Another update from our friend Godfrey – a ranger in Hwange National Park.
It seems that things have been a little quiet in Hwange lately with rains having fallen so animals have easier access to water and so are now more spread out. Plus it is getting very hot in Zimbabwe so tourist numbers are low.
Happy New Year from Godfrey!
Shumba Pan
Rains are finally here, the dam is now three-quarters full and the vegetation is recovering from the dry season. The grass is still very short but nearly all the trees have got leaves and the bush is getting thicker everyday making it difficult to spot game!
The elephant herds have dispersed, as there is more water in the surrounding bush, so you only see a few bulls around. A leopard is hanging around and it comes to drink from a bucket which we (the rangers / camp attendants) put out for our leaking water tap! There is also huge bird activity with many migratory birds around the waterhole.
Masuma Dam (one of Travel Africa’s favourite spots in Africa!)
The dam is half full but there has been less rain around Masuma compared to Shumba (Masuma and Shumba are about 15 kilometres apart). Animal activity is also low because of the rains as many smaller pans have water thus few animals need to come and drink at the main dam. The pride of lion in the area are still seen often, with wild dog and cheetah also still around.
Mandavu Dam
The Dam is nearly full as it has received more rain than other parts of Hwange. A pride of lions always come inside the camp at night and sometimes spend the whole night there!
Tourists numbers in the park were very low for the festive season and sometimes we spend days without any campers (Travel Africa edit – this is really sad news to hear as Hwange is a fantastic game reserve to visit and the Zimbabwean people who work there are so, so friendly and make you feel so very welcome.)
Godfrey
