My second trip to Botswana, Kwando, Chief's and first leopard sighting, 2011

[John M.]

@ElenaH Especially like the wide "atmospheric" images. A beaut tower of giraffes too, and some fine wild dog images.

 

[ElenaH]

12 hours ago, Ginny said:

Your photographs were as terrific then as they are now.

Just curious....who did the digging for the den...the Mom, all the dogs, or just a few?

I also loved Lagoon.

Thank you very much, Ginny, very appreciated!

This is a very good question about the dogs. I don't think it was Mom! The digging work was done by males and I am not even sure that alpha-male was digging. There was a male dog who was watching all the time and assessing the situation and I think it was an alpha-male. An alpha-female probably was by the den but not digging (just giving instructions ;-)

I asked our friend Thomas Mutonhori from Wild Dogs Project, Zimbabwe about the digging work. Lets see, what he will answer. In any case he is a big expert, making a research, writing some sientific articles und working for a long time with dogs in that project already. I am also curious. For me it looked like there were special digging-dogs ;-)  but maybe I am wrong.

[ElenaH]

4 hours ago, madaboutcheetah said:

I don't remember the guide you mention, however.  Seems like you missed the 3 male coalition cheetah in Lagoon/Lebala?  They were in their prime during that period killing very large prey every couple of days. 

The guide Mohali soon left Kwando and was working in one of the lodges in KTP (Kgalagadi) I think in Rooiputs.. The lodges were new build back 2011 or at least one of them. The other name is Ta Shebube. It was close to his home-place, this is why he changed to KTP.

 

And yes, we missed the cheetahs! But the next year we travelled ad-hoc to see them! I read the sightings reports of Kwando, the cheetahs were in Kwara area in October 2012, we packed in a glance and flew to Kwando! I have quite a number of reports to write... But we saw three brother-coalition in 2012. 

[ElenaH]

3 hours ago, John M. said:

Especially like the wide "atmospheric" images. A beaut tower of giraffes too, and some fine wild dog images

Thank you, John! :-)

[ElenaH]

13 hours ago, Ginny said:

Just curious....who did the digging for the den...the Mom, all the dogs, or just a few?

So, I've got an answer from our friend and dog-expert Thomas Mutonhori. he is writing: "the alpha female selected a secure area to dig a den, and throughout the digging process, all the members will assist her in digging it. During the pups relocation not all wil dogs will be digging but others take turn to guard the pups or stay vigliant."

So, they all must participate actually.

[JimS]

Stunning wild dogs, I think I'd consider it a successful trip if I returned with just one of those photos!

[madaboutcheetah]

18 hours ago, ElenaH said:

The guide Mohali soon left Kwando and was working in one of the lodges in KTP (Kgalagadi) I think in Rooiputs.. The lodges were new build back 2011 or at least one of them. The other name is Ta Shebube. It was close to his home-place, this is why he changed to KTP.

 

And yes, we missed the cheetahs! But the next year we travelled ad-hoc to see them! I read the sightings reports of Kwando, the cheetahs were in Kwara area in October 2012, we packed in a glance and flew to Kwando! I have quite a number of reports to write... But we saw three brother-coalition in 2012. 

 

That's great that you found them in 2012. Can't wait to see those photos ......  Re your guide .... Most likely was there very briefly.  I was at the camps that year 2011 in July ....... the name doesn't ring a bell at all - unless, i'm now gettting old and have forgotten  

Edited September 3 by madaboutcheetah

[ElenaH]

20 hours ago, JimS said:

Stunning wild dogs, I think I'd consider it a successful trip if I returned with just one of those photos!

Thank you, Jim! You don't have your Trip Reports in your profile but as far as I can remember you had also great photos on your safaris! Didn't you? I think, this year there was a TR from you, right?

[ElenaH]

7 hours ago, madaboutcheetah said:

Re your guide .... Most likely was there very briefly

Exactly. I also remember that he was there briefly. But I remember his name because of that URI off-road ride! We never experienced something like this afterwards! 

Cruisers were bigger and they were new....

[JimS]

22 hours ago, ElenaH said:

Thank you, Jim! You don't have your Trip Reports in your profile but as far as I can remember you had also great photos on your safaris! Didn't you? I think, this year there was a TR from you, right?

 

Yes, I should go add the links, I'm slowly getting through a TR from Zambia this year

 

Edit: links added, thank you for the prompt @ElenaH

Edited September 4 by JimS

[Atravelynn]

Fantastic trip down memory lane.  The leopard and cub is truly outstanding.

[ElenaH]

On 9/5/2024 at 5:00 AM, Atravelynn said:

Fantastic trip down memory lane.  The leopard and cub is truly outstanding.

Thank you, Lynn!

[ElenaH]

11-13.09.2011 Little Kwara Camp - Tsum-Tsum

 

 

Our pilot was a Motswana woman, which was a refreshing and inspiring sight. It’s always encouraging to see more women in this field. 

 

 

 

 

Do you remember that camp?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was intimate and personal, like being with family. We had T-Bone, Lizzy, Leso, Hobbs, and Dutch. Just four tents nestled in a forested island within a vast concession. You could drive for hours in the expansive terrain. Sometimes, it felt like finding a specific animal was nearly impossible.

 

For instance, on our first afternoon drive, we came across some lions not too far from the camp. They were incredibly lazy, barely standing up to drink. But they were majestic, iconic males in their prime. I have plenty of lion photos to share from that encounter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning, we woke up early and set off towards Tsum-Tsum. The second vehicle joined us for the adventure. Tsum-Tsum, located to the west of Little Kwara, is a renowned floodplain area that’s even marked on Google Maps. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balett:

 

 

 

 

The wildlife there was abundant! When I saw it for the first time, I thought, This is paradise! Everywhere you looked, there were colorful birds and a variety of antelopes. Although the animals seemed more skittish than those near our camp, the sheer abundance of wildlife was incredible. The landscapes were breathtaking too, with serene water lagoons covered in flowers and forested islands dotting the horizon. Just exploring this place was thrilling enough; finding a predator would be an added bonus.

 

 

 

Wattled cranes were rare to see.

 

 

 

 

Boys are fighting and girls chatting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then we found a lioness! She clearly had cubs nearby. 

 

Later, we spotted another lioness, who posed beautifully against a colorful backdrop.

 

 

 

 

 

Then her sister joined her, and they seemed to share a little chat—probably gossiping, as sisters do.

 

 

On our way back, we got stuck in some water, which was pretty much everywhere. Despite the minor setback, Tsum-Tsum was gorgeous! We were already looking forward to our next visit.

Here our guide Dutch:

 

Driving in Tsum-Tsum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ElenaH]

11-13.09.2011 Little Kwara Camp - Heronry and 4 Rivers

 

 

In the afternoon, we went on a boat cruise to the Heronry. I’m not sure of its exact location, but it was a wonderful experience. Back then, I wasn’t much of a birder and didn’t know how to photograph birds properly. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nowadays, I’d probably enjoy such a cruise even more and take much better pictures. My love for birds developed later. Birders... they seem like they’re from another planet, don’t they?

 

 

On our second morning drive, we encountered a large, friendly pride of lions. We had set out towards Four Rivers but stumbled upon this pride instead. All the lions were in a playful mood, perhaps even more than we could handle! 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's climb the tree!

 

 

This tree??

 

 

Me - first!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like a model 

 

 

 

 

The sub-adult lions seemed ready to pounce on our vehicle. Dutch had to rev the engine to scare them off. Imagine sitting in an open vehicle with no roof and seeing a big playful cat with a mischievous glint in its eyes, ready to do something extraordinary. You can almost see them preparing to jump! Those of you who have cats at home know exactly what I mean. Lions are just big cats at heart!

 

We spent a lot of time with that pride. They were running around, climbing trees, and cuddling. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the afternoon and the following morning, we enjoyed some general game sightings and visited a site we called the “hippo cemetery,” where the remains of a hippo lay. Do you remember the hippo from my first trip to Africa, the one that was attacked by lions? It eventually succumbed to its injuries. Since then, the lions had become hippo hunters. We saw them again in 2017 at Little Kwara.

 

 

Unfortunately the days were over very quickly and we needed to move again. Now to the Chief's island.

 

 

 

We still have the same suitcases. But they look now differently  They look like not wanted  and it is good so 

 

 

 

 

 

The elephants says good-bye:

[Atravelynn]

Those playful, tree climbing lions are exceptional--because of your excellent photos, not because of their actions, which as you mention are just like our cats at home.  Same thing!  I do remember Tsum Tsum, but never stayed there.  Your photos of the camp make me wish I had been able to visit.  The scenery stands out in your shots along with the variety of animals.

[Pangolin]

Great report and excellent photos!  Back to wild dogs at Lagoon - I saw what was most likely the same pack at Selinda in November of 2011. We designed a trip to Selinda, Duma Tau, and Savuti, specifically to focus on dogs (WS was running a substantial discount special). On our final day at Selinda the pack came through and our guide was sure they were coming from the Kwando concession. We saw different packs at Duma Tau and Savuti.

[Alex The Lion]

2 hours ago, Pangolin said:

Great report and excellent photos!  Back to wild dogs at Lagoon - I saw what was most likely the same pack at Selinda in November of 2011. We designed a trip to Selinda, Duma Tau, and Savuti, specifically to focus on dogs (WS was running a substantial discount special). On our final day at Selinda the pack came through and our guide was sure they were coming from the Kwando concession. We saw different packs at Duma Tau and Savuti.

 

@PangolinLagoon has it's own dog packs that move in the area. If I remember at the time, the Selinda pack was a lighter and more sandy in colour. The lagoon dogs were a lot darker and had more black in their coat.

 

The Selinda dogs would move between the two concessions, though the Northern pack wouldn't.

[Pangolin]

7 hours ago, Alex The Lion said:

 

@PangolinLagoon has it's own dog packs that move in the area. If I remember at the time, the Selinda pack was a lighter and more sandy in colour. The lagoon dogs were a lot darker and had more black in their coat.

 

The Selinda dogs would move between the two concessions, though the Northern pack wouldn't.

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.

Edited September 7 by Pangolin

[ElenaH]

18 hours ago, Atravelynn said:

Those playful, tree climbing lions are exceptional--because of your excellent photos, not because of their actions, which as you mention are just like our cats at home.  Same thing!  I do remember Tsum Tsum, but never stayed there.  Your photos of the camp make me wish I had been able to visit.  The scenery stands out in your shots along with the variety of animals.

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 ;-)

[ElenaH]

14 hours ago, Pangolin said:

Great report and excellent photos!  Back to wild dogs at Lagoon - I saw what was most likely the same pack at Selinda in November of 2011. We designed a trip to Selinda, Duma Tau, and Savuti, specifically to focus on dogs (WS was running a substantial discount special). On our final day at Selinda the pack came through and our guide was sure they were coming from the Kwando concession. We saw different packs at Duma Tau and Savuti.

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 :-)

[ElenaH]

12 hours ago, Alex The Lion said:

The lagoon dogs were a lot darker and had more black in their coat

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.

[ElenaH]

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. 

 

 

[ElenaH]

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:

 

 

[Pangolin]

3 hours ago, ElenaH said:

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 :-)

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.

Edited September 8 by Pangolin

[Atravelynn]

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

 

Edited September 8 by Atravelynn