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Paddling Hyenas

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The thing I love about the bush is that you never know what is around the next corner.  You may know the area or the roads really well but today there might be a special bird fluttering in the bushes nearby or a cheetah seen slinking across the road.  That anticipation is what drives my passion for the bush.  This afternoon’s game drive was just this.

We were on a mission to add a few more birds to our fast expanding list, when we came round a bend in the road to find four Spotted Hyenas wallowing in a pool of water in the road.  They all put up their heads to see if we posed a threat, twitching their ears backwards and forwards, muscles tense and ready to spring out of the water. After a few moments all expect one decided we were harmless and relaxed back down into the muddy water.  The 2 adult females keeping a beady eye in our direction.

A youngster had leapt out of the puddle on our arrival and was standing, poised in the grass to the side, looking curiously at us.  We held our breath to see if it would stay or run.  To our surprise and delight it started wandering down the road towards us, nose in the air and ears searching for any alarming sound.

The two smaller hyenas looked fluffier and more ‘puppy’ like, not quite having grown into their ears or paws and were definitely more curious.  It eventually got to within 2 meters of the bumper, and it flopped down as if to find a comfortable spot to study us as we were studying it.  The other youngster must have got ‘fomo’ as it too got out of the puddle and wandered over to its sibling and sat just behind it.

We sat regarding each other, no doubt they discussing this strange metal contraption as we discussed how beautiful the Hyenas really were, and how muddy and cool the puddle looked.  After about 20 mins of them scratching and sniffing, and us pointing and oooo and ahhhhing in hushed voices, they seemed to get bored, or maybe hot, and wandered back to the puddle and joined the females once again.  After a little while the whole family got up and wandered off into the bush, their cooling swim over for today.

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Mike and Sandra Camm

We were guided by Sean on a previous safari and when we heard he had set up Safaris I Can See there was no doubt in our mind that he was the man we wanted to plan our next trip to Zimbabwe. We were not disappointed; from the first email to our final goodbye, Sean had everything organised perfectly.

At the early planning stage Sean took the time to understand the type of holiday we wanted. After 10 previous safaris across 5 countries we have quite clear ideas of the sort of thing we wanted and Sean was more than happy to create an itinerary that reflected this. We were keen to have longer than usual game drives, often taking breakfast, lunch and sundowners out with us and not getting back to the camp until dinner!  This flexibility allowed our daily timetable to be dictated by the animal action around us, rather than a clock – when the opportunity arose to delay lunch and instead walk along the Zambezi with lions on one side and hippos on the other, Sean was keen to oblige!

We wanted to include plenty of bush walks and Sean certainly delivered; We were regularly out of the vehicle, walking amongst lions, elephants, buffalos and hippos, on each occasion Sean made us (and the animals) feel completely safe and at ease. A particular highlight was being able to spend over an hour sat in the bush (on a termite mound!) watching a pack of wild dogs playing with their pups. Sean’s tracking skills meant we were never short of animals to watch and he was always happy to explain how to read the signs left by the wildlife.

One of Sean’s particular strengths is his ability to get on the same wavelength as his guests and tailor his style of guiding to suit. Even after 10 years of safaris there is still plenty to learn and Sean’s in-depth knowledge of the bush and its wildlife coupled with a good dose of humour made for the perfect combination, not to mention his expert coaching of the amateur photographer! He even managed to get us interested in birdlife, which is not usually our preferred viewing! Importantly he also knew when not to talk, when to allow us time just to sit and absorb the sights and sounds of the bush all around us.
Sean’s organisation of our trip was fantastic; surpassing the service we’ve experienced from specialist travel agents in the past. Sean met us on arrival in Zimbabwe and all our transfers between camps and airports were taken care of. In camp, Sean liaised with the camp staff to ensure everything ran smoothly for us – making all the arrangements for our requested early starts and the necessary picnics! Sean’s years of working throughout Zimbabwe meant we were certain of a warm welcome at each camp and access to the best tips for the day’s game viewing too. It was also reassuring to know that should we need to get in contact with the outside world, Sara, Sean’s wife, was on hand to facilitate this for us.

Safaris I Can See created the perfect environment for us to enjoy ourselves and we certainly did! Look out Sean; we’ll be coming back!

Gabi Fietzek & Holger Schif from Munich

In 2015 we got to know Sean Hind as a very likeable person with an immense knowledge of the African Wildlife and real love and passion for what he does.

So we decided to have him as our private guide the following years and were more than satisfied with his guiding us the two times we have been back so far.

What we really appreciate is Sean’s well-thought-out planning of a trip or day excursion, his careful organisation, his spontaneity in changing plans if necessary and his responding to his guests’ wishes and preferences.

Though often coming across animals quite close, we always feel safe walking in the bush with Sean.

As he has a good sense of humour, too, we always have a lot of fun with him, and discussions at the campfire, whether on football, TV-series or whatever topic may arise, are always vivid and accompanied by much laughter.

We are looking forward to being guided again by Sean soon!

Kathleen – USA

Jose and I wanted to let you know it was such a pleasure to meet you!!!  We can’t express how much we appreciated you as our guide and feel like we hit the jackpot when we were teamed with you!  Your knowledge and most of all your passion for what you do is so obvious and being a guide is what you were born to do!  We learned so much from you that we were able to share with others.

Kelly

Thanks so much for giving us a fabulous week at Mana, your amiable good nature, sense of humour, knowledge and skill really enhanced our experience. I particularly appreciate you taking the time to point out birds to me and for trying to teach me a thing or two like how to identify the narrow waisted Female bataleur : ) My Zim bird list reached around 150 thanks to your eyes and ears giving it a great start.

Crystal & Flavio

Thank you Sean & Sara for arranging a truly magical trip at The Hide in Hwange National Park.  Everything, from the booking process, to the arrival, and everything in between was handled so beautifully and professionally, you exceeded our expectations.  Sean & Sara provided all of the necessary information to help us through the planning process. We chose the Hide to celebrate a milestone birthday, it will be one that will be cherished forever – the perfect setting; luxury accommodation, abundant wildlife, sundowners, good food and the best guide to show us around.  An African experience dreams are made of!

Thank you once again, we will be sure to always book our safaris through you!

Nora Marie

Thank you for the fantastic walking safaris in Mana Pools Sean! You are an excellent guide – I am looking forwards to the next time!

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