It's Day 2 of our Zambia adventure and after a leisurely breakfast and some final packing, we were ready to go! As nice as it was to get a little break at our Lusaka hotel and catch up on some sleep, everyone was raring to get going. We took a quick ride back to Lusaka airport and boarded our plane for a short flight to Mfuwe airport. Getting all of our camera gear loaded into the aircraft was a bit of a challenge but after some good old teamwork, we were able to shove our overloaded pelican cases and backpacks full of gear under the seats and into the very tiny overhead bins. We were met at the airstrip by our awesome guide from Shenton Lodges who goes by the name Sly, which I love because one of my all time favorite movies is Rocky IV. The first half hour drive took us through country villages where children waved excitedly to us. Women walked with baskets balanced on their heads which always amazes me and gives me a bit of a headache just thinking about how one can carry that much weight on their head. Men rode bicycles with huge thick sticks for firewood and shopkeepers sat on their front stoops waiting for customers. And then, what we'd all been waiting for......the entrance to South Luangwa National Park appeared. This park is huge at 9,050 square kilometers with varied landscape and topography and of course the winding and extensive Luangwa River and as it happens our first lodge is on the banks of the river. As I sit here writing this in the wee hours of the night, I can hear hippos around and perhaps even in camp grazing in the coolness of the night. We meandered through the park to camp for the next 2 hours or so stopping under a nice shade tree for lunch and a little leg stretch. We had to keep a watchful eye on the vervet monkeys in the tree who acted like they didn't even know we were there but of course were just waiting for a perfect opportunity to steal our food. This time we outsmarted them and didn't give them the chance to swoop in and grab anything but from past experience, these guys are masters at stealing food from right under your nose. After filling our bellies and having some cool drinks, it was onwards to camp. It was the height of the afternoon and quite hot and the light was bad but still we saw impala, elephants, giraffe, monkeys, and warthogs (this family had such tiny babies with them, we thought they might only be a couple days old at most). Finally we arrived in camp and met the staff and were shown our rooms, which are beautiful and private with an outdoor bathtub and a private deck right above the river for each room. After quickly settling in, it was time to head to tea and on our first safari drive. I try to keep my expectations low since it's our first one and there are many more to come but nature had a little surprise in store for us. We stopped to look at some huge alligators and beautiful male kudu with their large spiral horns, and then we hit the proverbial safari jackpot......a pair of mating leopards! Now the funny thing was, when we pulled up at first, there were 3 adult ground hornbills walking right in front of our vehicle. These are huge ground birds although they roost in trees, which are black with striking red throats and eye areas. They are quite endangered and are always a treat to see. I got so exited and yet as I looked at all my guests no one seemed to be bothered. What I had not seen was the two leopards straight ahead which of course took priority. We positsioned our vehicle to try to have the best angle. These two must have started mating only a couple of days ago and their mating ritual will go on for about 7 days, give or take so being at the beginning of the process, they mated a lot! Much to the delight of my guests, we got to spend quite a bit of time with them as they moved around the area. They got so close to our vehicle at times, that I just had to break out my cell phone. What a way to start our safari! As darkness fell and it was time to head back to the lodge, our spotter shined the light into the trees and brush to see if we could find any nocturnal animals and we did! We saw 2 Genets which I was absolutely thrilled about. Although it was full darkness with a torch light, I was happy to get an evidence shot (see below) Arriving back to the lodge, we were treated to a delicious 3 course meal and it was off to our rooms to download photos, charge batteries and dream of what lies ahead tomorrow. Every day is a new day and around every turn can be an amazing surprise which makes safari so exciting. We will see what nature has in store for us tomorrow so stay tuned! Have a great night everyone and thank you for following along on our safari adventure.
It's finally here! Today is Day 1 of our Zambia adventure. As I most always do, I flew in a couple days early to get to our first group hotel and make sure everything was as it should be. I checked in with our private transport company to ensure they had the exact times for when my guests would be arriving and their flight numbers. I made sure all the guest rooms were the right configurations. I checked and re-checked our reservation for our group dinner and the same for the transportation that will take us back to the airport for our short flight to our first bush camp tomorrow. Am I obsessive? Well perhaps a little but I want to make sure everything is perfect for my guests and no stone is left unturned. The last couple of weeks have been stressful for a variety of reasons with which I won't bore you but after all the t's were crossed and i's were dotted, I signed myself up for a nice massage to take the edge off and be ready to be my best self. It was fabulously relaxing and just what I needed. Some of my guests also came in early and took in some golf and a visit to the National museum in town. It's always great to unwind and rest up before a big safari trip like the one we're about to embark on. I figured I'd mostly be working on my computer in the room before our official kickoff with the welcome dinner but alas, a few birds had different ideas. Along the walkway between the rooms and the main lounge area are trees filled with nests of the Lesser Masked Weavers. The males are a beautiful yellow and black and the females are mostly a duller yellow. The males busy themselves all day long building what they think will be the absolute perfect nest for their mate. The fly in and out bringing material and shaping the nest into an inviting space for their mates. Once they are done they hang upside down and jiggle their entire body in anticipation of their mate coming along and approving the job they have done. I watched over and over as some of their mates would come along and not approve of the nest after which the disappointed male had to start making alterations. It's amazing how much time can pass just standing and watching these very busy birds fly back and forth, build, and sometimes quarrel with their neighbors. I think I must have stood there for a total of 3 hours at various intervals. As evening approached it was time to officially kick off our trip! We met at the nicest restaurant in the hotel as a group and as introductions were made and wine was poured the group got to know each other as well as our hopes and aspirations for this trip. For some it was to really get better with their cameras and for others it was very specific shots that they hoped to get. We even threw in some really far fetched things that are not very likely but hey, sometimes the universe delivers when you least expect it. As it always seems to happen, I can already tell that this is yet another fabulous group of people that is going to get along swimmingly and I'm so excited to share our upcoming adventure with them. Tomorrow morning we take a short ride back to Lusaka Airport and get on our short flight to our first camp. We should start seeing animals almost right away so even the drive to camp will be like a mini safari drive so cameras ready! Until next time, have a great night everyone! And tomorrow we are off on safari! Yippeee!