With the water levels reaching record levels this year, a new jetty is being built at Zarafa for water based activities. This will be located away from the camp so not to interfere with the tranquility. There are now 2 ‘Canadian’ canoes for morning or afternoon guest activities as an additional game viewing option.
Zarafa has just installed vintage “World War 2” type wind up telephones in all the rooms. This allows our guests to contact the main camp area if in need of assistance or request the resupply of that ever important bottle of Champagne whilst enjoying their private pool in the midday heat.
We recently started converting our game drive vehicles to run on Bio Diesel. This has process has gone remarkably well & the roll out of converting the rest of Selinda’s and Motswiri’s vehicles will continue.
Some camp staff snippets
Always keep the staff gate closed!!!
One morning just after the guests had gone on their morning drive I heard a very loud scream. Stopping and listening, I realised it was a member of staff in distress but thinking it was the local troop of baboons harassing the staff or trying to raid the kitchen, I calmly went on with my work. The shouts of "Tau, Tau!" though caused me to leap out of my chair, whilst trying to keep my balance as I bolted down the office stairs, in the direction of the staff village meeting a coule of pale faces enroute - only to find two young lion males strolling around the staff village. After closer inspection we found their tracks entering the staff area through a gate which had been left open. Moral of the story ? Make sure those gates are closed!
Game viewing from a bath tub?
After high tea one afternoon one of the guests said she was opting for a quiet afternoon in the bath tub & some reading rather than going on a drive. At dinner when we enquired if she had had a relaxing afternoon her reply was: “Well, I was sitting in the tub when a herd of elephants walked past my room. They came right up to the pool where one stuck his trunks in the pool to drink while the others were splashing about in the lagoon. Later I watched as they crossed the lagoon. Having finished my bath I started a bit of horizontal reading when I heard a very strange noise. This noise was followed by creatures which I had never seen before. Checking my little game drive animal identification book I discovered that what I have just seen was in fact a pack of 7 wild dogs!” Just shows you, one does not always have to sit in a vehicle to look for the animals, sometimes they come to you…
This is how you impress your guests
Recently we woke up to noise of hyenas & lions, & leopard grunts around camp. After our guests had left on their morning drive, their guide radioed in to request that I please collect their camera bag from their room as they had forgotten to take it with them & meet at our solar farm. Hurrying off & having retrieved thier camera I made my way to the solar farm. To get to the solar farm though one has to walk through the fenced off staff village. Upon reaching the last gate to exit the staff area one of the staff members told me not to go outside the gate because there are lions around & that the guide will meet me at the gate. As I stood there I caught a glimpse of a young male lion. He was very interested in me & came closer, with 3 other lions later emerging in the bush behind him. After circling the staff village they decided to do a site inspection of Zarafa, strolling in between all the guests tents before walking past the main deck. It was then that we heard a wild roar from the other side of camp & along came “Silver Eye” - our very experienced & our resident male. Naturally there was a little turmoil with the younger lions bolting away - most probably being scared of the older male. Out of the blue an additional 4 lions appeared from the thickets, resulting in 9 lions in camp! The lions then got bored with staff and guests admiring them with their cameras & opted for some lunch - this to our horror was our swimming pool pipes & pool cleaning net.
Selinda Camp has recently also enjoyed some developments as we continually raise the standard of guests experience coming to our wildlife rich concession.
The Selinda Camp curio shop has been moved to the upper gallery allowing for a larger space & spectacular views over the flooded plains in front of camp. This move has allowed us to refine the guest experience whereby we have created a place for guests to come & browse our shop, download images onto a CD, catch up on a bit of reading in the library corner, mull over the maps with their guide or just catch up with the host, Rose, over a cup of coffee brewed in the gallery.
A channel from the Selinda Spillway through to the Zibadianja lagoon has also just been opened up & this adds an extra dimension to the existing Selinda Camp boating experience. The recently refurbished boat is being used extensively for guest airstrip transfers, fishing or sunset cruises along the spillway, & is now stationed at the new jetty in front of Selinda’s main camp area. In addition to the boat activities, Selinda also now offers canoeing activities along the spillway for guests to enjoy as part of their game viewing experience.
To make sure Selinda maintains a high standard of food coming out of our kitchens, we have appointed a Food & Beverage manager – Shirley, who hails from Gaborone. With Shirley’s supervision & training we are confident that the cuisine at Selinda is going to become even more famous.
Solar geysers have been installed in all guest rooms & staff village. This camp will soon follow in Zarafa’s footsteps & function completely on renewable energy.
Planning ahead, due to increased requests from our travel trade partners, is news that we are about to start the conversion of Room 1 into a family unit. We expect this to be completed by the end of October. The plan is that the Family room will enjoy 2 separate rooms, sharing a bathroom. The unit will also boast its own private deck with pool.
Recently we have noticed that there are 2 dominant male lions who have returned to the area nearby Selinda Camp & seem to be spending more time in the Selinda concession area. These 2 male lions were seen engaging in territorial battles with other lions from the northern Kwando region. Another game highlight during the month of June was an inter-clan dispute between two large groups of hyenas. It is a fascinating spectacle to witness these animals facing off & having an aggressive battle.
At the time of writing the floodwaters are starting to encroach onto our Selinda airstrip. Guests staying at Selinda are currently being transferred for 10 minutes from the airstrip to the boat station by vehicle & from there a further 10 minutes to Selinda by boat. Zarafa guests enjoy a 45 minute game drive to camp. If it does happen that the Selinda airstrip gets flooded, our alternative is to make use of our neighbour’sairstrip. This will then entail a 30 minute road transfer to Selinda camp, while Zarafa guests will be transferred for 30 minutes to the boat station near Selinda camp followed by a 20 min scenic boat transfer.
Motswiri has been in the limelight recently as we been hard at work refurbishing this splendid camp. Motswiri camp is sold as an 8 bedded camp & is an ideal getaway for families or small group of friends / colleagues traveling together looking for more of an active safari. Activities on offer include canoeing, tag & release fishing, walking trails & traditional evenings in addition to morning & late afternoon game drives. At the beginning of the year we relocated Motswiri Camp to its original site, amongst the leadwood trees on the banks of the Selinda Spillway. The spectacular setting overlooks a large bend of the channel. The guest’s refurbished "Meru" en suite tents are now placed some distance apart & connected by pathways to the main camp area, with each enjoying spectacular views over the Selinda Spillway. We are moving away from generator power at this camp & each unit will have its own solar panel that will run lights & a fan further reducing the camps dependence on diesel whilst lowering our Carbon Footprint further.
Our new western concession managers, Ellery & Rhalda, joined us in early June. Between them & long standing manageress, Kea, Motswiri is going places. Ellery is a specialist in raising the bar in terms of camp experience & guest activities. His added expertise extends into an area that is very important to us as a company - Sustainability. Amongst the projects he is working on right now includes creating a worm farm & recycling model that will be carried over to all our camps once the pilot project is perfected at Motswiri.
Great news is that Motswiri now also has its own boat, in addition to the canoes, that can be used for guest activities such as fishing, sundowner trips & game watching. During the high water levels, this is a definitely a good option for viewing game. Ellery has discovered that there is a large amount of activity along the spillway at night, so for those who are prepared to brave the chill - this is a must.
There are exciting times in the western section of the Selinda concession in terms of wildlife & game experiences right now: The Magegwana spillway has also flooded for the first time in at least two decades. Game sightings from the water have opened up a whole new dimension to the game viewing in the area, with regular sightings of some rather large breeding herds of elephants, buffalo, kudu, impala, hippo & even a male black-mane lion. Between sightings & viewing the secluded spillway scenery, the fishing still remains fantastic, with several species of bream easily seen swimming through the crystal clear waters as they chase the spinners. With winter temperatures steadily dropping, the Mopane woodlands are slowly starting to take on their golden hue & early mornings are met with a definite chill and mist over the waters accompanied by the distinctive call of Meyer’s parrots & pygmy geese. Fortunately the days are still comfortably warm with the spillway water still warm enough to offer a refreshing dip during the day. The advantage of the cold clear evenings is the spectacular view of the southern skies, with the Magellan clouds, Scorpio, Libra & the Southern Cross prime conversation topics during the bush dinners whilst guests enjoy the warmth of the ever-present camp fire & the symphony of steam frogs taking full advantage of the high waters.
It is now official that the Selinda Spillway is at its highest level in almost 30 years. For most guests and agents, what comes to mind when thinking of the Selinda Spillway is this small trickle of Okavango water journeying through an open savannah plain in the direction of the Kwando & Linyanti Rivers… Well that is true except that the water body is more than just a trickle, widening to hundreds of yards in places. For the first time in the history of the spillway, guests have enjoyed the Selinda Canoe Trails, canoeing almost the entire length from Motswiri Camp in the East to Selinda Camp in the west – a distance of over 90 kilometers in 4 days.The journey has been a highly rewarding experience for those who have imagined the idea & decided to partake in an once in a life time adventure of epic proportions. Buffalo, roan antelope, sable antelope, elephants, kudu, tsessebe & hyena are amongst animals that have been seen on the trails, with new male lions trying to claim the territory around the Tshwene area being very vocal at night. Water birds have also followed the spillway with a sighting of a pair of the uncommon lesser jacana whose official distribution barely touches the Selinda Spillway. Marabou & saddle-billed Storks, hammerkop, pied kingfishers & African Fish Eagle have also been following the waters.
Currently the two waters flowing easterly from the Okavango & westerly from the Kwando Rivers are some 3.5 kilometers apart as the crane flies. With the Kwando river now rising & Okavango waters still pushing in there is a very good chance these two waters will meet in late July. This movement of water has been characterized by numerous species of birds & small predators feeding on all the insects, rodents, beetles, reptiles & crickets that are being flooded out. Barbel & bream have also been in frenzy with new territory & a great feast awaiting them as they follow the headwaters. The water table in the immediate area of the spillway itself is so high that burrows that are as far as 20 meters from the water’s edge are being flooded out creating an unusual green flash along the banks. This gives one an idea of exactly how much water has gone into the sponge of the spillway whilst in the process of filling it.
Congratulations to our youngest canoeists to paddle the Selinda Trail to date. Aged 8 & 11 the young adventurers paddled with enthusiasm & their joy could not be hidden when it came to marking the end of the water. We look forward to enjoying this extraordinary adventure with the surprises & rewards that have characterized it until early October.
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