Ferguson Trip
Guide Frank
Staff Joe, Jerry and Chef Anton.
I picked up my guests from the Zimbabwe Kazungula Border, my guests had come from Victoria falls which is a must see when you come to Southern Africa. There was no problem with them coming through the border and in no time we were on our way to Chobe National Park. A quick stop at Sedudu gate and we were in the park.
One of first sightings was a large herd of impala, followed by almost fifty hippos outside the water on one of the flood plains called Sedudu Island. Exciting things were yet to come two kilometers down the road. A lovely lioness had just pulled down a fully grown male waterbuck in the middle of the road. The waterbuck unfortunately struggled to get up and failed as his injuries were too severe. So many people travel to Africa regularly and always want to see a kill, and we were lucky to see it our first few hours in the park. It is the law of the bush but sometimes it can be a bit confronting to our guests, but I feel it is an amazing spectacle to witness.
Our lunch was fairly delayed due to our sightings but everyone enjoyed it. We made our way to camp as usual it was set up under nice green trees and my guest settled in.
That night lions roared half a km away from camp and the Hyenas could not be outdone. However what stole the show was a Giant Eagle Owl which kept my guests awake for a while in a nearby tree. It is always lovely to go to your tent at night and hear the different sounds and just fall asleep on a comfortable bed.
The following day my clients went on a Boat ride in the afternoon after a quiet morning drive. They got a different perspective of Chobe from the boat and they enjoyed it very much.
After the boat we had a game drive back to camp and it yielded ten lions just sleeping and doing totally nothing. There were lots of breeding herds of elephants around and enjoying the new greens that the rains have brought. They were a bit pushy and starting to look a bit more conditioned. The pushiness did not surprise me, but it was definitely a hair rising experience for my guests.
Over 200 or so Buffaloes marched across the floodplain feeding and fighting at times. It was like watching the discovery channel, pretty special experience and one that my guest enjoyed. Unfortunately time was not on our side and we had to go back to camp.
On out third day we were off to Savute famous for its huge bull elephants. Due to the rains these giant beasts were so dispersed that we only saw a few on our first day. The first day in Savute was quiet but a change in scenery which was very nice.
Our second day in Savute we went to Savute marsh which was is a lovely position. There were plenty of Zebras and Wildebeests around in this area. Individual Bull elephants with huge tusks were roaming around on their daily search for food.
In the afternoon we went to a different area mainly to see the baobabs that are clustered together in this rocky outcrop. We were lucky enough to see a beautiful Klipspringer on one of the small hills. We kept our eyes peeled, in search for more exciting stuff. After half an hour two Roan antelope presented themselves in front of us, which is very rare because they tend to be quite shy and run off, then stop when they are in cover to look back. They are a very beautiful antelope and we were all very happy to see this. The client’s cameras did their usual work and hopefully gave them a reminder that they can take home with them.
We drove around a bit more and one of the highlights of the trip was yet to occur. A beautiful leopard was stalking impalas and crossed right in front of our vehicle. I think that we all felt privileged to see something like that and it put a huge smile on each of my guest face. We headed back to camp after that and sat around the fire, had a lovely meal and then retired to bed.
The next day our trip came to an end, my clients were off to their next destination, they were getting a charter plane from Savute Airstrip.
What a great trip, I really enjoyed taking you on Safari and hope that you felt the same. Hope you have a safe onwards journey and hope to see you again in this part of the world.
Thankyou
Frank Chikosi.