AFC#21 Rosslyn Safaris - Cawston Ranch

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Rosslyn Safaris - Cawston Ranch, Zimbabwe

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By Ant Williams

I first visited Cawston Ranch in Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland province in 2003. Even back then, the name of Rosslyn Safaris garnered much respect and admiration, not just locally, but the world over. So too did icons ‑ Peter and Carole Johnstone ‑ who owned it. Known particularly as one of Africa’s prime game ranches and hunting destinations, the sizeable property is game rich and offers a great retreat for wildlife and birding enthusiasts too.

I would be lying if I passed this off as a fishing article... It’s not. But I know fishermen and fishing families, and believe that Cawston Ranch offers a great excursion for those travelling to the western Zambezi, or even just wanting to get away to a unique part of Zimbabwe and some easily accessible wilderness, up close and personal.

My recent visit was to compile an article for our sister publication, African Hunter while on a trip to visit Sidinda Island Lodge on the Zambezi. As we drove the short distance to the lodge after turning off the main Bulawayo to Victoria Falls road (only 70km from Bulawayo), the sun dipped to the eastern horizon. I was astonished at the game crossing the road. Kudu bolted dodgingly, sable in the distance and right beside us several giraffe ‑ not immediately visible ‑ loped along with long swaying necks. Things had not changed in the decade plus since my last visit.

Shortly after, we were settled in our east African styled tents, atop a kopje overlooking the pan below, where little groups of bushbuck, impala, sable and kudu ambled across open ground to drink. Guinea fowl scuttled here and there kicking up dust as they chased each other, while ever present warthog jostled for a turn at the water. There are five such tented lodges all with pressure‑fed hot and cold water, showers and toilets, as well as two similarly appointed brick under thatch lodges. Guests come together in the main dining/lounge area which flows out onto the viewing platform, where evening meals are often taken under the stars, or guests gather around the pit‑fire to watch a bit of “bush TV”. This western part of Zimbabwe gets hot... sweltering, and the lodge boasts a swimming pool for guests to cool off in when not out in the bush.

The East African style safari tents, set on a kopje overlooking the waterhole below.

In 1987, Peter and Carole bought the Cawston Block ranch which had previously been used for various cattle ranching operations ‑ all of which had failed, leaving the place pretty run down and ecologically exhausted. Peter immediately set about fencing, buying game (800 head of various game) to re-stock the property and set about drilling boreholes to sustain the wildlife. Initially, a basic lodge was built and up-graded to the current facility in 1992.

Hunting, cropping and live game sales are all management tools employed on Cawston to sustain healthy populations and the natural diversity of game. Known as a prime bow hunting destination in Africa, this activity causes minimal disturbance and offers photographic enthusiasts a unique infrastructure from which to operate. Today, the property boasts 14 waterholes with seasonal pools along the boundary on the Umgusa river, which sustains all wildlife. Bow hunting and photographic blinds of various designs ‑ ground level, tree stands and platforms ‑ have been constructed at these pans. There is just no better way to observe and photograph game at very close quarters - and is really great for family outings. Aside from the blinds, the lodge operate three fully equipped Land Cruisers for hunting and game viewing if you would rather be out and about.

Peter’s daughter Juliet is the manager of Cawston, though Peter is hard to ignore when he has an idea. Carole, Peter’s late wife was a force to be reckoned with in Zimbabwe’s safaris industry, and it is easy to see Juliet is cut from the same cloth, and Cawston and its clients want for nothing.

A very interesting aspect for visitors is the opportunity to see some of the background research which goes into making a place like this work. Annual game counts are conducted, often with the assistance of local volunteers, and this record goes back to the very beginning. Allied to this research, Cawston hosts students on attachment from the National University of Science and Technology (in Bulawayo) and others undertaking degrees in related fields. Some of the ongoing research is funded by the FAO and CIRAD with an aim of building a comprehensive game ranching model which can be effectively applied to rural communities in communal lands, using wildlife to generate income and food security.

Live game sales are a key component of Peter’s sustainable use model, and one example are the 100 impala Peter stocked in the late 1980s. To date, he has taken off 5000 impala through cropping and live sales and still carries between 1500 ‑ 2000 today! Annually, culling is a necessary tool, and most particularly in years where no live sales take place. Interestingly Cawston offers Zimbabwean citizen hunters very affordable rates for such hunting (charged at $50 per night self‑catering while trophy fees vary according to time of year and how desirable the species is for culling), making it an ideal hunting getaway or a superb venue for father and son hunts.

While Cawston do not offer any fishing to speak of, a neighbouring property - approximately 25 minutes drive away - has a small dam offering bass and bream fishing at $5/angler/day. A relatively small dam, it is more suited to low-key fishing, and especially getting youngsters into the sport. Cawston can arrange visits or Wayne Munroe can be contacted directly on (+263-779) 507014. With prior notice, he can also arrange a bit of clay-pigeon shooting.

For more information, contact them on email at info@rosslynsafaris.com or call them on (+263‑778) 486493 or visit their website at www.rosslynsafaris.com.

Right: Kudu, bushbuck and impala were the most frequent visitors to the pan below the lodge, though throughout the day and evening one can see almost every species present on the ranch.

Cawston Ranch is literally teaming with game, and one seldom moves very far without coming across something to pique your interest.

The various blinds around the ranch offer ideal photographic opportunities as game is quite literally unaware of one’s presence, especially in those blinds set below ground level. One can almost reach out and touch the game as they wander in and out. Easy to make comfortable with a couple of deck chairs and a picnic, they are a fantastic way to while away a morning.

Sitting in one of the subterranean blinds with an array of cameras watching the game come in for a late afternoon drink, Peter’s eyes glowed in the dim light. At 81, he has seen and done much, and been a pioneer of both hunting and wildlife management in Africa and was recently honoured by Wild & Game magazine (June 2015) as one of the five most prominent wildlife ranching pioneers and visionaries in Africa! I mused at his words from earlier in the day while touring the ranch... when stopping at a row of bravely budding sapling Camel thorn trees ‑ Vachillia erioloba ‑ he had planted, he said “I will not be around to see the fruits of these trees, but the long‑term sustenance of the ranch and its wildlife depends on such projects”. Each tree is watered regularly by an attendant and a roaming bowser and each had a miniature barricade surrounding to protect against being eaten by game. The pods from mature camel‑thorns are bought annually from surrounding communities to supplement the feed for wildlife in the dry season. This and the baling of grass, and growing of crops like lucern guard against the ravages of drought, a phenomenon which afflicts this arid part of Zimbabwe regularly.

Cawston’s dedication to the principles of sustainable wildlife production dictates that every aspect is intensively managed. Not a single scrap of any animal harvested goes to waste, with unused bones or offal supplying the vulture restaurant or being donated to the SPCA, and all meat processed through their butchery is used in the lodge providing mouth‑watering meals prepared along with home‑grown vegetables on an old wood stove... good old fashioned home cooking! Meat is also donated or sold to the surrounding communities at affordable prices.

The main lodge complex and viewing platform as seen from the much frequented water hole below.

The main lounge/dining room area where guests come together at meal times, or simply to relax when not out hunting.

The viewing platform complete with pit fire - and a most enchanting dinner under the stars on the platform. A spotlight illuminates the pan below, highlighting the comings and goings of more nocturnal and secretive creatures.