Sensational South Luangwa

Sunday morning we packed our bags and headed to the airport for our next adventure, a safari in the South Luangwa. We headed to the airport and jumped on one of the teeny tiny Proflight prop planes and were on our way to Mfuwe. When we arrived, the first thing that I noticed was that this was the smallest airport I had seen in my life, and as we walked off of the tarmac I read, “Mfuwe International Airport.” How is this possibly an international airport? We were greeted by Shaddy, who would be our tour guide for the next 4 days, and were on our way to Kapani Lodge, a luxurious safari experience that is part of Norman Carr safaris. As we drove by the small villages we enjoyed the lush greenery and hot, sticky weather that seemed a stark contrast from the cooler, rainier weather in Lusaka that we had left.

Upon arriving at Kapani, we were greeted by some cold drinks and were escorted to our rooms, which were absolutely wonderful. We each enjoyed a spacious log cabin to our ourselves, complete with two comfy beds surrounded with a canopy of mosquito netting, several chairs and a couch for lounging, a stocked mini bar, snacks and a coffee maker, what a treat! Also, since we arrived during the middle of the rainy season and it is a less popular time to go on safari, we had the resort to ourselves. We immediately headed out for our first game drive in our uncovered Toyota Land Cruiser. (Although we would have liked to go on a walking safari, since it is the rainy season it is not safe because the bush is too thick. More on this later.)

As we entered the South Luangwa Park (and Ron serenading us with “oh weem oh wey oh weem oh wey… in the jungle the mighty jungle the lion sleeps tonight” which was one of the many songs that we sang, much to the dismay of our tour guide) and crossed the river we were greeted by several families of baboons who were jumping around the gate and it seemed, posing for our cameras. Many of their young had just been born, and the mothers protectively scooped up their young and carried them on their bellies as they scooted away. As soon as we entered, we began to notice the immense variety of wildlife. The South Luangwa, especially near the front gates, is full of elephants and hippos. We immediately saw elephants in the distance and Shaddy stopped the car so that we could take some photos. Over the course of the next few days, we saw so many elephants and hippos that we didn’t stop any more to look. “Oh just another elephant” we said. How quickly we adapted to our new environment, it seems surreal to think back on it now. We asked Shaddy about the locals who walk the streets and he said that it happens occasionally that the elephants or hippos will trample humans because they are startled. It amazed us that the locals would walk by nonchalantly with buckets of water on their heads or carrying a pile of firewood. Even the kids seemed unfazed, what a place to grow up!

That night at dinner, as I was reflecting upon our first game drive, I was amazed that we were able to see so many animals that I had only read about in books or seen in movies. I kept thinking that this seems like a cross between Jurassic Park and The Lion King. We were completely putting our lives in the hands of our (very capable) tour guide. As a matter of fact, Shaddy was able to answer our every question about eating habits of wildlife, identifying birds by their call, insects, reptiles, and the landscape. He was an amazing wealth of knowledge and we learned that becoming a guide is quite a grueling experience that takes several years of training and education. Apparently Shaddy has been doing this for 12 years and is one of the most seasoned guides.

One of the employees shared a story with us when Shaddy was leading a walking tour, Shaddy led the way while the rest of the group followed in a single-file fashion with the armed ‘scout’ following behind. Shaddy said, “stop” and the group stopped in place and stood there for a long 5 minutes. All of a sudden, they heard the jarring sound of jaws crushing bone. As the team began to walk again (trembling I’m sure), they turned the corner to see a pride of lions killing a hippo. Although we were not fortunate enough to see a kill, we were on the prowl to see a leopard (the only animal we weren’t lucky enough to find) and instead found an empala (cousin of the antelope) that it had killed, propped neatly on the branch of a tree for a snack later. The leopard itself seemed to be hiding, although I have to say that I was a bit relieved. The guys, on the other hand, probably would have walked into the bush themselves to get the picture. We were told that we were by no means allowed to get out of the vehicle (unless we were stopped in a clearing for a snack break). With all of the standing water around, it was possible to step on a crocodile (who camouflaged themselves quite well) or an offending snake. One night when we stopped to admire the sunset Ron ventured out and got a bit too close to a buffalo, who looked annoyed and for a moment we were not sure if he was going to charge towards us. Luckily, he walked away and seemed unconcerned. Ron likes to say that he scared away the buffalo, but we all know the truth.

On safari, the best times to see the animals is at sunrise and sunset, so we would be awoken every morning by the “night guards” at 5:30 and lathered up with DEET and sunscreen before heading out at 6am. Mid-morning we would stop to stretch our legs in a clearing and enjoy a snack and tea. We would be out until about 11am, and then return for brunch and an afternoon of relaxing and rest by the pool. We really lucked out with good weather (despite it being the rainy season) so we were able to lounge and enjoy the nice weather. At 3:30, they would bang the drums to announce mid-afternoon tea and snacks before we headed out at 4pm for our afternoon game drive. We would be out until about 8, at which point we would return for a delicious 3-course dinner and then retire early, when we would be escorted back to our rooms by the night guards. We were warned not to leave our rooms without the night guards, since animals frequented the grounds at night and sure enough, the first night an elephant wandered through the grounds. As I lay in bed the first night staring at my whirring ceiling fan and wondering how mosquitoes still made their way into my mosquito-netting covered bed, I stayed awake listening to the eerie sounds of the bush. Although I could not place the sounds, I learned the next morning that the loud sounds included hippos (they seemed to be the loudest), elephants, and hyenas (of which make the strangest sound, it sounds almost human). Neither Ron nor I slept well that first night, but eventually got used to the strange sounds and by the second night either we had adjusted or sheer exhaustion took over because we were able to sleep much better.

To us, the lions looked quite lazy. We were driving along the road the first evening and came across a pride of 7 female lions lounging in the middle of the road. They didn’t seem to be bothered by us, and yawned lazily as though bored. We thought, maybe the male lion is out hunting, he must be fierce. Apparently not (or not when he’s just eaten?), as we learned later when we came across the male lion asleep (he looked dead, but he opened one eye when he heard us approach, and then closed it again, what a life!). Later that day we saw him on the other side of the road in the shade, we were amazed that we were able to get so close (about 1 meter away!) and he was not fazed by us. As a matter of fact, most of the animals just stood there and were bored with us. The only exception was the elephant, who when we got too close (especially with the baby elephants around) they would flap their ears, roar, and look as though they were going to charge the car. The first time this happened, our group huddled together in fear, and then sighed in relief as the elephant quickly turned on its heel (or as quickly as a 3-ton giant can do) and trotted away in the other direction.

Among the many animals that we saw included puku, empala and bush backs (sp?) (all relatives of the antelope), elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions, geckos, baboons, monkeys, hippos, crocodiles, hyenas, wild boars, wild dogs, and birds to numerous to mention. On our way to the airport yesterday we stopped at Tribal Textiles, which is a company that provides sustainable work for the locals. They hand make beautiful tapestries, pillow cases, napkins, placemates, table runners, and other various crafts. I was happy to purchase a few items and help to support the local Zambians.

As we boarded our flight (and left 45 minutes early, that for sure would not happen in the States!) I was happy to have enjoyed such an amazing journey. I have so many wonderful memories from Zambia and here is my top 5 list of things that I will miss:

5. “Zambian time” – always a relaxed atmosphere, no one is in a rush
4. Having our own “personal driver”
3. Being able to buy fresh produce or other souvenirs at discounted prices while at a stoplight. It gives a whole new meaning to “one stop shopping”
2. Warm weather
1. The kind & generous people that we have met

And here are the top 5 things that we have missed the most while living in Lusaka:

5. Sidewalks
4. Drinkable tap water
3. Showers without lizards crawling on our feet
2. High-speed internet
1. Our friends & family

Hope that everyone enjoyed hearing about our travels, we have really enjoyed keeping a blog and documenting our adventures. We'll send you all a link to our (many many) photos when we return to the States. Thank you!