Nomad: Africa Diary

Baby chickens and new classrooms

2008-04-11T09:15:00.004+01:00

Twabuka School and Iji company.
On 10th April we took delivery of 100 one day old chicks. These chicks are the first of our egg producers for Twabuka Iji company, iji means egg in Tonga.

The idea of the egg company is to develop income generating business in the village.
The chicken house, equipment and chickens have all been funded by a combination of donations and an interest free loan from our school funds. Two villagers, Brian and Geoff, have been employed in the initiative. So far they have taken a major role in building the chicken house and have had to understand all the costs involved. They will be responsible for looking after the chickens and, once the chickens start laying, for marketing and selling the eggs and keeping accounts.

All initial income profit will go towards paying back the set up costs and this money will then be made available for other villagers to develop further initiatives. It’s likely to take at least two years to progress to a profit situation, after which Brian and Geoffs’ basic wage can rise and the remaining profit will go to the school.
The project has the potential to provide a range of educational opportunities for both pupils of the school and adults in the village and the school teachers will work alongside Brian and Geoff to make the most of these opportunities.

If you would like to make a donation to the Iji company so that Brian and Geoff can move into profit more quickly please contact Oriel (nomad@microlink.zm) or Diane (nomadat@onetel.com).

Our building team is working hard to help realise the next phase of Twabuka Community School. In 2006 we finished the first two classrooms, thanks to amazing fund raising by Cooper’s and Company Coburn School and donations from other Nomad clients, friends and relatives.
In August 2008 a group of 36 students and staff from Cooper’s will be back in Livingstone to see the opening of another three classroom block and additional toilets. As before they will be actively involved with the painting and decoration of the new block and the construction of furniture.
Their time in Livingstone will be at the end of a month long trip with Nomad, travelling from Windhoek in Namibia to Livingstone in Zambia.
The expansion at the school has been necessary because the school role has risen from 36 to 134 and is still rising. So far Cooper’s School has raised and sent out another GBP 10,000 to enable this to happen and we believe more money will follow to allow completion. If there are enough funds we will also build a teacher’s house, as attracting good teachers to rural schools without housing being supplied is not easy.

The entire building project has been managed by Alan and Oriel from Nomad African Travel, who are now experts in everything from drilling boreholes to negotiating the best price for the construction of metal windows. They are also fast becoming experts in chicken keeping and egg production. All their time is given free of charge to enable these projects to be realised without spending money on admin and management skills and this means all donations go directly to the projects.
The village where the school is located is extremely poor, there is no electricity or running water and unemployment is at a high level. Education and skills training are essential elements in improving this situation and whenever a donation is made, however large or small, it enables us to take one more step towards an improved standard of living for people in the area and, in particular, an improvement in the long term prospects of many families.

On the trail of Wild Dogs

2008-01-16T16:13:00.000+02:00

Tailor made guided tour to Zimbabwe and Botswana,September/October 2007

We are increasingly asked for special interest, tailor-made tours and the following personalised itinerary was put together for John and Zoe Dobbs. John is a wildlife artist, the couple had travelled with us before and so decided to draw on guide Alan Baird’s detailed knowledge of the area to find the best opportunities for subject matter for his paintings

One of his main interests is predators, but in particular, wild dogs. As any guide knows the chances of seeing these animals, particularly with world numbers decreasing to as few as 3000 individuals, is a very tall order. The territorial range of these animals is huge and the dog’s constant mobility makes sightings extremely difficult to predict in a short time span. With this in mind Alan suggested an itinerary for the guests that included Mana Pools in Zimbabwe and Chobe and Moremi National Parks in Botswana. Certainly Mana Pools seems to be the most reliable area for seeing this highly endangered species.

On arrival at Mana Pools the campsite at Nyamepi was struggling badly from lack of investment but the showers and toilets still worked. This provided a base to explore the game areas and look for dogs and any other predators in the area. Dog sightings had been very sparse and very few recordings had been made over the past month so optimism about seeing them diminished, especially as the game scouts had indicated that they might well be denning.

However on the very first game drive three of these elusive animals were seen, albeit fleetingly. Having found where they might be we concentrated on returning there during additional game drives. One of the great benefits of Mana Pools is that you are allowed to walk in the National Park. This adds an extra element of excitement and, with the knowledge provided by a local guide that the wild dog’s den was within two kilometres of the road, a walking trip into the bush was contemplated. One of the last things that Alan, the guide, wanted to do was disturb the dogs reproductive habits and cause them undue stress. With this in mind spoor was used to locate the precise area where the dogs were returning on a daily basis, from this evidence we could try and view the den from a distance. Fresh spoor was not too evident but occasionally footprints were picked up. After walking about two kilometres the sudden sound of puppies greeting the dogs was heard and we knew we had found our quarry.

Being extra careful not to encroach too closely, we managed to see one puppy raise its head from the den. The mother was closest to the den and she was obviously still lactating. One other dog was on patrol and caught our scent. A bark was enough to tell us that we should not go any closer and we respected completely their territory. John, however, was able to do some trial colour studies and coupled with photographs was able to source some good material for his paintings. The thrill of seeing these very rare animals on foot is a never to be forgotten experience.

Following on from Mana Pools the safari continued in Botswana having spent two nights at our property, Bushbuck River House in Livingstone.

In Botswana both Chobe and Moremi revealed many good sightings and virtually every game drive lions were seen. This included the familiar pride of nine on the Chobe River Front and a good pride of eleven lions with three very small cubs in the Khwai area of Moremi.

Wild dog sightings in Chobe and Moremi have definitely decreased in the last three years and it was gratifying to hear that recent sightings around Savuti and Third Bridge in Moremi had been made. Indeed dogs were missed by 15 minutes in the Third Bridge area, which again illustrates the difficulty in finding these very mobile animals.

However, an excellent close leopard sighting at Second Bridge compensated for, missing the dogs. The remains of impala horns were seen on the ground but very little of the body was left, however, a young male leopard was still hanging around and was beautifully positioned on a termite mound for excellent viewing and sketching. He then decided to scent his territory and came within two or three metre of the vehicle, making a splendid finale to the excellent game viewing and painting opportunities yielded throughout the safari.

If you would like a safari tailored to your specific needs please contact us.

Our first sighting of bush pigs

2008-01-07T10:49:00.000+02:00

September 2007
Premier guided tour: 14days - Kafue National Park, South Luangwa and Livingstone.

Kafue once again provided some excellent sightings of leopard on night drive . The Chibembe Drive area proved to be most fruitful with a fully mature male prowling on his nightly hunting activity. He was clearly interested in puku, but was unable to get close enough for an effective strike. After his ‘cover was blown’ he decided to walk right past our vehicle at a distance of no less than five metres, completely unperturbed by our presence.

At this time of year it is often possible get right into the heart of the Busanga Plains. The Plains are a dramatic area of open grassland with networks of drainage criss-crossing it. The open habitat makes viewing of animals a good deal easier and some very striking herds of the rare Roan antelope, and also pairs of oribi, were observed. It was hoped that we might find cheetah in this area as well, but after much searching it seemed we weren’t going to be lucky.

However, on our way out of the park, we spotted a lone cheetah very close to the gate, near to Hook Bridge. After obligingly sitting on a mound for a while the shy animal moved into the bush, as we tried to edge closer for a better view.

One other particularly rare sighting as we headed out of the park was two bush pigs. These animals are quite different from warthogs and have dense, shaggy fur. They are nearly always nocturnal in their lifestyle and seldom ever seen during daylight hours, so to watch them foraging around in the Miombo forest undergrowth during daylightt was a rare treat.

The safari continued in South Luangwa National Park. The Luangwa River has returned to its normal levels after severe flooding last rainy season and the carmine bee-eaters were there in force and provided colourful sightings over the flood plain. The night drives in Luangwa were particularly productive with two excellent leopard sightings and also good lion viewing as the pride became active for a nights hunting.

After Luangwa our guests took a flight to Livingstone, the home of Victoria Falls, where they stayed at our own accommodation, Bushbuck River House on the banks of the Zambezi. From here it is easy to add on a few days at the Chobe River Front in Botswana, an area where there is excellent for game at this time of year. The game drives were particularly productive, after a very early start we were the first vehicle in the park and came across a female leopard right out in the open as she walked very close to the vehicle in the early morning dawn light. Needless to say she quickly moved off but had provided an excellent view for everyone to enjoy. Alan Baird, the guide, had seen this leopard often in the Sedudu Valley area and she was now becoming increasingly comfortable with cars.

Shortly afterwards in the same Sedudu Valley the pride of nine lions were spotted feeding on an eland. To see eland on the Chobe River front is rare enough but for the lions to have caught one was remarkable. Eland are one of the largest antelopes and the large quantity of meat was obviously a big incentive for the lions with their fast growing cubs. It seemed that the adults had had their fill and the young cubs were enjoying stripping the bones. ‘Stumpy’ the cub that has lost most of his tale, was at the forefront of the four hungry young cats as they fed. A further three lionesses were seen enjoying the remains of a buffalo, this kill was no more than a kilometre from the eland and food availability at this time of year was at a premium.

The variety of game, both in Zambia and Botswana, makes this an ideal safari for the connoisseur and the option of night drives in Zambia always makes it possible to view some rare species.

Our next Premier guided tour in Zambia starts in Lusaka 16th August 2008. This tour can also be offered on alternative dates as a tailor made tour, subject to availability.

Nomad Premier guided tour of Zambia, Botswana and Namibia

2008-01-05T18:09:00.000+02:00

August 2007
16 days including Livingstone, Chobe, Okavango Delta, Popa Falls, Etosha and Windhoek.
For this tour we started in Livingstone and guests had the opportunity to engage in many of the activities available there, including helicoptor flights over the falls and elephant back safaris.

After crossing to Botswana we spent two nights based in Kasane, from where we explored the northern section of Chobe National Park, bordered by the Chobe River. In August this area is at it’s best, with high concentrations of game drawn to the remaining lush areas of floodplain. During all of our visits to this area this year we have been able to find the newly established Chobe River pride, complete with ‘stumpy’ the young lion cub with half a tail. In addition the herds of buffalo and elephant were at full strength, providing spectacular opportunities to view them, both from the land and from the boat trip on the Chobe.

From Kasane it is possible to fly directly into the Okavango Delta, and this was the location for the next part of the tour. Some of our guests spent three nights in luxury lodge there, all, whilst others spent four nights, with the middle two nights bush camping.

The flights out of the Delta were to Maun, where we all met up again for our onward journey to Popa Falls. Popa Falls is near to the Mahango Gmae Reserve and, although fairly small, this area has excellent bird life due to the proximity of the river. It is also one of the few areas where we see large herds of both Sable and Roan antelope. The Roan are the less frequently seen of the two and distinctive for their ears, which are like those of a large rabbit, and their face, which sports an almost clown like mask.

During the Etosha section of this safari the game viewing was exceptional. Having arrived at Namutoni, on the very first game drive Etosha offered us two leopards, a mating pair of lions and a black rhino. Astonishingly the two leopards different individuals, seen in two different areas within the first 45 minutes.

Leopards are now becoming increasingly easy to see in Etosha, provided of course, you know where to look and drive very slowly. Fortunately, Alan Baird, the guide, knows the best places to find these elusive animals and the first sighting was made close to Koinachas water hole. In the early morning and late afternoon leopards are frequently found in this area and here a female leopard was encountered, casually walking parallel to the road. She seemed totally unconcerned and after a good fifteen minutes viewing gradually drifted into the denser bush. Another area where leopards are seen is the thicker bush area just before Chudop waterhole and this time we were treated to a much closer view of a young male leopard crossing the road right in front of us. He seemed fairly unconcerned and gradually wandered into the thicker bush area again allowing us a good fifteen minutes viewing. You can imagine the buzz of excitement with two leopards in such a short space of time.

It was difficult to see how you could top this, but at Tsumcor waterhole, only an hour later, we had wonderful views of two lions, one male and one female. It was not clear if they were mating, as they didn’t copulate while we were present. They may just have finished their three days of coital activity, or perhaps the male was waiting patiently for the female to come into season. After sitting in the open for a while they decided to move off into the shade only to be replaced, almost immediately, by a lone black rhino, who nervously came in to drink at the waterhole. Whilst black rhino numbers are increasing well in Etosha they are still very shy and seldom seen during daylight hours so this provided another rare treat.

Lion sightings were numerous throughout the time in Etosha, but undoubtedly the best was at Goas waterhole, early one morning, where a pride of 10 were seen lying on the road, complete indifference to the vehicles that were gathered around. One young male was more than a little curious about our presence and decided to come right up to the vehicle for a look in, after weighing us up went to the rear of the vehicle and sharpened his claws on the rear mud-flaps before sinking his teeth into the rear step of the Landrover. Whether he just didn’t like Landrovers or perhaps fancied the excited occupants inside is anybodies guess.

Zebra are always abundant in Etosha and provide many opportunities for photographic composition. Although there are a selection of lodges outside the park it’s always a treat to stay at least one night at Okaukuejo, where the floodlit waterhole allows excellent viewing of a wide variety of species throughout the night. It is almost guaranteed that black rhino will come to drink, often with young and the old bull elephants are ever present and ever dominant during their lengthy and ponderous drinking time.

Leopard and lion in abundance in Botswana.

2008-01-03T17:51:00.001+02:00

August 2007
19 days tailor made guided tour to Botswana, including Chobe, Moremi, Central Kalahari and the Okavango Delta.

We are often asked to provide personal guided tours for two people and on this occasion the guests wanted a wild, remote camping safari. Alan Baird, the Company owner, was available to guide our two adventurous animal enthusiasts and off they set into the depths of Botswana.

Botswana is different to other countries in Southern Africa as it allows camping to take place in completely unenclosed areas and, because there are no fences around the campsites, anything can walk through the camp. This is great for the excitement levels, but most guests have a few sleepless nights until they realise that the animals are far from dangerous, if treated with complete respect. In these situations an experienced guide is invaluable for reading animal behaviour and body language.

The tour started in the relatively comfortable environs of Chobe River front, where animals are very accustomed to seeing people and vehicles. The lion population early this year was worryingly sparse in this area but it seems a strong recovery has taken place and regular sightings of a pride of nine lions is now common. Amongst the nine are four cubs and one is instantly recognisable as having lost part of his tail. Needless to say he has quickly become known to us as ‘stumpy.’ The pride of nine are led by a very experienced lioness who seems to have little trouble killing at will and on this trip no exception was made. It seems that top of the ‘hit-list’ is sable antelope as these animals are being seen with increasing regularity on the Chobe River Front. On just two game drives along the river front we saw the lioness kill two sable. The hunting took place during daylight and the sable were taken as they made their way down to drink from the river.

A further group of four lionesses also seem to be making an alliance with the pride of nine and were seen remarkably close by, it is likely that they were related, as this level of tolerance between two adjacent prides could have lead to trouble and antagonism. Interestingly large mature male lions were conspicuous by their absence.

The safari continued through to Savuti, deep in the heart of Chobe National Park. This area, always renowned for its lions, didn’t fail to deliver. Four mature male lions were seen in one location. No doubt some of these males were part of the ‘super pride’ of over 30 that had their territory in Savuit a couple of years ago, but there seems to be no evidence of such a large pride existing any more. This Savuti pride were killing elephants to satisfy their heavy demand for food, this is a very rare event, but the newly established pride at Chobe were seen feeding on elephant on a couple of occasions this year and it may be that they have travelled up to the `Chobe area from Savuti to establish a new territory.

With less lions in the Savuti area it seems like leopards should be able to benefit and we were not disappointed in seeing one leopard in full-daylight in the afternoon, strolling past the rain trees which are a feature of the area. Not only did she pass close to the vehicle, she also treated us to a kill by catching and devouring an unfortunate red-billed francolin.

After exploring the Chobe area we drove into Moremi Game Reserve and excellent cat sightings continued. These included numerous lions, as well as a particularly obliging young leopard seen as Jesse’s pools near Xakanaxa. We couldn’t have asked for a more photogenic experience as the leopard decided to rest on a prominent termite mound.

Leaving Moremi we drove South and entered the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. In August there were very few people here and the game was not as profuse as earlier in the year, but we were not disappointed in our viewing. Undoubtedly some of the highlights were the huge number of honey badgers that we saw during daylight hours.

Also around dusk one evening we came across two female lionesses. It was obviously mother and daughter and the younger lioness was extremely curious about us. This seems to be feature of the lions here as they see very few vehicles. At one point she came right up to the vehicle to look in and then proceeded to chase us as we drove off. It didn’t seem that there was any malice intended, she was just very interested in our behaviour. Certainly the Kalahari lions behave in a very different way to other lions.

Not only did we see lions but also leopard on our last drive in the park. This made three leopard sightings for the safari, which is a startlingly good average during daylight hours.

Needled to say our intrepid guests were very happy as they left to spend the last three days of their safari in the luxury of the Okavango Delta, where they again saw some wonderful sightings, including lion, whilst exploring the area on foot with a local guide.

If you would like a guided or an unguided tailor made tour please contact us. We will be happy to work with you to develop the ideal itinerary and make all the arrangements for you.

Zambia in July equals leopard, lion, Pel’s Fishing Owl for the birders, and some delightful youngsters.

2008-01-03T17:30:00.000+02:00

July 2007
14 day Premier Tour, visiting Kafue National Park, South Luangwa and Livingstone, with the option to add two nights at Chobe.

Zambia never fails to provide the unexpected and game viewing in Kafue National Park and South Luangwa led to some real highlights this July. One of the big attractions on a Zambian safari is the possibility of seeing leopard and other nocturnal species on the night drives, but when you see leopard during the day it is a real bonus. This was the case on our set tour where excellent close viewing of a leopard, just sitting by the side of the road on Chibembe drive near Lufupa, was possible. As is often the case in Zambia our two Landrovers were the only vehicles at the scene and we were able to watch this elegant, secretive and beautiful animal. After a short while we saw the leopard get up and slowly and walk deeper into the bush to gain the cover of a large termite mound.

Lions were also seen in Kafue in the very early morning. The lions of Kafue are a little more reticent to show themselves during daylight than in other areas and the fact that Alan Baird, the guide, managed to track and find them was very exciting. Having caught up with them on the road the group of seven lions were very interested in an adult warthog. The lead female was in stalking mode and two other lionesses were trying to close off an escape route for the completely oblivious warthog. The attack was set and the lead female made her move, but the warthog was just too quick for the hungry lions and got away by making a desperation run for the thicker bush. Shortly afterwards the lions disappeared into the same thick bush and were not seen again.

A particular highlight of Kafue was a boat trip, which took us slowly and peacefully along a deep chanel of water to pristine areas of forest edge. Hippo wallowed and grazed on the banks and these included some quite small youngsters. Crocodile and water monitor lizards lay along the branches of low, overhanging trees basking in the sunshine, and we were able to approach quite close to them. There were birds everywhere, and to the delight of the keen birdwatchers amongst us, these included some specialities of the area such as Bohm's beeater, black backed barbet, white backed night heron and magnificent views of a juvenile Pels fishing owl, full grown in size but creamy pale in comparison to an adult. The pilot of the boat was keen to show us all that he could, and was as delighted as we were to see the owl. Tea and biscuits were served, and as we headed back into the sunset, we were rewarded not only with glorious views, but with a
magnificent gymnogene gliding just over our heads. It made a perfect afternoon.

At South Luangwa National Park we stayed at Wildlife Camp, where some 60% of the camps profits are given back to the park authorities for maintenance of the area. This is a lovely camp, set on the banks of the Luangwa River and surrounded by bush. Expert guides from the camp took us out on early morning and afternoon drives into the Park, and, on our first drive on the afternoon of our arrival, found us a lioness with three small spotty cubs, who were a delight to watch. Later the same afternoon we found a mating pair of lion, the male very attentive to his lady whilst ignoring us completely. As the
afternoon wore on into evening and then night, there were other cats to be found, including civet and genet. The following morning, we were able to add leopard to our list, as a stunning male emerged from a dambo in front of us and disappeared into the forest. Family groups with young animals are always special to see, and Luangwa gave us a wealth on this trip. There were miniature giraffe with legs impossibly long for their bodies, small zebra with their brown tinged manes, but it must be the young elephant who win the prize, with their trunks seemingly not quite under control....! The birdlife was also there in profusion, with clouds of Lillian's Lovebirds racing between the bushes as we approached some of the small waterholes. On our final night at wildlife camp, we had the chance to go and bushcamp. This involved a walk with a scout and a guide who pointed out and identified spoor, described the local uses of plants and trees, and made us realise how much there is to miss when looking at wildlife from a vehicle only. Bushcamp was wonderful. Perched under the trees on the edge of a high bank overlooking the river, the tents each contained camp beds ready made up for us, the table was set for dinner and hot water ready for the bucket showers inside a thick grass screen and open to the stars. The experience of being out in the wilderness in a small group is one to be treasured, and sitting round the fire listening to the noises of the night in such a wonderful location, just too good to be true. We had a visit from a lone bull elephant who was keen to come along the bank where we sat rather than go down the bank and around us, but he was persuaded away by our lights and presence. When we woke in the morning, the whole of the camp was surrounded by a herd of elephant including some quite small babies, browsing on the branches of the trees around us. Alas, a plane was waiting for us and we had to leave this delightful scene behind.

At the end of the Zambia Set tour we returned to Livingstone and after three nights here there is an option toeither fly out, or extend the trip for a couple of nights by visiting Chobe National Park. The chances of seeing lions in this area used to be excellent but diminished during 2004 and 2005 as they established new territories. However this year a new pride has moved in and they are proving to be a very exciting addition to the Chobe River front. The pride consists of two mature females, both collared for research purposes, two sub-adult males, one large cub and four smaller cubs. Another group of three mature females is also in the area, joining them on occasions. What makes this group so exciting is the regularity with which they hunt along the riverfront, almost daily. They often take down sable, sometimes eland, buffalo and even elephant and this is invariably close to the game drive road that runs along the riverfront. During this short trip to Chobe the pride were found here in the early morning and one of the mature females started to show an interest in a lone sable, some distance ahead of her. There is no cover on the flood plain but this was not a deterrent to her and she swiftly moved in for the kill, soon to be joined by the rest of the pride. When the Chobe pride make a kill on the open floodplain they often drag it into the bushes on the other side of the road later in the day, here they will feed in the shade, undisturbed by the vultures. We made numerous return visits to see the beautiful sable becoming gradually less and less recognisable, whilst the bellies of the pride expanded. Eating was punctuated by play amongst the cubs and lengthy bouts of sleeping and this made a fascinating end to the tour.

Thanks to Richard Broomfield and Dane Blakeley for supplying photographs for this diary entry.

Cheetahs, Caracals, Meerkats and leopard but where were the lions?

2008-01-03T15:53:00.000+02:00

April 2007
Botswana 18 day Nomad Premier Guided Tour – Central Kalahari, Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, Chobe National Park, Livingstone.

The 2007 safari season kicked off with a memorable Botswana guided safari from our set tour programme.

Concentrations of game were reasonably good, despite 2006 being a poor year for rains during the Summer months. The ground was already quite parched and brown in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and consequently, in Deception Valley, we found reduced numbers of herbivores compared to those normally seen in May.

Springboks and gemsbok were still evident but the predators were difficult to find. However some rare sightings were made, including a caracal and kitten taking the late afternoon sun in Deception Valley.

Also at Deception Pan three cheetahs were spotted early in the morning. It soon became evident that it was a mature female with two sub-adult offspring. They were very inexperienced in hunting and allowed the mother to have a strike at a small herd of springboks, but she seemed to start her attack from too far away and missed the springbok by a considerable margin. They then sloped off looking for place to rest up for the day and later that day we found the cheetahs lying under the cover of shrubs in the middle of Deception Pan. We waited for them to spring into action but, despite springboks almost tripping over them, they seemed reluctant to hunt.

The meerkat numbers in the Kalahari appeared to be much less than the ground squirrels, but we were lucky enough to find a large colony of individuals late one afternoon, foraging for insects. Classic meerkats behaviour was in evidence, as they obligingly posed for photographs at the mouth of their burrows.

After the relatively dry environment of Central Kalahari we returned to Maun and took an onward flight, by light aircraft, deep into the Okavango Delta. Here we could explore the pristine enviroment, travelling by dug out canoe and walking on the various islands populated with wildlife.

After leaving the Delta we travelled further into Moremi by road. The lions were proving difficult to find, but we were compensated by an unbelievable sighting of a young leopard, around Jesse’s Pools near Xakanaxa.
The leopard was completely out in the open, asleep on a dead tree and oblivious of our presence. We watched the leopard for over an hour, during which time it didn’t move, but it became necessary to drive back to the campsite and so we left it in peace, to enjoy the rest of its sleep before a nights hunting.

At Savuti area the lions had been seen two days before, heading into the bush where there were no roads. They were not seen at all for two days so obviously had killed deep into the bush and were content to enjoy their food in seclusion, away from any game viewing vehicles.

The tour concluded with game drives along the Chobe River Front and a memorable few days at our property in Livingstone. At Chobe the elephants were seen in large numbers, along with buffalo, hippo and kudu.

The Zambezi water levels were at there best at this time of year and there had been ample rain in the Northern Zambezi catchment area and viewing of the Falls was consequently an awesome and extremely wet experience, both on foot and from a helicopter. A visit to Twabuka school meant many lively children had to pose for their photographs to be taken.

One of our guests on this tour kindly wrote the following on return home and we thank her for these comments:
“ Alan is a wonderful guide, good company and enormously patient. We saw so many fantastic and rare things. Our memories range from a deeply moving face to face encounter (15ft apart) with a bull elephant in our camp – splendid animal just looked us in the eye and went on his way – to a privileged view in daylight of a caracal and her kitten; a perfect classic view of a leopard snoozing on a branch; uncomfortably large crocs slipping into the water near our mokoro; discovery of how to chase off an over-friendly wart hog (apply tin spoon to tin mug and trot briskly behind her); breathless beauty of the African sky at night; the sound of hyena’s footfall and sniffing right outside our tent at night…there are so many terrific memories…”

If you are interested in this tour there are currently two spaces left on the 2008 tour, which starts in Maun on 27th April

Our thanks to Lorely Maskell for providing images to accompany this Africa Diary entry.

Leopards and Lions again in Etosha.

2006-12-04T16:03:00.000+02:00

Windhoek to Victoria Falls safari August 2006
13 days fully guided ground only accommodation based safari.
Visiting Etosha National Park, Popa Falls and Mahango, Game Park, Chobe National Park and Livingstone

In 2005 we ran a personally guided safari including Moremi, Savuti, Chobe and Livingstone, for two keen photographers from Turkey. They enjoyed themselves so much that one of them returned in 2006, to share his experience of Africa with his family and two more friends.

Travelling together as an exclusive group of five, they chose our Windhoek to Victoria Falls safari for its variety and excitement.

We are always confident that we will see lions in Etosha National Park, but leopard sightings are becoming increasingly common, thanks to the skill and experience of our guides running our safaris. This trip was no exception, providing some of our best leopard viewing this season. The area where we are seeing leopards with amazing regularity is around Halali very close to Goas waterhole. One stretch of bush often reveals a female leopard who commonly hunts along the road, on this safari she was nowhere to be seen, but was replaced instead by a beautiful big male. The key to finding leopards in this thick bush is to drive very slowly, perhaps no more than ten kilometres per hour, and with this in mind Alan Baird, the guide, managed to find this elusive animal. The remarkable thing about the leopards in this area is that they are becoming increasingly more relaxed with vehicles and we were able to watch him sit within five metres of the vehicle, wash himself, and doze for a good hour and a half without him being in the least bit concerned. Lions were also seen very frequently throughout Etosha as well as the usual excellent black rhino sightings at Okaukuejo and Halali waterholes at night.

Leaving the dry and dusty environs of Etosha we moved on to the Popa Falls area, a complete contrast as it borders the Okavango River. Mahango Game Reserve, in this part of Northern Namibia, is seldom visited, possible because it is only a small reserve. However, the range of animals that we see here is always stunning and certainly one of Mahango’s main attractions. On both game drives good sightings of Roan antelope and Sable antelope were possible. These very nervous antelope are always difficult to photograph but their profusion allowed a number of stunning action shots to be taken.

The Chobe River front never disappoints for elephant and hippo, especially at this time of year. In the afternoon in particular huge herds of elephant come down onto the food-plain, exposed by low water, to drink and graze on the lush grasses. Hippo form large pods, both in the main channel, and in the many small lagoons that have been formed by the receding river. Despite herds of buffalo which number many hundreds the lion population seems to have declined dramatically along the river front area of Chobe. No one seems to be able to offer a complete explanation but the area was badly hit by an anthrax outbreak last year and there is also a suggestion that they have just walked out of Botswana and into Zimbabwe. Hopefully the one large male and small group of females that remain will take full advantage of their monopoly and soon expand their pride with the birth of new cubs.

After crossing the Zambezi and entering Zambia, the trip finished at Liyoyelo Farm, our base in Livingstone. Here the guests stayed at Bushbuck River House, which is located on the banks of the Zambezi. The house is ideal for families as there is a swimming pool and tree house overlooking the river. For our keen photographers many hours could be spent walking in the grounds, along the river bank and on the nearby island in the middle of the Zambezi. Here the wide variety of birds provides excellent subject matter and the farm is also visited by hippo, elephant, buffalo, water buck and of course bush buck. Otters can be found in the river and the fresh Zambezi Bream are often a welcome addition to the menu. This is a peaceful location, just a short drive from town, ideal for a last chance to relax before returning home.

We would like to thank Alptekin Kutlu for his splendid selection of photographs that illustrate this Africa Diary report.

Lions of Etosha come up trumps again

2006-11-13T10:36:00.000+02:00

June 2006 - Guided tailor made tour in Namibia: 13 Days, Sesriem, Swakopmund, Cape Cross, Etosha National Park and Waterberg Plateau.

In June of this year we were asked to provide a personally guided tailor-made tour for two guests in Namibia. The climate in June is ideal, the country has seen the last of the heavy rains and it is pleasantly warm by both day and night. Add to this the fact that you can enjoy stunning scenery with relatively few tourists, and this is a recipe for Namibia at it’s best.

The tour was based on a northern circuit of the country highlighting Sossusvlei and Deadvlei for the magnificent sand dunes, Swakopmund for it’s dramatic coastline, Cape Cross for the seal colony, Etosha National park for the fantastic wildlife and Waterberg for it’s unique elevated upland plateau rising above the surrounding wilderness.

After an initial night just outside Windhoek Alan Baird (the guide) drove the guests through barren, dramatic, rocky landscape, to Sesriem. Here they had elected to camp and the facilities are very comfortable The additional attraction is that only the campers are allowed to drive to the 60km to the towering dunes of Sossusvlei before sunrise, providing them with unique views of the sunrise. As a 4x4 vehicle was used this also allowed us to reach the heart of the sand dunes, catching the best photographic opportunities. As one of the guests was a very keen photographer this was ideal. Sossusvlei is perhaps the better known locaion, but the quieter Deadvlei is excellent for photography and, having elected to go there, we were lucky enough to experience this esoteric environment in complete isolation for at least two hours.

Deadvlei

The tour continued through increasingly arid environments until we reached the coast at Swakopmund. The towns’ attractive colonial architecture is an oasis, surrounded by harsh rocky and sandy desert. There are excellent photographic opportunities in the Namib desert, where the aptly named Moon valley appears like a lunar landscape.

Further up the coast, to the North of Swakopmund, the Cape Cross seal colony can be found, where tens of thousands of Cape fur seals live on the beach and amongst the rocks. There is nothing more than a low wall between them and the visitors and the shade of this wall attracts the noisy throngs, providing opportunities for extremely close photography, as long as you didn’t mind the strong nasal onslaught that arises from their fish diet.

Seals at Cape Cross

People sometimes disregard Namibia as a wildlife locality, but those who have visited Etosha National park will testify to the contrary. Once again Etosha didn’t disappoint, and the highlights were the superb close lion sightings. An early start to the day and being the first out of the camp gates certainly pays dividends, as the predators are at their most active at this time. On two occasions, at both Okendeka and Klein Namutoni waterholes, very close encounters were possible and the lions showed little concern for the proximity of our Landrover. In one situation a mother shepherded her very young cubs within 5 metres of our vehicle, providing some excellent photographs.

Lions and mother and cub in Etosha National Park

Due to the good rains earlier in the year Etosha still had some water in the pan and the flamingos, which are drawn to the area in large numbers during the rains, were also still there. At sunrise one morning another photographic opportunity presented itself with these elegant birds silhouetted against Etoshas’ stunning landscape.

Flamingos in Etosha Pan at sunrise

Leaving Etosha our last location was Waterberg Pateau. Here there is an opportunity to walk, and also join a game drive up to the top of the plateau. The breeding programme that operates on top of the plateau has led to strong populations of both black and white rhino, many of which are relocated in order to re-introduce the species throughout Southern Africa. Also of note here are strong populations of Roan antelope, Sable antelope, giraffe and eland.

We would like to thank David Wilding for allowing us to use his photographs to illustrate this diary entry.

Coopers’ Company and Coborn School visit Namibia, Botswana and Zambia, and Twabuka Community School officially opens.

2006-10-17T09:02:00.000+02:00

On 4th August 2006 Twabuka Community School was officially handed over to the Ministry of Education in Livingstone so that it could become a recognised school, and on 4th September the new school term started.

The opening ceremony was quite an event. In true Zambian style the proceedings started over an hour late. In England everybody would have been checking their watches impatiently, and pacing up and down, but out here everybody was taking it in their stride, using the opportunity to shake hands, chat and enjoy the chance to relax a bit.

The formal element of the proceedings involved speeches by representatives of the ministry, Alan and Oriel from Nomad African Travel and staff and students from Coopers’ School. There was also a moving poem of thanks from three of the village children who will benefit from the new school. The highlight of the day came with the entertainment - the village women danced and sang, accompanied by drums and whistles. Then the children danced and one dance of particular note was performed by a young boy whose replica of a traditional costume had been crafted, in true ‘Blue Peter’ style from cardboard boxes and empty cement sacks. In return, the students from Coopers’ also sang.

Students outside Twabuka Community School and at the official opening

Over the last 2 years students from Coopers’ had been very busy fundraising for the purchase of materials to enable the school to be built. The finances had been further boosted by donations from Nomad clients and friends. At one time the spiralling value of the Zambian Kwacha looked as if it would leave us short of money, but the huge generosity of all concerned meant we did not fall short. Alan and Oriel have been the project managers, managing the finances, the drilling of the borehole, the building site, and ensuring regular supplies of materials and food for the workers. Many trips to the site have taken place over the last two years to realise this project.

The opening ceremony came at the end of an exciting and eventful trip for the students from England. On 11th July, 30 students and 3 staff had left to fly to Namibia, where they were met at Windhoek airport by Alan and Oriel of Nomad. Our convoy of 5 landrovers and two trailers provided transport for a 14 day trip of a lifetime for the students. Starting at Waterberg Plateau, the students experienced wilderness camping on top of this remote plateau, and tracking black and white rhino on foot. The Parks Board managers on site also took them around the capture centre, where numerous rhino and buffalo were held before relocation - evidence of the successful breeding programme on the plateau.

Travelling along the sand roads on top of Waterberg Plateau and rhino at the holding centre

Our next stop was Etosha National park. Here the group experienced lion at extremely close quarters when, on one of our game drives, three lions were spotted just emerging from the tree line, making for the open plain. By positioning the vehicles carefully we predicted the place where they would cross the road and, sure enough, one of the fantastic males strode confidently by, the wind blowing through his mane, so close that his huge paws and powerful muscles could all be appreciated in great detail.

Giraffe and lion in Etosha National Park

From Etosha the group stopped off at Popa Falls and once we entered northern Namibia the students started to realise the basic level of accommodation in which so many of Africa’s people live. Many were truly surprised that this is the norm rather than the exception, and they started to really understand that the value of their fund raising was more than just financial.

Our next stop was Maun in Botswana, the base for an onward trip to the edge of the Okavango Delta. Leaving our landrovers, everyone had great fun loading the trailer with bags and provisions and piling into a huge open truck. The transport for the next two days was to be dug out canoe and foot. This was true camping, with an open fire to cook on, no facilities, water fetched from the Delta, and wild animals all around. Hippo were at close quarters during one of the canoe trips and everyone had a great time getting absolutely filthy.

Travelling by dug out canoe in the Okavango Delta

The last stop in Botswana was Chobe National Park. Here the highlight was probably the elephant which, by this time of year, were in huge numbers along the river section of the park. A boat trip on the Chobe led to close sightings of crocodile and more hippo and many students had, by this time, also developed an appreciation of the widely varied birdlife.

Cooking breakfast after an early morning game drive in Chobe National Park and hippo by the Chobe River

The last stop was Livingstone where, for 13 nights, students made Liyoyelo Farm their home. Each day some of the students travelled up to the school to undertake painting and decorating of both exterior and interior. Others organised supplies of materials and equipment from town, and the remaining group stayed at the farm to become the carpentry group – their task was to make tables and chairs for the school. Alan had a particularly important role as purchaser of chocolate rations in order to keep energy levels and spirits high!

Students start painting the inside of the classrooms

Along with tools and equipment, students had filled much of their luggage allowance with things for the school and also football boots and kit. Our Nomad sponsored team Bushmad enjoyed a good victory over the student side, though playing on a hard earth pitch in high temperatures led to frequent substitutions. It was the first time that the Bushmad team had played a side including women, and even Alan came out of retirement to play a pivotal role in defence. By the end of the game there were many injuries, but the team had to rally themselves again the next day, for a match against Sindie village. This was also tough going but nothing compared to the unexpected challenge to a netball game. It soon became apparent that women who carry 25kg of mealie maize on their heads, plus at least one baby on their back, have immeasurable strength and determination when it comes to winning a game of netball. Plasters and antiseptic cream were yet again much in demand by the end of the day. The crowds were fantastic at these games, providing further entertainment in the form of singing and dancing - these were not events put on for tourist, but an opportunity to really engage with the local community.

The football team at Liyoyelo Farm and the game against Bushmad

A last finale for the local children was a trip to Victoria Falls. Although they had lived all their lives just 16km from the falls none of them had visited before. The students from England teamed up with two or three children each and provided a memorable day out for all concerned.

Students from Coopers’ School and pupils of Twabuka Community School at Victoria Falls

In addition the students made the most of all the activities on offer in Livingstone on their final day. Activities included helicoptor, Tiger Moth and microlight flights over the falls, canoeing and fishing on the Zambezi and an adrenaline rush Jet Boat trip.

When we returned from our last evening meal out we discovered that in our absence the elephants had paid a visit to the farm. The mango trees had been stripped and flower beds had been eaten. In order to eat our tomato plants the large bulls had torn out metal fence panels and stepped carefully over the remaining block walls. This wall surrounded the vegetable garden where students had pitched their tents, the huge foot prints were within inches of the tents but there was no damage to them, the elephant had taken great care to step around the tents in order to eat the tasty offerings and depart before we returned. On the morning of the students departure the breeding herd of elephant also made a visit, they were very close to the back of the house and it was as though they had turned up to give the students one last powerful memory of Africa. As they demolished the trees everybody quietly watched from just a few feet away.

The last morning at Liyoyelo Farm, elephants arrive for a close encounter at the back of the house

By the time the students had decorated the school and made the furniture, it had been transformed. The importance of wildlife to the Zambian tourist economy and the tremendous enjoyment that the students had experienced from their game viewing was in evidence, with the walls not only decorated with numbers and letters, but with animals and birds in abundance. It is our hope that the children and people of Sindie village will in future not just view elephants as a threat and a crop raider, but will truly appreciate that, through tourism, it was those same elephants that brought their new school to them. It is difficult to support wildlife when your years supply of mealie maize had just been devoured in one evening, but over time advantages as well as disadvantages can result from these giant lawnmowers.

Scenes of wildlife decorating the walls of the classrooms

Just over a month on from the opening everybody is enjoying the school, but we know that the fundraising will not stop as the school opens. We would like to provide a meal for every child every day and Julian and Jonquil Bond, who visited Livingstone recently, have volunteered to fund raise in order to realise this by building a kitchen and dining area.

Ongoing expenditure will include teachers wages, appointment of a second teacher in January, cleaning materials, and wages for the night guard and caretaker/cleaner.

There are books to buy and the school have requested a radio so they can listen to the educational broadcasts that are available. At a later date we might aspire to solar power so that we could run a television with video player and possibly even a few computers. Other things on the wish list include landscaping the grounds, planting trees to provide some shade, a library for general village use and education, a teachers house and teachers toilets.

Sometimes small things are powerful symbols and there are two examples of these at Twabuka - outside the school the students from Coopers’ school cordoned off some pathways with stones that they and the children had collected from the surrounding area. Some of the leftover paint was used to paint a few of these stones pink and these pink stones were arranged just in front of the school entrance in the shape of a heart, symbolising the fact that this school has been enabled and given to the community with love from many people. Just inside the door is a tree, whose leaves are made from the hand prints of all the staff and students and staff from Coopers’. Alan and Oriel were honoured to be the first to stick their hands in the paint and slap them onto the wall, to leave their personal mark amongst those of the many students who worked so hard on the project.

The front entrance to the school, built and given with love

Coopers’ School created a web site for their tour, which was updated as the trip progressed. It also has a selection of photographs. If you would like to enjoy it please go to www.intoafrica2006.co.uk. In particular you might wish to visit the messages home page and the trip photographs page.

Should you wish to support Twabuka Community School please contact Alan or Oriel, their e-mail address in Zambia is nomad@microlink.zm

Wild dogs and lion on foot, a tailor made tour to Mana Pools, August 2006

2006-10-09T08:53:00.000+02:00

One of the frequently asked questions from our guests is ‘Are we going to see wild dogs on the safari?’ Unfortunately the answer is usually that you will be very lucky and the chances are probably very small. However when we were approached by a couple who have travelled with us before, asking for a special tour to try and optimise the best chances of seeing these elusive animals, Alan Baird advised the best possibilities of seeing them would be at Mana Pools in Zimbabwe. It was agreed to follow his recommendation and so he lead the two of them, personally, to see if one of their life long ambitions could be achieved.

Mana Pools is a beautiful National Park, which has been designated a World Heritage site. One of the magical elements about Mana Pools is that you are allowed to leave your vehicle and walk in the bush. This, with some degree off care and the presence of an experienced guide, can be a very exciting way of seeing game.

Having arrived late in the afternoon, camp was pitched and as night fell we enjoyed sitting around a camp fire, listening to the sounds of the African bush, with hippo snorting in the river.

The following morning we set off for a game drive and incredibly, within 100 metres of our camp-pitch, we came across one lone wild dog. This was a fantastic start, but we were a little concerned about his plight as there was no sign of any other pack members.

The rest of the game drive did not reveal any more dogs or other predators, but we did encounter a large herd of buffalo and lots of elephants. Eland also provided great interest and excitement, as they are one of the less commonly seen antelope species.

In the afternoon the focus was to try and find a pack of dogs. Wild dogs tend to hunt early in the morning and late in the afternoon, and this provides the best chances to seeing them active. At around 5 o’ clock Alan spotted a small black speck in the distance and on closer examination a pack of nine dogs could be seen lying on the open plain. No roads were anywhere near the dogs, so an immediate decision was taken to get closer to them on foot. Leaving the vehicle behind we quickly moved as close as possible without disturbing them, or raising their curiosity. With great stealth we managed to get within 70 metres of them and they were completely unconcerned with our presence. You can imagine the jubilation and sense of achievement of both guests and guide alike that such a wonderful sighting was possible of these very rare animals. After watching them for twenty minutes they moved off in to the thicker bush to hunt for impala, which are found in abundance throughout the park.

The following day we did not see the dogs again, but our adrenalin was kept at a high level by some very exciting lion viewing. At around 7 o’ clock in the morning a lone male lion could be heard roaring close to the camp. On the game drive we also heard him very close by, but could not see him. Once again we left the vehicle and after walking a short distance we were able to see him completely in the open as he walked parallel to us, about 50 metres away. His path was taking him close to the road, so we returned to the vehicle to try and get a closer look. Unfortunately he decided to return to the cover of the bush and we decided that to follow on foot would be too dangerous.

In the afternoon we came across some vultures gathered in trees, plus a side-striped jackal lurking on the ground. This had all the tell-tell signs of a predator kill, but there were no signs of the predators in the thick bush. Again we approached cautiously on foot as we did not wish to disturb a feeding group of lions, or a leopard, and eventually managed to find a position where we could see a pride of lions feeding on an eland kill. It was not advisable to approach more closely, as they would be very protective of their hard won prize, but we were able to observe them from a distance off about 80 metres.

This three day visit to Mana Pools was part of a larger itinerary organised for the clients. Their trip included both self drive and guided elements within Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana. Mana Pools proved to be a wild but rewarding location and opting for a personal guide during this section of the tour led to experiences that would usually be beyond the comfort zone for most self drive travellers.

June 2006 tailor made tour to Botswana – Okavango Delta, Nxai Pan, Kwando, Moremi Game Reserve, Savuti, Chobe National Park

2006-10-08T14:51:00.000+02:00

Wonderful lion sightings, a serval but alas no dogs

In June we organised a guided tailor made trip for 5 guests to Botswana lead by Alan Baird, one of the owners of Nomad. Our guests had travelled with us a number of times before and this time their request was for trip that provided some luxury, along with wilder camping experiences in the bush. An itinerary combining these elements was drawn up and arrangements made for the trip.

On arriving in Maun the guests took an immediate connecting flight into the heart of the Okavango Delta, where they stayed for three nights at Gunn’s luxury camp. This provided the ideal environment in which to relax after the journey, and unwind from the fast pace of life of the UK. Accommodation was in the form of luxury en-suite walk-in tents, allowing the guests to hear the sounds of the bush, and lions were often heard calling nearby. The next two days enabled the guests to enjoy the tranquillity of travel by mokoro (dug-out canoe) and walking in the bush, both with a local guide. Bird life was profuse and elephants, often seen very close to the camp, were highlights of the stay at Gunn’s camp.

After a return flight from the Delta Alan Baird drove the group to Nxai Pan. The environment here is very different to the lush waterways that had just been experienced, with flat open grassland interspersed with Acacia scrub, and here the option was for wilder camping.

Game viewing was good, but elephant damage to the water supply and pumped water hole undoubtedly affected the variety of game seen. However, excellent viewing of large herds of giraffe and springbok were possible and one of the undoubted highlights was a pride of 5 lionesses sitting very obligingly close to the road. One of the benefits of Botswana is the quietness of the parks and we were able to watch the lions for over an hour without any other vehicles present, before leaving them to sleep for the day. In the late afternoon they were more active and we were able to watch them playing together before disappearing for a nights hunting.

Following the trip to Nxai pan the group drove back to Maun, then flew to Lagoon camp just to the North of Linyanti on the Kwando river. Here they enjoyed another luxury experience at Kwando safari’s Lagoon camp and Lebala camp. The area is reputed for its wild dog sightings and this was a high priority for the group. In the afternoon, while the group were on a boat trip, a radio message came that dogs had been sighted in the northern part of the area. A mad chase ensued to try and catch a glimpse of these elusive animals, but alas the camp guide picked up a puncture and we arrived five minutes too late - they had disappeared for the night. After one night at Lagoon the group moved to Lebala camp for a further two nights. The camp is set in a beautiful open area and has a wealth of different habitats, making game viewing very exciting. An added bonus is that night drives are possible as the concession is outside the National Parks and on one of the night drives we had an excellent viewing of a serval - a cat very rarely seen during the day.

Both day and night drives also revealed two wonderful male lions who were intent on patrolling their territory at night and happy to sit and relax during the day.

After the visit to Kwando the group flew back to Maun to continue the safari by Landrover through Moremi game reserve and Chobe national Park. In Moremi water levels from the delta were very high, making some areas difficult to access, but on returning from a late afternoon game drive at Khwai a pride of seven lions walked along the road towards us, the twilight was fading and they were ready for a night of hunting.

Our drive through to Chobe was full of variety - The stretch of Khwai river included excellent birdlife, as well as very good viewing of hippos and crocodile. After the old Mababe gate and just before Savuti marsh we had another very close encounter with lions and as we watched we noticed that one small cub had been tucked away in the bush. After staying with the pride for a half an hour the cub gained enough confidence to come out of the bush to try and feed and nuzzle up to her mother.

The Savuti area was unusually quiet in terms of predators, the lions must have killed in the bush as they were not evident at all. However the herbivores were present in their usual large numbers, including numerous bull elephants, along with tsessebe, wildebeest and zebra.

The safari concluded with two nights on the Chobe river front before a last two days relaxing in the comfort of Bushbuck River House - our base on the Zambezi river, in Livingstone, Zambia. At this time of year, and following a summer of good rainfall, Victoria Falls was at it’s best and the dramatic views were enjoyed both on foot and from microlight.

6 Leopards in 24 hours in the Kruger

2006-05-25T15:42:00.000+01:00

At Easter Bill and Sally McClelland made their first trip to Africa. On their tailor made guided tour they started at Bushbuck River House in Livingstone, crossed to Botswana for a couple of days in Chobe National Park, then returned to Livingstone for a further night, before an onward flight to Johannesburg. From there we drove to Kruger National Park.
It is always a bonus for people to see leopard during their first safari, but as Bill reports below the Kruger was very generous...

Now I know that going "on safari" is not just about counting the big 5 (oh, and as well as the 6 leopards we saw 3 rhino, and too many elephants and buffalo to count, hurrah for the big five!...oops) but although I was maybe almost as excited by the hyena nursing two young right by the side of the track, and by the dwarf-mongoose den (set?) in the termite mound, you have to say that leopard are pretty special. So how did we get to see 6?

Hyena and mother by the side of the road.

It didn't start too well on the big cat front - we had two wonderful days at Letaba - plenty of elephants - we were even seriously threatened by one old male (goes by the name of Flop-ear - if you've been up there recently you may have seen him). We went on an excellent night drive having heard tales of lions roaring on volume 11 right next to the carrier, but again, no cats. Then down to Skukuza - a long drive, the highlight being a picnic lunch by a dam which we had entirely to ourselves for an hour. That would be Alan, Oriel, Sal and me, a buffalo, a crocodile and a very inquisitive giraffe. This lone giraffe had more tics than you could shake a very large mopane stick at, but he was very brave for one of his species (make that "extremely skittish" in terms of any other animal). We even got out the Land Rover and wandered about (very carefully, and don't email this contribution to the park rangers). But again, no cats.

Lunch stop shared with a giraffe

But just as we were about to arrive at Skukuza at about half an hour to gates, along the river road we saw a number of cars stopped by some river-cliff trees. The usual thing happened when you ask why someone is stopped - "Don't know, everyone else is stopped, so I did..." and by the time 3 people have said this you wonder if there's actually anything at all. Then someone said (after adressing us in Afrikaans - which was flattering....sort of....) "Someone says they saw a leopard". So we stop and try to get a place - which was difficult as half the people in the area are obviously on this road to the camp at 5-30. So Alan manoeuvred back and forth and got us a possible place in a little pull-in above the river. Everything went quiet and lots of people left. Guys! No! Never be in a hurry when you're hoping to see animals! Eventually Alan reversed out to try another spot. We didn't really have much hope, but then Oriel shouted (or maybe whispered...it had the same effect) "look, a tail!" And apparently (I say "apparently" because I saw nothing) a little black and white tail-tip was moving along above the long grass. So Al went to an identical pull-in above the river on the other side of the trees. And suddenly there was a feline head looking out right at us - the coast must have been clear enough because out jumped a female, who ran across the pull-in and into some thicker trees.

Marvellous! Sorted! Tick that one off! Knowing how rare leopard are in the Kruger we though that might be it for our trip. So we set off at 6 next morning with hope, but feeling that we might have had our luck for the trip. Travelling along a road to Berg-en-Dal (I bet everybody else calls it Hag-en-Das too) I suddenly saw a face looking at me from the long grass. "Back! Back" - I'm sure I absolutely bellowed this at a long-suffering Alan. We backed up and there was a leopard...and there was another leopard...and there was another leopard! A mother with 2 very large cubs, presumably. We had a good sight of them, but they were in long grass. Wonderful - we congratulated ourselves on 4 leopards! 5 minutes down the road we passed one of those private operators in the military-style carriers. We exchanged info, and he told us about a leopard he'd seen about 10k away on a kopje. So we diverted there, and there were several vehicles looking at a patch of long grass. Then suddenly up stood a magnificent male leopard. Our poor position was suddenly the best in the convoy as he walked towards us completely unconcerned. We had a long, excellent viewing of a variety of leopard behaviour, including marking his territory, and standing on two legs trying to grab something in a tree-branch, till he eventually wandered away. 5 leopards! What had we done to deserve this? We arrived at Berg-en-Dal and had a rest, then drove out for a late afternoon viewing....You can guess the next bit - on the way back to the camp Oriel again cried "Leopard, back, back!" This time we had a leopard to ourselves. This male again eventually strolled right past us, sparing us only a short glare on his evening stroll to an impala supper.

Male leopard no.5

So that was our 6 leopards in 24 hours - can anyone beat this? Oh, and next morning a seventh strolled right by the Land Rover... but then you maybe didn't want to hear that... But if you're jealous, don't be, just get even by getting out to Africa with Alan and Oriel! And we didn't see a lion in 2 weeks in Africa - and if anyone can say why we saw 7 leopards in Kruger (pop 1,000 leopards) and no lions (pop 2,000 lions, on average twice as big and half as shy as leopards), then let me know and maybe we'll see them on our next visit.

Botswana tour - Central Kalahari, Okavango Delta, Moremi, Chobe and Victoria Falls

2006-05-25T15:06:00.000+01:00

CATS, CATS and Curiousity

On our latest Botswana tour we were treated to some of the best cat sightings we have ever had. Tour B2946 was 20 days in duration and it is camping based because this offers some of the best chances you will have to experience the wilderness of Botswana and, along with this wilderness, high quality game viewing.

The safari started in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Alan Baird, the guide, was optimistic that the game would be good, due the exceptionally good rains during the last few months, but nothing could have prepared the group for the fantastic cheetah sightings that were to follow. On arrival in Deception valley, the grass was still long and green. The herbivores, particularly springbok and gemsbok, were evident in large herds. The springbok are a major attraction for cheetah and on arrival on the first afternoon, eagle eyed Michael, one of the guests, spotted a cheetah lying in the longer grass on the valley side. Closer inspection revealed five further cheetahs, with the group consisting of one mature female and five sub-adult offspring. There were four males and one female amongst the offspring, with the males practising typically naughty adolescent behaviour. After a bout of playing together one decided that closer inspection of our vehicle was necessary. In typically ‘curiosity killed the cat mode’ it decided to jump on top of our trailer and see what was inside. You can imagine every body’s astonishment, as usually cheetahs are very timid towards vehicles and tend to shy away. However this one was set on a full examination, having given the trailer the ‘once over’ it turned to the Landrover, hopping agilely on to the bonnet in order to make eye contact with all inside. The game watchers had now become the watched. The level of curiosity was such that we hastily closed the windows. After watching them play for over an hour, without another vehicle around, we let them return to their slumbers in the grass before moving on to make camp in this pristine wilderness environment.

The following morning we thought we would see if the cheetahs were still around and whether they had springbok on their mind. Sure enough, not too far from the previous afternoon’s sighting, we found what we thought were the same cheetahs. This time there were only four evident and no one could explain what had happened to the other two. After a few unsuccessful and rather half-hearted attempts at chasing springbok they decided to walk off into the bush. They were altogether much more circumspect and less bold and we were still left baffled about what had happened to the two missing individuals.

All was revealed as we continued our game drive as less than a kilometre further on we came across the group of six cheetahs again. The group of four was a different family altogether. The six had had a more successful morning having killed, and devoured very quickly, a springbok. The adolescents were still fighting over the remaining few bones and fur. Sure enough after the playing was over curiosity reared it’s head once again and our two bold young males decided to make another foray on to the vehicles bonnet. We were ready for them this time and it was just as well as one tried to jump into the window only to find a pane of glass impeding it’s progress. I think he had a bit of a sore head after this and went back to play with his siblings. The mother had had
enough of their antics and lead them off into the bush at the side of the valley. We will certainly be looking for these cheetahs again, to see if this behaviour will become a common part of their life styles when they finally leave the mother.

The next element of the safari was a four day fly-in, into the heart of the Okavango delta. The guest stay at Gunn’s luxury camp for two nights and two nights are spent camping wild in the bush with local Batswana makoro guides. Water levels were exceptionally high for the time of year and this meant the game was well dispersed, although there were the usual excellent sightings of giraffe, elephant, red lechwe and impala as well as excellent bird-life.

After the Delta we returned back to the Landrover and travelled into Moremi by road. Although high water levels rather hampered game viewing, the undoubted highlight was a beautiful male leopard seen approximately 500 metres from Xakanaxa camp-site. The sighting was somewhat fortuitous and we had to thank some unsuspecting South African campers for it. The South Africans enjoy building camp-fires at least six feet high and the only way to achieve this is to burn huge fallen tree trunks which they drag with their vehicles back to the camp-site. Unbeknown to the South African party their log attracted a rather curious onlooker- a male leopard. As the South African vehicle came towards us I could see clearly that the leopard was chasing behind the vehicle intent on catching the log. I immediately waived their vehicle down to explain that they had a leopard in tow as well as a log, but the driver was dismissive, until he turned his head and found the large cat sitting in the middle of the road behind his vehicle. It was fortunate that they did not tow it right back into camp.

After the long journey from Moremi up to Savuti, in Chobe National Park, we were delighted to complete the cat sequence that had started so well. We had very good lion sightings, although the big pride of 33 seems to have dispersed. It will be interesting to see if they come back together later in the year. Two males formed the highlight of our viewing. It was apparent that they had been fighting, as both were slightly bloodied around their mouths. The cause of the fight was a mature female, in season, which one of the males was not letting out of his sight. They mated frequently whilst the other male looked on enviously from a 100 metres away.

The last location in Botswana was the Chobe River front. Cat sightings continued to be a high standard and unexpected in nature. During the afternoon boat trip a pride of 7 lions were seen drinking at the waters edge. It is not common to see lions from the boat but the high water levels enabled close viewing in the wonderful warm, late afternoon light.

Altogether we were treated to some of the best cat viewing that anyone is likely to encounter. Lets hope the remainder of the season maintains this extraordinarily high standard.

We would like to thank Fiona Stevens for allowing us to use a selection from the many excellent images that she took during this tour.

This tour will be available again in 2007, with departures on 28/4/07 and 30/6/07.

Twabuka Community School building update for May

2006-05-23T10:34:00.000+01:00

Pictures 1 & 2 - Spider trusses are put in place to support the tin roof.

Pictures 3 & 4 - Roofing sheets and window frames are put in place.

The school building has continued to make good progress. The roof structure is complete and all the window frames have been put in. Inside all the walls have been rendered and this week the final floor screed will be laid.
Emmanuel, one of our two main skilled builders, is leaving the job this week. His block laying skills are now less in demand, and his brother Foster will complete the remainder of this work. We are very grateful for all the work that Emmanuel has put in, he has worked to a high standard and has been a valued member of the building team.
The building inspector has been very pleased and complementary about the standard of the building.
The work that will remain, after the floor is complete, will be glazing the windows, rendering the outside of the building, fitting the doors and completing the toilet building.
It is now less than 10 weeks before the students from Cooper’s School arrive in Livingstone. During this time they will be planning the work they intend to carry out here. Ideas include painting and decorating the interior of the school, gardening and landscaping and construction of shelves and furniature.

We would like to thank the following Nomad clients who have donated to the project recently:
Pedro and Maria Cardoso
Francis Cunningham and Michael Webster

In addition there is a donation in memory of Connie Wrentmore, who sadly died on 10th April 2006.

March - progress report on the building of Twabuka Community School

2006-03-09T16:47:00.000+02:00

Pictures 1 & 2 - Show the original wood and mud school building. Inside the school teacher Romance teaches her class.

March - progress report on the building of Twabuka Community School

Here in Zambia we have had a good rainy season, but the last few days indicate that it could be coming to an end. Four days without rain means that the dirt roads are drying up, access to the site is becoming easier and the delivery of river sand might be able to resume.

Fortunately this had not held back progress unduly, the school is in a lovely elevated position, and although access has been very muddy, the site itself remains well drained. The purchase of Wellington boots for all the guys on site has also made things easier.

The main school building (which consists of two classrooms, a teachers office, a store and a strong room) has now reached the stage where the roof can go on. This is a tin roof supported by iron ‘spider trusses’. Our local hardware store has been making the trusses but a shortage of angle iron and a breakdown of the delivery truck on the way back from Lusaka has put this back by a week. In the meantime work has started on the rendering and sealing of the lower section of the outside walls.

Once the materials are on site progress on the roof should be quick and it is expected to be complete by the end of the month, reinforcing our hopes that the main school building will in fact be complete by the time Coopers’ School make their visit in August.

The construction of the pit toilets has been much more problematical. The pit itself requires digging to a depth of three metres but one metre down we struck large boulders, followed by solid rock. With no power tools available the rock has to be weakened by building a fire in the pit, this burns overnight and then work starts again the following day with pick axes. This process will have to be repeated until the required depth is reached.

The images below show the progress during the period from November 05 to the end of January 06

Picture 3 – Digging the footings in November 05

Pictures 4 & 5 – Foster, Situmbeko and Arthur dig the trenches
Mubiwa , Mubita, Kelvin & Felix make the concrete blocks

Pictures 6 & 7 – December, drilling for water

Picture 8 - Foster operating the newly installed hand pump after a deluge from the skies

Pictures 9 & 10 – As we enter the new year the building works come out of the ground, the rooms are set out and the floor slab starts to take shape.

Pictures 11 & 12 - The damp proof membrane and wire mesh is laid, followed by the concrete screed

Pictures 13 & 14 – Progress as of the end of January – The walls are up to window level

Tailor made guided tour from Walvis Bay to Livingstone, December 2005. More rare sightings and lions under the road.

2006-01-19T16:24:00.000+02:00

After meeting our guests from the St Helena cruise ship in Walvis Bay this tour took in the Namib Desert, Etosha National Park, Chobe National Park and Livingstone.

The highlights were undoubtedly the hostile environment of the desert, very good sightings of Cape Mountain zebra, excellent close lion encounters and views of the extremely rare pangolin in Etosha.

On our journey from Swakopmund to Windhoek we took the infrequently used Khomas Hochland Pass road. Our journey took just over four hours, passing through stunning scenery with wildlife viewed en-route. It was a pleasure to travel without seeing another vehicle during our whole journey.

The gradual change, from barren vegetation near the coast to the semi-scrub terrain close to the ‘escarpment’, provided interesting and varied wildlife. The usual ostrich and springbok were encountered regularly, but on two occasions herds of Cape Mountain zebra were seen close to the road. This small zebra is highly adapted to the terrain and is not usually evident in such numbers. No doubt some early rains and good pasture had tempted them to the area.

Etosha never fails to impress with its lion population. One pride has taken to hiding during the day in water culverts under the road and at Nebrownii waterhole we timed our visit to perfection. We parked our vehicle just above the culvert and a few minutes after our arrival eight lions decided to come out to drink at the waterhole. We were within five metres of them as they emerged from the culvert and, as this was our first game drive in the park, it provided a very exciting introduction to Etosha.

There were more excellent lion viewings, often at very close quarters. On our drive up to the Andoni Plains we were lucky enough to see lions sitting within a few metres of the road at Stinkwater, as well as two beautiful black maned males crossing the road at Andoni.

Earlier, on the drive to Stinkwater, we found one of the animals that is rarely seen in Africa, crossing the road - the pangolin. Due to the fact that they are almost completely nocturnal those in the group are amongst the very few people who have seen this creature whilst on safari and it contributed to making a truly memorable trip.

Windhoek to Victoria Falls tour November 2005 – Close up to leopards, more lions and even an aardwolf.

2006-01-19T16:23:00.000+02:00

On our November tour Etosha, once again, provided fantastic sightings of leopard and lion, as well as the very rare aardwolf.

There is no doubt that leopards are being seen much more often in Etosha on our tours and a further sighting of our favourite leopard two days running provided excellent close viewing.

The small female, who frequents the area close to Noniams and Goas waterholes near Halali, again decided to show herself very close to the road. Our guide Alan Baird spotted her just sitting by the side of the road in a damp pool, caused by a rainstorm earlier in the day. She was no doubt trying to cool herself down in the heat of the afternoon, but as we approached in the vehicle she was completely unconcerned and decided to settle down to sleep, very close the roadside. This provided some wonderful photographic opportunities and full headshots were possible, even with small lenses. After watching her for an hour and a half we decided to move on and leave her in peace, but the astonishing thing was that the following afternoon we found her in exactly the same place. This time she was even closer to the vehicle and seemed to revel in having her photograph taken. This was incredibly exciting and we think she is the same leopard that we have been seeing in this area for the last six years.

Lion sightings were also numerous in Etosha and on a number of occasions we found full prides with cubs. After viewing some distant lions on our way back to camp we had the incredibly lucky sighting of the normally nocturnal aardwolf. This termite-feeding animal is rarely seen and, as it was a quarter to seven in the evening with the camp gates about to shut, we had to rush back to Okaukuejo.

Luckily the rain that had fallen did not deter the black rhinos from visiting the waterhole at Okaukuejo at night. Moringa waterhole at Halali also attracted rhino, as well a lone lioness. After the lioness had been drinking for a while three spotted hyenas joined the scene and a major confrontation seemed likely until a black rhino charged the hyenas and caused them to scatter.

On our journey through to Livingstone we stopped at Popa Falls and enjoyed game drives in the nearby Mahango Game Reserve. This quiet reserve is remarkable for its almost guaranteed sightings of roan and sable antelope and we were once again not disappointed. Although the predators are not often seen here we had the good fortune to see a male and female lion in the early morning, before they disappeared into the bush.

Botswana, Namibia and Livingstone tour October 2005 – Over 50 lions and a leopard as well.

2006-01-19T16:13:00.001+02:00

Lion and leopard sightings proved to be the highlight of our Botswana, Namibia and Livingstone tour in October.

Over 50 lions were sighted in Etosha National Park in only 5 days, but the undoubted pinnacle of excitement was the excellent sighting of leopard during daylight hours, near to Noniams waterhole.

Alan Baird (the tour leader) found the leopard, which was just sitting by the side of the road at around five o clock in the afternoon. It was a small female and probably the same leopard that is often seen in this area hunting near to the road. She was completely at home in the presence of the vehicles and proceeded to walk along the road side and settle down in the shade of a bush, less than 10 metres from the vehicles. This provided excellent viewing and photographic opportunities, as she lay resting, before a nights hunting.

Etosha was very hot at this time of year and little rain had yet fallen. This led to excellent sightings at the floodlit waterholes in the evenings. Okaukuejo waterhole was visited by up to seven black rhino at any one time and elephants, which were intent on claiming the waterhole as their own, often joined them. There were also some tremendous sightings of black rhino during the day, close to Goas waterhole.

Lions were seen throughout the park but in one instance, just before the plains of Andoni, they were found feeding on a mature male giraffe. It was unclear whether they had killed it or it had died of natural causes, as this is a particularly stressful time of the year due to diminishing water and food. Whatever the cause of death the lions were making the most of their bounty and were laying, with very full bellies, in the shade.

Progress on our Community Project - The building of Twambuka Community School

2005-11-11T09:49:00.000+02:00

In 2002 Nomad African Travel was established as a company in Zambia, as well as U.K. Investment in the country has involved the purchase of Liyoyelo Farm and Bushbuck River House approx 16 km. from Livingstone, where we have our African base and accommodation. One of the reasons for having a base in Africa has been to engage more closely with the local community and a project with The Coopers' and Company Coborn School has offered us fantastic opportunities.

In 2004 the school approached Nomad to organise a trip for them in Namibia. Each trip that they undertake involves fundraising in order to carry out a project. Whilst in Namibia they raised funds to support a project in Khaudom National Park, where the students built new road signs and refurbished hides, painting them with animal camouflage patterns.
The web page for this trip can be found at www.namibia2004.co.uk

Keen to return to Africa the school requested a second trip with us, this time involving a project which would be more focused on the community. The 2006 trip will start in Namibia and finish in Livingstone.

Our local area of settlement is called the Sindie area, which is widely scattered and rural, with no central focus. The Committee for Sindie Village was approached and they expressed a desire for a number of things, including a new school. There is a very basic school for the forty or so Sindie children, no more than mud floor and walls under a tin roof with a few benches for the children, but most importantly their teacher Romance Nasilele. It was therefore decided by the Coopers' School that this would be their focus for fund raising and when they arrive in Livingstone in August 2006 the 30 pupils and three staff from the school will help with what we hope will be the finishing touches to the school.
The school web site for the 2006 trip is www.intoafrica2006.co.uk.

The building of the school is now underway and has provided 8 jobs for the community. The team of builders is headed by Foster Mweemba. His brother Emmanuel Mweemba is the bricklayer and they are supported by Stumbeko Nyambe, Felix Muhmenile, Arthur Pumulo, Mbiwa Mwananombe, Mubita Mutabani and Klvin Lekina.
Albert Chikutu from the Livingstone District Council planning department has helped with the red tape involved in getting things approved and marking out the site.

All the building work is done by hand as there is no electricity to the site. Sand is dug from the Sindie River bed and mixed with the cement before being formed into blocks in metal moulds, and the foundation trenches have been dug with pick and shovel. The first stages of building were in temperatures in the high thirties with no shade on site, so it has been tough going for the guys.

We have been waiting for rain since April and in the last two weeks it has arrived in abundance. The disadvantage to this however is that the site is becoming difficult to reach with delivery trucks. As the foundations are now complete and over 3000 blocks made, the ground will need to be termite treated before the next stage of construction. Once transport for the blocks can take place without getting stuck in the mud the walls can start to go up.

We would like to express our thanks to the following Nomad friends and clients for their fundraising, donations and other support to date. Without them this school would have remained a distant idea.

Pupils, staff, parents & governors of The Coopers' Company and Coborn School
Gaynor Williams
Mel and Peta Baird
Lillian Southwood
The Green family - Paula, Ian, Zoe and Heidi
Ralph & Ann McWilliam
Judy Scott
Tracy Smith
Lavinia Warrington
Linda & Philip Konioties
Diane Crowder
Wendy & Derek Singleton
Joy & Bill Brister
Kathryn & John Wright

Nomad investigates new areas of Western Zambia

2004-11-13T21:20:00.000+02:00

In November 2004 Diane from our U.K. office, Alan and Oriel from our Zambian office and four adventurous clients who had travelled with us before all set out in two Landrovers. Our intention was to undertake the type of journey that led to the development of our portfolio of guided tours when NOMAD was first established. The area that we had chosen was Liuwa Plains in Western Zambia. At the start of the trip Diane accompanied four of the group to South Luangwa. Here both daytime and nighttime game drives enabled them to see 141 species of birds and 21 species of mammals. The highlights at this time of year included leopard, civet, bushy tailed mongoose, Pel’s fishing owl and huge concentrations of hippo in the Luangwa River.
Alan and Oriel met up with the group in Lusaka, before heading off to Liuwa. Because of the remote location of this National Park it was necessary to take all food, water and equipment with us and two vehicles is certainly advisable. Travelling west from Lusaka we crossed the vast Zambezi flood plain at Mongu. The dirt road over the floodplain has been built up on an embankment, but in places this has been washed away by the river. This resulted in some testing off road driving here, as well as on the return journey. The floodplain is 26km wide between Mongu and Kalabo and the journey took three and a half hours. We stayed a night at Kalabo before travelling on into the park.
The parks attractions at this time of year are the gathering if thousands of wildebeest on the Liuwa Plain to give birth. The open plains are also home to oribi and attracted large groups of crowned and wattled cranes. Waterholes surrounded by yellow flowers held plentiful supplies of barbel which provided food for sacred ibis, yellow billed stork, white pelican and maribu stork, Other birds of note included pink throated longclaw, long tailed widows and black winged pratincoles. Bee-eaters were abundant with varied-olive, European, carmine, little and white throated all being present.
The most numerous carnivores was the spotted hyena and large groups of them were seen here, but we were also fortunate enough to see a lion and two cheetah during our four nights stay. Our return journey followed the western side of the Zambezi. Travelling on at times deeply potholed roads progress was slow, but the road passed through many small homesteads of subsistence farming interspersed with natural forest. A particular landmark of note along this road was the almost unvisited Ngonye Falls at Sioma, which is both dramatic and picturesque.
After a particularly testing journey we were happy to return to the comforts of Liyoyelo Farm. With bush camping the only option, coupled with the uncertainty of the road conditions on this journey, we concluded that Liuwa is definitely a place to visit, but only for those who are willing to accept that things may not always go to plan. It will not therefore make a page in our main brochure, but will remain an option for a tailor made itinerary for the Africa enthusiast who wishes to experience something that is both a little special and quite challenging.

The safari where we saw nine leopards!

2004-09-26T14:29:00.000+02:00

A guided 21 day tailor made tour for five people in Zambia led to a record breaking number of leopard sightings for any one trip.
The trip included Kafue National Park, Chimfunshi Chimp Sanctuary, Kasanka National Park, Kapishya Hot Springs, Shiwa Ngandu House and South Luangwa National Park.
In Kafue a night drive revealed a male scenting his territory and we were able to watch this for around half an hour. In one evening in South Luangwa we saw four different leopards, one of these provided the classic pose of leopard in a tree.
Unusually one female leopard was seen around 8am, being harassed by a group of squawking guinea fowl. This tried her patience to the extent that she had to leave the riverbed and settle just 10 metres from the vehicle in order to sleep in peace. Three more leopards were seen on two further game drives.
Also in Luangwa a female lion with her cub successfully took down a female puku around 7pm with one powerful charge. This was dragged away to cover, with the hungry cub hanging on and tugging at the imminent meal. It seemed an unconventional hunting strategy, involving no stalking or build up to the kill, with a very successful end result.
Chimfunshi is the only place in Zambia where Chimps can be observed. This rescue and rehabilitation centre deals mainly with primates from The Democratic Republic of Congo, where animal trading has led to severe depletion of their numbers. After a quarantine and re-habituation phase they are released into large reserves of Miombo woodland where they then live as naturally as possible, but with the need to provide some food supplements.
Shiwa House is the subject of the book ‘The Africa House’ It is currently being restored to its former 20th century glory and is set in tranquil grounds, giving an insight into the privileged but enlightened colonial lifestyle of Stewart Gore Brown. The nearby Kapishya Hot Springs is a beautiful scenic area where you can enjoy relaxing in the thermally heated pools alongside the river where gentle rapids flow.

The Coopers' Company and Coborn School

2004-07-18T14:18:00.000+01:00

NOMAD organises a four week tour of Africa, including a community project, for sixth form pupils from The Coopers' Company and Coborn School.
At NOMAD we have always tried to accommodate a wide variety of travellers’ requests in addition to running our own set guided tours.
In 2004 we expanded operations into a new area when one of our previous clients asked us to organise and guide a group of pupils from the school where he taught. When the publicity went out the demand was fantastic, so to avoid too much disappointment we decided on two groups, leaving U.K. one week apart.
The itinerary visited the desert area at Sesriem, Swakopmund, Cape Cross seal colony, Twyfelfontein, Waterberg Plateau, Etosha National Park and Khaudom National Park, before returning to Windhoek.
This was an action packed trip. At Sesriem we climbed the dunes for stunning views of the desert, before exploring them from a very different perspective whilst sand boarding in Swakopmund. At Twyfelfontein a local singing group entertained us and students joined in traditional dance. Waterberg provided the opportunity to undertake the Wilderness Trail. Isolated on the top of the plateau for four nights we experienced tracking rhino, the solitude of the wilderness and the challenge of both open topped vehicles and open topped ablutions. Etosha did not disappoint with sightings of lion and aardwolf and congregations of flamingo on the eastern edges of the pan.
During the two years leading up to the tour students had raised money to enable them to carry out a project in Namibia. This project was based in the bushman area to the north of the country. Visiting the bushman villages allowed students to understand the way of life and skills of these people. The village men organised demonstrations of fire making and showed students how to construct poison arrows for hunting, whilst the women demonstrated how to make bead jewellery. Students were also able to visit a local school and meet the teacher. The project that the students carried out was based in Khaudom. Here they constructed new road signs and disguised the game hides with animal skin camouflage so that they would blend more sympathetically with the surrounding bush.
Living under canvas in the bush, close to the wildlife, provided many unforgettable experiences for the students and an added bonus was the opportunity to develop their cooking skills before moving on to university.
A new group of students will undertake a second Africa tour in 2006. This time our route will be from Windhoek through to Livingstone, visiting Waterberg, Etosha, Popa Falls, Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park and finishing in Livingstone. The project will be based in the Sinde area of Livingstone, where we intend to enable a new school to be built. If you would like any further information about this project or you would like us to arrange tours for your school or group please contact us.
You can find images from the Coopers School trip on their website http://www.namibia2004.co.uk