Lion Battle at Selous!

The following story comes from our friends at Sand Rivers Selous in Tanzania. All photos courtesy Mark Sheridan Johnson.

Hearing lions roar early we made our way over to one of the lakes that is fed by the Rufiji river called Lake Segese, The lake is part of the huge Rufiji water system, all the water that flows in the Rufiji falls within the country, a truly Tanzanian river. As we approached Lake Segese the roars of the lions became more frantic, we picked up speed to see if we could catch a glimpse of what was happening.

Bounding along the shores, a lioness jumped straight into lake Segese fully submerged she reappeared bursting out of the water, she carried on this way making her way to the other side of the lake, behind her on the lake shore was another five lions in hot pursuit.
Oblivious to our presence, the lions carried on charging round the lakes edge, eyes fixed on the lioness ahead. At the helm was a fully grown female, followed by four of her offspring, the adult female also jumped into the lake to cut a corner and catch up with the female ahead. We kept up as they ran through a small Doum palm thicket, passing that the female who jumped into the lake was now cornered. Her only option was a fallen tree that was half in the water, out of desperation she took the chance and made her way hastily along the branches to the end and turned around, teeth showing and snarling.

We pulled up and switched the engine off, the noise was incredible all five lions were roaring, the matriarch and a young male decided to follow her up the fallen tree which was over hanging the water, the female at the end was visibly wounded, deep puncture marks were streaming blood. Taking care the lions edged their way toward the end of the tree, the noise was deafening snarls and roaring.

The attackers were unable to get a good enough grip on the log. They retreated back onto the lakes edge, marking their territory and roaring, finding a shady spot the attacking pride lay down keeping their eyes fixed on the lioness in the tree. Sometime passed, the sun was gradually rising and the lioness was in direct sunlight, her wound was still bleeding and she was in an uncomfortable position over water with five lions trying to get her.

Over the next couple of hours the pride of five tried several times to reach her at the end of the tree, each time they failed retreating back to the shade to watch her patiently. We all decided it was time for breakfast now, so we made our way over to lake Tagalala for a lovely bush breakfast.

An hour later we returned to find them all in the same positions.

As we approached the lioness took the opportunity to make a run for it, she nimbly made her way to the shore, then as fast as lightening dashed off towards lake Tagalala, turning around we found the five lions were in hot pursuit again, we tried to keep up! Finally reaching the pride, where they had stopped, we thought she must have escaped, looking up into a large Wing bean tree, there she was, right up near the top. Five lions at the bottom, another standoff! After watching for a while we decided to head back to the camp for lunch; what an exciting morning!

The female must have been caught wandering or hunting in this prides territory, the prides which are controlled by a matriarch often fight each other over territorial boundaries. In the afternoon there was no sign of any of the lions, we believe she eventually escaped her attackers.

Photos courtesy Mark Sheridan Johnson

I don't know about you, but where I live it's that time of summer where I can't even bear to turn the oven on inside. Every meal we have is coming off the grill (including dessert some days!). This is an easy chicken recipe from the classic South African cookbook 'Braai in Style' that will have people coming back for seconds (really - what isn't better with bacon??). Serve with ripe, sliced tomato and an arugula salad.

Cheesy Chicken in Bacon
Adapted from Braai in Style by Lannice Snyman
Serves 4-6

8 bone in, skinless chicken breast fillets (you may have to remove the skin yourself)
freshly ground black pepper
Dijon or other coarse mustard
8 narrow slices Gruyere (optional)
1/2 lb bacon

Lie the chicken fillets flat, season with ground pepper and smear with mustard. Place a slice of cheese inside each fillet and fold the chicken over to enclose the cheese.

Wrap each breast in bacon making sure it's completely covered. You can prep the chicken up to a day in advance.

Braai (grill) the chicken over medium-hot coals for 15-20 minutes, turning carefully once halfway through the cooking. When it is done, the bacon will be beautifully crisp while the chicken has remained incredibly moist.

Client Feedback - Botswana Great Wilderness Journey

We love it when clients take the time to give us direct feedback on their adventures. Sometimes it comes in the form of photos or video or safari stories, and sometimes it is a letter such as this. Every time we hear from a client, it reminds us of why we do what we do - ensuring our clients have the safari experience of a lifetime! Thanks to Kay Hamish-Ladd for the letter and the gorgeous photos!

Kent, thanks so much for your help in selecting a safari for Africa. I think the Botswana Great Wilderness Safari was the perfect one for us. I wanted to pass along feedback on our wonderful guide in case you communicate with Wilderness Safaris on their staff. Kay

We just returned from a wonderful experience on your Botswana Great Wilderness safari. We believe that a major reason that our trip was so wonderful was our guide, Russell Crossey. My husband and I were part of a group of 5 people that included an 82 year old man and his 14 year old grandson. Every person in our group had wonderful things to say about Russell. He is a wonderful combination of experience and enthusiasm. He is extremely knowledgeable about animals, birds, history and geology. He could identify birds that we could barely see. His enthusiasm never waned from the dark of early morning when he woke us up until the dark of night when he escorted us back to our tents around elephants. He never was flustered, even when he was driving a vehicle that broke down when we were on the way to the Khwai airport and he had to call for someone to come get us in time to make our flight.

Russell was relentless in his efforts to find all the animals we hoped to see, including a leopard and wild dogs hunting at the break of dawn.

Russell is clearly liked and respected by camp staff and other guides. He was warmly greeted where we went. He was always flexible and adjusted the plans any time he heard about an animal sighting. He made sure everything ran smoothly for us and is a real credit to Wilderness Safaris. His combination of knowledge, experience and
personality must make him one of your top guides. He never seemed to tire of our relentless questions and had a wonderful sense of humor.

I had high expectations for our trip - I had waited 30 years to go on an African safari. Because of Russell, my experience exceeded my expectations. He created such a warm atmosphere for our group who had not known each other before the trip. Because of our experience, my husband and I now hope that we might be able to go on another trip with Wilderness Safaris and if we do we will be trying to get on another one led by Russell. We will also give his name to friends who are considering trips to Botswana.

On a separate note, we really liked the itinerary of the Great
Wilderness Safari but it would be nice to have a night or full day in
the Kasane and Chobe River area. We are very impressed with the
logistics and facilities that Wilderness Safaris offer.

Cold Cucumber Soup

During these dog days of summer, something cool and refreshing is called for. This recipe is adapted from The South African Illustrated Cookbook, but the author originally found it in Good Eating from Woodmead School, which is another collection of South African recipes from a school system in Gauteng (Johannesburg area) that is out of print.

Cold Cucumber Soup
Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes

1 large English cucumber, peeled and chopped
1.5 c cream
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 c plain yogurt
5 drops Tabasco sauce
6 sprigs mint
1 clove garlic, peeled
salt and pepper to taste
fresh chives, chopped, for garnish
pinch cayenne pepper, for garnish


Place the cucumber, cream, lemon juice, yogurt, Tabasco, mint and garlic into a blender and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Served chilled in bowls. Garnish with chopped chives and a sprinkle of cayenne. Makes a lovely first course.

Wild Dog Pups in Selinda!

The past 2 weeks have been fantastic for guests from Selinda and Zarafa Camps in Botswana’s Selinda Reserve, with regular sightings of the 4 to 5 week old wild dog puppies. The alpha female dog was heavily pregnant in early June when she disappeared into the den site. Four weeks later on one of the first visits to the den she revealed her babies, and aren’t they just the cutest thing you have ever seen?? We are really optimistic that these pups will have the chance to reach adulthood and bolster the numbers of the Selinda wild dog pack.

Recipe: Spicy Plantain Chips

This recipe for plantain chips comes from Marcus Samuelson's Discovery of a Continent. Plantains are a staple food throughout Africa and are used as a starch, similar to the way we use potatoes. These chips are a great snack food to serve prior to a meal to whet the appetite. Green plantains work best here, as they hold up better during cooking.

Spicy Plantain Chips
Makes 2.5 cups

2 green plantains

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp confectioners sugar

1 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 c canola oil

Peel the plantains and slice as thinly as possible using a mandoline. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water to soak for 10 minutes to wash away excess starch. Drain, rinse and blot dry with a kitchen towel. Meanwhile, combine the cury powder, sugar and salt in a small bowl.

Melt the butter in a large, deep pot over medium heat, then add enough oil to come to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Increase the heat to medium-high until the oil reaches 350 degrees. Working in batches, carefully lower the plantains into the oil with a slotted spoon and fry. Stir occasionally to prevent the slices from sticking together until evenly browned (about 4 minutes). Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Dust with the curry/sugar mixture and serve immediately.

Book Review - Mark of the Lion

I tend towards non-fiction books about Africa, perhaps to excess. I do read the occasional novel about Africa and usually enjoy them, but I was skeptical when I picked up Mark of the Lion by Suzanne Arruda, as I was initially put off by some of the more quirky period language in the book. However, as soon as I got a few pages into the story, I quickly ignored it.

The story follows Jade del Cameron, a particularly adventurous woman for the time period near the end of World War I. An American, she volunteered to serve in France as an ambulance driver in the war, before going to colonial East Africa to write magazine articles about Kenya and the exotic goings on there.

It doesn't take long before Jade is embroiled in mystery and danger in Nairobi and Tsavo stemming from a promise she made to a dying soldier. Jade holds her own in the frontier atmosphere and the author paints a vivid picture of the era of Karen Blixen's Out of Africa. Readers will find rich descriptions of the very early days of safari as they become immersed in Jade's adventures.

While some of the plot can seem predictable, Arruda weaves a story that keeps the reader interested, if not occasionally on the edge of their seat. The book is the first in a series, so if you enjoy it, there is the promise of more.