Zimbabwe & Zambia 2013

[wilddog]

Your report goes from strength to strength @@Pennyanne. I had forgotten you were going to North Luangwa. You seem to have had some good sightings.

 

Nice to see Mawaleshi camp again (I was there several years ago). Is the open facing washroom still near the dining area? I like the look of the little terrace area at the edge of the river which is a recent addition I think.

[Sangeeta]

Addictive reading, this TR. Wow - an itinerary to die for and sightings to die for. Can't think of anything you did not see and such a perfect combo of walking & vehicles & canoe & boat - and more walking still to come!

 

I absolutely love your photos @@Pennyanne - your compositions are beautiful and you have a superb eye for light. Too many lovely photos to cite.

 

Can you tell us average temps everywhere too?

[Sangeeta]

Oops - sorry, double post.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Sangeeta

[SafariChick]

SO enjoying this report - wonderful photos and descriptions! You saw so much! I would also be interested in the average temperatures @@Pennyanne

[Atravelynn]

Cute dog behavior checking you out and cute baby kudu. Beautiful carmine bee eater flocks!

[madaboutcheetah]

Just catching up with your report, @@Pennyanne ...... WOW!!! incredible report. Thank You very much for writing this up!

[Kitsafari]

i;m coming back to your report again after a short break, and once again, your sightings are outstanding. old mondoro looks beautiful, surrounded by woodlands and fronted by a river,and that elephant in front of your tent are (#96) looks like he's dancing.

 

those wild dogs are darn cute, and how odd that the male subadult son hangs out with the mum and the cubs (which are adorable by the way).

 

it sounds really hot during the day in north luangwa - were the nights cooler? can't wait to hear about tafika and south luangwa

[Pennyanne]

 

Nice to see Mawaleshi camp again (I was there several years ago). Is the open facing washroom still near the dining area? I like the look of the little terrace area at the edge of the river which is a recent addition I think.

 

@@wilddog I don't remember any washroom near the dining area. I think they had rearranged the camp a bit.The little terrace by the river is a great place to relax during the afternoon break and seemed to always have a small breeze which was very welcome in the hot afternoon.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Pennyanne

[Pennyanne]

@@Sangeeta @@SafariChick @@Kitsafari Temperatures were usually in the mid to high 30s celcius. I think the hottest was in Mana Pools when the thermometer at Vundu Camp hit 43. However it really cooled down after that and we had to wear fleeces in the mornings for the next few days. Then the temperatures returned to to normal and afternoons could get pretty hot. The thermometer at Tafika often showed the high thirties in the afternoon but it cooled down a bit at night so we always slept well. A breeze often came up also which helped. We did not find it too hot to walk although the camps were all starting the day early to be out and about before the heat built up.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Pennyanne

[Pennyanne]

Tafika Camp, South Luangwa 4 nights Micro light flight, wild dogs, walking among buffalo

 

We had 4 nights at Tafika Camp. With six chalets Tafika is a bit larger than most of the other camps so didn’t have quite the same remote feeling but is an excellent camp with very good guides. It is located just out of the park which means they can have pet cats and dogs who greeted us at breakfast and tea times.

 

 

Open air bathroom

 

Shower

 

View from room

 

Lovebirds outside our room

 

The camp is situated on the banks of the river

 

 

The vehicles are all open and they just seat two per row. We usually walked in the morning and went for a drive late afternoon and evening arriving back at camp around 8pm. The night drives here were very productive although not many photos as my camera doesn’t do night well. Many leopards were seen every night including one that used our vehicle to hunt. When we moved she crept closer to the impala. We drove off as didn’t want to disturb the hunt.

 

 

 

We saw a hyena with three very young cubs one night. They were very curious about our vehicle and came right up to us and checked out the tires and peered up at us. Very cute to watch. Then mum decided she’d had enough and led them off. We also had an excellent lengthy viewing of a civet plus lots of sightings of genets.

We also saw this Scops owl

 

[Pennyanne]

Tafika - wild dogs

 

We had a wonderful viewing of wild dogs on our first afternoon drive. There was a large pack at the salt pan with a lot of pups that were great fun to watch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They were playing with a skull and a stick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then one pup caught a dove and that precipitated a great game of chase.

 

We watched for quite a long time and then they all moved off into an area where we couldn’t follow.

 

 

 

We carried on with our drive. Time for a sundowner. It had been another wonderful day!

 

This was to be the last sighting of wild dogs on this trip and it had been a superb one.They have become one of my favourite animals to watch as they are so active and seem to have such fun playing together.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Pennyanne

[Kitsafari]

what a fantastic way to welcome you to tafika camp - wild dogs at play and bathed in the golden late afternoon sunlight! i hope we have the same luck as you had. it looks like a great camp to be at. i hope to get your take on the microlight flight as we are thinking of doing that. i'm not sure if we need to book that in advance though.

[TonyQ]

@@Pennyanne

North Luangwa looks brilliant - you saw a lot when walking!

Great to see dogs here and at Tafika

[SafariChick]

Tafika looks great - love seeing the dogs playing - funny to think of them playing with a skull but then our domestic pet dogs play with bones too - and when they play with a stick, it's so reminiscent of our pet dogs. Great you saw so many leopards. Look forward to hearing about the microlight!

[ZaminOz]

Great TR @@Pennyanne ... Really enjoying it.

[Pennyanne]

what a fantastic way to welcome you to tafika camp - wild dogs at play and bathed in the golden late afternoon sunlight! i hope we have the same luck as you had. it looks like a great camp to be at. i hope to get your take on the microlight flight as we are thinking of doing that. i'm not sure if we need to book that in advance though.

@@Kitsafari I'm sure you will enjoy Tafika. The microlight flight is a "must do". You can arrange it when you get there, just tell them once you arrive that you want to take it. I recommend taking the first flight of the morning as the light is especially beautiful then.

[Pennyanne]

Tafika Camp, continued Micro light flight, walking among buffalo

 

Mornings at Tafika started very early with a fairly substantial buffet breakfast then we set off on a good long walk. We returned for a delicious lunch and an afternoon break and then, after tea and cake, it was off for an afternoon/night drive returning for dinner around 8 or 8:30. We also had refreshment breaks mid morning and at sundowner time so definitely did not ever feel hungry!

 

The area has many animals and we saw a lot on both the walks and drives.

 

Ground hornbills which actually let us get close enough for some good photos. They are my husband's favourite bird so he was delighted.

 

 

 

 

One morning on a walk we saw a Pel’s fishing owl sitting in a tree.It actually had a fish in its talons.

 

 

Baboon amid sausage tree flowers

 

 

 

Hippos

 

 

 

Francolin

 

 

Sleepy lions

 

 

 

There were many elephants in the area

 

 

 

 

Including this young one who took exception to our vehicle

 

 

 

Elephant roadblock

 

 

Bushbuck were always around the back of the camp

 

 

 

A carmine bee eater colony was near camp too

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2014 by Pennyanne

[Pennyanne]

Tafika Camp continued, Micro light flight, walking among buffalo

 

One of my favourite experiences of the trip was the Microlight flight at dawn out of Tafika Camp.

 

 

There was a wonderful view of the wildlife near the river: lions, hyenas, buffalo, elephants, hippo, crocs, and various antelope. There was much more wildlife around the camp than I had realized and you have such a different perspective of the area when you’re above it all. It was fascinating to see the hippo roads that led from sausage tree to sausage tree. Buffalo were everywhere and later that day we walked among them.

 

 

 

 

Walking through a herd of buffalo. The guide explained that if you just walk steadily towards them they will part and move away. He was right but it was rather unnerving to be doing this.

 

 

 

 

 

Elephants also came down to the river

 

 

 

 

Later we met some elephants in the grass

 

 

To get to the walking area we had to cross the river by canoe.

 

 

There were fishermen along the river bank camped out and smoking the fish.

 

 

 

There were also some very large crocodiles.

 

 

 

We came across many giraffe

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crowned cranes were gathering in the salt pan area

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Tafika we moved on to the Remote Africa walking camps, Chikoko and Crocodile, We walked and our luggage was carried separately for us and was waiting for us when we arrived. We'd enjoyed staying at Tafika and hope we can return one day.

Edited May 20, 2014 by Pennyanne

[michael-ibk]

Wow, walking through the buffalo herd must have been ... intense.

 

Wonderful that you are continuing this, had been looking forward to it.

[Kitsafari]

@@Pennyanne I've been so looking forward to the continuation of Tafika!

 

i'm surprised that the guide made you walk through the buffalo. no doubt they will give way, but there is always an element of unpredictability and that moment can just slide into disaster. I wonder how often is walking through the buffalo done generally here or elsewhere? in any case, I don't think I would chance it, not only for the humans' sake but also for the buffalo.

 

the pix of the crowned cranes are wonderful. they look so elegant!

 

the flight looks amazing too. a few questions, if I may, is it difficult to take pix while on the flight? is there someone flying with you?( sorry, i know that sounds like a silly question) do you fly low and how long is the flight? i'm scared of heights and i'm wondering if i can take it without the intense panicking feeling.....

[Pennyanne]

@@Pennyanne I've been so looking forward to the continuation of Tafika!

 

i'm surprised that the guide made you walk through the buffalo. no doubt they will give way, but there is always an element of unpredictability and that moment can just slide into disaster. I wonder how often is walking through the buffalo done generally here or elsewhere? in any case, I don't think I would chance it, not only for the humans' sake but also for the buffalo.

 

the pix of the crowned cranes are wonderful. they look so elegant!

 

the flight looks amazing too. a few questions, if I may, is it difficult to take pix while on the flight? is there someone flying with you?( sorry, i know that sounds like a silly question) do you fly low and how long is the flight? i'm scared of heights and i'm wondering if i can take it without the intense panicking feeling.....

 

@@Kitsafari Walking among the buffalo was actually not at all alarming. The buffalo were everywhere. There were hundreds of them but they were quite spread out. They were grazing and very relaxed and did not seem concerned about our presence. In order to walk we had to move towards some of them as they were all around us. Bryan, our guide, said that since they did not feel threatened by us they’d just move away and let us through as long as we walked steadily and calmly. No running or loud voices. And that’s what happened. They noticed us and slowly moved off a bit and watched as we walked by. We didn’t seem to disturb them and they were not at all aggressive. After we’d passed by they returned to grazing.

 

The microlight flies quite low so you can easily see the animals below. In fact when we flew over two lions, one looked up and I could see the expression on his face. He looked like he’d like to jump up and swat us. Just the same look my pet cat would get when chasing a butterfly.

 

I did not take my camera with me as the plane is completely open and I was worried I might drop it. Anyway once in the air I was too busy looking in all directions to be trying to use a camera.

 

The flight lasts about 15 minutes and it’s just you and the pilot, John Coppinger, who has been making these flights for many years. You wear a headset which allows you to talk with each other.

 

If you’re not sure about the flight I suggest you wait and watch others take it before making a decision. I did not know if I was going to take the flight but after watching others take it and talking with them I decided to go for it. And I’m so pleased I did as it is an amazing experience.

[Marks]

@@Pennyanne, this great TR has gotten me through a very slow day at work. I don't even know where to start, this must have been an incredible safari. I'd have to say my favorite moment (so far) was your "meeting" with the elephant. It's interesting how much of a difference a photo taking while walking shows to a photo from a vehicle. It's a slight perspective change but it seems to lend a picture so much more energy and immediacy.

 

Anyway, hoping to read more soon.

[Pennyanne]

Chikoko Crocodile Walking Trail – 4 nights

 

I've had a break as we've been busy getting ready for some house renovations but I am now going to finish this report!

 

We spent two nights each at Chikoko and Crocodile walking trail camps which have no roads in the immediate vicinity. You walk between the camps and your luggage is carried separately

 

A walking group: six guests, a guide, a ranger, and a tea bearer/spotter.

 

 

There is a true feeling of being out in the wilderness at these walking camps. Both camps have 3 chalets and take a maximum of 6 guests. They are rustic but very comfortable. No electricity but lanterns are provided and a hot bucket shower is provided after the afternoon walk. We liked the camp routine: a longer walk in the morning for maybe 4 or 5 hours starting quite early then a shorter @ 2 hour walk late afternoon.

 

Planning the morning walk at Chikoko

 

 

 

We had a buffet breakfast before leaving, morning tea break on the walk, lunch, afternoon break, afternoon tea and then, after the afternoon walk, sundowners, take a shower, then dinner with wine. Early to bed to hear lions and hyenas most nights although we always woke up refreshed and ready to go each day.

 

Chikoko Tree Camp has 3 tree houses

 

 

with the bedroom upstairs

 

 

and an open bathroom

 

 

 

down some quite steep stairs:

 

 

You didn’t want to imbibe too much while staying here!

 

It is on a large plain and we could sit up in our room and have a wonderful view of puku, impala, zebra, elephants, wart hog etc.

 

 

 

 

Common area at Chikoko:

 

 

You also get a lovely breeze from being up high.

 

[Pennyanne]

Chikoko Crocodile Walking Trails continued

 

 

We had a tour of the kitchen at Chikoko.

 

 

It’s amazing how superb multi course meals are prepared in such simple facilities.

 

 

Each day we also were served delicious home made bread baked in an earth oven.

 

 

 

This oven produces better bread than my fancy one at home.

 

 

From Chikoko we walked to Crocodile Camp which consists of 3 thatched huts and a common area built by a small pumped waterhole.

 

 

 

We had a large Baboon spider in our hut one night. He was being extremely aggressive. We tried to shoo him out but he stood his ground and was ready to fight. I am ashamed to say that we whacked him dead with a shoe but we were not sharing our bedroom with him as they have a very nasty bite. Unfortunately I did not get a photo as the spider was between me and my camera.

 

On walks we saw a number of carcasses of leopard kills up trees. We saw the leopard each evening as he came to drink at the waterhole in camp and one night we had a very good sighting of him. At both camps we were woken by the loud roaring of lions and we came across carcasses of animals they had killed.

 

 

We tried to track the lions but did not have any luck. It was frustrating as we saw leopard and lion kills (very smelly!) on all the walks and heard them at night so knew they were all around us. We did, however,meet up with many other animals on our walks, including 9 giraffes.

 

 

 

 

Waterbuck and baboon:

 

 

Zebra:

 

 

 

Kudu:

 

 

Elephant:

 

 

Bushbuck:

 

 

The animals are obviously used to seeing walkers and did not run off. Many would stare curiously at us particularly this fellow who was fascinated with us:

 

 

 

At Crocodile Camp I had a lovely elephant encounter, it was special as I was alone at the time...

Edited June 13, 2014 by Pennyanne

[FlyTraveler]

What and epic safari journey @@Pennyanne! I've been following your report from the very beginning (Hwange NP) and I was glad to find the current installment. Thanks for sharing your amazing safari experiences with us!