Mark’s report on Kanga

As the year draws to an end, we celebrate Kanga Bush Camps first season in operation. This year has had many highlights for us, with excellent game viewing, exciting walking and of course our amazing guests. Ending off with a pack of Wild dogs taking up residence at Kanga pan… Read more from our resident guide Mark.

Kanga was opened to the public early this year after we had completed building the camp in March. I have had the privilege of working at Kanga from the early stages. The area tends to grow on one; the surrounding bush is extremely thick, especially at the end of the rainy season. At first you (As a guide) feel very disorientated because according to local myth, the spirit medium that in the past lived near Kanga, is reportedly to have put a spell on the area, whereby anyone who enters the area would wander about lost, turning in circles – she certainly had strong magical abilities. I have fallen under the spell, gladly though, and I except that each journey I make will lose me in a magic of natural discovery.

As for getting lost that magical power no longer has a hold on me! You always walk with a sense of history, at least that’s what I believe. I can feel it all around me at times, there is a unique rhythm to the bush here, an unspoiled, unchanged pace. .Chief Dandawo’s people inhabited the area until it was declared a National Park in 1963 as with most of Africa’s history and wild places places, its inhabitants were displaced to an area near a newly formed lake called Kariba. There is evidence of old human settlements throughout the area, from the hut rings to pot shards and old rusty broken pots, especially along the dry sand rivers that cut through the area.

Kanga pan itself dries out towards the end of the long, hot dry season and we then feed it with the overflow from the borehole providing the animals with a fresh source of water year round. As the season becomes dryer they make more use of it daily and the water becomes a magnet for all life within a large radius of the pan. We have seen the smaller, shy antelope such as common Duiker, Grysbok and Bushbuck. At sunset the very secretive Nyala bulls lead their harem of ladies to water. The grey wraith like forms of elephant take substance, like a magicians spell at the water’s edge and then just as suddenly they disappear again into the bush. Having become familiar with the camp now, they spend more time, soaking up the mud, spending hours splashing the churned up water over their bodies and mud-bathing to cool themselves The lion with only the disdain that such a powerful predator can muster move in and the pan is in total lock down – no other animals are seen and if they are, its at their peril.

Speaking of predators let’s not forget Africa’s Painted Dog they have killed twice in the pan itself in the last two weeks, both times they killed Impala (no wonder they are referred to as Africa’s Mac Donald’s!). Leopard use the pan as a territorial boundary, I have seen 3 different Leopards here from the comfort of the lounge deck no less, Hyena serenade you to sleep along with the muted, rumbling roar of lion. Outside of the concession one has the whole of the national park to explore with its amazing diversity of Zambezi River front and its flood plain. It takes us less than 30 minutes to reach long pool from camp and this offers guests a number of choices. Probably best of all is that we don’t see other vehicles or people, the walking is exciting and in absolutely pristine bush and our game drives are private and unique!

There are many things that will probably stick in my mind more than anything else so far from this season; the amazing bird life, a herd of 300 + buffalo moving into the pan bathed in the moonlight, when I checked in the morning they had drunk such a lot that the pan had visibly lost water! A female Leopard hunting along the pan edge and the tangible fear in the pan’s inhabitants as they bolted away. Walking into a pride of lions, realizing that there were more than I first thought, I moved towards a fallen tree only to have a female lion fall out of it, I do not know who’s dignity was more hurt, the lion’s or mine! .Of course let’s not forget seeing the thirteen dogs that are now regular visitors. As the game has settled down and accepted us as permanent partners, each day holds its new wonders. It makes for a very exciting future and we look forward to hosting you in true African Bush Camp style and hospitality.

Compiled by Mark van Zuydam our resident naturalist guide and Ian Batchelor.