Ollie’s Arrival and Brilliant Botswana, RSA & Botswana – May & June 2015

 

The arrival of Charlie’s little brother

The undisputed highlight of the month of May was the safe arrival of Oliver William Cunliffe on the final day of the month. Thankfully his birth was complication free, and both Katherine and Ollie are doing fantastically well. I am one very proud husband and the fortunate father of two perfect little boys who reassuringly have both inherited their mom’s good looks! A month in, Ollie has also already proved himself to be one of the easiest and most relaxed babies imaginable. We feel so blessed and fortunate to have him in our lives.

 

On safari in Botswana and Zambia

Ollie was no more than a couple of weeks old when my Passage to Africa private guiding work – www.passagetoafrica.com/team/stephen-cunliffe – stole me away for another safari. My mother-in-law very kindly agreed to move in and help Katherine take care of our two energetic little boys, thereby enabling me to accompany the Penry family from North Carolina on an incredible three-week Southern Africa safari. Their bespoke Botswana itinerary focused on a handful of exclusive lodges and associated mind-blowing safari experiences within three of the country’s premier wildlife and wilderness areas.

First stop on the Botswana programme was Wilderness Safari’s Chitabe Lediba Camp – www.wilderness-safaris.com/camps/chitabe-lediba-camp – in the Okavango Delta. Small and secluded, Chitabe Lediba overlooks a buffalo-frequented shallow lagoon within a private concession adjoining the Moremi Game Reserve in the southeast region of the delta. Excellent habitat diversity throughout the concession area ensures high wildlife densities and a high incidence of amazing wildlife sightings. Our visit was no exception. Under the expert guidance of local guide Ebs, we were treated to some high quality wildlife viewing: lions roaring and eating a buffalo; a female cheetah stalking red lechwe; a pack of wild dogs on the prowl; and even a couple of daylight sightings of relaxed leopards during our four-day stay.  It was an incredible start to any safari!

Next stop was Uncharted Africa’s San Camp – www.unchartedafrica.com – which perches right on the fringe of the vast and mysterious Makgadikgadi saltpan complex: the remains of an ancient super-lake that once covered almost all of Botswana. Each of San Camp’s stunning white safari tents stands under a gaggle of palm trees on the shoreline of this enormous sea of salt. After five days of hardcore game viewing in the delta, having the freedom to be able to safely walk and run around was most welcome, as was the opportunity to interact with habituated mobs of meerkats and learn from a tribe of local bushmen. But riding a fleet of ATVs out onto the great white expanses of the pan for a night under the stars was the unanimous highlight of our stay at San Camp: a soulful experience that certainly won’t be forgotten anytime soon!

A five night stay at the decadently luxurious Zarafa Camp – www.greatplainsconservation.com/zarafa-camp/ – awaited us after our saltpan odyssey. Overlooking Zibadianja Lagoon, source of the Savute Channel, Zarafa is a small, intimate and very impressive safari lodge. The food was world class with service to match. And while the standard of the Zarafa guiding was a touch disappointing, the quality of the wildlife sightings we enjoyed on Selinda Reserve were certainly nothing short of exceptional. A huge lion pride squabbling over a red lechwe kill; wild dogs every day; a leopard with a young cub; plenty of spotted hyenas skulking about; and so much more…

After two action-packed weeks exploring the wilds of Botswana, the tranquillity of the Zambezi River and fury of the thundering Victoria Falls provided a welcome change of scenery and pace. Our Zambian home-away-from-home was child-friendly Tangala House – www.tongabezi.com/tangala_house.php: a beautiful family home located 15km upstream of the Victoria Falls on the Zambian bank of the mighty Zambezi River.

The house boasts four en-suite bedrooms, a large private swimming pool, and a big trampoline – perfect for energetic children needing to burn off some energy after all the game drives. Stylishly designed and functionally furnished, the Tongabezi owned and operated abode comes with its own private vehicle, boat, chef, waiter and house staff. While the Tangala staff are all fabulous, special mention must be made of the culinary king, Kenny, and the mouth-watering meals he consistently produces from his little kitchen.

The falls were an impressive sight to behold in late June with plenty of water thundering over the mile-wide chasm, but nothing can top the experience of an afternoon exploring Livingstone Island and swimming in the frothy Angels Pool. To be bobbing around in your own private ‘Zambezi jaccuzzi’ mere metres from the lip of a thunderous waterfall is a pulse-racing experience second to none!

The final week of our sensational southern Africa safari was spent in Cape Town at the Cape Grace followed by some well-deserved R&R and whale-watching in Hermanus. We based ourselves at the opulent Birkenhead Villas – www.birkenheadhouse.com – with its picturesque cliff-top position overlooking the angry winter waves of Walker Bay: an extraordinary seaside location and stunning place to end a memorable safari with the wonderful and welcoming Penry family.