In conjunction with the concession work, guides also still performed their normal daily activities with our wonderful guests, who spent a large portion of time on the boats. The boating activities proved very fruitful, with several sightings of black rhino, elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, and much more general game seen from the water. Although the boats were a popular choice, guides also still did their usual evening drives in an attempt to find more of the nocturnal species like genet, bushbaby (galago), hyena and civet.
The concession has seen an influx of general game over the last month, with good sightings of large groups of eland in the northern area, and impala and topi in the southern regions of the concession. The rains over the previous months means many new shoots and green grass, bringing new life and more new born babies to Akagera!
There was a lot of excitement regarding the lion dynamics around the concession. The two old males have serious competition from two younger males. The Magashi guides believe that the older males have learned a lesson and need to behave very cautiously, as the younger males now rule most of the area. The Amahoro lioness was seen regularly with her four young cubs that are all in very good health.
Birdlife never disappoints at Magashi, and the camp would not be the same without the haunting calls of the fish eagles and black-headed gonoleks that make Magashi their home.
All in all, a good December was had by the Guides team!
Festive Season at Magashi
Of course, with this month being rather more special thanks to Christmas and New Year, the Magashi team put on their thinking caps to plan and create special menus and surprises for these occasions.
The Chefs team put on a massive spread for our guests over Christmas, with main dishes like roasted beef fillet with Hasselback potatoes, summer squash, mint and parmesan tagliatelle, and spiced chicken with maple butternut and broccoli, to name just a few. Very tasty meals that were enjoyed by all!
The Service team also added their own special touches by pairing these dishes with specific wines to ensure an all-round experience. They also put together a little festive season cocktail menu to get guests into the Christmas spirit. Charles created drinks including ‘The King’s Green Delight’ and ‘Magashi Sky’, among others. Then the team went all out with the table décor for the special day to ensure that our wonderful guests had as unforgettable a time as possible.