Activities and Wildlife
There are many options and we hope to offer you something that meets your particular interests and level of adventure. We have a team of rangers, and as well as patrolling and protecting the reserve, they lead walks and look after visitors. There is a wet and dry season in Mozambique and sometimes are better to visit than others, less muddy or less arid! Any time from June to December will be accessible.
Options include:
- Bush walk from the house from 1-3 hours
- Climbing Necanuwe: a fairly easy 20 minute climb which affords a spectacular view. It is a 3km walk there or 10 minute drive
- Bush camps
- Bird-watching and other specialist tours can hopefully be organised if requested in advance
If a project car is available we can offer:
- Fishing in the lake or large river using local techniques
- Driving safaris: there are lots of options e.g. a circular route or a trip to the big river Maugeida and if we leave early you are more likely to see game
- Bush camps can be erected in a number of beautiful locations (e.g. Maheapa, near the big mountains, above the river Maugeida or even at our local camping spot which has wonderful views). We need ½ day to prepare for camping trips.
Wildlife viewing
Unlike a large game reserve in say Kenya or South Africa, we have less big game, and the mammals we have are highly secretive and deeply camouflaged in areas of dense bush. They will hear and smell you long before you approach. The excitement and pleasure comes from embracing the whole ecosystem and tuning into the diversity it has to offer – many insects, colourful birds, strange new plants, magnificent large trees, and if you are lucky some mammals and certainly signs of life in tracks and trails. If we cannot show you elephants we certainly can show you their poo!
But the forest is a haven for a very interesting mix of mammals. We provide a sanctuary for a small number of Elephant and the main game species are the magnificent Sable antelope and Kudu, with their distinctive twisting horns. We probably have the only sustainable population of Sable in the southern reaches of the Park. We also have Serval, Leopard and Lion. Our three Wild Dogpacks have not been seen this year which is a great concern. We did however recently have a very exciting sighting of Golden Cat,a rare, elusive and understudied large cat species. You will see many Baboon around the house as they like to help themselves to any food left unattended! There are also large populations of Black-faced and Samango monkeys. We have a fantastic bird life with many raptors such as Bateleur and Martial Eagle and hornbills including the very large Southern-Ground Hornbill . (Please ask if you would like to see the Mareja bird list.)