The lion - Sylvester relocated

The lion – known as Sylvester – which escaped from Karoo National Park at the end of March, will be relocated to the Addo Elephant National Park, SANParks has announced.

Reports last month that the three-year-old male lion would be euthanised sparked a public outcry.

According to SANParks, the lion will be moved into a boma within an existing 200ha enclosure in the Kuzuko contractual section of the park, where he will be bonded with the two young females who are currently in the enclosure.

 
“This lion, at three years of age, is still young enough to bond with the two females and ultimately establish himself as the resident pride male,” said CEO of SANParks, Fundisile Mketeni.

The lions will then be released into the park to be free-ranging. The fence between Kuzuko and the neighbouring Darlington section of the park is due to be dropped soon, which will then provide the three lions with 60 000 ha over which to roam.
“There is always a risk that this lion may break out again but this will be mitigated to a large extent by reducing any potential conflict with other males, by placing him in a boma within the existing 200ha boma, and ultimately by establishing him as the dominant male,” said Mketeni.

He said the decision was in the best interests of the animal and conservation. “We would like to thank members of the public for their interest in this lion and their continued interest in conservation generally,” he said. “We attempted to respond to every message we received but eventually abandoned this due to the sheer number of messages received in the last two weeks.”

5 Highlights of Botswana

  1. Reaching Chief’s Island

Any trip to the Okavango Delta, whether by boat, or plane, starts seconds after you have launched, or lifted off. Your vantage point matters not, it is always magnificent. Admittedly, if you really want to grasp the true beauty of the Okavango Delta one should fly as much as possible over the 15 000 square kilometres that make up this heritage site.

There are not many places in the world that match its beauty and tranquility. Be it in the landscapes that are forever framed by palm trees and magnificent trees, or the sparkling waters that glimmer as you fly over them, or perhaps the quintessential sound of active hippos grunting, or the bubbling sound of water racing under your mokoro, and the ever present cry of an African fish eagle’s call.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the Okavango Delta is definitely a place that will soothe and lull anyone’s chaotic rhythm of urban living and bring one’s pulse back to a natural beat that will allow your senses to be well enthralled, yet never exhausted.

This trip offered us all a blessed chance to view the Delta from above with a short plane ride from Maun to Chiefs Island, and without further a due we were whisked off from our island runaway to our base camp (and home for the next five nights) in the middle of this water-wilderness.

If you are a parent, enjoy the ride, but every so often have a look at your family who will be fully engrossed and pointing out the elephant herds and giraffe journeys that can be viewed from the air. It will be a moment that will make the whole trip ‘worth-while’ and you have not even landed yet.

2. Morning mokoro rides

After a cup (or a few cups) of coffee and a light breakfast we set off for our morning walk on a series of islands near Chiefs Island. We did not zip around on noisy motor boats from one sighting to the next, oh no… in the Delta you travel one pole stroke at a time, and just inches away from the water, in a mokoro (a locally designed dug out canoe). Using the shallow water channels we weaved our way through waterlily clad ponds, and lush papyrus fringed waterways, avoiding the hippos until we reached our mooring and the start of every morning’s walk.

These gentle rides gave us all the precious time required to not only view the landscape from a newly found perspective, but to gently wake up our senses and tune them up into the sounds of the Delta whilst the eyes got used to focusing on the smaller details like reed frogs, spiders, kingfishers and damselflies.

3. Walking the islands on foot

Even for veterans of African travel, a walking safari in the Delta is a must do. This is why we were here, to explore the Delta on foot with a team of skilled local guides that grew up and still live in the delta. Their immense knowledge and stories of growing-up in the Delta enthralled us all while we traipsed different islands and came across general game like red lechwes, impala, zebras and elephants. It was a huge privilege to share this beautiful space with such graceful creatures and many a precious moment of discovery was had.

4. Camping under the stars

Whether it is elephants whilst you are having lunch, or hippos grazing their way out of the water at night, something is bound to walk through camp at one point or another. During our stay we had elephants, baboons, civets and even a pod of hippos walking through camp. With only a canvas tent separating you from the elements, you have to be prepared to take back a memory (or two) of you being truly in the mix in the Delta. It was indeed no surprise when after our first night at camp, Jesper Morch (the father in the family), quipped “You are right Sean, this place does give you the full sense of wilderness”.

5. Moremi Game Reserve and its wildlife – Oh… and did I mention WILD DOGS!!!!

Back on terra firma we headed for our second destination in the itinerary, the renowned and always bewildering Moremi Game Reserve. Suffice to say Moremi lived up to each and every expectation. On our first evening in Moremi, we had just unpacked the car, and camp had been setup, before we decided to take a short game-drive. Within five minutes from camp, a few turns, and a lavish dose of luck we found ourselves staring at a pack of wild dogs in disbelief, possibly the best opening act any national park could ever dish out. Just as things seemed they could not get any better, the whole pack engaged on a hunt and chased a herd of impala across a nearby grass field. It was indeed an unforgettable experience, and as it turned out, we were graced with daily sightings throughout our stay in Moremi.


 
Suffice to say this was a one-of-a-kind experience, a very special safari for the discerning and seasoned that I hope to be part off again when the next chance emerges.

   

10 of the best intimate safari camps

Southern Africa has a wide range of safari camps that cater for 10 people or less, providing a highly personalised and exclusive experience. Tourism Update rounds up some of the best options on offer. 

Sanctuary Baines’ Camp, Botswana
With just five suites, Sanctuary Baines’ Camp has been constructed on raised platforms above a river in a private concession in the Okavango Delta’s Moremi Game Reserve. This camp is known for its elephant experience, providing guests with the opportunity to walk with orphaned elephants from the Living with Elephants Foundation. Built out of eco-friendly materials such as aluminium cans and commercially grown wood, the rooms feature four-poster beds which can be wheeled out on to each suite’s private deck for a night under the stars.

Tintswalo Manor House, South Africa
Situated within the Tintswalo Concession within the Private Manyeleti Game Reserve in Mpumalanga, Tintswalo Manor House is an exclusive-use property ideally suited to family groups. Accommodating up to 10 guests in its en-suite, air-conditioned rooms, the property also has a private swimming pool, patio, boma and bar area. The Manor House has its own dedicated staff, including a guide and tracker, as well as a private safari vehicle.  


Wilderness Safaris’ Busanga Bush Camp, Zambia
Accommodating a maximum of eight guests at any time, with just four tents, Busanga Bush Camp offers a truly intimate experience. Situated in the Busanga Plains of Kafue National Park, it is the ideal location from which to explore the surrounding floodplains and view wildlife, including its famous tree-climbing lions, which have been known to lounge on the verandas outside the guest tents. It is a seasonal camp, open from the beginning of June until the end of October each year.  


Little Oliver’s Camp, Tanzania
This five-room camp is in the heart of Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park. Situated a kilometre away from the larger Oliver’s Camp, this exclusive property overlooks the floodplains of the Minyoyo Pools. Rooms have been furnished with handmade items crafted from the timber of old trading dhows and includes en-suite facilities with indoor and outdoor showers and large private decks. Activities on offer include game drives, walking safaris and hot air ballooning.  

Little Naibor Camp, Kenya
Situated on the banks of the Talek River in the Masai Mara Game Reserve, Little Naibor Camp is near the main Naibor Camp and comprises two individually designed suites. Each contains a double and a twin-bedded room, inter-linked by a communal lounge and veranda area. Little Naibor has its own dedicated staff and can be booked on an exclusive-use basis or together with the main Naibor Camp and its facilities.  


Tswalu Tarkuni, South Africa
This property was originally built as the holiday home of the Oppenheimer family, but is now also available on an exclusive-use basis. Situated in the 110 000-hectare Tswalu Kalahari Game Reserve, Tarkuni features five suites, a dedicated chef, pool area, two lounges with fireplaces and a private safari vehicle. Personal staff include a host, chef, guide and tracker. Guests can enjoy game drives, bush walks and horseback safaris, and also make use of the reserve’s spa facilities.

Somalisa Acacia, Zimbabwe
Ideally suited to family groups, African Bush Camps’ Somalisa Acacia in Hwange National Park features two family units, with inter-leading walkways between the parents’ and children’s rooms, both of which are en-suite. It also includes two standard tents. All rooms feature a glass wood-burning fireplace, overhead fan, indoor and outdoor shower and a copper bathtub. The camp overlooks a waterhole, and includes a small splash pool. Activities range from game drives to walking excursions.


Mchenja Bush Camp, Zambia
Operated by Norman Carr Safaris, Mchenja Bush Camp has just five luxury tents and is open seasonally from mid-May to early-November. Located on the banks of the Luangwa River, each of the tents has a private, open-air bathroom with a Victorian-style bathtub with a view. The camp also features a central lounge and plunge pool. Activities include game-viewing on drives and on foot.


Little Chem Chem, Tanzania
Situated on the edge of an acacia forest in wildlife management area between Tarangire National Park and Lake Manyara, Little Chem Chem features just five luxury rooms. It has private access to 16 000 hectares of wilderness and accommodates no more than 10 guests at any time. Rooms have been designed to evoke an ‘Out of Africa’ atmosphere, each with a private fire pit. A wide range of activities are available nearby, including day and night drives, animal tracking, hot air ballooning and helicopter flips.


Sindabezi Island, Zambia
Located on a private island on the Zambezi River, Sindabezi Island features just five open-sided thatch chalets overlooking the nearby national park. Each chalet has been positioned to offer guests a high degree of privacy, including the romantic honeymoon chalet complete with four-poster bed and claw-footed bathtub. Activities range from canoeing, to cultural visits and tours of the nearby Victoria Falls.     

Zambia: U.S. Tourist Badly Injured in Giraffe Attack

An American tourist had to be airlifted to a Johannesburg hospital on Saturday morning after she was critically injured in an attack by a giraffe at a game park in Zambia over the weekend.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said the woman was walking in the bush between two lodges when she came across the animal.

"It's thought the giraffe used its head to attack the woman," she said.

Mathe said that the tourist was critically injured and was found lying in a thorn bush.

"On Saturday morning the Netcare911 Jet Air Ambulance airlifted the woman from Zambia to a Johannesburg hospital for urgent treatment," she said.

Fresh ideas for adventures in Botswana

Elephant interactions and indulgence at Sanctuary Retreats

Sanctuary Retreats offers an elephant interaction in partnership with the Living with Elephants Foundation in the Okavango Delta. Guests stay at Sanctuary Stanley’s Camp or Sanctuary Baines' Camp and walk through the wilderness with Jabu, Thembi and Morula, a trio of semi-habituated orphaned elephants. While guests interact with elephants, they do not ride the elephants.

A day spent on a safari in the Okavango wetlands can be topped off in Sanctuary Baines' Camp's opulent star bath. Hidden on a private viewing deck, guests unwind surrounded by twinkling lanterns and shining stars. Four-poster 'sky beds' can be rolled on to a private wooden deck for a night under the starry skies.

At Sanctuary Stanley's Camp guests can indulge in a tranquil water lunch. The buffet-style meal is enjoyed, sitting with feet soaking in the cool, shallow waters of the Okavango Delta. For special occasions, private dinners can be arranged at the pool, complete with lanterns and candles.  

Balloon Safaris with Wilderness

Wilderness Safaris has also launched hot-air balloon safaris at Vumbura Plains and Little Vumbura camps in the Okavango Delta, available this year from April 18 to end September, coinciding with the dry season. Guests can also opt for an exclusive eight-minute helicopter transfer to and from the launch site, getting an additional bird’s-eye view of the terrain. 

Private camping tours with Drifters 

New from Drifters Adventure Tours are private camping tours in Botswana for small groups of two to 12 clients.  According to Christiaan Steyn, Marketing Manager, the tours feature tailor-made itineraries at affordable rates.
Drifters’ 16-day Botswana tour packages the country’s rich diversity.  Clients get the opportunity to interact with the local San people in the barren Kalahari Desert and spend three nights on a private island in the Delta, undertaking several mokoro trips and guided walking safaris. They also spend four nights camping wild in the national parks and a night under the stars on the Makgadikgadi salt pans.

 

Welcome to Botswana

Blessed with some of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth, Botswana is one of the great safari destinations in Africa. There are more elephants in Botswana than any other country, the big cats roam free and there’s everything from endangered African wild dogs to aquatic antelopes, from rhinos making a comeback to abundant birdlife at every turn.


This is also the land of the Okavango Delta and the Kalahari Desert, at once iconic African landscapes and vast stretches of wilderness. Put these landscapes together with the wildlife that inhabits them, and it’s difficult to escape the conclusion that this is wild Africa at its best.


Botswana may rank among Africa’s most exclusive destinations – accommodation prices at most lodges are once-in-a-lifetime propositions – but self-drive expeditions are also possible. And whichever way you visit, Botswana is a truly extraordinary place.
 



Top responsible travel tips for Botswana

1. Be considerate of Botswana’s customs, traditions, religion and culture.

2. For environmental reasons, try to avoid buying bottled water. Fill a reusable water bottle or canteen with filtered water instead.

3. Always dispose of litter thoughtfully, including cigarette butts.

4. When bargaining at markets, stay calm, be reasonable and keep a smile on your face. It's meant to be fun!

5. Learn some local language and don't be afraid to use it - simple greetings will help break the ice.

6. Shop for locally made products. Supporting local artisans helps keep traditional crafts alive.

7. Refrain from supporting businesses that exploit or abuse endangered animals.

8. Please ask and receive permission before taking photos of people, including children.


9. When on community visits or homestays, refrain from giving gifts or money to locals.

10. Refrain from buying ivory or other products harvested from endangered animals.

New luxury safari lodge opens in Limpopo

Mhondoro Game Lodge, a new luxury safari lodge, has opened in Welgevonden Game Reserve in the Waterberg, Limpopo, about a three-hour drive from Johannesburg.

The lodge sleeps 20 guests and includes a private villa that can accommodate six guests; a Honeymoon suite; a two-bedroom Executive suite; and a two-bedroom Family suite.

The lodge also has a waterhole with an underground hide; a custom-built star deck, a telescope for star-gazing and three heated swimming pools.

Tourists who provoke animals will be kicked out – SANParks

Tourists who provoke animals in South Africa’s national parks will be escorted off the park, with possible criminal action against them, SANParks has said. The authority’s comments follow the publication of a video showing a lioness being provoked by a radio-controlled car in the Kruger National Park.  

The video, which was uploaded online by Lowveld Media on March 24, depicts a remote-controlled car being steered towards the lioness with surrounding vehicles present.

When contacted by Tourism Update, Wanda Mkutshulwa, SANParks Head of Communications, described the behaviour as stupid.


Mkutshulwa pointed out that people often linked the KNP with incidents that might have happened at a neighbouring game farm. However, Benno Stander, Online Editor of Lowveld Media, confirmed that the incident did in fact occur in the KNP. “The person who sent the video to us is a well-known person and a source of ours but he’s currently doing work in Kruger National Park, so he opted to remain anonymous,” said Stander.

Spokesman for the KNP, William Mabasa, told the Lowvelder: “This is a serious violation of the rules of the Kruger and against the spirit and nature of all the rules in the park.

“The animals get scared and stressed, but they are also curious and might want to inspect the object, eat it and then perhaps choke on it and die. They might also run away and that is unfair to the other visitors who are viewing the animals,” Mabasa said.

Mkutshulwa said that anyone who was found to be engaging in such behaviour would be escorted by game rangers out of the park and, if necessary, criminal action against them would be taken.

You can view the incident by clicking here.

 
 

Yellow fever: What you need to know

Reports of yellow fever have increased across Central, East and West Africa during the past few months. The current outbreak is believed to have started in Angola in December, and resulted in close on 200 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes it as the “worst yellow fever outbreak in 30 years”.



The death of a man from yellow fever in Nairobi prompted the Kenyan Health Ministry to issue a countrywide yellow fever alert, including monitoring points of entry such as airports, reported The New Times of Rwanda.

Rwandan authorities announced on March 28 that travelers arriving at Kigali International Airport without a valid yellow fever certificate would have to pay US$40 (R595) for a vaccination on arrival.

Namibia and Zambia are on high alert for imported cases of yellow fever, reported WHO.

Countries in Africa that carry a risk of yellow fever, according to US-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are: Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo and Uganda.

Countries with a low potential for exposure to the virus are Eritrea, São Tomé, Somalia, Tanzania and Zambia.

“Yellow fever is a viral illness for which there is no cure but there is an effective vaccine that will prevent it. It is transmitted by a daytime-biting mosquito,” explains Netcare Travel Clinic.

“Travelers immunized against yellow fever are issued with an internationally recognized vaccination certificate for inspection by immigration officials. The international health regulations concerning yellow fever are unequivocal, and not vaccinated travelers may face denial of entry, or even quarantine in certain circumstances. To be effective the vaccine should be administered 7-10 days prior to departure,” the Netcare Travel Clinic’s website goes on to state.

Travelers to countries where yellow fever vaccination is no longer legally required, such as Tanzania and Zambia, have reported that border post officials often still ask for proof of vaccination.

The vaccine provides immunity for 10 years.