you doing that Captain Morgan pose to your new best friend; Kingsley Holgate.

[Game Warden]

With @ holding a Limpopo Lipadi driving permit, days were spent at our pace: there was so much writing to be done from our visit to John Hume's and it had been a long and exhausting day of driving, arriving late in the dark so following a breakfast of steak and eggs we adjourned to the bar and dining area boma for coffee, conversation and the sound of the Limpopo splashing past not more than twenty metres away. Kingfishers flitted through the trees, dove down to the water: they were a distraction from my writing and I looked up more than I did down at my notes. Guests could choose to have lunch served to them here if they aren't in the mood to self cater: for our first lunchtime in the reserve we ate with some of the other shareholders, drank beer and talked conservation issues of course, as you'll find those involved in Limpopo Lipadi are passionate about preserving wildlife and the natural environment - it's why they've chosen to invest. In fact, with the laid back manner of the place, you'll find yourself involved in long and interesting discussions around this dinner table with other shareholders, even if an outsider like me - there's no urgency to get out on a drive if you don't want to. And people come from all walks of life, different backgrounds but around the table you all feel the same. One of the keen issues being examined was the posible introduction of lions to the reserve and the implications that would mean for the wild dog population, the prey species, how would it impact upon the leopard population, (last recorded count was 16 individuals though undoubtedly there are more) and what about the rarely seen cheetah? But I'm not qualified to talk about the lions, nor was it my place to get involved in the discussion other than to throw in a question or three and perhaps @ and @@Simon Espley can chip in. Obviously the introduction of lion would offer a complete new dynamic to the reserve...

 

The late afternoon and evening was spent at one of the hides overlooking a waterhole: we had it to ourselves, and bar the rustle of corn snacks and clanking of ice in the G&Ts, there was a hush in Botswana as we appreciated just the sounds of nature, the various bird calls, antelope and wildebeest grunting and snuffling, perhaps the cough of a leopard in the bushes, this lone giraffe which came to drink. We tried out some of @'s night vision cameras and scopes: I have to say though I was getting better visibility with the pair of Leica binos he'd loaned me.

 

Night came quickly and there was an incredible starscape above us, the Milky Way dusted an arc above us from one horizon to the other: it had been a long time since I'd seen the Southern Cross. It was an interesting trip back marked by the number of chameleons we saw. So much easier to see at night with the spotlight, once you recognised their outline...

[Bugs]

One of the reasons why its great being a shareholder, is the degree of freedom that you have to determine the pace at which you enjoy your bush break. I enjoy not having set meal times and a set menu, or a tick list of things to do.

 

I love the evening hour - the changing of the guard - when the nocturnal animals come out, and to sit at the waterhole elect to every sound with expectation is a great feeling. The sandgrouse come in just before it gets dark, and they have this bubbly sound when the do their bounce landing and scurry around to the water and back.

 

About the future introduction of lions. I personally don't really need to have lions to make Lipadi more interesting for me, and the reason to introduce lions will not be to satisfy shareholders, but because the system needs large predators. I am happy to leave the decision on lions to the committee who will make the decision to go forward or not through consulting with a number of experts. Very little is known about introducing lions in areas where wliddog already exist. I know that they have introduced lions to Mkuze - where I was a week ago, and so far, they haven't come into contact with the dogs. However, there are fewer dogs at Mkuze, and its a much bigger area. There is no doubt that there will be an impact on other species including leopard, cheetah etc, but it is clear that the greatest risk is the dogs. There is far more to this decision than what meets the eye. With the system being closed, there is a limit to the number of lions that it can handle, and certain controls need to be in place. I saw in Mkuze, they partly sterilise the females... They tie half her tubes, and thus she will only be able to have 2 cubs at a time. Mkuze have introduced 8 lions - all donated, and have determined that they should not allow the numbers to exceed 15. As I said - the committee will have to consider all this and more, before we go ahead.

[Marks]

Wildlife management strategies like that are incredibly interesting to me. It must be a very different prospect than attempting to manage (for example) elephant populations that are already out of control, as LL can manage the lions from the get-go.

 

I may never be able to afford to become a shareholder, but I really enjoy reading about it!

[Game Warden]

One wonders with the introduction of lions how the reserve's dynamics will change: not just for the wildlife, (for example in future with lions will you see more examples of leopards taking kills into trees?), but for visitors as well. For example, now, one can get out of the vehicle and explore on foot, walk into the bush - with lions will it be possible? Will that take anything anyway from a guest's experience, or add to it? It may well make Limpopo Lipadi a more attractive tourist destination...

 

The lodgings are extremely comfortable and well appointed. I don't have many terms for comparison, ie my experience of high end lodges is limited to a one night stay at the Emakoko in Nairobi National Park, (which you can read about here). In fact the Limpopo Lipadi chalets reminded me a little of those at the Emakoko. Large comfortable bed and furniture, bedrooms face the river with huge patio door doors opening out onto the veranda area: at night the rushing of the Limpopo lulls you to sleep - breakfast can be ordered from the bar, or self catered. (Note: we brought in most of our supplies in the last town before arriving at the border post, but as a shareholder, @ also had supplies stored at the lodge itself which were delivered in advance of our arrival.) At present I believe there are 7 seperate chalet/lodges for shareholders and visitors, all of which were booked during our stay, and of course, each challet can host more than just a couple of people. There is more accomodation planned and under construction in the main camp itself, whilst into the reserve proper plans are underway for more rustic tented accomodation, fly camping, walking trails etc: it's still early days yet. There were a few families staying - next to the bar and communal dining area is a nice pool area which during the lunchtime period was well used. Lunchtimes are when @ and I wrote up conservation notes and met other shareholders and guests. One of these guests was Jurgen Elbertse and his family.

 

Jurgen was instrumental in the creation of the Mapungubwe Private Nature Reserve, (South Africa, part of the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area) and was at Limpopo Lipadi to get an overview of the reserve. The future plans of extending the GMTCA to include both sides of the Limpopo RIver is an exiciting long term prospect which would perhaps see farms on the South Africa side of the border linking with Tuli block properties in Botswana. Of course, Jurgen is the person qualified to talk more about it and we'll be talking with him more in an upcoming Safaritalk interview.

 

Jurgen is also involved with the WWF and the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project, you may recall last year seeing images of a black rhino slung underneath a helicopter, (refresh your memory with this photographic Daily Mail article), and bearing in mind Safaritalk's coverage of the rhino poaching situation and legalisation of trade debate, (and the fact that prior to LL I had visited John Hume), there was a lot to talk about round the table: this for me was one of the real pleasures of Limpopo Lipadi - indepth discussion with conservation stake holders: @ and I spent a lot of time with Jurgen and many of the issues we discussed you can look forward to in the interview.

[Game Warden]

Day two was focused upon finding the wild dogs. Actually we started off driving out to Lipadi Hill - it was our intention to try to find the cheetah which can be seen in the plains to the west but with @ listening to the chatter on the radio, when he heard notice of the dogs, we turned round. Despite the reserve not being a huge size, one could drive close to where the dog pack was and still not see them so it was taking a chance: I'd wanted to see the hill and check out any evidence of the cheetahs, annecdotal evidence from other shareholders proved they were around and honestly I didn't like the idea of responding to a radio call: but it was the dogs so after a brief chat we about turned and drove back towards camp. Limpopo Lipadi is split by a public road, (dirt and graded), which runs through the centre: gated at both ends so it's not like it's a busy public highway and we used the road to come back before turning off near the new landing strip. (More of which later...)

 

@ had an inkling of where they would be and his instincts and knowledge of the reserve proved sound as we rolled up to another vehicle who were with them: we sat back at a distance and waited to see what the other car wanted to do - but they had been with the dogs a while and soon headed off. Prior to our arrival on scene they had witnessed the pack take on a fully grown male warthog, running it into their vehicle. The warthog had tusked one of the dogs quite badly before making its escape. The dogs seemed agitated because of it but once the others had departed and we rolled up, switched the engine off and sat calmly, they soon relaxed and began playing - approaching the car, the younger ones especially inquisitive coming right up to the doors. The last time I had seen wild dogs was whilst staying at Sosian Lodge in Laikipia, they had been frantic and we had been in amongst them whilst hunting. At Limpopo Lipadi, they were much calmer - the pack was a comparable size and their manner was perfect for photography as we were amongst them. You can see the series of photos I took in this topic. (My photos aren't up to much, any successful images can be attributed to the lens I was borrowing, not my technical skills...)

 

Certainly two interesting examples of their behavior was the teething? of the old tree stump in this image,

 

and the way in which they punished? disciplined? one of the younger dogs - nipping at him, I thought at one stage they would go further and kill it, but he, (I thought it was a male), was submissive on his back: all the time they were yipping, yelping.

 

 

One difference that was clear to my olfactory sense was that this pack didn't smell as strongly as that in Kenya: there wasn't that vivid, bloody odour. What would be the reason? I think it's better to ask @ or @@Simon Espley to provide a background on the dogs as it is a success story which gives Limpopo Lipadi their logo image. This morning with the dogs was not only a photographer's dream, but anyone who wants to spend time with these wonderful animals. And then quickly as anything, the pack picked up on something, and were gone into the bush - it was the last we were to see of them that day...

[Bugs]

What is often missed about teeing a shareholder in a reserve like this is the sense of belonging and ownership. When you see the dogs doing so well, its not just an arbitrary pack of dogs, its your own pack. I could sit and watch the dogs all day. They are so alert and in tune with each other. I have a few photos to add ....

 

[Bugs]

And one more photo - just pulling your leg..

[Atravelynn]

 

If you ever get the chance, have a braai with Bugs...

 

Hopefully a few more of us will some day get that chance.

 

Really enjoyed the action filled photos of "your dogs."

[Game Warden]

Latest news from Limpopo Lipadi, (thanks @@Simon Espley), is that the pack have given birth to ten pups. (Permission granted to use this image on ST.)

 

Keep in contact if on Facebook with the Limpopo Lipadi page here.

 

@ - now there's an excuse to go back...

[Simon Espley]

The pack is headed up by matriarch "Two Spots", a very strong and courageous lady who has produced excellent litters over the years. I suspect that she is getting a bit long in the tooth now, and yet 10 pups is a large litter. Wild dogs need a strong alpha leader to keep the pack together and safe from other predators. We suspect that the pack will split up once this litter is independent, and if so we will take the opportunity to remove a number of dogs and take them to another safe area in Botswana, and bring in some new blood at the same time.

[Sangeeta]

Is that a trailcam image, Simon?

 

Looks like puppies everywhere in Southern Africa these days! Wonderful news.

[Game Warden]

Does one miss lions in Limpopo Lipadi? As @ mentions above, there is the possibility that they will be introduced in the future: but what of now? Have there been lions in this area in recent history? Leopards, of which there are 16 recorded, (but in reality many more), don't tree their kills which would suggest they aren't afraid. I don't know what the hyena population is: brown or spotted. We didn't see any during our stay but they are there. I guess I missed the roaring at night, the thought that whilst out on a drive we might see one. Does it detract from the experience? How many of us would want, expect, even demand to see lions on safari? Therefore Limpopo Lipadi without lions may well be a tough sell for some tourists: it isn't a place for everyone. It isn't just the lions which are lacking...

 

Staying in Limpopo Lipadi's chalets is like having your own home in the bush: ask @ - this is its selling point. There is no pressure, no time scale, no plan. You are at ease in Botswana, you can cook for yourself, kick back, eat when you want, what you want, (as long as you have stocked up prior to arriving, though the shop does stock some food, meat etc), make your own tea and coffee. Choose to be waited upon or not. When you come out of your bedroom out into the lounge area, it is like stepping into a backgarden: it feels like, for the few days I was there, it was my place, not staying in a lodge or camp. Of course I also credit that to the company and we never stopped talking.

 

Night and day the mighty Limpopo River splashes past as it has done for time immemorial. Kingfishers flit down splashing into the river. Further down towards the hippo hide, deep footprints in the mud - the hippos are there: I didn't see nor hear them. But on a gravel bank, a big crocodile sees us and slithers down into the water. The Limpopo is the division between Botswana and South Africa: in front of the communal dining area is an island, in the middle of no man's land. It would be perfect to sit in a director's chair, the river in front of you, surrounded by big game as the come to drink. Elephants shaking the ground for instance, kicking up dust. But here is the issue. There is no physical divide between the countries: big game from Limpopo Lipadi could cross the river into South Africa and disappear, the wild dogs often do. Reintroduced lions could cross the river when the water level is low, be gone into farms and kill livestock... elephants trample crops, wildlife vs. human conflict. This being so, the river along the length of the reserve is fenced, (can you, @, @@Simon Espley confirm this for me?), the camp is fenced: you won't be surrounded by the game seeking out a drinking place which is a shame - (as a shareholder), it would be a great experience to be in your place, with your wildlife coming down past you to the Limpopo, a few meters away. Is there an answer? Could the river be fenced halfway across? Bearing in mind the huge fluctuations in levels, I don't know. Could the South Africa side be fenced? Could a joint plan be put in place for a twin reserve on the opposite side of the river allowing "migrations" of wildlife? Wouldn't that be amazing? I discuss future plans in post #12...

[Game Warden]

A night drive with Jurgen and his family - it proved to be disappointing. Another vehicle had spotted a leopard, close to the road: we missed it by minutes - it's the luck of the draw: I wasn't interested in following the lights of other vehicles on the reserve. The starscapes were incredible but we never found my pangolin or aardvark...

 

Our last full day on the reserve. En route to meet with the anti poaching team, (as I was to spend time learning about their role on the reserve), we encountered the dog pack again in plain view on the main public road which divides the reserve. (It is a graded dirt road, not asphalt.) It delayed us a while - the dogs are not reticent, surrounding the vehicle, scouting around, they were hunting. We tagged along for a while when all of a sudden with a bolt of speed they were into the bush and gone from sight, the sudden strangled cry of some antelope - they had killed, it was quick, we didn't see it but they were feeding: we could have waited for them but there was no guarantee they'd reappear. And I had an appointment with the APU which was waiting for us up the old German Road...

 

I learnt a lot about the group: and found a lot in common with Banda, one of the team who took the lead in explaining to me how things worked. The reserve has very good relations with local communities and villages, from which the APU members are recruited. I obviously can't go into detail but what was obvious is these chaps were dedicated - they knew the wildlife, where it was, the tracks and routes through the reserve. It can't be an easy job.

[Game Warden]

Let's tally up @@Bugs - what did we see? Without doubt, the wild dogs were the high point for me, close up, relaxed, photogenic...

[graceland]

Don't know how I missed most of this! Am now just reading...where the heck have I been ...(other than selllng, moving, going to Zim) but I'd never miss A GW report.

Shame on me.

 

But lucky YOU well except last night drive....but what the heck, you are in AFRICA!!!

 

Glad you are back.

 

I'm ready to go!

[michael-ibk]

Good to see you back "in action", @@Game Warden.

[Big_Dog]

Did some volunteering at a private game reserve in KZN, South Africa, one used mainly for educational universities for a lot of british students to get some excellent fieldwork oppurtunities. It was still somewhat in it's infancy, with wildlife reintroductions and converting the land back from farmland still going on.

Safaritalk'ing since back, the trip got me thinking about this, and how this reserve is shaping over time.
The lion debate is an interesting one, and a good point seems to be that it may greatly limit walks and independent travels. Though I'm interested, lion limit such things, yet elephant (arguably equally dangerous) doesn't?
But I quite agree. I doubt lion are ecologically needed and no doubt they would affect the cheetah and wild dog negatively. I'm also quite skeptical it would bring more tourists in. Lion no doubt attract a lot, especially first timers. But I would argue as people go on more and become more of a safari 'connoisseur' they desire to more things like pangolin, aardvark, caracal, brown hyaena and other rarities or common-but-elusive animals which Limpopo seems to have in spades and with good encounter rates.
Similarly, the additional experiences possible without lions sounds excellent, with more chance of walking safaris and freedom to shareholders.

This looks to be a highly interesting place and I follow the website, and hope for more updates here from you guys too.
Plus in a year or so I may start following dikdik very closely with something that sounds suspiciously like 'dissertation'...