Watch this space for our upcoming trip to Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa

June 19, 2016

We are about to embark on a photographic expedition to Botswana, travelling with our friends Malcolm and Rae Wells and Fran Healy and Jamie Bayly-Stark.

The key components of our itinerary include the Chobe National Park (Botswana), Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) and Madikwe Game Reserve (South Africa).

Watch this space to follow our adventures although updates may be spasmodic depending on access to the internet.

DAY 1: Monday May 30th 2016 HOBART – SYDNEY

June 18, 2016

We had a leisurely start to the day as our flight to Sydney wasn’t until 15.10. This gave us the morning to do final preparations in packing and organising such mundane things as watering indoor plants, emptying perishables from the fridge, checking the security system and organising mail collection.

Ian Hay very kindly offered to take us to the airport where we met up with our travelling partners for three weeks, namely Malcolm and Rae Wells. Malcolm and Rae had been transported to the airport by their son Martyn who was accompanied by his delightful twins, Lachlan and Imogen.

The Qantaslink Boeing 717 departed Hobart pretty much on time and the 100 minute flight had us arriving in Sydney close to 17.00. The approach into Sydney’s Kingsford–Smith Airport was picturesque in the autumn sun-set with the ‘’coat-hanger” bridge and the city’s CBD basked in a soft evening light.

We duly collected baggage and caught a taxi to our overnight Quality Hotel. Our overnight accommodation is modern and spacious and conveniently located quite close to Sydney’s International Terminal where at 10.50 tomorrow we will be commencing our westward travel to Africa.

As tomorrow’s travel itinerary entails just over 14 hours of flight time to Johannesburg we decided the best plan was to have our evening meal in the hotel’s restaurant and then to have quiet and relaxing night.

Of course, everything seemingly going to plan was too much to expect! We found ourselves in the hotel dining room enjoying some nice wines and pondering the menu when suddenly the power went out. Apparently a semi-trailer travelling down an adjacent street had collided with a power pole causing a clashing tangle of power lines and it would be two hours before order was restored.

After waiting expectantly but unsuccessfully for an hour for the power’s return, we decided to seek out another hotel on the other side of the road, unaffected by this outage. The local Mercure Hotel provided a pleasant and well lit alternative to the darkened and powerless dining venue at our hotel.

The anticipation of African travels and the exciting thoughts of the savannahs and wildlife of Botswana provide an ideal preparation for the start of our African holiday tomorrow!

Rae, Malcolm, Jak & Corinne in candle lit dining room at the Quality Hotel in Sydney

DAY 2: Tuesday May 31st 2016 SYDNEY - JOHANNESBURG

June 17, 2016

We awoke to a rainy Sydney morning and after checking out of our hotel we caught the bus to Sydney’s International Airport Terminal.

At 9:00 AM it was chaotic and the extensive queue for our Qantas flight meant slow progress that was eventually rewarded through patience and perseverance.

The customs and security checks were equally slow with massive queues and despite the automatic passport checks available now, Jak’s photo recognition was not adequate and he was required to do a re-check under the old system.

We eventually boarded our Boeing 747-400 at 11.00 and were pleased to have been allocated seats immediately adjacent to a bulkhead meaning that we had masses of legroom.

The plane took forever to move out to the runway as we sat on the tarmac for nearly half an hour before clearance for take-off was given.

The flight was just over 14 hours and although the plane was unexpectedly noisy the service and meals were excellent. Corinne requested a G & T with her dinner and the flight attendant forgot to get it but later corrected his error with much apologising and a peace offering of 2 drinks which she duly accepted.

The flight path from Sydney to Johannesburg does not follow the direct westwards latitude path but instead sweeps southwards towards Antarctica reaching 59o south. This slightly longer path is faster as it avoids the strong westerly jet-stream that is encountered commonly at the normal flying altitude of around 10 000m.

We arrived in Johannesburg at 17:00 local time which according to our internal body-clocks was 01:00 in Hobart. South Africa is 8 hours behind Eastern Australian standard time.

There was no requirement for customs declarations in Johannesburg and after passing through passport checking we retrieved our bags and walked to our City Lodge hotel which is adjacent to the main terminal building.

After checking into our rooms the four of us headed down to the hotel’s lounge area for some drinks to celebrate the successful completion of this effectively “32 hour” long day.

The wines we had were quite reasonable and cost a mere 45 rand each which translates to about $4.50.

Tomorrow we have much easier travel day with a late morning departure time and a short 100 minute flight through to Kasane in Botswana. Exciting!

DAY 3: Wednesday June 1st 2016 JOHANNESBURG - KASANE

June 16, 2016

We started the day with breakfast at the City Lodge Hotel and after checking out we backtracked through the concrete labyrinth leading us back to the main Johannesburg International (O.C.Tambo) Airport.

As our travel today was to be to another country (Botswana) we assumed that it would be an ‘international’ flight and this resulted in us becoming a little lost as there did not appear to be any directions to ‘international departures’.

An exceedingly helpful porter set us straight by telling us that we should have been looking for ‘regional’ rather than international departures.

He assisted by directing us to the correct location for ‘checking in’ and bypassed other queues by taking us through a ‘business class’ access lane. One of his fellow porter colleagues told us that he could speed up the process even more so by having one of us in a wheelchair.

Having completed all the usual customs formalities we then walked as far as one could possibly walk in the airport terminal to the furthest departure lounge (#A30) and prepared to board our Avro plane for Kasane.

Our flight path from Johannesburg was northwards and for the first ten or fifteen minutes we passed over a sprawling mass of suburban homes that seemed to spread to the horizon in all directions. Near the border between South Africa and Botswana we could see mine operations going on and were informed that this is the famous De Beers diamond mine region.

Further north we could see a major river meandering through what appeared to be a semi-desert region. There was extensive irrigation operating immediately adjacent to the river as indicated by the numerous circular patches of green pasture and cropping amongst the brown arid landscape.

We then passed over a vast area of dry lakebeds and saltpans with a few traces of shallow water appearing as sky blue ponds in a bleached environment.

As we neared our destination the scenery altered to typical savannah country with many stunted thornbush trees dotted amongst a parched grassy landscape.

We landed at the small township of Kasane (pronounced Kasané) at around 13:00 and found the customs reception to be typically friendly but very slow as processing was done with antiquated computers.

Our Pangolin guide Charl was there to meet us and transported us to our nearby hotel called Chobe Bush Lodge.

After settling into our very nice accommodation we headed with cameras down to the Chobe River to join Charl once again for our introductory photographic session on the river.

Our river transport is a 7m covered aluminium boat specifically set up for photographers. There were six of us on the boat and each of us had a seat next to a multidirectional mounting stage for our cameras.

Charl suggested that 200 – 500mm lenses were needed and issued Rae and Corinne with these for use during our stay here.

As the wet season (October – April) has now recently finished, the Chobe river is at nearly maximum height and has flooded over large areas on either side of the main river’s course.

Our boatman Shar took us slowly up the river stopping at riverbank spots where bird or animal life was sighted and approachable.

During our afternoon session we saw numerous species of birds including two species of kingfisher, namely the pied and malachite kingfisher.

Other birds sighted included bee-eaters, wagtails, geese, herons, hornbills, skimmers, fish eagles, darters, doves, egrets, ….

Of the non-avian animal type encountered, the dominant species were elephant and hippopotamus which we managed to get quite close to but with sufficient caution to avoid the dangers of angry hippos!

There were several crocodiles sunning themselves on the riverbank and we also saw two monitor lizards, water buffaloes, mongoose and impalas along the way.

We retuned to our hotel just after sunset and relaxed with a drink in the hotel bar before dinner.

The whole operation here leaves nothing to be desired and the thought of further encounters with wild-life tomorrow heightens one’s excitement at being in such a magnificent wild-life reserve area.

DAY 4: Thursday June 2nd 2016 CHOBE NATIONAL PARK KASANE, BOTSWANA & ZAMBIA

June 15, 2016

We arose before sunrise and walked down to the nearby river jetty where we were met by Charl and Shar. We were told to expect cold early morning conditions but there being no wind meant that the air temperature was very pleasant especially as we were well rugged up in our down jackets.

Our group of six photographers (us four plus two from Warnambool in Victoria) plus our two guides headed out onto the Chobe River just on 0640. The pre-dawn light was beautifully soft and the mirror calm conditions provided perfect conditions for photography.

In the early morning sunlight we encountered a most enthralling spectacle amongst the tall reeds on the river’s edge. Four small green coloured bee-eaters were huddled up together keeping each other warm in the cool morning air.

These beautifully coloured birds were perched on a reed stem and had their feathers ruffled out so as to provide greater comfort to the group. The birds seemed unperturbed by our presence and allowed us to approach to within a metre or so without fleeing. Moving further along the river’s edge we encountered two other groups of bee-eaters engaged in the same group warming activity.

The next sighting of note was a stilt like bird with a bronze body colour and white face. These birds scurry around hopping from one water lily to another giving the impression they are walking on water. Not surprisingly they are called Jesus birds.

Amongst the dense riverbank reed we once again encountered a malachite kingfisher. The one we’d seen yesterday was a juvenile but this one was more mature and had a strikingly bright azure blue body and a blood red coloured beak; an extraordinarily beautiful (and apparently quite rare) kingfisher.

There were numerous sightings of the cormorant like bird called darters that dry their wings by spreading them wide whilst sitting high on dead trees or sticks. In one such group there was a single black cormorant which enabled us to see the difference between these species quite clearly. The darters have a much longer neck with a prominent needle shaped beak where as the red-eyed cormorants are smaller and shorter in the neck and beak.

We saw orange capped swallows, numerous geese and an assortment of other water fowl as we ventured further up the Chobe River and crossed over the border into Namibia. The only hint of there being a border is the presence of a Botswanan flag on a high pole in the middle of the river.

Incidentally at this location on the border we were at around latitude 17° south, longitude 25° east and at an altitude of 928m.

In the early morning sunshine we encountered a family of baboons sitting in a tree high above the river’s edge. The male was sitting back as if in an armchair enjoying the warmth and appeared to be almost asleep. The female baboon had a baby in close attendance. Nearby, grazing along the riverbank was a group of about twenty impalas, one of which was a senior male had very prominent and elegantly curved antlers. Baboons and impalas often co-habitate areas as each can warn the other of potential predators. The baboons see danger as look-outs from high tree tops and the impalas have an incredibly acute sense of smell enabling them to detect lions and other such carnivores from a great distance.

Amongst the water lilies and reeds we saw many hippos but at one point we encountered a group of about twenty out of the water although some of the largest were sleeping on the river’s edge only partly submerged.

We managed to approach a group of water buffaloes grazing on a mid-river island. These incredibly powerful creatures are a force to be reckoned with and with their massive horns and what appears to be an armour-plated head one can well imagine that it’s a brave lion that attempts to attack one.

With the sun now quite high in the sky we returned to our Chobe Bush Lodge for a scrumptious breakfast and some free time before a return performance on the river later this afternoon.

The afternoon session on the river began at 1500 when the sun was still quite high and the ambient light probably a little too harsh for good photographic lighting.

Our group on the boat waiting for registration

After doing our usual form registering to enter the park we headed northwards along the river to a spot where Charl had our group taking set photographic shots but varying f stops to show the difference in the depth of field. On the riverbank we saw water monitor lizards, small crocodiles and the plentiful pied kingfishers. A white fronted bee-eater performed for us by flying around us and catching a butterfly and then slowly consuming it on a branch close to the boat. We were then fortunate to catch a fleeting glance of a green chested heron, a rare sighting apparently. On a tree branch nearby we managed to see and photograph a grey capped kingfisher, one of the seven species of kingfisher found within the Kobe National Park.

After spending an extended period of time watching a herd of elephants going about their everyday business we came upon a small group of kudu antelopes. These shy animals were quick to move to bush cover when ours and other boats approached.

And just when we thought the day was complete with all superlatives achieved we came upon a group of about ten giraffes, ambling through the scrubby bushes close to the waterline. These handsome creatures are so gloriously tall and so emblematic of the African savannah that we were quite taken aback by their sudden and unexpected appearance.

We ended the day’s photographic experience with time adjacent to a group of ‘out of water’ hippos and associated waterfowl including guinea fowl, egrets, geese and herons. A nearby cluster of storks was sighted but being hidden in tall grasses meant that they were too hard to photograph adequately.

Colonies of baboons were frequently seen along the river’s edge as were herds of elephants including one with two calves estimated to be only one year or so old.

With the sunset upon us we photographed a very obliging fish eagle and then Corinne with great aplomb managed to get a stunningly sharp photo of a very rare skimmer bird as it flew past. This is the most ‘endangered’ bird in Botswana with there being only as estimated 1200 pairs of birds still existing.

We took sunset shots and then headed back to our Chobe Bush Lodge for some rest and relaxation prior to our evening meal.

This has been another absolutely superb day with so much to see and enjoy.

DAY 5: Friday June 3rd 2016 CHOBE NATIONAL PARK KASANE BOTSWANA & NAMIBIA

June 14, 2016

A spectacular pink coloured pre-dawn sky together with a crescent new moon greeted us heralding in another glorious Botswanan day. Since we’ve been here there’s not been a single cloud in the sky and each day reaches a very pleasant temperature in the mid to high twenties.

We were out on the water at 0630 and with there being not a breath of wind, the river was mirror calm with reflections abounding in all directions.

At the end of the wet season in April/May, the Chobe River stretches to be over a kilometre wide in the National Park region. With the onset of the dry period the water level slowly drops and what is presently a vast flood plane becomes a meandering group of smaller rivers with Namibia on the northern bank and Botswana to the south.

Our first point of interest was at the reed bank in the middle of the river to once again see and photograph the green little bee-eaters. These beautiful birds are clearly not frightened of humans or boats as we were able to get within a metre of them without them taking flight. These small bee-eaters tend to congregate on the same reed stems each dawn. The biggest group we saw this morning was one of seven birds.

There were numerous sightings of birds including fish eagles, pied kingfishers, cormorants, lapwings, helmeted guinea fowl, Egyptian geese, ducks, darters, wire tailed swallows, water thick-knees and African jacanas.

We caught fleeting glimpses of malachite kingfishers but they were either too distant or timid to tolerate close encounters. However, very luckily, using the 500mm lenses together with the boat’s stabilising platforms we were still able to get sharp images of these and other distant birds.

We managed to get very close to a juvenile green backed heron although this shy bird stayed partly obscured behind some bushes.

Wandering along the river’s bank was a red lechwe and then a much larger waterbuck. The red lechwe antelope is similar to an impala although it is immediately recognisable by the short front legs compared to the back legs. The water buck is a heavy build antelope with a distinctive white circle around its tail area.

It was at this point that we first saw a lilac roller. This stunningly attractive bird is multicoloured with a lilac breast, sky blue body and a long blackish forked tail.

Although quite common they tend to perch high in dead trees or on power lines making them quite tricky to photograph. They fly from tree to tree with a swooping action that is quite distinctive.

We then pulled into the riverbank for some mid-morning drinks and biscuits and had an extended encounter with a largish (3m) crocodile that was sunning itself on the warm sand. The danger of these reptiles was illustrated by the fact that without warning this utterly immobile creature suddenly swung around and within seconds had entered the water and was gone. Similarly a shy African swamphen was sighted for a fleeting glimpse and then disappeared into the reeds. We also saw two Burchells coucals which where partially hidden in the top of bushes. These birds are uncommon in this locale.

We were then fortunate to have a large male kudu stroll down the water’s edge for a drink. We were able to get very close to this magnificent animal and observe the huge antlers and its incredibly muscular neck. He was drinking for some five or so minutes and then as if he’d detected the odour or a potential predator he became agitated and headed off into the protection of the nearby cover.

As was the case yesterday, antelope especially impalas are a common sighting as are water buffaloes and hippopotamuses. One group of hippos entertained us with some playful interaction between semi-adult (males?). This entailed contested gaping mouth displays and head pushing which seemed to be utterly ignored by the much larger adult hippos that were seemingly asleep or disinterested. One large hippo stood partly submerged the whole time with two blacksmith lapwings and a pied kingfisher on its back.

Prior to heading back to Kasane for our ‘brunch’ we spent a few minutes photographing a great egret which stands over one metre tall even with its elegantly curved neck. Whilst photographing this beautiful snow white bird we saw two African pygmy geese swimming amongst some hippos. Strangely these are actually tiny ducks with prominent orange breasts and flanks. Being quite shy, they moved away to hide as soon as we approached.

The afternoon to dusk session on the river proved once again to have a number of stunning moments.

Initially we came upon an adult green backed heron and then a juvenile which was much happier about our presence than the one we’d seen this morning.

Then Shar, our highly observant boat driver spotted a giant kingfisher sitting high in a tree on the water’s edge. These are the largest of the kingfishers and have massive beak and a black and white spotted body with a chestnut coloured band across the breast.

Once again we encountered lilac rollers but the one we could get closest to was partly obscured by a branch so only the upper body and tail were clearly visible. The incredible number and diversity of waterfowl on this flood plane is hard to comprehend even the different species of ducks makes identifying each type quite problematic.

A large crocodile of size approaching 4m in length was then seen luxuriating in the bright sunshine very close to the water’s edge. Based on the experiences of yesterday and the croc’s speed of attack we immediately recognised the potential danger for any creature that was to venture close by.

Although we’d had very limited success this morning we were now fortunate to get close to four African pygmy geese. These shy birds stayed reasonably nearby enabling us to get some good photographs before they sought cover within the dense reed cover.

A major highlight of the afternoon was again a consequence of Shar’s sharp vision. In amongst the reeds on the riverbank he spotted a tiny jacana chick. We waited patiently and eventually a male jacana appeared with three chicks, one of which was tiny being presumably a very recent hatchling. These gorgeous little water birds performed by strutting back and forth across the waterlily leaves under the close attention of their father. The male jacana is the principal parent in the upbringing of their young.

A large gathering of kudu that came down to the river to drink gave us an extended opportunity for getting close-up shots of these attractive antelopes.

With the sun sinking towards the horizon we encountered six African open-bill storks. These are large black storks with frilly black breast feathers and a gap between the mandibles of their bill. They were fossicking for snails and other creatures in the muddy wetlands and they formed ideal silhouettes against the setting sun. After some further sunset shots we ventured home and then decided to have a buffet dinner at the nearby Chobe Lodge.

This was another cracker of a day with unbelievably good weather and a myriad of things to see and appreciate. This safari adventure leaves nothing to be desired.

DAY 6: Saturday June 4th 2016 CHOBE NATIONAL PARK KASANE BOTSWANA & NAMIBIA

June 13, 2016

At 0630 Charl picked us up and we drove through the very small township of Kasane to a nearby luxury resort where our boat was moored overnight. Our group of six plus Charl and Shar then headed eastwards towards the rising sun and down the Chobe River towards the rapids.

Until this morning we’d only been in the open flood plane section of the river but the area we now entered was where the river was more constrained by the smaller separation of the banks. With the river now being only about 200m wide the current become very noticeable and the turbulent water and frequent eddies meant that handling the boat was to require great skill. Shar did superbly and took us down stream to a point where with the sun now rising we were to experience a spectacular sight.

In the middle of the river with fast flowing water on either side was a tall partially dead tree covered with vines. In this tree was a nesting colony of yellow-billed storks and the action amongst these hundreds of big birds was frenetic.

Shar with consummate skill managed to position the boat in the current with the engine in gear running so that we were stationary relative to the nearby nesting tree.

For close to an hour we stayed pretty much in this fixed location and observed the behaviour of these graceful birds. Many of the storks were already sitting on nests made from sticks, twigs and greenery gleaned for the nearby bushes on the riverbank. Some pairs of storks were still in the process of building nests and the high density of bird-life meant that there were on-going squabbles over real estate issues. Disputes between storks usually resulted in the clashing of their long yellow beaks in a manner resembling epees in fencing duels.

Storks were frequently departing and returning to the colony often bringing in nest building materials. Being in their breeding plumage meant that the storks have deep red faces and their wings were tinged with pale pink feathers.

One of the challenges was to get sharp photos of the birds in flight and with so many to practise on, we soon achieved a reasonable degree of success in this endeavour.

Apart from the storks that comprised 90% of the tree’s population there were others birds present too. The other residents were mainly cormorants but there was one pink backed pelican perched as a sentinel on the highest dead branch. An African spoonbill spent some time perched atop the tree too and we managed to get some good photographs of this beautiful bird in flight as it arrived.

Some other trees in this locale had similar nesting populations too but this one was by far the most prominent.

We then returned upstream to the placid waters of the river’s flood plane and spent some time in close proximity to a herd of impalas that were at the riverbank to drink. These beautiful looking animals have to be very wary as they drink, as crocodiles wait just at the edge in a partially submerged position and can strike instantly at some poor unsuspecting antelope.

Nearby we then managed to get some reasonably close-up shots of a malachite kingfisher consuming a fish that it had just caught.

A flurry of activity was observed up ahead of us as we saw a long line of baboons scampering along the water’s edge. It seems they were about to join up with a very large herd of impalas that were now heading inland. We headed this way and encountered a lone red lechwe that posed beautifully for us in the early morning sunlight.

A lilac roller swooped down quite near us but flew on before we could get photographs.

As we approached one of the hippos’ wallow areas we were lucky to see a grey heron catch and eat a fish very near to our boat. We took many photos of the herd of twenty or so hippopotamuses and the huge flock of Egyptian geese that resides on this island section. Large spur winged geese are common too in these marshy regions and their pied bodies and pink legs and bill make them a very attractive and easily identifiable bird.

The large crocodile we’d seen yesterday was probably the one that cruised by us as we were heading home to breakfast, it now being 09:30. His eyes and snout were all that was clearly visible but close inspection revealed the immensity of this fearsome beast. Apparently they can survive for several months without eating as their huge tails serve a massive fat deposit on which they can call when food is scarce.

On the way back to the jetty whilst still in Namibian waters, we espied a large fish eagle sitting on the bank eating something. As we approached the eagle decided that it was not going to share its meal and that it was time to leave. As it took flight we realised that the prey it was now carrying aloft was a quite large bird, later identified as a red Francolin.

The afternoon to evening session was spent in the Chobe National Park on land. We were driven by a very friendly Batswana called Killa (Killa by name but not by nature he said!). The vehicle was a modified high clearance Mercedes munitions 4WD truck set up with bean-bag supports for resting cameras on.

The truck meandered along dusty, rough roads through the park with much to see along the way.

The usual suspects such as baboons, impala, elephants, fish eagles and guinea fowl were plentiful but our first ‘special’ encounter was with a herd (or shyness) of sable. These rarely sighted large antelope are tall with a prominent sloping back and the adults have a dark upper coat with large curved antlers on both males and females. The young sables are much of an orange brown colour.

We next met up with a herd (or journey) of giraffes. These magnificent animals reach a height of nearly 5m and can easily step over a 1.5m fence! Their height enables them to see predators from afar and if threatened they can run or more correctly gallop at a speed approaching 60 km/h. We managed to get quite close to these five giraffes and they showed no fear of us or our vehicle. This seems to be the case in Chobe National Park where most animals we’ve encountered seem to be accustomed to humans, boats and cars.

The antelope we saw in the park were ones we’d seen before except for a brief encounter with two puku. These look very much like a lechwe or even an impala although they don’t have the black leg markings of the lechwe or impala. Amongst the puku was a large male kudu estimated to be around 250kg and possessing the magnificent spiralled antlers.

Chobe River where we'd spent the last few days photographing from the water

We then spent the next half hour watching and photographing a young lion that was resting in the shade of a bush next to the track. He ignored us and seemed very relaxed enjoying a mid-afternoon siesta. He eventually decided to move to further cover so we were lucky to get many photographs of this ‘prince’ of the jungle.

Corinne had requested to see zebras and her wishes were answered some minutes later when we rounded a corner on the safari trail. These were Burchell’s zebras and we looked closely at the four animals to see that no two had quite the same stripe pattern as we’d been informed. These were probably young stallions that were not accepted yet into a herd and thus tend to roam as an ostracised bachelor group. Apparently the collective noun for zebras is appropriately a ‘dazzle’ of zebras!

Corinne, Jak, Rae & Malcolm with safari vehicle

Our return journey to the park’s main entrance took us very close to the river where we’ve spent a good deal of time during the last three days. With the sun now beginning to set we stopped at a high point overlooking the expanse of the Chobe river plane with its islands, water lily shallows and complex meanderings of rivulets. The view was magnificent and provided a great opportunity for trying out various techniques for capturing the impressive lighting at sunset.

For the evening session we were transported to Guts’ home. He is the co-owner/manager of Pangolin Photo Safaris and has been instrumental in the development of photo-tourism as a very significant burgeoning industry for Botswana.

Guts had prepared a delicious barbecue meal for us which included wine and very pleasant conversation around a camp fire. This was all prior to preparing for our evening’s photographic session of capturing the night sky.

We were driven about 10km to the outskirts of Kasane to a location where we set up our cameras close to the base of a massive baobab tree. Using time exposure and varying exposure modes we managed to get some highly impressive images of the night sky. To enhance the images Guts added special effects such as lighting the tree with red and green laser lights and igniting fire sparklers to add to the spectacle.

As the hour approached 2300 we headed back to our beds after a “full-on” day and with the prospect of a 5.30 awakening we were exhausted and ready for sleep.

DAY 7: Sunday June 5th 2016 BOTSWANA & ZIMBABWE

June 12, 2016

At 0630 we joined Charl and Shar for our final session on the Chobe River. We did a number of repeat encounters including photographing lilac rollers and small green bee-eater birds.

The conditions were near perfect for photographing reflections so we spent some time trying various techniques to capture the best shots of cormorants and darters whose reflections were vivid.

We then spent an extended period sitting in the boat whilst stationary on the riverbank near a large pod of hippopotamuses. The location was intended for rest and coffees but that changed when three pairs of skimmers put on an aerial exhibition for us lasting nearly half an hour. They circled our boat and flew frantically around us for this time obviously going through some form of mating ritual. We photographed them and despite the fact that they were a constantly moving target we did manage to get some good shots of this extremely rare African bird.

After brunch we checked out of our Chobe Bush Lodge Hotel and joined our new driver who transported us through to the border with Zimbabwe.

The border crossing went very smoothly and we then changed vehicles and driver and drove for an hour to Victoria Falls township where we met our guide from Pioneers Lodge.

He organised our permits to enter the Zambezi National Park and we headed off on an hour’s drive down a very rough and corrugated road to Pioneers. This is an eco-resort perched on the banks of the Zambezi River about 20km upstream from the Victoria Falls.

On arrival we were shown to our tents and after settling in we did a 5km paddle down the Zambezi River. This entailed us paddling in an inflated two-person rubber canoe. The dangers were minimal apart from the need to avoid hippos and crocodiles that apparently don’t take too kindly to people who invade their territory. The canoe ride downstream was great fun and involved some areas where the rapids generated half metre high waves which caused a bumpy ride and much merriment.

Corinne & Jak canoeing down Zambezie River (photo by Malcolm Wells)

After the hour and a half canoe trip we were met by another member of the Pioneer Lodge team who offered us refreshments (G&Ts & snacks) as they loaded the canoes onto the truck.

Malcolm, Jak, Corinne & Rae having sundowners by the Zambezie River

They then brought us home to camp for pre-dinner drinks which we had around a lovely campfire. A thoroughly enjoyable meal was then served in the open tent dining area and we then headed for bed.

As our safari tent is about 200m from the main camp we need to have an escort at night because of the likelihood of encounters with hippos, lions or elephants in the dark between there and our tent. We are located right on the riverbank, a mere 10m from the mighty Zambezi River. Hippos are close by as the grunts and other peculiar noises are quite audible.

DAY 8: Monday June 6th 2016 PIONEERS CAMP, ZAMBEZI RIVER ZIMBABWE

June 11, 2016

Prior to our designated getup time of 0600 we were already awake as a hippo on the riverbank nearby was making a good deal of noise.

We gathered for breakfast at 0630 with cereals, fresh fruit and yoghurt being on the menu as well as tea and coffee.

As we returned to our tent after breakfast a bushbuck antelope with its distinctive white spots and stripes was seen in the open vegetation just behind the tent. The males grow to a maximum size of about 75kg and for their size can be extremely aggressive. When cornered or injured they have been known to kill leopards and humans! It is the only solitary, non-territorial antelope in Africa.

Tendayi our guide then drove us in the camp’s open 4WD truck back along the track towards Victoria Falls for a few kilometres. He kept looking out for tracks of lions and other fauna that we were hoping to see.

As was the case in Botswana we encountered many impalas and guineafowl. One guineafowl hen had four very healthy looking chicks following her along the road. These birds behave somewhat like our Tasmanian native hens by running along the road in front of a car and not diverting into the adjacent bush.

We had a fleeting sight of two wildebeest that were about 100m from the road. It was hard to get photos of these large antelopes as they were partly obscured by the scrubby trees. Wildebeest are highly gregarious and reach a shoulder height of 150cm and weigh up to 250kg.

We then parked the truck on the side of the track and began a three hour safari walk through the tree covered river plane area. There were plenty of signs of large mammals and other animals. Footprints and scats of elephants, hippopotamuses, antelope, zebra and lions were all identified by Tendayi. We walked slowly and very quietly through this flat territory looking out for fauna. Tendayi carried with him a high powered 0.458 calibre rifle just in case a predator was to look upon us as an early morning breakfast treat!

A pied magpie shrike with its exceptionally long tail feathers was one of many birds seen. Doves, rollers and drongos are common in this scrubland.

A dazzle of zebras crossed our path but were too shy to wait long and fled as we began to approach.

We climbed to the top of a small hill to gain a better view but sadly there was not much action occurring on the open grassland plains below.

On our return trek to the truck we encountered more zebras or was it the same dazzle? We also saw a black-backed jackal but it too was in a hurry and gave us little time to observe or photograph it.

Evidence of porcupines, aardvarks and cape hares was noted too but these creatures were nowhere to be seen although they could have been in their burrows as it was now approaching 1100 and they are principally nocturnal.

Although the walk was not highly productive for sightings it was very interesting as Tendayi is a font of knowledge when it comes to the natural history of this Zambezi National Park.

We then returned to camp for brunch and some time to catch up on labelling photos from the last few days. As we don’t have WiFi at the camp, we’ll have to wait until we get to Gabarone in a couple of days’ time to update our blog.

In the mid to late afternoon we were taken by Chris, our boat driver up the Zambezi River in the camp’s 5.5m inflatable boat powered by twin 40 HP Yamahas.

Chris, our boat driver for River boat cruise

The Zambezi is the fourth longest river in Africa after the Nile, Congo and Niger but it is the only major river that drains towards the east and into the Indian Ocean. It forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The boat trip followed the Zimbabwe side of the river but where it narrowed we were only a hundred metres or so from the Zambian side.

The journey was done at deliberately quite slow speeds and was very picturesque in the soft evening sun. We stopped or slowed down whenever animals were seen. There were crocodiles, baboons, elephants, waterbuck, hippos, vervet monkeys and of course the inevitable impalas. The destruction of the foliage and bushes by elephants is all too apparent. Some of the plants counteract this foraging by releasing tannins when the tree is attacked. The elephants thus move on to a new bush every few minutes.

The bird life was plentiful too with pied and giant kingfishers seen as well as lapwings and water thick-knees. At one point we managed to get very close to a fish eagle and soon after we sighted a beautiful saddle-billed stork. This superb bird is a pied colour with a spectacular blood red beak.

At our furthest point upstream we stopped and Chris served us cold drinks (G&Ts if requested) and we then drifted back downstream for the next 20 minutes and watched the sunset. Being a quite overcast day resulted in the clouds having hues of pink and mauve against a scarlet sky. To enhance the scene as if that could be possible, there appeared the faintest crescent sliver of a new moon just visible in the pale blue sky above; magic!

On our return home in the last hint of twilight we sighted a herd of elephants drinking at the river’s edge only a 100m upstream from our camp. Let’s hope they don’t come in and trample us in our tent tonight!

Our evening was concluded with chats around the campfire and a delicious meal of bream. This concluded another wonderful African day.

DAY 9: Tuesday June 7th 2016 PIONEERS CAMP, ZAMBEZI RIVER ZIMBABWE

June 10, 2016

After a 0630 ‘light’ breakfast we all gathered up our camera gear and headed off with our guide Tendayi in the safari truck. For this exploration of the local wildlife we travelled further north-westwards along the road that generally follows the Zambezi.

In this early morning cool air (18°C) there were numerous guinea fowl now scurrying around in the grassy areas next to the road. These birds seek refuge from potential predators at night by perching high in trees and particularly favour trees on the small islands in the river.

During our morning’s safari trip we saw several species of antelope including kudu, waterbuck, impala and bushbuck. A highlight was to encounter a large herd of buffaloes that must have numbered about 200 although herds can sometimes exceed several thousand. These animals are formidable in appearance but are themselves subject to attack from lions and hyenas. When wading and drinking at the riverbank the young calves are open to attack by crocodiles.

Tendayi’s knowledge of animal behaviour and his spoor (animal footprints) identification in the dusty soil usually led to us finding animals that he’d predicted were in the region. We saw much evidence of elephants as their large droppings were easily recognised. The droppings become a source of nutrients for termites and these in turn are then attacked by colonies of voracious ants with an apparently high-powered sting.

Young bull zebras were seen close to the road and Tendayi explained how these bachelor herds split from the main herd during the winter months when no breeding takes place.

There is something very special and unexpected about encounters with giraffe. For our group it always seems to occur in quite densely forested areas where the giraffe’s body patterns blend in so well with the environment. And then, suddenly above the bushes one recognises a gorgeous and quizzical face looking down at you with an expression as if to ask ‘what are you doing here?’ We spent some valued time in close contact with several giraffes in a very remote section of the Zambezi National Park on this morning. Giraffes have an inordinately long blue tongue with it being as long as 40cm in large males. This allows giraffes to lick their ears if they so desire. Their main predator is the lion and their attack is towards the neck to bring the animal down. They keep clear of the giraffe’s rear so as to avoid the deadly kick a giraffe can deliver.

Birdlife was abundant along the river and we managed to get photographs of a number of species including hornbills, weaver birds, bee-eaters, eagles and wagtails.

The afternoon session was focussed entirely on a visit to the Victoria Falls. We left camp at around 1100 and Tendayi drove us on the rocky road 21km into the township of Victoria Falls where we arrived a little after mid-day. On the way in he stopped at a huge baobab tree thought to be about 1500 years old.

On arrival at the Victoria Falls Park we paid our park entry fee (U.S.$30 pp) and prepared ourselves for the soaking that everyone had warned us about. We covered our cameras by inserting then in snap-lock plastic bags with a hole cut for the front lens. Raincoats were donned and off we went on a 90 minute stroll along the falls pathway. The immensity of the falls and the noise of the vast cascade have to be experienced to be comprehended.

The rate of flow of water over the falls varies but at this time of the year it is around 4 000 cubic metres of water per second. However, compared to the Congo River’s average flow of 42 000 cubic metres of water per second this is a mere trickle!

The height of the falls is 107m and the width is just under 1.8 km. The depth the water at the top of the falls is about 3m average but by the time this huge volume of water cascades into the narrow gorge below it now averages 30m depth. The geology of the falls and the downstream multiple ‘s’ shaped gorge is phenomenal and makes one want to find out more about the seismic and alluvial forces that have created this fantastic spectacle.

Needless to say we did get a bit wet but the high moisture laden air meant that rainbows were sighted along the way and indeed at one point the humidity was so great that it actually rained. Some sections of the gorge below were so full of mist and spray that one couldn’t see a thing; it was a complete ‘white-out’.

To then add to the visual feast we did a 15 minute helicopter flight over the falls area. The chopper was a Bell Long Range HDX. The flight enabled us to get a more complete perspective of the multiple sections of the falls and the complexity of the gorge system downstream. The famous arched bridge linking Zimbabwe and Zambia and the hydroelectricity power station were clearly visible too. Although we didn’t see them we were told that people swim in a pool section of the Zambezi River just near the top of the waterfall; totally crazy.

From the air it was clear that there are a number of very high-class resorts in both Victoria Falls and across the border in Zambia.

On our way back to Pioneers Camp we encountered a herd (or shyness) of sable. These are Tendayi’s favourite antelope. The typical afternoon temperature was 32°C.

We then came very close to a herd of elephants and one young male put on a display of power for our benefit. We were stationary on the track and he moved towards us and started breaking off pieces of a tree near the truck and displaying his full ears while head tossing and looking at us with disdain. Despite their huge ears elephant do not have very good hearing but their sense of smell makes up for this. Although their skin is 2cm thick in places it is still sufficiently sensitive to notice birds (ox peckers) running along their backs looking for ticks and other parasites.

Near dusk we pulled of the track and parked next to the riverbank for some relaxing drinks and to experience our final Zambezi sunset.

Our night was completed once again with a delicious meal and glasses of wine around the campfire. 5 Star hotels can’t compete with this luxury!

DAY 10: Wednesday June 8th 2016 ZAMBEZI RIVER - GABORONE ZIMBABWE - BOTSWANAd

June 09, 2016

Today is to be a day of travel with our final destination being Gaborone where our Wells and Denny team will be joined by Fran and Jamie.

As we were in no great rush we had a leisurely start to the day with a cornflakes, yoghurt and coffee type breakfast followed by the packing our bags. We then had a brunch meal of eggs, sausages and bacon before setting off from the Pioneers Camp. The farewells between us and the Pioneer Team were quite emotional with lots of hugs, good spirits and warm handshakes. Tendayi and his team here have been outstanding and this special location, remote as it is, has proved to be a marvellous experience.

The drive back into Victoria Falls was punctuated by brief stops to once again photograph birds and other animals. A sighting of more than 12 giraffes was a special extra.

At the entrance to the Zambezi Park we said farewell to Tendayi and transferred to another vehicle for the drive to the Zimbabwe – Botswana border. This took about an hour and the passport checks, once again went very smoothly. We had to have our shoes disinfected but this only took a few minutes and we changed drivers again.

This driver delivered us to the Kasane airport where our flight to Gaborone left on time at 1600. The plane was an ATR 42/72 high wingedprop plane and the time to Gaborone was just under two hours.

We were met at Gaborone airport by Faith from Olive Leaves Guesthouse and she drove us into the city where on unloading our gear we had a joyous reunion with Fran and Jamie who’d arrive in Botswana much earlier in the day.

We unpacked and then walked around to a very pleasant nearby restaurant for a group dinner.

Rae, Malcolm, Jamie, Jak, Fran & Corinne

Gaborone is the capital city of Botswana and has a population of nearly 700 000 which is about one third of the whole country’s population of two million. Gaborone is a comparatively new city having been established in the early 1970s when diamonds were discovered in the region. Diamond mining together with the cutting and polishing of diamonds has now become a major industry and employer in the Gaborone region of Botswana.

As Fran and Jamie had just had the long flight from Australia and we’d had a fair amount of travel too it was an early night for all. Tomorrow see the start of a new adventure as we cross back over the border into South Africa to commence our Madikwe Safari trip.

DAY 11: Thursday June 9th 2016 GABORONE - MADIKWE BOTSWANA - SOUTH AFRICA

June 08, 2016

Our Olive Leaves Guesthouse provided us with a sumptuous breakfast and we were picked up by our African Geographic driver promptly at 1000. We left Gaborone and headed for the South African border some 85 km away.

The usual procedure followed at the border where you have documents checked by the country you’re leaving (Botswana) and then you walk across neutral territory to another check point that being for the country you are about to enter (South Africa).

Our driver, another Tendayi was an authority on southern African history and for the two hour’s journey he practically non-stop gave us a highly informative lesson on the post colonial history of Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.

The resort we are staying at within the Madikwe Nature Park is called The Leopard Rock Lodge and it is a magnificent establishment. The rooms are modern and spacious with a décor reflecting a safari concept with open air showers and jungle surroundings.

Our hosts Nadia and Francois were so friendly and welcoming in their introductory chat about how the resort functions. We settled in to our accommodation and then enjoyed a light luncheon prepared for us on the terrace next to the garden area.

At 1500 we joined Francois for our first safari drive through part of the Madikwe Park. Animals seen included giraffe, elephant, buffalo and wildebeest.

One large male elephant was in the ‘musth’ phase where his testosterone levels are up to three times normal and the elephant is unpredictably dangerous. This one apparently charged after one of the other vehicles in the park. Fortunately they left quickly without incident. The danger is that an elephant can upturn even a large 4WD vehicle with consummate ease.

After a refreshments stop just before sunset we then drove to an area where two lions had been sighted earlier. In semi-darkness we watched and waited for these sedentary ‘kings of the jungle’ to move but they refused to budge even with us being only 10m away. They seemed oblivious to our presence but they did occasionally lift their weary heads just to give a wide open moth yawn which gave us a view of their impressive teeth.

Eventually in near darkness they moved slowly to a new location and once again sat down and rested. We managed lots of photos but the low light meant that high ISO levels were the only option for us.

On our way home we encountered three white rhinoceroses and even in the darkness with Francois’ spotlight we managed to get some reasonable photos.

Back at Leopard Rock Lodge we had pre-dinner drinks and then a scrumptious meal in this idyllic setting.

DAY 12: Friday June 10th 2016 MADIKWE GAME PARK SOUTH AFRICA

June 07, 2016

We started with coffee at 0600 and were on the road soon after. The air temperature must have been under 10 degrees this morning so down jackets, thermals, beanies and gloves were popular dress items.

Our first encounter was with a herd (or implausibility) of blue wildebeest, also called gnu. The young of these antelopes are all born within three weeks of each other but are not born at the same time each year. It seems that the females’ oestrus cycle is affected by changes in the lunar cycle.

The next sighting was of a herd (or bounce) of springboks. This was the first time we’d seen these beautiful animals on this trip. They look somewhat like impalas except for their ghostly white faces and white underbelly region. These animals can make spectacular springing leaps (called spronking) of up to two metres vertically. The numbers of springboks is declining dramatically but in the past there have been recorded migrations of springboks involving millions of animals in columns of up to 24 kilometres wide which took days to pass.

There were very large herds of impala seen in several parts of the park. It was interesting to see the primary male keeping the herd of females and young within given bounds that determine his territorial limits.

There were sightings of distant zebras and giraffes but the majority of the morning’s time was spent on bird photography.

Francois has an incredible natural history knowledge and this includes the bird life. The birds identified included some of the following: hoary bustard, gabal goshawk, red-breasted shrike (gorgeous!), hoopoe, crowned lapwing, flycatcher, southern masked and buffalo weavers, red and yellow hornbills, little bee-eater, pied dabbler, bush canaries, scimitarbill, iridescent starling, pink dove, darter, fork-tailed drongo bird, lilac roller and fish-eagle. In some cases good photos of these birds were achieved but often they were tricky to get due to the birds being partially obstructed by bushes and twigs.

During a brief coffee break Francois enticed some yellow hornbills to come and accept fruit from his hand. This provided very good photo opportunities.

Before heading back for brunch we spent some time observing a sounder of warthogs. These pig-related animals have long tusks and warty skin covered with shaggy bristles making them look less than pretty! When fleeing from danger they erect their tales vertically like radio aerials to warn others in the sounder to follow.

The afternoon’s safari session commenced at 1500 and took us northeast principally in search of rhinoceroses.

At the nearby dam we met up with four giraffes and the same large male elephant that we’d met yesterday and who is in ‘musth’ at present. The giraffes stayed close to us and then moved to the water’s edge to drink. Unfortunately whilst drinking they were partially hidden by trees so clear photos of their thirst quenching went missing.

Meanwhile the bull elephant had found a muddy hollow near the dam and was now lying and rolling in the mud and at the same time throwing slush and water over his body presumably to cool itself and to eliminate skin parasites.

Another younger bull elephant arrived at the dam and we spent a good deal of time photographing its antics of drinking and spraying water over its body.

A new bird sighting occurred soon after when we encountered a red crested koorhan or kamikaze bird. The hen and her half grown chick crossed the road in front of us very tentatively so we had some time to observe this interesting bird. They are called kamikaze birds because of their peculiar flight paths that involve sudden uncontrolled dropping as if dive-bombing.

We saw a large male kudu and then we can upon a very large male white rhinoceros. The name has nothing to do with their colour but in fact it is due to a misinterpretation of the term ‘wide’ or square lip that identifies it from the black rhino.

This was a very senior bull rhino probably weighing close to 2.3 tonnes. These are the second largest land animals on earth and possibly the largest pure grazers to have ever roamed the planet. The males are territorial and vigorously defend their territory against intruders. The number of white rhinos has been drastically affected by the poaching trade whereby the animals are killed for the horn keratin which is prized particularly in Chinese medicine. The number of white rhinoceroses in South Africa is now estimated to exceed 6000 thanks to a breeding program in the Umfolozi Game Reserve.

Even so, it is estimated that there are still two or three rhinos killed each day in South Africa purely for their horns. The street value of the horn is in excess of U.S.$75 000 per kilogram.

We did not encounter any of the so-called black rhinoceros this afternoon. These somewhat smaller rhinos have hooked lip as opposed to the square lip of the white rhino.

Amongst the many birds sighted the greatest interest was in getting clear views of the red-breasted shrike. There were four or five pairs of this spectacular bird seen and despite its propensity to flee at the slightest provocation, we did get some reasonable photos. Another interesting bird we saw was the shaft tail paradise whydah. The male bird in breeding plumage has inordinately long tail feathers compared to its body length. These feathers disappear after the mating period.

At dusk, as has previously been the case, we parked for twenty minutes or so and had drinks and nibbles and watched the glorious colours of the sunset.

We then ventured in semi darkness through an area adjacent to the local air-strip and encountered next to the runway a small aircraft plus a number of elephants to which Fran commented that they must be ‘jumbos’! A little later near the runway we spied in the beam of our spot-light a scrub hare to which Jak’s rejoinder was that the animal was a ‘hareoplane’.

On returning to our Leopard Rock Lodge we were met at the front door by staff member Gladys and each given a steamy hot towel to freshen up with before heading for dinner.

This has been another wonderful day in this game park and the guidance and leadership of Francois has been quite exceptional making the whole experience so beneficial and enjoyable.

DAY 13: Saturday June 11th 2016 MADIKWE GAME RESERVE SOUTH AFRICA

June 06, 2016

We’re into a routine now and once again at dawn we were on our way to hopefully find lions and cheetahs amongst other things.

There is frequent two-way radio contact going on within the safari truck drivers and with this network of operators it means that sightings are communicated quickly within the group.

Francois received a radio message saying two lions had been sighted quite close to one of the other lodges although by now the lions were on the move. Francois’ expert knowledge enabled him to predict the lions’ movement and we drove off quite quickly along narrow tracks hoping for a potential encounter. Some luck but mostly skilled judgement brought results. There on the track just ahead of us were the two lions strolling happily in the cool pre-dawn light. One of the lions, thought to be about two or three years old was seen marking out territory with urine spray. They are obviously used to seeing vehicles and disregard them but we were warned that if anyone was silly enough to alight from the truck in order to get a better photo it would probably be the last thing they’d ever do!

We followed the lions for several minutes and managed to get some photographs but mostly they were from behind although occasionally they would turn to see if we were still following. Eventually they left the track and moved into dense undergrowth.

We then moved to a new position endeavouring to meet them again on the assumption that they were taking a shortcut to the nearby dam. This drew a blank unfortunately although we subsequently came across herds of elephants and kudu.

Amongst the birds we saw this morning was an emerald wood hoopoe. It has iridescent green wing feathers, long tail feathers, a white spot on its wing and a long red beak; a very attractive bird indeed!

We also saw a solitary steenbok antelope. These diurnal small animals are widely distributed but not commonly seen due to their shyness. They have one unusual behavioural characteristic in as much as they clear a patch with their front hooves before urinating or defecating. They then cover it carefully by scraping sand over the spot. These scrapings and odour serve as territorial markings.

Our next stop was at another dam-site where there were lots of yellow-throated sand grouse. An Egyptian goose and two goslings were seen nearby.

Francois was determined to locate two cheetahs that had been seen recently in the area so we drove for many kilometres in amongst prickly acacias looking determinedly but without success. The Madikwe Game Reserve has an area of around 75 000 hectares and to locate just two cheetahs needs more than an ounce of luck as these big cats move large distances each day.

Although it was from afar we did see two giant eagle-owls but the position of the sun and the distance precluded getting any really good photographs. We did get good shots of the southern white-crowned shrike, pied babbler, lilac and purple roller birds and the shaft-tailed paradise whydah bird.

In the later afternoon safari session Francois decided to head southwards towards an area where there had been a recent sighting of a lion pride. We headed in this direction and there were the usual sightings of giraffe, zebras, kudus, baboons and impalas. A comment heard from Jamie as we looked ahead along the road was that there was a ‘zebra crossing!’ Amongst things of interest that we saw was a purple roller bird, a chanting goshawk and a Swainsons frankolin.

We also photographed long tailed whydah in company of quelea which are sparrow like birds with a prominent red beak. Francois informed us that these birds can exist in colonies of several millions and when seen flying together form a cloud like area stretching across the sky from horizon to horizon.

As the afternoon was heading towards twilight it seemed that we were not going to have anything special occurring until we came upon a pride of four lions feasting upon the carcass of an adult wildebeest.

There were two female and two male lions gnawing upon the final bones of this poor deceased antelope.

We watched with fascination as these magnificent predators ripped the carcass to shreds and chewed on the remaining skeletal bones.

Meanwhile a hyena had ventured into the periphery but was very wary of coming too close.

Next thing we noticed a black-backed jackal moving in with its intent to grab any morsels that might become available when the lions ceased their meal.

A large lioness on leaving the pride group had wandered into the area where the hyena was located. Suddenly without notice she sprinted towards the wary hyena and even with his bounty of stolen wildebeest flesh still in his mouth he outpaced the big cat. Resolutely she gave up the chase and rested quite near our truck. Before long the other lions had decided they’d had their fill of wildebeest and started moving away towards a dried up dam in seek of water. There being none, these beautiful beasts lay down and caressed each other with licking and head rubbing.

This one hour episode provided us with the safari experience that African visitors dream of and we were supremely lucky to observe the pride feeding upon a kill, the interplay between lions, hyenas and jackals and finally the lioness’ pursuit and attempted kill of a hyena.

On our return to the Lodge, Francois passed an area close to the Reserve’s main gate where there were two of the very rare African wild dogs sometimes called African pained wolves. These two dogs were in a large enclosure being readied for translocation to another part of South Africa.

African wild dogs are a highly endangered species and there is fear of them facing extinction.

Wild dogs hunt in packs and have the astonishing capacity to run and maintain a speed of 60 km/h for up to five kilometres.

This day was one of attainments whereby we had seen many things we’d hoped to see and had experienced a true safari encounter.

Rae, Fran, Jamie, Malcolm, Corinne & Jak at dinner, Leopard Rock Lodge

DAY 14: Sunday June 12th 2016 MADIKWE GAME RESERVE SOUTH AFRICA

June 05, 2016

For the first time since we arrived in Africa we arose to find cloudy and quite windy conditions and the forecast was for this to continue although we’re informed that there’s little prospect of rain.

In darkness we set out on our early morning safari trip and it became apparent very early that these weather conditions are not conducive to much animal activity. At the big dam site we saw nothing of note and to keep warm the ubiquitous impalas were seen to be huddling in groups gaining protection from the scrubby undergrowth.

There were wildebeest out and about but giraffes and elephants were only seen in the distance.

While winding our way along a flat dusty pathway among the prickly acacias we had a surprise encounter was a female ostrich. She came quite close to take a look at us and one gained the impression that she was quite inquisitive although grazing was her main preoccupation.

Francois drove us further northeast towards the Marico River which in part serves as a boundary to the Madikwe Game Reserve. Lying on the riverbank was a lion sound asleep with the remnants of an animal carcass nearby. There were three other members of the pride close by partially hidden in the dense forest area.

We watched this sleeping beauty for ten minutes and during this time he barely moved his head and from the swelled belly one could imagine that he had recently partaken of a huge meal.

As we were about to leave we frightened a lone black-backed jackal that was skirting the periphery hoping for some food scraps left over from the lions’ feast. These attractive animals (Canis mesomelas) have an interesting family life whereby they mate for life and jointly share the roles of raising their young. They live in a den where food is shared equally and the pups are fed by regurgitation. They are courageous animals and have been known to kill and remove a newborn lion cub while the mother was recovering from giving birth!

The offspring usually stay with their parents and assist in the raising of the next litter by which time they are mature and seek independence. One of their key roles as assistants is to keep guard at the den and fend off predators by nipping at their haunches. Their family structure has led to breeding success and consequently their numbers have increased in recent times.

After this unexpected lion viewing session we spent time at a ford on the Marico River and photographed namaqua doves, pied lapwings, wagtails and kingfishers.

We had a coffee stop by the riverbank and with the cold conditions we laced our coffees with Amarula liqueur; which proved to be a very good choice.

Amarula for morning coffee by the Marico River

In the afternoon we travelled south eastwards in cool, windy and cloud covered conditions. As Francois has said earlier, this weather is not likely to bring about much activity amongst the larger animals or even the birds and he was quite correct.

For the first hour we saw very little activity and apart from a few impalas and a herd of buffaloes things were very quiet.

Then, out of the blue came a message on the radio that a leopard had been seen nearby. Francois accelerated and raced along the dusty track to where the leopard had been seen. Alas, we were too late and this big cat had moved on. (Joke: this proved to be an unusual leopard as it wasn’t spotted!!)

With a sense of disappointment we moved on to another area where it was reported that two cheetahs had been sighted earlier in the day. Francois left us in the 4WD and went off searching for spoor (footprint) information for about 20 minutes. He returned to our vehicle with glad tidings; he had found the two cheetahs just a few hundred metres away.

We then spent the next 45 minutes observing these graceful big cats that were totally involved in eating a young kudu. Our presence in the truck just 10m away made no difference to them and they kept eating as if we were not even there.

These two cheetahs are brothers and there are presently only three cheetahs in the reserve.

These animals are famous for their speed being the fastest land animal on the planet. They can reach a speed of 118km/h when fully extended. Having non-retractable claws enables rapid acceleration and quick stopping somewhat like an athlete’s running spikes. They can stop from 30km/h in a single stride.

There is a combination of anatomical peculiarities that enable a cheetah to achieve such extraordinary feats. Their hind legs are brought forward to completely straddle their forelegs when running and their spines are flexible enabling then to withstand the incredible stresses of their incredibly fast movement. They have a disproportionately large heart and have heartbeats ranging from 16 at rest to 156 beats per minute when hunting. This is needed to supply the necessary oxygen for this dramatic pace when in pursuit of prey.

Sadly cheetahs are the most endangered of the big cats and have suffered dramatically by loss of habitat and their vulnerability to disease. Their numbers are still thought to be on the decline despite efforts to conserve these beautiful cats.

On the way back to Leopard Rock Lodge we saw a journey of 12 giraffes quite near the roadside and later, nearer home, using the spotlight we saw a large herd of elephants.

The day had two key sightings for us; namely an ostrich and the two cheetahs. We have been so fortunate!

DAY 15: Monday June 13th 2016 MADIKWE GAME RESERVE SOUTH AFRICA

June 04, 2016

Overnight we had a very impressive thunderstorm and in the pre-dawn hours it rained heavily. We gathered for planning our day at 0615 and decided to abandon any thoughts of venturing out until the weather improved.

Nadia our hostess said that in her 12 years in Madikwe this was the first time that she’d experienced any rain at all in June. The dry season from April through to November is very pronounced and this aberration of rain in June was cause for discussions about climate change and weather pattern variations that seem to be more and more common these days.

With time to ourselves it meant that we were able to catch up on tasks such as sorting and labelling photos and updating of our travel blog.

After a discussion at lunch-time we decided that there may be a chance to venture out on a safari at around 1400 if the rain abated which it did.

The afternoon’s safari (Swahili for ‘journey’) started with mixed thoughts as to the likelihood of us seeing anything worthwhile or maybe even the return of rain. However as luck would have it we had a very entertaining and fruitful three hours in the reserve.

Because of this unexpected grey overcast weather the solar powered gate refused to open to let us out so we had to use an alternative exit. Despite this impedance we were soon heading off along the track that had previously been dry and dusty and was now wet and muddy.

Although we weren’t expecting much action it didn’t take long to change our thoughts. On the side of the track near the dam was a large herd of elephants and two young males were heavily involved in a tussle of strength. They pushed one another backwards and forwards with shows of power and determination. It was a supposedly friendly tussle but nonetheless it conveyed the immense strength these animals possess. Amongst the large number of elephants in this herd was one particularly tiny baby thought to be only a month or two old. It was so young that it could walk underneath its mother without touching her underbelly. He practically had to stand on his tiptoes to reach up to suckle from his mother. The baby elephant kept close to the adults for protection and to see this miniature creature beside his huge relatives was both fascinating and yet a little comical.

These wet conditions normally mean bird life will be kept quiet but during this early travel we had close encounters with a white browed sparrow weaver, purple and lilac roller birds and a goshawk. To counteract these cold conditions many of the birds had their feathers fluffed out for extra protection.

We then encountered some ground squirrels. These cute animals live in complex interconnected warrens and pop their heads out to check for safe conditions.

They will share their burrows with suricates (meerkats) and even some species of mongoose. In searing hot conditions (not today) they fluff up their tail and use it as a sunshade.

After spending some time in close proximity to a herd of wildebeest (Fran: a ‘gnoodle’ of gnus) we sighted a couple of ground squirrels near the track. We watched them ducking in and out of their burrows for a few minutes when along came a steenbok. These antelopes are normally so shy that it is hard to get reasonable photographs of them but this one was quite cooperative and we had a minute or two for us to get shots.

Along the track a little were two jackals sound asleep and they didn’t stir even as we approached. They were each asleep on a pile of fresh elephant dung which must have provided warmth for them in these chilly conditions. Occasionally they would lift their heads and view us with disdain and then return to their slumbers.

On our return home we saw kudu and a journey of giraffes including one half-sized baby. The young giraffe behaved in a playful manner running to and fro between the adults present but was seemingly reprimanded for such behaviour by her mother who was intent on the young one staying close to her.

We also saw long tailed shrike and double-banded grouse near to Leopard Rock Lodge.

In summary, what could have been a non-event day turned out in the afternoon to be a rewarding experience whereby we observed some interesting animal behaviour and simultaneously achieved some pleasing photographic records.

DAY 16: Tuesday June 14th 2016 MADIKWE GAME RESERVE SOUTH AFRICA

June 03, 2016

The unexpected rain has ceased and in the morning we awoke to cold and cloudy conditions with a prognosis of warmer weather later in the day: hopefully!

The plan was to head west to an area about 10km from Leopards Rock to search for the famous and highly endangered African wild dog or painted wolf (Lycaon pictus). This meant travelling on wet and boggy tracks and in some places the 4WD was in low range with the dif-lock in operation. We eventually reached a point where Francois realised that to access the spot where the wild dogs were last seen was not going to be possible as the tracks to that section were impassable. We diverted from the westerly track just near the Inselberg Mountains which are rich deposits of iron ore.

The area we reached was typical of the acacia savannah that covers much of this region of South Africa. The vegetation is made up of exceedingly thorny, low scrubby acacia interspersed with taller trees. This ground cover provides good protection for animals from predators and adverse weather particularly in these cold conditions.

Despite the less than favourable conditions we did see several interesting bird species including an emerald wood hoopoe, lanner falcons, an African shell duck, African quail finches as well as black-throated canaries.

There was the usual abundance of grey-headed sparrows, guineafowl and doves including the less common namaqua dove.

We spent quite some time in close company of a journey of giraffes that included one half grown calf. When the calves are born the mother is standing upright and the calf has to tumble to the ground in order to ‘jump-start’ circulation and breathing. Without this tumble, the new-born is unlikely to survive!

We then encountered a procession of Burchell’s zebras moving along a track directly in front of the truck. This gave us a good opportunity to observe some of the differences between stallions and mares. The stallions are taller with thicker necks and narrower behinds. The distinctive markings on the upper front legs of the mare are visually imprinted in the baby foal’s brain soon after birth. This is so that the foal recognises its mother immediately within the herd as other zebras may kick and severely injure the foal if it attempts to drink from another mare.

A large herd of buffaloes crossed the track in front of us but were not relaxed enough to wait around so we really only had a distant glimpse of these big beasts. The oldest bulls have horns that are so massive and extensive across the whole of the forehead that they look as if they’re wearing a helmet.

The various species of acacia bushes and trees that are commonly foraged upon by elephants and giraffes are able to release unpleasant tasting tannins when attacked. They also release volatile compounds that drift in the breeze to warn nearby bushes of potential predation. The giraffes have learnt to forage by continually moving upwind to overcome the plants’ self-protection strategy.

The word ‘acacia’ is derived from the Latin for ‘thorn’ suggesting that Australian acacias are botanically not acacias at all!?

On returning to the Lodge for breakfast we managed to get photographs of both the male and female mocking cliff chat. These are beautiful black birds with strikingly bright orange breast feathers particularly in the male.

Just outside our accommodation unit we photographed a tree squirrel. These very common animals are so rapid in their near constant movement that one seldom gets enough time to take a photo.

On the big rocks behind the kitchen area it is possible to catch a fleeting glimpse of rock dassies. These small animals have a guinea pig-like appearance but surprisingly they are evolutionarily more closely linked to the elephant! Their incisors grow continually and become small tusks which are used for fighting. They have reputation for being grumpy possibly due to their tendency to grunt, scream and squeal when communicating.

Luckily for us the weather continued to improve and for our afternoon safari session we left Leopard Lodge in sunny and pleasantly mild conditions.

The direction we headed took us past the big dam and then we headed towards the airstrip and along the way we saw lots of bird life some species being first time sightings. The birds of note included lilac rollers, the incredibly shy red breasted shrikes, francolins, melba and fire finches, babblers and pied barbets. The melba finches were bathing in a puddle on the side of the road an allowed us to approach them without showing apparent fear.

We also encountered the same elephant and tiny calf that we’d seen yesterday. The baby elephant was practising using its trunk and seemed to be having trouble coordinating the action between having something in its trunk and moving it towards its mouth. An elephant’s trunk is an incredibly versatile organ involving over 100 000 muscles. It ends in two finger-like projections that give it the level of dexterity such that it could pick up an article as small as a pin. When drinking, an adult elephant can draw in nine litres of water which it then squirts into its mouth. The baby elephant drinks by directly grasping the mother’s nipple with its mouth. The mammary glands are between the mother’s front legs and the baby elephant has to get his trunk out of the way so as to be able to access the nipple. Elephants overcome the potential problem of overheating by using the huge surface area of their ears. The ears contain an intricate system of blood capillaries that bring blood close to the surface where it is cooled when they flap their ears.

After sunset we heard the roars of two lions that were nearby. Francois drove off the track into the bush endeavouring to find the pair that had been sighted yesterday. Jamie was the first to see them and we then approached them carefully in the 4WD and just observed them for the next half hour or so.

The lions’ deep roars are incredibly resonant and fantastically loud. The roars entail some very low frequencies that even made our truck vibrate. The two lions are thought to be brothers and they lay in the undergrowth about 50m apart and roared at each other as their mode of communicating their dominance to the surrounding world. At night fell they moved off and we followed them for some time until they entered undergrowth that was too dense for us to drive through.

With the spotlight on our way home we found two hyenas that were quite relaxed with our close proximity so we managed to keep contact with them for several minutes before they too moved on.

Back at the Lodge we had a barbecue prepared meal sitting around a large circular table with the one metre inner central circle being a hot wood fire.

This was a delightful way of ending other fascinating day in the savannahs of South Africa.

DAY 17: Wednesday June 15th 2016 MADIKWE GAME RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA

June 02, 2016

This was to be a day of two distinct halves with the morning session at Leopard Rock Lodge and then the afternoon and evening at Jaci's Lodges.

The pre-dawn weather was mild and slightly foggy with a totally cloud-free sky. As this was to be our final safari trip with Francois there was a sense of regret as we’d enjoyed our safari and social times with Francois so much.

Against a foggy horizon and crimson rising sun we attempted to get photos with the silhouette of a giraffe in the mid-foreground. Needless to say there were mixed results in this pursuit.

We did manage to get some reasonable shots of the long tailed shrike but the red-breasted shrike proved to be less than cooperative. These beautiful birds are fearfully shy and as soon as a camera is raised they seek cover by heading for the middle of a thorn bush.

Meanwhile news via the two-way radio had reached Francois that a lion was nearby and we quickly moved to the designated spot.

The lion was a well-known seven year old male and when we arrived he was lying in the sun in an open piece of ground next to dense ground cover. He seemed unperturbed by our presence or the presence of another group of photographers.

This male is presently the sire of cubs in a pride where he has been ‘king’ for several years but his future is now questionable. The two young males we saw last night are quite likely to displace him and one will take his place. This contesting for leadership amongst lions is an ongoing phenomenon and often results in fighting to the death or in some cases a lion conceding defeat. Often the defeated ‘senior’ lions then co-exist in a bachelor relationship.

We sat quietly in the truck 10m from the lion for half an hour during which time he slept, yawned, rolled over, stretched and occasionally sat upright as if listening for the feared arrival of the two young suitors.

At a nearby dam we managed to photograph a squacco heron which is quite similar to the green-backed heron we’d seen in Chobe.

After morning coffee we started heading home but soon came to an abrupt stop when Jamie called out ‘mongoose’.

Nearby in a burrow was a family of dwarf mongooses. These black furry animals hide in their warren and then suddenly appear at the burrow’s entrance just for a quick look. We waited and eventually three were observing us with certain trepidation. Any movement from us and they would dive back underground only to reappear a minute or two later. Apparently they frequently feed cooperatively with hornbills. The mongooses uncover termites and other insects and share these with the hornbills and the hornbills in return warn the mongooses of imminent danger.

Near to Leopard Rock we sighted a bounce of springboks. These were readying themselves for a migratory move we were informed.

Back at camp we breakfasted and packed our bags ready for leaving at 1100. There were warm but reticent farewells to the lovely staff at Leopard Lodge and we then packed our bags into the truck and Francois drove us to our rendezvous point at the Madikwe air-strip.

We were so sad to say goodbye to Francois; as our guide for the last six days he has been more than we could have ever expected. He has been absolutely marvellous.

We transferred our bags into the Jacis Lodges truck and our new guide Warwick drove us to our accommodation for the last night in Africa.

On our way to Jacis Lodges we saw two rhinoceroses, a mother and a half sized calf. They stayed quite close to the track but the number of acacias bushes between them and us precluded any really worthwhile photographs.

On arrival at Jacis Lodges we settled in to our unit and then went for a short walk to check out the famous ‘hide’ that we’d heard about from Guts at Pangolin in Kasane.

Right next to Jacis Lodges is a small circular lake of about 80m diameter. On one edge of the pond set in amongst trees is a 3m high hide set up specifically for naturalists to observe the aquatic activity of birds and larger animals on and near the water.

In addition they have built an underwater tunnel through which we walked to a vantage point in the middle of the lake where there is a concrete bunker hide with openings only just above the water level. This enables observers and especially photographers to get a surface level view of the wildlife on the water and at the lake’s perimeter.

We spent a good deal of time watching an elephant drinking from a small stream that flowed into the lake. When the elephant was drawing in water to drink, the flow rate in the stream ceased!

We also observed kingfishers diving into the waters to capture small fish while doves on the muddy bank were busy with eating the wet clay that assists them with digestion and the elimination of toxins from the seeds they eat.

The high hide on the lake’s edge is set up with a bunk bed for enthusiasts to stay the night to observe the nocturnal activity that abounds. We were told of a recent late night incident where a leopard was observed capturing and killing an unlucky impala that had ventured to the water’s edge to drink.

In the afternoon Warwick took us on our safari drive and we followed the eastern boundary of the reserve for much of the time.

Wildlife was fairly sparse but we did see wildebeest, giraffes, impalas and zebras. The birdlife was a little more encouraging with sightings of Swainson’s spur francolin, red-breasted shrikes and blue waxbills being of special note.

In this part of the savannah one frequently sees trees, especially shepherds trees growing directly out of a termites' nest. Many of these trees are centuries old. Which came first? The answer is that the termites nest is possibly over a thousands years old and the tree seed germinated in the rich nutrient soil produced by termite activity!

Down by the boundary river we sighted a water monitor lizard and hints of both hippo and crocodile activity despite neither being seen.

We were pleased to get photographs of crowned lapwings, crested barbets and two different species of bee-eaters.

On our return to Jacis Lodges we saw a brown hyena but it was so dark by now and the animal so shy that it disappeared before any of us could get a shot. Too bad!

The evening meal at Jacis Lodges was haute cuisine and delicious.

We then decided an early night was essential as tomorrow is going to be a very long day culminating with a 11.5 hour flight back to Sydney and then another few hours before we get home to Hobart.

DAYS 18 & 19: Thursday/Friday June 16th / 17th 2016 MADIKWE GAME RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA - AUSTRALIA

June 01, 2016

This morning’s safari drive with Warwick proved to be a very quiet session with there being few big animals to see and those we did see such as rhinoceroses and elephants were not close to the track.

We did see two hippopotamuses in the Marico River but they too were quite a distance away and pretty much submerged apart from nostrils, eyes and rumps.

Even the usual diversity of bird life was limited this morning although there were many of the usual ‘go-away’ birds and hornbills. We did manage to get some reasonably close-up shots of a pair of chanting goshawks and pied babblers.

We returned to Jacis Lodges and had a quick breakfast before showering and finalising our packing.

Eric from African Geographic was promptly there to pick us all up and drive us the four hour trip to Johannesburg’s O M Tambo Airport. As we left the Madikwe Game Reserve we were farewelled at the southern gate by three giraffes who looked quizzically at us as they like to do.

The drive from Madikwe to Johannesburg was initially on a rocky and dusty road through scattered small villages where the housing was usually mud brick or corrugated iron shanties. There appears to be high unemployment in this region as there were many people just sitting in doorways or along the side of the road.

At around the half way mark to Johannesburg the savannah vegetation changed and the soil improved so irrigated crops replaced the stunted dry acacia terrain.

Next we entered the platinum belt. The geology of this part of Africa comprises igneous rocks that are amongst the oldest on the planet. Seismic and volcanic activity have caused two significant effects. Firstly, the lava deposition millions of years ago has resulted in the tilting of the tectonic plate causing sloping mountains that terminate in an abrupt western fault-line. Secondly, the occurrence and comparative abundance of noble metals, especially platinum but gold, silver, rhodium and palladium are also present. The richest platinum deposits on Earth are here and are a major source of income for South Africa. Not surprisingly this area is subject to extensive mining and there are kilometres upon kilometres of high rock piles on either side of the road.

Approaching Johannesburg the highway skirts the capital city of Pretoria and here poverty is replaced by apparent wealth as opulent housing, flash cars and expensive infrastructure abound.

After checking into the airport we had farewell drinks with Fran and Jamie who leave us and head on their way to Zambia tonight as we head back to Australia.

Our flight back to Sydney was on a Boeing 747-400 that was absolutely packed with passengers but nonetheless it was a comfortable flight with us all getting some semi-sleep. As we gained eight hours on top of the long flight time of nearly 12 hours by the time we arrived in Sydney it was late on Friday afternoon.

A three-hour wait followed by an extra hour’s delay before boarding our Sydney – Hobart flight was a bit of a pain to endure but it did give us time to have a glass of wine and to catch up on family news, our blog and photo culling.

On landing at Hobart airport at 22:45 Friday evening we were met by Martyn who very kindly volunteered to pick all four of us up despite the late hour of arrival.

By 23:30 we were home to find everything in order which was a relief particularly when we’d heard while in Botswana of flooding and terrible weather in Tasmania. In contrast we’d had only half a day rain affected the whole time we were away with most days warm and sunny although cool nights.

This brings to an end our African safari experience. We are so very grateful to Malcolm for his fantastic efforts in making this whole trip such a fabulous experience.

Although we haven’t yet mentioned it to Jamie and Fran, it seems that after discussions with Rae and Malcolm, another safari trip to similar African locations may well be on the planning agenda for October 2018.

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