Walking Safaris in North Luangwa
There are only three camps in North Luangwa National Park, which is a huge area. This makes it ideal for those who want to get off the tourist trail and find somewhere remote and exclusive. Kutandala Camp is a wonderful semi-permanent jungle camp on the banks of the Mwaleshi River. It is managed by the owner and hosts a maximum of just six people. Every rainy season, the site is swept away by floods and is rebuilt from scratch for each new season, from June 1 to October 31. Kutandala’s owners are Rod and Guz Tether, a laid-back, welcoming yet dynamic duo. In addition to vehicle-based game drives, they also offer walking safaris, where you walk in silence and keep voices to a quiet whisper to get closer to the game. Rod wowed us with his knowledge of birding and wildlife. Guz is an excellent hostess, famous throughout the country for her cooking. The youngest members of the Kutandala team are the two little boys from Tethers who enchanted us with their amazingly realistic animal imitations. North Luangwa is also an important refuge for the relocated black rhino, with a 77km-long fence protecting 15 of these endangered animals.
South Luangwa National Park
South Luangwa is where the walking safari got its start and has a series of small rustic camps in the heart of the park. From here, in addition to vehicle-based game drives, you can venture out on foot with a guide and armed ranger. I stayed with Robin Pope Safaris and went fly camping, which involves spending a night (or two) in a simple but comfortable campsite, pitched before you arrive and stripped down afterwards. The camp moves daily and is always in a spectacularly beautiful remote location. The walk between the camps was fascinating; being so close to the game without the security of being in a vehicle was exhilarating. We saw a large herd of buffalo, 60 or more from very close, and the good thing was that we didn’t cause them any alarm, but we did get to see them interact. At the same time, I was relieved to have an armed National Parks Authority ranger nearby. The camp is a simple A-frame safari tent with a mattress. There is a separate long toilet and shower tent within walking distance of your own tent. It was a wonderful experience after our day of hiking to arrive at camp and find a hot shower waiting before a night by the campfire under the stars. After a hearty breakfast, the entire camp was disarmed, packed, and moved. The team prides itself on taking great care not to leave any trails that damage bushes or wildlife once the camp has been packed up.
Our guide was Debs Tittle, one of Zambia’s most experienced walking guides, who was especially adept at highlighting the less obvious things (insects, plants, trees, etc.) that are often overlooked in favor of the big stuff. . The walk was smooth and the group size was kept to a maximum of four.
Canoeing on the Zambezi River
Canoeing down a quiet, calm and peaceful river is a beautiful and intimate way to discover Africa’s game. On an afternoon exploring the backwaters and waterways of the Zambezi, I saw a variety of exquisitely colored bee-eaters, kingfishers, egrets, herons and African jacanas. We paddled close to the hippos as they stared at us with glowing eyes, saw an old bull buffalo swim past, and had to wait while a herd of over fifty elephants crossed the river, frolicking in the water completely oblivious to our silent presence. You don’t need to worry about his canoeing skills as the guide does all the hard work and knows where to go and more importantly where to avoid.
Shiwa House
In northern Zambia, Sir Stewart Gore-Brown’s famous mansion has recently been restored by his grandson and is a very exciting addition to the Zambian itinerary, with the opportunity to combine game viewing with a cultural experience. Recently portrayed in Christina Lamb’s book ‘The Africa House,’ the Shiwa House epitomizes the boundless optimism of the colonial settlers of the 1920s. Typically, guests stay three nights among the original furnishings of worn antiques, works of art and trophy heads, with activities including guided walks, horseback riding and boating on the lake where crocodiles are said to have eaten David Livingstone’s dog.
[http://www.aardvarksafaris.com/articles-zambia-revisited]