News / Camp News

Jacana Camp - Dec 2008

14 Jan 2009

Children in the Wilderness
December started with us hosting the last group of kids from the Children in the Wilderness (CITW) programme. All the children were from a small village called Gumare, situated to the west of the Okavango Delta. As usual, it was an outstanding success. The kids had a great time, learning valuable life lessons about conservation, tourism, Botswana culture, HIV/AIDS and much more, all the while having a fun and exciting time. They also got to go on game drives and mekoro trips. For most of them, despite living so close to these wilderness areas, it was the first they had seen a lion or an elephant.

Wildlife
December also saw the wonderful transformation of the area, with the large amount of rain making the bush green and dense. This is definitely a time of plenty. The impala have all started dropping their young and the troop of vervet monkeys on the island has three new babies. After each rain, there is also an abundance of food for many creatures, as the 'flying ants', or rather winged fertile termite alates, emerge from the ground to breed. They are a prized food source for all types of animals, from frogs and monitor lizards, to spiders and snakes, to the monkeys and birds.

Beauty and her cub, which has been named Motsumi, are still doing very well and have been seen on a regular basis. He still relies heavily on his mother for food, but is showing more signs of independence as he is often seen by himself and is starting to practice his hunting skills. He was once spotted stalking zebra, definitely a case of your eyes being bigger than your stomach! He was obviously unsuccessful, and a zebra is a very tall order for a leopard, especially a young leopard only starting to hunt by himself, but he would have surely learnt some valuable skills. He will still be dependent on his mother for a few more months though.

Birding
The birdlife does not disappoint. The summer months is the best time of the year if you enjoy birding, and we have been treated to wonderful and consistent sightings of special birds such as the Rosy-throated Longclaw, Wattled Crane, Slaty Egret and African Pygmy-Geese. We have also had regular sighting of a pair of Pel's Fishing-Owls on one of the nearby islands, their haunting calls often heard during the night.

The large sycamore fig tree at the main area of camp has been fruiting, and this has attracted a lot of birdlife and animals. The monkeys, especially, have enjoyed feeding on the ripe fruit. They have been joined by birds such as the Black-Collared Barbet, African Green Pigeon and even a pair of stunning Broad-billed Rollers.

We also had the honour of having guests from around the world spend Christmas with us. It was celebrated with a scrumptious feast of turkey, gammon, roast beef and traditional Christmas treats such as fruit mince pies and homemade Christmas cake, all around a beautifully decorated table out on the deck under the stars.

New Years Eve was celebrated with a lovely dinner on the deck (pictured), followed by a surprise night drive to a secret location in the bush where we saw the New Year in with champagne and a few Amarula liquors. It was a very special and memorable occasion.

We hope to see you in the coming year at our little paradise camp, out in one of the most beautiful places on earth, to share in the special treats and sightings the African bush has to offer.

Guest Comments
Our stay was amazing. Every sound, everything we saw and experienced is a memory. Your people are an asset to the experience - warm and friendly; always willing to please. Colin and Geraldine: SA, Durban
Game drives and mokoro trip. Personal attention from all! Respect for each other and team work shows between all staff. Tex and Sue: SA, Durban
Marvelous locale; friendly and willing staff. Great areas for drives - superb birding and a management team that catered for my every need. Malcolm, UK

Staff
After the CITW group left, the four camps in our concession (NG25), Jao, Kwetsani, Tubu Tree and Jacana closed to have our annual staff Christmas party. It is a fun day filled with activities and fun competitions amongst the camps. We are very proud to announce that Team Jacana did exceptionally well, winning the soccer tournament (for a second successive year) and the choir competition. Godfrey, one of Jacana's waiters won the Mr. NG25 competition, and Lucian, our waitress coming third in the Ms. NG25 pageant. Jacana also did very well in the play and traditional dancing sections. We are very proud of the team, and this just went to show that the most valuable asset in the camp is the staff.

-Dom and Clint and the rest of the Jacana Team-

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