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Zambezi Canoeing, Mana Pools and Chitake Springs Sept 2011


yeahyeah

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Haven't been onto Safaritalk for a while..... phew really indepth trip yeahyeah, great reading.

 

I am canoeing from Kariba to Kanyemba and then staying at Chitake for a few nights in October with a company called Natureways. I've canoed on the Zim and Zambian side and do prefer the Zim side for the great flood plains. I've never been to Chitake so your report and photo's have really got me excited now. I've heard it's abit hair raising to say the least.

 

Will post when I get back!!

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Game Warden
I am canoeing from Kariba to Kanyemba

A trip report in the making. Safe paddling...

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Haven't been onto Safaritalk for a while..... phew really indepth trip yeahyeah, great reading.

 

I am canoeing from Kariba to Kanyemba and then staying at Chitake for a few nights in October with a company called Natureways. I've canoed on the Zim and Zambian side and do prefer the Zim side for the great flood plains. I've never been to Chitake so your report and photo's have really got me excited now. I've heard it's abit hair raising to say the least.

 

Will post when I get back!!

 

Sounds like a good itinerary! Seems like Natureways has a good reputation, I've only heard good things about them.

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Super LEEDS

Hey yeahyeah

 

Did you ever get round to posting your tips on taking pic? I'd be very keen on picking up any help you could offer!

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Excellent report and pictures.I really enjoyed it from beginning to end and was sorry it couldn't have gone on and on ... as I am sure your were.

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Hey yeahyeah

 

Did you ever get round to posting your tips on taking pic? I'd be very keen on picking up any help you could offer!

 

Nope. Hopefully I will one of these days. When do you leave for safari?

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Super LEEDS

End of June.

 

Cheers.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for the report. My wife and I did a 3 day canoe trip out of Breezers in 2010 and it was one of my favorite times in Africa. We saw a wide variety of wildlife, both animals and birds, and got much closer to hippos and elephants than my wife liked. Your report brings back great memories. We are planning to return in September 2013 and spend some more time on the Zambezi and at Mana Pools.

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  • 3 weeks later...
white stork

What a great report. This brings back such brilliant memories of my trips to Mana over 5 years ago now. I have stayed at Mucheni - it really is a fantastic spot.

Your dog photos are incredible - that sighting by the Zambezi is so beautiful. I also admire your attitude in picking one of the wildest place on the continent - Mana and Chitake- for your first safari.

 

Sounds like you had an incredible time and thanks again for your report, brilliantly written

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  • 1 month later...

Super LEEDS, I finally posted the photography lessons I learned while on safari. Sorry it took so long. They mainly have to do with never using a telephoto lens before so I don't know that they will be of any use to you but here's the link anyway: http://safaritalk.net/topic/8558-what-i-learned-on-my-first-safari/

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Super LEEDS

Hi yeahyeah

 

Thanks for posting it. I'll have a look!

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Wonderful report!

I would never stay at Broads' Backpackers again. I stayed there once. They had game meat stew on the menu. I didn't take it, but the next day when I walked out I noticed a guy selling something to the Broads'. When I got closer and asked what it was, and where it came from this was the reply I got twice(!): "Game meat, from Kafue National Park." Reason enough for me never to go there again.

Chachacha (now Lusaka Backpackers), Kuomboka (now Flinstones) and Kululu (new, between Lusaka and Broads) are all nice in their own way. With Kuomboka usually being quieter than Chachacha, but Chachacha usually having an interesting crowd at the bar. Haven't been at Kululu yet, but it looks good.

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Wow that's terrible. Even if I hadn't heard that, I still wouldn't stay at Broads again, there's better options. Lusaka Backpackers was definitely a more happening place, but it wasn't as nice as Kuomboka and I was turned off by the fact that I had made a reservation and then I got there and they told me they were full.

 

Shoestrings in VF was alright. No mosquito nets and no screens on the windows. I didn't have a net and it was Sunday so all the stores were closed. I got eaten alive that night. I went shopping the next day and every store was out of nets except for Jays supermarket where I found a bright pink floral decorated mosquito net haha. I don't know why Shoestrings has a pool, it's a pond. Only adds to the mosquitoes. There's people hanging out at the bar pretty much every night which could be a plus or a minus to different people. VF Backpackers looked like it would probably be nicer but Shoestrings was right in town so you can walk everywhere.

 

Jolly Boys in Livingstone was by far the best hostel I went to. I was impressed with the place and it has good management as well.

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  • 1 year later...

Hi Everyone. Sorry I'm late in posting this, but Clyde and Leah finished the documentary. It's called Predators' Playground and aired on Animal Planet UK on May 13. There's a lot of good comments on the facebook page so I'm hoping it will eventually be available on DVD.

 

Here's a link to the trailer: http://www.nhuafrica.com/license-acquisition/one-off-specials/predators-playground/

 

Here's the fb page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/463460280397313/

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@@yeahyeah. The trailer of Predators Playground is amazing. I wonder if it will air in the U.S on Animal Planet. The link you provided appears to say some people who register can get access to the full video?

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Yeah, I noticed that. I registered but somehow I don't think it's going to work haha.

Edited by yeahyeah
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  • 7 months later...

@@yeahyeah - fabulous TR! What a debut with your first safari, you nailed it, I don't think that anyone could have done better than this (I didn't). I kind of got interested in Kavinga Safaris, it looks like somewhat lower priced option for Mana Pools safari if we do not count self-drives. Would you, please share with us their rate per night at both camps in 2011 and also the name of the company with the lower priced quote, if I'm not asking for too much?

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Hi, Fly. I actually posted to the Kavinga facebook page in November (the posts from people other than Kavinga are grouped into a small area) to see if they had any updates. Here is the response I received:

 

"...unfortunately there are no updates as we closed Kavinga down at the end of 2012, we just weren't making ends meet but we have a new project on the go. We have a concession area on the southern boundary of Mana , not on the river where you came to but inland. We will start to build a lodge there in jan. We have kept the site as our new camp will be rebranded but now called Kavinga Camp as we had spent 7 years getting it going and at least people can identify with the company. So when it is all up and running we will let you know so that you can see what we are up to."

 

I don't know when you're planning to go on safari but you may want to contact them through email to get some information. It sounds like this will be a different experience than by the river, but probably more intimate.

 

I actually do not feel comfortable sharing rates as I'm not sure how that all works in the safari business world. I sent inquiries directly to Natureways, Sunpath Safaris, and 1 or 2 others but unfortunately I can't remember their names. Good luck and keep us posted!

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Hi, Fly. I actually posted to the Kavinga facebook page in November (the posts from people other than Kavinga are grouped into a small area) to see if they had any updates. Here is the response I received:

 

"...unfortunately there are no updates as we closed Kavinga down at the end of 2012, we just weren't making ends meet but we have a new project on the go. We have a concession area on the southern boundary of Mana , not on the river where you came to but inland. We will start to build a lodge there in jan. We have kept the site as our new camp will be rebranded but now called Kavinga Camp as we had spent 7 years getting it going and at least people can identify with the company. So when it is all up and running we will let you know so that you can see what we are up to."

 

I don't know when you're planning to go on safari but you may want to contact them through email to get some information. It sounds like this will be a different experience than by the river, but probably more intimate.

 

I actually do not feel comfortable sharing rates as I'm not sure how that all works in the safari business world. I sent inquiries directly to Natureways, Sunpath Safaris, and 1 or 2 others but unfortunately I can't remember their names. Good luck and keep us posted!

Thanks for the information @@yeahyeah ! These are not immediate plans, we will be going to South Africa and Botswana in May, I was thinking perhaps for 2015... I assume that it would be nice at least for one of the camps to be by the river... The other kind of affordable option seems to be the Natureways' Camp Zambezi...

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Whilst Kavinga has indeed stopped operating, at least some of the people behind Kavinga have set up a new camp in an interesting part of the NP.

 

Manzovo camp is located in the Rukomechi Cliifs area, ~20km or so inland from the floodplain, nicely located in an elevated position above its own small (naturally occurring) waterhole, with far reaching views towards Chitake and the escarpment beyond.

 

We were invited to visit last October by Clyde Elgar (film maker and former director of Kavinga) following a conversation in a bar in Harare.

 

There are some photos of the camp on page 3 of my trip report:

http://safaritalk.net/topic/11773-living-with-elephants-walking-with-hyenas-mana-pools-2013/page-3

 

What I do not know is whether this camp will be in place for the coming season, or who you contact to enquire about staying here.

Edited by Whyone?
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