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Madagascar East, West & North: June-July 2024 – Part 1

Madagascar East, West & North: June-July 2024

Where does one even start with Madagascar? If it were a perfect world, this Texas-size island in the Indian Ocean would be the perfect tourism destination. Fascinating beyond belief with an incredible array of endemic lemurs, baobabs, birds, chameleons, other plant species and more. Beguiling people with babies and young children to be seen literally everywhere. There are gorgeous beaches, world-class diving and snorkeling, some incredibly good food, bird-watching, hiking and an array of cultural experiences. The country is a photographer’s paradise. Also, Madagascar is inexpensive by almost any standard.  

Getting there

Lately, Madagascar has become not that difficult to reach from North America. My best suggestion is to spend a few days on safari in Southern or East Africa and then add 10 days or so in Madagascar. Or vice versa. It’s not an overly long flight (about 3 hours) from Johannesburg to TNR/Antananarivo on Africa’s best airline – Airlink. Just slightly longer on KQ (Kenya Airlines) from Nairobi. Other ways to get to Madagascar include a new non-stop service from the mid-east (on Emirates), with the option to continue on to the Seychelles. Madagascar first and then the Seychelles? Why not? Tana can also be reached on Ethiopian Airlines out of Addis Ababa and via Paris/CDG on Air France.     

Unrivaled endemicity

This was my third trip to Madagascar and the best one to date. Even for people with only a passing interest in the natural world, Madagascar is one of the most exciting destinations of any. It starts with the extraordinarily high percentage of endemicity of practically everything you see around you: in fact, almost 90 percent of all plant and animal species found in Madagascar are found only there. The 100-plus species of lemurs – Madagascar’s signature mammal species – being the most famous of all. Birds are another good example. Of Madagascar’s 250 or so bird species, almost 120 are endemic. No African country comes even close. Tanzania has a whopping 1,075 bird species but only 33 endemics.   

Other Madagascar endemics?  

  • More than 11,000 plant species, including seven species of baobabs. 
  • More than 230 reptile species including a fascinating variety of chameleons.
  • More than 100 different types of fish, many of which can be seen in easily accessible areas while snorkeling. 

Challenges and opportunities

Madagascar has been described as being a ‘charmingly chaotic’ country to visit and indeed, the red island faces innumerable challenges including – but not limited to – abysmally inadequate infrastructure and inexorable environmental degradation. Combine that with ‘elite capture’ of much of the country’s wealth, poor governance, pervasive corruption and the negative impact of natural disasters including several cyclones per year, and the future looks grim.  

Even so, increasing tourism is one of Madagascar’s brightest avenues for growth and for improving the prospects of the nearly 25 million Malagasy people who live in  poverty, getting by on the equivalent of about one US Dollar per day. Tragically, almost 10 million Malagasy children under 18 are caught up in the cycle of poverty, with as many as 40% suffering from chronic malnutrition and the vast majority being ‘learning poor’ as well. Which means that at age 10 they cannot read or comprehend a simple sentence. This lack of quality education is one of the most important factors in the country’s inability to  break the cycle of poverty.  

I think it is important for prospective visitors to Madagascar to be well prepared for what awaits them. A simply amazing natural experience but with a backdrop of  intractable poverty even though it is not always obvious in the tourism areas. It is only when driving – and passing through some of the villages in outlying areas – that one is confronted with the squalor which goes hand in hand with extreme poverty.  

By making a decision to go there, you will be making a positive impact. Just by being there and spending tourist dollars. If you love lemurs (and I have no doubt you will after your first trip to Madagascar) you may want to support the Duke University Lemur Center at lemur.duke.edu. They do a great job of supporting lemurs in Madagascar and lemur research at Duke University. As a company, Fish Eagle Safaris makes a contribution to their Madagascar Conservation program each year. They need all the help they can get.

Antananarivo

Like so many other visitors before us, we spent our first night back in Madagascar in Antananarivo, Madagascar’s near mile-high capital located in the central highlands. This time, we were fortunate to end up at the excellent Maison Gallieni, a boutique hotel on the edge of downtown. This imposing structure – with simply wonderful interior architecture – doubles as the official residence of Monaco’s Consul General to Madagascar. A discreet barrier at the lower end of a set of stairs separates the hotel (downstairs) from the home (upstairs). The Consul General was not in residence, we were told. Not that it would have made a difference, I am sure. Maybe the water would have been hot.  

We liked the large room with a bath and separate shower and very much enjoyed a good, homestyle dinner. Fortunately the management’s ill-advised idea to put us at the same table with a young couple from China came to nought when the young couple caught the flu (or something) and wisely decided to occupy a different part of the dining room. We nodded in their direction politely and pretended to ignore their sniffles. Breakfast the next morning (the young couple beat us to it) was even better. Great coffee – par for the course everywhere in Madagascar – fresh fruit, vanilla yogurt, delicious crepes, freshly made toast, honey and  jam. I could do that again.  

Not so great about Maison Gallieni? Exclusively French TV channels and some dogs barking well into the night. And a pet peeve of mine: lukewarm ‘hot’ water. 

Arriving in Tana

Earlier that day, we arrived at Ivato Airport (TNR) on a predictably on time flight from the ever-efficient Airlink. As always, in-flight service was brisk and the light meal/snack was as fresh and nicely prepared as one could hope for. This airline is setting an incredibly high standard for Southern African regional travel and it is the one to book for any of your local and regional flights in the area.  

Clearly Ivato Airport had undergone a major upgrade since my last visit which was in 2019. Its new arrivals terminal (opened in Dec. 2021), which serves both international and regional flights, was all glass and modern looking; a complete turnaround from the ghastly old airport, now used for domestic flights.  

Unlike the old days, when getting your Madagascar visa was a bit like being in a rugby scrum, the process is now properly structured, with several lines, one being specifically for holders of foreign passports. While the process was slow, we had our ‘free’ visas in under an hour at a cost of US$37 for a trip lasting 15 days or more; US$10 for a trip lasting up to 14 days total. You can pay in USD cash or Euros. 

Traffic, traffic, traffic

Ivato Airport is only 20 km (12 miles) from downtown Tana but distance is meaningless in Madagascar and even more so in Tana. Urban planning is an oxymoron in this city and the reality of driving in Madagascar hits you like a splash of cold water in the face at the very first turn. Don’t be looking for stoplights – there aren’t any. Only traffic circles and other junctions where forward motion has more to do with your driver’s style and mood (aggressive, indifferent, patient, creative – usually a mix of those) than with anything else. The traffic is almost always ‘heavy’, sometimes impossibly so. Getting angry and upset isn’t going to shorten the journey so anticipate delays, get your AirPods in and listen to Taylor Swift. Or look around and marvel at the bizarre mix of vehicles sharing the road. Wheelbarrows and oxcarts. Motor bikes, pousse-pousses (rickshaws), taxi brousses (minibusses), ancient Citroen 2CV’s, some dating back to the 1980’s. Massive trucks. Massively overloaded bicycles. Pedestrians everywhere, constantly executing seemingly life-threatening street crossings, evading disaster by just inches. Routinely and repeatedly. It is nothing short of theater for anyone who stops at stop signs and who respects the concept of right of way.   

For the next several days our driver-guide was Lalla. The nicest, most gentle and practically grandfatherly person and admirably suited for the job. He was fun to be around, knew everything (and everyone along the route), liked to discuss anything we brought up and had a fine, dry sense of humor. His nice 4-wheel drive Toyota Prada vehicle was clean and relatively new. We felt safe and secure with Lalla the entire time.  

Our objective for the day was to make it to Andasibe in the east, usually a drive of around 3.5 to 4 hours or so. Depending on the traffic of course. Departing from the hotel at 9:00 am we had a little time to kill waiting for the morning traffic to abate. Lalla took us on a mini guided tour, starting with the highest point of the city, known as  Haute-Ville. The main attraction here is the imposing Queens Palace which looms over the entire city from its highest point. The palace, which dates back to 1867, when it was reconstructed with an outer stone structure during the reign of Queen Ranavalona II, was largely destroyed by fire in 1995. Now almost fully restored, the compound can be visited. At a lookout point – with fine views over the city – we got out of the car for some photographs and Kathy supported the local economy, purchasing a small hand-made musical instrument.   

‘Heavy’ goes with traffic in Tana like ‘grave’ with danger in A Few Good Men. There is no other kind. As we experienced again that morning on the way to Andasibe, traveling due east. To be sure, it gradually lessened but by then we were miles out of the city. Overall, the road to the east is in good but not great condition with some very rough spots and big potholes. It is baffling as to why the local authorities neglect the maintenance on this vital corridor (for both tourism and commerce) to the extent that they do. We encountered lots of heavy vehicle traffic coming from the port city of Tamatave which lies at the easternmost terminal point of the road. There is a working railroad between Tamatave and Tana but it seems to be very much underutilized. If I had to take a wild guess, it probably has something to do with the distribution of revenue from road transportation. A topic for a different discussion.  

We made two stops en route to Andasibe. The first one for about 90 minutes at  Peyrieras, a small private reserve where a weird collection of animals including chameleons, frogs, snakes, and geckos are kept in captivity in large outdoor structures. Clearly not everyone’s cup of tea but a good opportunity for close up action shots of chameleons feeding. And to see some rare nocturnal creatures.

The second stop resulted in nothing more exotic than a couple of pizzas, but they were good too, and cheap.  

Andasibe-Mantadia – eastern rainforest 

With the initial traffic, chameleon photo delay and lunch stop, and getting some Madagascar Ariary out of an ATM en route, we did not actually make it to  Andasibe until about 5 pm. Our first two nights there were at a simply excellent lodge – Manjarano – which is in the same stable as Vakona Lodge. We liked our comfortable air-conditioned room, the beautiful grounds and the remote feeling of the area, well away from the hustle and bustle of Andasibe village. We were soon to experience the lodge’s secret weapon which is the food. It was beyond good, simply stellar. The meringue with passionfruit filling was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. The main courses were pretty spectacular too. And for breakfast, the delicate ‘pain au raisin’ (raisin brioche) was the best of the entire trip. Excellent coffee and perfectly prepared red beans – we knew exactly what to order on the second morning there. 

Then we were off to find some lemurs at Analamazoatra Special Reserve. This was to be my third visit to this relatively small Andasibe forest reserve and yet again it did not disappoint. The two worst things that could happen to you there is to pick up a small leech in the process (both Kathy and I did) or to bump into a large group of overly boisterous visitors. It is hardly surprising that first time visitors get vocal upon witnessing the astonishing athleticism of indri and sifakas – especially when these spectacular animals move rapidly through the forest. It is an experience which ranks up there with seeing whales breaching or wild dogs on the hunt. Something so beyond one’s normal frame of reference that it is easy to forget that you are in a forest. Where decorum is important. About the leeches: they are harmless despite their icky appearance. Easy to remove.  

This morning, our local forest guide Bari led us on a walk of about four hours total, mostly inside and on the edge of this fairly thick secondary forest, mostly famous for being home to a couple or so families of  Madagascar’s signature lemur species, the indri. We found a total of about 15 indri in various spots in the forest, initially mostly quite high up in a severely backlit situation which made photography challenging, to put it mildly. We also had some nice views of diademed sifaka, eastern bamboo lemur, common brown lemur and wooly lemur. 

On a couple of occasions – twice with indris and once with the sifakas – the animals were against a reasonably neutral or mostly green background. Bingo! The result was a handful of quite pleasing exposures. Particularly a few showing a female with a baby. I happened to find a good angle and the family pair of indris – which are notoriously difficult to photograph – were just in the right spot for a few minutes. Everyone else had left but we stuck around and then it happened: a tiny baby stuck its head up and looked right at its mother.

Of course we also took the time to just lean back and enjoy the experience. The prodigious athleticism of these animals is flat out amazing. Seemingly effortlessly they hurl themselves – sometimes in what appears to be a near horizontal plane – from one branch to another covering several meters in split seconds. In a heavily wooded environment with lots of undergrowth. Even the most innocuous looking – some may even say  dumpy – common brown lemurs turn into hairy, featherlight bundles of explosive muscle when they are on the move. Easy. Free. And 100% controlled and accurate with no stumbling or hesitancy or halfheartedness. 

Down on the ground, the diademed sifakas may appear to be somewhat ungainly – maybe even a bit clumsy. In their element they’re anything but. In fact, they are  arrows when moving quickly through vegetation and rockets when scaling tall tree trunks. And just flat out gorgeous when they take a breather to feed, allowing the gawkers in the forest to fully appreciate their beauty and uniqueness. I think many people pick the diademed and other sifakas like Coquerel’s and Verreaux, as their favorite species of lemur because they are more approachable and not quite as distant as the magnificent indri. 

Vakona Island private reserve

Our second activity of the day was an early afternoon visit to Vakona Island Private Reserve. Essentially a collection of about five different species of lemurs confined to a small island where they are fed daily. It will take you all of two minutes to realize that the lemurs are habituated to the presence of guests so they do get very close. Sometimes too close. Vakona Island creates an opportunity for visitors to see common brown, black-and-white ruffed lemurs and others close up and to get some photos which would take days to obtain in a more natural environment. So while the setting is far from ideal, it serves an educational purpose as well as being a refuge for animals which may otherwise be in cages or vulnerable situations. Vakona Island Reserve gets very busy in the high season from July through November or so, so by all means go early. Even then you may run into some boisterous tour groups. 

From there we walked around a crocodile farm/lake which we’d suggest our guests could give a wide berth. It may be mildly interesting to people who have never seen a crocodile. 

A night walk from the parking area of Vakona Lodge was a dud. Mostly because it was already well into winter when there is less nocturnal activity. We saw a few small chameleons and a couple of sportive lemurs high up in trees. Night walks are something to consider for the warmer months. Be sure to bring a headlamp for the walk, it would be easy to misstep on this hike at night and there were several areas (slippery up and down spots and abrupt drop-offs) which presented a significantly hazardous situation. 

V.O.I.M.M.A. Community Reserve

The following morning we spent three hours on a walk with capable forest guide Claudia at V.O.I.M.M.A. Community Reserve.  This community-operated reserve is similar to the government-run Analamazoatra Park (they are separated by a small river); it is just smaller at 38 hectares. Even so, the reserve offers good habitat with indri, common brown and eastern gray lemurs, as well as many species of birds to be seen. Highlights on the day were sightings of common brown lemurs, an indri family moving through the forest and good views of a Madagascar pygmy kingfisher as well as Madagascar ibis and red-fronted coua.   

We enjoyed lunch at Marie’s Lodge, a popular spot known for its authentic local specials including a Malagasy soup with noodles and zebu (beef) with rice and tomato. Their pizza also gets pretty good reviews. We’re not talking gourmet food here, just a good value local spot to grab something after a hike.  

Andasibe village market

I have lately been better about getting out of my photographic comfort zone which is stalking birds and mammals with a long lens, with a few scenic shots thrown in every now and then. Candid and casually posed people shots are a different kettle of fish as they ‘talk back’ and take a little bit of negotiating to set up and execute. There were just so many opportunities in Madagascar to get out of the vehicle and mix it up with the locals that even I couldn’t resist. The first good opportunity was an afternoon village market which takes place every Saturday in the main street in Andasibe Village. Some heavy rain had threatened to spoil the fun but it cleared and by 3 pm or so, we were strolling down the still wet street. There were permanent and temporary stalls left and right, offering mostly foodstuffs like vegetables, fresh meats, eggs, cooked noodles, mushrooms, spices, rice and beans, but also toys, used and new clothing and nick nacks of every description. I think both Kathy and I enjoyed the proximity with the locals, making an instant connection with some kids, and rewarding them with a few bonbons. The spontaneity was refreshing, and the children were completely natural and unaffected.  

For the last two nights in the Andasibe area, we moved to Mantadia Lodge. We had a perfectly nice room which was climate controlled, had a good – hot – shower, and decent lighting in a pretty garden setting. The only negative was a weird bed with a base which was much bigger than the mattress, making for an awkward and even potentially dangerous situation (scraping your legs) when walking around the bed and getting into and out of it. With around 26 rooms, Mantadia is considerably larger than many of the lodges we usually recommend. All-round it is perfectly fine, with good food, friendly staff, and excellent location being closer to the entrance to the special reserve. 

Mantadia National Park

On our last full day in the Andasibe area, I took a somewhat quixotic trip – it was raining – into Mantadia National Park. It was my third visit to this remarkable forest. Mantadia overshadows the much smaller secondary forest of Analamazoatra in every way, being several times its size. With usually just a few other visitors around, Mantadia should be high on anyone’s list of places to explore in the Andasibe area. 

There’s a caveat. The forest is not easy to get to. It is about one hour from the town of Andasibe in a four wheel drive vehicle to the entrance of the park. And an additional hour from there to the parking area at the main trailhead. While the road is certainly bad by any standard, it is no worse than it has been in previous years. I would suggest departing from your Andasibe accommodation no later than 6:00 am in order to make it into the park at a reasonable time.  

Mantadia National Park is massive – measuring over 20,000 hectares – and it is a simply spectacular intact forest known for some special lemurs like the black-and-white ruffed. It also has diademed sifakas and indris. Botanists, too, will not be disappointed as the dense, humid forest contains lianas (climbing vines), moss, fern trees, precious woods such as palisander and ebony, and over 100 species of orchid.

Over 100 species of birds make the reserve their home, many of which are endemic such as the Madagascar green sunbird, Madagascar falcon, Madagascar long-eared owl and the Madagascar wagtail. Visiting birdwatchers will also be on the lookout for several very special ground rollers, being the scaly, rufous-headed, pitta-like and short-legged ground rollers. On a previous visit I was fortunate to get some great views – and not so great photos – of the pitta-like ground roller. Top of my wish list for the day was to get a crisp photo of this elusive bird. Alas, it was not to be. For much of the morning it rained lightly, visibility was poor and the birds were quiet. My photo date with the pitta-like ground roller will have to wait for another time. 

Incidentally, the following day dawned clear and sunny, and it would have been ideal for a visit to Mantadia. Keep your schedule flexible.  

Back to Tana

For once, and rather surprisingly, it ended up being a relatively easy drive back from Andasibe to Tana, where we arrived just after 1 pm. The city was gearing up for the impending Independence Day celebrations coming up in a couple of days’ time, on June 26. 

Photo by Brent Ninaber

Hotel Palissandre

Our digs for the night were the Hotel Palissandre. Having spent a couple of nights there many years ago, it felt like nothing much had changed beyond the expected in-room updates. Overall, the Palissandre retains a 1960’s ambience and appearance. Without trying to be ironic about it. The two things which we liked most about the hotel 20-plus years ago had not changed. It still has a good location overlooking the old market and a great view over the city, particularly in late afternoon light. 

The food was excellent too, notably a couple of lunch offerings – one a crab bisque and the other a potato-based soup with what looked like mini ham and cheese sandwich ‘croutons’. Who knew that a croque monsieur sandwich could show up in a bowl of soup? We weren’t quite as impressed with the much reduced number of choices on the ‘half board’ dinner menu compared with the regular a la carte menu. Not that the food was any less tasty – it’s just not a great feeling to get the ‘kids table at Thanksgiving’ treatment. 

Festivities associated with the coming Independence Day celebrations were quite audible that evening from our room. Fortunately the commotion (singing/dancing & loud rhythmic music) died down just before midnight, by which time even the barking of some unduly excited dogs could not deter us from sleep. 

Our tour operator underestimated the duration of the drive from the hotel to the airport the following morning. By quite a margin. Fortunately the scheduled charter flight to Anjajavy – a 10 seater Cessna Caravan – turned out to have only two passengers. Us. Which resulted in a departure delay of 40 minutes being no big deal. I would not want a redo on the harrowing drive to the airport though. Way too stressful an experience for Madagascar which ranks very high in the laidback category.   

The fact that we were the only two passengers on the aircraft did not dissuade the charter company from charging us a tidy sum for excess luggage (mostly in the form of camera equipment). With just two persons on a plane which can take 10 pax plus luggage, this bordered on extortion. Bureaucracy runs very deep in Madagascar; the Malagasy inherited it from the French who are of course the undisputed champions. So in Madagascar the rules are the rules (when it suits the enforcing authority) and common sense is often severely lacking. The rigorous security screening before a private charter flight was equally bizarre and uncalled for. 

Prospective visitors take note: if there are private or scheduled charter flights on your itinerary, chances are that sooner or later someone is going to actually weigh you, your main bag(s) and your hand luggage. If you’re overweight, there is no appeal and nowhere to go. Have some cash in the form of Euros or Ariary or your Visa card ready.

Our destination for the next couple of nights would be Anjajavy Le Lodge, a superb resort on Madagascar’s northwest coast. Read more about Anjajavy on this blog post.

Madagascar itineraries

We have developed a couple of new itineraries for Madagascar which will enable visitors to optimize their stay and not waste too much time on the road. The two itineraries are for the eastern montane rainforests (Andasibe-Mantadia area, mostly lemur-focused) and for the north (Montagne D’Ambre, Ankarana Forest and Nosy Komba) where the experience will be a mix of nature exploration and wildlife observation, with forest hiking, lemur observation, snorkeling and ending with several days at a premier beach resort.  

Either of the two itineraries can be extended with excursions to one of these areas:

  • Anjajavy Le Lodge on the northwestern coast in dry deciduous forest habitat
  • Tsara Komba resort, tucked away in a secluded spot on Nosy Komba island, in the northern Nosy Be Archipelago
  • The wild and exciting Masoala Peninsula on the north-eastern coast

Part 2 of the blog covering our onward journey in Madagascar to the north (Ankarana Forest, the Red Tsingy and Tsara Komba resort on the island of Nosy Komba) will be published in our August newsletter.  

For recommendations about visiting Madagascar, email Bert at bert@fisheaglesafaris.com or call our Houston office at 1-800 513-5222 any time.

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Returning to Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Masai Mara – May 2024

Returning to Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Masai Mara – May 2024

In more than 30 years of regular visits to East Africa, Kathy and I had never seen it as wet as this last May. To say that it was exceptionally wet is an understatement. Every game drive was sloppy, every off-road excursion an adventure. Leading to a few tense moments when the 4-wheel drive vehicles (mostly Toyota Landcruisers but also a Landrover on one transfer drive) were pushed to the limit of their ability to negotiate unbelievably difficult terrain. The guides came through with flying colors and we only got stuck properly once. For maybe 20 minutes or so. No big deal.  

Beyond affecting our views of smaller mammals and cats like serval, leopards and cheetahs, the resulting tall grass and dense vegetation everywhere delayed the annual wildebeest migration by a month or so. If you’re a wildebeest, why would you leave one place for another if there’s still plenty of what you need in the way of vegetation and water right where you are. 

The high grass made game viewing super challenging. To the point that we didn’t have good views of any cheetahs in the Serengeti (so unusual!) and likewise leopards. On a couple of the game drives in the central Seronera area I hardly took my cameras out of the bag – never a good sign. All this of course will play into future decisions as to the best timing for visiting specific areas.  

Our experience at three of the four properties which we visited in the Serengeti was negatively impacted by  the presence of just too many tsetse flies. More than just once, we got hammered coming and going into and out of camp and on a few occasions, even  right inside the camp grounds. To the point where the usual enjoyment and fun associated with game drives were negatively affected by the tsetse fly threat.  

We will be paying close attention to this issue in order to provide prospective travelers with the right advice and guidance. The extraordinary long and heavy rainy season this year resulted in many areas having stagnant water which creates favorable conditions for tsetse fly breeding. Usually, when TANAPA (Tanzania Park Authority) conducts controlled burning of certain areas in the Serengeti, they eradicate a huge number of the tsetse flies in the process. Due to the much longer than usual duration of the long rains this year, there was no burning and the results are evident. Lots of thickets and overgrown grass and bushes – and plenty of tsetse flies.

The tsetses are not as much of an issue in the southern Serengeti; at least they weren’t the last time we were there, in February 2023. So we will continue to recommend to prospective travelers to travel there (short-grass plains in the Ndutu area) for the calving season and to combine their stay with a few days in the Seronera area. Where we will be  using properties where we know tsetse flies won’t be an issue. Likewise, there are usually a few pockets of dense forests in the northern Serengeti in the Kogatende area and elsewhere, where a few tsetse flies can be expected. Nothing that can’t be managed with a bit of caution and by wearing long sleeved shirts and protecting your ankles with long, thick socks and tucking in the trousers.

Getting there

Getting to Kilimanjaro Airport for the start of our Tanzania trip was not routine this time around. Anything but. It started on a catastrophic note when an inept airport employee at JFK crashed a jetway into the engine of our Kenya Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Which, needless to say, caused an immediate cancellation of the flight. I won’t bore you with the details but this resulted in an arduous trip on Ethiopian Air via Abidjan, Addis Ababa and Nairobi. Where we arrived at one in the morning instead of 10 am the previous day. On a plus note, when we eventually made it to Tanzania on Monday May 13, we were first in the immigration line and we completed the process in less than 15 minutes, start to finish. A reminder: take your boarding pass with you when leaving your plane at JRO Airport; you will be asked for it upon entering the terminal building. 

Hamerkop House, Arusha

We enjoyed a peaceful overnight stay – much needed after the ordeal of getting there – at Lemala’s Hamerkop House, on the outskirts of Arusha. The property is clearly well run, with a great staff, and the food was excellent. The chef got it exactly right for me:  ugali and two sides. Those being beans in a coconut-based sauce (Maharagwe) and the local version of spinach with some onions. The road to get to Hamerkop House was not the best. Clearly, the property will be a good option for  guests who can fly out of the nearby Dolly airstrip the following morning, directly to the Serengeti.

Serengeti Safari Camp, Grumeti

It took just about 50 minutes in a Cessna Caravan to fly from Arusha to Seronera with brief stops at Kilimanjaro Airport and at Lake Manyara. As before, it was exciting to take off from Lake Manyara with the earth literally dropping away precipitously as the aircraft reached the edge of the Rift Valley wall. Approaching the Seronera airstrip it was clear that the migration was not around – yet. Even so, the long road transfer to Nomad’s Serengeti Safari Camp delivered some surprisingly good game viewing under challenging conditions. Some of the highlights were lions in a tree, several breeding herds of elephants and large herds of zebra and other plains game.  

One thing which we noticed almost immediately at Serengeti Safari Camp: the quality and variety of the food and its presentation have improved markedly since the last time. Our Nomad guide Amos Noah was top-notch and did all the right things. Of the four guides we had in the Serengeti, he was also the only one who knew all the birds. So high marks on that.  

On our full day in the area, we headed across the Grumeti River towards the Grumeti Reserve. The area was about as spectacular as it gets anywhere in Africa. Rolling hills in so many shades of green. Trees silhouetted against the skyline. Vast open plains, endless vistas. Misty blue hills on the horizon.    

Just when you think you’ve seen pretty much everything in Africa, a morning outing in a new or unfamiliar setting will blow your socks off. As it did to us on this Tuesday morning in the Serengeti. Quite early this morning,  not far from Legendary’s Mila Tented Camp, we saw a migrating herd of at least 5,000 zebras slowly winding their way from our left to our right. Moving slowly and ever so quietly, lines of these dazzling black and white equines were making their way across the open plains, pausing to eat as they moved. It was mesmerizing to see so many of these sleek mammals following each other in a controlled but irregular manner, with groups lagging behind and others splintering off. Clearly, they were on the move. Zebras are often the harbingers of the great wildebeest migration, which we were to bump into a day or two later, a bit further south and east.

Not surprisingly, given the presence of so many zebras, we spotted first two and then three beautifully maned male lions and then four young females a little bit later that morning. There was more to come. Lots of elephants, including several good-sized herds. Also some large herds of buffalos and big mixed groups of topis, gazelles, impala and eland. 

The all-round hospitality at Serengeti Safari Camp could not have been better and we were more than well taken care of. There were a few shortcomings such as no fans in the rooms and a somewhat rickety low pressure shower which had clearly seen better days. We were glad to learn that flush toilets would be installed at the various Serengeti Safari Camps in June this year. 

On our way back to Seronera on our last morning at SSC, we found several small herds of elephants and groups of zebras in good light. The photographs demonstrated the importance of being out early enough to take advantage of the ‘golden hour’ in the morning. If you ever find yourself in a safari camp where the morning routine is a little bit too leisurely with – for example – breakfast at 7 am and departure from camp at 7:30, don’t hesitate to push back and request an earlier departure for your game drives. This is of course easier with a private vehicle and guide, but can even be done as long as everyone in your vehicle is on the same wavelength.  

Wild Frontiers Serengeti Wilderness Camp

The road transfer from Seronera Airstrip to Wild Frontiers Serengeti Wilderness camp took about 45 minutes. For a good portion of the trip we found ourselves in a closed vehicle, with no air conditioning or proper ventilation, negotiating the tsetse fly belt. Not much fun. The camp itself was a spotlessly clean and very comfortable tented property with 12 rooms, as well as separate lounge and mess tents. There was pretty serviceable WiFi in the main area. The rooms are of a good size, clean and neat. Hot showers were available on demand. Lighting was on the dim side. The tent has a proper flush toilet. 

We soon found out that it took almost an hour from the camp to reach the productive game viewing areas. As it turned out, game drives from Wild Frontiers Serengeti Wilderness Camp were disappointing to say the least. Inexplicably, our guide seemed to persist in driving around in areas dominated by stands of excessively high, thick grass. Not surprisingly, we saw hardly anything of note with the exception of a leopard on a branch in a tree, viewed from a long distance away. Clearly this area is not at its best until June. We got stuck in the mud late one morning but fortunately the guide was able to extricate us. Kathy and I enjoyed an impromptu al fresco lunch so it wasn’t all bad.  

The food was tasty and ample, and the chef did a great job catering for my plant-based diet.  

Entara Olmara Camp, Seronera

It took about two hours on a shockingly bad road from Seronera Airstrip to make it to Entara Olmara camp. Our driver-guide Said Kotoku impressed us from the very first moment we were introduced. He knew the birds, was enthusiastic, talked about and expounded on identifying characteristics, and he was clearly knowledgeable and experienced. 

Olmara Camp itself makes a good impression, starting with a well-designed and slightly elevated lounge and dining areas with four spacious tents left and right. All rooms are in the process of being elevated as well. Four had been done and four were in progress at the time of our visit. Our room had a king-size bed with an effective mosquito net in a well insulated room. The bed was comfortable and there were several handy plug points. The shower at Olmara was one of the best I’ve seen on safari anywhere. The room had a flush toilet. The interior lighting was excellent. Packing space just so so. 

The food was consistently good and well presented, with lots of choices. The staff members were friendly and helpful and kept me on the straight and narrow with the plant-based food choices. No butter for you…

Game drives out of Olmara

During the wet season – which was much longer than usual this year because of the El Nino weather pattern – game drives take a solid hour to get to the productive areas and quite frankly, there was not much to be seen on the drive there and back. A lot of thick grass. 

On our first afternoon we found a couple of large bull elephants on the way back into camp; a fortuitous combination of storm light and a clean, uncluttered background resulted in a memorable photograph. Reminder to my photographer self: don’t give up on less than ideal conditions. Photo opportunities will present themselves as long as you keep looking for them.

On our full day at Olmara, we embarked on what turned out to be a monster all day game drive, all the way out to the Gol Koppies and beyond. Said drove a huge distance, setting out on a semi-circular route which included many of the game hotspots. It worked. By mid-morning we were smack in the middle of the wildebeest migration. It was an amazing sighting. Literally thousands of wildebeest in every direction, all around us in a 360 degree arc. Doing what wildebeest do which seems to be a combination of eating grass, running around erratically and regularly grunt-calling to maintain contact with a friend or family member. And always succeeding in looking a bit goofy because of their peculiar physique (skipped hind leg days at the gym too often) and homeliest of homely faces, making them truly incapable of managing a thoughtful look.  

From late morning that day, we encountered one after another pride of lions. One group had several large males and a female with three cubs. Others were lying in thick grass at the base of rocky outcrops, or wedged into tree branches in an elevated spot with a view over the plains. We approached a coalition of three cheetahs in tall grass but for once I had to just ‘appreciate’ them – it was not a photo opportunity. Our mega day drive also produced hundreds, if not thousands of  zebras, gazelles, eland, topi and hartebeest. We added several new birds to our trip list. In fact we hit the 100 species mark that very afternoon.

An extraordinary sighting on the day was watching a simply massive black necked spitting cobra hunting for frogs. We were just too far away for photography, but it didn’t matter. Observing the animal slowly winding its way between a bush and a rocky outcrop and then suddenly perking up as it found – and tried to kill – its toad prey – was spellbinding. All of this we both observed through our respective pairs of quality Swarovski binoculars. Without good binos this would have been a nothing event, and likely borderline frustrating using a mediocre pair. 

Wilderness Usawa camp, Seronera

Our next and last stop in the Serengeti was Wilderness’ Usawa #2 tented camp, relatively close to Olmara. Due to some Byzantine Tanzania parks authorities rules, we had to drive all the way back to Seronera Airstrip from Olmara for the correct permits to be issued, and then back again (fortunately on a better road) to Usawa. A lot of seemingly wasteful energy expended in the process, not to mention further wear and tear on already dodgy roads.    

Usawa is an upscale mobile camp with innovative design features, attractive and extremely comfortable rooms with low pressure showers (on demand), WiFi in the common area and in the rooms. 

The camp is located in a good area for walking safaris, which is one of their specialties. The food was definitely a step above what we had experienced up to that point on the trip. Ambitious but well-executed and superbly presented. 

Like the other Seronera area camps, the Usawa location is  one hour plus from the best game viewing in the area at the time. Faced with the prospect of yet another lengthy drive – in an open vehicle – through areas with significant tsetse fly presence, we turned down the offer of another full day game drive.  

Our morning game drive – with our capable guide James – the following day turned out to be better than anticipated with lots of elephants, nice groups of buffaloes, dozens of giraffes, topi, hartebeest, impala, and some great birds.  

Saruni Wilderness and Saruni Leopard Hill, Naboisho

After a brief stopover in Nairobi with an overnight at House of Waine (excellent as always) in Karen, we flew with Safarilink from Wilson Airport to the Masai Mara.  

From the Ol Seki Airstrip in Naboisho, it was about a 30-minute drive to Saruni Wilderness, which would be our first stop – for lunch. Saruni Wilderness camp is quite intimate with just five rooms. It has a small yet cozy and inviting dining and lounge area. The camp is solar powered. The tented rooms – which we found to be quite attractive – have low-pressure (bucket) showers with hot water on demand. The camp offers game drives starting at 6:15 am and 4:30 pm. As well as foot safaris and night drives from 8:00 to 10:00 pm. Walking starts at 7:00 am from the camp, accompanied by a guide and armed game ranger. Saruni Wilderness has no WiFi connection. It’s a place where guests can purposefully disconnect from the many distractions – not the least of which is one’s smartphone – of an urban environment. The camp also offers bush dinners under the stars and bush breakfasts. The minimum age limit is 10 and for walking 12 and older. 

This was our second visit to Saruni Leopard Hill and there were no surprises this time around. The tents were still large and comfortable, with particularly good showers. The property has 8 rooms, 2 of which are suitable for families. There is a large lounge and dining room area – some of it uneven with quite a few steps to negotiate. 

Game drives out of Saruni Leopard Hill were consistently good with animals literally all over the place. We observed hundreds of zebras, good sized groups of wildebeest, topi, warthog, giraffe, eland, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, hyena, bat eared fox, black backed jackal vervet monkey, olive baboon, and lions on every outing. 

Compared with our previous visit, cheetahs were scarce in the Naboisho conservancy at the time – likely because of too much competition from lions. 

Hemingways Ol Seki Lodge

Our all too brief overnight stay at Hemingways Ol Seki Lodge was more than sufficient to firmly elevate this property onto our regular future rotation for the Mara. Our experience there was flawless from beginning to end. Starting with a warm welcome from camp manager Debbie Paul, we had a great introduction to the room and the property itself, a fantastic dinner (with a surprise birthday cake), and an absorbing game drive with our guide Isaac. We just missed seeing a female cheetah which was spotted walking in the direction of a nearby village earlier that afternoon.  

We were accommodated in a deluxe Nina room (#5) which was quite close to the reception area and also to the lounge and dining room. The heart of the property is its huge, elegantly appointed lounge and dining room, both elevated on a hill which overlooks a beautiful, typical Masai Mara landscape – a mix of open grassland and woodland with patches of riverine bush.   

There’s an inviting pool and plenty of outside terrace seating on more than one level. Guests can anticipate a high level of personal attention at Ol Seki, starting with the hands-on management style of Debbie Paul. Activities include game drives, walking and village visits. 

Ol Seki is closer to the Naboisho airstrip than some of the other properties in the Naboisho Conservancy. Something else that struck me while being driven around the area was the excellent road maintenance. Already, much of the road damage caused by the excessive long rains had been patched up; bridges were being prepared and gravel augmentation was in full swing. 

Saruni Mara Lodge

From Naboisho, we took off on the sloppiest of transfer drives to the far northern end of the huge Mara North conservancy. The second – and also the worst – half of the drive was in a Land Rover. Which as we know can go anywhere. Which we did.  So much mud!

Over the years we have used several Mara North properties on itineraries including Elephant Pepper and Karen Blixen. With our guide Jonathan and personal assistant James we had a great time at Saruni Mara, spending a couple of nights in their private villa – Nyati House. The Italian dishes which we enjoyed for lunch and dinner would be the envy of many an Italian restaurant anywhere in the world! Simply superb. We checked out the regular rooms at Saruni Mara and liked what we saw:  spacious, well-equipped, a good distance from each other and each with a nice verandah to contemplate the passing parade. Which here often includes elephants; some of which we heard rustling about that very afternoon.  

A game drive on the first afternoon to the nearby Mara Bush Houses delivered a superb range of plains game, with some unexpectedly good photo opportunities of elephants, zebras and olive baboons, among others. Jonathan mentioned that lions had been seen in the area just a couple of days ago and that a coalition of four cheetahs had walked right by Saruni Mara Camp just the previous day.  

The following day we embarked on yet another ‘big day’ outing, starting with a drive into the Lemek Conservancy where we saw many more – hundreds – of zebras as well as elephants, wildebeest, impalas, gazelles and a large breeding herd of buffaloes. 

Saruni Wild Camp – Lemek Conservancy

Prior to yet another excellent Italian-style lunch at Saruni Wild Camp, we site-inspected this 5-roomed tented camp which includes a family room. There’s WiFi, the entire camp is run on solar power and it is unfenced. Being only 20 minutes from the Mara North airstrip this property is easy to get to and out of.

The recommended activities at Saruni Wild are headlined by an early morning drive with a packed breakfast. Other activities on the roster include a sundowner drive with drinks and snacks and a’ holiday safari,’ which appropriately starts with a late breakfast in camp, a picnic lunch and sundowners back in camp. Clearly not the optimal choice for photographers but ‘regular’ visitors may enjoy this more leisurely approach. Additionally, Saruni Wild offers night drives which start after an early dinner. Guests then depart on the game drive, returning to camp around  10 pm. 

We were starting to build up a bit of resistance to mega game drives but our excellent guide Jonathan Nchoe convinced us that it would be worthwhile to take a swing through the Mara North Conservancy on our way back to camp that afternoon. Always listen to your guide. The drive paid off big time. 

A Cheetah in Mara North

Finally! A good look at a female cheetah. In a situation where being inside a national park would have not worked out at all. She briefly paused along the main road and then walked into the open savanna, eventually settling down in a shady spot under a tree. We followed along at a discreet distance and spent a good half hour or so simply observing the gorgeous animal. 

She spent most of the time in the shade, constantly surveying her surroundings as cheetahs habitually do. It was personally satisfying for me to predict the cheetah’s next move which was to pause on an elevated anthill, checking for signs of gazelles. We were ideally positioned when she made the walk to the elevated spot. Score!

Predictably the day’s activities were concluded back at camp with yet another good Italian meal at Saruni, this time with a delicious gnocchi starter. 

We had a few minor issues at Saruni Mara; nothing major – the interior lighting was poor and the hot water was not hot enough. Unfortunately the location of Saruni Mara is not suitable, in our opinion. It is just  too far from the best game viewing areas,  with a terrible, rocky road separating the camp and the most productive areas of Mara North. Trying to do a day drive into the Masai Mara would end up being a real mission. Saruni Mara’s  sister property – Saruni Wild – will definitely  find a spot in our rotation. 

Kicheche Mara, Mara North Conservancy

Kicheche Mara – where we spent just a single night – turned out to be property right up our alley. It has an ideal location in a secluded valley, right alongside a perennial stream which attracts wildlife year-round. There are 10 rooms as well as a large and uber comfortable common area with a dining and lounge tent, as well as a  photographic tent for uploading and editing. The game drive vehicles (best I’ve seen) were designed specifically for photography with an open roof, huge side ‘cutouts’, supports for cameras and bean bags. Most importantly, all guides at any of the Kicheche camps have (at minimum) a Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association  silver level qualification. For visitors, this is gold.  

How many other things impressed us about this camp? A live wire manager (Andrew Obaja) with whom we had a fascinating discussion about the advantages and pitfalls of the conservancy concept. An excellent plant-based lunch with salads, rice and lentil stew. Much faster WiFi in the room than any other camp so far. Being in a beautiful area with game viewing starting right out of camp

The morning game drive with our most capable guide Paul Kasaine was – to be honest – not the best one of the trip, but it didn’t matter. There were lots of animals around, including three large male elephants which apparently spend much of the dry season in a marshy area right out of camp. We also spotted a different male cheetah on the way out of camp. 

Il Moran and Little Governors Camp

Perhaps appropriately, our last Kenya stop was inside the magnificent Masai Mara National Park at Governors’ Il Moran camp. Accompanied and led by our effervescent guide Bernard Lodeki, we took several game drives into the Mara which was spectacular after all the recent rainfall. Green and lush like we’ve never seen before. Almost right away, we spotted several members of the Marsh (lion) pride on the way in. As well as sizable herds of elephants and lots of hippo. 

Kathy and I enjoyed lunch at Il Moran on the expansive deck area overlooking the Mara River which was still flowing strongly. There’s a huge pod of hippos, numbering as many as 50 in total, resident in the big bend in the Mara in front of camp. 

We’ve always enjoyed our stays at the Governors’ camps and this time around was no exception. They all have great locations with game drives possible into both the main part of the reserve as well as into the well-managed Mara Triangle. 

The large tented rooms at Il Moran overlook the Mara River and they are tucked into  a riverine forest where  several interesting bird species are to be found such as Ross’ turaco and double toothed barbet. Plus several striking species of butterflies including mocker and greenbanded swallowtails, various whites and blues and brushfooted butterflies.   

While the tented rooms were spacious and comfortable they were clearly coming to the end of their useful life. We were later advised that the entire camp was scheduled to be rebuilt at the end of the 2025 season. In the interim, Governors’ Private Camp will be rebuilt.

A brief site inspection visit to Little Governors’ Camp reminded us why we like this property as much as we do, and why we use it quite regularly for clients. It looked sparkling and well-maintained, with the staff being as friendly and welcoming as ever. The location of the camp – with rooms all fronting a large marshy area which attracts a variety of mammals and a dazzling array of birds – is simply the best. A minor negative about Little Governors’ is that the 17 tents are a little too close to each other.  

Our grande finale game drive in Kenya was an all-day excursion into the Mara Triangle which lived up to all our expectations. Spotlessly clean restrooms at the Oloololo Gate into the park, roads which were in better condition even than those  inside the private conservancies, drop dead gorgeous views and fascinating wildlife viewing. The Mara Triangle is the real deal. Even as we were approaching the gate, our guide Bernard spotted a trio of black rhinos in an open area, relatively close to the road. Within just minutes we were admiring them through the binoculars and eventually the camera lens, being reminded why they should be called hook-lipped rhino instead of black rhino. The remainder of our drive traversed some of the most spectacular landscapes to be found anywhere in Africa. There is no photograph or video which can start to do it justice. Each amazing vista is superseded by another equally impressive one just around the corner. Just when you think a tower of 12 giraffes is something, one of 17 shows up. We had not seen as many giraffes in one game drive as that day in the Mara, ever. And we’re unlikely to get even close again in the future. With large herds of buffaloes, big breeding herds of elephants and good numbers of general plains game, not to mention lions, it was about as complete a safari experience as one could hope for, anywhere. It did not matter that we dipped out on leopard, which would have made it a ‘Big Five in one day’ outing.  

For fresh information and observations and up to date recommendations for East Africa, please call our Houston office at  713-467-5222  or email Bert at bert@fisheaglesafaris.com.  

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Safari Lodge of the Month: Wilderness Mokete, Mababe

Safari Lodge of the Month: Wilderness Mokete, Mababe

Wilderness’ recently opened Mababe-area tented camp – Mokete – has catapulted to the top of many safari aficionados’ must-visit lists.  

Game viewing at Wilderness Mokete is unmatched, renowned for the mega herds that make their way across this private wilderness with a constant supply of water, located on the eastern fringe of the Okavango Delta and the famed Moremi Game Reserve, to the south of Chobe National Park. With its three distinct habitats: grassland plains, mopane and acacia woodlands, and the marsh system fed by the Mababe River, Mokete is home to prides of lion, leopards, cheetahs, packs of wild dogs, bat-eared foxes, jackals, African wild cats and servals. All of which makes for an immersive, exclusive and thrilling safari. There are often huge herds of buffalo in the area, and there can also be huge herds of zebras. Also worth mentioning: two pretty special antelope, sable and roan. They have been seen around Mokete in the dozens if not hundreds. Unlike anywhere else.

The camp offers unconventional safari adventures, where time is dictated by nature, not the clock. In this part of Botswana, it’s not uncommon to see lions on the hunt on the plains during the day, which makes for exceptional photographic opportunities. Guests can choose to stay on a game drive as long as they please, or stop for a lazy bush picnic – or stay out with the predators late at night if they wish. Guided walks can be arranged, or guests may be tempted to spend an afternoon in the sunken hide, eye-to-toe with the elephants.

With only canvas between guests and nature, a stay at Mokete is an immersive feast for the senses. Due to the open layout and high density of wildlife, only guests 16 and older are permitted to stay. There is a swimming pool for warm afternoons and a star bed for cool evenings under the sky.

Fish Eagle Safaris’ Lyndon recently spent a couple of nights at Mokete. Here are some of his observations and his recommendations to make your stay at Mokete even more rewarding than it may otherwise be:

At Mokete there are a number of things that you will definitely want to do during your stay:

  1. Take some time to focus on the lion and buffalo interaction. The large lion prides have got a great setup and pretty much plant themselves between the buffalo herds and the water. Our guide told us they can easily feed a couple of times per day. We did not witness a hunt but every time I saw the lions they were eating something. We took a helicopter ride to the camp and en route we saw the recent aftermath of a hunt with about 12-13 lions feeding on the carcass of a buffalo.

  1. Visit the elephant hide. There is an area that is known as ‘elephant paradise’ and it attracts huge numbers of elephants, especially in the evenings when they come for water. The camp has a hide overlooking the water and we got to spend an evening there. It was fantastic and the number and sheer tonnage of elephants cycling in to drink before heading back into the wooded area was astounding. We went back to the area on our final night (not back to the hide) and it took a long time to drive through due to the high density of elephants. It was quite something combined with the sunset.

  1. Go on an after dinner night drive. I was told this can be requested upon arrival and we can also let the camp know in advance, if this is something you’d like to do. At the time of my visit there was a resident wildlife photographer/film-maker in camp. During one of our dinners he recommended we do this as a group because of all the amazing things he had been spotting during the night. It turned out even better than any of us could have hoped.

    Here’s what we know about night drives: they are very hit and miss. Nocturnal animals are difficult to find with a spotlight due to a narrow field of view and often the only thing you might see at a distance is the light’s reflection in the animal’s eyes. This leads to some premature excitement only to find out you are looking at and heading toward a herd of impala. Mokete is not immune to these annoyances but our night drive started with a bang right out of camp with a giant eagle owl flying and perching in a tree just next to the road. Not five minutes after this we had a splendid viewing of a porcupine. This would typically be a moderately successful night drive already but the real fun hadn’t yet begun.A few minutes later we caught a glimpse of the elusive aardvark. Actually, two. This was my first time seeing one so I experienced some elation as we sped over road and grass to get a better look. What a sighting! Shortly after this we saw a group of four bat eared foxes. Some time passed and we saw a third aardvark, this one alone and much less bothered by our presence than the previous two. We spent a good amount of time observing it as it jogged from one area to the next looking for a meal. They are so much more agile than I could have imagined, which makes sense having to survive in such an environment.

    Up ahead of this there was a large herd of buffalo. Seeing these at night is different because they were having trouble getting a good look at us. This caused them to stop moving completely and stand absolutely still before one gave the call to move and they ran off. Fascinating! Overall I still don’t know if this is what we can expect of a typical night drive at Mokete or if we had incredible luck. The way that the wildlife photographer spoke about what he would see at night leads me to believe that game drives like this might not be as lucky as they felt after all…

  1. Time permitting, visit the northern side of the park that borders the Chobe area. It takes a bit of time to get there but this is the area where we spotted two male cheetahs. The habitat is a bit different and there is enough of a distance from the main lion prides that cheetahs feel safe.

  1. Just general game drives exploring the different areas of the park. It is quite large so this would mainly be on the advice of the guides and what they have been noticing.I think a three or perhaps four night stay should be enough to accomplish most if not all of this.A couple extra notes. The sand there is fine and it can get very dusty. Later in the dry season (my visit was in early May) it  will be even more prominent I suspect. I would highly recommend at minimum bringing a buff or something to cover your mouth and nose (and something to protect camera equipment). The areas by the water where the lions camped out were very bumpy. The guides did not rush through so it wasn’t bad but it was slow going.  

Get in touch with us if you would like to visit Wilderness Mokete. We can be reached at 800-513-5222 in Houston, or email jason@fisheaglesafaris.com or lyndon@fisheaglesafaris.com

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Where in Africa to Go Next In 2024-2025

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For me the most fun part of our business is designing itineraries. That’s where our 50 plus years of African experience and our team’s regular inspection and educational visits come into play. Rarely do we include a property which we haven’t been to ourselves and never is how often we include a property where guests may be forced into a middle seat on safari. 

Over the years we have gotten better at customizing itineraries to match a particular party’s interests and objectives. Without simply opting for the most expensive properties. 

So where would we go ourselves if we had to book an Africa trip this very minute, using mostly the properties which our Fish Eagle Safaris team checked out over the last couple of months? I asked the members of our Fish Eagle Safaris team to chime in.  

Here is what they had to say:

Lyndon: “I’d opt for a combination of Victoria Falls and Botswana and the trip would ideally include several days at Wilderness’ new Mababe concession camp, Mokete. On just one day there in late May we saw more animals in total, more different species and more rarities (how about aardvark, African wild cat and bat eared fox) than most visitors would see in a week on safari elsewhere.  

Consider taking a business class flight into Vic Falls, if only to get to the front of the line for the visa/immigration process which has lately proven to be quite challenging in terms of duration. Victoria Falls is a good starting point to shake off some jet lag and it acts as a buffer in case of any flight delays. It has many attractive accommodation options including Ilala Lodge, Pioneers, Palm River Hotel, The Victoria Falls Hotel and Stanley & Livingstone Hotel. Be sure to include a guided tour of the falls and a jet boat sundowner cruise.  

From there I’d head to Hwange for three or ideally four nights at one of the Imvelo or Wilderness properties such as Camelthorn, Bomani, Linkwasha, Little Makalolo, or Davison’s, depending on budget. I have a soft spot for Hwange and to date this year it has been producing some great game viewing. We’ve previously mentioned that the country is facing what could end up being a serious drought. Game viewing should continue to be good but young and weak, older elephants will be facing an uphill battle towards the end of the dry season.  

Ideally, end your safari with at least six nights in Botswana split between two camps. 

I would put Mokete right at the top of the list for the remainder of this season and likely into the future. It’s a unique Botswana property; on my recent visit there it felt a lot like visiting the Serengeti, somehow relocated to southern Africa. Mokete is really a  ‘must visit’ from now until probably November – and will likely be excellent until then.

With Mokete, I would add a few days at perhaps Karangoma and – for a true Okavango Delta experience at an affordable price point – two nights at a water camp like Setari.    

Our group had a fabulous time during our all too short 2-night stay at the brand new Karangoma. It is an intimate camp with only 6 tents, each one with just the right amount of luxury. The scenery in the north-eastern Okavango Delta is idyllic and the remoteness is unparalleled with a 10-minute helicopter flight required to reach camp.

Setari is also remote and requires a boat ride of about 45 minutes from the airstrip to reach camp. Located in the main artery of the Okavango Delta it has permanent water year-round and is a different, more laid back experience than many other Botswana camps. The perfect way to end a successful trip.

Jason: “One of our most successful offerings has always been a combination of South Africa, Victoria Falls and either Zimbabwe or Botswana. If I could book a trip for a client right now, that’s where I would try to focus my efforts.

With a night in Johannesburg, or a few in Cape Town at the start of the trip to try and mitigate jet lag, the trip would kick off with four nights in Sabi Sand at one of our favorite properties. Mala Mala, Savanna, Sabi Sabi, Leopard Hills and Cheetah Plains all make for excellent choices with varying degrees of luxury and price points. The Sabi Sand is a game-rich Big 5 location and has always produced for our guests.

Next, a light air flight to Kruger’s MQP international airport would connect with a commercial flight to Victoria Falls. Ideally, spend two nights here at properties like The Victoria Falls Hotel, Ilala Lodge or Batonka Guest Lodge. We typically recommend a tour of the falls, a sunset cruise and some free time to explore Victoria Falls Town. You could also fill time with adventure activities like scenic helicopter flights, gorge swings, swimming in Devil’s Pool right on the edge of the falls (time of year dependent) or cultural activities in nearby villages.

The last three to six nights on this type of itinerary would be in Botswana’s Okavango Delta where things can slow down a little bit. With a huge number of amazing safari camp offerings, it’s difficult to decide just where to go. But you can count on our knowledge of the camps and areas to select a combination that would work best for your needs. 

Want to see the highest concentration of wildlife? In that case you’d definitely want to spend some time at Wilderness’ Chitabe/Chitabe Lediba camps. It’s been delivering simply brilliant game viewing with guests treated to mesmerizing experiences involving leopards, cheetahs, lions and African painted dogs, day after day.

Want to relax on the water in a boat or mokoro? Stick with some of the Okavango Delta camps (in flood season) like Wilderness’ Kwetsani, Little Tubu or Jao or Great Plains’ Okavango Explorers Camp. 

Want a combination of land and water activities? Machaba’s Gomoti Plains might be the answer. Even during droughts the Gomoti area has water year-round for mokoro rides and typically there is enough for boating as well. Plus it has plenty of open plains to explore on a traditional vehicle safari. On my recent trip, we found ourselves joining a hunt – bounding through the bush in an attempt to keep up with the effortlessly fast pace of a pack of painted dogs. Later that same morning we were on a mokoro attempting to photograph malachite kingfishers, African jacanas and red lechwe antelopes.

Bert:  We’ve always advised prospective travelers to Africa to  spend more time in fewer areas. Based on my experiences on our most recent trip I think visitors would do well to extend that principle into their day-to-day activities on safari. Ideally by including the services of a private guide and vehicle on at least part of their trip. 

This makes it possible to slow down game drives in order to spend less time actually driving, and more time experiencing. More time to observe, to record, and to learn.  Focusing on the details of specific sightings and not just bouncing around from animal to animal. 

Not trying to check everything off your list often results in unexpected but welcome developments. Mostly in the way of seeing something much more interesting than what you started off with.

Patience and perseverance almost always pays off in the wilderness. We’ve had painted dogs walk into an otherwise blah sighting, we’ve seen ‘stationary cheetah’ turn into ‘running cheetah on the hunt,’ and we’ve experienced baby leopards suddenly and unexpectedly join their mom, right in front of us.   

Where would I go right now, looking mostly at the properties which Kathy and I recently visited in East Africa? I would book my Kenya Airways non-stop flight from JFK to Nairobi, spend a couple of days in Nairobi (for a morning game drive in Nairobi National Park and a visit to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage) and then head to either Lewa or Laikipia for 4 nights. Few other places in East Africa or the rest of the continent for that matter, can match properties like Lewa Wilderness or Kicheche Laikipia in terms of diversity. They have all the usual plains game and the big cats, and on top of that a trio of superb near-endemics in the way of Grevy’s Zebra, reticulated giraffe and beisa oryx.  Plus healthy numbers of both black and white rhinos with their horns intact. 

And then I’d head straight to the Masai Mara, splitting my time there between a property in one of the conservancies to the north of the Mara, and ending with a few days in the Mara Triangle, in the north of the park. These two areas make a great combination, melding the freedom to go off-road inside the conservancy and the ability to drive at night, with the amazing grandeur and spectacle of the Mara Triangle. Inch for inch it is about as fascinating and rewarding an area as one could visit anywhere in Africa. The Mara Triangle is also one of Kenya’s most reliable areas to experience the great migration, within striking distance of several known crossing points. 

Kathy: On our recent visit to Kenya, I was amazed by the abundance of wildlife in three of the private conservancies to the north of the Masai Mara, namely Naboisho, Mara North and Lemek. Almost everywhere we looked, there were zebras in their hundreds. Plus masses of Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, topis, eland, buffaloes (some huge herds!), giraffes (so many!), tons of wildebeest, hippos wherever there was water,  elephants – and several prides of lions.  

I would recommend to prospective travelers to Africa to spend up to a week or so in the Masai Mara, split between two of the conservancies or by including an additional few days in a camp which does its game drives in the Mara Triangle, such as Olonana, Little Governors, or AndBeyond Bateleur Camp.   

In addition to the Mara, Kenya has several other superb safari destinations; call or email us and a member of the team will be happy to talk to you about Tsavo or Amboseli, Lewa, Meru or Samburu. We know them all really well and can give you just the right advice as to how they can fit in with a trip to the Mara.  

For now, I will concentrate on the three properties which we visited in the conservancies. Any one of these would be an ideal ‘anchor’ property for a Kenya safari. 

Saruni Leopard Hill – Mara Naboisho Conservancy

The female management team at Leopard Hill is very accommodating and they want to insure your comfort and enjoyment at their lovely little camp. The communal area is attached to the dining area and you will enjoy the view – beautiful fig trees surrounded by 3 waterholes. The dining/communal area is on a platform and there are steps leading to a small area where guests congregate around a small bonfire in the evenings.  

This camp has 6 tents. We were in tent #3. I really liked the generous size and layout of the tents. The rooms also have a skylight which you can open up at night to ‘sleep under the stars.’ Not advisable during the rainy season though. The rooms have a king-size bed, great pillows, desk, daybed/couch, double sinks and separate shower and toilet as well as an outdoor shower. Plenty of room for your gear and a great patio overlooking the game reserve. The rooms are spaced far enough apart for privacy. They also have a honeymoon tent with a nice lounge and a family tent – two tents next to each other with doors (instead of zippers) suitable for a family of 4 

A bonus at Leopard Hill is a complimentary 30-minute back and neck massage – don’t pass this up! The spa tent is in a nice, quiet area and the masseur is a man named Viki Geel who has 18 years’ experience. He is excellent! Viki also offers yoga and stretching. I am so glad I took advantage of this and if I had more time, I certainly would have spent more time at the Leopard Hill Spa!

We had a ‘surprise’ romantic dinner on our patio the second night – very well done.

Wake up – coffee/tea are brought to your room.

We had great game viewing and a bonus here – and in the other conservancies – is the off-roading which makes a big difference if you want to pull up close to a lioness with her cubs hidden in the bushes. As we did.  

Kicheche Camp:  Mara North Conservancy, Masai Mara

Andrew Obaga is the manager at Kicheche Mara and he and his very competent staff know how to make you feel comfortable and right at home. One is introduced to the camp after walking over a small bridge and up a short hill. At the top of the hill is an amazing and unexpected sight – a beautiful and well-maintained mowed lawn with communal dining and photography tents. Early the next morning there was a little family of three tiny dik-dik antelope on the edge of the lawn; humans are not the only ones who find it appealing. 

The camp: the first communal tent is a photographer’s dream tent offering the photographer access to WIFI, computers and more. The photographer’s tent has just about everything needed for safari photographers – a real bonus in the bush! Right next door is a restroom. Walk a few more feet and you will find the dining tent with a lovely patio – indoor/outdoor dining. Two more communal tents with nice lounges, bars and two more tented restrooms complete the communal area.

Kicheche Mara has a total of 10 guest tents including a family tent. They can make any of the tents into a triple. For example if you want to travel with your mom and sister – they would be happy to put 3 adults in one tent – no problem! The pathway to each tent is clearly labeled using Swahili animal names for the tents. We were in Punda Milia (zebra). Arriving at our tent, the main power switch is a handy pull-string at the front of the tent opening. The tents are very spacious and well-appointed with a daybed, a king-sized bed, desk, open closet for all your items, a bathroom with a separate toilet, two sinks and a nice shower. We had a comfy patio with chairs and a small table so we could watch for any activity at the river. 

Kicheche is a fabulous camp and well worth a 3-night visit. Tents on our side were:  Kiboko, Punda Milia, Topi, and Kanga. They are all a short walk to the main area. Andrew told us the ‘honeymoon tent’ is located quite a bit further from the main area. Wake up – coffee/tea is brought to your room.

The food was excellent at Kicheche. After each meal the chef checked on us to make sure we were satisfied.

As was the case at the other camps in the conservancies, game viewing at Kicheche Mara commenced right out of camp. Twice, driving into and out of the camp, there were three elephant bulls with huge tusks to be seen hanging out in a marshy area close to camp; apparently they spend much of the dry season in that spot.  

Hemingways Ol Seki Mara:  Naboisho Conservancy, Masai Mara

Hemingway’s Ol Seki camp in the Naboisho Conservancy in the Masai Mara represents complete luxury on safari. The highly accomplished manager, Debbie Paul, gave us a very warm welcome – she had clearly read the guest information form – and we felt like old friends right away. Debbie took us to our room, #5, which was the closest to the lodge. The rooms are equipped with everything you will need including an indoor and outdoor shower, a gorgeous bathtub – quite a luxury on safari – and a separate/private toilet. The room has a king-size bed, a day bed and desk and a spacious wrap around patio perfect for game viewing from your room. I really liked their early morning wake-up – complete with coffee/tea and a to-go insulated mug to take on your morning game drive. You don’t want to waste any time in the mornings, and this was an added bonus.

The dining area has views of the water hole and game viewing area which can be great entertainment while dining or enjoying the communal area. The lounge and bar are attached to the dining area and they overlook a tempting pool and deck with lounge chairs and umbrellas – it’s really hard to beat this view. Relaxing in the dining area or pool area and game viewing at the same time – don’t forget your binoculars.

If you are traveling with your family, you may want to consider the Simba or Chui Suites. Ideal for parties of around 4 to 6, they are exclusive use with a private vehicle and chef, a pool and in a beautiful setting.

At Ol Seki we enjoyed great food and service and a great spa – reasonable treatment prices too. Facials and massages are offered – a wonderful way to relax during the siesta time before the afternoon game drive. 

You won’t want to leave Ol Seki!

Saruni Wild – Lemek Conservancy, Masai Mara

One more Mara property which we checked out but did not overnight at, was Saruni Wild in the Lemek Conservancy. Saruni Wild is a beautiful and welcoming classic African bush camp. This small, tented camp has a great location in the Lemek Conservancy, right on the edge of the Mara North Conservancy, with access to both for game drives. What we both liked was the instant access to several excellent game viewing areas in the Mara. On our drive from Saruni Wild, we found a female cheetah and we were told that lions had been spotted in the area just the previous day.  

Saruni Wild has an ideal mix of features which will make it easy to send our guests there in future. Effective, hands-on management, friendly staff and well-designed, well-maintained common areas and tents. All tents have the same basic layout – a king-sized bed, desk, open closet, double sinks, separate toilet and shower area.  Tents are placed far enough away for great privacy. There is no age limit for this camp.

Contact us for more information

Our Fish Eagle Safaris Inc. team has visited various Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania properties over the last couple of months. Coming up soon: educational trips to Madagascar and Mozambique. We’d love to help you arrange your first or next trip to Africa to one of these or several other African destinations. We can be reached at 800-513-5222 in Houston, or email jason@fisheaglesafaris.com or lyndon@fisheaglesafaris.com

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