New Arrivals

So a few weeks ago Barbs and I headed out of camp for some leave days. We were heading back to South Africa for a three week break and looking forward to catching up with family and friends as the last time we went home was in April last year for our wedding. Just two days before we were scheduled to fly out of camp, Barbs came up early to camp as we had some guests departing and being the bush girl that she is discovered something amazing!

Arriving at our office and lounge area Barbs heard something that sounded something like lion cubs calling and if you have heard small lion cubs call before you cannot mistake it as they do it all the time. Barbs then moved to our swimming pool a few meters on and she could still hear it and this time a lot closer, so she decided to walk a little further towards tent number 1-6, and the calls could still be heard, so she thought it would probably be a good idea to not go further as she did not know exactly where it was coming from and to wait until I arrived.

Well on arriving at camp I was met by a very exited Barbs telling me that she is sure that there is small lion cubs close to camp, well my typical male response was “Sure What Ever” what would small lion cubs do close to camp?, well I was almost beaten and told that “I’m not stupid, I know what I heard” quickly trying to safe my bacon I assured her that when we take the guests to the airstrip we will go and investigate the matter, and drive in the direction that she heard the calls from.

Proud Moms with their new young.

We drove out of camp on our way to the airstrip and not even 300m out we already spotted the first Lion, a big male lying down under a small bush with his legs in the air sleeping, and as we got closer we started seeing lions everywhere and a quick ID confirmed that they are the Wogakuria pride consisting of two large males and nine equally large lionesses. On one small rock koppie was three of these females and sure enough there huddled together and moaning and groaning and fighting for nipples were in total eight brand new little cubs and they were still very small only a week or two old. Wow what a find it was, and all credit to Barbs and we all wanted to think that it was as if they actually brought the new cubs close to camp to came and show them of to us.We spend about 30min with them trying to get photos of the new arrivals but it was hard, as they were so small and on top of one another and many tree branches in the way. We wish we could have stayed longer but we had to get the guests to their plane, bummer!!. We also thought, damn we are going away for 3 weeks, and would like to stay to follow the progress of these new dudes as this was the most cubs I have ever seen together and all the same age, but plans were already made and plane tickets bought.

Time to take a break from that nipple.

When watching new lion cubs the thought “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” comes to mind as within a lion society the mortality rate for new cubs are high and not all of them always survive. The first two years of a lions life is crucial if they want to survive to become adults, cubs drink milk for only about six months and already start tasting and eating a bit of meat at three months, and although small cubs have a lot of enemies, the number one killer of small cubs is starvation as at a kill they are often left with only scraps.

One of the Wogakuria lionesses close to camp.

Barbs and I are now back from our leave 4 weeks later, and the first thing we wanted to know was if anybody has seen the cubs again, but nobody did, which is also not uncommon as lionesses with small cubs keep a low profile and the cubs stay hidden for most parts. Well I am happy to report that some of our guests and their guides who left a few days ago spotted them again not far from camp, in wonderful afternoon sun on top of a termite mound, and yes all eight bundles of small fur is still there and looking good, the whole family together, phew!! What great news and sighting. We will be following the progress of these small cubs closely and if you want to find out and hear more of them, then watch this space!!

O and PS, Don’t underestimate your wife!! 

Thank You Sayari Staff!!

Yesterday we had a great morning and allot of fun as Barbs and I and the entire camp staff went on an early morning game drive. Actually the fun already started two nights ago when we had our annual Christmas/New Year's staff party. The staff party we normally have after Christmas and New Year as soon as we have a day with no guests, and a lot of thought is put into the day. On the day of the party we had guests checking out in the morning the last for the next five days, and as soon as they left for the airstrip the preparations began, we already had a vehicle in Mugumu (our nearest town from camp almost 3 hours drive) searching for a goat that would be put on the BBQ (braai) that night. Finding a goat to buy in Mugumu proofed challenging as the town is not called Mugumu for nothing (means difficult in Swahili) but after a long search the guys managed to find somebody willing to sell us a respectable goat and the guys were on their way back feeling very chuffed.

The afternoon before the party was spend in the pool and the staff enjoyed the swimming even though a storm was brewing nearby, Nathoo one of our guides was even busy teaching some of our staff how to swim, luckily our pool is quite shallow and if you can't swim you can just stand up. That night the dining room was set up with tables and chairs, Christmas decorations and new year decorations, candles and glass ware basically just as we did for guests. There was a buffet second to none, barbecued goat, beef and chicken, potatoes, salads, rice, sauces, fruit slices and chocolate cake for desert and off course lots of sodas and beer. After dinner we danced the night away, and let me just say that as the night got later, the dance moves became better, Isaak one of our waiters got an instant name change from Isaak to Robot.

Our table setting for the night

It was decided that the next morning departing at seven we would all go on a game drive together, thirty staff and three game drive vehicles, it just shows how they love the bush and animals that after a heavy party the night before they want to go out on an early morning game drive. The morning was beautiful and we all decided to head to a part of the park that is directly North from us across the Mara river called the Lemai Wedge, the Lemai wedge is a beautiful area dominated by open plains and scattered Balanites trees and forms the most Northern corner of the Serengeti where it borders with Kenya. As Barbs and I arrived in the Lemai (we were the third vehicle) the radio already sprang to live as to what was found and where, Nathoo has found the resident pride of lion in the Lemai seventeen of them and counted up to twenty two before. This is one of our super prides in the area and is run by five, yes five equally big and beautiful pride males the biggest coalition of males in the area. The pride was scattered, three of the big males were present, the rest of the lions were enjoying the morning sun in the middle of the plains and there was a mother with small cubs resting under a bush along side a small gully, the youngest of the cubs only about six weeks.                                                                                                                              

One of the five Lemai pride males

We enjoyed the lions, taking photos from all angles and as we were leaving them I heard the unmistakable flop,flop sound that can only mean one thing FLAT TIRE! and these little inconvenient things always seem to happen when you are parked amongst a pride of lions and so we had to slowly flop, flop about one kilometer away to change the tyre, needless to say we were up and running again after just a few minutes. After the lions we also went and looked at a beautiful Cheetah it was already hot now and she was resting in the shade under a Balanites tree not being very active.

Pride enjoying the morning sun

Also out on the plains that morning was a good

number of different plains game Zebra, Wildebeest, Impala, Thomson's Gazelle, Topi

Warthog, Giraffe, Buffalo and many more most

of them with young as this is the season. Just before heading back to camp we drove to one of the beacons that indicates the border between Tanzania and Kenya for an awesome group photo of all of us. It was a great morning to enjoy with the staff and many of them learned allot about all the different kinds of wildlife. 

Quickly changing the tyre 1Km from the Lions

This time of the year it is our low season and the camp is not very busy but we have just recently came out of our busy season which is typically from June to November where we run on average at almost nine hundred bed nights through those busy months. Our staff plays a vital role in keeping all our guests happy and looked after. In those nine hundred plus bed nights there is a lot of food that needs to be prepared by our chefs, tents need to be cleaned, laundry washed and wake up calls done every morning by our room attendants, during breakfast, lunch and dinner friendly waiters are there to serve you, maintenance needs to be kept up and broken things fixed and everyday our guides take guests into the wilderness showing them all the beautiful wildlife NEVER getting tired of it and the next day it all starts again. I have mentioned before that the most important thing in any camp is the staff and they work very hard to give you an excellent safari experience.

    ASANTE SANA Sayari Staff !!             

What To Bring...

So....You have done all the research, you know where you going and what country you are going to visit, you have found a good reliable safari company who gave you a great itinerary and you booked and paid for your first African Safari. 

Now, the big question, what do I/we pack, what will we need? I will try and give some advice as to what to bring on safari, bearing in mind that on your big international flight out, you will normally be allowed to take around 30Kg with you but if you are going to do small internal light aircraft flights between camps they only allow 12-15kg/person which is not much, but with careful planning you can pack and fit everything you will need.

The best kind of bags to use is soft duffel kind bag as they fit easy into the undercarriage of small aircraft and the best ones also have wheels so you can pull them around the airports. Clothing wise you really don't need allot, it will also depend on where exactly you are going and what time of the year. Generally in Southern and in East Africa we have warm to hot weather in the afternoons, but in June/July in some regions it can get very cold in the early mornings and evenings so you want to bring a good thick jacket or a nice thick fleece in those months and sometimes even some gloves and a beanie, otherwise normally just a good fleece will be enough. Today in your local outdoor shop you can get all kinds of safari clothing and gear, the best outdoor clothing these days are made from lightweight quick dry material and there are allot of brands to choose from. When you pack your clothing remember don't pack too much, almost all safari camps and lodges provide laundry service and they often bring it back the same day. Colour is also important when choosing your clothes, in the bush the main colours are shades of green, brown and grey and you want to try and blend in a bit so that the animals don't see you coming a mile away, this also does not mean that you now have to go to an army surplus store and by a whole lot of camo gear, the best colour that has been used in the bush for century's is khaki. When it comes to shoes on safari two pairs will be more than enough, you need comfortable closed shoes for when you are in the bush on game drives or safari walks and then a good pair of open sandals for in and around the camp is also good to have. For dinnertime, don't bother packing formal evening ware as most camps do not have a dress code, if you are in a camp that does, you are in the wrong camp.

Cameras and binoculars are going to be a vital part of your luggage so great care and consideration is needed when deciding which kind to buy. Camera talk and specs are huge and to cover all of them on this blog is impossible you will need an entire web page to do that but I will point out some things to take in consideration before the friendly camera shop dealer takes all your money. There are basically two types of cameras the DSLR (digital single lens reflex) and the compact digital (often called the point and shoot) you can also look at various video cameras, as they are great to have when a lion brings down that wildebeest in front of your eyes.

The DSLR is a great choice as it offers the very best in image quality and you get to choose and fit different lenses, they can however be complicated to use and with the lenses they can be heavy and difficult to travel with. When looking at an SLR Canon and Nikon make the best, and try and get the same make lenses. A great tip when it comes to SLR type cameras is spend less on the camera body and but the best lenses you can afford as the lens is what makes the photo. Compact digital cameras or the “point and shoot” are great little cameras and they have developed in leaps and bounds, they are small, light weight and easy to travel with, they also come with great HD video recording capability’s so you get a two in one camera. Whatever cameras you decide to bring with you try and get one with zoom capabilities of at least 300mm (optical not digital), high pixel count of 8.2 and above and loads of spare memory cards, you will be surprised as to how many photos you will take and you don’t want to run out of memory cards as many camps do not sell them, also remember to bring extra batteries and battery charger and a multiplug adapter to fit your different power plugs.

To me a good pair of binoculars is probably the most important piece of equipment you will use on safari and I can’t believe how many guests come without one. Allot of time is going to be spend scanning the area with your binoculars for animals and many of them are not always going to be two meters from your car and they are very important if you want to enjoy the beauty of our feathered friends. Like with cameras the choice of binoculars are great with many different price tags but a good tip when looking at binoculars is to choose a pair that give you a big field of view and the lenses provide a clear bright picture. Popular and good multiplications ratios are 10x32, 8x32, 8x40, 8x42 and 10x42. If you are a family of more than three don’t just bring one pair of binoculars, as you will spend the entire time fighting as to who’s turn it is next.

Other goodies to remember to throw into your bag or backpack is a good hat for the sun, sunblock, sunglasses, insect repellent, a good book to read (for siesta time in camp), malaria tablets (consult your GP, also ask about inoculations especially yellow fever as many country’s wont let you in without one), raincoat (yes sometimes it rains in Africa), swimsuit (some camps and lodges have a pool) and a small torch or headlamp.

I will end off with another great tip especially if you are traveling to East Africa and again I cant believe how many guests were not informed about this. In East Africa, camps, shops and banks do not except American dollar bills older than 2001 so remember when you bring dollars with you make sure they are from 2001 and newer.  

Happy packing!

Safari Life Part Two.....

For many years Africa was the professional hunters and their wealthy clients playground, but not everybody wanted to look at Africa's wildlife over the barrel of a rifle. People soon realized that they could sell the same style of safaris with the same comforts and luxury's, private guides to guide you through Africa's wonders and secrets and shoot Africa's wildlife with a camera instead of a rifle and so Photographic safaris was born.


Today there are many styles of safari camps of the photographic version and an important part of the economy for country's like South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania and even Uganda. All these country's offer photographic safaris of all kinds and all of them have unique and beautiful wildlife areas and national parks, all kinds of different animal species, abundant and beautiful bird life, insects, reptiles you name it. It is sometimes difficult to decide where to go on a African Safari, but no matter where you end up going it will be a unforgettable experience and you will leave going home only with the thoughts of how soon you can come back again.


Wildlife in Africa can be viewed in many different ways, keeping your safari interesting and fun, special safari vehicles, walks, boat, canoe, horse, and in some places even on the back of an Elephant are all different  ways to explore the African bush, it all just depends on where you are and what you are interested in doing. All of these activities are also normally joined and led by an expert professional safari guide who plays a crucial role in keeping you safe and showing you all the bush has to offer. Most safari guides undergo extensive training on how to guide people in the African bush and they have many years of experience under their belt, their knowledge and skills are simply amazing and often life long friendships are formed with your safari guide.

Accommodation types on safari is many to many to even try and mention all of them. There is a style of camp for almost everybody, from more rustic for those who want to rough it a bit and really get close to nature like it was in the early days of safari, to super luxury where you can get all the bells and whistles of a modern luxury five star hotel. Probably the most popular type of safari camp and my favorite is a tented camp, now bare in mind this is not a small two man tent that you used when you camped with your brother or sister in your back yard, no these tents are spacious, specifically designed and made from very strong canvas, and have an equally strong canvas roof and fly sheet. Inside they are tastefully decorated with carefully chosen furniture and super comfortable beds and en suite bathrooms all the luxury's you will ever need. The camp also normally comes with an equally tasteful lounge/sitting area and a separate dining area all tents and made from canvas. The most important aspect of any camp in Africa is the staff that comes with it, Managers, Guides, Chefs, Room Attendants, Waiters, Laundry Man they all are very well trained and ready to welcome you in their bush home and give you an unforgettable safari with personalized service.


Now another thing we do on safari is we eat well and so will you, it is amazing what these "bush" kitchens can produce baring in mind how remote they are and the basic equipment they use and also how far supplies travel to them either by road or air. You will be surprised with the standard and creativity of the meals prepared so get yourself ready to pick up a few pounds, if you were worried that you are going to starve to death on safari then don't, the food is delicious and in a bush camp you can sometimes even be surprised by having something that you normally have in your favorite restaurant in Europe. 


So now you have a bit of background as to how safari's came about, if you are thinking of going on an African safari then do it sooner than later, it will be one of the greatest journeys you will ever make. In the words of Gary Clark (The Old Dagga Boy) who personally guided and led over a hundred photographic safaris, "Life is short eat desert first".       

                       

Safari Life Part One.....

To sit and think what to write on one's very first post ever on a blog is rather daunting, where to start?, I thought for my first post I would give you a bit of insight to safari life, what it is all about and why we love it so much and also why people who do come on a African Safari come back again and again and again....

The word safari comes from the East African language Swahili that literally means journey, and a safari is probably one of the most exiting journeys you will ever make. People have been coming on safaris to Africa for many years and the early safaris were mainly hunters coming into the African bush for sometimes as long as three months at a time, with hundreds of porters carrying tents, cutlery, crockery, tables, chairs, white linen, food supplies, drink, and even a claw bath pretty much everything they will need in the bush for three months to live in comfort in old British colonial style. The concept "big five” that we use today (Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Lion and Leopard) comes from those early hunting safaris as it was and still is today the five most dangerous animals to hunt in Africa and has nothing to do with the size of the animal.

These early "great white hunters" as they were called together with their gun bearers (someone to carry a spare rifle) and trackers would travel through the entire African wilderness covering almost every African country in search of game species to hunt especially the "big Five" as those presented the biggest challenge. The animal that was in the biggest demand was the African Elephant as hunters were after the tusks. Many hunters made a living hunting Elephant and selling the ivory, one such hunter (and there were many) that comes to mind was a chap by the name of Karamoja Bell, who I believe personally shot over a thousand Elephants. There is a great coffee table style book that I came across once and it is great further reading about those early days with great pictures, it is called Safari a Chronicle of Adventure and you can get it on Amazon.

These early "white hunters" soon realised that they could share their adventures and lifestyle with paying clients and take them on guided hunting safaris in Africa. Big famous names came on these safaris and the 1909 safari of Theodore Roosevelt helped to make them even more popular with the rich and famous. Hunting Safaris in Africa became a dream for many people, it had an almost romantic aura surrounding it and many Hollywood films were made and books and novels were written about the subject. Films like Out of Africa and King Solommon's Mines inspired many people to come and share in these African adventures.......