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Captains Log – Journal 2 |
October 2007 - February
2008 |
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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. |
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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.
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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.
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Captains Log – Journal 1 June
2007 - September 2007 |
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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! |
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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. |
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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 |
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