Botswana 2003

Pilanesberg is a unique area created by volcanic action and a natural sanctuary with a ring of mountians. From 1979, Operation Genesis involved a huge translocation of game from other South African parks.

This is a beautiful park that combines rocky hillside and grassland into many unique habitats and panoramic views of an extinct volcano, one of only 3 such craters in the world. It was here that I had a rare sighting of the Gymnogene, a bird of prey.

Pilanesberg is well known for its healthy population of rhino and huge Kruger bull elephants. I was able to see two of these huge bull elephants, Nkemele a 40 year bull, and Baby "V" with a large cut in his ear. I saw white rhino here, many with calves. There were herds of zebra, giraffe and tsessebe as well as rare hartebeest and the elusive kudu.

My next destination was chosen for its population of African Wild Dogs in the Okavango region of Botswana. I stayed at a camp that has been involved with wild dog research for the past 10 years called the Chitabe Trails Lodge near the Gomoti Channel.

My lodge was near a waterhole that stayed active all day and it was just a matter of setting up post and waiting for the next thirsty animal to show up. All of the predators occur here and there are dense populations of elephants and cape buffalo. One of the highlights of this camp was the fantastic wildlife viewing directly from camp.

Luckily it was the right time of the year for the Moonstone pack of wild dogs to den and they were easy to locate. They had 12 week old pups in a dense mopane forest, and there were 4 adults with them. It was like a dream come true for me.

My final destination was located in the northern part of Botswana called the Savuti Channel; a dry river bed that has been dry since about 1980. Located in the Linyati concession area along the Savuti channel is a private game reserve that borders Chobe National Park.

This was the most amazing place for me . Savuti was a place that I have thought about and read about for years. It is also well-known for its population of Wild Dogs, but all game concentrations are high in the dry winter months. I saw a huge pack of wild dogs with pups that were just leaving their den from the Selinda area just north of us, and was extremely lucky to stumble upon them in the early morning light. They had just left a kill and were reuniting with the pups. There were 16 adults and 8 pups.

Another highlight and special feature of Savuti is the hide that was built around a waterhole in front of the main camp. It is a fantastic wildlife experience that I have never seen before. One of the few waterholes around with fresh water pumped year-round, the wildlife knows you are there and literally walk up to you to drink. It is both scary and thrilling, and the best wildlife viewing experience I have ever had.