29
REGULARS
ACCOMMODATION
DIRECTORY
the water to graze, and tree-climbing lions sprawled in the branches of gnarled,
bendy fig trees. With its mix of savannah, woodland, and extensive wetlands,
the park packs in huge bird numbers, including crowned cranes, woolly-necked
and saddle-billed storks, and Goliath
herons.
Our seasonal bush camp was situated
deep in the heart of the Busanga Plains,
a marvellous wetland where we not only
walked with guides, but also headed
out on river cruises, fish eagles swooping overhead as we marvelled at the
skills of pied kingfishers zipping in and
out of the water, surfacing with fish in
their beaks. And when we went out on
drives, we were taken around in Africa’s
first electrical game-drive vehicle, the
"eLandy". Not only was it eco-friendly,
but also marvellously quiet.
IN THE KNOW
watch as waterbuck, Cookson’s wildebeest,
bushbuck, zebra and giraffe appeared in
multitudes across the plains.
Back at Puku Ridge Camp, our smart ecofriendly tented lodge at the edge of the escarpment, we lazed on the deck and stared
into the rain-soaked night. The shadows of
wild dogs scampered across the horizon
and elephants trumpeted happy choruses somewhere in the blackness. And we’d
fall asleep listen ing to deep-bellied hippo
grunts that sounded like the laughter of
drunken clowns.
Luangwe isn’t the kind of place you ever
tire of, but we wanted to see another of
Zambia’s lesser-known reserves, Kafue.
Said to be the second-biggest national park
on earth, it is vast and untamed; a raw, rugged, isolated expanse that feels like proper
wilderness, centred on the Kafue River. We
watched enormous Nile crocodiles basking
in the sun, pods of hippos trundling out of
SERVICES
GUIDE
ACCOMMODATION
GUIDE
READ
FEATURES
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO AFRICA - FOR LUXURY TRAVEL