"The Look"

[postoak]

Most hunters, before they make their first trip to Africa have an expectation of what the landscape will look like based on see photos in dozens of hunt reports and perhaps photos in magazine articles. I know I did. I call this "the look" and it's something like dry grass 1 1/2 feet tall, small-to-medium trees somewhat close together with just the occasional brush/thicket, dotted with small clearings, usually flat, and somewhat dry looking.

Most places don't look like this and I want to someday get to an area that does. After some research I found a map of RSA "biomes" and realize what I'm after is probably called the Savanna Biome.

Look at this map:

As you can see all of Limpopo shows to be savanna, except for the Drakensberg Mountains, which is grassland Biome.

I've actually had a couple of experienced people tell me that most of Limpopo has "the look" but now someone is telling me that that's not true -- that it is more thicket and riverine. For those that have extensive experience of different areas of the Limpopo, what do you say? Is there a particular region you need to go to get savanna?

I'd post some photos of "the look", what when you actually want one they're hard to find.

There's also a subset of the savanna called "miombo woodland" which is similar but more open.

 

[Philip Glass]

I’ve been to a place like you describe. It is in Namibia. It’s called a Veronica And it is owned by ARU Safaris. It’s just SE of WDH airport about an hours drive.
Hope this helps.
Philip

 

[Neale]

Hi postoak, I do not have a lot of experience but have been to or travelled through a number of landscapes in South Africa.
What I saw of the limpopo is that it is very thick vegetation. Hard to see through early in the season but wildlife love it. If you are after more open areas you should look at areas on the fringe of the grassland biome. Look at photos on the outfitters web sites and don't just look at the trophies but the landscape in the background. Be aware though that sometimes the trophy is moved to a better photo friendly site. I am sure that a local SA could answer your question better.
As Philip Glass said, I have only seen photos of Namibia but it may be worth a closer look for the landscape you are after.

 

[postoak]

Namibia has a number of looks, Khomas Highlands is grassy hills with widely separated trees, others look green desert, north of Windhoek I saw Thicket Biome but as I said in the other thread, if you go to Aru Safaris hunting gallery first page and look at photos 10, 11, 18, 19, and 22 those are "the look".

I am surprised that Limpopo is more thicket or riverine, that's not what I thought I would get there.

https://aruhuntingsafaris.com/hunting-gallery/

 

[CAustin]

I have seen what you speak of in Limpopo

 

[billc]

There are spots like that in the Limpopo area but I would say more is of thicker bush. I have hunted spots like that in the freestate in SA or like a few have said Namibia has a few places that would match that kind of hunting.

 

[Ridgewalker]

My limited experiences in Limpopo are bushveld rolling small trees and brush. Reminded me a great deal of the Texas areas covered in mosquito.

 

[fourfive8]

I think "bushveld" as most use the term is more or less equivalent to the savanna biome. The miombo forest type for example can be embedded in other vegetative types. Each vegetative type, is not necessarily a large contiguous, simple zone as shown on most of the large scale vegetative type maps. On the ground there may be many, many subtypes embedded in larger types. There are parts of Zambia, RSA, Mozambique and Zimbabwe that I have seen that I think are typical of the savanna biome type. Here's an example in Zimbabwe as I understand it. But even the "savanna type" can be broken into at least two subtypes- the grass/shrub savanna and the woodland savanna.

 

[postoak]

Yes, that's what I have in mind. You call that woodland savanna?

 

[wesheltonj]

Suggest that you look at Kalahari-rangers.com web site. Lots of photos, that might be what you are looking for. It's in the Northern Cape.

 

[Tim Blackwell]

I know exactly what you mean. I found 'the look' at Kowas Safaris in Namibia. It was everything I'd dreamt of.

 

[fourfive8]

Yes, that's what I have in mind. You call that woodland savanna?

IIRC there are at least two types in the photo. I'd class the foreground as more of a grass/shrub savanna while the background could be called more of a woodland savannah with a strip of riverine mixed in that is not apparent in the photo until you actually travel to it on the ground.

 

[fourfive8]

Here's a slightly different map of Africa showing the "macro" vegetation types.

 

[postoak]

fourfive8 - thanks, I wasn't going to say, because I wasn't sure, but I was thinking more or less along the lines of your last comment.

blacks - I think that photo you posted is more of one fourfive8 called shrub savanna, but it is close to what I had in mind.