Liuwa Plain , guided by Robin Pope - A short on video

Just a few times each year Robin Pope the legendary guide takes small groups of
visitors to the achingly remote and untouched Liuwa Plains in the far west of Zambia.
Here Hyena are the apex predators and it is the home of the largest wildebeest migration second only to the Serengeti. So often parts of Africa are described as wild and remote and untouched but this really is all of those things. Not for your first safari but certainly a must if you want unusual and dramatic. If course all done with a good degree of comfort!
Click the link to enjoy a short video on Liuwa. Any feel free to contact us for more information on joining a safari with Robin.

Take advantage of the April 2011 bank holidays for great value

The combination of Easter bank holidays, The Royal wedding and May bank holidays in April mean that just 3 days leave from work allows you to take a 10 days holiday, saving the valuable leave days for more trips later in the year.! with the added bonus of low cost safari ideas to take advantage of visiting the bush at this special time of year.

Spend between a 7 to 10 days or longer if you wish in Zambia
EG: South Luangwa at Nkwali Camp (£1950) or combine the Luangwa with the Lower Zambezi for a comprehensive safari (£3100)(see below). Click here for full details We have some excellent idea's for safaris in Botswana which can be tailored around these dates and which combine the Okavango Delta with Linyanti - Chobe - Savuti etc Click for Botswana idea's
Please contact us early to be sure to take advantage of the limited space and great value . tel: 01628 621685

Example.
Emerald season is so called due to the extraordinary colour of the bush once the rain starts to fall. Spend a week at Robin Pope safaris flagship Nkwali Camp - boating (mid Dec-March), walking and game viewing - in this most wonderful time of the year. Although there is a rumour about saying the game is not at its peak - this is just not true.
The game in the central area of the park, where Nkwali operates, is resident. The cats are territorial and we see them throughout the year. There are plenty of open areas and high ground that does not get wet. The game mostly congregates on the high ground and, of course, this is where the roads have been built! Another false rumour is that it rains all day. The mornings usually have beautiful blue skies with clouds building throughout the day leading to evening storms.
Extend your Green Season safari to the Lower Zambezi:
The Lower Zambezi reopens in April, after the peak of the rains, to glorious blue skies. The bush is still fresh although already starting to dry out. Many of the birds are coming to the end of the breeding cycle - with the youngsters following the parents around! The wildlife is in peak conditions after months of lush grazing.
The combination of the South Luangwa with the Lower Zambezi is always excellent. The South Luangwa is a larger park with more game diversity. But the Lower Zambezi has the extra dimension of the Zambezi River - a spectacular, clear wide river. Although there is some boating at Nkwali during April it is limited and does not compare to boating on the Zambezi.
Chongwe River Camp is perfectly situated on the confluence of the peaceful Chongwe River and the mighty Zambezi. The massive grove of winterthorns provide a superb backdrop for this relaxed camp with views of the rivers and the Zambezi escarpment.

Notes:

Includes. Domestic flights, transfers, meals, drinks, activities, park fees
Excludes. Airport tax, Visas, items of personal nature.

WILD DOG - Sighted on Masai Mara. At camp used by Busanga safaris.

The Mara is a spectacular wildlife destination and we are all familiar with the Lions, Leopards and Cheetahs from a myriad wildlife documentaries or if you have been lucky enough to visit the Mara already. But never seen on TV or otherwise since the 80s,s were its wild dog. These animals need huge ranges and the vast plains were ideal hunting grounds. Sadly, distemper, encroachment, domestic animals and ignorance led to their extirpation from the Mara ecosystem.
In 2008 there were rumours of a return of Wild dogs to the Masai Mara. Kicheche Mara Camp's manager, Jarrod Kyte, does not go in for rumour and hearsay, and nor do his guides, but after spending an afternoon in the Lemek Hills they were astonished to find a pack. The pack appear to have been transient animals and they were not seen again, although there was little doubt that a small number had returned permanently, though they were holed up in the close cover of the hills and escarpments of the Northern Mara and were highly elusive. This find had a remarkable effect on Kicheche's Masai staff, many of whom had grown up with the Wild dogs and were enchanted by them. Sadly though, there were no other sightings for over a year, until December 2010.

Wild dog kill
Kicheche Mara's head guide, Daniel Ntoyian, was returning from a local airstrip transfer. Right outside Kicheche camp he spotted two dogs. Hunting. Wild dogs do not ambush their prey like the other principal predators; they are coursing animals, like jackals and hyenas, and will chase prey for many miles to exhaust them. In this case they had singled out a Thomson's gazelle fawn and ran it down in quick time.
Daniel and his two now breathless passengers witnessed the hunt start to Finnish.

For some reason the Mara is not very busy in November and early December, although we always say it is worth a visit at any time, the dogs may know this which might explain why they were on the open grasslands. But to find them in hunting,is astonishing and pretty much the hardest wildlife currency anywhere. Many said it would never be seen again - they've clearly never stayed at Kicheche.Another of Busanga safaris recommended camps and the base for our Mara Bush camp Safari.

African Wild dogs, also sometimes called African Hunting dogs or Painted dogs, are pack animals. Each pack has male and female hierarchies; the oldest females are the alpha dogs, but for the males, the situation is more variable. Only the alpha female will produce litters, sometimes very large ones, with as many as 15 or even more sometimes recorded, though 10 is a more usual number. The whole pack is tasked with feeding and protecting the litter.

Why not visit our kenya safaris page and discover what great safaris can be had on the Mara.

This news was brought to us by our friends at Wildlife Extra and Kicheche Safari camp

REALLY WILD PLACES Special offers to Botswana 20% Off the cost off your nights on safari in July

From the beginning, the aim of Busanga Safaris is to provide our guests with access to the very best wildlife and to use best camps to balance levels comfort (often very high), Botswana offers a great range of opportunities to achieve both. As a promotion at the start of the key time to visit Botswana (July) , Busanga safaris are offering this incentive which drives the cost of a really high quality safari down.

The Okavango Delta, Kwando Linyanti wetlands, Nxai Pan National Park and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve are all highlights of Botswana’s wilderness areas. The Kwando family of camps offers a full and extraordinary range of places, people and activities that will complete an unforgettable safari. This variety in a safari destination achieves the perfect balance of wildlife, culture and adventure
• Lagoon and Lebala - The Kwando Linyanti wetlands, Botswana
• Kwara - The Okavango Delta, Botswana
• Tau Pan - The Kalahari Desert, Botswana
• Nxai Pan - Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana

Kwando Linyanti Wetlands & Okavango Delta
Kwando Safaris has two extensive concessions in these areas offering a true wilderness experience. The original Kwando concession consists of 232,000 ha (550 000 acres) of remote African wilderness, while the Kwara concession in the Okavango Delta is 175,000 ha (430,000 acres).

The wildlife areas of northern Botswana are unfenced, creating a vast expanse of pristine wilderness and natural animal movement. The large concentrations of wild animals in northern Botswana are typical of what is often referred to as ‘old Africa,’ and written about by the early African explorers such as Dr. David Livingstone. Botswana offers us a chance to glimpse this Africa of history.

Kalahari Desert and Salt Pans
Kwando Safaris operates camps in both Nxai Pan National Park and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Nxai Pan and Tau Pan were the first safari camps to be built in their respective areas and offer an unprecedented opportunity to experience truly pristine wilderness areas and a complete contrast to the lush wetlands of the Okavango Delta.

Nxai Pan forms part of the great fossil pan system which includes the vast Makgadikgadi salt pans. These pans were once the bed of a super lake fed by the Okavango, Zambezi and Kwando rivers.

As at Nxai Pan – despite the arid environment – the Kalahari desert (Tau Pan) is home to an surprisingly diverse number of flora and fauna perfectly adapted to their surroundings.

Please call or email our UK office Tel ; 01628 621685 and we will be happy to provide more info on the individual camps and put together an itinerary just for you.

John Coppinger recounts an incredible story of Nature in the Raw

"The Killing Fields"
- 11 November 2010 00:00

This is the driest and hottest November I can recall in the Valley. Usually by now we would have had a few showers to bring some welcome relief from the relentless October heat, but this year there has been just a few small showers in far flung places.

One of the happy consequences of this is remarkable wildlife spectacles.

This is always a tough time of year for the large herbivores: buffalo, elephant and hippo. Buffalo in particular really battle with the lack of food and water - and in this heat they need to drink at least twice a day. My heart goes out to them when they trudge slowly and weakly towards the river and of course the lions loll about at the water’s edge waiting for their next meal to be self-delivered.

As the sun rose a few days ago I set off to track the wild dogs from the air. I had promised Matt from ZCP (Zambian Carnivore Programme…they are doing great work here – check out their website: http://www.zambiacarnivores.org/ ) to do this on a regular basis. We have had great viewing of this pack of 18 dogs but the one distressing fact was that one of the males (suspected alpha male) had a nasty snare. Rachel from SLCS and the ZCP team had tried on several occasions to dart him but he was extremely skittish and they had not been able to get anywhere near him. After many aborted attempts we managed to track them and Rachel successfully darted him and removed the snare – a very difficult job extremely well done.

So on this beautifully clear and still morning, perfect for flying, we felt no anxiety as we head off in a SE direction and picked up their signal within the first 5 minutes – our only objective was to get a fix on them for ZCP records. We found them finishing off a kill (either impala or bushbuck) after which they rushed off and eventually intercepted the road to Kauluzi Gate. They followed the road for some while which provided us with an opportunity to count them and ensure that they were all present and correct. There is a wonderfully descriptive Zambian word which describes Wild Dogs perfectly: ‘movious’. They never stop moving about and cover ground incredibly fast.

Reluctant to return to earth too soon, we diverted slightly to fly over the Tafika walking area where we found a pride of 8 lions (members of the Hollywood pride I believe), having just killed a young buffalo. There was a herd of buffalo not far away and it was apparent that the lions had separated a small group of them and killed one of them. Exciting stuff….but this was only the beginning. Whilst some of the lions began feeding on the downed buffalo, a large male strode purposefully towards the remaining group of 7 buffalo: 4 cows with 3 calves. One of the cows collapsed with exhaustion but managed to rouse herself again as the lion approached. However it was not long before the lion had leapt on the back of another cow and brought her down….support arrived in the form of 2 other lions and the male latched onto the buffalo’s snout to prevent her from defending herself with her lethal horns. This was not enough for the lions and they went in hot pursuit after the remaining 6 buffaloes; in very short order they had the weak cow down, followed by two of the calves. One of these was hit with a dramatic head-on attack by the male lion which resulted in a mercifully quick death for the calf. A lioness persisted in chasing the surviving 3 buffaloes, 2 cows and a calf. She chased them into the dry Chankanga River where one of the cows turned on her and kept her at bay whilst the other cow and last surviving calf scurried up the bank to freedom. We watched in absolute horror as the cow then made a dash for it and tried to follow them up a steep hippo gully, only to be caught and trapped in the gully from the rear by the lioness who latched on mercilessly; she appeared to pierce an artery because soon a river of bright red blood flowed down the gully into the sandy bank below.

A mere 20 minutes had elapsed since our arrival on the scene of death. We were just a few minutes from Tafika and we landed in a daze, barely able to believe what we had seen. Incredible, amazing, horrible…..nature in the raw!

You can vist John Coppingers Safari camps in the Luangwa and share in his knowledge and passion for the bush. Either on our suggested safari idea or we can put something together just for you. Please contact us .

Romantics and honeymooners can follow William and Kate to Kenya, and stay at Lewa

PRINCE WILLIAM & KATE MIDDLETON ENGAGED -
ON SAFARI AT LEWA KENYA
Prince William and Kate Middleton have just announced their engagement and will marry next year. The couple got engaged on the Lewa Conservancy in Kenya in October.

Romantics and honeymooners can follow William and Kate to Kenya, and stay at Lewa Safari... Camp on the Lewa Conservancy and may be head to the coast after ?

Busanga safaris are one of just a few safari companies who offer Lewa as a safari destination, this is a pristine swathe of Kenyan bush full of Elephant, Rhino, Giraffe, Lion and so much more.

Click here to visit Lewa Safari Camp

Visit us at the Destinations Travel Show 2011

We hope you can visit us at the Destinations Travel show 2011.

It will be great to say hello and to talk to you about our plans for 2011, which see's us offering more of our very popular set date safaris to Zambia and beyond.
Both Tony and Tyrone will be on stand along with Linda Lee all of whom have been busy on safari this year and will be taking set date departures Africa in 2011. Come and share our enthusiasm for safari.
Both Tony and Tyrone will be on stand along with Linda Lee all of whom have been busy on safari this year and will be taking set date departures Africa in 2011. Come and share our enthusiasm for safari

We will have our new highlights brochure available on stand.

You can find out how we, strive to avoid the single Supplement charges for solo travelers.

Learn about our latest safari ideas in: Botswana - Zambia - Zimbabwe - Kenya - Tanzania.

We have some unique idea's if you want to try a different safari experience: Walking & Bush camping - Photography & art in the bush - Specific Species (Lion , / Wild dog / Gorilla) or very special places (Liuwa Plain / Banweulu / The Okavango).
Or may be you would like some inspiration

looking forward to seeing our old friends / clients and chatting to new clients who would like some real advise from the people who know the bush and the camps.

If you would like complimentary tickets please just get in touch letting us know your address and we will do the rest.

Click here to reqest tickets