Safari and Guides Services Blog

My clients were picked up at the Zimbabwe border and then were brought for a midday boat cruise. I had met my clients two days earlier as I had picked them up from the Ngoma border Namibia, and then brought them to the Zimbabwe border, they were going to spend two days seeing Victoria Falls. We had a midday boat cruise with a packed lunch which was very pleasant, I must admit that I am not a big fan of boats but I felt very relaxed as did my clients.

On the boat cruise we saw plenty of Hippos in a large pod, there were crocs on the banks and then Herds of Ellies coming down to the water to drink. We spotted Lions from a distance; however they disappeared into the thicket. There were plenty of different water birds all around, the water is still very high as a result of the floods but it is starting to drop slowly.

We had a leisurely drive to camp and got into camp just after sunset, everyone had enjoyed their day and were very excited to be in the bush enjoying the camp fire, a cold drink and a camp set up for the them. We could smell the cooking as we arrived, and we were all looking forward to a meal that was cooked on the fire. Shakka was the chef for this trip and did a great job this night and throughout the trip.

We retired to our tents that night listening to the sounds of the bush, two that stuck out where the Black backed Jackal and the Spotted Hyeana as they would have been very close or even in camp.

We awoke fairly early in the morning and set out on a game drive, it is probably my favourite part of the day, the air is crisp, there is dew on the grass and the animals are usually huddled together trying to warm up, not to mention the light at this time of the morning.

We drove down towards Serondela and came across Lions stalking Buffalo, everybody was very excited, however they failed. I always feel privileged when I see these animals doing what they need to do to survive. The battle between Lion and Buffalo is constant. We watched them for a while and they later tried their luck on a Impala, but it was not their day. We were able to stay with them for a while without many vehicles around and provided an excellent opportunity despite the thick bush at this time of year for photography.

That morning also yielded Giraffes, Ellies, Buffalo and Kudu almost around every corner. The noon drive was also very nice, we watched Ellies swimming over to the islands with their babies, and the adults assisted the babies and also gave them some encouragement along the way. Elephants have such a strong family bond which is very nice to see. We also came across hundreds of buffalo and many different types of birds. I would have to say that Chobe is a great place for birding with over 400 species of birds.

We had a enjoyable sundowner and a laugh and talked about the day that what we had, we headed back to camp again looking forward to the dinner that we were about to have. One of the highlights of the trip was the Civet in the camp which was only like 5 metres away. Very nice to see this mainly nocturnal animal and see it up close, they eat insects, wild fruits, small rodents, reptiles, birds and carrion. That night was pretty quiet around camp but the sky was full of stars.

On the third day morning we left early again looking for lions and new spoor on the road, however it was a quiet morning. It later produced a herd of Zebra as well as Eland, which is very exciting. I have guided in Botswana for eight years and have been into Chobe many times, it is not very often that you see Eland so I was very happy about that. It must mean that the pans in land are starting to dry up.

That afternoon was very busy with the hundreds of Elephants, Buffalo and birds every where. The nights at the moment are cold but the days are warm and the bush is starting to look slightly parched, the seasons here are so dramatic and it is nice to see these changes every time I bring guests to this special area.

That night we had a great dinner and we enjoyed every minute of each others company, we heard a leopard call 200 metres away from camp, Leopards have a call that always reminds me of a saw cutting wood. We also were visited by the civet that night again.

The next day we drove from camp to the Ngoma border through the park, I really enjoyed the time that we had and hope that everybody was happy, this safari yielded some great sightings.

Very nice to have met you and hope to see you again soon.

Frank Chikosi

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