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@Atravelynn it was a nice surprise to see so many porcupines.  Several were often seen near camp and I wondered if they were being fed!   @michael-ibk indeed it was a great sighting to top off my time in that wonderful park

Whatever camera settings you may have chosen or not and whatever was going on with the white hat, overall you came away with phenomenal photos--different facial expressions, babies, interactions between orangutans, closeups, teeth, action shots.  Just wow!   Did you use a walking stick?    You saw so much in 2 days.  How many were in your group?  You mentioned the number 10.  Sumatra Orangutan Trekking looks like a winner.  Thanks for sharing this unique and wonderful experience.

The camp photos are as good as the wildlife, and more cute lion cubs, that are only outdone by the upside down bat.  

@GBE another amazing trip report - really enjoying. Thanks for doing this. 

One of those packs would have been the one we saw every day at Duma Tau in November 2011. Our friend who guided out of Savuti at the time said the packs did come across each other and fought, resulting in some loss of life.   Addendum - the fight happened in 2013, with both packs losing one or two adults.

14-16.09.2011 Chief’s Camp     Stanza had been following their droppings, calculating how recently they had passed through. He devised a plan, tracking the paths they typically patrolled. On the last full day at camp, we got up early, skipping breakfast, to check the rhinos’ path—and we found them.        It was a mother and her calf. They were cautious and soon retreated into the flooded areas, but we managed to spend about 20 minutes with them. The other guests didn’t want to wake up so early, so we didn’t call them. The rhinos moved off quickly anyway. Smart rhinos—good for them!             One day, we planned to take a mokoro excursion, but as soon as we entered the first channel, a massive hippo blocked our path, opening its enormous mouth. I swear, our entire mokoro could’ve fit inside! Our mokoro guide quickly realized the seriousness of the situation, and we slipped back through the reeds to camp, where we swapped the canoe for a game drive vehicle instead.         I was fascinated by LBR ;-)                     Those ellies are Stanza's friends. They were running behind his vehicle. And when he stopped they also stopped. He said that they are playing the game         On that drive, we saw a vervet monkey carrying her dead baby, a heartbreaking sight. The baby was already dried out, but the mother still held onto its lifeless body. It was a sad and painful reminder of nature's harsh realities.     We also searched again for the lioness with cubs but instead came across a larger pride of lions.                 I suspect one of the males in that pride was the cubs’ father.      Mother giving a lesson to kids:               The density of wildlife on Chief’s Island, especially predators, was truly astounding—similar to what I had seen at Mombo Camp in 2013. Honestly, you could spend three nights in either of these camps and likely see the Big Five. The sightings on Chief’s Island are spectacular, and at Mombo, they might be even better, since the camp is separated by water from the larger part of Chief’s Island.   I was delighted to reunite with Stanza in 2021, ten years after our stay at Chief’s Camp. He now runs his own mobile safari company, operating out of Maun and Kasane. We went on two or three game drives with him, and he’s still an excellent guide. It didn’t surprise me at all that he’s become such a great manager too.   Here he is changing a wheel in Chief's camp and we are having a break as you can see:     So time to move to the next destination - Kwando Tau Pan camp.     Here is a bat from Chief's camp. Hopefully to see him again some time in the future:    

14-16.09.2011 Chief’s Camp     I’m not exactly sure how we ended up at Chief’s Camp. I think we initially aimed for Mombo, but it was fully booked. However, I do remember that we wanted to see rhinos and explore Chief’s Island, so we decided on Chief’s Camp with Sanctuary Retreats.          The camp itself had 10 large tents and a spacious main area. The tents were incredibly roomy—perhaps a bit too luxurious for my taste, especially when you’re more focused on wildlife and adventure than comfort.                  There weren’t many guests during our stay, just an Australian couple and a young man from Singapore who was quite curious about everyone’s occupations.   Our guide was Stanza, and unlike some other camps, there were no trackers here—and I soon understood why. As soon as we left camp for our first afternoon game drive, we spotted a leopard just 200 meters from camp.        She had a kill, and we spent some time watching her. A mere 500 meters further, we came across a lioness with her very young cubs.          It was a jackpot! I had always dreamed of seeing those furry little ones. Watching their interaction with their mother, the love between them—it was magical. I could have stayed for hours, but since Chief’s Island is in Moremi Game Reserve, we had to be back in camp by 6:00 PM. It felt like such a shame to leave.           To add to the adventure, our vehicle wouldn’t start when Stanza tried to fire it up. Ordinarily, you’d be worried in such a situation, but I was thrilled! It meant we got to spend an extra 15 minutes with the lion family while we waited for another vehicle to pick us up. The camp wasn’t far, so it was a lucky break.           young hunter:                       Further away we found sub adults:     Waiting for another vehicle to come:     Stanza:     Dinner that night was delicious.         Food was very good in the camp. But for some reason we brought some cracker bread from Europe and left it in the cupboard. When I came back from our morning game drive the next day, I saw a squirrel munching on the bread and wondered where it had found something so familiar. Turns out squirrels can get into the tent, open drawers, and help themselves to your food!   Here I am waiting for elephant to leave our  tent:           On our next morning drive, we visited a hyena den, where we were lucky enough to see some adorable hyena pups.        While we enjoyed watching general game, our main goal was tracking rhinos.     

Oh, right! I remember that pack, we saw it in Lebala in 2012 by kill. It consisted of I think 9 dogs, four of them were not only darker but also bigger! The guides said they came from Namibia. They were really different. And they were very successful in hunting together with commonly coloured dogs. I have pictures and will post them in the TR for 2012.

It is very interesting!  Next year, in 2012 we were staying in Zarafa (Selinda concession) and saw there two packs of wild dogs simultaneously! One pack was on the one side of Savuti channel and the other pack - on the other side! They communicated somehow but didn't cross the channel because it was quite deep and full with angry hippos and crocs. Perhaps they would have fought, perhaps they were related.  It was two big pack with about 20 dogs in each. The pack on our side had pups. It will be the next Trip Report :-)

Thank you, Lynn. :-).  I don't know what happened with Little Kwara but the guests staying in 4 Rivers can definitely reach Tsum Tsum very easily! So, we need just visit 4 Rivers camp ;-)

@Tom Kelliethe Serval is such a beautiful cat, and so well photographed!

Ah, your report from the NWC brings back great memories of our trip there in 2012.  Doesn't seem like a lot has changed which is good since the wildlife was fantastic.

Thank you @JayRon.  We've been spoiled by the breadth and depth of animals in the Serengeti, and it's why we keep going back. We were also very fortunate to connect with Jean du Plessis (founder Wayo) on our second safari.  With him and his crew we've really enjoyed a variety of walking, trekking, and backpacking activities. While game drives get us closer to the animals, there is something about having feet on the ground that really resonates for us. I hope to get the next several days in the Western Corridor up this evening. Cheers,

Good to know. I'll see if I can find some photos to confirm.   Seemingly confirmed. One photo of two dogs we saw have considerably less black.

Wow, what a trip (report)  so far! I haven´t been to Serengeti since 2003 so I forgot just how many predators that are there  And very interesting to get a report that also features some walking safari. Looking forward to more