Month: July 2023

We left our final camp this morning. I got a little teary-eyed at the thought of leaving all the wild animals and wide-open land as Jacks drove us to the landing strip. An hour-long plane ride and an hour and half bus ride later, here we are in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, where they have Wi-Fi, cappuccinos, and a pool. I wonder if the lions know how much I miss them.

This was our last day out on safari, and it did not disappoint. It’s siesta time, and we have one more drive in the jeep this afternoon, but if I see no more animals, I will be satisfied.

We ate breakfast and were in the jeeps by 7:30 this morning. We always switch guides the second day, so we had Jacks. The sister camp radioed him about a cheetah sighting, so he told us to hold on tight and sped off down the sandy, winding trail. Within ten minutes we were parked 10 feet from a gorgeous female cheetah who was sitting in the sun, scanning her surroundings and planning her kill. Once three jeeps had pulled up to admire her, she gave up and lay down and relaxed for the time being.

After about 15 minutes, we continued our drive to the delta, where guides waited to take us on a mokoro ride, which is like a canoe. They used to be constructed out of hollowed out tree trunks, but now they are made of fiberglass. Chris and I rode with Phoenix, a young man from the delta, who poled our mokoro and told us about the surrounding plants. Jacks was out ahead to keep watch for crocodiles and hippos.

Once we finished the ride, we were off and racing again because the other jeep had found the spotted wild dogs, thanks to Jacks spotting their tracks on our way to the delta and radioing the other jeep.

After a swift and bumpy ride back toward camp, we came upon eight gorgeous dogs, dozing and piled together in two clumps. Their rounded, large ears flicked back and forth, and they raised their sleepy heads when we pulled up, but then they pretty much ignored us. Their story is very similar to that of our wolves. They were killing livestock so people started killing the dogs, and they became endangered. Finally, they became legally protected. If you’re a dog lover, you would’ve wanted to snuggle in with them, but Jacks said they would’ve run away had we approached- not that we would have.

After leaving the painted dogs, we came across zebras and a mama and baby giraffe. The baby was so young that its umbilical cord was still hanging from its belly.

What a full day it had been as we started up again for the five minute drive back to camp. But wait, how about coming across eight lions, five females and two young males? They were mesmerizingly beautiful as they snuggled together, some with bellies up and paws in the air. The head lioness kept a calm watch over her pride as we snapped hundreds of pictures and just watched them.

Okay, so I’m back now after our final camp dinner and song and game time with the staff. I have to write about our final drive this evening.

We set out looking for ostriches but were eluded by then, so we headed back to see those lions, who would most likely still be napping and resting in the same spot we left them. It will never forgot it. The were still pretty relaxed when we got to them, but the two mama lionesses had begun to scan the horizon for the evening hunt. The other six lions – two males and four female – were adolescents and took their cues from them

The two mamas proceeded about 50 feet forward and stopped on top of a huge anthill, followed shortly thereafter by the young ones, where they could better scan the grasses in the distance. Of course, we followed in the jeep so we could continue to watch them.

As the sun began to set and the sky turned from orange to purple, the mamas led their pride further into the grasses, and we figured it was time to let them be. I will never forget the beauty and majesty of those animals.

The animal of the day is elephants. They have dominated the watering hole all day. They’ve chased off the impalas and warthogs and even some of each other. Since it’s the dry season, the watering holes have dried up, so the animals have to travel to the channel for water, which is about a three-mile journey from here. The camp supplies the water for the one here, and the dominant elephants position themselves right where the fresh water is coming out of the pipe to feed into the watering hole. Hence, unless they are off foraging, the other animals are relegated to the muddy, shallow water that the elephants have stomped around and pooped in.

Not long into our morning drive, Gully, our most excellent guide, picked up on lion tracks (two large males, in fact). We knew we were coming upon something dead because of the smell and because three jackals were hanging around waiting for something. We soon came upon a lion feasting on an elephant who had most likely been brought down sometime last night, according to Gully. The elephant’s organs were cleaned out (they are the first to go), and the lion was snacking on the thigh. The lion’s stomach was hanging mighty low to the ground before he finally sauntered away. Then the wily little jackals appeared, but their meal was the most stressful one I’ve ever seen. They’d take one quick and nervous bite before snapping their heads back up to scan the grasses.

Toward the end of our morning drive, we came upon a herd of elephants, a few of whom flapped their ears, raised their trunks, and snorted at us. Gully said since their ears were out to make themselves look bigger and not pinned back, they were “mock charging” us, so not to worry. I trust Gully, but I felt extremely small and vulnerable.

After brunch, I went for a run back and forth along the cabin trail, the only place we’re allowed to walk without a guide, but I had to stay on the lookout for elephants because one side of the camp has several corridors the elephants have created and use regularly on their way to and from the watering hole. I was up to about a mile and a half and had begun to zone out when I head branches crack and a big snort. I looked up to see a mama elephant about 30 feet from me, flapping her ears at me and looking rather displeased. I quietly turned around and walked to the the nearest tent, which happened to be my own. I emerged a bit later and decided to confine my run to the side of camp without elephant corridors.

Mind the elephants.

We flew for a little over an hour today on a Cessna to get to the Okavango Delta for our final three-day safari stay. We are at the Santawani Camp, and I tell you what: I could get used to the hot towel and welcome song when we step off the jeep. It reminds me how important a greeting is, even if it’s just a hello.

We’re in the desert area, so the animals’ presence isn’t as obvious, besides, of course, the elephants, impala, and warthogs who hang around the camp watering hole. I think I’ve gotten spoiled.

Our guides here, Gully and Jacks, are serous trackers. They study the footprints in the sand and the alarm calls of the birds and other animals to help locate the predators. We didn’t spot too much on our first evening drive tonight, but I have faith. We did see a huge male elephant who is in musk, which means he badly needs a lady friend. He was constantly dribbling urine, and the glands between his ears and eyes were oozing musk. He was in a bad way, and it’s best to steer clear of him. It smelled quite…well, musky.

The air smells different here. Wild sage dominates the landscape,so the air has a tangy freshness to it. The termite mounds here are taller and gray instead of brown, due to the different makeup of the soil.

It’s time to get some sleep so I’ll be ready for our 6:00 AM wake-up call. As I write this, I hear elephants rumbling.

It’s rough out there in the wild, and, according to Tsono, we witnessed rare proof of that today on our drive.

The lions are the hot ticket on safari, so when we saw six jeeps stopped on the road by the river in Chobe National Park, we figured it might be a lion sighting. Not only were two females walking around a thicket; they were having a standoff with the cape buffalo.

The buffalo had migrated all the way down to the water to drink and were trying to head back up the valley, but the lions were in their way. The big buffalo were threatening the lions and even gave a little chase, but the lions hung around. Dust was flying as the larger buffalo tried to create a protective corridor for the younger to pass through. The animals moved farther and farther into the thicket, so we couldn’t see whether they all made it safely. This whole episode is what Tsono said we were very lucky to witness. I felt sad for the buffalo, but I understand that the lions need to eat.

When we stopped for our picnic lunch, at least five vervet monkeys were dead set on stealing our lunch, so people had to take turns fending them off with a slingshot while the others ate. One of them managed to steal a chicken leg right out of Chris’s mom’s hand. I decided to leave them my apple core; I had barely let it leave my fingertips before one of them snatched it up and ran up a tree with it. We need to eat, as do the monkeys.

On the drive back toward the park exit, we saw a kudu who had a bite taken out of its side and was lying down, panting and looking around nervously. The poor male wouldn’t survive the night. SP, our guide for today, said a jackal must have bitten him. I asked why he wasn’t eating him right now, and he said he was probably waiting for the fight to leave him. It was very sad to see, but he would be the meal for those hungry jackals who spend their day searching for food.

I sure am glad I don’t have to hunt for my own meals.

We saw many beautiful animals again today. A herd of about 200 cape buffalo migrated up from the water in one sweeping arc this morning, followed shortly by a congress of baboons making their way to the water. Some babies clutched onto their mama’s belly, toddlers riding on their backs, and juveniles messed around and got corrected by their mamas. Others stopped to pick nits off each other’s backs, bellies, ears, heads, etc. Later on, a pride of elephants crossed the road in front of us.

I was so excited to come across three jackals in our later afternoon ride. They pair for life, so the three of them must have been a couple with their adolescent pup. They tolerated us until they didn’t. After we gawked and photographed them for about five minutes, the couple got to their feet and trotted off. The young one yawned and then reluctantly got to his feet. He began sauntering in their general direction until they were well ahead of him, at which point he picked up his pace and galloped down the hill after them.

I never knew how beautiful the jackal is. The name doesn’t sound very pretty to me; how deceiving. They look like a mix between an Australian shepherd and a fox. They’re not too far down the pecking order. We came across a cape buffalo that had been killed by lions (which helped our guide, Tsono, find the full-bellies apex predators), and a jackal was feeding and shooing away vultures that tried to get a piece. Tsono told us the hyenas come right after the lions, followed by the jackals, and then the birds of prey. So, it’s not so bad being a pretty jackal with a partner for life.

After saying goodbye to another wonderful group of people at Kafue, we flew in the same tiny plane back to Livingstone and stopped at two very different shopping locales. The first one had a ShopRite, where we bought a nail file, chips, Fanta, and Mentos. Much to the southern ladies’ delight, Chris found bush babies there (hot water bottles in fuzzy coats), and they each bought one.

After shopping and some of us using free Wi-Fi outside the fast food restaurant, Hungry Lion, we visited a local vendor market, a vastly different experience. This was a tent city that caters to a wide spectrum of people, many of whom are very poor. You can buy enough sugar for only a couple cups of coffee or tea, for instance, if you can’t afford to buy more. A huge section of dried fish stretched under the full length of one tent. The bus driver explained to me that people who do not have electricity or a refrigerator will buy dried fish instead of fresh. I saw big bowls of okra leaves, which the people at the homestead had cooked for us last week.

After our shopping stops, we boarded the bus and headed for Botswana, as Clyde gave us a brief history lesson. The English colonized Botswana until 1968, shortly after Zimbabwe and Zambia (formerly named Northern Rhodesia and Southern Rhodesia by the English colonizers) fought bloody wars for their independence. When Botswana wanted their independence, they basically just gave it to them and left, viewing the country as poor, drought-prone and not worth a fight. The next year, the Batswana (what you call the people of Botswana) discovered diamonds. The joke is on the English. The country’s economy is strong, and they have a stable, democratic government.

We were welcomed into Baobob 1 Camp, just outside Chobe National Park on the Chobe River, with a welcome song by the staff, and then they introduced the do’s and dont’s. Like all the other camps, you are forbidden from walking anywhere unaccompanied by a staff member after dark. I think I just heard an animal kill another animal not far from our front porch, so I’m fine with that. And now I just heard an elephant trumpet. It’s 9:26 PM.

After we had some time to settle in, we went on a short ride in the jeeps. Since we’re outside the national park, we’re allowed to go off-roaring. Tsono drove us up and down the hills and along the river. He paid very close attention to the animals’ calls and behavior to try to determine where danger (lion or leopard) might be. Though we didn’t spot either, it was a stunning drive. We saw a tower and then a journey of giraffes (they’re a tower if a group of them are standing still, a journey if they’re walking, and a stride if they’re running), baboons and impala grouped together at the top of a hill, a lone elephant, a dazzle of zebras, a jackal (much prettier than I had imagined), and many birds.

We retuned to hot chocolate, a drink, a delicious dinner, and some hang-out time around the fire pit. It’s a chilly out there tonight. Thank goodness for the bush baby!

Today was boating day here at Lufupa Camp: one cruise in the morning up the south fork and up the north fork for the sundowner cruise. They have two boats, one for four people who wanted to fish and one for the rest of the group to cruise and look for wildlife.

Chris and three others took the fishing boat this morning while the rest of us (minus the Carolina ladies who opted to take it slow) cruised with Akim as our guide. We spotted- (and excuse inconsistencies in capitalization usage):

Fish Eagle

African Darter

Malachite kingfisher- stunning bird!!

Half collared kingfisher

Jesus bird or African jacana

Nike crocodile

Southern black titi

African pied kingfisher (a favorite)

Green spotted wood dove

Vervet monkey

Slated hinged terrapin turtle

Water thick knee

Sqwakle heron

Hadida ibis

Western banded snake eagle

African harrier hawk

Wire tailed swallow

Brown hooded kingfisher

The fishing boat people caught loads of catfish and saw an elephant. The chef cooked up the catfish to supplement the dinner. It was delicious.

We then had free time followed by high tea and a talk about Zambian culture from a woman on the staff named Nomsa. We leaned about dowry, marriage customs, the passage into manhood ritual, and family life.

Then it was back to the boats for cruise #2. Maxine joined Chris, his dad, and Scott from San Fran, with Brian as their guide. They only caught two catfish this time, but Maxine was one of them. Thanks to Akim’s expert eye, we saw tons of birds again, plus a baby crocodile.

After dinner, since it’s our last night, the staff performed two jubilant songs for us by the fire. It’s tradition for the guests to then perform or lead some type of activity, so we taught them how to play musical chairs. They got very into it, and everyone had a blast. We’ll miss the good people here at Lufupa.

Onward to Botswana tomorrow.

It was a beautiful day in Kafue National Park. I was the first to arrive for coffee this morning, and Fanuela, the manager, taught me how to play Insolo, which is the Zambian name for Moncala (not sure of the spelling, and I can’t check right now).

After breakfast, we went out in the jeeps to look for wildlife. It was a lively morning out in the bush: as for birds, we spotted hornbill, emerald spotted wood dove, western banded snake eagle, gray go away bird (his call sounds like he’s saying “go away!”), lilac breasted roller, wattled plover, red-necked francorine, fish eagle, and more.

Akim saw hyena and serval tracks (a serval appeared on our evening ride and the hyena on the path back to the cabins after dinner). We also saw bushbuck, waterbuck, puku, kudu, and…a male lion!! He was trying to nap and really not interested in us, though we were very interested in him.

When we returned from our drive, brunch was waiting for us, and then we had free time. I power-walked 2.5 miles up and down the cabin path (I am loving this trip, but it’s a lot of sitting). I then watched a mama warthog munch grass as her three little babies frolicked around her.

After a short cat nap, i went on a nature walk with Clyde, where I learned about many of the trees here (Edwin and I were the only ones who showed up for it). Then Brian talked to us about Zambian politics and the issues surrounding trophy hunting.

We set off on our sundowner drive, in which we look for animals and stop for an evening drink in a pretty spot and watch the sunset. On one side of us, a huge orange sun set behind the trees, and on the other side, hippos bobbed, grunted and snorted in the river. And I just heard one grunt outside our cabin.

I just have to say that as I write this, I hear a hippo grunting outside our tented cabin, probably not more than 30 feet away.

So anyway…we were sorry to say goodbye to our friends at Kashawe Camp, but it was time to set out on our next adventure. We took the “chicken bus” (which needs its own story) to the town of Victoria Falls, where we stopped to hear a public and a private school teacher talk about the crisis the education system is currently in, due to an unquestionably corrupt government. The situation is enraging and heartbreaking. This deserves its own post, as well.

We crossed the border into Zambia via the bridge across the falls, then reboarded the bus for the short drive to the Livingstone airport. The 14 of us got into two tiny airplanes for the hour and half flight to Lufupa River Camp in Kafue National Park in Zambia.

Jeeps were at the field to meet us to take us to the camp, where we were greeted with snacks and a gorgeous view of the Kafue River. After settling into our rooms, we went out for an evening jeep ride to see if we could spot some nocturnal animals (it gets dark here at 6:30).

After driving in the bush and spotting a scrub hare, a porcupine (the African ones are huge), and a bush bok, we were about to call it a night and go eat dinner when we spotted a beautiful, large male leopard walking down the road toward us. Our guide, Brian, radioed the other guide, Akim, so that their jeep could come see, too. We managed to get about 20 minutes of up-close gazing at him. He was probably relieved when we finally rolled out of there.

When we were about a quarter mile from camp, we came upon two enormous hippos in the field on our left. We didn’t hang around too long to see what they thought of us.

It’s been another full day here in Southern Africa.