NAMIBIA & BOTSWANA
TRIP REPORT: PART 3
By Bert Duplessis
Xudum Tented Camp, Okavango DeltaIt wasn't long after we had crossed into the Delta 'proper', after flying over the buffalo fence from Maun en route to Xudum Camp, that we saw our first elephant from the air. In fact we spotted several groups of them all along our route, and later learnt that there were heavy concentrations in the mopane veld which characterizes this part of Botswana. Later in the season, as the pans in the area dry up (by April or May) the elephants start moving closer to the seasonally inundated floodplain.
Observing a group of desert elephants on the edge of the Huab River Valley, Damaraland, from a discreet distance. As far as the weather is concerned, 1999 has been an interesting year in Botswana. They had superb rains in late November and December which resulted in the Delta - or at least large parts of it - being very lush with tall grass, ample food for the animals. In fact, I have not seen northern Botswana look this great in any of my four previous visits. We were told that there had been above average rainfall in the highlands of Angola, so folks are expecting a good annual flood. All in all, conditions should be ideal for some terrific game-viewing for the remainder of the 1999 season.
On arrival at the Xudum airstrip we were met by Rob Clifford who would be our host for the next three days. Rob, who with his wife Shirley oversees Landela Safaris' Botswana operation, is one of the most accomplished guides we ever had the pleasure of going out with. After settling into our tent, we went out on a late afternoon drive with two Australian guests, Stuart and Amanda. We soon find the group of three lions which had been seen earlier in the day. At first the two impressively maned males were sleeping on a hillock underneath a jackalberry tree, but when the female got up and started walking away down the road, they followed close behind. In the fading light, we watched them lay an impromptu trap for a very skittish warthog, who got away without too much ado. A little further down the road, the lions veered into the floodplain where they tried to run down a lechwe in fairly tall grass, but again the hunt was unsuccessful. There are estimated to be as many as 100 lions in the Xudum/Ranns area.
What really impressed us though, was the unbelievable number of giraffe - they were literally everywhere with one seemingly peering from behind every acacia bush. Our 'record' was one group of 20, but you literally can't drive anywhere without encountering giraffe sooner or later. This is apparently the case right throughout the year. Recalling a scene which we had witnessed two years earlier driving from Savuti to Moremi, Kathleen dubbed the area 'Giraffic Park II'. Among the mammals which we saw during our brief stay were wildebeest, tsessebe, lechwe, reedbuck, elephant, the aforementioned dozens of giraffe, impala, kudu, spotted hyena, warthog, Burchell's zebra, hippo and lion. Rob mentioned that African wild dog and cheetah had also been recently sighted.
The bird life is exceptional and we racked up an impressive list of species, two of which were birds I had not seen previously, namely African Skimmer and the rarely observed Black-tailed Godwit. The summer months are great for birding and one can spend literally hours at a place like Hippo Pool, observing an amazing variety of waterfowl and shorebirds in the process.
Xudum is a great camp. Located on the fringe of the Xudum River, the massive private concession encompasses an area which offers an interesting blend of seasonally inundated wetlands, islands with clumps of trees and other vegetation and grasslands. The area can only be described as spectacularly beautiful and reminded me very much of a couple of camps in the Moremi which I had visited on a prior occasion. Once or twice we experienced scenes at the Hippo Pool which seemed to come straight from the pages of an expensive coffee table publication: a multitude of colorful and contrasting animals in and around the water, birds perched, flying or feeding all around, against the backdrop of the deep blue African sky, fringed with lush green trees and other vegetation. As beautiful as the area is, it is just as quiet and peaceful, and one can almost hear the Skimmers dip their lower mandible into the smooth surface of the water as they glide by.
The camp is located on an ancient sand tongue surrounded on three sides by floodplains which may in times of high flood levels fill with water. Old-growth mahogany and machaba hardwoods shade and conceal the guest tents.
Xudum has been constructed to blend in with the surroundings to perfection. The eight classic twin-bedded tents have been situated to allow maximum privacy, ensuring coolness from the indigenous trees and plenty of natural light. The classic "Out of Africa" tents all provide en-suite facilities and each tent has its own private verandah.
There is a central area comprising the dining room, lounge and bar area, all under canvas. Meals are served inside the dining room tent, or outside, under an amazing array of stars. On our last night, we enjoyed dinner with some guests from the nearby Lion research camp and a gentleman and his daughter from Maun. It was really interesting to be able to talk to some of the 'locals' and they regaled us with stories about Maun when it was still a real frontier town. [When I first visited the town in the late 80's, the airport terminal building was little more than a shack, half of which happened to be flooded on the day I arrived there. Nowadays Maun has a new and very modern airport terminal, and I was surprised to see fresh basil and marjoram on sale at one of the grocery stores, last year. Can't even get that in Houston, half the time... Unfortunately the original 'Duck Inn' - a pub cum 'restaurant' cum hangout right by the airport, is no more, but the people of Maun are no less colorful than in previous years.]
Lighting at Xudum is solar generated (220V) fluorescence and water is supplied from wells in the river bed which is clean and quite safe to drink. However guests with 'dickie' stomachs are advised to stick to bottled water, as the tap water has a high mineral content.
On our last day in the area, Rob drove us across to Ranns Camp which is situated in the same area as Xudum, tucked away on a private island amongst a wide diversity of trees, wildlife and birds. This luxurious camp consists of eight twin-bedded, en-suite chalets, each designed for maximum privacy - and all of which take full advantage of the unspoiled views. Built from timber with raised thatch roofing, each chalet contains a sitting room, viewing deck and en-suite bathroom. Both Kathleen and I were impressed with the unique accommodation units at Ranns, and we thought the well-appointed central lounge-bar-dining complex and swimming pool were amongst the most striking ones we have seen to date.
We also inspected the three walking trails camps which are located in a very scenic area with a superb variety of habitats, trees, animals and birds. The trails camps include a tented fly camp, Baobab, which is currently being upgraded and which will be used as the Okavango Delta land camp for Wilderness Safaris' Jacana overland trips. There are two tree house camps, Eden and Mantis, each on its own secluded island. Each tree house has two single beds and an individual reed-enclosed bush shower and toilet.
This Gemsbok - feeding on camelthorn pods at Sossusvlei - was not unduly disturbed by passersby but visitors are cautioned that the animals are unpredictable and potentially dangerous. Activities at the trails camps include themed walks on birding and botany, traditional culture, tracking and survival and others. There are also game drives, bird-watching and seasonal mokoro outings. The approximate walking distance covered per day is entirely up to the guests; a leisurely pace is adopted so you can enjoy being out in the wilderness. A group of friends who spent several days in the Walking Trails camp a few weeks earlier, had a wonderful time there, reporting as follows:
"During the first week of January, my group of four flew to Botswana to take part in a Landela Safari we arranged with you and I must tell you that it was one of the best highlights of our trip to South Africa and surrounding areas. The adventure began immediately as our Cessna barely missed hitting a Kudu that wandered onto the runway near Xudum camp. Our guide Duncan and the rest of the staff were very knowledgeable and made us feel right at home. The drives and walks we did were informative and enjoyable. And the food! I think our days at Xudum and Baobob camp gave us the best dining experiences of our entire African trip. My group had both camps to ourselves which I think provided us with a little more attention from the camp staffs than is usual. The isolation and quiet was great!
I can wholeheartedly recommend both Xudum and Baobab. The location and design of each one was perfect. Xudum provided us all with a glimpse of luxury in the bush, while Baobob let us get a little closer to nature ( the bush showers were a big hit!).
Although we saw no elephants this time around, Duncan managed to track down two lion brothers for us, a couple of cheetahs on our drive back to the airport, and a group of Hyenas finishing off a scavenged kill, along with numerous baboons, jackals, impala, giraffes, and others. We were even hot on the trail of a leopard we heard coughing one evening seemingly right on top of our camp in Baobob. He or she managed to slip away, so maybe next time.
To sum up, Landela provided us with everything we were looking for. Each day was eagerly anticipated with us often waking up before our 5:30 AM wake up call. I'd recommend them and you to anyone." (To be continued)
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