Fish Eagle Safaris

African Safari Update # 17
Summer 2001


In this issue:

A Big Savings on 'Green Season' Safaris in Botswana, Nambia, & Zimbabwe

From 1 Dec. 2001 through 31 March 2002, we are offering some great low rates on all available space at Wilderness Safaris camps in Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. A 7-day Okavango Delta, Moremi and Linyanti luxury fly-in safari, staying at three different camps on a full board plus activities basis, is only $1,630.00 p.p. sharing from Maun. This compares with a high-season price of $2,965.00 for an identical safari.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, the summer months are very enjoyable on the southern African plateau. They are not too hot, with day-time highs rarely over 85F, and rain is usually in the form of thunderstorms that come and go rapidly, leaving everything and everyone refreshed, and making for some truly dramatic sunsets. What makes the summer months really exciting from a game-viewing point of view is the presence of young animals of many species. Bird-watching is also at its very best from about November through March.


A leopard at Mombo
This is a great time of the year to spend a few days at Mombo, Africa's premier 'big cat' camp, where the game-viewing remains excellent year round. Renowned wildlife photographer Paul Augustinus spent a couple of weeks at Mombo in January this year and he was completely bowled over: "That was FANTASTIC. Mombo is simply superb - and the new camp is beyond anything I could have imagined. The (January) sun was in a cloudless sky for our entire stay - perfect photography weather for pics of ... guests watching elephants (only 2 metres away) from the boardwalk, leopards in trees, unbelievable blackmaned lions that have migrated up from Chief's Island, and so on.

"The game viewing from the camp was incredibly good! One day a group of guests arrived at midday. Linda was giving them their orientation chat in the lounge as they sipped their frosty drinks. They could hardly concentrate as in front of the lodge two elephants walked by, a group of buffalo were sitting in the shade of one of the trees and in the distance two male lions walked down and drank from the marsh lagoon. One of the buffalo then rushed the lions and chased them off...

"The views from the tents at Mombo are better than Treetops in Kenya - when it was at its very best. From our own sala in Tent 7 we saw lions and lionesses at midday on six of the fourteen days we were there - it was hard to lie back and rest, there was so much going on. It was tricky deciding whether to go out for game drives or stay in camp!"

So don't delay - book a few nights at Mombo now and see what the buzz is all about. There is a surcharge for staying at this camp (in the Green Season from Dec. 2001 through March 2002) but it is still MUCH less than in the high season. Add a few days at the fabulous Jao Camp (Okavango Delta) and you've got yourself the ultimate safari. If you're interested, please call or e-mail soon - space is limited!


Sunset at Mombo Camp, Moremi Game Reserve.

A New 'Vintage Botswana' Safaris Offer Good Value

For Botswana, the best value for money option for the high season, is the new 'Vintage Botswana' safari (VB3), which consists of 2 nights each at Jacana Camp; Kaparota or Pom Pom Camp and Linyanti Tented Camp. I have stayed at both Jacana Camp and Linyanti Tented Camp and have found them to be delightful: Jacana Camp is a quintessential Okavango Delta 'water' camp located in a spectacularly beautiful area of the Delta. Linyanti Tented Camp is located along the Linyanti River west of Chobe, in an area which attracts huge numbers of elephants in the dry season from about June through October. Kaparota Camp is in the Vumbura area, where plenty of Buffalo and the magnificent Sable Antelope are usually seen. We enjoyed our best ever night drive in this area, a couple of years ago. The new Pom Pom Camp is on track to be opened on schedule on the 15th July. Map Ives, the manager for Pom Pom this year, has been on site getting a feel of the game viewing and the terrain. It is going to be a stunning camp - mixing comfort, simplicity and style with good game viewing. They are seeing lots of leopards and lions!

A 6-night/7-day 'Vintage Botswana' Safari (Maun to Maun) is priced at $2,300.00 per person sharing in the high season (July through October).

A Discount Offered on Fall Jacana Safaris in Botswana

Over the years, we have sent literally dozens of people on the 13-day Jacana Safaris in Botswana and we get rave reviews all the time. This overland safari (with several transfers between camps by charter flight) offers a near-perfect combination of activities (game drives, night drives, walking, mokoro outings, canoeing and boating) in some of Botswana's most stunning private concessions, far from other visitors. The food is superb, the guiding first-class and the overall experience indescribable. The addition of a new Okavango Delta land camp - Kaparota - has improved this safari by yet another notch. Other camps used on the safari include the truly magical Jacana Camp in the heart of the Okavango Delta, Linyanti Tented Camp, and a great mobile tented camp at Chobe, on the banks of the Chobe River.


A mokoro outing at Jacana Camp, in the Okavango Delta.
Bookings have been a little slow for the Fall, so we are offering a confidential discount for any direct booking made and confirmed before the end of August, for any of the following departures (Maun to Victoria Falls or vice versa):

Please call or e-mail for price details.

A New 'Bush, Beach & Battlefields' Safari Program in South Africa

From early this Fall, we will be introducing a new 'Bush, Beach & Battlefields' program combining Ndumo Wilderness Camp, Rocktail Bay and then on to Fugitive's Drift and the Battlefields. Guests will also be able to combine this safari with a few days at one of the premier private game lodges adjacent to Kruger Park, such as Mala Mala.

The highlights of the various camps are as follows:

Ndumo Wilderness Camp:

Ndumo Wilderness Camp, lounge area
Ndumo is one of the best 'pocket' reserves in Southern Africa, with good numbers of black and white rhino, buffalo, hippo, giraffe, Nyala and other antelope, and amazingly diverse birdlife. The lodge itself offers a similar experience to the best Botswana & Zimbabwe lodges, at significantly lower cost.

Rocktail Bay:
Rocktail Bay is the perfect place to take a couple of days 'off' from safari, to enjoy the pristine beach (acclaimed as the best in the world a few years ago by Outside Vacations magazine); nature walks and drives, and the superb coastal forest scenery. Rocktail recently introduced a full-service diving operation and the diving has been superb, amazing even the most well traveled divers.

MalaMala Game Reserve:
Very consistent game-viewing, with near 100% chance of seeing the 'Big Five' mammals over the course of a 3-night stay. This being lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino, as you may know. The level of the guiding is the best of any of the private reserves in Africa, with all the guides having at least a 3-year college degree, several with post-graduate degrees.

It would be a good idea to add a few days in the Cape Town area, to enjoy activities and sights such as Table Mountain, Robben Island, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and the Cape Winelands. For persons interested in rock and cave art, we also highly recommend Bushman's Kloof, a superb game lodge in the Cedarberg mountains. Bushman's Kloof, which is now served by daily scheduled charter flights from Cape Town, conducts morning Southern San ('Bushmen') rock art walks and afternoon game drives in a supremely beautiful setting, with accommodations, food and hospitality to match.

The good news about South Africa is that it currently offers excellent value for money. The London Economist's Big Mac index suggests the rand is nearly 60% undervalued against the US dollar. The index assumes that a McDonald's Big Mac should cost the same, whether it is bought in Paris, Peoria or Pretoria. A Big Mac, which costs $2.56 in the US, costs only $1.00 in South Africa, at the actual current exchange rate of 8.00+.

Special Price For Low Season Okavango Delta & Kalahari Safari

For March 2002, there are some seats available on a Green Season special scheduled departure which will include:


A pool with a river view - The River Club, Zambia.
The total price of this safari is $3,564.00 per person Maun to Maun. Please call or e-mail for a detailed itinerary.

New From Tanzania

The update that we have from the SERENGETI is that the Migration is moving fast to the northern and western sectors of the Serengeti. Our associates Kibo Safaris have their Luxury mobile tented camp booked right in this area, close to where the Migration is. So with a bit of luck guests will have an opportunity to see the wildebeest herds cross the Grumeti river. The Kibo Medium campsite - called Mareo - is very close to the Kirawira area, in the western part of the Serengeti, and not far from the Grumeti River where the migrating wildebeest are often seen crossing the river. The last Medium group (they finished their safari in early July) were in the same camp and they reported that the migration was just around the camp and it looked as if it would remain there for a while. There are seats available on several Kibo Luxury Camping safaris in August and September & beyond - please call or e-mail for details.

Kibo's 12-day Medium camping trip offers very good value for money at $2,680.00 p.p. sharing from Arusha, and it is not participation style either. It involves camping but without any hardships; everything is done for you including setting up the camps, cooking etc. The route itself is fascinating, including the prime game-viewing areas of Northern Tanzania. The safari spends several days in the Serengeti Plains, in addition to Tarangire, Lake Eyasi and Ngorongoro Crater. The guides are great and most importantly, they use only Four Wheel Drive vehicles with guaranteed window seating & open roof hatches. So no minibuses with pop-tops! There are seats available on several Kibo Medium Camping safaris in July, August and September & later in the year - please call or e-mail for details.

Here is what some folks had to say about a similar trip with Kibo Safaris a few months ago: "We just returned from a 12 day camping safari in Tanzania, that included several nights each at Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Eyasi, and the Serengeti. I was travelling with my 11 year old son. What an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience!

There were five of us in our group, and a staff that included a guide and four support staff, including chef. The safari was operated by Kibo Safaris, who we highly recommend. This was not participatory camping - the staff did all the work. Wonderful visits to three different tribes and villages, as well as very extensive game viewing every day: Elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lions, cheetah, wildebeest, zebra, hyena, rhino, hippo, ostrich, you name it."

Birding Tours in Madagascar & Tanzania

Ian Davidson will be leading a birding tour in Madagascar, visiting all major habitats, from 25 Oct. to 03 Nov. 2001. The price is $2,425.00 p.p. sharing; single room supplement is $210.00. This includes round-trip flights from Johannesburg, domestic flights in Madagascar, and full board accommodation (all meals included). Although this is a birding tour, a lot of attention will be paid to all other aspects of the Madagascar experience, including (of course) the lemurs & other mammals, reptiles, amphibians, plantlife, and other natural history elements. Likewise, the people and the various manifestations of the country's cultural diversity will not be ignored. Ian Davidson is a superb all-round naturalist: a soft-spoken, gentle individual who has visited Madagascar many times and is very familiar with the wildlife of the country.

Ian will also be leading two birds tours to Tanzania: from 29 Dec. 2001 to 09 Jan 2002 and 15 to 26 June, 2002. The price for these trips is $2,055.00 p.p. sharing, from Arusha. Areas to be visited on this 'comfortable camping' safari (all meals included except in Arusha where bed & breakfast) include Lake Manyara, the Serengeti, Tarangire National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. Please call or e-mail for a detailed itinerary.

New Brochure Now Available

Please call or e-mail for a free copy of our new 72-page color brochure, with lots of details about a wide variety of camps and safaris in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The photographs are stunning, so by all means request your complimentary copy.

For further information on any of the above items please contact:

Fish Eagle Safaris
11152 Westheimer #150
Houston, TX 77042
Tel 1-800-513-5222 (USA and Canada)
Tel 713-467-5222 (from outside North America)
Fax 713/467-3208
E-mail: info@fisheaglesafaris.com


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***************************
Fish Eagle Safaris
11152 Westheimer #150
Houston, TX 77042
Tel 1-800-513-5222 (USA and Canada)
Tel 713-467-5222 (from outside North America)
Fax 713/467-3208
E-mail: info@fisheaglesafaris.com
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