View from our tent showing the very low level of the Zambezi, normally flowing freely here

After months of planning, we gather in York Lodge. Taking inspiration from a bus we drove past in Harare, I have named the new service, Vicky’s Logistics – as it really has been quite an operation! The dream team consisting of John and Hil, Fi and Richard and our beloved Rick set off from Charles Prince, with a hitch-hiker on board, none other than Nick Murray, owner of Vundu Camp and advisor on Attenborough’s episode on the wild dogs.

I’ve now been ten times, and the blogs get repetitive! So I’m breaking this blog down into Stretch-style ‘moments’, mirroring our Mana experiences.

Drought

This is not a good moment; the last great drought in 2019 resulted in hundreds, if not thousands, of animals dying from starvation. Various do-gooders trucked in hay for the elephants, but really it can’t make much difference. The landscape is completely arid, there is not a blade of grass from zebra vlei to the river; the albida pods provide just about the only form of nutrition, but with hippos needing 300 kgs and elephants 500 kg of food per day, hard times are coming.

Long Pool his almost dry and Chisasiko Pool is now a puddle. Normally it is green with water hyacinth

Already the impala have mange caused by bad nutrition, and we saw a dead baboon on the river bank. Long Pool is almost completely dry, hippos and crocs all confined to small spaces, the water birds dodging them as all frantically fish for food. Occasionally there’s a loud snap and splash as a croc succeeds. The mighty Zambezi is but a small trickle outside our camp (see below), and water is being pumped and dug out from channels further in. Stretch is clearly distressed although he says good rains are predicted for the end of October. The arid landscape and the dust give rise to spectacular sunrises and sunsets. But the whole of Southern Africa is praying for rain.

Elephant moments

Hilary is given the full treatment, up close and personal with JD. He’s the one who had me up against an anthill on my first visit, almost skewered by his tusks! Stretch says he’s mellowed but…

We have several near misses with elephants (and the resident eland bull, Eduardo, below) wandering through the camp and disporting beneath the deck. On our last day we manage to track Boswell, the elephant who browses from his hind legs.  However, the old and the weak will perish, like this poor little fella who was born with a deformed leg (bottom right), probably as a result of malnutrition in utero in 2019. The elephants here, unlike Gonaz, are very habituated. We are spared charges this time giving The Donald – irascible like his namesake – and Asbo wide berths.

The Boz and his fan club!

Walking/tracking

These are always the best moments. I prefer the walks for walking’s sake – we have a lovely early morning amble from camp to Long Pool, enjoying the cool air, the sunrise and the sound of the bush waking up.

But there’s tracking to be done – Stretch and Alistair aka ‘the old muppets’  – are like bloodhounds, with noses out, as we bump along the roads. Lion and dog tracks to be followed up – out of the vehicles, into the bush, ‘just 300m’ turns into a good hour. Often a smoke break is mandated while they disappear off to check tracks. Sometimes virtue is rewarded as Stretch leads us to some skittish lionesses in the wilderness areas from circuitous tracks   – ‘they’re making a fool out of me’  – but as soon as we get close they scarper with a flick of a tail and a glimpse of fat white underbellies. Another time we track a lioness with her cubs hidden deep in a thorny patch with a only a growl to indicate their presence.

The dogs are an obsession and we are rewarded with two lots of sightings, though one was not down to tracking as they were by the side of the road – ‘cheap dogs’. But even if you don’t find the target, the thrill of the chase is enervating.

Seeing the two of them working in wordless harmony together is like watching ballet dancers, albeit with different moves. It has a magic of its own. What a team!

The old muppets at work

Cats

No visit to Mana is compete without lions, one of Stretch’s obsessions. We are lucky to find a large pride on our first day; and to track three females to kills on two occasions – one a baby zebra, which they tear apart as we watch from a ledge just above them; the other an old warthog grandpa, when we are privileged to see the stalking right in front of us, though the fatal blow is dealt just out of sight. But the time we reach the river bank the girls are tucking in! John, who identifies as a warthog, is sad and later buys a metal one to take home.

The lions and us stalking them in the evening light!

The utter high point is a late night encounter as we rush to get back to camp. A wild cat! Long of leg, and striped just like Pickle, she flashes across the road in front of us and then casually, catlike, shows off in the gloaming, well enough for Ross to get a really good shot. She’s only been seen a couple of times recently, always in the same spot. Alistair thinks she’s a serval cross, something that has only been seen in captivity. Others are not so sure…but what a coup! I’m calling her she in line with Stretch’s proclaimed  gender fluid identity. His nod to the current state of the world.

Birding

John is a keen birder but without Sean and Cindy (see Gonaz blog) our expertise is diminished. Tor, the learner guide is good on his birds, but Stretch prefers the big stuff.

He knows we are quasi-twitchers and takes us to the endangered skimmers, and we watch in awe as they  glide over the water at Long Pool a couple and, later, he leads us to a tree full of carmines (obviously en route to see something else, i.e. Boswell).

Interestingly there is a dearth in the usual suspects in Mana –  no snake eagles apart from bataleurs in abundance, and many other water and land birds seem to be missing. Is it climate change? Drought? Or simply our ineptitude! Richard surpasses himself by spotting a king penguin on Long Pool; we disabuse him of this remarkable find by telling him it’s a Goliath heron! Despite wishful thinking, we manage to clock up over 80 species including the crested Guinea fowl on the way the the airport, normally elusive, but here in large numbers.

Top left clockwise: spoonbill stork; grey heron; successful pied kingfisher; Hil beside the carmine tree; the carmines; yellow-billed kite; Goliath heron

Tea-rooms and Sundowners

Always magical Mana moments here. ‘Can you smell that? It’s the smell of coffee…’ and ‘Can you hear the tinkle of ice?’ are welcome observations from our guide. Just check the photos for evidence…and Doc Fi examining Stretch’s recent surgery site.

Comedy

Stretch is a comedian. He and Al make a good double act, the Laurel and Hardy of the bush. Al the dead-pan Stan Laurel to Stretch’s Hardy.

OK – we’ve heard some of the gags before, but they always make me smile and invite banter in return. The funniest moment this time is when Stretch decides to show off his land-rover skills  – ‘Rick, watch this, I’m going to show you how a land-rover is better than a land cruiser’. He revs up and goes hell for leather up a vertical sandy bank…sadly he just can’t make it, and there’s a ghastly  grating sound as something goes…we roll backwards, hanging on for dear life and come to a grinding halt, stuck in the sand. Later we limp into tea break, and the new fan belt is in ribbons. As he looks up from under the bonnet he is desperate not to be seen by the other guides, all Toyota drivers!

Some land-rover shots…pride and joy and then a slight incident with the Chisasiko Pool sign as we were looking at an elephant bull – what else?

Louise

We scattered Louise’s ashes in the Zambezi in 2013 and every subsequent visit we remember her with wild flowers. Usually we canoe to a spot on an island mid-stream, but this year the lack of water forces the ceremony on to the prosaically named Car Park at Ndungu. Paradoxically a beautiful sunset spot where Louise’s spirit is reunited with wild beauty. It’s wonderful to have our closest friends with us.

Friendship

Chat, chat, chat…early celebration of Fi’s birthday

Bad moment

When we suddenly find ourselves landing at Harare international on our return flight instead of Charles Prince where are taxis are waiting.  Luckily the plane is able to take off quickly and take us to the right place and we are only 15 minutes late. Vicky’s Logistics took a severe reputational  hit…

So heres some nice photos of the Wilderness area and some other shots to try and hide my shame..

Pulling power

And although not strictly Mana I can’t write this without reference to Rick’s pulling power at Harare airport.  A fine boned Ndebele woman of 78, as she tells us, plops herself down next to him and regales us all with her life story between hoots of laughter.  She’s off to Barcelona for the Champions league match with her Harvard and Macquarie educated daughters. Beauty was her name and she radiated it.

Here’s evidence of Stretch’s pulling power as I couldn’t photo Beauty! He’s gender fluid of course…

And so another series of magic moments comes to an end. Full of laughter, gin, great sightings, fabulous food and hosting by the excellent camp team. We leave anxious for the weeks ahead, and the water situation. Next time we will return for the green season, when the pans will be full of water, the grass lush, and the wildlife contented.

And here’s a lovely poem composed by Hilary, hits all the right buttons

Red disk rising 
On the upturned face of an old baboon
Give thanks 
Another Mana Day
Tread lightly on the land
That does not belong to us
But the paw prints in the dust
Follow carefully, but not too close
Do not overstep the marks
But watch slowly, and wonder
that we can wander with the elephants 
Slow stepping sisterhood 
On the banks of the Zambezi
mud coated hippo mounds 
The eye of the crocodile 
Unblinking
Like the white hot sun –
Too hot and fierce for us
A protected species 
Who must seek shade and safety
And gin and tonic at sunset
And wonder – ah wonder! at the red disk
Falling, spilling last light
On our upturned faces
At the end of ‘A Mana Day’

Thanks to Ross for the dogs, cats and birds (link to his blog ); Hil and Fi for some people & animal pics….and to our wonderful travelling companions! A la prochaine!