BushBuzz

September is a great month to spend time with the giants of Africa, elephants, as the water is drying up from most water holes making them follow the main streams. It is a warm month and to enjoy the cool breeze of the night that is complemented by the soothing smell of the wild sage one has to keep the tent flaps up. There is nothing that brings you closer to nature like getting a night surprise visit of an elephant coming to eat next to your tent in the full glow of the moon outside.

On the newsletter front, Explorers has been somewhat quiet, we’ve been the sleepy sloths of newsletter writers, but really, it’s been quite the contrary here at our beautiful little camp on the Selinda Spillway. So, in essence, this is not so much of an “August Newsletter”, but rather a “Peak Season Newsletter” where I will try, despite my unrelenting urge to ramble on for hours with camp stories, to give a (somewhat) brief account of the wonderful highlights we’ve had so far.

“The beauty of nature forever surprises the human mind, for it is the one thing that we have no control over and the one thing that we are all drawn too”

Always remain humble, intrigued and inspired -

August

Zarafa and its Dhow Suites would like to thank the many American citizens who made the long trip to Africa for their safari!

For our camp, August is traditionally an ‘American month’ with around 60% of our guests coming from overseas and this year was no exception. We wish you all safe travels back home and we hope to see you next winter. Oh! And for those of you who enjoy flexible work arrangements or are retired, please do not be a stranger and visit us even earlier. In November for example, it is a completely different ball game out here!

Winter still lingers on. It seems like this year we’ve had a long winter as it’s unusual in the month of August to have freezing mornings, cool afternoons and chilly nights. Hot water bottles (bush babies) were handy in the night as one surprise everyone appreciated; ponchos also are put to work in the morning game drives making your safari comfortable as could be. Duba fire keeps blazing under the clear sky, making star gazing enjoyable at all times!!

Ten things I want people to know about Kenya.By Dereck Joubert

This could be titled ‘Why I love Kenya’ so be ready for some unabashed positive messages about the country.

I keep coming across people who ask me if it’s safe in Kenya, and while at first I was surprised, having lived for some time in Johannesburg in South Africa, later I realized that people are reading the Kenyan situation all wrong. If you hang out in any bad neighborhood bad stuff is going to happen.

The month of June means our beanies are out and the elephants are in! As winter settles on Duba Plains the bush dries up and the water levels rise to the maximum, both these changes making for fantastic game viewing. Game drives have been extra exciting as our “Puddle Jumper” Toyota Land Cruisers become amphibious to get around the concession.

To all our friends in the travel trade,

Many of your have been very kind in supporting Kenya and our properties over the past year and are very knowledgably about the difference between what goes on in remote slums in Nairobi or along the north coast. But some have asked what security measures we have in place to make your clients and our guests comfortable that Kenya is still one of the great destinations in Africa.

Mara Plains features in this lovely article, full of inspirational visuals, in Australia’s Vogue Living.

Page 1 – Vogue Living

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Mr. Reuben Mojoo, he was born in the north of the Okavango Delta, now he lives in Maun with his wife and children.