Zambian multiple entry visas in hand, Chris and I headed from Lilongwe, Malawi to South Luangwa National park in Zambia. Several people have recommended South Luangwa as one of the premier wildlife parks in Africa. It has amazing wildlife density and one of the highest leopard populations of any park in Africa. South Luangwa also offers cheaper accommodation options than the Serengeti, so Chris and I opted to splurge on a private safari chalet at one of the lodges.
The park was fantastic. We saw giraffes, zebras, bushbucks, buffalos, fish eagles, hippos, crocodiles, baboons, monkeys, a leopard and TONS (and I do mean TONS) of lions. One of the highlights was watching a group of lions play around with a canoe on the side of the Luangwa River. They were clearly perplexed by the canoe, and it was hilarious watching them all try to stand in the canoe.
We also did several night drives, which were really interesting. The big predators are less active during the daytime, so it’s cool to see how the animal behavior completely changes after dark. All of the small grazing animals stand at attention looking for predators, hippos come out of the water to eat, hyenas start howling to one another, lions go on the prowl, etc. We even saw two lions try, unsuccessfully, to take down a grazing hippo.
South Luangwa is the birthplace of the “walking safari”. It’s one of the few parks where you can go out with a guide and an armed guard to walk through the park. While we were in the park, we decided to do a walking safari, and it was a fantastic experience. Most of the animals are afraid of humans, so we didn’t have any close encounters with big game during the walking safari, but it was a great opportunity to take in the sights, smells and sounds of the park that you miss from inside the safari truck. I really enjoyed searching the ground for animal tracks. On safari, you don’t always see the small/nocturnal/reclusive animals, but the quantity and diversity of animal tracks are a testament to how the park is truly teeming with life.
Our South Luangwa safari was a really different experience than our Serengeti budget camping safari. I can’t say that I liked one over the other, but each had its unique benefits. One of the best aspects of South Luangwa was our accommodation. We were staying in a raised safari chalet that overlooked a grassy field and watering hole. In the morning and evening, baboons, bushbucks, guinea fowl, and occasionally elephants, would come graze in front of our chalet. At night, we could hear the hippos grunting and foraging for food just outside our door. It was like having Animal Planet right on our doorstep! I would have been a little scared, but we had a guard who would walk with us at night between the lodge restaurant and our chalet to make sure that we didn’t accidentally stumble upon a grazing hippo or an elephant with her calf (both of which would be BAD situations).
Our Zambian safari was a great success. The more time I spend in the African bush, the more I fall in love with its beautiful, rustic, untamed character.
-Julia
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| From 08-04-10 Zambia and South Luangwa Web |
Entrance to the park
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| From 08-04-10 Zambia and South Luangwa Web |
Safari truck gets stuck, everyone pushes, I document the moment. :-)
