Lion - Buffalo Adrenaline, Okavanga Delta, Botswana - Decemeber 2006/January 2007

This expedition to the Okavango Delta was designed to get close to the action and giving everyone the chance of getting some good shots. The results speak for themselves.

Weather in the Okavango Delta is rather complex. Around Christmas/New Year is the hot season. It also rains quite a lot … but it’s not the season when the rivers and water of the delta are very high. This occurs later in the year when the water that fell in Angola in the hot season washes down into Botswana, where it is colder and drier! Getting there requires a flight to Johannesburg, a flight to Maun and then a series of internal flights to the camps. The internal flights operate a strict weight allowance of 20kg. We were all slightly over and had to pay a supplement.

Our first five days were spent at a camp in the drier part of the southern Okavango Delta. This had a fantastic variety of terrain. From dense bush, through open plains to woodland. Like most of our other trips, we were out all day. This camp was all about variety. So highlights for us were:

· Lions mating in the setting sun and some really great opportunities of getting Lion portraits in perfect light!

· Finding a Leopard sitting and following it when it set off for an evening’s hunting, keeping up with it until it was dark.

· Watching a family of baboons and being able to spend the time on composing some great shots.

· Seeing an Elephant herd coming down to water and drinking

Our next five nights were spent on a very special island. The attraction was a herd of over 1,000 Cape Buffalo and a pride of Lions whose diet was 99% Cape Buffalo AND had adapted to hunting in daylight! And swimming in water A very special pride with two older Males keeping order and a peculiar Female who has killed over 30 lion cubs over the past few years. The time we spent here was really unique and a privilege.

Our typical days were up at 6am, a very quick breakfast in camp and out in the first light before the sun came up. We’d search for the herd of Buffalo and when we found them the Lion were never far away! Then we sat and waited for the action. Lunch was brought out to us by the camp and we usually called it a day when dusk fell at about 6.30pm. So long days in the field but unbelievable action.

Highlights for this camp were:

· One day we found the Buffalo herd at first light and noticed the back of the herd was restless. We watched six Hyena harassing a female Buffalo and her hour old calf. Despite the best attempts of the mother to protect her calf, within 20 minutes the calf was dead, We later watched the Hyena hiding some of the remains of the calf in a nearby waterhole (pan).

· Sitting with the Lion pride from 7am. Watching them wake up, stretch, play with the cubs and set off hunting.  An hour later seeing the females bring down a baby Buffalo and then see the calf’s mother chase the lions, who still managed to kill the baby. 

· Following a female Lion as she caught a baby Warthog and then give it to her young male Lion cub (who had been messing up the earlier kills with his clumsy enthusiasm.)  Other lions from the pride quickly appeared but were driven off by a very fierce mother! 

· Lions do not typically like water.  However we managed to see them face up to it and either jump over river channels (great action shots), race through shallows trying not to get wet (more great action shots) or as a last option swimming across a stretch of water (amazing!).

· Sitting with the same lions day after day.  Seeing their attempts at kills, watching the young male lion learn how to hunt, getting to know the personalities of some of the lions – this was magical and we are looking forward to going back!    

The Okavango Delta in Botswana is very different to Tanzania or Kenya.  Water dominates life and even in the dry season is plentiful.  There is more lush vegetation and for once everything is green and there are flowers in the grass!  Due to the success of this trip we are running another in May 2007.  This is the beginning of the dry season where ironically, the water levels will be much higher (due to invading flood rather than local rain).