August 2011

JMA’s Musings!

We received a copy of a beautiful e-mail this month from Savanna regarding some of our clients who had been to Savanna and visited the local orphanage. They had been extremely generous with a donation that has had an immense impact on these very underprivileged children. I have taken the liberty of quoting the e-mail and also showing some of the photos below.

“Dear Toni and Marion, Doug and Karen, 

Well, today was the day! We handed out all your goodies at the orphanage! It was such a rewarding experience and I kept on thinking how wonderful it would have been to have all of you there.

We found out the children have recently received school books from a donation to the school. So after some investigation, we found that they did not have school bags, so we bought each child a bag to go along with the pens and pencils and their new school uniform. Dolly, Eva, Louisa, myself and our children went along to hand out the goods. Unfortunately, 14 of the children were not able to be there, but will receive their bags and uniform during the week. I have attached a list of the children that received your gifts for you to look through.

The children, Savanna and the Tiyimisileni orphanage house mothers, would like to say a BIG thank you for your generous donation. It has gone such a long way and the children were so excited and grateful.

We hope to see you back at Savanna again in the near future and during your time here, we would love to take you out to meet the orphans.

Lots of love to all of you.

With warm regards.

Tash”

Louisa with some of the children

Isn’t it amazing and so fulfilling to see the magic and excitement in these kids when they were given the school bags bought with this donation.  We take so much for granted and this brings me very much down to earth and help me to appreciate the many blessings we have.

Some more feedback from our clients who returned in July.

Hope you have been well. I can say I have started to settle back into the daily grind and churn of what constitutes reality but constantly dream of returning to South Africa!

Firstly, I would like to say a huge thank you to you and your counterparts in SA for making my trip truly memorable. Every single aspect of the holiday ran smoothly. It was well organised and my family raved about the quality of the hotels and professionalism of the tour guides.

Could I make a special mention about Savanna and SEAL. They were real standouts for me and would definitely recommend them to anyone looking to travel to SA for the experience of a lifetime.

At Savanna from the moment we arrived I knew the experience was going to be special. We had a wonderfully accommodating ranger (Greg) who was extremely knowledgeable about all the animals (loved the fact that he had a degree in zoology!) and was happy to bush bash through the undergrowth to find us wildlife. Our tracker (Nordic) had the most amazing abilities in spotting animals. The host Kelly and butler Sandile graced us with their presence in the evenings and provided much banter and laughter to dinner conversations. There was nothing more special than arriving back in the room after the evening game drive to find the hot tub ready with a glass of sherry. I think every single member of my family was so excited we phoned each other up to rave about the experience. To Savanna, thank you so much. You had three generations visiting your lodge and you managed to make each and every generation enjoy their stay – that is truly commendable. We became closer as a family because of this stay, so thank you very much.

To SEAL expeditions – I am so glad things went wrong with the previous company I booked to go with – because I would not have done my first Sardine Run with you otherwise! Thank you for a most amazing experience. The professionalism of your crew members was exceptional. This was certainly the most challenging launch I had encountered in 12 years of diving but with the adherence to high levels of safety never once did I feel anyone was at risk. Nic’s operation runs like clockwork in tough conditions and that is commendable. Thank you to my skipper and dive master (BJ and Matt) without whom I would not have experienced my first swim with humpbacks and dolphins. I admired your patience and tenacity. Every single member of the crew played a crucial role in the team and showed their dedication and commitment to their job – a sign of true teamwork and kudos to Nic for selecting the right mix of people. I will be back for the Sardine Run and there is no other entity I would do it with.

Once again Sandie, John and the Destinations Africa team, you made me fall in love with South Africa, thank you so much for the experience. I know where to go for my next trip there in the future.

Best,

Shirley Zhang 

Thanks for your fabulous organisation.

Trip was fantastic.

Sabi Sabi was probably the best for overall game viewing and wonderful accommodation.

Madikwe was fabulous apart from a little scare when my leg was bitten by a spider. Again thanks to you and the guys in Africa this was all fixed up and is now good. Managed to see wild dogs on a kill which was a wonderful experience for everyone except the Impala.

Savute was the most relaxing as it was possible to see large quantities of wildlife just in front of the lodge at most times of the day.

Game drives in all places were excellent and we saw an amazing amount of different wildlife and managed to learn a little more about the animals from very experienced guides.

Thanks for all the organisation. At no stage did we have a problem and everyone we met was extremely helpful.

Will be going back in a few years with the Grandchildren and will give you more time to organise that one.

Happy to give a recommendation to any potential clients and tell them of your organisational skills and places you recommended.

Thank Sandie Gosper for me as well.

Regards,

Roger Chandler

It is so rewarding to hear from our clients on returning to Australia. We put a huge amount of effort into ensuring that they have a great safari and it is letters like these that make it very worthwhile

Allan Border Hosted Safari – Update

We have some good news on this safari. We have been able to substantially reduce the cost because two things have worked in our favour. The A$ has strengthened against the US$ and we have been able to extend the number of guest to 16 for the same cost that we had for 14. The cost has reduced by about $3500 per person to $17,500 now making it very much more affordable and great value.

A full detailed itinerary can be seen by opening the link below:

http://wetu.com/Map/index.html?itinerary=74ef0eac-fdaa-4fd9-a3b7-de9ad8922546&cl=1

Contact me for further information and payment details.

News from Savanna.

With acknowledgement and thanks to Paddy Hagelthorn and the Savanna Team

Once again this week, the game viewing has been fantastic, and the great sightings have been numerous! We have had some more great sunrises, which allow fantastic opportunities for silhouette photography. A relaxed herd of six giraffe still frequenting the areas close to camp, as well as a young kudu bull, have provided great subjects!

The numerous elephant herds have remained in our area, with some herds estimated to be close to 100! On one particular occasion, a few herds joined briefly at Treehouse Mackenzie, and we were treated to a large number of them drinking at the dam. There were a number of very young calves present, and it was most entertaining to watch how they tried to figure out what to do with their trunks, and how to drink water!

It was a cold and cloudy day, so it was also interesting to see two bulls get into the dam for a swim and sparring session.

For the past week, we have had a number of sightings of an old bull with very large tusks, and we are not sure where he comes from. He is easily the largest tusker we have seen in our area for many years, and as he is very relaxed around the vehicles, we are hoping that he remains here for a little while longer.

The young male leopard, sometimes referred to as the Bush Lodge or Babalas Male, has been seen a number of times on our property this week. At first it seemed as if he was heading east off our concession as a result of pressure from all the other males, but then he returned again back west. He was seen hanging around the Treehouse Mackenzie area towards the end of the week, so it will be interesting to see what becomes of him. He seems particularly fond of termite mounds and some great photographic opportunities were once again enjoyed by all.

Hlabankunzi has been seen a few times lately as well. Early on in the week, she was found mating with the Kashane male. This is very exciting news for us, as both of these leopards have great temperaments, and are very relaxed around the vehicles. Hopefully, these two will produce great offspring for some fantastic viewing in the not-too-distant future! Watch this space…!

They were, however, rudely interrupted by two of the Mapogo male lions, forcing Hlabankunzi to dive for cover into a drainage line, and Kashane to scramble up the nearest tree!

Hlabankunzi was found later in the week, having left the Kashane male, and very hungry after a few days’ honeymoon, with no food! She treated us to exceptional viewing of her hunting techniques, as she tried in vain to sneak up on prey.

Metsi and one of her male cubs were found on an impala kill, west of Skwenga dam. As is usual at this age, the cub tends to dominate the kill, and prevented Metsi from getting too close to the kill while he was near it. He fed off the kill which was hoisted in a low marula tree, and Metsi had to be content with lying on a termite mound some distance from the kill. The cub then rested in the tree next to the kill when he had had his fill, still preventing Metsi from getting any!

The following night, two lionesses from the Ximungwe pride found the kill, and as it was not hoisted very high, they managed to climb up the tree and steal the kill from the two leopards. Metsi managed to get away, as she was already on the ground, but the cub was in the tree, and was surprised by the lions. One of the vehicles there reported that one lioness actually managed to get hold of the cub, and dragged it down out of the tree! The cub immediately adopted a submissive body position and surprisingly the lioness let it go! It took the cub a few seconds to realise that it had been released, but then it shot up the tree again, far higher than the lioness could reach this time! It was an extremely lucky escape for the young male cub!

The cub was seen a few days later relaxing in the sun, without any visible scars from the ordeal!

The two lionesses with the two younger litters have been spending more time together, and have been seen in the central regions of our property.

The Ottawa pride has also stayed in the north and has been seen a few times. It is good to see all six of the remaining members sticking together, and the young males, now nearly three years old, are starting to look really good!

Two of the Mapogo brothers and one lioness killed a large buffalo near Paddy’s coffee spot along the river! No stopping there for coffee for a few days! The oldest of the Mapogo, as well as the lioness with the eldest cubs, joined the kill a few days afterwards.

The rhino viewing has also been good: soft light and wet bodies make for some great photos!

The Xinzele male leopard has dominated the north as expected, and has been seen a few times, patrolling his territory. He is filling out nicely, and becoming quite a large male!

 
A delightful extra this week was the discovery of a small hyena den in the north. It seems to have only one female and two cubs, which are already about four to five months old.

The smaller animals are often overlooked, but one particularly relaxed male steenbuck posed beautifully for a rare close-up photo of this shy species.

Once again, the birds are a welcome distraction when the game viewing does quieten down for a short while.

Drought in the Horn of Africa

There has been a lot of media coverage internationally which is giving the impression that there is a terrible drought across the whole of Kenya and that people everywhere are starving. This is discouraging some people from booking as they think it would be inappropriate to come on holiday to enjoy themselves when around them people are starving, or they think there will be a shortage of food in hotels or there will be no animals to see in the parks.

However the actual situation in Kenya is very different and although there is a drought in the Horn of Africa resulting in an influx of people across the border into Northern Kenya where the government is providing relief food supplies and medical assistance, this is in a remote region along the border with Somalia far away from areas visited by tourists and it certainly does not affect the tourist experience or the wildlife viewing which is excellent right now.

Below is a statement which we hope will reassure prospective clients that although there is hardship for people afflicted by drought in the Horn of Africa, this is affecting people in the neighboring countries to the north and along Kenya's semi-desert North-Eastern border and not the rest of the country where the tourist resorts and wildlife parks are located.

STATEMENT: DROUGHT IN KENYA

Recent reports in the international media about drought in the Horn of Africa have caused concern to travellers who are anxious that this will affect their planned safari.

There has been severe drought for several years in the neighbouring countries to the north of Kenya and in the arid semi-desert along Kenya's remote north-eastern border with Somalia and Ethiopia, where the pastoral people dependent on livestock are facing problems and hardship as there is no grazing for their cattle, sheep and goats. However for some years now the Kenyan government and international agencies have been providing relief supplies for people in the area including those coming across the border into Kenya and seeking assistance. The Kenyan authorities are continuing to provide a concerted relief programme to alleviate the crisis and the tourism industry in Kenya is also contributing to the relief effort through donations to the Kenya Red Cross which is providing assistance to people affected by the drought along Kenya's north-eastern border.

However the north-east of Kenya is not an area visited by tourists and the severe drought there is not widespread across the rest of the country. Kenya is primarily an agricultural country (currently the world's biggest exporter of tea) and the drought in the northeast has not had the same impact in other parts of the country where the wildlife parks and reserves are located. Also it should be noted that the Western area of Kenya, which is the main farming region, has experienced good rains recently and farmers are reporting that a bumper crop of maize will be harvested this year.

It must be stressed that within Kenya there are different climatic zones and that much of the country has had plenty of rain recently so that maize and wheat harvests are projected to be at higher than normal levels. Kenya is a very different country from those afflicted by drought in the Horn of Africa as it has a highly productive agricultural sector but unfortunately the media reports do not always make clear that in Kenya the drought is confined to certain arid or semi-desert regions and does not affect the whole country.

Within the wildlife reserves, the wild animals are adapted to survive cyclical periods of drought, unlike domestic livestock. Many Kenyan pastoralists such as the Maasai now rely on income from tourism in the community-owned conservancies as an alternative to being wholly dependent on livestock, so visitors can be assured that by coming to Kenya they are helping to create an income and benefits for the local people which is appreciated especially during periods of drought. The Mara has had good rains in recent weeks and right now is green with good grazing in the Mara Reserve and the neighboring wildlife conservancies. The annual wildebeest migration is now underway in the Mara and visitors currently are experiencing exceptionally good game viewing!

The End!

Well that is it for this month.

Happy Safaris!

John

61 (0)2 4984 9747

61 (0)411 749 627

jma@destinationsafrica.com.au

www.destinationsafrica.com.au

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