Across The River ~ South Luangwa N.P Oct' 2017

[Geoff]

This is part Two of my 2017 safari. 5 Nights at Nsefu Camp & 2 Nights at Luangwa River Camp.  Part One Shenton Safaris Kaingo & Mwamba camps can be found here

 

At the height of the dry season the transfer between Kaingo & Nsefu camp must be amongst the shortest in all of Africa. It went something like this...

 

Walk through Kaingo camp to the office area, then down on to the river bed where I'm met by my retinue. A game scout, 2 luggage bearers and a number of other camp staff along for the stroll. Cross the sand to the water's edge, remove sandals, wade into river (the water is never more than knee deep and delightfully warm and the mud squishy under foot), up onto a sandbar and repeat two times. I'm now standing on the other side of the river.  A few goodbyes and I say hello to Julius one of the RPS guides stationed at Nsefu camp. Julius & I climb aboard the RPS vehicle. He reverses a few metres before changing into low range first and we climb a steep section of the river bank then turn right onto the river side track and follow it a few kilometres downstream and we arrive at Nsefu camp. Transfer done and dusted in approx 10 minutes.

 

Yvonne the temporary camp manager offers me a drink and shows me the camp's hide whilst my luggage is taken to my room. In the hide I survey the waterhole and some movement catches my eye. I take one look and sprint back to the dining area for my cameras. 

 

My first sighting at Nsefu Camp ~ Greater Painted Snipe.

 

Nsefu Chalet ~ Home for the next 5 nights 

The view looking upstream

Brunch area with the view looking downstream

...and a leopard

 

 

 

 

Edited August 15 by Geoff

[Hads]

That leopard looks like a bad guy @Geoff

[Kitsafari]

Nsefu! There are very few reports on Nsefu side of the river so Im very much looking forward to this, not to mentiin that your awesome pictures are already a big draw. ?

[elefromoz]

@Geoff, those upstream, downstream views are beautiful. What a great way to transfer from one Camp to another

[offshorebirder]

Looking forward to this continuing TR @Geoff.

 

But isn't the snipe a Greater Painted Snipe?

 

[xelas]

Lovely start (continuation), one bad looking leopard ... and a Greater Painted-snipe (Rostratula benghalensis). Looking forward for more!

[bluebird]

Another report from @Geoff! Yay!

[Geoff]

Ok. It's only been six and a half years since I started this trip report. Time to get it finished. As it is well and truly out of date, asking me any questions about the camp is probably a waste of time. I'll post a few images from each game drive and perhaps a few worthwhile comments if the images jog my memory. 

 

For the afternoon/night drive we headed north out of camp on a track that follows the river. At times the river bank is high with a vertical drop to the water. The drived is fairly sedate with a little bit of excitement during the night portion.

Grey Heron

 

We find part of the Nsefu pride keeping cool on the wet sand

 

Dikkop

During the night drive through the woodland we find the lions again. They are walking purposefully, obviously hunting and we follow them.

After a few minutes we turn around a large tree and there is a lioness feeding from an impala carcass. Although nothing was said, my suspicion is that a leopard made the kill and had been feeding, trying to lighten the carcass before hoisting it into the tree. The leopard seeing the approaching lions abandoned the kill. 

 

[Geoff]

The next morning I'm partnered with a couple on their first safari. As I'm a person who likes to sit at sightings and see what develops I'm not keen on the idea.

This is one of my pet peeves at safari camps. Even so they're nice people and good company so it wasn't all that bad.

Kudu

Impala in flight

Giraffe feet

Pretty lioness

At morning tea I walked close to the river bank and noticed a small nesting colony of Carmine Bee-eaters

[Geoff]

On the afternoon drive we again find lions. Two lioness are lying at the top of one bank of an almost completely dry creek bed. From their position they have a view of a small pool of water. We are parked on the opposite bank and have a view of their position and pool of water too. Soon a warthog approaches the water and one lioness begins to stalk. She is quickly spotted by the warthog and the hunt fails.

 

Later in the afternoon a radio call alerts us to a wilddog sighting. They are a long way off and we arrive as the light is fading. I take a few low light images and hope that the dogs arouse themselves but after a brief burst of greeting is all they do. The night drive back to camp was very quiet. 

 

[Geoff]

@HadsYes, that leopard had a mean disposition.

 

@offshorebirderand @xelasYes, right you are. Greater Painted Snipe.  

[mopsy]

Never too late to finish a trip report @Geoff great stuff!

 

Looking forward to the rest.

 

 

 

 

[Geoff]

The next morning my vehicle companions decided they wanted to do a walk. I didn't want to do the walk and this created a problem as some of the camp staff were on holidays and we were a guide short. I compromised and decided to stay in camp. There were two birds around the camp that I wanted to photograph.

So I spent a quiet & enjoyable morning wandering around the camp seeing what I could find. It was a qualified success.

 

Butterflies retrieving moisture from the wet ground near the hide

Giant Eagle Owl

Hammerkop

 

And the two birds I wanted to photograph.

 

Giant Kingfisher that routinely perched in this tree on the river bank

Crested Barbet. I'd heard & briefly seen this bird the previous day. It gave me the run around and I only came away with a record shot

  

[xelas]

You record shot would be my keeper shot!

[John M.]

@Geoff A lot of fine shots there, to be expected! I will follow this with great interest.

   I remember quite fondly that when we were with you and PL at Lagoon back in 2005, we spotted with some enthusiasm a Crested barbet in a tree. We had a good view, but my photos were non-keepers (though I still have sorry-looking scans on file. No idea why😒)

   

[JimS]

I'm glad you came back to finish the report Geoff. I'm sure I recall reading it among the many excellent reports I read covering South Luangwa when making decisions about this years' trip and thinking at the time that it ended abruptly.

 

Lovely photos - the giant kingfisher is a beauty, a bird I tried to photograph on many occasions and only got a 'record shot' (and true record shot, like@xelassays, your barbet's very nice)

 

 

[offshorebirder]

Cracking photos @Geoff - well worth the wait.  

 

The galloping Impala is superb and the Carmine Bee-eater peeking out of its nest hole is a fine portrait.  The stalking lioness is also choice.

Edited August 15 by offshorebirder

[Geoff]

The afternoon drive is the quietest of the trip. We saw very little and the sightings that we did have were uneventful. 

 

 

[Geoff]

Back at camp on the previous evening Sebastian had returned from some time off. He introduces himself and tells me that he will be my guide until the end of my stay.

 

On the morning drive we are less than 5 minutes from camp & I notice Sebastian is studying the ground as we drive along. At one point he stops the vehicle, gets out and walks a few paces back and forth on the road. He then looks up and surveys the scene. Returning to the truck he points at some thick vegetation circa 100 metes distant.

I love watching good guides put the pieces of the puzzle together.

 

 

Later we arrive at the rear end of a huge buffalo herd making its was to the river. It would not surprise me if there are 1000 buff in the herd. After 1.5 kilometres of driving we finally reach the head of the herd which is closing in on the river. We drive ahead and wait for them at a spot with a good overview. 

 

A small elephant herd is drinking and then continues on to the opposite river bank.

 

The buffalo finally arrive but only a small portion of the herd slakes their thirst before something spooks the herd and they return inland creating a cloud of choking dust.

 

 

Over the years I've always looked for bird photo opportunities during morning tea. Especially at often used sites, where they become used to humans in close proximity.

 

Little Bee-eaters

 

On the way back to camp, the second leopard of the morning. 

  

[JimS]

I really like the buffalo herd shot in the river, and the last leopard is adorable leaning on it's arm like that.

 

I have some great memories from being guided by Sebastian at Nkwali this year.

 

[John M.]

   I like the riverscapes a lot. The croc with the elephants is an interesting touch. 

[Geoff]

The afternoon is my vehicle companion's last before leaving the following morning. They request a trip to the hot springs/salt pan. My immediate thought is "that's a long way" but I hadn't been there since 1998 (staying at Tafika). We begin the drive by visiting the 2nd leopard we had seen in the morning. She is still on the same tree limb. The rest of the drive is as long and as hot as I thought it would be with minimal time to stop and look at things. There was very little game in the area anyway, although we did see some lions (Salt Pan pride I presume) & some buffalo. I take a few mediocre images. On the way back we did see another leopard, the third for the day.

 

 

 

   

[Geoff]

It was a noisy night and I was awake early. My last full day in camp.

Just Sebastian and myself on the morning drive and as customary we'll be joined by a Game Scout in the afternoon.

 

Within minutes of leaving camp we spot a leopard lying near a thicket. This leopardess doesn't look happy and as we get closer I can see why. There's a large wound in the middle of her forehead. She keeps looking at a nearby tree so we investigate.

There's another leopard there with a kill. This leopard snarled at us and the other leopard.

The leopard on the ground slinks off into a thicket and the treed leopard calms down and climbs up where it is mostly hidden.

We decide to come back later. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 16 by Geoff

[Geoff]

Back at the river a little way upstream from camp.

 

A small elephant herd is foraging on the river bank.

 

A short distance from the elephants lions are lazing on the sand, stared at by watchful giraffe.

As the temperature heats up the lions move to the shade.

 

This has been their modus operandi for the past 5 days, staying close to the river and remaining mostly inactive until dark. And who can blame them, its been darn hot.

Unfortunately it makes for rather boring viewing and commonplace lion images.  

 

 

 

We decide to check downstream from camp and to find a place for morning tea. As we approach our selected tea site, there is a stench.

An elephant carcass. Whilst there are a lot of vultures milling around to our surprise no hyaenas are present. 

 

Whilst having morning tea on a high section of river bank an ever watchful crocodile approaches.

 

[John M.]

   The giraffe on the riverside with the lions in the BG... I'm a sucker for that kind of image.