The Okavango Delta is a spectacular paradise that can make driving challenging.
© Bill Given

A partnership of local guides that I know are starting a new mobile safari operation and they had discussions with me between October and January regarding marketing them to the North American market. However, we all wanted a face to face meeting to finalize details. During siesta time at Mapula Lodge, I headed north into the bush for a meeting under a tree that was part way to their villages. Arriving at this meeting location meant crossing water up to the hood of the vehicle on three occasions but we arrived right on time.

Botswana’s public parks and reserves have some of the highest wildlife densities and often deliver quality sightings like these African wild dogs that I saw hunt in Savute.
© Bill Given

Under the tree, we found a small table and chairs had been set up for our meeting complete with snacks and drinks and we were greeted by the three principals of the newly formed Superlative Tours and Safaris, a locally registered company. One of the founders is Olatotse, the recently re-elected District Councilman for the Gudigwa/Vumbura area, another is a longtime guide named Modumo who I was once guided by at Kwando Kwara camp. These two will be the head guides for this company.

The meeting began by standing one at a time and addressing the table of our intentions and then with formalities out of the way we remained seated and went over the details of this new operation, which I have agreed to market as a new product for The Wild Source. With these new partners I will be able to offer high quality mobile adventures within Botswana’s public parks and reserves at an excellent value rate of between $325 and $350 per person per night.

Public areas like Savute, Moremi, and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve contain some of Botswana’s highest wildlife densities making this a great value option for those who don’t want to pay a premium for private concessions. I am most excited that it will be possible to plan in cultural activities focused on the fascinating river bushman culture at Gudigwa giving these mobiles a very special extra wow.

Stuck in the Okavango Delta!

Dicks and Bill arrive back at Mapula Lodge with our clothes dripping wet following our self-rescue from the waters of the Delta.
Photo courtesy of Karen R.

Enthralled at having had such a productive meeting in the idyllic setting of the Okavango Delta, we headed back to Mapula Lodge as we would have a game drive with clients this afternoon. At our last high water crossing we became stuck! The tires ground down into the bottom of the Delta and all we could do now is self-rescue. Over the next hour Dicks and I would have to wade into the Delta’s waters jacking up one tire at a time and then walk onto an island and scavenge fallen trees to secure under each tire for traction. The water was at the bottom of our doors but to work under the tires required us to get wet up to our chins. It worked and we were able to back out to the other side of the channel and then create a new track to finally get to where we needed to be. We pulled in 10 minutes before our game drive to the cheers of clients who could see us in the water with binoculars from camp. It was the best commute from a meeting that I have ever had!

   

Impact of the new VAT Increase

Photo of a Leopard in Botswana Descending a Tree© Bill Given

Last week, the Botswana government decided to raise the Tourism VAT tax from 10% to 12% effective April 1st. This was quickly met with a flurry of Botswana safari camp operators raising their prices by 2% for the rest of 2010. In some cases even bookings that have been paid in full are now being invoiced for the additional 2%.

Not All Botswana Safari Operators Raised Prices

One company, Footsteps in Africa, has gone against the tide and is honoring their rates throughout 2010 stating that a rate quoted is a rate honored! Fortunately The Wild Source utilizes Footsteps in Africa for a large percentage of our Botswana business, however, we are believers in offering a full range of products and have used 8 different Botswana ownership groups in the last year to provide access to all of the best camps to fit our clients diverse needs.

The Wild Source Prices Hold Firm

As such, quite a few bookings will be receiving an additional 2% hike in price. However, clients of The Wild Source can relax because we are following Footsteps in Africa’s lead and eating a little profit rather than passing on this additional cost to our valued clients. We would much rather have you be a loyal client who will refer us and return to Africa with us then worry about absolutely maximizing our profit by uncomfortably raising the price by a small amount.

Beyond that, rather than watch Botswana safari prices creep upwards on consumers The Wild Source will continue to offer 2010 Botswana safaris at the pre-VAT rate deducting that 2% off the top and in many cases we will discount well beyond that level in an effort to continue to provide exceptional quality Botswana safaris at a great value.

Here is a summary of the different Botswana operators response to the VAT increase:

• Footsteps in Africa – No change, is honoring their 2010 rates throughout the year
• Kwando Safaris – Will honor rates for any bookings that were confirmed through February 29th, has raised all rates by 2% for the rest of 2010
• Wilderness Safaris – All confirmed bookings, even if fully paid will be charged an additional 2%. Prices will be increased 2% for the rest of 2010.
• Great Plains -- All confirmed bookings, even if fully paid will be charged an additional 2%. Prices will be increased 2% for the rest of 2010.
• Sanctuary Lodges -- All confirmed bookings, even if fully paid will be charged an additional 2%. Prices will be increased 2% for the rest of 2010.
• Ker & Downey – Will honor rates for any bookings that were confirmed through February, has raised all rates by 2% for the rest of 2010
• Desert & Delta -- Will honor rates for any bookings that were confirmed through February 29th, has raised all rates by 2% for the rest of 2010
• Uncharted Africa – Will honor rates for any bookings that are paid in full by March 31st, prices will be increased 2% for all bookings paid for April 1st onward.

   

Bill sent this from Sankuyo Bush Camp a few days ago. He had a fairly unique lion encounter from Sankuyo Bush Camp and goes on to discuss other portions of his journey.

It is wonderful to be back in Botswana and Sankuyo Bush Camp is the perfect place to begin my latest safari. I visited this camp in September when it had just opened and much was still to be done, the camp is even better now and I can think of no camp in Botswana that delivers a better vintage experience. In the next few blog entries I will write about my experiences with the camp and the wildlife of the area.

A Lion With a Tooth on the Outside of his Mouth

On our first game drive (I’m guiding 5 safari first timers) the animals were plentiful with many giraffe and bull elephants providing the highlights until we heard the roar of a lion. We were able to follow the roars and found a large black-maned lion, who is about 9 years old, and with a partner dominates the Sankuyo pride in the eastern portion of the concession (3 prides are seen frequently – Santawani, Sankuyo, and Gomoti prides). Completely unique is this male has one of his large canine teeth hanging outside of his mouth!

Despite the Fang Issue, He's Doing Alright

Three months ago he was hunting zebra and ended up in the Santawani pride territory resulting in a brawl with the two Santawani males leaving him with this bizarre injury. It appears the tooth is dangling from connective gum tissue that must be quite strong since he has been eating without it falling off. In fact the lion appeared to be in very good condition.

We were able to follow this male for an hour and had excellent behavior to observe as he was smelling each large bush that he approached, then marking by rubbing his cheek glands against the bush followed by the characteristic raising of the tail and spraying urine directly behind him right at lion face level to ensure that other lions will recognize his territorial scent posts. From 15 feet away in the downwind position of one marking we were all able to make an olfactory memory of the pungent lion scent, perhaps awakening an ancient recognition when such a smell might have dictated our own course of action. We skipped our sundowner and stayed in the darkness with this magnificent lion before returning to camp with a group elated from their first ever safari game drive.

Ol Donyo Wuas

With the first stop in a two camp visit to Kenya, Bill will be staying at Ol Donyo Wuas in Kenya. Ol Donyo Wuas is a family owned lodge which has access to over 70,000 acres of the reserve for use by the lodge within the Maasai Group Ranch. The lodge is staffed solely with members from the local community.

Ol Donyo Wildlife Viewing and Cultural Opportunities

Visitors to Ol Donyo Wuas have the opportunity to view cheetah, rhino, and leopard - among other species. Guests will be able to view wildlife on game drives (day and night) as well as guided walks. Ol Donyo Wuas also offers visitors the opportunity to visit a local Masai tribe for a cultural visit.

Ol Donyo Wuas Accommodations

Ol Donyo Wuas Lodge can accommodate up to 20 guests in 10 rooms. Rooms feature verandas and plunge pools. Ol Donyo Wuas does have Internet Access, so we can look forward to Bill providing frequent updates during his stay there.

Next up: Mara Plains Camp - to see all of the destinations on the 2010 journaling safari, see the itinerary and map (both below).

2010 Journaling Safari Destinations

• Day 1: Arrival in Johannesburg, South Africa
• Day 2 - Day 4: Sankuyo Bush Camp, Botswana
• Day 5 - Day 7: Grassland Bushman Lodge, Botswana
• Day 8 - Day 10: Mapula Lodge, Botswana
• Day 11: Selinda Camp, Botswana
• Day 12: Zarafa Camp, Botswana
• Day 13: Layover in Johannesburg, South Africa
• Day 14-15: Ol Donyo Wuas, Kenya
• Day 16-17: Mara Plains, Kenya

Interactive Safari Map

You can follow along all of the destinations for the Journaling Safari 2010 by using the interactive map below. You can expand, resize, and click on the pins for a bit more information about the destinations as well as the dates where Bill will be at a given destination.

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The Wild Source's Africa Video Channel - safari videos taken by The Wild Source founder Bill Given

   

The Botswana portion of the safari has now concluded. Bill has now moved on to Johannesburg where he'll take a small breather before moving on to Kenya for multiple days at two separate regions within the country.

Johannesburg Airport

No rest for Bill on this portion of the trip. He arrives at the airport at 5pm, then turns right around and flies to Kenya a mere seven hours later. The good news is that Bill should have Internet access while at the airport. This means he should have no trouble sending us a recap of the Botswana portion of the Journaling Safari 2010 - including photos.

Next up: Ol Donyo Wuas in Kenya - to see all of the destinations on the 2010 journaling safari, see the itinerary and map (both below).

2010 Journaling Safari Destinations

• Day 1: Arrival in Johannesburg, South Africa
• Day 2 - Day 4: Sankuyo Bush Camp, Botswana
• Day 5 - Day 7: Grassland Bushman Lodge, Botswana
• Day 8 - Day 10: Mapula Lodge, Botswana
• Day 11: Selinda Camp, Botswana
• Day 12: Zarafa Camp, Botswana
• Day 13: Layover in Johannesburg, South Africa
• Day 14-15: Ol Donyo Wuas, Kenya
• Day 16-17: Mara Plains, Kenya

Interactive Safari Map

You can follow along all of the destinations for the Journaling Safari 2010 by using the interactive map below. You can expand, resize, and click on the pins for a bit more information about the destinations as well as the dates where Bill will be at a given destination.