MDONYA OLD RIVER CAMP

News from the wild side

September is the month of incredible sightings: the elusive and rare seen wild dogs, powerful and elegant leopards so close often caught stalking some potential preys, unexpected cheetahs in a mixed woodland tending to Miombo forest on the Mdonya riverbed, two different episodes in which Lions were hunting, killing and eating an elephant, one of these at 10 minutes drive from the camp, Serval cat and Caracal crossing the road early morning during the game drives.

Having elephants in camp is always an emotional experience. Our friends are giving us encounters at the dinner table or around the bush fire, grazing and browsing.

At night the Mdonya pride of lions is often around and sometimes in camp, giving us exciting moments and at least two different leopards are coming every night to have a drink. Bushbucks, warthogs, giraffes, slender and banded mongooses are around and impalas are grazing at night around the tents. A big change is coming slowly, the Acacia sieberiana trees have finished to put out the new leaves and still covering themselves by beautiful white flowers. “Spring” is coming.

Thanks for our guests Anna de’ Capitani, Piera Grella and Leo Eaton for sharing with us their wonderful pictures.

By Rebecca, Andrea and all Mdonya Team.

LAKE MANZE CAMP

Sightings of the month

When the sun sets over Lake Manze Camp you will be overwhelmed by the array of night sounds emanating from the surrounding bush. Lying in your bed at night hearing the eerie noises and contemplating where and from what is like doing a jig saw puzzle upside down. The shared conversation during breakfast discussing the sounds makes for some funny comments.

September has definitely been lion month with sightings of up to four different prides a day. Be it a pride of six or just two males lazing about under the shade of one of the magnificent trees in the Selous. The guests were fortunate enough to experience many sightings of lions on a kill with the hyenas and vultures in close attendance. The right place at the right time has paid off and obviously ” we are in the Selous.”

We were fortunate enough to have three lions march nonchalantly through camp early one morning with not a care in the world. The words to “look and listen” when walking to and from your tent with a massai escort has never been illustrated more than this morning had.
The lions would occasionally lie down surveying the area and then move on. At one stage it looked like they were going for a rest on the verandah of tent two but decided otherwise and eventually paraded between the tents onto the lake area towards the boat entry point.

An exiting month that was enjoyed by all our guests that left here with cameras full of memories. Thanks to Tony Debbie and Jeremy Grace to share with us their pictures.

We hope to see you all again some day.

Safe travels.
By Shaun, Milinda and all Manze Team.

FANJOVE PRIVATE ISLAND

News from the water side

With the Super Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse marking the end of September, it makes us feel very special that we were here to witness an event that occurs only once a generation.
But that’s not all!

Highlights for this month were:

– The noticeably shift of the wind felt change its direction from South (Kusi) settling right now as a Transitional Wind (Matalai) – being a period of rains and little wind – before blowing from the North (Kaskazi).
These relatively predictable monsoon “tradewinds” have been an integral part of coastal life for the peoples of this region for many centuries. The pattern of these winds has been understood and harnessed by mariners, traders and explorers from as far off as Arabia, India and China.
While Kusi allowed traders to head up north along the coast, Kaskazi took traders south along the coast, blowing from the northeast to the southwest for approximately 4 months.

– The sighting of a considerable number of bottlenose dolphins in Mwamba Kati, an area considered to be a very productive coastal ecosystem.

– Fish abundance and diversity on our growing coral reef. Snorkling a few meters from our beach, you can easily spot a number and variety of Damsel Fishes, Marble Groupers, Moorish Idols, Trigger Fishes, Anemone Fishes, Scorpion Fishes, Blue Spotted Rays, Sergeant Fishes, Spade Bat Fishes and many many more..

We will always do our best to preserve all the beauty and magic that surrounds and inhabits Fanjove Private Island.
Please come and try it for yourself!

By Hassan, Hakim and all Fanjove Team.