After we landed in Lusaka from Mfuwe, we had a couple of hours to reflect on our South Luangwa trip. Over a small lunch, of which none of us were brave enough to try the chicken muffin, we chatted about what we’d just experienced. Luckily we were the only people on our small flight to Jeki Airstrip in South Luangwa and so we managed to get away a little earlier, all be it only ten minutes. The twenty five minute hop over the escarpment was nice and easy before we dropped down to the airstrip and our next adventure began with Chiawa Safaris.
Old Mondoro
We landed on Jeki Airstrip and the heat slapped us in the face! It was incredibly hot, but were very happy when Pam informed us that this was the hottest part of the reserve and things would only be getting cooler. She was quite right and as soon as we dropped down into the shaded Winter Thorn forests, we could feel the temperature drop as well. Arriving at Old Mondoro camp, we were greeted by the staff choir who welcomed us before we enjoyed a quick high tea overlooking the Lower Zambezi. With two of the ladies being lactose intolerant, it was great to see how nicely all the lodges had catered for them.
We were shown to our rooms and had a few minutes to explore before heading out on afternoon drive. The rooms were nicely spread apart and either you were treated to a view of the river itself, or a side lagoon that joined the river. With all the Winter Thorns in the camp, there was constant elephant movement and so you had to be picked up and dropped off at your rooms by vehicle. A quick look around the room showed that it was very simple, but beautiful, with everything you needed inside. The bath and shower were outside and you couldn’t ask for a better view whilst bathing.
The first afternoon we hit an absolute luck as the wild dogs had made their way back into the are with their puppies. We spent the whole afternoon watching the pack as they moved through the forests looking for things to hunt. Unfortunately they didn’t come right, but we did get to watch some great interactions with both elephants and a warthog sow and her youngsters. Lucky for the warthogs they were close to their burrows and ran through the dogs before they knew what was going on and went down their holes. On the way back to camp we were treated to numerous sightings of genets and then just outside of camp a honey badger and her cub. After a quick stop out our rooms, we enjoyed a dinner under the stars, enjoying the local tilapia as a main. Whilst we were having dinner there was a commotion between lions and hyenas and we knew exactly where we would be heading first thing in the morning.
After a greats night rest after our travels the day before, a strong coffee and breakfast was very welcoming around the morning fire. We headed out just after this and it didn’t take us long to find the two big dominant male lions of the area and their buffalo kill. The hyenas had all been chased off and the males had gorged themselves and were ready for their morning snooze. From there we headed into the Winter Thorn forest, for which the area is famous for. The light was incredible, with rays of sun coming through and lighting up the herds of elephants and buffalo that worked underneath them, feeding on the pods. Just before we stopped for coffee along the river, we bumped into a beautiful young female leopard who was settling down for the day. She too was feeling the morning heat and we knew we were in for a hot one.
We got back to camp, packed up and after a hearty brunch, we started saying our goodbyes to the team. It was like the elephants didn’t want us to leave though and the entire main area was surrounded by bulls. After a bit of patience and an extra beer, we finally got on our boat and enjoyed the hour transfer up river to our next destination, Chiawa Camp.
Chiawa Camp
Walking into Chiawa Camp, we immediately felt at home. We were greeted by the manager Chris, a long time friend of Pam, and our guide Chris, both fantastic gentleman. After a quick brief of the camp, we were shown to our rooms. The rooms themselves were very spacious and with a hammock and small plunge pool on the balcony, we were in paradise. Dan and I were warned early on that an elephant bull would often come and reach for Winter Thorn pods off of our roof and wake up the guests. We were both excited for it to happen, but unfortunately we were not so lucky. There however was constant animal movement around our room and the first night we even had lions just outside.
High tea was great again and we enjoyed the views of the river before heading out on our first drive to explore. Not far out of camp, three large male lions were resting in the shade, full bellied after a meal from the morning. There were elephants everywhere and after spending some more time with them and some great birding, we found the local pride. The pride was resting up with in a dry riverbed and we sat with them as we watched the sun disappear over the escarpment. Just as we were about to leave them, the lionesses started showing some interest in something we couldn’t see. They all got in top stalk mode and things looked to be getting serious as the three lionesses fanned out. The next thing, two old buffalo bulls broke out of the thicket and charged at the lionesses, chasing them in all directions. Just when we thought things couldn’t get any better, we bumped into a beautiful leopard quenching her thirst on the way back to camp. What a start!
The next day we started off with another great bush walk. Chris was very informative and our two hour walk felt like 20 minutes. On return to the camp, we were surprised with a magnificent lunch on the barge. We floated along and just took it all in, spoilt with a bottle of champagne. The rest of the day was spent at the pool, enjoying our last full day at this beautiful camp. An afternoon boat cruise was in order as we took in our last Zambian sunset for a while. We all laughed and joked and took in one another’s company as we knew we would be going in separate directions the following day. Another surprise awaited us though and just when we thought we were heading towards dinner at the lodge, we were whisked off to a bush dinner under the stars.
Thank you
A quick thank you to Classic Portfolio for organising a magic trip. It was so good to be back in Zambia and to see how things had come along here. The lodges were all great and I really am looking forward to bringing some special people back to these special places. Pam our leader was the best and it was amazing how five random people, went from stranger, to friends, to family! Takes a special safari to do that.
