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African Safari Update

19th March 2021

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Eagle View & Leopard Hill camp

14th March 2021

Eagle View & Leopard Hill camp


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Eagle View

Eagle View & Leopard Hill camps, Naboisho Conservancy

The ideal safari destination is hard to pick but for first time visitors to Africa and to Kenya in particular, the Naboisho Conservancy just north of the Masai Mara National Park deserves serious consideration.  For sheer game viewing potential, natural beauty, level of privacy and diversity of activities, it has few rivals. This massive area of typical Masai Mara terrain with rolling hills, open plains and rocky outcrops, supports an abundant and growing variety of plains game, big cats, birds and plant and tree species.


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Eagle View

Your visit there has a direct beneficial effect on the lives of more than 500 Masai families who jointly own the land and who derive income from the various safari companies operating in the conservancy. Also, your stay makes a meaningful and lasting contribution to the conservation of wildlife including threatened and vulnerable species like cheetahs and giraffes


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Eagle View

Our first stop in Naboisho last December was Eagle View camp which has nine rooms, anchored by an attractive lounge and dining area with a superb view over a large salt lick and natural spring. Pretty much for the duration of our stay, there were lots of giraffes and zebras hanging around the salt lick.

Sanctuary Retreats


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Eagle View

Our room had a good sized patio with a view, a table and a couple of chairs, a double sink, an indoor as well as an outdoor shower. En route to camp we saw our third cheetah in the space of two days. This time a female with three cubs; the cheetah which had eluded us during our earlier stay at Mara Nyika (link to Mara Nyika blog post).


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The female cheetah did not have her babies with her but she was clearly hunting. She must have just barely missed a tiny dik-dik antelope which we saw literally low flying out of the area.  Shortly after, we came upon the cheetah and watched her panting, resting up under a bush. Fortunately we did not have to hunt for our lunch:  we enjoyed some fish & chips and veggie wraps.


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That evening after a short game drive our group got together for sundowners at around 6 pm, with a big fire blazing away under a tree, in the middle of a big open plain. En route we bumped into the third member of the Naboisho lion coalition. Compared with the other two which we had seen while at Mara Nyika, this one was somewhat less impressive with a rather scrawny looking mane. He started roaring and when he got up, we could see that he was hampered by a leg injury.


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A bush walk at Eagle View Camp

The following morning we set out on a bush walk of about 2 hours in duration, covering only about two miles in that time. There was almost always an abundance of plains game to be seen from zebras to topis to wildebeest to giraffes to gazelles.

Early in the walk we saw some giraffes running and were then stunned to see the cause of their alarm:  a male cheetah which walked away from us, going from left to right at a slow but deliberate pace.


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None of us had ever encountered a cheetah on a foot safari. This was a truly exceptional sighting. The walk was not overly strenuous or excessively long and indeed felt just right in terms of duration and level of exertion. It was decent exercise and we picked up a lot of useful and interesting facts and information from our guide Derrick and our Masai trackers.


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Leopard Hill

At the end of the walk we enjoyed a bush breakfast under a large tree. Juice, coffee, bush omelets, chicken sausage, potatoes, yoghurt and home made muesli.

Then we were off on a game drive to Leopard Hill camp. En route we had some great sightings of zebras and giraffes. There are always lots of general plains game to be seen in Naboisho!


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Leopard Hill

Leopard Hill is a very small camp with just six roomy tents, each with a skylight above your bed (electrically operated) for stargazing at night. The camp is compact with an attractive lounge area/dining room overlooking a waterhole. After settling in, we enjoyed lunch outside: avocado soup, a mixed green salad, your choice of a veggie or chicken wrap (both tasted great!) and ice cream for dessert.


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Prior to our afternoon game drive, our guide Derrick had heard a female leopard calling in a thicket near camp, so once we were all aboard, he drove in that direction to investigate.

Despite having to go a long way around to cross a stream, Derrick found the leopard standing in a lightly wooded area, calling every now and then and walking steadily in the same direction, pausing to look around every now and then..


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Leopard Hill

Plans for a bush dinner had to be changed due to a threatening thunderstorm.   We ended up having a festive meal in a covered verandah.  All of the camp staff gave us a rousing farewell with some exuberant singing and dancing and jumping. They were clearly having fun and kept it short and sweet.  We felt really special to get such a sendoff!


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Leopard Hill

In next week’s blog we take a closer look at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, the unique Cape Kalahari conservation project which turned a collection of over-grazed farms into a showpiece game reserve, known for signature species like aardvark, pangolin, habituated meerkats and black rhino.

More Info

Email bert@fisheaglesafaris.com

Email jason@fisheaglesafaris.com

@fisheaglesafarishouston

#FishEagleSafaris

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Where to stay in Arusha, Tanzania

12th March 2021

Where to stay in Arusha, Tanzania


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Ngare Sero Lodge

Where to stay in Arusha, Tanzania

For most visitors to Tanzania, Arusha is an unavoidable one-night stand before heading out to their first safari destination.  We’ve been through that process a few times ourselves.  Arriving into JRO at night – tired and jet-lagged – after two long back-to-back flights from Houston.  Getting in line at Kilimanjaro Airport to complete entry formalities – and invariably underestimating the amount of time it would take.  Finally, being collected by your driver for the 45-minute plus drive to your hotel.


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A late dinner.  A somewhat restless night depending on how well or poorly you handle jet lag.  And then, suddenly, it’s the next day and you are off to Arusha Airport for your scheduled charter flight to points north, south or west.  Over the years, we’ve spent nights at Machweo Wellness, Arusha Coffee Lodge and Rivertrees, and have found them to be perfectly fine choices for the purpose.  This time around, I ended up spending a bit more time in Arusha due to my schedule, as I had to add a couple of additional nights  to obtain a negative Covid-19 test, now required for re-entry into the USA.


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Ngare Sero Lodge

Ngare Sero Lodge

A friend of mine spent several nights at Ngare Sero in February 2020, prior to a Kilimanjaro climb, and she gave the property a rave review.  Consequently, I was keenly anticipating spending my first night in Tanzania there, this last February.  I was not disappointed.  Ngare Sero is a beautiful old plantation lodge located in a large, park-like garden in a quiet and peaceful area, well off the main road.

Sanctuary Retreats


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Ngare Sero Lodge

With the addition of several garden cottages, the erstwhile private residence was successfully turned into a lodge which is ideal for a short stay either before or after a safari or Kilimanjaro climb.  In fact, we recommend a minimum stay of two nights.  It is  simply too beautiful a setting and there’s just too much to see and experience, for just one night.


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Ngare Sero Lodge

I spent the night in one of the garden rooms, which was spacious enough and had a good-sized bath and separate toilet, as well as a sitting area.  My private three-course dinner was served under canvas, on a large tile-covered patio, with tree frogs chirping in the distance and light rain adding some atmosphere.  Focaccia, watercress soup, steamed veggies, a mixed green salad, baked nile perch with homemade tartar sauce.  Nicely rounded off with fresh strawberries and a cup of hot chamomile tea.


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Ngare Sero Lodge

As I was to see on my quick introductory walk and also early the next morning when I did a ‘photo walk’, Ngare Sero has many different, attractive spots for meals.  Some are romantically tucked away overlooking a small lake or a stunningly beautiful forest.  On my short stay, I had barely enough time for a brief run through the property, crossing the picturesque foot-bridge over the lake.  Such a pretty scene, and definitely a spot where one could linger around sunset.  The surrounding garden was lush and beautiful and clearly harbors a wide variety of birds – all the more reason to spend more time at Ngare Sero than just the bare minimum one night.


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Ngare Sero Lodge

Although it was short, my stay was refreshing and invigorating.  Most importantly, Ngare Sero was quiet.  No traffic noise, no cars or motorbikes honking, no dogs barking or people moving about.  The perfect setting for some quality sleep.  Even so, being severely jetlagged, I was up at 3:30 am.  Wide awake.  It’s under circumstances like those that one rediscovers the meaning of the word – luxury.  In this case it was having a full tub of scalding hot water with nothing on my schedule for at least the next 90 minutes.  In-between taking some photos the next morning I enjoyed a light breakfast, from a menu with a surprisingly large variety of choices.  The next stop?  Arusha Airport.


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Legendary Lodge

Legendary Lodge

At Legendary Lodge in Arusha all the tables on the verandah are set for lunch every day.  Irrespective of the number of guests in the lodge on the day, or how many people will actually show up for the meal.  So I was told, when commenting on the number of place settings on the day.  What was left unsaid was that preparing just one or two tables simply wouldn’t look right and would detract from the carefully nurtured old world ambiance, the aura of understated elegance.


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Legendary Lodge

At Legendary Lodge – clearly – nothing is ever out of place, or short of perfect.  The former main residence now serves as the lounge and dining area, with beautiful garden views in practically every direction.   Spaced well apart, there are 12 large, attractive and well-designed cottages (two of which are family units) concealed among many large trees, shrubs and hedges, providing accommodation for about 28 guests.


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Legendary Lodge

The meals at Legendary Lodge were right up there with the best of the entire trip, certainly in the same league as its sister property Mwiba Lodge, which was also on my Tanzania itinerary.  For lunch on the first day, the a la carte menu listed several choices for starters, mains and dessert.  A soup, a green salad, a fish dish, pork belly, a vegetarian option, creme brulee or ice cream.   Everything sounded delicious and turned out to be so.  The presentation was impeccable  and the service smooth as silk.

The cottage room had lots of space with a fireplace (lit on demand), a king size bed with mosquito net, a large en suite bathroom with shower and full size tub right up against a window with views into the garden.


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Legendary Lodge

The massive garden at Legendary Lodge is filled with frangipani trees, fire lilies, jacarandas, and trimmed hedges, making for a soothing, relaxing environment to spend a night or two before safari or after a trek up to the summit of Kilimanjaro.  It was filled with bird song in the afternoons, and I happened to see some shy dikdik walking out of the forest as well as a bushbuck daintily making its way across a patch of lawn.


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Villa Maua

Villa Maua

I spent the last three nights of my Tanzania stay at Villa Maua, just off the center of town, awaiting the results of a Covid-19 test – in order to get back into the USA.  My stay at Villa Maua was pleasant and I felt well looked after, with someone always around to take care of a soft drink request, helping me arrange a driver to a nearby restaurant, or something else.  The meals which I enjoyed there, including the breakfasts, a couple of lunches and one dinner, were all excellent and nicely prepared and presented.


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Villa Maua

The room was spacious and I particularly enjoyed the tub, put to very good use for my first proper soak after a week without showering on Mt. Kilimanjaro.  The room had air conditioning, a TV (which I never switched on), ample packing space and a safe.  Villa Maua’s small garden, outside bar and indoor/outdoor dining spaces and small courtyard make for a cozy, interesting spot to spend a couple of days in Arusha.

With a bit of time on my hands, I did some running in the area which was quite challenging, given the altitude and the rather more hilly than southeastern Texas surroundings.  My advice to other would-be Arusha runners?  Watch out for the motorbikes, aka ‘boda-boda’s.  Many of their owners drive recklessly and way too fast and do not demonstrate a lot of road sense or respect for pedestrians.  What I would recommend is that you check out a few of the local eateries.  After several weeks of ‘safari’ food – nice as it was – I felt like having pizza one evening.


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Villa Maua

As it turned out a nearby restaurant – I discovered it on one of my runs – happened to be one of Arusha’s best pizza joints, among other things.  And so it was that I took a $2 cab ride to George’s Tavern on Haile Selassie Road, where I thoroughly enjoyed half of a perfectly delicious, good sized Neapolitan style pizza, which set me back about $8.  The other half of the pizza I took back to Villa Maua.  Can you leave pizza at room temperature overnight and enjoy another couple of pieces the following day for lunch?  In my experience, yes…


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Villa Maua

On my last night in Arusha I ventured out to yet another nearby eatery – the Taj –  this time specifically for some curry and rice.  I tried a chicken curry with plenty of rice and found it to be good and saucy, really flavorful and nicely spiced but not overpoweringly hot, with a hint of coconut.  Served with some chapati on the side, and a cold Coke, it was exactly what I wanted.  To be sure, the restaurant does not have much going for it in the way of surroundings or ambiance, with lots of plastic table covers, some questionable decor choices and perhaps one too many bright colors.  None of this detracted from the quality of the food though.


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Lake Duluti Lodge

Lake Duluti Lodge

En route to Kilimanjaro Airport on the day of departure, I stopped over for a site inspection and lunch at Lake Duluti Lodge which scored high marks from the perspective of someone spending a night or two there, prior to a safari or a Kili trek.  The rooms are superb with tons of space, lots of natural light, a huge tub, a shower with a view, big king size beds with mosquito nets, high ceilings and importantly, plenty of privacy.


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Lake Duluti Lodge

Lunch was tasty and expertly prepared and presented.  The grounds are massive and just beg to be explored – binoculars in hand – for what appears to be some awesome birds.  The property is on a working coffee plantation and there is a small, deep lake nearby – Lake Duluti – where one can do some canoeing.  The lake also has a nice dirt trail around it.  If I had time I would have strapped on my running shoes…


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Lake Duluti Lodge

In our blog post next Friday we will discuss my 2-night stay at Legendary Safaris’ Mwiba Lodge, a deluxe property in the far southern Serengeti, on the edge of the Maswa Game Reserve.

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@fisheaglesafarishouston

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Tswalu Kalahari Reserve Part 2

In Setswana, Tswalu means a ‘new beginning’ and under the stewardship of the Oppenheimer family, the aim is to deliver exactly that: a fresh era of hope for the people and wildlife of one of South Africa’s last great wilderness areas. 

The family took over responsibility for the reserve in 1998, continuing the vision of the late Stephen Boler, whose dream it was to return the area to its former state. Since then, their commitment to conservation has seen indigenous species re-introduced, and real strides made towards the restoration of the Kalahari,  undoing many years of neglect.


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Tswalu is conservation-in-progress. Damage caused by unsustainable farming endeavours is slowly receding, with fences and structures having been removed, and natural processes allowed to run their course.  

The results have been truly spectacular as we – and our guests – have been fortunate to observe over the last several years.  Each visit reveals a new facet of the Kalahari experience, adds to our knowledge of animal behavior and adaptation, and makes us even more fond of this special place.


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Cheetahs ahead

After a bit of down-time on our second day at Tswalu, we resumed our search for the Kalahari wildlife around 5:00 pm. Not long after, we found ourselves tracking a small family group of cheetahs. A female and three young cubs around three  months old. Initially, they proved difficult to locate, so our tracker William jumped out of the car to try to locate them on foot, while our guide Barry took us along a more distant road, checking to see if the cheetahs had crossed over it, at any point.  

Sanctuary Retreats


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Not long after, William radioed us that he had located the cheetahs, walking towards a line of dunes.  The female was constantly moving, having spotted William on foot, so the developing scenario was difficult to photograph. The female just would not settle down long enough for us to get a good photograph of her and the cubs, together.  Even so, I succeeded in making a few decent captures because the cubs were curious about our presence, and came  right up to the vehicle to check us out.  


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We discover a bat-eared fox den

Our last sighting of the day was just as memorable.  Just as the sun was going down, we spotted a pair of bat-eared foxes with their three tiny pups – barely a few weeks old. The light wasn’t great but we nonetheless got some good looks and captured a few pics of the tiny pups.   They looked very doglike with tiny ears and short little snouts, nothing like their long-eared and long-nosed  parents.  Soon after, it was time to take a break for sundowners on the crest of a dune.  From where we were parked, we had the most amazing views over the Kalahari landscapes, aglow in the late afternoon light.  It was one of the few places we’d ever been to, from where one can observe a noticeable curvature of the earth.


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The following day, again in the late afternoon, we returned to the bat-eared fox den site.  This time around, I was able to get the shots I had missed the previous day. Well lit, sharp photos of the female bat-eared fox with first one and then two of her little pups with her. Priceless.


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Of meerkats and black rhinos

The following morning our objective was to station ourselves at a habituated meerkat den as they woke up and emerged from the den at first light.

A few minutes before any sun rays actually hit the spot, the first two of the seven adult meerkats in the downsized ‘Rockstar’ colony of 7 adults and 5 babies, peered out from the burrow.   Soon enough the entire family was there.  At least initially a sentinel could be seen keeping a sharp lookout to see if conditions were safe.


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For the first thirty minutes or so the entire group was clustered around the main den site, waking up and stretching their muscles, clearly just happy to be alive for another day.

Increasingly, the meerkats started to interact, several of them grooming some of the youngsters and the babies eventually starting to mock fight and bowl each other over.


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Eventually the meerkats started to drift away from the den and move into the open veld. Darting from one spot to the next,  they were off to find some food. With good rain having fallen fairly recently, there was an abundance of insects to be found and devoured. Their joie de vivre was on full display: finally, conditions had taken a turn for the better, after a severe and long-lasting drought.


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Back at the lodge, we had to make good on a desire we had expressed earlier, which was to go for a run with our guide Barry.  It ended up being a 7km run on a sandy path, taking a circular route starting from the camp. Was it hot and heavy-going? Yes.  Could I bail out and jump on the vehicle following us?  Not under any circumstances, having requested the run myself, to get some exercise.

In the afternoon we drove about one hour southwest towards a more heavily wooded area (with lots of blackthorn acacia trees) where we would stand a chance to see a black rhino.


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We spent the next couple of hours or so patrolling various tracks around the area but came up empty-handed.  No sign of a black rhino.  Or any rhino for that matter.  We had pretty much resigned ourselves to not seeing these magnificent animals – at least not on this trip to Tswalu –  when our capable tracker William spotted some rhino tracks.  “These tracks are very fresh,” he said.


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That definitely got my attention and sure enough, just minutes later – bingo – there was a female black rhino with a sub-adult calf staring at us from a somewhat elevated spot. The rhinos were partially obscured and clearly not sure where the potential threat may be coming from.  We had a brief opportunity for a few photographs and then the female black rhino and calf moved away, kicking up some Kalahari dust. It was the perfect ending to a magical three days in the Kalahari.


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In our blog post next Friday we will look at a few Arusha-area hotels, namely Ngare Sero Lodge, Legendary Lodge and Villa Maua.  Any one of these would be a good choice to spend a day or two prior to, or after a safari or climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

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Email jason@fisheaglesafaris.com

@fisheaglesafarishouston

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Tswalu Kalahari Reserve Part 1

26th February 2021

Tswalu Kalahari Reserve Part 1


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Tswalu Kalahari Reserve Part 1

An African photographic safari is likely one of the most intriguing, multi-layered vacation experiences imaginable. It starts with the place. Often remote, sometimes romantic, occasionally jaw-droppingly awesome.

Then there’s the people. They’re invariably passionate about wildlife conservation, about the community within which they operate and about providing their guests with an experience which they may cherish for the rest of their lives. They’re fun to be around, never boring and their skills are remarkable.


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The top guides are accomplished all round naturalists, effective communicators, conversationalists and diplomats. Some are expert bird-watchers, or professional photographers.  Qualified walking guides can bring down a charging elephant with one shot. They avoid getting guests into a situation which may require such drastic action of course…

The mammals, birds and other creatures which are to be found around the camps and beyond, often steal the show. Finding and seeing them and learning more about their behavior and relationships are after all why most of us go on safari. 


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Motse

When you visit a top African safari property like Tswalu Kalahari Reserve in South Africa’s northern Cape province, it becomes easy to see how place, people, guiding and wildlife conservation can converge to create a unique and deeply satisfying experience.

Tswalu has a certain style and visitors are introduced to it even before they arrive in camp. The last leg of the journey there – from either Cape Town or Johannesburg – is usually as a passenger in Tswalu‘s stylish, high performance Pilatus PC-12. This sleek, pressurized turboprop gets you to Tswalu at a brisk 325 miles per hour, at a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet.

Sanctuary Retreats


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Descending into the hill and dune-studded woodland Kalahari, its singular visual appeal becomes obvious even before the Pilatus touches down with a brief squeal as the rubber tires meet the asphalt runway.  The impact of the red sand dunes, deep blue skies and golden grass is unavoidable:  there’s nowhere else like it.  Add the unmistakable look of the Korannaberg Mountains visible in the background and you know immediately where you are.

Arrival formalities are deftly dealt with at the reception center which has been more or less taken over by a giant Sociable Weaver colony. These cheeky-looking birds are all over the place, checking out new arrivals.


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Motse

The Place

We found the new iteration of Tswalu to be much to our liking.  The interiors were lighter with the textured walls painted in shades of grey and neutral, sand colors.  The traditional thatched roofs had been retained. Overall the effect was pleasing, cool, and classic.  There was nothing jarring or out of place.


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Motse

We also approve of the enlarged outside patio area where a large natural wood deck overlooks two pools and a water hole. Extending the overhead cover (natural wood  poles) now provides shade on practically the entire veranda, where we enjoyed several of our meals.  Kathy made use of the larger infinity pool and a smaller pool below while I was trying to capture some images of male masked weavers, constructing nests in an acacia tree close to the pool.


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Motse

The  rooms were just as spacious as we remembered them from our first visit.  And they were still 100% effectively air-conditioned, with good lighting, an inviting outdoor relaxation area, and a clear view over the water hole, from our room. And stocked with a tasty range of snacks including dried fruit and traditional dried beef sausage.


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The People

By the time we went out on our first game drive, we had already met Barry Peiser who would be our private guide for the next three days.  Barry – a prolific photographer –  clearly enjoys offering advice and tips on wildlife and landscape photography.  His favorite time of year at Tswalu is winter, as this allows him to spend the whole day out on the reserve with guests. The cooler conditions mean that animals don’t rest from the heat as much as they do in summer, and there’s more opportunity for photography.


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Between Barry and our expert tracker William Gaotswenwe, we had the ideal team to venture out in search of cheetah, lion, aardvark, sable antelope, pangolin, honey badger and caracal.  William is renowned for  never missing a clue or a sign left in the wild by an animal. Quiet and focused, when William signals with a raised hand from the tracker seat for the guide to stop the vehicle, nobody argues. Just a cursory glance at fresh tracks left in the red Kalahari sand, and he knows exactly where to go, or which direction to take.


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A Kalahari night drive

Over the next few days we always seemed to be in just the right position and I was able to capture some of my best ever images of the Kalahari wildlife.  Things started off with a bang on our very first night drive when we had a great sighting of an aardvark out in the open, just walking around, checking out potential feeding sites.  I made a rookie mistake by using a shutter speed which was just slightly too low to stop the motion and get a good, sharp image.  I will blame it on working with relatively new equipment (second trip with the Nikon D-850), but really should have nailed it.  Rule #1 in wildlife photography is to get a sharp image; anything blurry is pretty much useless, unless of course it is an intended effect.  So when you are in an ultra low-light situation, don’t worry about graininess or noise, that can be fixed (to a degree) in post-processing.  Your overriding aim should always be to get a sharp image.


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During the course of the night, we saw several other Kalahari specials including bat-eared foxes, springhares, scrub hares, an African wild cat, several large spotted genet, many dwarf field mice, and various gecko species.


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Lion Pride Squabbles

The following day we were out early for a game drive, the specific mission being to find the southern lion pride   Which we duly did, but only after we had enjoyed some great views of a brown hyena.  Somewhat uncharacteristically, it stopped and looked straight into the camera for a few seconds, before loping off.  I think if I had missed that shot (considering what had happened the previous night with the aardvark), I would have been ready to sell my camera.  The brown hyenas are unusual, rarely seen animals.  They are mostly nocturnal, becoming crepuscular (being out around sunrise and sunset) when it is cold.


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We crossed the public road into the southern sector of Tswalu, where the search for the lions would begin in earnest.   With master tracker William and guide Barry reading the tea leaves – tracks left by the lions along the road – we soon found them walking towards a rocky ridge.

There were three adult females with 6 cubs, followed at a distance by two young males just reaching maturity. Not known to us – at least not initially – was that we had stepped into a family squabble. The older female lion – who by now had given birth to a new set of cubs – was trying to emancipate the two young males, the older brothers. They would have none of it. At least not yet. 


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The two young males had become the innocent ‘victims’  of instinct, which rules lion behavior. Due to their size and power they had become a threat to their mother’s new set of  young cubs.  Instinctively, she had become extremely wary of letting them approach closely. At one stage when they got too close she rushed up to them snarling and with claws flying, forcibly letting them know that they were no longer welcome to the pride. It was time for them to go out on their own and find their own  way in the world.


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This is not an easy task and in fact the life of a young emerging male lion is fraught with perils including starvation, attack by territorial males and other predators. They are at their most vulnerable at this stage of their lives, having the ability but not yet the truly developed skills to hunt successfully.  

Eventually the two young males settled down a respectable distance away from their mother who then resumed feeding her three babies.  We mentally wished them the best of luck as we returned to camp.


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In our blog post next Friday we remain at Tswalu to take a closer look at some more special desert animals including Bat-eared Foxes and Suricates (meerkats), and we travel to a distant part of the reserve in search of Black Rhino.

More Info

Email bert@fisheaglesafaris.com

Email jason@fisheaglesafaris.com

@fisheaglesafarishouston

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