Travel EXPERIENCE
Where to Stay
•Kasanka has two
permanent lodges. Of these,
Wasa is best suited for visits
to the Fibwe hide. For more
information and booking
details.
Visit www.kasanka.com.
•In South Luangwa, stay
at Puku Ridge Camp, run by
Sanctuary Retreats.
www.sanctuaryretreats.com
•In Kafue, Mukambi Plains
Camp operates seasonally,
and shuts at the end of this
month, reopening only in July.
Mukambi Lodge, however, is
open a the year.
www.mukambi.com
•Liuwa should have its first
luxury lodge by late 2015,
along with a direct helicopter
service, managed by Norman
Carr Safaris.
www.normancarrsafaris.com
There were more birds and lots more predators at South
Luangwa National Park, not too far from Kasanka. We were
particularly interested in exploring the park on foot, so joined
knowledgeable armed guides for daily walking safaris along
the riverbanks, through groves of cathedral ebony trees, and
around watery dambos plugged with Nile cabbage. It was a
chance to get lost in the unfolding drama of animals responding to rising water levels, which altered the twisting-turning
course of the life-bringing Luangwa River.
The earth seemed insatiable, gobbling up the rains, transforming the park into a glistening patchwork of tributaries
and lagoons, interspersed between the lush Mopani forests.
There was animal activity everywhere, the rain bringing a palpable ease, signalling a time of abundance.
On calm, steady, unrushed walks, we stopped to watch elephants – mixed herds of ancient matriarchs and curious
youngsters – crossing the river in single file, pausing to play
and fiddle and drink along the way. Crocodiles basked on river banks and, poking from the water’s surface, twitching ears
and pairs of eyes and wet nostrils were often the only sign
that submerged hippos were wallowing contentedly below.
As the day’s heat simmered after late-afternoon downpours,
we’d listen to the shrill whistles of gold-coloured puku and
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