Mannyelanong Hill

Mannyelanong means the place where vultures defecate, and the cliff above Otse is one of the last Cape vulture breeding colonies in Botswana. The colony has declined sharply, from several hundred pairs in the 1960s to a small fraction of that, driven by poisoning, power lines and the loss of carcasses in the wider landscape. The site is a protected monument and access to the cliff itself is restricted; birds are watched from the ground below with binoculars.

What you actually see

• The vulture colony - Cape vultures nesting on the cliff ledges.
• The cliff - the rock face rising above the village, closed to climbers.
• The soaring birds - vultures riding the thermals off the hill through the day.
• The decline - a colony that has shrunk to a fraction of its former size.

When to go

May to September is the breeding season and the best time to see birds on the cliff. Mid-morning onwards, once thermals build, is when they are in the air. Summer heat makes standing below the cliff uncomfortable.

Honest expectations

Viewing is at distance from the base and binoculars or a scope are essential. The colony is small and on some visits few birds are visible. There are no facilities at the site and no formal viewing point.

Nearby

Lobatse is south, and Gaborone is north.