Archetypal Leopard picture

 

Yellow Billed Oxpecker

 

Circle in the sand

 

Puku portrait

Sometimes it is easy to overlook the antelope species. Puku and Impala are everywhere and because they are at the bottom of the food chain they are often outshore on safari by the more "sexy" predators. Yet these animals have a grace and beauty of their own and lives well worthy of study. 

In fact, the tip for anyone new to safari holidays is take time to understand these species and you will better understand the Lion, leopard, Wild Dog and Hyena.

Every day is a school day on Safari

Lessons outdoors again with a walking safari led this time by Gavin Opie, expert guide and owner/manager of Nkonzi Bush Camp.

Gavin has a deep affinity with the bush and his enthusiasm and knowledge are infectious. Here we stop to discuss trees and the birds that build nests in their branches.

South Luangwa CSI

Reading the environment is a skill but learn the vocabulary of nature and the story of events soon unfolds.

Here, the traces of a murder for the South Luangwa CSI investigators to piece together.

The remains of quills and bloodstains mark the scene of the crime. A Leopard attack on a Porcupine. 
 

Simple comforts

Home from home. Our tent at Nkonzi Bush Camp.

Nkonzi offers the original simple safari experience. You really feel part of nature out at this remote camp, yet the service, food and welcome are of the highest standard.

It is one of our favourite bush camps and we'd say it is a must for anyone seeking a "real" African safari adventure.

Our en-suite bathroom, complete with bucket shower!

 The dining tent and bar area

Barred Owlet

The African Barred Owlet is one of the small owlets seen in Zambia. For Europeans used to seeing larger species of Owl, to see one like this, not that much bigger than a Blackbird is a surprise. Seeing one on a night drive was a real treat.

Bush Breakfast

A special surprise from the staff at Tena Tena - a bush breakfast.

Instead of returning to Camp at the end of the morning game drive we were driven to a spot overlooking the Luangwa River where the kitchen from Camp had been relocated and an impromptu dining room set up - compete with bar!

To sit watching Hippo in the river whilst eating sausage, bacon, eggs, corn fritters, beans mushrooms and tomato washed down with a Bloody Mary takes some beating!

 

The naturalists dilemma

Nature is certainly harsh in tooth and claw.

On a morning drive we watched a Puku suckling her fairly young foal - a matter of days old. Her tenderness was touching to watch.

Yet a matter of hours later and that same foal was up a tree, having been taken by a Leopard some time later in the day.

There are aspects of the wild that are hard to take sometimes, but that is the natural world.

The Leopard must also feed, but the sight of the mother Puku standing a few metres away from the leopard's tree was a sad sight indeed.

To watch these stories unfold is the naturalists dilemma.

Always dining out

 

Tena Tena's new arrival

 

Just the cutest! A few hundred metres outside Tena Tena Camp , just at the side of one of the main tracks is a Hyena den and at the time we were visiting it had new arrivals, two pups.

With consummate care our guides coasted the safari vehicles to the edge of the den in the evening and turned off all the lights. In pitch darkness, with the sounds of the African night starting to fill the air we waited until quiet scratching sounds could be heard. Then under the spotlight we saw the babies out, one suckling from its mother who would be the patriarch of the clan.

Walking Wild

At Tena Tena Camp we had the privilege of walking with senior guide Bertram, seen here showing how close we were able to get to some of the fantastic game to be seen in the area.

Walks are rarely long in distance and starting at just after 6am you are normally back in Camp for 10 - 1030 before it gets unpleasantly hot for walking. 

Most of the time walks are about the little stuff - plants, insects, tracks - all the things one can easily miss on a vehicle safari. 

But with a good guide and a group who follow the rules and stay quiet, move in single file and stick together, it is possible to see animals at quite close quarters. 

On this walk we had the treat of seeing Wild Dogs just a few hundred metres out of Camp. On their early morning hunt two ran within 50m of us. A very rare experience and so unexpected I was unable to get any pictures. The Giraffe were much more accommodating.

 

Safari driving

 

Never underestimate the work of wildlife film crews

The temperature in Luangwa is normally really comfortable for people and for cats in June, but when we were lucky enough to see Olimba's cub hunting stork hatchlings it was a scorching day.

We first saw the Steenkamps early in the morning, sat in direct sun filming the perilously perched leopard's every move. 

They were still there at 4pm when the Leopard finally came down full from (if not sick of) her day gorging on stork hatchlings. 

The couple stay at Nsefu camp run by Robin Pope safaris and without a doubt their day in the furnace of the stork colony would have justified more than a couple of cold beers on their return later that evening.

Land of the Leopard

 The South Luangwa river valley is rightly famed for its Leopard sightings.

But nothing on a safari Holiday can be guaranteed - the animals are wild and come and go as they please. Spotting elusive creatures like this Leopard is down to the skill and experience of the guides. Trust them and let them do their jobs and your chances of seeing sights like this goes up considerably.

Guides will often start a trip by asking "What would you like to see?" our response now is "Whatever you can find for us". This frees up the Guide from chasing around trying to find a particular species and allows them to read their surroundings. In our experience this pays off far more than going with a "shopping list".

This year we had the rather weird experience of seeing another guest, a rather objectionable Swiss lady, at one of the camps we stayed at, throw a full on hissy fit because we said we had seen a Leopard whilst they had not. 

The fact their private tour guide had been constantly over-riding the local guide, telling him where to go in their search for Leopard, (which he had promised his rich punters) did not seem to compute.

In fact by the end of our trip we had seen Leopard every day except two and our sightings included a first - Leopard whilst on walking safari! 

It's rare to encounter people on safari so out of tune with the nature of the experience - so every time we subsequently saw a Leopard I found myself muttering "William Tell, Toblerone, Cuckoo Clocks , Alpen Horn and Secret Bankers - your boys took one hell of a beating!" 

I can see you.

 

Total immersssssssion therapy

 

Whilst I appreciate many people are afraid of snakes, some even phobic about them, I am always struck by how rarely we have in fact seen them on our Safari trips.

When we first came on a safari I expected snakes dangling from every tree and hiding ready to strike behind every rock. The reality I have learnt from our total immersion therapy of regular safari holidays is that snakes are amongst the most elusive of Africa's fauna.

So to see this Puff Adder on our first safari night drive was a special sighting. Perhaps Africa's most dangerous snake the Puff Adder has the most beautiful colouring which this specimen showed off perfectly.

Puff Adders move in a 'caterpillar' fashion, leaving distinct deep, straight tracks in the sand and, like the one we saw here, are most active at night, preferring to shelter during the day from the sun. They ambush small rodents and birds, and even other snakes. They kill their prey by biting it, and then leaving the prey to die.

The venom is cytotoxic, which attacks the blood cells and tissues. 

2022 South Luangwa - A return to Eden

 

So finally in June 2022 we managed to return to our spiritual home - the South Luangwa Valley.

After having two previous trips we had booked cancelled because of Covid 19 it was a relief to arrive at Mfuwe airport to be greeted by Kennedy, one of the safari guides at Flatdogs Camp.

Our itinerary for this trip was to take in a night at Flatdogs followed by three nights at Nsefu then four at Tena Tena (both Robin Pope Camps), then four nights at Nkonzi before returning to Flatdogs Camp for six nights.

Our longest trip yet (paid for by our money from the Covid cancellations) was going to give us more time in the bush than ever before and would lead to experiences we could only have dreamt of.

The Flatdogs farewell

Our flight back to Lusaka was late on our last day in the valley, meaning we had plenty of time at Flatdogs Camp to enjoy the bar and restaurant.

Like all the best Safari holidays though Flatdogs and The South Luangwa Valley had one last parting surprise.

Three elephant wandered into camp, first by the swimming pool, then into the dining area where our delicious lunch had to be temporarily abandoned whilst these gentle beasts fed off trees in the camp centre.

Not that we ever need an excuse to return - but this would have done the trick if we did!