Wilderness Busanga Bush Camp newsletter – July 2024

July was relatively busy, with the majority of our guests being international travellers. They enjoyed afternoons revelling in the thrills and happiness of their morning drives that are followed by brunch, then relaxing as they waited to head out on their afternoon drives. 

Most guests spend their siesta time at the main area, as it is truly amazing to be here watching the lechwe on their endless parade, the hippos doing their muddy thing and the multitude of birds showing off their beauty. 

Sundowners are truly magic at Wilderness Busanga Bush Camp, with guests watching the sun slowly sink into the pastel-clouded sky softly welcoming the evening, and getting ready for stargazing. Our pool area is wonderfully serene and we often set up sundowners here. 

The opportunity to have a massage in camp is a great way for our guests to relax after they’ve travelled long distances. They are told about our masseuse upon arrival and time is created for her to meet the guests and explain in detail the different kinds of massages she offers. This is well received by our guests and makes their stay even more pleasant, being assured that it’s available at a time to suit their schedule alongside their safaris.

This was a month of game drives since the plains are too dry for boat cruises now. July was filled with sightings that left our guests delighted, ensuring their stays were memorable.

Guests found it amazing to spot the different families of lions, and we have seen an increase in number of cubs as they are breeding well. This is a good sign for safaris in the coming years as we are assured of great sightings even around our camps.

The prides patronised our camp from time to time too. Yaya the lioness has four cubs that provided endless delight for our guests, wowing them with memorable photo-opportunities near our pool deck area. The lions were also often seen roaring, and passing by our camp, leaving our guests with great stories to tell. At some point they made a kill just near Tent 1. 

Sadly, the death of General, one of the dominant male lions, brought up mixed feelings amongst the staff and our guests, as they can’t help but feel the animals are part of our bigger family. However, General leaves behind a tremendous legacy, including his brother Mohawk, Yaya and her cubs, and Princess and her cubs. The lions are slowly getting back together and accepting that General is no longer around.

The lions truly light up the plains because our guests naturally don’t want to leave without seeing these majestic cats.

Night-times are usually fairly quiet, though hippos, hyenas, leopards and many other nocturnal animals are always heard.

A major highlight this month was seeing the well-known fastest land animal, the cheetah. It is always breath-taking to see this sleek, beautiful animal hunt down her prey at 80 – to as much as 98 – km/h, and kill it by suffocation. However, watching her resting after a hunt before she eats is always a worry, in case she loses her meal after such a heroic battle.

Other sightings included jackals, waterbuck, bushbuck, puku, wildebeest, mongooses, porcupines, oribi, sable, crocodiles, grey crowned cranes, wattled cranes, and dark-capped bulbuls, among a number of other species.

The hippos have had a bit of a hard time this July due to the lower water levels. Elephants too, have been a bit jittery as they are looking for water. We are hoping for early rains so as to shower our wild animals, and once again see the Busanga Plains dressed in their famous greens.