Jos Janisch over at exploregorongosa.com sent me an e-mail about "Africa's Lost Eden" a special about Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park. She was kind enough to provide a link to an official trailer of Africa's Lost Eden.

Cape Buffalo - like this one - are among the fauna visitors can see at Gorongosa National Park
© Bill Given

Africa's Lost Eden U.S. Air Date

While Africa's Lost Eden has already premiered in various parts of the world, you'll want to be in front of the television on Wednesday, March 24th. That evening, it will be shown on the National Geographic Channel (Nat Geo).

Background Story for Africa's Lost Eden

Gorongosa used to be a major safari destination in the 1960s and 1970s. The 1,500 square mile park boasted huge herds and varied wildlife and made Mozambique one of the premier destinations for safari related tourism. Unfortunately, civil war came to Mozambique and had a horribly negative impact on both the human population of Mozambique, as well as the park wildlife. Hence the name of the Nat Geo special - Africa's Lost Eden.

The news isn't all bad. With the help of American Greg Carr, Gorongosa National Park is making a comeback. I wrote a blog post about a 60 Minutes story that covered the fall - and rise - of Gorongosa National Park. I encourage you to check out my Gorongosa National Park blog post to learn more about the park, and to see the 60 Minutes story. It will serve as a good primer for Africa's Lost Eden.

   

Saddle-billed stork repositions along Savuti Channel
© Bill Given

Saying Botswana during the green season is a spectacular time for birds should not be equated to the blind dating reference of "she has a great personality". The amazing birdlife is a strong positive for visiting Botswana during the green season (December through March) as many migrant species are down for the Southern Africa summer and the scenery is a vibrant compliment to the increased birdlife but just as some people may have a great personality and be attractive Botswana’s green season still delivers a great all-around safari that the birds are a wonderful part of but not in place of excellent mammal viewing. That disclaimer out of the way let me share some of my recent Botswana birding experiences.

Vigilant tawny eagle looking to hunt near Sankuyo Bush Camp
© Bill Given

Most of my clients only mention mammals when stating their safari desires, with some throwing in that they will also enjoy birds and other small animals along the way. Once on safari, most discover that they can be overwhelmed with the beauty and variety of the birds, without having to transform themselves into hard core twitchers.

A dainty malachite kingfisher perches in between hunting sorties near Mapula Lodge
© Bill Given

One nice thing about birds is because they are active throughout the day you often get some of your more interesting photos with them as subjects. In Botswana because of the wetland environment larger wading birds and extremely active kingfishers are some of the best to observe and photos of them help show the dynamic environment.

With luck you sometimes observe very unique behaviors as well. On my last trip I was very fortunate to find the stunning combination of a colorful carmine bee-eater riding in a jockey position upon Africa’s largest flying bird, the kori bustard. This is thought to be an example of mutualism where both species benefit from being associated with one another. It’s clear that the carmine bee-eater benefits from eating insects kicked up by the large kori bustard and if you watch the head movements in the video you can see that the bee-eater is indeed plucking insects from the air. It is believed that the carmine bee-eaters will detect danger quicker than the kori bustard and thus provide the benefit of greater safety.

Barred owl just outside my tent at Sankuyo Bush Camp
© Bill Given

In my wildlife biologist career I have spent many nights walking miles through dark forests playing taped calls to survey for owls and that’s likely why they are my favorite to see. The above photo is probably my favorite African bird sighting as I discovered this little barred owl just outside my tent as I walked home and then I was able to call him to above my open-air loo at Sankuyo Bush Camp. This last trip was an excellent one for owls and in addition to the barred owl we found pearl-spotted owls, white-faced owls, giant eagle owls, and a spotted eagle owl. The owls are a real indicator to me that the continents were connected at one time because each of these owls we saw are in the same genus as a North American counterpart and in each case they look very similar demonstrating a shared ancestory.

Lilac-breasted roller at Mapula
© Bill Given

More than anything it is the palette of extraordinary colors that grabs attention of safari goers. The rollers, bee-eaters, and kingfishers in particular have unbelievable colors that often surprise with unexpected bursts of new shades when they take to flight.

Perhaps the only thing more beautiful than the dazzling colors of the lilac-breasted roller is three together
© Bill Given

   

Selinda’s current specialty is leopards and this male was particularly relaxed.
© Bill Given

I finished guiding my group and then headed on to the legendary Selinda Reserve, a huge wedge of land that lies between the game rich Kwando and Linyanti Concessions. The Selinda area has likely undergone more change in the last couple years than any other location in Botswana, both environmentally and with accommodation. Large floods in the past two years have added a significant amount of surface water here and for the first time in nearly thirty years the Selinda spillway flowed to the point of connecting the Okavango Delta with the Kwando/Linyanti river systems.

All of this water has caused some species to disperse- some concentrations of animals inside the Selinda concession. However, I have been very excited about a new canoeing adventure (Selinda Canoe Trail) that is a multiday paddle and camping trip. The canoe trip is actually one of the better cost values available during Botswana high season (June through October) and its natural to finish with a couple nights at one of the luxury camps in the Selinda Reserve so I wanted to visit for myself.

A well known guide, Steve K., who gained his skills and built his reputation at the Kwando Camps has been guiding at Selinda Camp for the past two years. I learned the area is very good for leopard and they have nine known individuals and sightings of these beautiful cats is frequent.

In my two nights I had two leopard sightings. The first was a shy female in a tree who left after a minute. The second was a male near Zarafa Camp who was extremely relaxed laying on the ground and we stayed with him for close to two hours before leaving him to a nap and to catch my exit flight.

Currently, two male lions are spending the majority of their time inside the concession and there are a couple females that are expected to bring out cubs very soon. Sighting these lions is a regular occurrence, I saw them once and heard them the second night too, though they can slip out to a neighboring concession from time to time.

African wild dogs come and go frequently and the Selinda concession remains a well used part of the range for two packs though they typically den in the neighboring concessions.

Cheetah have become a very infrequent occurrence as the main two cheetah that used the area are tending to stay on the other side of the Savuti Channel within the Linyanti concession and they are hesitant to swim the channel. However, Selinda Concession is receiving two male cheetah that have been captured on the Ghanzi cattle farms where they come into conflict with livestock. The cheetah will be relocated to Selinda where they will receive a ‘soft’ release, moving into a large boma (fenced) area inside the reserve within the next month and then it is anticipated they will be released onto the reserve in May. Considering there is a very strong coalition of males dominating the Kwando concession and then the Savuti Channel forms somewhat of a barrier to movement to the southeast its quite likely these cheetah will remain in the unoccupied area of the Selinda concession enhancing the diversity of predators.

Beyond my good luck with big cats I was fortunate to have a quality daytime sighting of an African wild cat.
© Bill Given

There were quite a few elephants but they come and go during the green season, while the buffalo disappear completely into the mopane woodland. In the dry season large quantities of both species frequent the area. The permanent water makes Selinda a good place to see the handsome red lechwe and the bird life is very good, especially in the water areas, while the woodland edges are a good place to find roan and sable antelope.

A red lechwe dashes through the water of the Selinda Spillway.
© Bill Given

Next up I will review the accommodation in the Selinda Reserve.

   

The Okavango Delta is a spectacular paradise that can make driving challenging.
© Bill Given

A partnership of local guides that I know are starting a new mobile safari operation and they had discussions with me between October and January regarding marketing them to the North American market. However, we all wanted a face to face meeting to finalize details. During siesta time at Mapula Lodge, I headed north into the bush for a meeting under a tree that was part way to their villages. Arriving at this meeting location meant crossing water up to the hood of the vehicle on three occasions but we arrived right on time.

Botswana’s public parks and reserves have some of the highest wildlife densities and often deliver quality sightings like these African wild dogs that I saw hunt in Savute.
© Bill Given

Under the tree, we found a small table and chairs had been set up for our meeting complete with snacks and drinks and we were greeted by the three principals of the newly formed Superlative Tours and Safaris, a locally registered company. One of the founders is Olatotse, the recently re-elected District Councilman for the Gudigwa/Vumbura area, another is a longtime guide named Modumo who I was once guided by at Kwando Kwara camp. These two will be the head guides for this company.

The meeting began by standing one at a time and addressing the table of our intentions and then with formalities out of the way we remained seated and went over the details of this new operation, which I have agreed to market as a new product for The Wild Source. With these new partners I will be able to offer high quality mobile adventures within Botswana’s public parks and reserves at an excellent value rate of between $325 and $350 per person per night.

Public areas like Savute, Moremi, and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve contain some of Botswana’s highest wildlife densities making this a great value option for those who don’t want to pay a premium for private concessions. I am most excited that it will be possible to plan in cultural activities focused on the fascinating river bushman culture at Gudigwa giving these mobiles a very special extra wow.

Stuck in the Okavango Delta!

Dicks and Bill arrive back at Mapula Lodge with our clothes dripping wet following our self-rescue from the waters of the Delta.
Photo courtesy of Karen R.

Enthralled at having had such a productive meeting in the idyllic setting of the Okavango Delta, we headed back to Mapula Lodge as we would have a game drive with clients this afternoon. At our last high water crossing we became stuck! The tires ground down into the bottom of the Delta and all we could do now is self-rescue. Over the next hour Dicks and I would have to wade into the Delta’s waters jacking up one tire at a time and then walk onto an island and scavenge fallen trees to secure under each tire for traction. The water was at the bottom of our doors but to work under the tires required us to get wet up to our chins. It worked and we were able to back out to the other side of the channel and then create a new track to finally get to where we needed to be. We pulled in 10 minutes before our game drive to the cheers of clients who could see us in the water with binoculars from camp. It was the best commute from a meeting that I have ever had!

   

Impact of the new VAT Increase

Photo of a Leopard in Botswana Descending a Tree© Bill Given

Last week, the Botswana government decided to raise the Tourism VAT tax from 10% to 12% effective April 1st. This was quickly met with a flurry of Botswana safari camp operators raising their prices by 2% for the rest of 2010. In some cases even bookings that have been paid in full are now being invoiced for the additional 2%.

Not All Botswana Safari Operators Raised Prices

One company, Footsteps in Africa, has gone against the tide and is honoring their rates throughout 2010 stating that a rate quoted is a rate honored! Fortunately The Wild Source utilizes Footsteps in Africa for a large percentage of our Botswana business, however, we are believers in offering a full range of products and have used 8 different Botswana ownership groups in the last year to provide access to all of the best camps to fit our clients diverse needs.

The Wild Source Prices Hold Firm

As such, quite a few bookings will be receiving an additional 2% hike in price. However, clients of The Wild Source can relax because we are following Footsteps in Africa’s lead and eating a little profit rather than passing on this additional cost to our valued clients. We would much rather have you be a loyal client who will refer us and return to Africa with us then worry about absolutely maximizing our profit by uncomfortably raising the price by a small amount.

Beyond that, rather than watch Botswana safari prices creep upwards on consumers The Wild Source will continue to offer 2010 Botswana safaris at the pre-VAT rate deducting that 2% off the top and in many cases we will discount well beyond that level in an effort to continue to provide exceptional quality Botswana safaris at a great value.

Here is a summary of the different Botswana operators response to the VAT increase:

• Footsteps in Africa – No change, is honoring their 2010 rates throughout the year
• Kwando Safaris – Will honor rates for any bookings that were confirmed through February 29th, has raised all rates by 2% for the rest of 2010
• Wilderness Safaris – All confirmed bookings, even if fully paid will be charged an additional 2%. Prices will be increased 2% for the rest of 2010.
• Great Plains -- All confirmed bookings, even if fully paid will be charged an additional 2%. Prices will be increased 2% for the rest of 2010.
• Sanctuary Lodges -- All confirmed bookings, even if fully paid will be charged an additional 2%. Prices will be increased 2% for the rest of 2010.
• Ker & Downey – Will honor rates for any bookings that were confirmed through February, has raised all rates by 2% for the rest of 2010
• Desert & Delta -- Will honor rates for any bookings that were confirmed through February 29th, has raised all rates by 2% for the rest of 2010
• Uncharted Africa – Will honor rates for any bookings that are paid in full by March 31st, prices will be increased 2% for all bookings paid for April 1st onward.