Wild Zambezi News - October 2019

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We promote travel opportunities to the Zambezi's wild areas:
Victoria Falls, Zambezi National Park, Lake Kariba, Matusadona National Park, Kariba Town, Chirundu Mana Pools National Park and Sapi

Check out WILD ZAMBEZI's searchable listings of operators, activities, accommodation, tours and services. We also offer reliable, independent, reviews, blogs, and travel advice.

A proud WINNER of the Zimbabwe Achievers Tourism Award!

WILD ZAMBEZI NEWS
OCTOBER 2019

Explore our travel listings & share your own
experiences on our website www.wildzambezi.com
PLEASE FORWARD THIS E-NEWSLETTER!

ZIMPARKS BOOKINGS SORTED

Calling all self-drivers struggling to book National Parks accommodation or camping in Zimbabwe. Self Drive Zim (also operating as Manapools.com) are official ZimParks agents and offer an efficient, on-the-spot, booking service for ZimParks facilities. Tell them where you want to go and when. They will liaise directly with ZimParks and sort it all out for you. They also hire vehicles and camping equipment. CONTACT THEM HERE

ELEPHANT FUND-RAISERS
16th NOVEMBER 2019

Saturday 16th November is the date for two amazing fundraising events - the Saving the Elephants 10km Run/Walk in New York's Central Park, plus the Mukuvisi March for Elephants in Harare. Proceeds from both events go to the Zambezi Elephant Fund which supports crucial on-the-ground operations carried out by a group of implementing partners working to protect elephants in the Zambezi Valley. Come and stand up for elephants (or send your donation)!

YOUR TRAVEL REVIEWS ON WILDZAMBEZI.COM

October 2019

Read what people are saying about their travel experiences in the latest Travel Review postings on WildZambezi.com. Follow the links below:-

Heartveld Adventures - travel information, bookings and tours around Zimbabwe

Have something to say about a place you have visited or a service you have experienced? Tell others about it by submitting a Travel Review on the relevant page on Wild Zambezi.com.

LAKE KARIBA

AFRICAN PARKS TO MANAGE MATUSADONA NATIONAL PARK

The news that non-profit conservation organisation African Parks has signed a 20-year agreement with ZimParks to manage the Matusadona National Park on Lake Kariba's southern shores, has been greeted with enthusiasm by conservation and tourism communities. This is excellent news for the future of wildlife, habitat, landscapes and tourism in this beautiful Park, which is a wilderness jewel of exceptional water and wildlife experiences. Up to now it has been eclipsed by the world famous Victoria Falls. BUT WATCH THIS SPACE....!

KARIBA TOURISM REVIVAL BID

The people of Kariba are making a collective effort to revive the community's pride in the resort town's tourism potential. Work started with an intensive clean-up campaign spearheaded by Caribbea Bay Resort, Zambezi Cruise & Safaris, Natureways Safaris, Hornbill Lodge, the Kariba Publicity Association,the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and others. There are some exciting plans ahead. READ MORE HERE

KITFT - SOME FACTS & STATS

The 58th Kariba Invitation Tiger Fishing Tournament (KITFT) has just come to an end on Lake Kariba, with the team HARD MERCHANDISE (pictured) emerging as clear winners with 60 fish caught, weighing a total of 89.465 kgs. The largest fish of the tournament (6.1kgs) was caught by Daniel Bucky Donohoe. The fishing guides at Changa Safari Camp have compiled an interesting list of 10 facts about this annual tournament which this year attracted 69 teams.
READ MORE HERE

SELF-CATERING IN KARIBA

Fisherman's Rest (pictured) is just one of the great self-catering accommodation options available for families and friends visiting Kariba Town. You can book the whole house (which sleeps up to 16) through Heartveld Adventures. WildZambezi.com's online search facility shows you what's on offer. Check out more Kariba self-catering options HERE.

FAMILY FUN AT MUSANGO

Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba is a great family-friendly safari destination, where all ages can come together for a fun and relaxing holiday. Musango Safari Camp provides a particularly suitable environment for children to experience a safari and learn about the bush in safety. Owners Steve and Wendy Edwards welcome families. READ MORE HERE

ZAMBEZI VALLEY

DOGS SETTLE AT CHIKWENYA

A wild dog pack of three adults and six pups was successfully translocated in late September 2019 from the Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) Centre in Hwange to a temporary holding boma near Wilderness Safaris' Chikwenya Camp in Mana Pools. This will be their home until April 2020 when they will be released back into the wild. READ MORE HERE

OVERCROWDING IN MANA?

There have been complaints on Social Media about insensitive overcrowding at lion kills and wild dog sightings in Mana Pools at the height of this year's tourism season in Aug-Sept. Reports describe hordes of tour operator-led and self-drive visitors (in one case around 65 at a time) jostling for front position to get the best photographs, with scant regard for the impact of their actions on either the animals or other visitors. If you have witnessed unacceptable visitor behaviour, we urge you to report it (with relevant images) to The Zambezi Society who will pursue the matter further.

VICTORIA FALLS

VICTORIA FALLS WATER FLOWS - THE FACTS
To counter misleading stories shared on Social Media, Victoria Falls tour operators, Wild Horizons have produced this interesting collage of images showing monthly water flows over the Victoria Falls during the year. In the dry, hot months of October-November, the water flow is always low, and low rainfall during 2018 and 2019 has made things worse. At this time of year, there is always more water flowing over the Zimbabwean side of the Victoria Falls, simply because it is slightly lower than on the Zambian side. However, the 2019 water flows (although 11cm below average over the past 10 years) are 3 cm higher than they were at the same period in 1995, and, with the onset of Southern Africa's rainy season expected from mid-November, things should shortly improve. READ MORE HERE

THE NEW LOOKOUT CAFÉ

Wild Horizons' Lookout Café on the edge of the gorges below the Victoria Falls is to re-open on 1st December 2019. This famous restaurant and café was destroyed in a fire last December, fortunately with no loss of life. The tragedy has provided an opportunity for design innovation. WATCH THE VIDEO

THE SIDULI HIDE: A HIDDEN VICTORIA FALLS TREASURE

Sunk into the ground next to the waterhole in front of Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, the Siduli Hide is disguised as a termite mound. It's a photographer's dream. Ground-level shots of elephants' toenails, and more! READ ABOUT IT HERE

VIC FALLS HOME FROM HOME

Looking for a homely self-catering option in Victoria Falls for a group of friends or family of up to 14 people? Wild Zambezi had the priviledge of experiencing the simple comfort and homely luxuries of Your Vic Falls Home in October 2019. What a pleasure! We've written a Travel Blog about it. READ MORE HERE

REDUCING PLASTIC WASTE

A shout out to Wilderness Safaris for reducing plastic use in their transfer division with the introduction of glass water bottles on all of their transfer vehicles in Victoria Falls. The company is finding ways to eliminate waste and reduce their footprint in line with their on-going commitment to conservation. Wild Zambezi is delighted to see that a growing number of tour operators are spurning wasteful plastic water bottles.

STAY 4 PAY FOR 3
SPECIAL AT MPALA JENA

Great Plains Conservation are offering a wonderful luxury travel special at their beautiful Mpala Jena Camp and Mpala Jena Suite set on the banks of the river in the Zambezi National Park upstream from Victoria Falls. Stay for four nights and pay for only three - for the remainder of 2019 and the entire 2020 season! Mpala Jena is Zimbabwe's newest, top quality, Relai & Châteaux property.
FIND OUT MORE HERE.

TRAVEL SPECIALS

CURRENT SPECIALS

There is currently a fantastic array of great SPECIALS on offer from some of Wild Zambezi’s network partners.
Check the SPECIALS section on each of the following Wild Zambezi listings pages:-

African Bush Camps (Bumi Hills Safari Lodge, (Lake Kariba), Kanga Camp & Zambezi Expeditions, (Mana Pools)
Baobab Bookings (Lake Kariba & elsewhere)
The Elephant Camp (Victoria Falls)
Gorges Lodge & Little Gorges (Imvelo Safari Lodges) (Outside Victoria Falls)
Heartveld Adventures (Kariba & all areas)
Imbabala Zambezi Safari Camp (Wild Horizons) (80kms from Victoria Falls)
Mpala Jena (Zambezi NP, Victoria Falls)
Musango Island Safari Camp (Lake Kariba)
Mwinilunga Safaris (Mana Pools)
Off 2 Africa (All areas)
Old Drift Lodge (Zambezi NP/Victoria Falls)
Premier Travel & Tours and Premier Holidays (Local travel agent/flight bookings)
Rhino Safari Camp (Matusadona, Lake Kariba)
Safari Logistics (air charters & transfers in the Zambezi & Hwange areas)
Spurwing Island (Matusadona, Lake Kariba)
Stretch Ferreira Safaris (Mana Pools)
Travel Portfolio (all areas)
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, & Victoria Falls Safari Club (Victoria Falls)
Wild Horizons (Victoria Falls)
Zambezi Cruise & Safaris Lodges (Lake Kariba/Mana Pools & elsewhere)
Zambezi Sands River Camp (Zambezi National Park upstream of Victoria Falls).

TAIL ENDER

A CROCODILE TALE - ANY IDEAS?
The above pictures of a crocodile which has obviously suffered serious damage to its upper jaw were sent to us by Rhino Safari Camp on Lake Kariba in October 2019.
"Our guests spotted the croc on an evening cruise in the harbour to the south of our concession and brought back the original image (above top) which looks as though the snout has a deformity. We decided to investigate further the next evening and managed more photographs from a different angle (above bottom) which show that the open wound does not appear to show teeth and is still quite raw. The croc does not seem able to stay submerged for any length of time as it is missing its nostrils."
The animal is clearly adult and is managing to survive, but it is unclear for how long, or how old the wound is or what caused it. Also puzzling is how a creature with such jaw damage can manage to feed itself. The main diet of crocodiles is fish, and they can go for quite some time without eating, but catching any prey without an upper jaw to grip would seem difficult for this individual. Tourism Guides in the Chobe area of Botswana have photographed a similar wounded croc in their area, and have suggested that the damage may have been caused (in both cases) by a boat propeller. The Rhino Safari Camp management and staff will be watching with interest to see how this particular individual copes and if it survives. They are keen to hear from any crocodile boffins out there who might be able to shed some light on this extraordinary sighting.

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