Chada Katavi diary - May & June 2009

by: Peter and all at Chada Katavi on 03/07/2009 (chada katavi)

Dear all

It's a new season at Chada Katavi and the end of the rains. This year we did not have as much rain as in 2008, which means that areas are already starting to dry out. The floodplain in front of camp is still a water wonderland with Fish Eagles, Egyptian Geese, White-faced Ducks, Grey Herons, African Jacanas and many other birds, mixed in with a sprinkling of hippos. Buffalos hang around the edge of the water, taking refreshing dips every so often.

In the drier areas, slow moving bushfires have passed through, clearing moribund vegetation, and encouraging the growth of new grass shoots. Herds of zebra are moving in to enjoy this source of food, and the lions have been following them in turn. This month we have had several sightings of three lion cubs, aged 2-3 months. They have been a great delight to watch. Whilst their mother and aunts doze in the shade, the cubs have been launching attacks on threatening bits of grass, suspicious twigs, malevolent flies, and each other. Although the cubs constantly look at the vehicle, none have been game enough to take more than a step closer. It will be some time before they completely ignore the vehicle, as adult lions do.

Another excellent lion sighting was of a pride of 10 lions killing a young hippo. However, it was quite distressing to watch, as hippos are not the easiest things for lions to kill, and it took some time before it succumbed.

We were lucky enough to have several sightings of wild dogs this month as well. At the beginning of June we saw eleven dogs and then a few days later two more sightings of eight dogs. This is probably the same pack, and since all sightings were within a fairly small area (as far as wild dogs go, a small area - their home ranges can be several hundred square kilometres) there is the chance that they are ‘denning’.

When the Alpha female gives birth to a litter of pups, (usually in June) the dogs will stay in one area for about 6 – 8 weeks until the pups are big enough to be able to keep up with the pack when they move. The pack go hunting once or twice a day, and return to the den where they regurgitate food for any adult dogs which were babysitting. Lets hope they have chosen the Chada area to den, so we can see the dogs regularly over the next month.

The camp itself has not had many quiet nights with herds of elephants moving though every night to feed. Since most of the tents are situated under tamarind trees for the shade, and these are a particular favourite of the elephants, guests have had their own private viewing of eles from the comfort of their own tent. Hyenas have added to the sound effects too. One night, whilst all the chefs were busily working away cooking dinner, a brave hyena snuck in and grabbed the rubbish bin. In spite of being chased by several people, he/she refused to drop it and ran off into the bush. The next morning, rather than searching for lion tracks on the first part of the game drive, guides were asked to call in sightings of parts of the bright blue rubbish bin, so that it could be disposed of correctly.

Hope to see you on safari with us soon,
Peter and everyone at Chada Katavi



Chada Katavi diary - May 2009

The beginning of a season in a tented camp is always a little manic, never knowing quite what awaits you: will it have rained too much? Will the grass be 3 metres high? Will the elephants have knocked down all the good shade trees?

So it was with a little trepidation that we set off from Arusha for the 1800km journey to Katavi National Park, with two vehicles loaded with supplies and seven staff that had been attending training workshops at Base. After a 3.5 day drive (not for the fainthearted!) across Tanzania, we arrived at Chada Camp to a warm welcome from the rest of the crew, who had got there a few days earlier from their local villages.

And so, to work. Chefs, waiters, mechanics, guides, askaris, housekeepers all pulled on overalls and worked together to make the camp look like a camp again. In only a few days most of the guest tents were up, together with the mess and the library. Beds were carried from one end of camp to the other, followed by desks, sofas, washbasins, and the odd silver candelabra. Then the polishing, varnishing, and washing began. In a camp with no running water, its amazing how efficient you can be with a couple of buckets.

The area looks beautiful: green, but with grass that is not too tall, water in the rivers, and thankfully the elephants have left us the shade trees for the camp. The nights we have spent here since arriving have been filled with sound – herds of elephants moving through the camp, huge buffalo herds around the edges of the plain, lions calling to one another, hyenas strolling their beat, and an early morning cacophony of vervet monkeys as they watch the leopard walk under their trees.

And now, we are ready. It only takes guests 3.5 hours, rather than days, to get here. Everybody is waiting for you, to welcome you home to Chada. What’s stopping you?

Cheers, Peter and Nicola

Greystoke Mahale diary - July 2009

by: Greystoke Mahale on 30/06/2009 (greystoke mahale)

Dear all

It’s the end of June. Greystoke re-opened after the off- season a month ago. There has been very little rain over the last 2 months and the forest is dry, the mountains tinged with the burnished browns of dying leaves. Around the country, and on the other side of the lake, fires are burning and even here on this immense lake the effects can be seen. Each day the sun set is a vivid ball of pink, a sign of the smoke in the atmosphere, and our usual view of the mountains in the DRC are all but obscured.

The start of the new season has been fairly eventful, and went off in great style. We came back to a brand new mess hall - the old one having been replaced with a slightly bigger version of the original. The renovation was carried out during the one and a half months that the camp was closed. Brendan (Bowles) re-worked the design and oversaw the work done by a small team of local builders, with the finishing touches put in by the Greystoke staff. It looks fantastic, with new extensive seating areas on both levels, and the addition of a funky bar downstairs.

At this time of year the chimpanzees are fairly scattered. Due to the lack of rain their food sources are scarce and they are forced to travel long distances and often move high up into the mountains into difficult terrain to forage. This has made tracking and locating them for viewing especially difficult. Our very first guests, Kathleen and her son Garrett, had a very challenging couple of days hiking for up to 8 hours per day to some of the highest points we have ever known the chimps to have reached. Thanks to their energy and determination they finally got a good sighting the second day. They also had luck with fishing and Garrett came back with a record 40-pound Tanganyika perch (pictured above being carried by our watchmen Mabwena).

Since then the chimping has continued to be challenging but rewarding, with all our guests(bar one group) seeing the chimps at least once. Thankfully for us in the last week they have begun to move back down to lower grounds. We heard a wonderful account yesterday from a neighboring camp about one of their visitors, an 88-year-old man. He couldn’t walk unaided and the chances of his climbing the mountains to see the chimps were pretty remote. So the chimps, who lately have been so relentlessly reclusive and hard to find, came down to him. He sat in a chair, five minutes from camp, and photographed a small group for some twenty minutes or so!

In the first week of June we were honoured to host 8 VIP guests for the night - the Deputy Minister for Natural Resources, the EU and Japanese Ambassadors to Tanzania, the Assistant Director of Tanzania National Parks, and other regional leaders and national park representatives.

They were visiting Mahale for both the official opening of the new accommodation built in Kasiha for local and visiting researchers, and for the closing of the Mahale Ecosystem Management Project (MEMP).

MEMP was a 5-year European Commission funded project jointly executed and co-financed by Tanzania National Parks and the Frankfurt Zoological Society. It worked toward the conservation of the Mahale Ecosystem’s biodiversity as well as strengthening the livelihoods and environmental security of the surrounding communities.

Following the opening ceremony at Kasiha a dinner reception for 24 guests was held here on the beach, by the campfire, at the longest table Greystoke has ever seen! The evening was a great success and it was a real honour for Nomad to be able to participate in this special event.

Since then it has been business as usual with great fishing, great chimping and a lot of laughs. Sadly for us Brendan, who has been managing Greystoke since March last year, will be moving on from Mahale mid-July and heading back to Nairobi to start work as a medical herbalist. His warmth and great humour will be much missed by us all.

Coming in to replace him will be Hugh Webster, an Englishman with a life-long passion for African wildlife. He has just finished a PhD on African wild dogs and is looking forward to a new life in the Mahale Mountains.

Best wishes
from all of us at Greystoke Mahale.

Greystoke Mahale diary - March 09

by: Brendan & Petra on 18/03/2009 (greystoke mahale)

Dear all

February has seen a real start to the rains in Mahale …… for the past few weeks we have had some of the most dramatic storms with thunder cracking, roaring and tearing loud, lightening splitting the skies and showing up the mountains across the lake. The tremendous rain storms clear to heavenly sunsets and for the most part starry nights. There hasn’t been a night yet where we haven’t been able to enjoy a post dinner drink around the camp fire.

This weekend however we had day after day of beautiful sunshine and still waters, perfect weather for walking and fishing. A small group of us took a long hike through the forest which is lush with a thousand greens, hiking up high where the views of the lake are magnificent. We crossed 3 streams swollen from recent rains, carefully treading the mossy boulders, catching glimpses of the waterfalls above us. Walking through this forest is truly magical.

Earlier in the month an adventurous group of ladies walked to one of the larger waterfalls. It was a good hour and a half walk up stream, literally shoes off and wading through the water, taking paths where we could, finally clambering up steep fern covered rocks to be rewarded first with the cool perfect pools lying deep in the forest, and then finally to the waterfall itself. It was a challenging walk, best done in the dry season, but still agreed by all to have been well worth the effort!

This weekend, walking near the lake shore we heard the alarm call of the red colobus in a canopy of leaves above us. Looking up we saw a large male who mock charged us, aggressively shaking branches trying to scare us off. There was a frenzy of movement as a couple of colobus leapt away from us, flying astonishing distances from tree to tree. The male stayed where he was and we had an incredible 20 minutes or so observing him. We were very lucky as usually you only get to see them fleetingly.

The chimpanzees are very scattered at the moment since food is spread out and scarce. They tend to be found in smaller groups and are not vocalising much, making our trackers’ work that much harder each morning. Yet all our visitors have been able to see them nonetheless. Yesterday and today we actually had chimps passing right through the camp, taking the back path behind the guest bandas, foraging as they walked, looking back at us every now and again not at all perturbed by our presence. The baboons down by room number seven went very quiet indeed and quietly slipped away as the chimps moved through.

The leopard has been around a lot over the last few weeks, calling in the early hours as he passes through the camp, often coming right up to the rooms. Last month his tracks were seen in the mess tent! Obama the bushbuck is still to be seen around the camp, and has with him a lady friend these days. The two courting warthogs have been on honeymoon next door, making only occasional appearances chez nous!

The season is drawing to a close and by mid March camp will be closed. It has been a great start to the year in Mahale and we are already looking forward to the start of next season with a renovated mess to come back to!

All best wishes from Greystoke.

Sand Rivers Diary - February 2009

by: Steve & Lynn on 03/03/2009 (sand rivers selous)

Hello everyone,

2009 started out hot and dry. Some of the smaller lakes have dried up and their crocodiles and hippos have moved in to Lake Segesse. This has made for a spectacular game viewing experience. Hundreds of crocodiles, hippos and birds are concentrated in the one area.

The pods of hippo are lying in the middle of the lake with egrets using their backs as stepping stones. As space is limited, there are frequent, noisy squabbles between the hippos.

There is a carpet of crocodiles around the edge of the lake while others lurk in the deeper water in between the paddling pelicans. Egyptian geese, tiny waders and marabou storks wander around the crocs on the bank, seemingly oblivious to the potential dangers. With Northern Carmines overhead and locks of feeding yellow billed stork sending their reflections across the waters, this is our favorite picnic breakfast site.

In February we started getting spectacular afternoon storms. The mornings are clear and cool and by mid day it has heated up. Then dark clouds rumble overhead and the heavens open. But, not for too long. By the time we have had our afternoon tea, the sky has usually cleared, the air has cooled, the birds are singing. The sky is full of bright butterflies, dodging the migratory bee-eaters.

A short green lawn is covering the Selous and the trees are luxuriously leafy again. Guests are still finding lion regularly, however the tiger fish are more elusive due to the muddier water in the Rufiji.

The bush babies still regularly join us for dinner – crouching politely on the railing, waiting to catch bugs attracted to the lanterns.

Look forward to seeing you out here soon

Cheers,
Steve & Lynn

Jan/Feb Diary

by: Peter and all at Chada Katavi on 18/02/2009 (chada katavi)

Dear All,

Time comes and it goes, and so do the Wild Dogs of Katavi, we had great sightings of a group of 8 this month. The highlight of these sightings was when the pack pulled down a full grown male Impala in front of the library tent in the early evening of the 28th after having being seen on the afternoon game drive. After finishing off their meal the dogs then walked around the back of camp and rested up at the vehicle garages, and then they were gone….not to be seen in our area for a while.

As far as the lions of Katavi are concerned mating pairs seemed to be the flavour of the month. If I am not mistaken at least 3 pairs were reported from different locations in our game drive area. The 2 new cubs of the 1 Chada pride lioness have been seen on a regular basis and are doing well.

Leopard sightings were good with more and more sightings just to the east of camp. Towards the end of the month we had 3 days of good sightings of a female Leopard and her cub on an impala kill just 5 minutes from Chada.

General game has been excellent with large groups of Eland, Zebra, Giraffe, Buffalo, Elephant and Topi being seen regularly. There are plenty of youngsters around at the moment as well with plenty of food available, all are thriving.

The bush is alive with the sound of bird song and flashes of bright colour of breeding plumaged males catching your eye where ever you are. If you are only mildly interested in birds or avidly interested this is the time to be in Katavi as birds are all around, as you search out the large or small creatures that specifically interest you.

This was ever apparent when hearing the sightings that John and Norma Whittle guided by Paul Oliver, who were our guests for 10 days were seeing on a daily basis.

We have had good rains this month and so Katavi is still green and lush and a place for happy Hippos as the rivers are flowing strongly and there is lots of food for all. The Ellies still visit us in camp every now and then and we have to put up with some very loud snoring on occasion, so life goes on here at Chada Katavi come rain or sun shine.

You are welcome to join us should you feel the urge to get away from the pressures that are being brought to bare around us in this troubled world of ours.

Looking forward to seeing you in the new season.

Peter, Anita, and the Chada Team

Jan 09 Diary

by: Chada Katavi on 02/01/2009 (chada katavi)

Dear All,

The Chada team hopes that you had a wonderful holiday season and we wish all of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We also hope that you have another great year of exciting travel, which we hope involves a visit to us at Chada.

November and December have been excellent months for all in Katavi. We have had good rains resulting in everything flourishing, so it is a green Eden that we look at every morning. The Kapapa River has not stopped flowing from Paradise plains all season and the Katuma had started flowing from the end of November which is really early and much appreciated by all beasts and birds that depend on it.

We have had excellent sightings of Lion as usual, which include 2 new cubs who should be introduced to the pride soon. Their mom killed a buffalo calf just after Christmas which will give them a good boost. Leopard sightings have been good including a 2 day sighting not far from tent No 6.

We are seeing very big gatherings of Elephant, Buffalo, Zebra, Giraffe and Topi. Some of the largest herds of Elephant, of around 400 animals were seen on the Chada plains in front of camp. We have had up to 100 move through camp at night feeding and sleeping. Lots of fresh dung is left behind which has been great for photographing and studying Dung Beetles of all shapes and sizes in action.

So for now we once again wish you a prosperous an peaceful 2009 in this problematic world of ours and look forward to your visit to this untroubled piece of paradise.

Peter, Anita and the Chada Team.

August Diary

by: Anna on 06/09/2008 (greystoke mahale)

Dear all

Yesterday, we all went to the village of Katumbi. It is a lovely little village on the shore of the lake, sheltered by hundreds of palm nut trees. The Watongwe people used to live in the Mahale Mountains themselves, but were moved to this village in the 1980s when the area became a national park. When we arrive in the village, there is no-one there trying to sell us things, the villagers are not used to tourists and they smile at us, welcoming us warmly in Swahili “Karibuni sana wageni”.

First of all we visit a Mama who is preparing ‘Mawase’ oil. This oil comes from the nuts of the palm trees; it is extracted and sold at the local market. The market, under a bit Mango tree, is so colourful and attractive, and we all want to stay for hours. The women wear bright Kangas and Kitenge (the local material they use for clothes); they shout loudly to each other, and our presence does not seem to disturb them at all. There are Dagaa (small sardines) drying on the ground, and children play around the fruits, and the elderly men,“Wazee” gather in groups under the trees to discuss the latest news.

Then we carry on to the outskirts of the village, where we visit some of the traditional houses. The Watongwe show us how to grain the maize, how to dry rice, how they cook the cassava and sweet potatoes, and then the welcome us for some ‘chai’, a cup of tea. Life at Kabumbi carries on at its slow pace, and I truly believe that all the people living along Lake Tanganyika know what Life means – just take it easy, and enjoy.

It's the 20th of August and somewhere far away from our little lakeshore paradise in the south of France, people are playing 'Petanque'. I can just see them with their 'Berets', their Pastis and plenty of white wine in the shade of the trees, away from the Mediterranean heat.And here we are, in Mahale doing something similar. We are playing ‘Boules’, They roll, they roll, hit a few palm nuts, avoid a few roots and finally get next to the ‘Cochonnet’ We’re having fun, and the irregularity of the ground just adds to our amusement. My boules keep disappearing into the jungle. Some Vervet monkeys observe us from high up the palm trees, a waiter brings us glasses of white wine, stares at the boules lying on the ground, then at us, and bursts into laughter. He leaves, and we can hear him giggling with his colleagues. How funny.

It's a hot afternoon, the leaves are drying quickly and fall around us in patches of red oranges and brown, the sand is hot, the cicadas reminds us that, yes, here as well, it's the dry season, and it feels like holidays, perfect holidays.

July/August Diary

by: Peter, Anita and the Chada crew on 26/08/2008 (chada katavi)

Dear All,

WOW! What a month here in Katavi, especially with Leopard sightings. I was fortunate while out with one of our new guides coming across a young mail Leopard, who had been left by his mother in a Tamarind tree. After I had spent around 1 hour photographing this very inquisitive and extremely relaxed young boy other guests arrived and had amazing sightings of him for the next 2 days in the same tree. With the grass being shorter we are having around 4 sightings per week.

We have been seeing Roan Antelope up north on the way to Lake Katavi, which still has still got good water. The birdlife is really excellent up at Katavi, with large numbers of Open-billed Stork, White–faced Duck and assorted waders along the edge. A Racket tailed Roller was also seen in the Woodland on the way. Paradise Plains is now reachable and has good quantities of Buffalo, Hippo, general game and good birds.

With the Tamarind fruit falling, we have the Elephant in camp on a regular basis and have had some amazing experiences at meals as the family group of up to 10 including 2 quite small calves picks up the fruit around the Mess tent. The picture is of Brian and Claire Crowe getting close up and personal at lunch.

Nomad Tanzania, through The Nomad Trust and MIMAMPI sponsor trips for local 7th grade learners. They come from schools south of the Park to experience the wonders of Katavi National Park. Over the last few weeks our guests have met up with some of these groups as they enjoy themselves on the main roads in the park. This is an important project, as it allows us and TANAPA to educate these children in the importance of conserving the resources of Katavi. Please remember that all guests visiting Chada contribute as small
part to the success of this education.

Keep well and hope to see you soon.

All the very best,

Peter, Anita and the Chada Crew

Greystoke Mahale diary - July 2008

by: on 29/07/2008 (greystoke mahale)

Dear All

July has been the hide and seek month at Mahale. Traditionally, the chimpanzees are high on the mountain during this time of year, as there are few fruiting trees on the lower levels. This year, however, the M group have been popping up literally all over the place. Guests have been walking only 15 minutes one day before bumping into a group of sixteen chimpanzees, including Pimu, Alofu, Darwin and Gwekulo. The next day they had to hike a grueling eight hours to see the same individuals. Even that hike was deemed very much worth it by the guests, sitting on what felt like the top of the world, watching the chimpanzees grooming each other.

Exciting news this month is the birth of Christina’s baby. Currently only about two weeks old, the baby has been sighted several times clutched tightly to her mother’s chest. Infant mortality is fairly high, so Christina’s baby won’t gain a name for another two years. The honour of naming all the chimps falls to Professor Nishida, who began the chimpanzee research in Mahale Mountains more than forty years ago.

Though lobbying continues in the USA for presidential elections, Mahale has its own unique set of politics. Pimu, the alpha male of the M Group since October last year, has been challenged several times by Alofu, the previous alpha male. Unsuccessful so far, Alofu may just be waiting for the right time, or more support from the other chimpanzees. Pimu has traditionally been viewed as a pretty nasty chimp, with all kinds of innuendo flying around the camp about him. But one wonders, has this all been part of a propaganda campaign set in action by Alofu supporters? It now appears that Pimu is exceptionally kind to the female chimps of M Group, and protective of his group overall. Is he looking for the female vote to keep him in power?

Animal sightings in camp took an all-time high this month, when we went to investigate why thick-tailed bushbabies were shouting so much behind a guest banda one evening. We were stunned to see a leopard, teetering on top of a palm tree, looking very much like an overgrown kitten waiting for rescue. All the guests managed to have a quick look at this extremely shy animal before we left it in relative peace. Relative, because all the other trees surrounding the palm tree were infested with baboons, who were shouting at the leopard. Considering that the baboons continued shouting till 4am, we suspect the leopard was ‘stuck’ up the tree until then, when it finally made a dash down the tree, though the ranks of baboons, and off to a much more peaceful neighbourhood. This was such a rare sighting, with no other guests previously having seen leopard in Mahale, that it was well worth the noisy night.

Meanwhile, on the lake, fishing competitions have been pretty fierce amongst the guests, with ‘first-timers’ on the hand-lines usually beating  the fishing rod ‘professionals’. Everyone has been very magnanimous at the end, and shared out their catch for dinner, or for sashimi in the bar before dinner. Keen swimmers have also contributed fresh-water mussels to the evening meal, for a perfect dinner on the beach.

Hope to see you here soon,
All of us at Greystoke Mahale

Knockers Diary

by: Richard Knocker on 11/03/2008 (nduara loliondo)

Dear all

Just back from a turbocharged few days in Piyaya - phew! We started off with 4 nights in Nduara Loliondo, in its beautiful temporary location in the eastern part of Piyaya. Things have been rather more exciting than usual of late, in that there has been jostling for position among the different stakeholders in the area - far too boring to go into. The long and the short of it however, is that, for the first time ever, it looks as if there is official recognition for the importance of eco-tourism ventures in village lands surrounding National Parks. This is a major breakthrough.

Anyway, the highlight of our Nduara stay was undoubtedly the spectacle of Ol Donyo Lengai, regularly vomiting great grey gouts of ash 20,000' into the sky, some 40 kms to the East. The camp looks straight down a long valley towards the volcano, so we had awesome views every day. There was a layer of ash over most surfaces each morning, and some of us suffered from minor eye irritations, but this was a small price to pay for an amazing show.

Other highlights: a fine evening's fossiling in a nearby river valley. The plain is part of the Olduvai system, so there is an abundance of fossils here. Of particular interest was John's find of a fossilized elephant vertebra perfectly preserved in a tower of eroded volcanic stuff, with an assortment of teeth and bone fragments nearby. Oh, and we spent a morning scaling Nasera Arok, the granite monolith in the Gol Mountains, an adrenalin rush that was rewarded in this instance by a pair of lanner falcons cruising on the gusting winds at the summit.

Breakfast calling. Lekima, our Maasai companion, called us up the kopje to watch an elephant feeding not far away, so it was decided that, after eating, we would leave the car and walk over to get a closer look. Easier said than achieved, as it turns out. Approaching the spot where we thought the elephant to be, we nearly tripped over a couple of old bull buffalo snoozing under a bush. Cue comic scenes of frantic hand signals and elaborate slow-mo high stepping as everyone got a good view before backing quietly out so as not to wake the sleeping beauties. Everyone agreed that it was a good adrenalin blast to kick off with.

A couple of minutes later, there were 3 lion on a nearby kopje. This posed the interesting conundrum, having a had a good view, of how to back out WITHOUT tripping over the aforementioned buffalo. Luckily, the lions spotted us and melted away into the bush, thus sparing our efforts. Next was a huge herd of elephant - and I mean huge. There were at least 150 animals in the bush on the far side of the gulley. As we got close, there was much peering over shoulders, to ensure that we kept our exit clear. Quite enough for one morning, so we turned and headed for home.

“Le...le... leopard!”, just as the cat flowed down from its perch. I missed it sadly, but several in our party got a glimpse. Lunch was heaven - we perched on a flat kopje, with bedrolls in the shade nearby so we could sleep off the excitement. Our mobile camp, meanwhile, had been set up in a short way to the west. It was in a fabulously wild and woolly location, and – even better – we had it all to ourselves. Next morning saw us on foot again, walking along the Lamanaa River(the Maa word for 'Meander').It was much less of an adrenalin walk than the day before, although we did get close again to a dozy bull buffalo. We also had a fleeting view of a crocodile, my first ever in Piyaya, as well as a python fast asleep on a branch. Plus the usual birds and immense variety of turds of course.

And then the grand finale: we thought a sundowner would be a fitting end to our Piyaya stay, so we duly set off for a favourite kopje that evening. On the way, we spotted a herd of elephant, so hopped out and snuck up for a closer view of these peacefully feeding pachyderms. Exhilarated, we found we still had time for our sundowner, so off and up the rock we went, for a stiff G&T, several groups of elephant, a herd of buffalo feeding peacefully down to the river, and a pair of hunting lion. What a sight. I mean, who needs fireworks?

See you on safari,
Cheers Richard

Chada Katavi Diary - Feb 2008

by: Peter, Anita and all at Chada Katavi on 01/03/2008 (chada katavi)

Dear All,

Sorry about being a little late with our news from the wonderful world of Katavi. What with the closing of camp for the season we have been running around a little.

Well, it seems that with the rain falling regularly and the grass getting taller the lions of Katavi seem to have taken to the trees!! During January and the beginning of February, our game drives had regular sightings of lioness, cubs(not always very elegantly) and even males up in the trees. Not just above the ground but high up in the canopy. It appears at one point a lioness was coming into season and her beau followed her up into a Sausage tree (Kigelia Africana) where he looked very uncomfortable, but managed to keep his balance and close tabs on her. One of our guides, Phillip managed to take some excellent pics, of which one is seen above. Well done Phillip!

We had one sighting only of the 5 wild dogs during this period as they headed out along the edge of the Katisunga plain. All seemed in good health and intent on filling their stomachs as soon as the opportunity arose.

With all the rank vegetation it has been a great time to study the small things such as insects and spiders. The variety of Dragon Flies is absolutely amazing as they fly around in their hundreds hawking for mosquitoes etc. The variety of web weaving spiders in the tall grass is astounding with all shapes and sizes seen.

We will be at Chada until the middle of March, then off for a bit of a break and will return in time to open camp in May. We look forward to being back in the bush to greet all in the new season.

All the very best

Peter, Anita and the Chada Team

Greystoke Mahale - Feb 2008

by: Anna on 29/02/2008 (greystoke mahale)

Its raining in Mahale. Where has the dry season gone?
All is wet, drops are falling from leaves, to leaves down to the ground; even the trees themselves seem to rain. Water is everywhere. Streams are now formidable rivers flowing from the top of the mountains and, looking back from the lake, giant waterfalls look like tiny scars cutting the escarpment.

The vegetation is so thick that the forest looks completely impenetrable from the shore. Who could think that so much is happening now, right now, in this fortress. Creepers crawl up in strange shapes around the trunks strangling the trees and vines are falling down from the top of the trees right to the roots.

The atmosphere is probably as magical as it have ever been, probably even more. Its now when you discover what else this magical forest has to offer. No sound or movement can be predicted. What you think is a tree, ends up being a huge vine when you get close. The word jungle as we imagine from our children books is reality here, not just something from our imagination. Mahale is in essence the 'lush tropical jungle'. And when the forest allows the sunshine to come through its shelter in streams of light, it appears even more magical.

Sand Rivers Diary - January 2008

by: Rob & Storm on 19/01/2008 (sand rivers selous)

Dear all

7 months have passed and “Tis the season to be Jolly”!!!

December, as always, is the countdown to Christmas!! The lodge has been extremely full, and Kiba Point has been full steam ahead. We’ve had lots of honeymooners, lots of families, and lots of people recovering from a hard year worked in the city of London!!

Ishmail, one of our waiters, injured his hand this month. He somehow dropped a glass and cut his hand open pretty badly. With me almost fainting at the sight, Rob and Ross very calmly got the trauma kit out and proceeded to sew him up, sans any anesthetic! The patient never flinched once. The hand healed beautifully and he is back at work and raring to go.

On the game front we managed to sneak out once to see an amazing lion kill. The way they had taken the giraffe down was incredible. In the chase, her legs must have given way beneath her and she must have collapsed belly down. We think she had suffocated and as a result was left in the seated position. The only way the lions could get to her underbelly was to dig a hole around her and therefore slide down to lie and feast. A crazy thing to witness, as from a distance all you could see was a sitting giraffe and on closer inspection you could see her head bobbing up and down, only to then notice that a pride of lions were feeding on her.

Coming back from leave in November we stopped in Dar es Salaam and bought my favourite game….30 SECONDS!! And it has been a hit!! We have had a lot of very festive evenings resulting in guests feeling very relaxed and pulling a few games out of their hats as well.

All too soon it was Christmas. The day was a lot of work, preparing for 27
people at Sand Rivers, as well as 9 over at Kiba. For Christmas Eve celebrations at Sand Rivers, we enjoyed a lovely bush dinner. We had a
traditional barbeque/braai with lots of local flavours. It was a huge hit.
Christmas Dinner was celebrated under the stars on the sandbank next to the
lodge. It was a lot of work to setup, only for the rains to come at the very
moment we took guests down to the beach. After lots of wishing and hoping and very, very fortunately after only two short drizzles, the rain moved on. It was spectacular though because the lightening was still very active and an amazing experience to watch while having dinner. We had a traditional English Christmas, including hams, turkeys, and mince pies made by Rob himself!!!

Before the New Year was upon us we, we decided to venture on a game drive one last time to bid 2007 in the Selous “Farewell”. We saw absolutely nothing for the first hour, and were about to give up when we came across a dead stump habituated by a family of dwarf mongoose. The light was already poor so our photos did not come out that well, but to sit and watch the incredible energy and social interaction of these tiny little creatures was simply a privilege. It was in that brief moment that we were reminded why we have chosen the path we have and why we have embarked on this journey in the first place. The African wilderness is a true wonder and we are so honoured to be a part of it.

But home sick we still were over Christmas and we thought of you all. We trust you had a wonderful time with your families and friends. Happy, Happy
New Year to you all and may 2008 be filled with endless moments of happiness and memories that will last you a lifetime.

All our love

Rob and Stormy