The Savute Channel – The Animal Highway is Open at Savuti Camp

Since 2008 the Savute channel has been flowing uninterrupted with nutrient rich waters from the Angolan Highlands.

Now, almost a decade later the channel has dried up this winter. There is only one body of water left close to Savuti Camp. This is called Sefo’s Lagoon and right now it is a spectacle to behold.

The last couple of weeks have shown why this area is regarded as one of the best in Africa. Savuti Camp is seeing numbers of buffalo and zebra almost unheard of. Estimates suggests that 3,000 buffalo are using this channel to feed and drink daily. Zebras by the hundreds are moving up and down the channel feeding on a fresh flush of grass created from the moisture. The area is an elephant hot spot.

The lions have started following the buffalo herds. The largest being the DumaTau pride, now numbering 18 with the latest addition of three small cubs. The leopard viewing around the source of the channel is something to behold, we have recorded 10 different leopard passing through the area. This puts the leopard concentration at one of the highest anywhere in Africa. Wild dog are regular visitors and are making a decent showing on the channel – watch this amazing clip of five wild dogs and a pod of hippos in hot pursuit of a kudu.

The Famous Log Pile Hide

Without water in the Savute Channel elephant and zebra densities have increased markedly in the Savuti (Mantshwe Pan) and Kings Pool(fault line) area. Right in front of Savuti Camp the new solar pump is pumping up to 6500 gallons of water a day into the waterhole. This is attracting huge amounts of plains game and has made the famous Savuti log pile hide an exciting place to witness the action up close.