Latest Environmental Report

This report was compiled by environmentalist Wayne, assisted by Kgaga at Khwai River Lodge, Sugar at Eagle Island Camp and Sello at Savute Elephant Camp.

For the first part of December we were wondering where the December rains were and if we were perhaps going to have late rains this season. The Botswana skies were dark with heavy rain clouds but the rain refused to fall. Typically the beginning of the month is characterised by windy days with light drizzle however by mid month the winds from the East were bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms and providing all fauna flora with what they have waited an entire dry season for. On 24th December Khwai River Lodge recorded 45mm in only half an hour. This is really amazing when one considers that Botswana’s average rainfall is only about 500mm per annum.

December '07 Average temperatures and precipitation

Unfortunately the water levels at Eagle Island Camp remain too low to safely conduct any water activities at present. We have removed all our safari boats and the mekoro are up on the racks and we will resume this activity only when it is once again safe to move through the channels. We are however monitoring the situation on a regular basis and hope to have some good news soon.

December has seen a wonderful change in our landscape, from the traditional dry African pastels to incandescent greens. This is obviously the time that our grazers and browsers have been eagerly waiting for. In the Khwai area, the Large Fever Berry has dominated the vegetation along the river course, this tree loses its leaves last and is the first to replace them again in the new season. Bush Willows and Kalahari Apple Leaf trees are also dominating this area. Vegetation along the river course now has the opportunity to recover from the heavy impact that the Elephants and other browsers place on these areas during the dry season when they are reliant on the permanent water from the river. The Mopane woodland is the first to quickly recover from this onslaught with the coming of the rains.

Savute Elephant Camp is also a paradise Greenland. Seeing the famous Sand Ridge, Savute Channel and the Savute Marsh so green is definitely comparable to none.

Eagle Island Camp remains as green as ever and it is believed that at this time of the year the animals get a little confused as to what tree or shrub to browse on as they all have the same bright green. Of course this is only a tall story in camp, a celebration for the plenty that this area produces.

Sightings at Eagle Island Camp were particularly good in December. Elephants, Zebra, Giraffe and a whole variety of ruminants were the order of the day however all of a sudden, our Delta Guides found a nomadic pride of Lion and two Cheetah that looked very comfortable in their new surrounds. Here in this area of the Delta, the predators never really stay for an extended period of time as they are constantly following the herds of Zebra and Buffalo.

Our Guides at Khwai had their skills put to the test as the Lions made themselves scarce. They seemed to leave the area on an extended vacation for Christmas and New Year. The resident Leopards of the area appeared to be in Leopard heaven during this period and we even had a spectacular sighting of one of these beautiful cats walking past the dining area while the guests were having dinner.

Savute Elephant Camp has taken the lead in animal sightings this month. Leopard were sighted every second day, the Savute Lions are being spotted more regularly and the Wild Dogs have managed to keep their numbers stable with five pups and four adult dogs. It is quite impossible to identify the difference between the adult and the juvenile dogs at this stage. The youngsters have apparently learnt how to be a typical Wild Dog and have not fallen prey to Lion or Leopard.

The Managers of Savute Elephant Camp, Kevin and Ashley, had a wonderful experience with some of our naughtiest little mammals in the Chobe National Park. They found a family of Banded Mongoose Mungos mungo. They were wondering what all the fuss was about and after a while they were treated with over 10 mischievous youngsters creeping out of a hollowed out log.

The young of this social species are fed by all milk bearing females however interestingly enough they are cleaned, escorted, protected and given preference of food by all members of the pack, male and female. When the rest of the pack head out to hunt, one or two adults will remain behind with the youngsters to protect them from harm. Often even a male will remain behind to assist with this. The little adventurers will start to explore away from the temporary dens at about 24 days and will start to join the adults in search of food at about 35 days.

Eagle Island Camp has noticed a sharp decline in their bird sightings. This happened in conjunction with the arrival of the rains. Once there was standing water gathering into pools in the surrounding areas, a lot of the larger birds moved off for a change of scenery and diet. Instinct leads them to pools with frogs and trees with caterpillars and insects. By far the most successful area for birders has been the Savute Elephant Camp where there is such a huge variety of migrant birds arriving in large numbers to celebrate the summer with us.

Another spectacle currently being experienced at both Khwai and Savute but especially the latter is the presence of the Carmine bee-eaters. As the name suggests these dazzling red birds really draw one’s attention and that is not only because of its colour. The Carmines seem to enjoy testing their aerobatic skill around the vehicle during game drives, snapping up any unsuspecting bugs disturbed by the movement.

During the month we were witness to the wonderful migration of the Brown Veined White Belenois aurota. This beautiful butterfly does not actually migrate as many people are led to believe. It is more a matter of overpopulation dispersal. Their movement is in great numbers, moving generally in an easterly direction until they locate enough of a food source within a particular area, mate lay eggs and die or if not, they carry on their flight in an easterly direction until they reach the Indian Ocean and drown. The males of the Brown-Veined White are known to “Mud Puddle”. On hot summer days one can find huge numbers of this species settling on damp, muddy ground and absorbing large amounts of water. Every now and then they will excrete a drop of water and so they are thought to not actually be drinking but absorbing minerals like salts which they apparently pass over as “nuptial gifts” to the females when mating. It’s actually an incredible phenomena, there are over 18 000 documented species of butterfly and more than 10 times that for moths, amazing isn’t it and there are still more to be discovered.




New procedure for Zambian visa fees

For those of you with clients traveling via Zambia, please note that the Zambian legislation regarding visas has changed. The visa waiver system no longer applies as of 26 January which means that visas now have to be obtained on arrival in Zambia at the cost of USD135 for American nationals and USD140 for British nationals (for a single entry visa), however we strongly suggest that you rather contact your local Zambian consulate or embassy to arrange your client’s Zambian visa in advance.


Orient-Express Safaris wishes all our guests and new guests for the new year, good health and prosperity, peace and security and quick decision making for planning your return trip to our truly wonderful location in paradise – Botswana.

Until next month,

Connie Neubold
Tours Manager
Orient-Express Safaris