Fish Eagle Safaris

AFRICAN SAFARI UPDATE #24
Winter 2005


In this issue:

NEW BOTSWANA GROUP SAFARIS


Ever since Fish Eagle Safaris opened for business 15 years ago, our clients have loved Botswana. Botswana is definitely in a class of its own as far as safari destinations are concerned: truly remote with few other visitors, superb concentration of wildlife, spectacular natural scenery & habitat diversity. It is also very safe, secure and totally relaxed.

While a fly-in safari is the ‘ultimate’ Botswana trip, there are other ways of enjoying the country, such as on a small group scheduled trips. I have personally been on a couple of these in Botswana, as well as in South Africa, Namibia and Tanzania – and loved every minute of it! A small group guided safari offers a sense of intimacy with nature that is sometimes difficult to find in an upscale luxury lodge. In a tent on a mobile camping safari, you can literally feel the roar of a lion reverberate in your chest, and at night you can recognize subtle sounds such as the chirp-like call of the African Scops Owl. A tented camping safari is more than just a series of game drives and wildlife sightings. Of course, the big mammals are a primary focus of the trips, but with a good guide they go well beyond that, to illustrate the intricate relationships which exist in nature.

Above all, the small-group guided safaris are just plain and simple great fun. You will see lots of wildlife, learn the most amazing things from your guide and experience Africa in the best possible way: up close and personal. It’s a great choice for families.

Our associates Wilderness Safaris have revamped and upgraded their scheduled small-group tours for Botswana. From February 2005, they will be operating five new trips, namely:

Maximum group size is eight, and the price includes all meals & drinks. The various safaris visit all of Botswana’s highlights including the Okavango Delta, Moremi & Chobe, and some include the Kalahari Desert. None of the trips are 'participation' style: camp assistants handle all the chores, food preparation etc. so that you are free to enjoy yourself in the company of a few other people and a qualified, professional guide.

One of the most exciting new features of several of these trips is the Xigera Mokoro Trail, a 3-day outing into the heart of the Okavango Delta by mokoro, overnighting in a mobile tented camp on an island. The Xigera Mokoro Trail guide was born and raised on an island just north of Xigera lagoon and has an incredible knowledge of the Okavango and its many inhabitants - both plant and animal. His knowledge is not from textbooks but from life. It is an intimate knowledge and those who walk with him on the islands of the Okavango will not soon forget the experience.

Compared with the lodge-based fly-in safaris, there are more opportunities on the small group safaris to get out of the vehicle & explore (sometimes on foot or mokoro) such as on the Xigera Mokoro Trail segment. The addition of a couple of nights or so in the Kalahari also changes the flavor of the safari experience significantly. The Kalahari Desert is quite unlike Namibia's Namib or Chile's Atacama Desert, which are true dry deserts. The Kalahari is really more of a transitional zone, with surprisingly abundant wildlife.

I have always been fascinated by the Kalahari, having read stories about old-time artists and adventurers such as Thomas Baines, as a child. One of Wilderness' new safaris ('Pans, Sands & Rivers') includes two nights at Nxai Pan National park, stopping for lunch en-route at the famous Baines Baobabs, which Thomas Baines painted on his exploratory expedition in the late 1800s. The Nxai pans are fossilized, covered with short nutritious grasses and acacia trees, creating wildlife-rich areas surrounded by vegetated dune savannahs. Extensive game drives explore the surrounding pans, with an excellent chance of seeing spectacular dry season predator and prey action at the waterholes!

When I first saw the Makgadikgadi Pans a few years ago I immediately understood why so much has been written and said about the area. Standing out in the middle of the pan is an awesome experience: you are literally surrounded by nothing, although the amazing deep blue sky and blindingly white surface of the pan is definitely something... Surprisingly for such a harsh, lunar-like environment, life abounds, and brown hyena, oryx and springbok are just a few of the desert-adapted species that can be seen. Activities include up-close encounters with suricates (meerkats), one of the most endearing animals in the world. On the Makgadikgadi, you will also experience phenomenal geology, quad biking, authentic San (bushman) cultural walks and fascinating Stone Age archaeological artefacts – or simply enjoy the wide-open spaces of this ancient lakebed.

GOOD VALUE ON ZIMBABWE SAFARIS

While Zimbabwe has lately been a controversial destination due to the political situation there, the Wilderness Safaris camps in Zimbabwe are being filled by savvy Africa travelers who know that it is during these times that one enjoys the finest wildlife encounters, at attractive prices. The safaris are operated in very remote and very safe areas, completely isolated from any populated towns or cities. We have negotiated some really good prices for Zimbabwe, so please call or e-mail for a suggested itinerary and cost estimate. For example, a 10-day fly-in safari including the superb Matusadona Water Wilderness floating safari camp and Makalolo Plains Camp, a tented safari camp equal to many in Botswana, would cost about $2,250.00 per person sharing. A similar itinerary in Botswana would cost over $5,000.00 p.p. sharing. On longer itineraries, a camp such as Chikwenya in the famous Mana Pools area can also be included, at the same rates.

We have been getting some great feedback from many clients who visited Zimbabwe in the summer of 2004:

“We really enjoyed our Botswana trip, and totally LOVED the Mana Canoe Trail on the Zambezi and Humphrey, our guide. That portion of the trip was one of the best of our lives, and I hope you can point us in that kind of direction again. Even if we simply repeat that one. :-) (McGannon party)

“Matusadona (Lake Kariba) was great. We enjoyed the opportunity for game walks. The guides, Orbett & Solomon, were informative and kept the pace appropriate for the kids. They got us close to animals. We tracked black rhino tracks over two days & ended up finding two! Loved the ability to canoe between the lodges. Was my favorite camp. (Root party)

"We can't say enough good things about Matusadona Water Wilderness. The guides and accommodations there excellent. We saw elephant, rhino, hippo, eagles, warthog, impala, kudu and numerous other birds. It was really a unique setting. (Makowiec party)

"This is just a quick note to let you know that our family had the best imaginable time in Zimbabwe. The arrangements went flawlessly, the accommodations were wonderful, and the Wilderness hospitality and guides were outstanding. I really must add special praise for the guides in Chikwenya, Simeon on the canoes and Sacha, who led us several walking day trips, all of them memorable beyond words. One of the high points of the trip was tracking rhino for two days, and finding the fellow eating twigs less than 30 meters away. He lay down for an afternoon nap. We have passed your name on to several others and I hope they call. Everyone needs to experience Africa this way. (Langdale party)

GREEN SEASON SPECIALS

Through the end of March 2005, we are offering several special deals for the ‘Green Season’ which is a much under-rated time to be in Africa:

Please call or e-mail for additional details.

ETHIOPIA CULTURAL EXPEDITION

Steve Turner of Origins Safaris recently reported as follows:

“I have just returned from quite simply the most amazing safari of my life. We saw people and lifestyles so totally unaffected by the western world that we felt nothing but sheer privilege at being able to travel amongst them. I must be getting soft in my old age as the emotional impact of it all was quite astonishing - my wife, Jayne, who came along totally agrees!

We were in the Omo River of south western Ethiopia - it lived up to its reputation of being nothing less than the last great tribal land left in the world today, a real kaleidoscope of vanishing cultures.

It is an expensive trip, but then it is possibly the most unique cultural expedition left in the world today - and unfortunately it is disappearing fast - literally by the day as NGO's, Religious Missionaries and Governments exert their influence.

Ethiopia is The Cultural Crossroads of Africa....... the message was simple - travel now to the Omo River - or never. The safari was simply so amazing that we will lead 3 more trips in 2005:

11-22 January 2005 (also includes Timkat)
7-20 June 2005
12-29 Sept 2005

Please call or e-mail for a detailed itinerary & prices.

SERENGETI PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPEDITION

Steve Turner of Origins Safaris will be setting up a small private mobile camp (10 rooms only) at Naabi Hill - right in the middle of the short grass plains for himself and a few clients during the wildebeest calving season. The camp is for photographers. Steve will have a number of 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser (3 roof hatches), with great guides - and will be putting a maximum of 3 photographers into any one vehicle. Off road driving is no longer possible in the Serengeti unless you are a licensed professional film crew. The price of this safari already includes all of the special Tanzanian Government and National Park commercial filming licenses necessary to give participants all the freedom of movement that they will expect in such a wonderful wilderness.

Outline itinerary:
Feb 12: Overnight New Arusha Hotel
Feb 13: Drive to S. Serengeti
14 o/n Camping on the plains.
Feb 27 Drive back to Arusha, dayrooms, depart.

Please call or e-mail for detailed itinerary & price.

NEW BROCHURES

We have stock available of several new brochures, amongst others for Kenya & Tanzania (including gorilla treks), also for Botswana and Namibia, as well as Madagascar and Zambia. Please call Bert or Kathleen any time between 0900A and 500P Central Time, Monday through Friday, to order a brochure.

To order a brochure or to request more information about any of our trips to Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar, call or write as follows:


Bert or Kathleen Duplessis
Fish Eagle Safaris
11152 Westheimer #150
Houston, TX 77042
Tel 800 513-5222
Tel 713 467-5222
Fax 713 467-3208
Website: www.fisheaglesafaris.com
E-mail: exafrica@aol.com
E-mail: jduplessis@houston.rr.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