Natureways 70 km Mopane Canoe Trip, Sept 4-7: Mana Pools, Sapi, Chewore

[Atravelynn]

Loved it!

Overview Photo of the canoe safari - including the “kitchen ” and meal preparation. Food was fine to great.

Evening meals were prepared by staff over a burner. The freezer box they toted along was good for 5-6 days.

My favorite meal was freshly caught fried fish. Outstanding!

Lunch was usually sandwich and lettuce salad. There was a good deal of ring bologna.

Breakfast was usually some packaged biscuits/cookies and coffee/tea upon waking. Then when we stopped for our first break, there was bacon and eggs.

At times they altered the dining schedule to coincide with canoeing in the least amount of wind, which made perfect sense.

I had not requested any food, vegetarian or otherwise.

Guide Norman and Assistant Takesure worked together well to produce really good meals under Spartan conditions.

Notice the nice, soft seat in the canoe; very comfy.

That’s me in the life jacket. The rule is that the life jacket must only be within reach; it is not necessary to wear it while canoeing.

But I promised my husband I would wear one (and I did the whole time, not just for the photos.) Not so comfortable for paddling.

Since most people probably don’t wear the jackets, it usually wouldn’t matter.

But I’d recommend bringing your own if you plan on wearing the life jacket while paddling, which is not required.

Chikwenya in Sapi – A photographic goal of mine for this trip was dripping water from a mouth. Mission accomplished.

In 1995 I did a Mana Pools walking safari with Natureways, led by owner James Varden. It was a memorable trip that even James could recall when I met him again in Sept 2015. After that introduction to Mana Pools I always knew I’d like to return and next time include canoeing. Next time turned out to be 20 years later, again with Natureways.

General scenery from the canoe

Doug MacDonald booked this canoe trip along with the walking trip I did with him (and Wilddog & Blue Bird.) I wanted a scheduled group canoe camping trip and the one that fit with Doug’s walking safari was Natureways Mopane Canoe Safari. Doug was able to obtain a better rate than I would have on my own. Thanks again Doug.

 

To prepare for canoeing in Sept I went canoeing (or kayaking even though the two focus on a little different muscle groups) for 1-3 hours at least once a week all summer. A friend of mine gave me some granulated bee pollen for energy that I thought I might need if I happened to join a group of canoeists who were youthful rock climbers or body builders or something.

 

The canoe safari turned out to be my own private trip because no one else signed up. What a privilege and what a deal! I did not need the bee pollen.

 

In general, Natureways requires no canoe experience. But I certainly wanted to be in shape, and I think it is important to have done some canoeing in case you end up in back and therefore must steer. Unlike kayaking, which is easy to learn very quickly, getting the canoe to go where you want takes a little practice. The pace was relaxed with plenty of time between destinations, so no bee pollen should be needed by anyone. My muscles never got sore and I even have an SI-joint (sacroiliac) issue, which canoeing did not affect.

Chikwenya in Sapi

Camera/photography: I left my bigger bridge camera behind in my luggage stowed with Natureways and took just a pocket-sized Canon SX280, 20x zoom. I think that was a good decision. There can be splashing into the canoe and it’s hard to stabilize a big camera or lens with the movement of the current. No battery charging is possible so I took 4 fully charged batteries, which was sufficient for the 716 photos I took.

 

Park fees: The Natureways info stated $100 USD. I think it was $103, so close enough, but the fees were paid in increments of $43 and $60 (if I remember right) meaning one dollar bills are needed. Park staff have very limited change.

 

Gear: I took one backpack with me and left my duffel, containing my money (except park fees) and passport, with the Natureways staff. Natureways is adamant that you not bring money or passport with you on the river and instead leave it safely and securely with them. I had access to my bags and money again before any tipping needs at the end of the trip.

 

My backpack was waterproof, not just resistant. Resistant would be sufficient because they put a waterproof tarp over the canoes.

 

You need only a change or two of shirts & underwear and for the feet sandals/Keens, no boots/shoes. Even at the campsites and rest stops it is sandy and you don’t hike so sandal-type-footwear is all you should bring. I never wore the boots I brought. You can wear the same bottoms throughout; zip-offs would work well. I brought two hats in case one blew off into the river and sank. The cap I wore most of the time had a built-in elastic band around the head and a neck flap. I had the elastic cinched tightly due to the wind. There are some photos of the hat below.

 

The packing list suggests a kikoi (fabric rectangle that can be used as a skirt or wrap or sun protection) to put over your legs for sun protection. I figured I’d just wear long pants. And I did, which worked well but I would have used the kikoi over my feet if I had brought one. Doug reminded me to be sure to put lotion on the insoles of the feet because the way you sit in the canoe, this rarely exposed part of the foot is exposed.

 

Natureways provided a sleeping bag and a liner, plus a mat. And a towel. I brought my own liner and just slept in that and covered up with Natureway’s liner. The sleeping bag was too hot in Sept. even for me who is always cold.

 

A headlight torch/flashlight was particularly helpful.

The tent shown is the Chewore High Sand Bank location, the last island stop.

Natureways provides the spade and toilet paper throughout the trip. The spade and tp accompanied us on all of our rest stops.

A bucket shower is available.

Since I did a “sponge-bath” which was actually a towel-bath with the towel provided, I don’t remember if the water was warm because it did not run down on me.

I think it is just taken from the river at river temp.

Drink, drink drink: Guide Norman kept tabs on my liquid intake and would remind me to drink as I canoed. They carried big containers of bottled water to fill your own bottles.

 

Island tents: The tent camping on the remote islands was a highlight of the trip. Such beautiful, peaceful secluded locations, with no one else around! The tents are easy to put up and take down and the staff will help you. You can see the stars through the top at night.

 

These island locations also served a practical purpose: Securing food on canoes is harder than in land-based tent operations, so being surrounded by water protects from honey badgers and hyenas, the biggest thieves of camp provisions.

 

-------------------------------------------

 

 

 

The timing and schedule can change depending on weather and other factors but here is how my 4 day/3 night Mopane canoe safari went:

 

DAY 1 SEPT 4

 

11:30 - (Participants should be ready to canoe on 10:30 am of Day 1) As the Tailormade staff broke camp at the end of the walking safari with Doug, I waited to be picked up by Natureways. To keep me amused while waiting, an elephant ate seedpods nearby and I watched the wind-whipped whitecaps flow upriver on the Zambezi. Yikes! How will I canoe in this stuff?

Ele bidding me farewell at Mucheni #4 Rough waters on the Zambezi, photo taken from the canoe once the

weather/wind/water had calmed down a lot, but it was still choppy.

I was picked up at Mucheni #4 by Guide Norman and Assistant Takesure and driven about 30 minutes to the canoe launch site at Nyamepia.

 

Noonish – lunch along the river Nyamepai. James Varden happened to join us. James and I had a brief but enjoyable “20 year reunion” at lunch.

 

We waited out the unrelenting high winds that had kicked up in the wee dark hours that morning and had never waned as the day wore on. Normal departure time is just after lunch. The way the itinerary is structured fortunately allows for flexibility, which we needed.

 

3 pm – As is often the case, when the sun moves toward the horizon, the winds taper a little, just a little. But it was enough to launch. I was in one canoe with Guide Norman and Takesure was in the other canoe. So our flotilla numbered two.

 

Normally, this initial paddle would be offer scenic highlights of the trip, leisurely hugging the shoreline and perhaps finding a channel. But the high winds caused choppiness mid-river which the hippos don’t like, so the pods were all located along the calmer shores. That meant we had to avoid the shore, strewn with hippos, and canoe the less interesting and rougher middle river.

 

Norman and Takesure were surprised at the ferocity of the winds in Sept. They said that sometimes they get that level in August but not to this extent in Sept. However August had been completely still without wind, so maybe the gales of August started blowing in September, mere hours before my canoe trip.

This elephant was seen on an island shortly after our departure. The whipping wind is evident.

I was glad when I saw at least one elephant in case we could never get near shore to see any others due to the wind.

When asked about ele sightings, Norman and Takesure said it is possible to see no elephants on the Mopane trip outside of the dry season.

 

4:40 pm –Arrive Buffalo Island, the first island camp.

Views from Buffalo Island (where there are no buffalo).

My Keens are in the bow of the boat. No other footwear besides a sandal-type is needed and often I was barefoot in the canoe.

Top right tent is on Buffalo Island.

Bean shucking was optional for clients but it was one task where I could contribute.

Tent erecting was simple. The two tents pictured are on Ilala Island, the second night’s stop.

You can see Guide Norman is prepared to protect his clients. He has never used his firearm.

Neither Norman nor Takesure has ever had a canoe capsize/tip with guests who did not do intentionally stupid and crazy stuff.

Some hilarious stories from various canoe guides are at the end in green.

DAY 2 SEPT 5

7:05 am –Leave Buffalo Island and canoe Nyamatusi Channel 1 and Nyamatusi Channel 2. Norman and Takesure did an excellent job of pulling the canoe through shallow water and over sandbars of these productive channels, making this diversion possible. The winds had died down for the morning so venturing into channels was safe. But low water almost made it impossible. Water levels along the Zambezi canoe routes are more a function of the dam operation than of the season/rainfall. More water is allowed through the dam Mon-Fri, and the flow is restricted on weekends. Sept 5, 2015 was a Saturday.

Bird collage of Nyamatusi Channels

Common Waterbuck - Nyamatusi Channel - focusing on us

Impala & Egyptian Geese - Nyamatusi Channel - also focusing on us

10:40 am—Arrive Ilala Island, the last camp in Mana Pools, before Sapi Safari Area. Lunch and rest.

 

 

Mana Pools, Chikwenya, Sapi, Chewore:

First, some maps to put it all in perspective.

 

 

 

 

 

All of the above areas constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

No hunting in Mana Pools, which has the richest wildlife of the three spots. My wildlife viewing for the Mana Pools proper part of the trip was diminished due to high winds that kept us away from the shoreline for safety reasons to avoid hippo pods.

 

There is hunting allowed in Sapi and Chewore, but not along the shore. The buffer area of no hunting extends a kilometer or two from the river into the safari area for both Sapi and Chewore. So no hunting along the Zambezi River and the animals, especially the eles, knew it. No hunting at night, and they knew that too. In fact, I was told that the elephants had figured out where they were safe in which areas on both sides of the river at particular times of the day and planned their days accordingly to the frustration of the hunters.

 

Chikwenya is a protected 5500 acre section on the western riverfront of Sapi Safari Area that used to be owned by Wilderness Safaris, but is not now. My best elephant and hippo activity of the canoe trip was in Chikwenya. Even a hyena too elusive for pictures.

 

Chewore does allow hunting, but where we camped for our last night across from Chewore Campsite, there is no hunting. And what an oasis that was. Elephants, antelope, even wild dogs all amassed in this area. The owner of Chewore Campsite has been very adamant and proactive in securing the area around his campsite from hunting rights, winning some recent court cases.

 

The Mopane Natureways canoe trip includes Mana Pools, Sapi with the protected section of Chikwenya, and Chewore. There are other Natureways canoe itineraries with different routes.

 

 

to be continued

Edited November 17, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@Atravelynn

 

Due to very recently increased “foreign Internet security” restrictions imposed here, about 50% of your images aren't loading in my iMac.

A small blue box with a question mark is what appears. That's not at all yours or Safaritalk's fault — it's a “local thing” where I work and live.

Big Sigh...

However, your scintillating text displays without interference, which is of the highest value.

I especially appreciate the high level of detail, as any future prospective visitors will need such.

Given your extensive experience, you know what to mention, which is humorous without being tediously snarky.

I happen to admire your easygoing writing style, even if the fount of haikus has run dry.

Tom K.

[Zim Girl]

@@Atravelynn

 

Sounds like you had a great trip even with the windy conditions. Love the pictures of the Waterbuck and Impala watching you. The shoreline ele pictures are wonderful.

Lots of detail about the canoeing.

 

You are right about the canoe being tricky to control. We have tried this a couple of times in the past but without a guide in with us, and although the first trip went well, the second we gave up after doing 360's right in front of a hippo pod. Preferred to keep my feet on the ground after that.

[xelas]

@@Atravelynn

 

What an adventure! Offering completely different view over the wildlife. Kudos to your efforts!

[pault]

Thank goodness I don't need to comment in verse anymore. Super interesting and useful trip report,.... as always. If I were planning a canoe trip I would need to look no further,

[twaffle]

The amount of detail you share with us is always exceptionally detailed and helpful, thanks again.

 

Your camera seemed like the perfect choice and you have a good range of photos. It seemed like a lovely trip despite the choppy water.

[TonyQ]

A great start with some beautiful pictures - especially the view from the canoe. Very wise with the camera I suspect.

Sleeping in that tent, seeing the skymust be wonderful.

[Atravelynn]

~ @@Atravelynn

 

Due to very recently increased “foreign Internet security” restrictions imposed here, about 50% of your images aren't loading in my iMac.

Let me sum it up, then, in the absence of visuals: canoe, canoes, another canoe and me, birds, flock of birds, waterbuck, impala, elephant, elephant, elephant in foreground with elephants in background, seat cushion, tent, spade and toilet paper.

I happen to admire your easygoing writing style, even if the fount of haikus has run dry.

I think I might be able to work the above descriptive line into some haikus if I counted my syllables and got clever with where I hit the enter key!

Thanks, Tom K.

[Atravelynn]

@@Atravelynn

You are right about the canoe being tricky to control. We have tried this a couple of times in the past but without a guide in with us, and although the first trip went well, the second we gave up after doing 360's right in front of a hippo pod. Yikes! Preferred to keep my feet on the ground after that. If you did some J-stroke drills, I think you'd be ready for another go at the Zambezi. I would be too scared without a guide, though.

 

 

@@Atravelynn

 

What an adventure! Offering completely different view over the wildlife. Kudos to your efforts! My efforts were minimal compared to Norman and Takesure. While this was an adventure, it was not scary or taxing. My 1-3 hours per week of paddling in the preceding months helped, though.

 

 

Thank goodness I don't need to comment in verse anymore. Super interesting and useful trip report,.... as always. If I were planning a canoe trip I would need to look no further, You are always welcome to grace us with your verses or wit or witty verses!

 

 

Your camera seemed like the perfect choice and you have a good range of photos. Even for serious photographers, the canoe is the place to put the big guns away.

 

 

Sleeping in that tent, seeing the skymust be wonderful. Yes, and when it gets dark by 7 pm or earlier and wakeup is not until 6 am the next day, there is a lot of time available to gaze upward into the night.

[SafariChick]

 

 

In fact, I was told that the elephants had figured out where they were safe in which areas on both sides of the river at particular times of the day and planned their days accordingly to the frustration of the hunters.

I found this fascinating, and was very glad to hear it.

[Big Andy]

A very useful report full of helpful information for anyone planning a similar type trip, eg me. I'm looking at heading to Mana again next year but would like to do something different to this year and this seems ideal. Thank you.

[Atravelynn]

2:10 pm — Leave Ilala Island and canoe past Chikwenya in Sapi.

Elephants in Chikwenya

Hey, hey, more water dripping from the mouth, a photographic goal of the trip. Chikwenya

The windup for a drinking session. Chikwenya.

Ele and me. Chikwenya. This is the hat I wore most of the time. My safari-type hat could not be cinched as tightly as this one, which never blew off. Takesure was the photographer.

Elephant without me

Elephants seen along the shore in Mana Pools, at our lunch stop at Ilala Ilsand,

and along the shore at Chikwenya in Sapi. Eles were out and about along the route.

Chikwenya hippos – the number of hippos seen decreased as our distance from Mana Pools and Chikwenya increased.

Then hippo sightings spiked upward off of Chewore campsite and Chewore High Sandbank Camp. So this route was

probably less dense with lurking hippos than other itineraries.

Hippos near Chikwenya and Chewore High Sandbank Camp. Norman is doing a hippo imitation (or something) at G Channel Island.

Quite funny, as he was usually a reserved and a serious Man of the River.

5:15 — Arrive G Channel Island, Sapi Safari Area, second island camp.

I wanted to get a better angle on these sunset shots and asked Norman for permission to relocate myself, but he wisely declined permission due to potential croc danger.

Sunset views from Channel G Islands, Sapi Safari Area.

DAY 3 SEPT 6

 

7:15 am — Leave G Channel Island, Sapi Safari Area.

 

9:40 - 10:00 am— Stop for break at National Park Camp.

 

10:00 - 11:20— Canoe to Pre-Gorge area for lunch

 

(Fewer photo ops in this section of the river.)

 

Tail-less and fully tailed Skinks at our Pre-Gorge stop.

 

3:10 — Leave Pre-Gorge

Chewore scenery - Common Reed that lined the shore was used to weave materials for burials.

Bottom right is close up of Common Reed.

I saw more crocs sunning near the end of the trip than the beginning. Maybe less wind and hotter temps was a factor.

The guys only entered the water where it was shallow and clear, to avoid crocs.

Before departing on this canoe trip I was told about an experienced outdoorsman who took several steps into the Zambezi to fetch his boat that had just started to drift from shore. Unfortunately he was taken under and killed by a croc. It was over in a second. Norman and Takesure only walked into very shallow, clear water. Once a passing motorboat caused a wake that dislodged one of our two canoes from its perch along a sandy bank where we had stopped. The canoe glided a few feet into the river. Takesure launched the other canoe to fetch the floater. No running into the river’s dark, deep water for even just a couple of steps, which would have been so easy and instinctive, to reach the canoe. These guys were always very safety conscious.

 

That motor boat was one of the few we saw on the river—maybe 3-4 total that passed by quickly the whole trip and we saw no other canoes.

 

For 99% of the time it really was just us and the river and the critters on shore.

Chewore High Sand Bank

 

4:30 —Arrive Chewore High Sand Bank, third and final island camp, across from Chewore Campsite along the Chewore Riverbed.

 

As we were settling in for the last night, I admired an elephant herd of 17 followed by some distant kudu. Suddenly one of the guys yelled out, “Wild dogs!” Sure enough about 5 adults and about 8 adolescent pups ran across the riverbed. They were a distant and brief sighting, but they had shown up! What a note to end on!

Wild dogs in the Chewore Riverbed, part of a pack estimated to number around 30.

DAY 4 SEPT 7

7:30 am—Depart for the 10 minute paddle to the exit point. This setup works well to assure clients can make their flight out of Mana Pools on Day 4. It is not like you would be paddling furiously to reach the pullout point in time for a flight the final day. One more example of how well planned these excursions are.

 

I was kindly offered the opportunity to shower at the Chewore campsite by their manager before beginning my long journey home. There was time for a drive around the protected Chewore area driven Chewore Airstrip was just a few minutes away. I flew out of Chewore airstrip at 11:15 am, in time for my 5:15 pm international flight out of Harare.

Around Chewore campsite and riverbed - not pictured is an elephant herd of 17 and approximately 12 wild dogs.

Canoeing was a perfect way to cap off the Zimbabwe trip.

 

The entire trip (16 days in Zim starting Aug 23) consisted of Chishakwe Ranch in Save Valley, followed by 6 nights walking in Mana Pools with Doug MacDonald (and Wilddog & Blue Bird). Then canoeing.

Links to those reports:

http://safaritalk.net/topic/15316-chishakwe-in-save-valley-conservancy-45-hrs-from-harare-wild-dogs/

http://safaritalk.net/topic/15415-mana-pools-haikus-wilddog-blue-bird-atravelynn/

 

Outtakes

There goes the croc. There goes the Saddle-bill.

Nap Time

River Tales

 

Here some stories collected about canoeing the Zambezi. They are all more eventful and harrowing than my canoe experience, and I’m thankful for that.

 

A personality from one of those The Deadliest Catch type shows went canoeing on the Zambezi and was so naughty and non-compliant he had to be sternly reprimanded and threatened with being thrown off the trip if he did not change his ways immediately. He was embarrassed enough to shape up quickly and the trip continued without incident.

 

There was a group of paddlers who all insisted on dangerous antics despite being warned. Eventually one of the canoes tipped over. The guide shouted to those in the water, “Swim to shore, swim to shore!” The people in one of the other upright canoes were so flustered and frightened by what they had witnesses that they jumped out of their canoes and swam to shore too.

 

A group of non-English (and non-Shona non-Ndebele) speaking visitors in Kariba booked a canoe trip through their interpreter. When the Natureways staff arrived at this group’s hotel a day before the trip for a briefing, it became evident that these clients were unclear on the concept. They all planned to canoe in business suits, toting their brief cases, and wearing shined leather shoes. They all had huge, expensive cameras and lenses. Despite Natureways’ effort to impress upon them that this was inappropriate attire and gear, and that a different type of trip could be arranged, the group insisted canoeing was how they wished to travel.

 

So they set off, with the four clients, one of them the interpreter. These clients had little regard for safety on the river and could not understand the frantic warnings being yelled at them by their guide. Ramming speed straight into the hippo pods was their MO! After a dangerous close call, the guide gave them a stern lecture—interpreted by the interpreter. It was decided that since the clients could not understand the guide’s verbal directions, the guide just told them, “Watch what I do and do what I do.”

 

On with the trip. As is often the case with changing water levels and currents, sandbars form--even mid-river. The guide was in the lead canoe and encountered such a sandbar. The guide followed the normal procedure and exited the canoe in the clear, safe, shallow water, pulling the canoe across the sandbar. He would then direct the following canoes around the sandbar, so they could avoid it.

 

The other two canoes filled with the clients observed the guide from their respective positions well behind, still in deep water. “Watch what I do and do what I do,” had been drilled into them. The guide had stepped out of his canoe so they all hopped out of their canoes in their expensive business suits, toting their brief cases, wearing shined leather shoes, and hoisting their giant cameras and lenses. The guide could not believe what he was seeing. The clients were immersed and everything got wet or ruined, but fortunately nothing worse. That ended their canoe trip.

Only rarely must a canoe trip be cancelled due to weather or river conditions. A group of Canadian military men had just started their canoe trip and had all expressed a fervent hope they would see a honey badger, as that was their platoon’s nickname. The guide knew a honey badger was a long shot sighting from a canoe, but the fellows held out their hopes.

 

Their time on the river was brief before the canoe outing had to be halted. Natureways provides an alternative activity if canoeing cannot take place, so these guys did a shore-based walking trip and continued their quest for a honey badger—without luck. The final morning they had an early flight at the airstrip requiring a departure from camp before dawn. As they left the camp, what did they see? A honey badger!

 

A couple joined a group departure as a honeymoon trip. The bride was not expecting this type of trip and she was terrified. At first she refused to go, but eventually settled on a workable solution. She would float down the river blindfolded to allay her fears. Such an ostrich-head-in-the-sand response seems ridiculous to me, but it worked for her.

 

Near the end of the trip, everyone was ooh-ing and aah-ing about elephants crossing the river, which persuaded her to remove the blindfold. She was so enchanted by the sighting that she finished the remainder of the trip with eyes wide open and booked a first anniversary return canoe trip, sans blindfold.

Quote of the Trip

Speaking of return trips, when I mentioned I had been to Africa and Mana Pools before, Takesure remarked, “It is good to trace your tracks back.” I agreed with this quote of the trip!

The End

Edited November 17, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

A very useful report full of helpful information for anyone planning a similar type trip, eg me. I'm looking at heading to Mana again next year but would like to do something different to this year and this seems ideal. Thank you.

You've taken this quote a step further to show your love for Mana Pools.

"If you only visit two continents, visit Africa twice. "

 

Back to Mana Pools! As Takesure said to me, "It is good to trace your tracks back."

Edited November 17, 2015 by Atravelynn

[wilddog]

Great TR @@Atravelynn . So good to hear about it and you got some lovely images. I particularly like the one of you with your ellie friend.

 

And dogs at the last minute, what a bonus!

 

Fascinating anecdotes from the guides.

 

All very enjoyable

[AKR1]

Excellent report. A model trip report in terms of practical information. Lynn you should consider putting all your 20 something safari trip reports (big assumption that you documented all of them?) Into a book. Would be much better than most of the safari guides out there.

[Atravelynn]

Thanks @@wilddog. And I'd enjoy finding out about Gonerz. Even a short pictorial report, or a few mentions of highlights, or you can continue the haiku theme!

 

@@AKR1, how kind of you. My first safari would be more humor than helpful. I actually was so concerned about neutral colors that I dyed my white socks beige.

[SafariChick]

@@Atravelynn laughing here in my living room about you dying your white socks beige - sounds like something I might have done too! Where'sthe report from that first safari? Would love to see it!

 

Loved reading about this canoe trip. I don't think it would be for me, but it sure is fun reading about you doing it!

[Tom Kellie]

~ @@Atravelynn

 

The ‘Nap Time’ Outtakes photos are so true-to-life.

This is a delightful trip report, with more than adequate food-for-thought and just enough images to what one's imagination.

Your skill at preparing and posting a variety of types of trip reports impresses me.

I'm with @@SafariChick on this — it might not be for me, but what pleasure in reading about your experience.

Safaritalk has no more creative trip report author than you!

Tom K.

[Alexander33]

What a great departure from the standard land-based safari. Having been on the water in South America, I know it can really change your perspective and make you feel so much more a part of the environment. And your photos certainly show the scale of the animals you saw. Those elephants and crocodiles are huge!

 

Thanks also for the anecdotes you posted at the end. My favorite was the guide yelling at the guests that had gone overboard to swim to shore, and everyone else in their canoes following suit and doing the same. That one yielded an out-loud guffaw.

[twaffle]

Truly delightful and I loved all the stories at the end.

[SafariChick]

Thanks also for the anecdotes you posted at the end. My favorite was the guide yelling at the guests that had gone overboard to swim to shore, and everyone else in their canoes following suit and doing the same. That one yielded an out-loud guffaw.

Ditto! Loved the stories especially that one and the non-English speaking guests wearing their suits and carrying their briefcases!

[wilddog]

TR for Lake Kyle and Goners in progress but slow @@Atravelynn. Life has been a bit full on recently

[Zim Girl]

@@Atravelynn

 

Great end to this trip report - always a bonus to see the dogs. You were really lucky with some lovely ele's along the bank. I liked the sunset pics.

[michael-ibk]

What, already over? Too short, give us more more more!

 

Great report, looks like you had a great time, Lynn. You really were very lucky to get a private trip on default! The nights in those tents, looking up at the stars, must have been wonderful.

 

Really enjoyed the "looking up" angle on all the photos from the river, the Waterbuck shot is especially appealing. And lots of great Ele and hippo stuff. Good to read that the Eles have learned to adjust their drinking times to hunting schedules!

 

Dying your socks - that gave me a good laugh.

 

As did the anecdotes, I love stuff like that. The "suits" must have been such a nightmare for the guides.

 

Oh, and about those "youthful rockclimbers and bodybuilders" you were nervous about? You would totally have paddled them into the dust.

[TonyQ]

Excellent - dogs as well!

Great practical detail, lovely photos(including the outakes) and good stories.

The only bit missing was details of the adapters (because there was no electicity )

I like the dying of the socks!