Doug MacDonald’s Call of the Wild

• A privately guided safari developed exclusively for Chalo Africa by Doug MacDonald, one of the best known Zimbabwean Pro Guides on the continent
• An in-depth exploration of some of southern Africa’s parks blessed with the most prolific wildlife
• The ability to anticipate and follow-through on sightings because of the skills and experience brought to this safari by your guide
• Highlights include wonderful walks underneath the large spreading vachellia (acacia) and mahogany trees which teem with wildlife. It is humbling to come close to a large elephant bull on foot or maybe a pack of wild dogs while they interact with another, unconcerned by your presence!
• Mokoro (canoe) rides in the lily-pad strewn and papyrus framed channels of the Okavango Delta

In August 2012, I was fortunate enough to visit the Chikwenya concession with Doug. Chikwenya is located at the confluence of the Sapi and Zambezi Rivers, on the eastern border of Mana Pools National Park. Chikwenya enjoys an exclusive 7000 acre lease of pristine Lower Zambezi floodplain and some 5 kilometres of river frontage. With open grassland floodplains, riverine forests, jesse bush, wooded islands and a 2 km deep Faydherbia Albida band of woodland along the Zambezi river banks, Chikwenya’s diverse habitats lend itself to being one of Africa’s best wildlife sanctuaries. The Faydherbia trees, more commonly known as the winter thorn, produce a highly nutritious seed during Zimbabwe’s winter months and provide much needed sustenance to the wildlife in the dry season.

Mana & Chikwenya are also home to wonderful old elephant bulls. Some of these elephant bulls are followed about on the plains by their ‘acolytes’, 2-3 young male elephants, who always maintain a respectful distance from the old bull, but observe him very closely to learn the bush skills they need to survive to a ripe old age. This is a wonderful example of the sort of behaviour you can actually observe on your safari in Mana Pools. We followed some of these acolytes, who in turn, were following the old bulls – a very special experience, especially because it was all done on foot.