Doug Macdonald's - Safaris to Africa

Namibia is probably one of the most diverse safari experiences you can have in Africa. This country is not all about looking for lions and elephants as there is so much more then those classic African safari experiences. You can have these here but explore further and you will have an incredible experience, like the safari I have just completed. We enjoyed the massive and ancient sand dunes of the Namib desert, then went looking for the incredibly adapted creatures that have made the skeleton coast and it's dunes their home in a place that seems so desolate nothing could exist. We were also in kayaks paddling among a colony of Cape Fur Seals and even had Heaveside's Dolphins playing alongside us plus a very unusual experience of a Humpback Whale coming up among the kayaks!! No one will forget that. We then went walking through the extraordinarily beautiful Damaraland and each night we slept out on beautiful star-bed platforms to enjoy the vast and clear African Skies. From there we went right up to the Kunene River on the border with Angola to enjoy this beautiful river in an otherwise very dry area and home to the very proud and traditional living Himba People, it was certainly not a living museum experience as it is obvious all around, that this is genuinely how people live and dress here. We then explored right from West to East of the vast Etosha National Park and Ongava Reserves to end our safari with great game viewing of all your classic African Animals and here they are in big volume! An incredible adventure that is like no other in Africa.

Its been an excellent start to the year with safaris in well known and less known areas including some new to me which is always exciting, getting to see somewhere different on this huge continent.
Over this period I have been to Tanzania for some amazing migration action in a couple of different localities and then to Rubondo Island on Lake Victoria which was new for me. I have also been around the Northern Parts of Botswana which for me are always best in the green season, Nxai Pan, Okavango Delta and Linyanti. Zakouma National Park in Chad was as usual incredible with new bird species seen previously unrecorded in this area and incredible wildlife sightings that are always hard to describe as there is always so much going on in one vista. Gabon was a new destination for me and what an amazing place, we watched Lowland Gorillas, in the jungles along with a list of smaller primates and the incredible spectacle of watching many Leather Back Turtles coming to shore in the late evening to lay eggs on these vast, uninhabited beaches.
So I look forward to more discovery and adventure around Africa and even beyond our shores this year which I shall keep you updated on.

We have had an amazing series of safaris around Gonarezhou this year with various groups and individuals. As always we find new areas to explore and learn a little more about the rhythmn of this incredible park with all its variety and beauty. We have spent time both in the South and North of the park, even explored some roads that I had previously never travelled, along the Eastern boundary of the park and found some beautiful areas and pans that still had water even right at the end of the dry season. For sightings we had some really memorable ones like a group of male lions that I had never seen before - 5 youngish males that when fully grown are going to be a real force in the North of the park, we watched them pinch an impala from a pack of wild dogs who put up little resistance but the fight between these lions and the females they were with was quite intense and fascinating. I have also got record now of 4 different wild dog packs that I have seen up in the North of the park this season which is really great, one of them had 13 puppies which is tremendous. We were also able to combine safaris with Gonarezhou and the Save valley Conservancy this season where guests could get a behind the scenes look into the conservation initiatives for the Rhino there and predator research that is ongoing, a really unique and interesting add on to a safari experience. We have also uncovered some great new fly camping spots in the park which I know guests ongoing to love for next season so I look forward to being able to show you. get in touch if you would like to see Gonarezhou either as tailor made safari or to join one of our set date departures.

I have recently done a return safari to Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique - since I last went, there have been a number of changes to species and tourist facilities, so it was nice to catch up with where this park has got to. I can tell you it is a positive story with wildlife numbers really way more than I remember, there has also been the addition of the Wild Dogs, Leopard and Hyena. Of these the Wild Dogs have absolutely thrived and from the 3 packs introduced they have quickly grown and splintered to cover this vast reserve and they think 10 packs now cover the reserve and all are thriving so no doubt they will be pushing to find new areas before long. The elephant are having a steady and slow rebound but it was clear they are still understandably nervous of humans and although there is much sign of them we only really saw one of the herds once, but did hear them close to our camp on a few occasions. Leopard sightings remain virtually non existent but they are here but at their elusive best which is not hard when you see how much cover they have to thrive. We saw lions on a number of occasions and there numbers seem to be doing well here as well.
We were also able to spend time with the vets working on the pangolin rescue project, where they are working with local communities to educate them and help to recover these special creatures from the ridiculous trade in their scales. They have rescued well over 100 so far from areas around Mozambique and released them into the park.
You now have a wide range of accommodation options which range from self catered camping right up to a luxury safari camp which is very similar to other luxury camps you find around Africa. We were in their Wild Camp which is a great little tented camp which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Anyway overall we had some excellent sightings and great birding with the key being able to spend time with one of the wild dog packs for a few afternoons and watch them hunt and socialize which was superb. It's a rare privilege to have this with the only other vehicles being a BBC film crew.
So put this park on your bucket list, it is well worth visiting and we are planning safaris now to combine this with Gonarezhou which will be an amazing combo and you can then always have some nice beach time afterwards.

Great news is that I am returning to Zakouma National Park in Chad for a series of set date safaris, there are still a few spaces left on the departures so please let me know if you would like to come and see this absolute gem of a park. The basic plan is you land in N'Djamena (Air France or Ethiopian work best). You will have one night in N'Djamena, some guests prefer 2 so they can explore the city a bit. From here a charter flight to Zakouma National Park for a 7 night safari that will include a night out fly camping so we can explore further afield in the park. Maximum of 6 people per departure, guided by me with a private vehicle. Here we can do day and night drives plus bush walks and if necessary driving off road to enhance a sighting is no problem as well. It really is an amazing destination and well worth considering.
Zakouma National Park March 2024 with Doug Macdonald – Lap Top View
Zakouma National Park March 2024 with Doug Macdonald – Cell Phone View

Uganda is a great destination for a combination of Africa's key ecosystems, the open savannahs, big rivers massive lakes, the rift valley and the rain forests. Its all within the borders of Uganda. For this safari we only had a few days so the focus was the primates of Kibale Forest which has 13 different primate species which really makes it the primate capital. We had some really great sightings of 9 of these species and as some are purely nocturnal we did very well. A really good part about the Ugandan Parks Guides that lead the forest walks is that they really have a great knowledge both scientific and traditional of these complex ecosystems, that really helps enhance these amazing experiences in the forest. We ended our time here by driving back to Entebbe which gives you a great view of contemporary life in Uganda and then a ride across the bay on Lake Victoria to the Mabamba Swamp in search of the iconic African Shoebill, and we had success in finding 3 of them and a host of other birds in this rich environment.

https://chng.it/9gKWWRGqB7
This Petition is all about an unknown mining company seeking oil prospecting rights in an area upstream and next door to Mana Pools National Park - this is a very important wildlife area that prospecting for oil and if successful will impact in a way that there is no coming back from. This is an entirely unnececssary project as Zimbabwe already has plenty other mineral resources being exploited and if managed correctly would benefit everyone tremendously. This is not needed so please add your voice and share this petition with others - Thankyou

Sign the Petition Objection Against Shalom Exploration Mining Licence Within Mana Pools

Safari News: It's been a busy start to the year so far, I have been in Zimbabwe and Botswana for a green season safari. Then I went straight up to Tanzania for a safari on the Serengeti. From there I was in Uganda focused on Chimpanzees and the other smaller primates. My last safari’s have all been in Chad in the amazing Zakouma National Park, the park is really going from strength to strength - https://mailchi.mp/[ # # # # # #]/safari-news-its-been-a-busy-start-to-the-year

A lot to catch up on as it has been a busy few weeks for me in the hush. I shall start off here with a safari we did to Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The safari started for my guests in Cape Town, so they could enjoy the beauty and attractions of this area while getting into the right time zone after travelling from California. We then met in Victoria Falls where we enjoyed this incredible spectacle along with a relaxing cruise and even a bit of bunjee jumping as well - nor for me, I had to carry the bags and coats so I was unable to take part, being helpful is what I do.
From here we flew through to Tanzania to start our safari with 3 nights in Tarangire National Park, its a good park to start in as it has a wonderful variety of habitats and species that are classic African and you can do bush walks and night drives here so it is a good start point. A highlight here being the very big herds of buffalo we saw and lots of elephants including a real senior citizen of an elephant with big big tusks, always good to see these guys. From here we had a couple of nights at the iconic Ngorongoro Crater which never fails to live up to its reputation as one of the Natural Wonders of the World. A highlight here was watching a lioness hunt a wounded Zebra, it did not work out for her but was great to watch the drama right next to us. We then did a hike down from the crater to the Oldupai Gorge for a nice walk through and tour of the museum which is now so much better after its refurb with lots more displays and interpretive information. It was now time for our Serengeti part of the safari and to catch the migrating herds. We were based in the Lake Ndutu area which worked very well for us. The herds were moving through here in great number and one of the largest congregations of Zebra I have ever seen came into the area, there literally thousands and amazing to see. A big highlight for us was having numerous Cheetah sightings including a female being courted by two males which was so interesting and best of all was watching a mum cheetah chase down a Thompson's Gazelle and then call in her cubs to feed - watching the whole process from the stalk to fat tummies with no other vehicles around was a real privilege.

Just returned from a safari for a family on their very first safari, we started in Victoria Falls which although low is rising rapidly as the rains have set in across Southern Africa. We then went to Hwange which was an amazing way to start their safari, first game drive we watched 2 Cheetah males hunting which was then followed up the following morning with a complete beginning to end hunt with a lioness and wildebeest and then she brought her 3month old cubs into to enjoy what seemed to be their first real meat meal. Botswana also delivered some great sightings, we watched two different packs of Wild Dog hunting, and an amazing sighting of a cheetah mum with her 6 cubs playing on a termite mound and tree.
Along with these memorable sightings and great scenery we also had all of the usual other species that anyone would want to see, and all of them with very little babies like giraffe, elephants, buffalo, zebra, sable, warthogs, impala, wildebeest, hippo, hyenas and so much more. Green season safaris really are amazing.

I ended the year in Kenya with a very unique safari. We started in a wildlife conservancy not far from Nairobi to be a part of a Giraffe collaring research project -not so much a collar anymore as they now use a small solar powered GPS tracking beacon that attaches to the tail. As my guests had helped finance this project they were given front row access to the work that needed to be done, so we were right there assisting fitting the tags, biopsy's, holding the giraffe etc. A real hands on experience seeing the challenges of this important work and something I don't think they will ever forget.
From there we headed up to the Laikipia area of Kenya which is a vast area of contiguous privately owned land that does well in combining wildlife with both modern and traditional livestock farming. It is a great place to go and see some of Africa's uncommon species like Grevy's Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk, Beisa Oryx and Laikipia Hartebeest, but the real stand out is looking for the legendary black leopards that live here which we did have success with and even watched one catch a Smith's Dik Dik right in front of us and then carry it off for dinner, an amazing evening. Laikipia is a great walking area with incredible view points and small river valleys so we spent two nights out fly camping walking between the camps, which again is a tremendous experience with lots of little and large sightings as we went along. From there we went to the Masai Mara area where we were in the Naboisho and Olare Motorgi Conservancies, these are on the boundary of the main reserve and owned and managed by the resident Maasai Families. They are just as beautiful, with the same habitats and wonderful wildlife as the main Mara Reserve but have the advantage of far fewer safari lodges and the traffic associated with that. Here again we had time in two different camps, but to get from one camp to the other we did this on foot and spent a night out in a small fly camp mid way it really is an excellent way to enjoy being out in the bush walking through and along side some of the herds of animals and also being able to appreciate the birds and smaller creatures as you walk along. I think are stand out sightings was watching Cheetah hunt, feed socialize and how they have to dodge the other big predators along with being victim to the others greed. We also had excellent time at Hyena dens watching the pups and all their interactions and even watched an adult demonstrate their incredible endurance with it chasing a wildebeest out over the plains to the point from our high ground we could no longer see them continuing the chase so I do not know how it ended, but really incredible the distance it covered at speed. All together an amazing safari with such great memories.

Mana Pools remains one of my favorite safari areas and I love showing people around this special piece of Zimbabwe. I was fortunate this year to have a number of safaris there all at very different times of the year as each month has it's own special feeling to it. Some highlights for me was seeing the continuing struggle between the prides of lions as to who gets to enjoy and dominate the flood plain areas, it is still a very fluid situation so there was always lots of discussions around the campfire as to what was happening only to be proved wrong the next day!. We also had wonderful Wild Dog sightings on every safari but probably the most memorable one was sitting right next to a shallow backwater off the main river, and having the "Dynasty's" pack running and chasing each other for pure fun up and down the pool - it was an incredible afternoon. Boswell, our famous hand standing tusker elephant and his mates, were all in good form and I think even a few new comers as well, so we had some wonderful times walking with these big guys along the flood plain. All said the Mana Pools flood plain along with Chitake Springs at the back of the park is a wonderful safari experience that has a loyal following of visitors to the park annually for very good reason.

We have been very fortunate to be able to do a number of safaris into Gonarezhou this year with our mobile camp, going to a range of different areas throughout the park, all very different and giving my guests very different experiences. I think the stand out for me this year is now that the Black Rhino are more settled we have been able to see them either from the vehicles, in camp and also out walking when we track them which is fantastic. We have also had some incredible Wild Dog sightings with the puppies, feeding and hunting all very good. We have also had some excellent Lion and Leopard sightings but I think the standout with the cats was sitting next to the water at Massasani taking photos of African Skimmers, skimming right in front of us in excellent afternoon light when a female leopard came out into the open opposite us and sat there completely unconcerned that we were there, she just enjoyed the afternoon sun before heading back into the undergrowth in search of dinner. I look forward to a new season in Gonarezhou and watch as this park goes from strength to strength. You really should come and experience the sheer Wilderness and quality game viewing.

I had two safaris into Botswana - one in the dry season and the other during the green season. Very contrasting safaris but both produced amazing experiences and sightings. The North of Botswana is where the rift valley ends in Southern Africa so this is one of the reasons the Okavango Delta exists where it does and the smallest shift underneath can move the water to different areas. This is quite clear at the moment where you can see areas that were previously with quite low water now having unusually high water creating newly flooded areas. This is mostly in the South East of the Delta and also the Khwai River which is now much higher making previously accessible areas now inaccessible. Who knows we may see the Savute Channel flow again soon? One of the most interesting sightings I had was in the Chitabe area where we spent time with a pack of African Painted Dogs who had a few days earlier stolen from another pack their puppies, they were all fine and being fed so a really interesting event which I believe has been seen before in other areas so maybe this is something they do more commonly than we know. Savute as usual was tremendous for elephants giving us lots of time to enjoy them arriving in some numbers onto the available waterpoints, there really was a constant procession of them which was surprising considering that there was some good rain around. We also were able to see the tremendous number of Zebra that had moved from the Chobe area into the Boteti River area, there were hundreds always on show there coming for water. Kubu Island was a new area to see for me on the Makgadikgadi Pans (the World's largest complex of Salt Pans) a really fascinating place that humans have found important for thousands of years, also great fun driving to get to this amazing Island across the pans. Botswana remains an excellent safari destination with a high chance of real quality sightings and variety, and I would always recommend seeing it during the green season it really is beautiful.

Mana Pools was fantastic and great to back there after such a long Covid induced absence. It was clear immediately that the park has had some really good rain with most of the pans and pools full of water, so the wildlife is still a bit dispersed but the Albida Trees are laden with fruit and ripening quickly, there is even grass on the flood plain, so I am sure the flood plain will see the Eland, Kudu, Nyala and Elephant populations rise quickly as the days go by. We saw what is now called the Dynasty Pack of Wild Dogs which is now 9 members and apparently the day after we saw them the Alpha pair were seen mating, so if all goes well they will be denning late this year. The other packs are doing well with reports of another 2 large packs on either side of the Mana Pools Floodplain. There is also a coalition of 3 Male Lions pushing their way into the area from the East, not quite settled yet but they will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years if they get established as they are still quite young.

On my way to Mana Pools where I have not been for awhile due to the COVID situation, so will be so nice to see what the flood plain is like and hopefully see some of the old characters of the flood plain like Boswell.

In Hwange National Park we had a great morning with a pack of wild dogs that apparently had not been seen for some time which is great news, but the really interesting part of the sighting was that there were 2 pregnant females in the pack. This is a situation that is well documented within wild dog society although it is rarely seen and the outcomes for the puppies is very much at the discretion of the Alpha pair. It will be very interesting to try and find out how this story all unfolds.

My next safari starts shortly as the winter is now really setting in on Southern Africa with shorter days, cold nights, misty mornings and the green grasses turning yellow. We will be starting in Victoria Falls then into Hwange National Park and ending in Gonarezhou. Got the gloves, thermals and camera packed so all good to go.

A beautiful set of pictures taken by David who recently travelled with us to Rwanda for a Mountain Gorilla and Golden Monkey Safari, Thanks so much for sharing these with us David.

The buffalo herds we see in Zakouma National Park are very interesting as they seem to be a blend between your usual African Buffalo that you would see in East and Southern Africa. You also have some that look just like the Forest Buffalo species that you would find in the jungle areas of DRC, Congo, Cameroon, etc. Then you get some that look like a complete blend of both. I am not sure if the Taxonomists have established an exact species for this variety but it is reffered to as the Central African Savannah Buffalo. You decide!

Zakouma I am pleased to report is still an outstanding safari destination and we had some very special sightings, one of which was a striped hyena which I have been looking for there since I first started doing safaris in Zakouma. I have lots of pictures to file through and edit so I will do a proper report on some of the key sightings we had. So here are just a few pics to start with. The rest come shortly

I am on my way now to Zakouma National Park in Chad I have three weeks of safari in this amazing National Park and really looking forward to being back after our COVID induced absence.
Will be great to see how things have changed or not over that time.

The Mountain Nyala is endemic to Southern Ethiopia and the Bale Mountains is where the population has managed to stay strong, elsewhere their habitat has been cleared for agricultural purposes and housing so they are just holding on in isolated pockets, we saw many of them around the Dinsho area of the park. They are much bigger than the Nyala we are used to in Southern Africa and not as stripey, the males and females are much the same colours unlike their Southern African relatives. They seemed relatively comfortable with people on foot so we were able to have some really nice views of them moving through the woodlands.