Returning from three weeks in the warm, emerald-green African bush to falling snow was an assault on the senses. We had been on a photo safari that had taken us to National Parks in Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. There were a total of twelve in our group from across the U.S. Our ten fellow travelers were interesting and interested in learning and discovery. We were fortunate to have a compatible group led by Manuel, an extremely knowledgeable, efficient, and pleasant guide. Rounding out our band of adventurers was a former-banker-turned-tour-guide by the name of Blessing, who was completing his training by observing and interacting with an actual tour group during his “ride along.” On our first night in Johannesburg, we introduced ourselves to other participants on the tour. By the time we reached Victoria Falls and met our tour leader the next day, we were beginning to get acquainted. Over the ensuing two-and-one-half weeks, the group blended very well indeed.
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| Victoria Falls Airport, as seen from the tarmac |
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| Our tour leader, Manuel (in two-tone OAT shirt) and Blessing, a new tour leader in training |
To be frank, this trip did not have the wealth of animal sightings that our previous trip to Kenya and Tanzania presented. It was not for want of trying by local guides; rather, it was because of the nature of the parks such as Kafue National Park in Zambia which covers 8,600 square miles, and the time of year we chose. We chose to go at the end of the rainy season so the undergrowth and foliage was dense, and with abundant water throughout the park, animals tended not to gather at known “watering holes.” They could readily find water and so they dispersed throughout the park. Each trip offers new experiences and on this adventure one of the many positives was the “sense of place” that we found in the safari lodge / tented camp experience. The combination of rugged game drives and indulgent pampering was an intoxicating mix.
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| The rainy season means dense growth and plenty of water |
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| Elephants on the road in Chobe National Park in Botswana |
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| Our quarters in the Baobab Lodge near Chobe National Park, Botswana |
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| Interior of the rooms at Baobab Lodge, with mosquito netting surrounding the bed |
So vast
is the African continent, and so far apart are the camps that Overseas
Adventure Travel utilizes on the Ultimate
Africa safari that twice we flew in small 6- and 10-passenger aircraft to
reach our destination. We landed on dirt
airstrips deep within the national parks.
At one airstrip in Zambia, two herds of elephants crossed the landing
strip mere minutes after our planes had taxied to a stop in front of the
one-room “terminal” building, constructed of wooden poles.
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| One of the planes that flew us to the Lufupa Tented Camp in Kafue National Park, Zambia |
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| This wooden structure sits at the end of the airstrip in Kafue National Park |
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| After landing, our pilot got two 5-gallon cans of gas from the "terminal" building and stood on the wing of his plane, adding gas for the return flight to Livingston, a 1 3/4 hour trip |
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| Minutes after we landed, a herd of elephants leisurely strolled across the dirt "runway" |
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| Breakfast was served outdoors before the morning game drive at Lufupa Tented Camp |
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| Lion tracks. We heard them roaring many nights, and found plenty of tracks, but were never able to spot a lion or a leopard |
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| The front brush guard of the Land Rovers folds up to make an ideal table to serve morning coffee and tea at a stop during a morning game drive |
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| Several days we had lunch in the bush, accompanied by Castle beer, an African lager that is really pretty good |
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| Other days, we were back in our camp for brunch. This is the open-air dining room at Wilderness Tented Camp in the Okavango Delta in Botswana |
Refreshed, you gather about 3:30 to listen to an informative history or nature talk or take part in a lively discussion of a controversial topic such as the AIDS epidemic devastating Africa or the merits and demerits of colonialism on the continent. Of course, this is accompanied by high tea. Then, you climb back aboard your Land Rover with its theater-style seating for a late afternoon drive to discover elephants, zebras, giraffes or a multitude of exotic birds. The afternoon game drive is punctuated by a “sundowner”….nothing like chilled white wine with new friends in a picturesque spot on the river bank listening to the snort of hippos as the sun sinks into the horizon and the darkness of a night devoid of any electric lights envelopes you.
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| "High tea" at Lufupa Tented Camp in Zambia. Coffee, tea, iced tea, or lemonade, sweets, and hor d'oeuvres in the afternoon before embarking on the late afternoon game drives |
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| "Sundowner" drinks in the bush included white wine in pewter wine glasses.... |
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| and stories of what we had seen that day, as the sun slipped away. |
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| The sun dips below the horizon in a blaze of glory |
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| A nearly full moon over Africa. When there is no moon, the night is totally dark, with few, if any lights other than those in the camps |
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| The chef and the waiter "announced" the dinner menu each evening. This is the open-air dining room at Lufupa Tented Camp in Zambia |
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| Dinner typically was served on white table cloths. This is the open-air dining room at Baobab Lodge near Chobe National Park in Botswana |
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| The table is set for dinner at our last camp, Kashawe Camp at Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe |
Returning
to camp you are greeted by the friendly staff handing out refreshing clothes –
cool ones when returning in the heat of the day, warm ones when returning after
dark. A sumptuous dinner awaits,
complete with delicious homemade breads and delightful “starters” such as an
incredible pumpkin soup, followed by a full buffet. That extra ten pounds put on during the winter? Yeah, we added a few more to that! After dinner, guests are escorted to their tents
by an armed guard because camps are situated in parks where fences don’t
separate humans from the natural inhabitants.
In your tent, you flip on the light and fan which are powered by
electricity generated by solar panels.
All of the camps, and, indeed, the entire Wilderness Safari company
which owns and operates them, are eco-friendly.
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| Rainy season provides plenty of water for the animals but makes the roads a little hard to navigate. We were told, though, that in the dry season, the dust from the roads can choke you. |
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| The rainy season also provides challenges for the driver/guides. In the Okavango Delta, we had two breakdowns and managed to get the vehicles stuck three times, all on the same day. Every setback was met with the comment "this is Africa", as if that explained everything. |
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| One of the Land Rovers in which we did most of our game viewing |
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| A Land Rover crosses a log bridge over a marshy area in the Okavango Delta in Botswana |
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| One of the Land Rovers in Kafue National Park, Zambia. Tsetse flies in this park bite frequently. During game drives, elephant dung is burned like incense in the bucket that hangs on the brush guard. The smoke from the burning dung keeps the flies away |
On your bed you find your laundry freshly washed and ironed. You place your laundry, except for “smalls” (underwear) in a laundry basket in your tent in the morning; by evening, it has magically reappeared, clean, ironed and folded. (Actually, far from “magic”, it is attended to by a wonderful behind-the-scenes housekeeping staff at each camp.) A hot shower (water, too, is solar heated, and remains hot long after the sun goes down) and you retire to a comfortable bed surrounded by mosquito netting, lulled to sleep by night sounds that often include hippos conversing or lions and hyenas fighting over a fresh kill. The next morning, you are awakened before sunrise and the adventure - and pampering – begins anew.
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| Our tent at Lufupa Tented Camp in Kafue National Park, Zambia, located just steps from the bank of the Kafue River. At night, hippos would leave the river and graze in the grass around the camp. We were warned to stay inside the tent at night |
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| The interior of our tent at Lufupa Tented Camp. Mosquito netting surrounds the bed. Behind the bamboo wall was the bathroom, with sink, shower and toilet  with us. The staff had named him "Jumbo" and said he visits with some regularity. |
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| A hippo in the Kafue River, seen from our pontoon boat. We saw pods of 6 to 8 hippos in the river |
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| An elephant at Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe |
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| Zebras at Okavango Delta in Botswana |
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| A Lilac Breasted Roller. This bird feeds on insects and is so colorful that the insects are actually attracted to him. This bird was photographed in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe |
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| Another view of the Land Rovers used for game viewing. They seat 11 including the driver, but most of the time we had 8 people in each vehicle |
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| A female giraffe with her calf, at Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe |
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| A Black-backed Jackal, spotted at Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Although it is the smallest of the jackals, it is the most aggressive. It is rare to see one. Yvonne spotted this jackal early one morning. |
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| Riding elephants at a private game preserve near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The handler is Benjamin and the 8-year-old elephant is named Minus |
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| Time to put away the safari hat and empty the water bottles, but Africa calls to us, and we will more than likely visit again in the future Thanks to the other members of "the cast" for a great trip: Ray and Kathy (California) Bill and Larie (California) Hilary (North Carolina) Bryan (Washington) Ray (Massachusetts) Jack and Diane (North Carolina) Linda (Nevada) Manuel (Zimbabwe) Blessing (Zimbabwe) |
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