LET US TAKE YOU DEEP INTO THE REAL AFRICA

LET US TAKE YOU DEEP INTO THE REAL AFRICA
Let us take you deep into the real Africa, where the wildlife still roam freely in totally unspoilt habitats and where you can witness some of the most awe-inspiring sights on earth. My name is Philip Gregory and I first travelled to Africa in the early 1990s and loved it so much so that I have created a company to help other people encounter African Safaris and the African Beaches. Africa Select specialise in Kenyan Safaris, Tanzanian Safaris, South African Safaris, Botswana Safaris and many more. Read my blog and visit my website to find out how I can help make your dream become a reality.

Tuesday 9 February 2010

Game Report Governor's Camp January 2010



Elephants have been regular visitors this month. There have been large numbers of families moving through the Musiara Marsh eating the sedge and into the forest where they are browsing on the new growth of Teclea. Elephant bulls have been following up the herds, some in musth in search of oestrus females, but most taking advantage of the abundance of food. It has been great to see a couple of really large tuskers one of them weighing approximately 70-80lbs each.

The three local bulls, namely "Curchill", "Blossom" and "Posom" have been back visiting the forest around Little Governors Camp.

One large breeding herd of about 400 buffalos have been moving slowly between the Musiara Marsh, the park gate and Rhino Ridge. Numerous bachelors follow at a distance as well as the old retired brigadiers who spend most of their time along the forest edge.


The rhinos have been seen fairly regularly from the balloon this month, most likely because there is more peace and quiet now that the wildebeest have left us. We have also had some wonderful in camp rhino sightings with the male spotted from the bar at Little Governors and the female and her now fairly large calf seen on the opposite side of the river bank at Ilmoran Camp.

The Marsh Pride of lions are spending more time apart as the game becomes sparse and they need to cover more ground. Occasionally coming together if there is a kill or they have a need for social bonding. Three of the young four month old cubs have not been seen for a couple of weeks, hopefully they are still well and just haven't been spotted as they have been on the move. One of the pride lions and a lioness were seen hunting and killing two young impala on the edge of the Musiara Marsh. It was incredible to see a large male in action in the middle of the day.

The Paradise Pride are on good form, they too have to look further and longer for prey. They were very brave and fortunate to have killed a hippo towards the end of the month. The five young males and the rest of the pride were feeding from it for days. Notch was not around but all the cubs are doing well.

Our small pride of two males, two females and two cubs are still down by the river in their limited territory in between the Marsh and Paradise prides. This pride stilldoes not have a name, but they have plenty of character. The lions and cubs last seen were incredibly fat, whilst the lionesses were actually fairly thin. Either the ladies were doing all the work or the boys were doing none of it!


The young cheetah and her cub have been in the area, not venturing too far as the cub is still a little young and must be kept in hiding whilst it's mother hunts.

Shakira and her two cubs are still on the Trans-Mara side of the river. Once the river has receded, she may come back over. It will be interesting to see whether her cubs will follow or become independent and go their own way at this stage.

We have had a few sightings of another female cheetah traversing the boundary of the reserve and Maasai land.

The three brother cheetahs were at the start of the month between Bila Shaka and the Talek River, but have moved off we think towards Keekarok on the Burrungat Plains. The longer grass will provide some good cover for the cheetah, but most of their prey will be moving onto the short grass and will be more concentrated, meaning more look-outs.

One of the female leopards along the riverline, who has become a bit more brazen, has allowed us some great sightings this month. Once she was with a kill, hiding in a small bush near the Marsh with lions on one side and hyena on the other. She seems not to be intimidated by baboons either and chooses rather to ignore them.

Olive and her two cubs are still doing very well. She has moved into the Croton bushes along the River.

Otherwise there have been brief sightings of shy leopard along the river line, not sticking around long enough to identify.

Whilst the grass was short and green Serval Cats seemed to jump out at every turn, their camouflage not being as effective as when the grass is longer and yellow.

Altogether it has been a great month, with lots of wonderful wildlife sightings and we hope to share the magic of our corner of the Mara with you sometime so
on.

Friday 5 February 2010




In an exciting new opportunity, Explorations in Botswana will no longer be travelling to Lechwe Camp on Migration Routes and Motswiri Camp on the Great Wilderness Journey. Instead, we are excited to announce two new Explorations camps for these safaris, operating from 01 May 2010 onwards: Khwai Adventurer Camp and Khwai Discoverer Camp respectively.

Both these camps are located in the exclusive Khwai Concession which adjoins Moremi Game Reserve. The Khwai Concession is one of the most diverse areas in northern Botswana which seldom disappoints when it comes to producing extraordinary wildlife experiences. The life source for this area is the Khwai River – the northernmost “finger” of the Okavango Delta alluvial fan, which provides vital sustenance to numerous animals.

Over time, the Khwai area has metamorphosed into a wide range of exciting wildlife habitats – some of the most varied to be found in the entire Okavango Delta: a blend of forests, floodplain, wetland and grasslands. The narrow Khwai Channel is home to large mammals such as hippo and crocodile with buffalo and red lechwe often seen grazing along the fringe. The beautiful gallery riverine woodland found along the river provides further sanctuary to birds, primates and leopard. Elusive roan antelope often come to the river to drink. Activities focus around day and night game drives, nature walks and seasonal mekoro excursions.

Away from the river there is a wonderful mix of acacia and leadwood trees of varying sizes that abuts into mopane woodland. The latter, together with the permanent presence of water, attracts large numbers of elephant to the area. Larger predators include lion, wild dog and spotted hyaena, while birdlife found here is just as varied thanks to the colourful palette of habitats.

For further information on any of the camps or explorations please consult our website or email your dedicated consultant pg@africaselect.com


Monday 1 February 2010


Tourism is very much at the frontline of the climate change and emissions reduction issue. Popular coastal destinations around the world face serious threats from rising sea levels and tsunamis. Desertification and drought impact on the viability of many tourism destinations due to lack of water. The tourism industry in South Africa is very conscious about its "green" responsibility. Airlines, hotels and game lodges have been rapidly introducing measures which are environmentally friendly and reduce the carbon footprint. The term 'green' certainly can be misused (often used loosely as a marketing mantra). Below we highlight some of our partners - true eco-tourism establishments that follow the fundamentals of environmental integrity, social justice and economic development.


Four Rosmead Guest House (Cape Town) An exclusive guesthouse situated on the slopes of Table Mountain. Rooms are equipped with an energy saving device that switches off all high consumption items such as air conditioners when the room is not occupied. A grey water recycling system has been installed to ensure that bath, basin and shower water is used to water the gardens. All excess food is donated to Feedback which is a program aimed at feeding the poor and needy in the Cape Town area.


Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve (Western Cape) This lodge, one of the world's top 25 eco lodges, is situated in the Cederberg mountains about 270km north of Cape Town. It boasts more than 130 rock art sites, some of which have been dated back to 10 000 years ago. Bushmans Kloof is a leading participant in the 1 600km Agter-Pakhuis Conservancy project, which encourages farmers to employ ecotourism principles wherever possible. The reserve also boasts a heritage centre where photographs and artefacts pay homage to the culture of the Bushmen.


Grootbos Nature Reserve (Western Cape) Nestled in the fynbos clad hills above Walker Bay, it offers the classic Garden Lodge and the Forest Lodge set in a Milkwood forest. Grootbos' Conservation Foundation supports various projects such as the sustainable harvesting of Fynbos flowers. The Green Futures Project is a social development project which provides practical training programs for unemployed people in the fields of landscaping, horticulture and eco tourism. The Siyakula Township greening project has facilitated the establishment of vegetable

growing, greening projects, and feeding scheme at the local creche.


Hog Hollow (close to Plettenberg Bay / Garden Route) Hog Hollow is a 4-star lodge set on the edge of an indigenous forest in a private nature reserve with panoramic views of the surrounding indigenous forests, valleys and mountains, close to Plettenberg Bay. Their Initiatives include study sponsorships, supporting various soccer teams, a robust recycling programme, vegetable waste is given to local emerging pig farmers, ongoing de-wattling programme and sponsoring the Orca Foundation towards Marine conservation


Londolozi Game Reserve (Sabi Sands in Kruger region) Renowned for its pioneering work in conservation development, Londolozi has now introduced a fully functional prototype electric Land Rover which moves guests silently through the wilderness with a lower carbon footprint than the conventional game vehicle. It is charged by connecting it to a wall plug socket. The third phase of the project will be about further progression towards lighter, longer lasting, eco friendly batteries and moving towards solar energy.


Pafuri Camp This camp situated in the most northern parts of the Kruger Park enjoys wonderful sunshine year-round. Taking full advantage of this, all guest units including the staff village have solar geysers. Food waste is separated and removed from the reserve to an officially approved dump. Water Cooler to be installed to encourage guests to fill up their water bottles. Elephant monitoring and Rhino re-introduction projects on the go. Currently assessing other alternative energy options.


Rocktail Beach Camp We continue our involvement and commitment in the Maputaland Sea Turtle conservation programme. The construction practices used in the development of Beach Camp were highly praised by the Green Leaf Environmental Standard Organisation. All plastic, metal, and paper waste is separated and removed off-site by a waste specialist. Food waste is sent to a pig farm in the local community. Solar geysers, water cooler and rainwater harvesting will be implemented