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Rwanda

Groundhog Day Properties Part 2 – 2024

5th April 2024

Groundhog Day Properties Part 2 – 2024

Reviewing the trips which our Fish Eagle Safaris guests will be embarking on over the remainder of 2024, several more of our ‘Groundhog Day’ properties popped up. These are places where we would be happy to wake up every day for the rest of our lives. Eat your heart out, Bill Murray.

Jao Camp, Okavango Delta – Botswana

Imagine being dropped off – blindfolded – on a small island in the Okavango Delta. As the helicopter noise fades into the background, you take off the blindfold. Where are you? It could be one of dozens of spots in the Delta. All stunningly beautiful, but not distinctively unique. Not so the Jao Concession in the western part of the Delta. Here, the typical Delta mosaic of palm-fringed islands, crystal clear waterways, papyrus-fringed lagoons and lush reedbeds takes on an identity of its own. Practically unmistakeable. Even on just my second visit, it became clear that this part of Northern Botswana was special and unique.   

Photo credit Dana Allen

There are several superb safari camps in the concession, with Wilderness’ Jao Camp at the pinnacle of luxury, comfort and all-round excellence. There are pretty spots in the Delta, and gorgeous riverine forests, and then there’s the spot where Jao was built. When on safari I suffer from pretty intense FOMO and almost never miss a game drive. At Jao, the tables are turned. You could miss out by getting into a vehicle and leaving camp. This is where you want to spend an extra night or even two, to revel in the sybaritic splendor of the spacious and elegantly designed tents, to linger over an exquisite dinner in the museum room, or to just spend a few hours on the verandah, soaking in the atmosphere. The entire camp is elevated about 3 to 5 meters above ground level, enhancing the views and adding a tree-house like feel. Sooner or later you might actually feel like venturing out, and of course there’s plenty to do beyond R & R. The camp offers daily guided wildlife safaris, as well as boat trips and mokoro excursions (subject to water levels), allowing visitors to explore the rich biodiversity of the Okavango Delta.

Mashatu Euphorbia Lodge – South Africa

Mashatu Euphorbia Villas is about as close as a safari lodge gets to being a work of art. It all starts with a winding drive up a steep hill into the most enchanting euphorbia forest you’ve ever seen. These stark, foreboding cactus plants – sometimes referred to as candelabra trees – loom alongside the drive into camp, a harbinger of what is to come. Crest the hill and suddenly you’re looking at as dramatic an entrance as there is to any safari camp in Africa. The experience builds from there. A  stunning lounge and dining area – not to mention the outdoor space, the boma and the nest seating area, perched on the edge of a 30-meter high cliff. The view? You just have to see it in person. During our recent visit the same superlatives could be heaped on the suites and the food. Impeccable. 

The game viewing experience at Mashatu is exceptional, with three species of big cats – lions, leopards and cheetahs – being seen regularly. This alone makes Mashatu a desirable destination, but there’s a lot more. Mashatu’s elephants are known for being tolerant to the presence of vehicles and you are likely to get surprisingly close to them from time to time. Other notable species include giraffes, zebras, eland (Africa’s largest antelope) and brown hyenas. Expert guides will take you on game drives or walks through the reserve, and as there is no prohibition on driving off-road or at night, you will almost assuredly have multiple opportunities to get close up and personal with many of these special mammals and the superb birdlife. Done enough game-driving? There are many other (optional, at additional cost) activities to enjoy at Mashatu including horseback riding, mountain biking, observing the animals and birds from a hide/blind (subject to availability) and bird watching.

Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge – Rwanda

Wilderness Sabyinyo Lodge is hands down our favorite property in the Volcanoes National Park area. This beautiful lodge is located in a lush garden setting (the golden monkeys sometimes make a surprise visit) at the base of the Volcanoes National Park, with gorgeous views over the valley below and up towards several dormant volcanoes in the background. It is just minutes away from the Volcanoes National Park headquarters for the morning briefing before gorilla treks. The hospitality, food and rooms – and the main lodge – are all first class, and the lodge is 100% community-owned, with a sterling conservation ethos. There are several other lodges in the area with an even higher price tag (Sabyinyo is no slouch in that department) and bigger, fancier, rooms. We like Sabyinyo for providing an all-round stay which feels like spending time at someone’s private mountain lodge. Everything is to scale, it is relaxed yet with good attention to detail, and just feels like it fits into the environment without being jarring or out of place in any way.

Victoria Falls Hotel – Zimbabwe

There’s really no more interesting or fascinating place to spend a couple of nights in Vic Falls, than the Victoria Falls Hotel. Despite having all of the modern conveniences and much improved food and beverage service (compared with a few years ago), the hotel has lost none of its old-world charm. Staying there feels every bit like being transported back to the early 1900’s. Beautiful gardens, a first-class curio shop, interesting restaurants (one of which puts on a traditional dancing performance nightly) and ideally located to venture out on activities. The Victoria Falls Hotel is not only the ‘grande dame’ of all the hotels in the village, it also occupies a prime spot with a superb view over the Batoka Gorge, with the bridge spanning the chasm between Zimbabwe and Zambia right in the line of sight. Truly a timeless classic which has been carefully nurtured and maintained over the years, with all the rooms now fitted with modern bathrooms, air-conditioning and Wi-Fi. The grounds and the public areas are worth exploring with a myriad of birds and smaller mammals around.

Tswalu Motse, Cape Kalahari –  South Africa

Tswalu is one of our favorite properties for many reasons, mostly because of the excellent game viewing and particularly the chance to see some special mammals such as habituated meerkats, black rhino and both pangolin and aardvark. It also has lots of desert-adapted animals like bat-eared foxes, gemsbok and springbok. Plus good predator numbers including cheetahs and lions. Tswalu includes a private guide and vehicle with all bookings and the guiding is superb. At Tswalu, you will also have the opportunity (included for all guests) to dine at Klein Jan, created by South Africa’s first Michelin Star chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, who owns Restaurant Jan in Nice, France. Klein Jan has become one of the world’s go-to restaurants despite its remote, isolated location in the Northern Cape’s Kalahari Desert. 

Thinking about including one or more of these stellar properties in your first or next trip to Africa? Call our Houston office at 1-800-513-5222 any time during business hours, Monday to Friday, CDT or email me at bert@fisheaglesafaris.com. 

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Photography on safari

26th March 2023

Photography on safari

Fish Eagle Safaris was an early adopter of digital photography. Company founder Bert somewhat fondly recalls using a first generation Sony Mavica on a trip to Madagascar in 1998. It was slow and primitive measured against the standards of current digital cameras, but it did the job. Having the capability of taking a photograph and being able to see it just seconds later (rather than waiting to have film developed and printed) seemed like the future at the time. The reaction of the Madagascar kids who crowded around Bert to look at themselves in the photos, just seconds after an exposure, was priceless.

Since then, the Fish Eagle Safaris team has gained considerable experience and a measure of expertise in the field of wildlife photography. Particularly since 2008 when we purchased our first big camera and telephoto lens combination. At the time, it was a Nikon D300 and a Nikon 200-400 f/4 Zoom lens. We still use many of the images taken with the 200-400 zoom lens. At nearly 7 pounds it is hefty but few other lenses beat it for versatility and all-round excellence. The 200-400mm f/4 is still a great choice for a Nikon shooter who wants a long zoom lens that can let you keep your camera’s shutter speed high and ISO low in a variety of lighting conditions.

Some years later, we upgraded to a Nikon D-4 camera – which we still use. With an optional battery grip, it is fast (8 to 9 exposures per second) and it is a monster in poor light. A couple of Bert’s photos of a Zimbabwe lion Xander – unethically hunted and killed just like his much more famous father Cecil – ended up on ABC World News Tonight as well as in several other publications, websites and broadcast media around the world, a few years ago.

SET A REALISTIC OBJECTIVE
Before any trip, I like to think about the type of images I can expect to capture, depending on the places & activities on the itinerary. Predictably, the bulk of them will be shot from an open vehicle during a game drive. Sometimes, the object will be a long distance away, simply because it is wary or shy or regulations prohibit off-road driving. At other times the object will be huge like an elephant or giraffe, and very close to the vehicle. I would also plan on shooting some birds in flight on boating outings such as on the Kafue and Zambezi, or from a mokoro or a skiff in the Okavango Delta. Plus some close ups of mammals and birds from blinds. Other than pure wildlife photos, I would usually include a smattering of images of guide and visitor interaction on a walking safari or other activity, a few sunrises, sunsets, and some room and camp shots. Depending on the itinerary, there may be some candid photos on a cultural activity such as when walking with descendants of traditional hunter-gatherers in the Kalahari.

It is a useful exercise to jot down a few notes about the type and variety of images you are likely to capture, which helps inform the choice of equipment and eventually with the planning and execution of the day to day activities and outings. If you already have an idea of the kind of photos you’re after, it really makes life a lot easier for your professional guide. They will know what to concentrate on and they will get you into better positions with more opportunities to capture exactly the type of images which you had in mind. Which of course makes for a fun and enjoyable experience.

Like many other wildlife photographers our aim is to capture the essence of what makes wildlife viewing special. Often it is just a moment in time, such as when two Hartmann’s zebras pause in near perfect light in front of a succulent plant in Damaraland in Namibia – and both lift their heads, staring straight at the camera. A second earlier their heads were down – no photo there. A second later, they were gone. Successful wildlife photography is all about capturing those moments. Those special moments will present themselves in many different ways. Sometimes it is literally just a second or two such as an animal briefly pausing, a bird taking off from a perched position or a leopard descending from a tree. At other times it may be painted dogs hunting, lion cubs playing, elephants walking with Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background, young elephant bulls jousting in a pond, or habituated meerkats emerging from their den. The list is endless and limited only by one’s imagination.

Good wildlife photography is much more than a collection of point and shoot images of any animal or bird which gets into range. The captures should be engaging, or at least interesting and always as technically correct as possible. Only if the subject is something extraordinary like a pangolin or an aardvark will we even consider publishing a photo which may be slightly blurred or not 100% tack sharp.

Over the years we have refined and tightened our objectives. We don’t just take wildlife photos to record the presence of an animal or bird or other living organism. We try to create context and background, tell a story, create some drama, make it exciting and appealing.

CREATING THE RIGHT SCENARIO
How do we make our photographs special? First of all by creating the best possible scenario for our photography, by having the right equipment, by spending enough time in a location and by being patient.

The right scenario could be many things. It starts with being in the right place at the right time. Looking for leopards? Then visit the areas and the camps where they are likely to be seen and be out in the bush right around first light and again in the late afternoon. There are always exceptions but mostly nocturnal animals like leopards and lions are best photographed early and late in the day. Observing sleeping lions is standard fare on practically any African safari and there is really no less interesting an object than that. The secret is to be out and ready to capture your first image well before the sun rises. Recently in Botswana, we again realized how critical it is to be out early in the warmer months. If you’re not ready to leave camp right around 5:30 a.m. in summer, you are almost definitely going to miss out on seeing some of the predator activity. In some areas – where it gets really cold at night – even the animals tend to hunker down in the early mornings until it gets a bit warmer. So this is not an all-encompassing ‘rule’. At Tswalu in the Cape Kalahari for example, some of the nocturnal creatures like the aardvark and pangolin adjust their usual night-time feeding activity by being out during the day, to avoid the worst cold.

You can stay out as long as you want but don’t expect to find active leopards or lions in the middle of a warm or hot day. They will be sleeping or resting up in shade deep inside a bush, or – in the case of leopards – maybe hidden within the tree canopy on a branch. There are always exceptions. We saw a leopard stalk and kill a blackbacked jackal in Etosha National Park, Namibia at 2 pm one day, not long ago.

For the purpose of this discussion we will avoid discussing night photography simply because we don’t really do it. We’ll try to get some captures of an aardvark, an owl or other nocturnal creature we happen to stumble upon on a night drive, but it’s purely incidental.

SHOOTING DURING THE GOLDEN HOURS
We try to maximize natural light to its best advantage in the couple of ‘golden hours’ just after sunrise and before sunset. This is when practically any subject comes alive – even the most ubiquitous of antelopes like impalas and the East African gazelles look good in the soft, forgiving light associated with the golden hours.

Which brings me to one of my few pet peeves about wildlife photography. I do not like to be driving around excessively during the morning and afternoon ‘good light’ window. My request to guides is always to find a suitable object soon and to stay with it for a considerable length of time, while the light is good. Find a nice group of zebras at 7 in the morning? Stay with them, wait for them to line up in an interesting way or for two of the young stallions to start play-fighting. Or some such scenario. Don’t snap off a couple of quick shots, only to start driving again almost immediately. During the good light period in the morning and afternoon you want your guide to be more patient than ever.

Digital photography – and specifically the image alterations and corrections which can be made in the processing phase – has somewhat reduced the ‘golden hour’ fixation of the film era. It is now relatively easy to ameliorate the harsh shadows caused by overly bright midday conditions, for example. Also, on overcast days you may be able to capture some great images well beyond the early morning and late afternoon hours. Which is great but does not detract from the importance of capturing as many images as you can, during the golden hours. The warm, golden light adds a certain elegance to exposures which is just about impossible to achieve at any other time of the day.

TAKE YOUR TIME
Patience and perseverance go hand in hand with wildlife and nature photography. Stick around long enough and interesting things are bound to happen. This is particularly true around water holes in the dry season but not exclusively so. Patience and perseverance can take many forms with wildlife photography. It can involve spending several hours with a coalition of cheetahs, waiting for them to initiate a chase and hopefully a kill. Or hanging out in the proximity of a pack of African painted dogs, likewise waiting for them to adopt a hunting mode or for the youngsters to start playing.

Parking yourself at a hippo pool for an extended period of time almost invariably will produce a decent ‘wide open mouth with impressive tusks’ shot. If you’re lucky, there will be a territorial spat between two competing males, when things can get really exciting. One or more of the animals may leave or enter the pool, or you can get lucky with capturing a tender mother and baby moment. When hippos get ready to leave the water for their grazing grounds – usually by nightfall – some of them will make a spin move when they do a 360-degree roll, momentarily exposing their pink bellies. I’ve seen it happen several times. Do I have a great photo of it yet? No. But I haven’t given up and will be spending more time at a hippo pool, just waiting for the moment…

Spending enough time in an area is crucial. You will see and experience more, the entire experience will be more enjoyable and your photography will benefit immeasurably. Animals move around in real time and you simply have to give yourself enough time to find them and to photograph them under optimal conditions. If there are cheetahs in an area you are not likely to see them in just a day, in one or two game drives. Over the course of three or four days you very well might. Time and a bit of luck creates opportunity for more than just a quick snapshot.

EQUIPMENT CHOICES
Whenever members of the Fish Eagle Safaris team get ready for a trip to Africa – or Madagascar – they will usually have most of these pieces of equipment in their bag:

  • An iPhone for general landscapes, closeups of animals, low-light photography, rooms and lodge interiors and exteriors and for shooting videos (making use of an Osmo stabilizing device).
  • A Sony A-6300 camera with a couple of lenses (a short 16-70mm zoom and a medium 55-210mm zoom). A compact mirrorless camera is handy when portability is an issue, such as on a Kilimanjaro trek or any longer hike, or on a boating or mokoro outing where a DSLR is just too heavy and there is a risk of getting wet.
  • One or two full-frame cameras such as the Nikon D-4 and Nikon D-850. On his most recent outing to Botswana, Bert had both of these cameras in the vehicle, using a long telephoto lens on the one and a shorter 70-200 zoom lens on the other.
  • Depending on the location, several lenses such as:
    A 50-mm f/1.4 for low-light and food photography,
    A short zoom 28-70 f/2.8 as an all-purpose walking around lens, for room interiors and lodge shots, as well as people photography,
    A medium range 70-200 f/2.8 zoom lens for closer up and larger animals such as elephants and giraffes or for capturing more of the background and habitat with animals in the foreground,
    A longer zoom lens such as the Nikon 200-400 f/4 or the Tamron 150-600/f5.6 for more remote objects, birds in flight, and the like.

Generally speaking, we think that a zoom lens in the 100-400 mm range or perhaps 150-600 mm covers a good spectrum. For eye-popping close-ups and for decent bird photography, it would be advisable to spring for a 500mm or even a 600mm prime lens. Nikon’s 500 f/5.6 Phase Fresnel lens is the smallest, lightest full-frame 500mm prime lens ever at just over 9 inches long and just over 3 lbs in weight.

We shoot in RAW only which is really the way to go. The RAW files are much bigger than JPEG files but memory cards and hard drives are not nearly as expensive as they used to be. Most importantly, a RAW file captures uncompressed data from your camera sensor and gives you much more information to work with in the post-processing phase, than a compressed JPEG.

We recommend taking an external hard drive such as a Western Digital Passport (available in 1 or 2 Terabyte sizes at reasonable cost) to download and store your images. Best practice is to do this on a daily basis, so that you will have your images protected in at least two places (the memory card and external hard drive).

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Gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda

5th November 2020

Gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda


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Gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda

GORILLA TREKKING IN BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST, UGANDA

The night before my first ever gorilla trek in the Nkuringo sector of Bwindi National Park in Uganda, I did not sleep well.  Excitement, anticipation, maybe a little bit of apprehension. Who knows. All of the traveling to get there, the thought of seeing the gorillas close up, the realization that I would have just one precious hour with them. Thoughts about cameras and lenses, light and shade, f-stops and ISO settings. It all got to be a bit much and kept my brain synapses firing long after I should’ve been asleep.


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By the time we arrived at the trailhead the next morning, I was completely lost in my thoughts, lagging behind the other four persons who would be trekking the same gorilla group that morning. Just then, three cold little hands suddenly gripped mine, two on the left and one on the right. Totally spontaneously three little Uganda boys – one set of twins and a slightly older friend – had decided that I needed some company and maybe a sympathetic face to look up at me. No question, I did. Their timing was perfect and although I couldn’t understand a word they were saying, their gentle touch and their sparkling eyes said it all: “Don’t worry mzungu, you’re going to be just fine. Relax, give that heavy bag to a porter and don’t fret so much about the photographs. Just enjoy the experience!”


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Barely an hour later, our small group were face to face with the most impressive big apes still to be found wandering this earth: the gentle giants who inhabit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and a few other patches of similar habitat in neighboring Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Mountain Gorilla. There are only about 1,000 of these great apes left in the wild, so it is an awesome experience – in the old-fashioned sense of the word – to behold them right there in front of you, stuffing their faces with big handfuls of leaves, clearly relishing every ounce of the approximately 40 pounds pounds of food they consume every day.


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The gorilla trek in Uganda took place in the Nkuringo (southern) sector of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.  It is no mystery why a British colonial official added ‘Impenetrable’ to the name of the existing Crown Forest Reserve, almost a hundred years ago now.  It is a thick curtain of green, with extensive stands of bamboo interspersed among large forest hardwoods. The bamboo and a dense ground cover of ferns, vines, and other plants make it heavy-going for anybody on foot.  On the day of our visit, we had to walk down from the trailhead, negotiating a steep slope. Even though the gorillas were relatively close by, it would entail some scrambling down an ill-defined path to get to them. Fortunately, we each had a porter to help with an assist where needed and with a hand to reach out for, when gravity won out. 


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Eventually, we got very close to the gorillas but photography was difficult: they kept turning their backs on us or dodging behind the vegetation – inadvertently one assumes. I did not have the right photo equipment for a gorilla trek. My 200-400 zoom lens was too much glass and too heavy; I could barely pick it up towards the end. My other lens – a 28-70mm zoom lens was just a little on the short side. The ideal lens would be a fast zoom in the 70-200mm or 100-400mm range.


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GORILLA TREKKING IN VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, RWANDA

Our subsequent gorilla treks in Rwanda, at Volcanoes National Park, were considerably easier, with less in the way of steep up or downhills.  Even so, it involved quite a long walk with some pretty rough spots towards the end, close to where the gorillas were.  On both our Rwanda treks, it took about one hour, from the trailhead, to get close to where the gorillas were. To be sure, not too strenuous a hike, nothing like the slopes of Bwindi.  The first time around, our designated gorilla family was in a wide open area and I would have gotten some great photographs – if the weather had played along. All went well until about 10 minutes before we got to the gorilla group, when the rain came.  It never let up, in fact it got worse. I took a few quick shots and then stowed my camera and lens.  I did not want to risk potentially serious damage to the optical equipment – there was just too much water around. Just as well.  Someone else in the group (a dentist from Sheffield, England) had two cameras seize up on him. Even so it was a great experience. Rainy conditions or not, we marveled at the proximity to those magnificent animals. Of course, they were affected by the rain also, mostly just patiently sitting there, waiting for it to end.


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On our second gorilla trek at Volcanoes, we were allocated to the Kwitonda family group.  As it turned out, we were fortunate to see about 15 to 17 individuals – all gathered in a clearing in the forest.  For the better part of an hour we observed them feeding, playing, resting – and resting some more.  A couple of youngsters were gamboling around, tumbling, jumping, chest-thumping and climbing onto high spots, playing ‘king of the castle’.

A female was nursing her baby, yet another female was cradling her 3-month old baby protectively, and the #2 silverback male was in a pensive mood, posing for a series of ‘selfies’ with excited visitors positioning themselves between a camera and the gorilla, for the obligatory Facebook or Instagram pic.


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As the hour slipped by all too quickly, we watched this ‘slice of life’ portion of ‘a day in the life of a gorilla family’ daily existence, in awe and fascination.  It was easy to imagine that almost all of their days in this beautiful sanctuary were spent in the same bucolic fashion, surrounded by family members while enjoying tasty bamboo shoots, as well as leaves, stems and fruits of many other plant species.

It became perfectly clear to me why these stunning animals are as universally revered and sought after as they are.  They are undeniably at the pinnacle of the animal world, the very embodiment of the most special thing that can be lost, if global wildlife conservation attempts fail.


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A few gorilla trekking hints and observations:

  • Try to maintain a distance of about 20 feet between yourself and the gorillas; the further back you are, the more relaxed the group will be.  And the lower the likelihood of any diseases being transmitted from human to gorilla. 
  • Always keep your voice down. However, it is okay to ask the guide questions. Do not smoke, drink or eat when you are near the gorillas as this might inevitably increase the risk of food/drink droplets falling and increase the risk of transmission of diseases.
  • Flash photography is not permitted – when taking pictures move slowly and carefully so as not to alarm or disturb the animals.
  • Do not touch the gorillas – they are wild animals.  They are habituated to the presence of humans but could become agitated or even aggressive when provoked.   
  • The gorillas live at an altitude of about 8,000 to as high as 13,000 feet above sea level.  So pace yourself, particularly on the hike up to the first point of contact.  Walk slowly.  You will hear your guides use a Swahili phrase:  ‘pole, pole!’  Pronounced ‘POE-lay POE-lay’ it simply means ‘slowly slowly’.  
  • Two gorilla treks are always better than one, particularly for keen photographers and videographers.  There’s a chance of one outing being negatively affected by weather (rain or poor visibility due to mist/fog), or by the gorillas being obscured by thick vegetation or in difficult terrain.  Also, no two outings are the same or even similar.  The make-up of the gorilla groups is different, some with more babies and youngsters, others with more silverbacks, so you are unlikely to experience ‘more of the same’.  Each day and each trek is different, with unique behavior, setting and interaction.  So if you do have the means and time at your disposal, stay a bit longer and do a second trek.  
  • Be sure to hire a porter – again two being better than one – to assist you with carrying your stuff and with negotiating tricky or muddy terrain.  At about US$20 per porter for the duration of the trek, you will have a much more enjoyable time and you will be making a direct contribution to the well-being of the local community.


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In our blog post next Friday, we will focus on our favorite big cat:  the cheetah.  We will highlight a few of the best places to find them in Africa, the best time to travel to maximise the chances of encountering them, and some general hints to make the most of your viewing and photography of these rare, special cats.

More Info

Email bert@fisheaglesafaris.com

Email jason@fisheaglesafaris.com

@fisheaglesafarishouston

#FishEagleSafaris

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Chindeni and the Bushcamp Company, Zambia

By late July we found ourselves at Chindeni, a small Bushcamp Company property

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Botswana
Destinations

4th August 2022

On Safari At Belmond Eagle Island Lodge, Okavango Delta

What is the ‘secret sauce’ for an unforgettable few days on safari in Botswana? It starts with the animals, of course. The elephants, lions, giraffes, hippos

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Destinations
India

27th May 2023

India

India’s tiger, mammals and birds.

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