Captains Log 3: March 2008 – September 2008

“Let the fluid sensation of living run through your veins, come voyage with us Nguni style” 

In the past 7 months the river has flooded and subsided, we have experienced high water and low water and with these changes in the river level so to we have experienced the enormous changes the environment goes through in this process. 

Although the flood was not as dramatic as 2004/2005/2006 it nevertheless broke the clay banks of the Zambezi and Chobe rivers and rushed into the floodplains.

The fact that this does happen every year is a beautiful gift that restores the balance as if by way of a magical whish of the wand.

We learnt many things through this mediocre flood and probably the biggest lesson learnt was that the relationship between the size of the flood and the environments response to it is unpredictable. We had always believed that a high flood would naturally yield bigger resource growth however we can testify to the fact that it does not matter how high the water level gets once it breaks the banks the environment sends a signal that enables everything to happen in the time that is available to it, big or small everything gets done.

It was our best fly and conventional fishing season on the Zambezi, fantastic conditions and brilliant results were achieved. In many instances customers were booking there following years trip whilst still onboard enjoying their current stay with us. It felt arrogant putting that piece of information into the journal but it really is a true testament to the level of enjoyment a customer experienced whilst onboard Nguni.

As we moved off the Zambezi and into the Chobe for the game-viewing spectacle we had asked Imelda our hostess to make a note of the special things she saw. 

 “When the floodplains and pools run dry everything descends to the river” 

“When we were at Serondella, we observed a Giant Kingfishers nest with two chicks in it, later on that day Bellings and I were amazed and saddened to see a Fish Eagle swoop down and take one of the Giant Kingfishers chicks from the nest, we could not do anything to help”

“It was my first time to see over one hundred Sable, usually we see between 5 and 10 “ 

“We found a dead Hippo opposite Sedudu Island and there were about 30 crocodiles feeding off it, this lasted for 3 days in very little water” 

“On our cruises between Kasika and Serondella I count about 20 crocodiles per trip”

Looking forward to journeying our water wilderness with you. From all of our Nguni crew, thank you for your support, god bless and we look forward to cruising the rivers with you again sometime. 

            October 2007 - February 2008

Hot October was hot for game viewing, late rains meant that huge heards of elephant, buffalo and antelope were spotted along the banks of the Chobe River during this month.

The vastness of the elephant population is something that a first time visitor to this area is not completely prepared for, 100's and 100’s of massive grey beasts continuously taking turns to drink and then play, dig and swim the length and breadth of the Chobe river, is a sight that is incredibly magnificent to drink in whilst on board your cruise with us.

There were large numbers of scavengers near the waters edge as the heat had taken its toll on the buffalo population. Hyena calling throughout the night at our Serondela mooring spot, as definitive as the call is, you also realise that the heart of the bush beats here.

A resident pride, of 12 lion took to sun bathing on the Chobe beaches, opposite our Kasika mooring most mornings and afternoons. Our guests were able to snap some awesome close-up sightings of the prides social and feeding behaviour.

Leopard had been seen on a number of occasions on our cruise through the park and the presence of Nguni did not deter from the silent creatures normal behaviour. We are truly privileged to be able to journey in a style that breaks the normal boundaries of conventional game viewing.

Huge congratulations from all us to Damien Johnson and Yani Bak who in November got engaged whilst cruising with us. A private sand bank setup for the two of them in the middle of the Zambezi River proved to be just what Damien needed to pop the question.  We wish them all of the best in their future together as a couple.

The month of November saw the beginning of our rainy season. Although we said goodbye to some of the larger game that had been hogging the water over the last couple dry months, we welcomed in many more other additions to our wild family. The Impala started dropping their young in huge numbers and with the rain came an explosion of greenery as all the trees and grasses burst into leaf. With the new water, also came some fantastic bird watching opportunities as many of our summer visitors arrived to make up the possible 435 different species that can be seen while traversing parts of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers on Nguni. 
 

The new rains also marked the start of our drift baiting season as bulldogs (baitfish) start to move upriver in anticipation of the rising waters. The Nola food group had a taste of the upcoming bait fishing season as the Nguni ventured 70km’s up the Zambezi for a 3 day voyage and the guys got stuck into many Tigerfish, catfish and a few bream. The Biggest Tiger (a 12lber) was landed by Dr Jan Basch which won him the group competition of 2 free nights on board Nguni for himself and a partner.

The most amazing sighting thus far, has been a pack of wild dog that have moved in around the beginning of January 2008, feeding on the young Impala. On occasion we have been sitting at breakfast and watching the wild dog drink and socialize at the waters edge.

A welcome addition to the Nguni fleet was the staff voyager Numani, (calf), the comfort has greatly increased and no more camping out for our team.

We have also welcomed two more local ladies to our team namely Imelda and Sabrina.

As we move into a the  months of February/March, Nguni plans to make her first closure toward the end of Feb for approximately 3 weeks to do a general routine maintenance and refurb to keep our 2008 guests experience as comfortable and memorable as our opening year.

Wishing all of our guests a very blessed 2008, we look forward to hosting all of you again in the near future.

From our team on board Captain Haydn & Crew, The office team in RSA Simon, Renee and Peter.
 

Captains Log – Journal 1                                        June 2007 - September 2007

Our maiden voyage and the groups that followed, were the first of many great
new challenges and much excitement for team Nguni on board and in the
office….teething problems as expected, not as fierce though of those of a tiger fish tooth, however the overall floating lodge experience overcame them for us all.

Our passengers were delighted with the facilities and overwhelmed by Nguni’s high standard present throughout their stay on board. As a team and to our clients we managed to change the perception of a houseboat to a floating lodge – a great achievement indeed!

The winter months floating on the river were cool in the evenings and early mornings, yet warm enough midday to enjoy the sun deck, and allow the keen fly fisherman on board to hook some feisty fish.  With the Zambezi river reaching a record high since 1958, the river was splendid and fishing clients were frenzied away by the overall experience up river, and the size of the tigers some managed to land.

Heronries were in full breeding chorus. From the elevated view of our decks you could see the extent that these vast floods had reached to. So much water….

After careful planning and much needed help from our trusty Garmin, we embarked on our Chobe maiden voyage. An experience that was one to remember. Guests awoke to elephant drinking right beside the Bermuda deck and for their 3 day stay, all the guests could do was breath, eat and sleep the magnificent chobe game experience playing out in front of their eyes. We managed to have uninterrupted sightings of Roan and Sable antelope herds and were fortunate enough to see a lion and lioness on separate occasions, Hyena were in giggly chatter through the night and the hippos simply watched us cruise by.

Our village visit to the nearby Ijambwe was outstanding and the community received our passengers and staff with warmth and in friendship allowing us to leave with a couple of new dance moves to test out at home….

 Visit us again soon to keep you updated on the next chapter in Nguni life. From our team on board, Captain Haydn, Donna, the crew and The Office team in RSA Renee, Peter and Simon 

“K eulibone zona” – See you soon