Great Plains Conservation

September is a great month to spend time with the giants of Africa, elephants, as the water is drying up from most water holes making them follow the main streams. It is a warm month and to enjoy the cool breeze of the night that is complemented by the soothing smell of the wild sage one has to keep the tent flaps up. There is nothing that brings you closer to nature like getting a night surprise visit of an elephant coming to eat next to your tent in the full glow of the moon outside.

On the newsletter front, Explorers has been somewhat quiet, we’ve been the sleepy sloths of newsletter writers, but really, it’s been quite the contrary here at our beautiful little camp on the Selinda Spillway. So, in essence, this is not so much of an “August Newsletter”, but rather a “Peak Season Newsletter” where I will try, despite my unrelenting urge to ramble on for hours with camp stories, to give a (somewhat) brief account of the wonderful highlights we’ve had so far.

August

Zarafa and its Dhow Suites would like to thank the many American citizens who made the long trip to Africa for their safari!

For our camp, August is traditionally an ‘American month’ with around 60% of our guests coming from overseas and this year was no exception. We wish you all safe travels back home and we hope to see you next winter. Oh! And for those of you who enjoy flexible work arrangements or are retired, please do not be a stranger and visit us even earlier. In November for example, it is a completely different ball game out here!

Ten things I want people to know about Kenya.
By Dereck Joubert

This could be titled ‘Why I love Kenya’ so be ready for some unabashed positive messages about the country.

I keep coming across people who ask me if it’s safe in Kenya, and while at first I was surprised, having lived for some time in Johannesburg in South Africa, later I realized that people are reading the Kenyan situation all wrong. If you hang out in any bad neighborhood bad stuff is going to happen.

So much has been happening in May at our little Explorers Camp on the Selinda Spillway – Northern Botswana, and where to even begin seems somewhat of a challenge. We’ve had an absolutely fantastic month, not only for the spectacular sightings but for the incredible fun we’ve been having with our guests and staff. They say a picture tells a thousand words, so, here’s one thousand to start off with the rarest mammal in southern Africa right in the centre of camp – A Wild Dog.

A lone bull crosses the plains, heading for the ol Donyo waterhole. (Photo: Walter Kolon)

May should have been a month of dramatic storms and heavy downpours, but sadly we have not had much of a rainy season so far – more of a “gentle drizzle”! So we are keeping our fingers crossed that we may get some late rain in June to fill the waterholes out on the plains and top up our tanks.

Two things come to mind at Duba at the start of the floods. The thrill of seeing water in huge amounts as well as the logistical challenges that comes with the floods. At the end of the day the answer is just simple; these are not the first floods we’ve been through and not the highest we’ve seen, therefore pre-planning plays a big part. May is a month of many activities, Elephants migrating to areas where there’s water, floods rising and delta islands get smaller, roads coming underwater.

Guide James and Lion Tracker Lenka discussing the route through the Chyulu Hills to the collared lion Nemasi

Excitement is all over Botswana with the official announcement that one of our three Wild Dog packs are denning.

Winter is coming!

Many of our followers in civilization might recognize the phrase “Winter is coming…” from the television series ‘Game of Thrones’. (For those who are  a little behind – it is apparently a very popular show so catch-up, you do not live in the bush!)