Make 2017 the year you visit Zimbabwe For each of the past three years, one of the absolute highlights of my year has been the time spent in Zimbabwe. Despite the politics – and let’s face it the politics suck – Zimbabwe is the place to go for an authentic African safari. It’s got the wildlife, it’s got the scenery,[…]
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The Look Up A visit to the Look Up is always a highlight of a stay at Bomani, so we were all excited to be spending the afternoon there. We got there early so we could get inside before the elephants started arriving to make sure we didn’t deter them from coming to the pan. Once inside it was just[…]
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Gonarezhou, ‘Gonners’, as it is often referred to by those who love it, had been right at the top of my wish list for quite some time and now I was finally going to discover for myself why this park is so revered amongst safari purists.
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A juvenile African Hawk Eagle had launched an attack from its perch in a tree on the opposite bank and saw the Queleas as his next meal.
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With lions and leopards proving elusive, we went in search of something easier to find and likely to be more active. Hyaenas.
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Motswari Private Game Lodge has been a long time favourite of mine. Located in the Umbabat reserve, and with traversing rights into Timbavati which lies immediately to the south it has given me some exceptional game viewing over the years. I’ve always enjoyed great success with leopards at Motswari and often recommend it as THE place to go if you[…]
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Limpopo Lipadi is a private game reserve located in Botswana’s Tuli Block, just a short drive from the Zanzibar border crossing with South Africa, it is a place where your safari will be delightfully exclusive.
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Hwange – An African Park in Crisis? Interview with Mark Butcher, Imvelo Safari Lodges Hardly a day goes by without another depressing story about the plight of Africa’s elephants. Elephant numbers across Africa are declining at an alarming rate under the onslaught of ivory poachers yet one National Park, Zimbabwe’s Hwange NP, faces an entirely different problem; its elephant population[…]
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NOTE: 01 Feb 2016 I’ve re-posted this interview because the threat to Mali’s elephants is becoming even more worrying. Poachers have exploited the on-going civil conflict in Mali to poach more elephants than ever before and unless action is taken very soon there is a real danger of Africa’s northernmost herd of elephants being wiped out. The Mali Elephant Project has[…]
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Family Safaris in Africa It’s 2016 and January is already half gone. Can’t decide where to go for this year’s annual family holiday? Have you thought about taking them on safari in Africa? If you’re looking for a holiday that is active and interactive, where every day brings with something new to keep both adults and children happy then a safari[…]
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Olympus Stylus 1 – It’s a dream to use and the photos I’ve taken with it are consistently bright and sharp.
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Conservation requires cooperation, not conflict Success in conservation cannot be forced; it relies on the commitment and participation of all stakeholders. Everyone must understand what is in it for them; both those on the ground and directly involved and those who donate funds from thousands of miles away. Yet, at times, there seems to be a marked reluctance amongst ‘conservationists’[…]
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Kaingu Safari Lodge My last visit to Zambia was some years ago, when I spent a fabulous week canoeing down the Zambezi river; Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park on one shore and Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National park on the other. Much of our time was spent dodging the hippos that are so prevalent in that area. I remember well the[…]
Read moreHwange’s Dilemma (Please excuse the fact that this is a terrible over-simplification of the issue, but I’ve strived to keep it concise) Hwange is the largest Park in Zimbabwe occupying roughly 14 650 square kilometers. It is one of THE places to see elephants in Africa. According to a 2015 pan-African census it is home to 44,000 elephants, roughly 50% of[…]
Read moreNehimba Seeps – water throughout the year – naturally Zimbabwe’s Hwange NP is known as a place with very little natural year round water; a place where pumps are needed to keep water in the pans for several months each year. But the park is not entirely without natural, year round, water sources. During one of the game drives made[…]
Read moreThree days into my stay at Ngamo and I still haven’t seen any cats. I’ve heard them during the night and a couple of the guides reported seeing fresh tracks but no actual sightings yet. Perhaps it was down to the cold wind blowing across the Ngamo plains but we were lacking a bit of urgency this morning; still dawdling[…]
Read moreThe Heartbeat of Hwange On my recent visit to Hwange we were gathered for coffee before setting off on our morning game drive and – as you do – I asked one of the ladies if she had slept OK. She said that she had not, because the sound of the pump close to camp running all night disturbed her;[…]
Read moreBomani Tented Lodge and Camelthorn Lodge On my recent visit to Hwange I stayed in both Bomani Tented Lodge and Camelthorn Lodge. Although both are part of the Imvelo safari lodges portfolio, they could not be more different. Both camps are constructed on community land close to Hwange’s Ngamo gate, in the south east corner of the park. Where Bomani[…]
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