Selinda Spillway.
The flight from Cologne to Johannesburg was less than half full – I was able to nab a full row of 4 seats and lie down for 6 hours – half slept most of the night but had at least a half hour of real REM sleep, with dreams. I was dreading this flight but it turned out pretty well. The flight to Maun was nearly full – all but two obviously tourists. I was met by a representative of the camps, but ended up waiting around for an hour and a half for the plane to take me to my camp.
The flight itself was pretty interesting – we saw several herd of elephants and one herd of some smaller animal below. Upon arrival I was met be a man named Spike, one of the guides but assigned just to pick me up. They organize us in groups of 2-4 with one guide; my group had already left. Spike offered to take me to meet them, which we never did. However, while we were chasing them down we saw two small groups of giraffes, scores of impala and elephants (both thick as fleas around here), and several other animals. We ended in a small meadow at sunset, with a herd of about 20 elephants at the far end, including one baby. As the sun set and filled the sky with color the herd crossed the meadow and walked behind the vehicle, about 30 feet away. The guide was silent; all we could hear was the birds and crickets and the elephants passing by. It was sublime. When the elephants had moved on into the brush Spike started the vehicle and drove on to camp. Along the way we passed another herd of elephants in a grove of small trees, munching noisily on the leaves; I later learned this tree is one of their main sources of protein.
I arrived at camp as it was growing dark and was greeted by the entire staff and a glass of lemonade. The manager sat down with me and explained their procedures and rules, the most onerous of which is that guests are forbidden to leave the camp at all unattended, or to walk between our tents and the lodge area unattended after dark. The only down side to the entire experience is the almost total lack of physical activity.
A word about camp procedures. Every morning the guide awakens us (if we’re not already awake) with coffee or tea and cookies. (The first morning I had nothing except one of the granola bars but after I asked he started bringing me a banana.) He picks us up at 6 and we get into the vehicle – a 4 wheel drive truck-like land rover converted to have three rows of two seats – but usually there are only 3 or 4 people in it. We pull lap robes (lined parkas) over ourselves and set out for the first game drive – as soon as the vehicle is moving it is relatively cold until a couple of hours after sunrise. The game drive lasts until 11:30 or 12, when we return for lunch, followed by 3 hours of siesta. We meet again at 3:30 for tea – accompanied by pastries for everyone else, fruit for me, followed by the evening game drive. We return well after dark, usually around 8, for dinner. If you want, there is a fire for conversation after dinner but most of us are very aware of the 5:30 wakeup and forego it. The roads are all quite rough; half the time is spent off-road, which is even rougher. Whenever we get back from a game drive we are greated with hot wet clothes to wipe off the dust (although there isn’t much dust, surprisingly.) The animals are totally accustomed to the vehicles and usually ignore us – although some of the antelope and the warthogs are often a bit skittish, especially a lone animal away from the herd.
Lunch and dinner are invariably gourmet experiences – to my immense satisfaction, including lots of fruit vegetables and salads. The staff have done an excellent job of accommodating my gluten free diet. There are drinks before dinner (and after if you have the stamina for it) and plenty of wine with dinner.
Game is as abundant as the literature says – the reason, I suppose, for the prohibition on unaccompanied walks. My only real complaint is – I was told there would be a variety of activities, including canoeing on the river and long nature walks – but in fact, the river is too low, and thus far there have been no walks. Six days of absolute idleness is going to be difficult to take. If I return, I will come for no more than 3 days, with a visit to a more physically active place on either end.
Internet connections are sporadic at best, so I will upload no pictures until I have a better connection.

Selinnda Day 1
My first night’s sleep was, to say the least, interesting. Hippos came up out of the river to graze, snorting and farting as they munched; then some elephants came by, feeding much more noisily – all this very near my tent. (It was too dark even to think of seeing anything. Finally they quieted down and I was able to get to sleep.
After 26 hours of travel with only dozing followed by an interrupted night of sleep, I was sound asleep when Obi knocked on my tent door. I got up, dressed quickly while drinking the coffee he brought and munching a granola bar, and was ready when he came back to fetch me.
Right outside camp we saw a handful of jackals – beautiful animals, really – playing next to the road. This was followed by kudu, lots of birds, more elephants.
The evening drive was even more interesting. Obi had heard that a young leopard had been sighted nearby, so we set out for the vicinity. He frequently drives off the road to inspect tracks (the animals seem to prefer the road to the tangled, head-high grass for some reason). When tracks head off into the brush, he will often follow, circling around to look for the animal.
We saw many of the same animals as during the morning – it is astonishing how many large animals this area supports – it’s as if all the large animals in Wyoming were concentrated in Yellowstone.

Selinda Day 2
On Day 2 Obi said we were going to try to find some lions that had been spotted in the vicinity, which had been seen beyond one of the other camps, so we set out in that direction. Along the way we spotted impala, a couple of Wildebeests, several other antelope species. Along the way we drove around for a while insome brush where footprints suggested they might be hiding out, to no avail. Finally one of the other guides reported having found them, so we drove on in that direction. When we arrived we found – two fat lumps of fur, swacked out sleeping off an obviously heavy recent meal. We watched them for about an hour and finally it warmed up enough that they got up and moved into some shade, where they flopped down for more sleep.
We drove to an open field covered with relatively short grass (chosen, I assume, so Obi could keep an eye out for potential danger) for another lovely breakfast, eaten off the hood of the vehicle.
On the way back we stopped by the sleeping lions again. The sun had moved so one of them was no longer in shade so we waited for him to get up, stretch and yawn, and move back into the shade, where it was obvious he would spend the rest of the day.
On the way back we saw more antelope of various species, many hornbills, but not much else. After another hour or so of driving around Obi asked if we were ready to return for lunch. We all said fine, so he headed down a road that leads more directly toward camp. Almost immediately we came around a corner and – right beside the road – saw a lioness ambling through some sparse grass toward a clump of trees and brush. Obi stopped where we could watch her: She stopped briefly, staring into the brush at something, then turned and walked into the brush opposite of where she had been looking. So Obi drove around that clump of brush, where we saw nothing, but he said she was stalking something, so we stopped in another clearing and waited a while. After several minutes, the lion came around the clump, circled the vehicle, obviously looking at something beyond, then went back into the line of brush. Obi drove around her into the grass and around to the far side of the long line of brush and trees and again we waited.
After several more minutes she came out of the brush, walked around us again toward a spot on the far side of a large clump, and sank into the low stalking position, which she held for at least five minutes, creeping forward so slowly you could hardly see her move. Abruptly she sprang, and through the brush we could see a warthog running for all he was worth, with the lion about a foot behind him. He was too fast for her, and got away. Again we drove around to see if she had caught him, and she walked around the vehicle again, headed out toward the marshy area – all very nonchalant, completely ignoring the vehicle and humans. We followed her for close to an hour as she patrolled, looking for other prey; then we returned to camp for our own lunch. In the afternoon we went back to see if we could find her cubs – Obi was pretty certain they were in a patch of brush covering several acres, but we couldn’t locate them.

Selinda Day 4
We started a little later today because the other three members of my group had to catch a plane out before noon so needed to pack. We set out to look for the cubs again but, instead, ran into three lionesses, two adults and a juvenile. So we followed them the rest of the morning, watching as they tried for two or three warthogs. Obi says warthog is a main part of the diet because they have poor eyesight so are easier to catch. The lions spotted a herd of warthogs out in an open area beyond a grassy field. One of the adults circled around through the grass and the other started slowly maneuvering toward the prey: Then the adolescent started walking straight toward them. In spite of their poor eyesight, the warthogs could not help seeing them, spooked and ran. The same thing happened with a solitary warthog. We followed them for quite a while, until they sank down in the shade to rest. Whenever they go after an animal, they put on a burst of speed that exhausts their anaerobic energy so they have to rest about 15 minutes before continuing the hunt. Obi says they are actually not very fast compared to most of their prey, so stealth and tracking skills are vital.
I was transferred to another vehicle while Obi took the others to the airport; had I thought faster I would have gone with them because they were going back to look at the giraffes again, but I didn’t. We drove to an open spot away from the lions and had a bite to eat, then drove back to see if they had become active yet, but they were obviously settled down to rest through the heat of the day. As we were turning back toward camp, we saw a lone warthog headed toward the lions, so we circled out well out of the way to watch. At first the lions didn’t seem to notice, but as the warthog drew near and started digging for roots, one of them rose up and started to watch it. Just as she was starting the stalk the warthog apparently smelled the lions, bolted and ran. This time I don’t think it was the adolescent’s fault. It appears life is pretty tough for lions – they have to try several times for one kill, and each try uses up a lot of energy.


It apparently pays to make one’s needs known. Before sending the other members of the group to their airplane Obi told me that he would be guiding me alone, and that we would take some walks as well as filling in other things I’d hoped to see. So after lunch I put on hiking boots and, after tea, we drove out to an area with thin woods and sparse grass (good visibility to watch for danger. He carried a high-powered rifle just in case, and we took a nice long walk – about 2 hours at a moderate pace. I had a chance to experience the country close at hand, learned more about grasses, shrubs, and birds. We saw an impala male chase another male away from his harem, then, even more exciting, saw a group of males doing competitive displays. They jump high and kick their heels – Obi says that it releases pheromones from glands above the hoof. We also saw wildebeest and kudu in the distance – much more like I’m used to seeing wild animals. The silence, the turtle-doves calling all around, was very nice. My legs felt much better after the walk, and I felt more connected with Africa. Driving home after dark, we came around a bend and a herd of roan antelope crossed the road, single file and taking their own time. Lovely in the headlights.

May 16
Morning drive to see giraffes – they are scattered and we only saw a few. We did see another group of impala males, this time sparring with their horns; I got a few good photos. We saw a solitary zebra, and a Steenbok (sp?) that defecated then covered the pellets with dirt, like a cat. One of the other guides reported a male lion and some wild dogs, so we went over to check it out. The dogs had killed a small antelope and the lion chased them away and stole it from them. After a while we followed them as they went back to see if the lion had left any – the wandered around looking indecisive, then the lion made up their minds for him – he rushed out from a hiding place in some bushes and chased one of the dogs around a group of brush and out of sight. A little later he came back without the dog, which rejoined the other dogs. We followed them for a while as they set out to find something else for themselves. When they finally stopped to rest the heat was growing and Obi said they probably wouldn’t hunt any more until late afternoon so we drove off to find a good breakfast spot, then went looking for other animals. Along the way we came to a small pond with no fewer than 8 hippos in it, some of them more than half out of the water.
On the way back, we saw fresh leopard tracks going off into the brush, and spent 20 minutes or so looking for the leopard. Then, we saw a line of elephants heading toward the river. Obi drove on to a field of grass, where we saw two more lines of elephants. He drove out and stopped in front of one of the lines where we waited as quietly as we could, snapping pictures all the while. They kept coming, eventually veering slightly to our right to pass within maybe 15 feet of us. It was totally silent except for the sound of their feet through the grass and their breathing – an awesome, almost mystical, experience. I tried to shoot a movie of another line but I don’t think I pushed the right buttons. Then, as we approached the camp, we saw two rhinos on the far side of the river, one of them noisily munching on the riverbank grasses. They are most likely the ones who have been keeping me awake at night.
Afternoon drive – went to spend some time with the baboons. Unfortunately some were in the tree, some in the thick undergrowth, and some sleeping. A couple of them were grooming, which was interesting for a while. In any case I got a hundred photos to sort through and select from. I also learned what baboon turds sound like when they’re dropped from 50 feet up. Don’t ever set up your picnic under a tree with baboons in it. After that we went for another walk, shorter this time. Saw more impala and a herd of zebra – as yesterday, it seemed entirely different, seeing them on foot. Not necessarily better, just different. After having a gin and tonic back at the car we drove back to camp, Obi using his flashlight to find a very quiet and hardly distinguishable bush baby and a genet, very pretty little animal who let us look at him for a couple of minutes then disappeared around the tree trunk. Finally we saw an African wild cat – looks exactly like a grey house cat with black stripes on its legs.

May 17, 2016
Great morning. Up at 5:30 to the coolest morning yet – had to put on pullover, fleece, and down jacket. We set out to find the leopard, who is quite elusive. Along the way, shining the flashlight around to look for small animals in the bushes, we accidentally shined it in the eye of an elephant 30 or 40 meters away; he bellowed in annoyance, and we turned off the lights. Around the next bush we saw another elephant almost on the road. Found some leopard tracks, (everything out there walks on the road if possible) and followed them until we saw tracks going back – drove off in the bush to see if we could find it; finally gave up when we came across tracks of a lioness and cubs. Followed those about 30 minutes and found the entire pride – five lionesses, three 3 month old cubs. Watched them a while, waiting to see if the lionesses would go hunting but they seem settled in, so we drove off to a large watering hole with about 50 elephants. As we sat there watching, more and more kept coming in groups of 10 or more, all of them lining up to drink, snuffling and grunting. Several babies. One adolescent who flicked her ears threateningly at me, then did an odd little shuffling dance, picked up and threw a twig, scratched at the dirt with a hind paw.
One of the guides who had stayed with the lions radioed that they had caught scent of a herd of zebras and were stalking it, so we headed off back toward them, Obi driving as fast as he could and me hanging on. Then the other guide radioed that the juvenile who has already spoiled several hunts spoiled this one too, starting the chase before the adults were in position. So we went back to the elephant watering hole for breakfast. About half the elephants had left but more were still coming. I watched and photographed several babies, including one who kept rolling in the shallow water and playing – the only one, baby or adult, who bathed like that. Obi set up breakfast and we ate watching the elephants, being as quiet and non-threatening as we can. After we’d eaten breakfast another juvenile came up and stood 30 feet away, flicking her ears in an annoyed way. She did mock charges several times, stopping about 20 feet away then backing off. It is not easy to stand your ground when three tons of elephant comes charging toward you.
Like yesterday’s elephant parade, this experience had a magical quality to it – the grey shapes moving through the background shrubbery, the sounds, the slow but very graceful walk of the animals, the occasional annoyed trumpeting. The feeling is almost indescribable.


May 18 2016 - Last day at Selinda
We went out early to see if we could find the lions. Once again Obi found them first. We saw some leopard footprints but Obi said it is a male who is very shy and all but impossible to find. Then we hit paydirt – several sets of female lion prints, which left the road to the right. It took about five minutes to spot the lions. We watched them for a while; eventually two other vehicles showed up. There were five females; eventually they started yawning and pulled out, one by one – sometimes separated by several minutes. One was ranging off to the left, three at first walked abreast with one behind, then they formed a line. As before, it reminded me of gunfight scenes from western movies – the slow, ambling stroll, stopping now and again to scan the horizon, sniff the air. We would drive ahead a ways then lag behind, staying out of their way. One of the occasions when we were ahead of them we saw a kudu raise his head and turn toward the lions. It appeared he smelled but didn’t see them – he ran off into the tall grass but, it turned out, did not run far enough. After a while I noticed we had passed a warthog – which the lions had obviously missed – his lucky day. The other vehicles tracked the four females, but Obi had a hunch and drove along a road parallel to the solitary female, who had entered the same patch of the very tall grass, probably following the kudu.
When we saw a small cloud of dirt off to the left Obi exclaimed “that’s it!” He stepped on the gas and turned toward the dirt cloud, racing through the grass in a short but very bumpy ride until we came to the scene of the crime. The kudu lay on its side, threahing around wildly and kicking out with all four hooves while the lioness had her jaws clamped tightly onto his left haunch, pinning him down. This went on for a while, then she started working her way up his belly, finally clamping her jaws on his throat, which quickly suffocated him. Once he quit threshing around she lay there beside his head, panting for several minutes. Then she started dragging the antelope, a few feet at a time with interludes of panting between, toward a nearby tree, where she left the animal, concealed by the tree and the surrounding tall grasses. By the time she reached it the two other vehicles had arrived. When she left to go fetch her cubs, Obi said it would take her a while, so we drove to a nearby clearing to have breakfast. He explained that she was taking a serious risk that someone else would find the carcass and she would lose it – but her cubs were ready to start weaning, her milk drying up, and she had to feed them.
We drove back well before the cubs arrived, and Obi positioned the vehicle in as good a place as possible, given the tall grass. Eventually the lioness arrived, her cubs stringing along behind. There followed a growling and grunting feast, as she tore open the flesh in one spot for the cubs to begin feeding, the tore the belly open to expose the soft innards, easier for the cubs to handle. I think I got at least one picture of her snarfing up a shred of stomach or intestine – apparently it is crucial for her and her cubs to eat their fill as rapidly as possible in case a pack of hyenas or a male lion comes along to steal it away from her. We watched the mayhem for a while, then Obi took me back to camp for lunch and departure. Along the way I got a good laugh from him by commenting “I think for this lunch I’ll stick to salad and fruit.” I meant it in jest, but in fact that was all they had prepared for me.
It was overall pretty disgusting but at the same time fascinating. Among other things I learned about lions is that they do not have it easy. They are slower than most of their prey, so must get close enough to catch the prey with a short quick burst. They miss at least five times for one success, and patience is all-important. The kudu also faces a quandary: they can’t run too far because they must eat almost constantly in order to get what they need.

Overall assessment:
Selinda (They have two; I think this one is Forest Camp) is very well run, a great place to spend a few days. Most people stay only 3 or 4 nights; I was very glad I stayed 6, especially since it was my first experience of Africa. The food is excellent, and the staff did a great job of accommodating my dietary needs. I had different but delicious appetizers and desserts, and they sent excellent food for the game drive breakfasts. I think all the guides here are quite good but I also think my guide, Obi, was among the best – he has an almost instinctive feeling for the animals’ behavior and anticipated where to find them more often than not. He explained stuff clearly and at the right level of detail. My major complaint (which applies to this entire area because of the abundance of very dangerous wildlife) was the prolonged lack of exercise; Obi also accommodated this, taking me for two walks, one about two hours and another about an hour. Everyone is friendly and knowledgeable. Five stars – highly recommended.