Zimbabwe - Mana Pools National Park - Ingwe Pan Camp

Spirit Of The Wild Dog

It's no secret that the African wild dog is one of the most effective pack hunters on the African Continent. With a hunting success rate between 60-90%, many African cultures use their character as an example of the embodiment of family, loyalty and cooperation.

We managed to see the famous African wild dogs on our way back from the Chiruwe Crossing airstrip. We counted 12 adults sitting in the sand. This was an incredible experience for our guests because many of them had never seen African wild dogs before.

Bird Spotting Challenge

The mandate was clear: spot 100 bird species in three days. During the competition, amazing birds like storks and African snipes were spotted one after the other. When the final day ended, 97 bird species were spotted and recorded.

The highlight of the challenge was seeing an Arnot's chat. Found mostly in healthy Mopane woodlands, they are known for their unique behaviour following ant trails and snatching up insects the ants are carrying back to their hills. It's like eating straight off a conveyor belt.

Life Of A Lion

While on our walking safari, we identified some fresh lion tracks and decided to follow them for one kilometre before we saw them basking in the sun.

When it comes to tracking lions, knowing their habits can make a massive difference. Lions are most active and hunt in the cooler hours of the day. During the midday heat, they like to laze about and conserve energy in the shade.

Sheer Size

If you’ve never seen one before, nothing can prepare you for how big a fully grown elephant really is.

We were having afternoon tea when a huge female elephant decided to eat some pods from a tree right in front of us. We were at a safe distance, but for the guests who had never been that close to an elephant before, it was an awe-inspiring experience.

Caring Is Not Sharing

During an afternoon game drive, we were on the lookout for African wild dogs. We had received a report that a pack of them were spotted at the Jamboots area earlier that morning. When we arrived, we found 11 puppies and 12 adults. We hopped out of the vehicle to take some photos, but not too long after that, they left for the pan in front of Ingwe.

We followed them all the way back to camp, where an elephant greeted us and the wild dogs. The dogs tried to drink from the pan, but the elephant wouldn’t allow them to and chased them away.