November 2015

MDONYA OLD RIVER CAMP

News from the wild side

The rains have come!
Mdonya area has transformed from being a dry and barren to lush green vegetation with dry waterholes filling up with water once again. The Mdonya River has not yet started to flow but we have seen an increase of elephants around camp and seen them digging for water in the riverbed once more.

With the rains comes new life as the grass grows, flowers start to bloom, butterflies start to reappear in camp and the impalas have all started giving birth to their young.

The resident baby Vervet monkeys that were born last month are growing more independent and becoming very playful providing much entertainment.

Special sightings this month have been of a family of Bat-eared foxes playing near their den and a pack of 11 wild dogs including 6 pups that have been seen on four different occasions this past month. The wild dogs are a rare sighting and for a couple of our drivers and guides it was their first time to see the wild dogs. Let’s hope the wild dogs stay around! Watch the video of this Wild dogs sighting.

By Rebecca, Andrea and all Mdonya Team.

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LAKE MANZE CAMP

Sightings of the month

The start of the small rains in November. Well, maybe not yet.
Although we have had some small thunder storms during the month it seems that the follow up rains are threatening and will hopefully arrive soon to help the new growth of the green patches of grass that are forming. A much needed source of food for the many herbivores in the area.

At last we have had sightings of wild dogs. The first pack which consists of three dogs, two females and a male, which the guides believe is a formation of a new pack. The second sighting was about 25 kilometers from camp consisting of six adults and nine pups. Again a new pride in the area which had given the guides and guests many a hour of pleasure with some great photographic opportunities. A couple of days ago the Beho Beho pack which now boasts six pups and twelve adults was sighted .Exciting times ahead.

Laygos has been his entertaining self with the shaking of the Doum palms for the delicious fruits, even though his stocks are nearly diminished. We were lucky enough to have a new group of 24 elephant dance through camp on a couple of occasions stuffing themselves on the plentiful Doum palm leaves. This group has three new born calves in their midst which is really good news and bodes well for the elephant population in the Selous.

When the bush babies keep on screaming for hours during the night something is happening. Our first leopard kill next to tent number eight. Two young male Lions walking through camp unexpectedly. The baboons are the best warning signal.
The Selous is still wild and unpredictable.

We are enthusiastically looking forward to all our December guests to enable us to show them the splendor of Lake Manze camp and the special areas around the Selous. Thanks again to all our guests over the last month and we hope to see you all again soon.

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

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FANJOVE PRIVATE ISLAND

News from – an oasis of calm –

A holiday in a month like this is as relaxed or as busy as you want it to be.

There is no short of the things that you can do and the scene here is beyond spectacular.
While waiting for the tide to arrive, you can take advantage of the many water activities that are available at our lodge.
Whether it is diving, snorkeling, paddle boarding, kite-surfing or kayaking, we have it all here.
Walking on this isolated island in this part of the world makes you think that chances are pretty high no one has walked on this particular stretch of sand for a while.

This quickly brings the biggest picture into play. A quick shift in your perspective starts to take over. You begin to feel more alive, the ground under your feet becomes more tangible, the air in your lungs, a little sweeter. You pay more attention to what surrounds you. It’s times like these when you feel there’s nothing more important than being here, right now, experiencing the things that were put on this planet, without a filter, without interruption.
Watch a video taken while snorkeling few meters from the dining: life is everywhere!

We hope to see you again on Fanjove Private Island,
By Hassan, Hakim and all Fanjove Team.

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