We recently experienced a safari to the Okavango Delta. The planning and organisation of the tickets and all requirements was excellent and the journey from Cape Town to Maun and on to the Safari camps went without a hitch. Before taking the excursion, we told the organisers that our main requirement was bird watching and we asked if the guides were equipped for this; we were assured that this was the case.
We were booked in to two camps: Kadizora Camp and Saguni Safari Lodge for three nights in each. Kadizora: We were collected from the airstrip by Olathilwe Kamaga (“Navas”), our guide from Kadizora. At the camp, we were greeted by the camp manager, Greg Flaxman and his wife Sue. Staff members welcomed us by singing Tswana welcoming songs. Our experience at Kadizora was delightful. The meals were simple and nourishing, the tented accommodation more than adequate and the safari drives were great. Shirley found the food a bit over-flavoured for her taste, but appreciated the fact that an effort was made to provide vegetarian options for her. There were plenty of salads and fruit on offer. Another plus was the fact that we did not pay for drinks; a few glasses of wine and plenty of soft drinks in the evening. We were fortunate in that we had Navas to ourselves and, being an experienced birding guide, he took us to birding sites where we saw several “lifers”. While we were driving around, Greg and Petros Shimwe (“Pat”) – another guide, quietly went up the Selinda Spillway to reconnoitre for a special bird, the Pel’s Fishing Owl. They then took us along the shallow waterway, surrounded by curious hippos and crocodiles, to finally find the Pel’s Fishing Owl, which was very exciting. We are very appreciative of Greg’s above and beyond the call of duty action, it truly made our stay extra special.
Saguni: Safari Lodge: After a short flight we arrived at Saguni Safari Lodge where we were met by Luther Sianga (“Jinxy”), a very ebullient and vociferous guide. The accommodation and food were adequate, however here we had to pay for our drinks (including soft drinks). We wondered why this differed from Kadizora. We did the day drives in the company of a very pleasant American couple, but as far as we were concerned, very little effort was made to comply to our bird watching requirements. We soon discovered that our guide had one passion in life and that was lions. We spent many bumpy hours searching for lions, yes, we saw a few, but that was not why we were in the Okavanga Delta. To his credit, Jinxy gave us a very interesting and informative talk on the history and geology of the Delta. He was very likeable but not a bird guide. This was a big disappointment as we were promised a good bird watching experience.
The Kadizora experience was, to my mind, well worth it. The same cannot be said of Saguni.
We took hundreds of photos, a few are shared in this blog
Hermanus Bird Club 