Winter in the valley; Leopards everywhere; Terrific Tafika ; a photographic report from Lion Camp and Tafika in SLNP - June 2018

[Bush dog]

@madaboutcheetah

 

Hari, thanks for showing pictures of the camp.  I'm so happy to see that the owners did not succumb to the operators' pressure.  It still looks like 17 years ago.  It makes me feel younger and that is worth taking.

 

 

[madaboutcheetah]

Hi Mike, it was totally refreshing - I loved their food too .... fresh, organic and plenty of salads with no attempt to be pretentious. John and carol make the effort to be present for their guests every day ..... 

[Bush dog]

@madaboutcheetah

 

Like I said, Hari, nothing changed.  The food was already excellent.  Bryan was in those days in charge of the vegetable garden.  Perhaps he still is?  And the Coppingers were already present every day for their guests.

[madaboutcheetah]

9 minutes ago, Bush dog said:

@madaboutcheetah

 

Like I said, Hari, nothing changed.  The food was already excellent.  Bryan was in those days in charge of the vegetable garden.  Perhaps he still is?  And the Coppingers were already present every day for their guests.

 

Hi Mike,  I think many people are involved in the veggie garden that has probably gotten bigger.  Perhaps, Isaac is in charge now (the original Norman Carr trained guide - he's a legend as you'll know and has many incredible stories from the valley).  Btw - I was never a fan of papaya before this safari.  I suppose anything in Africa tastes better than at home! 

[madaboutcheetah]

More from Tafika ....... Including one special bird (an accidental sighting) when we were following alarm calls for a possible leopard sighting and went into a bend and there he was up a tree!!!  ......... Thank You Makupa! (spelling?) 

[Atravelynn]

I knew from the title it had to be you, Hari!  The impala kill inspired a lot of activity, which you were right there to observe!  PFO right out in the open.  Your guide, Makupa, had to be thrilled too.  Accidental is the thrill of the bush.  You have one lion munching on a morsel in a tree that should really be a leopard given the circumstances.  Great stuff!

[Peter Connan]

A special bird indeed! And another great leopard sighting!

[madaboutcheetah]

Couple more Iphone photos 

[offshorebirder]

Very jealous of the Pel's Fishing-Owl @madaboutcheetah!

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks a lot @Atravelynn @Peter Connan

Pure luck and coincidence @offshorebirder - we actually turned the corner hoping to find a leopard there from the alarm calls ..... not at all expecting to see a Pel's on a tree! 

 

In this segment, we go back to Lion Camp on the other side of the river ......... 

 

The Punks have to be some of the ugliest Lions seen anywhere?

A big Male Leopard doing his thing ........ 

 

PS - the Ebony Forest in the previous segment (iPhone phone) is a STUNNING area....... I think it's right round the corner from the Kaingo Camp.

 

Edited July 3, 2018 by madaboutcheetah

[madaboutcheetah]

More from Lion Camp with the fabulous Meyem behind the wheel ......... 

[madaboutcheetah]

Next segment .....  It took awhile to find some Cookson's ....... I suppose early in the season, they have enough water inland and don't have to go to the river.  They are gorgeous!!!

[madaboutcheetah]

Final segment...... Wild Dogs deserve their own Segment .......  I've read reports of prominent sightings all over the park in recent times.  I was fortunate to find a pack of 4 One afternoon and they weren't moving much after possibly feasting on impala or puku earlier in the day. 

 

Thanks a lot for following this report .......... Please give me a shout if you have any questions.

 

Final Thoughts about SLNP ....... It sure is a lovely park and I'd love to return one year during Carmine Season! but, will combine with possibly North Luangwa.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

Just gorgeous photos, Hari, really wonderful to look at. Thanks for sharing! Really makes me wonder why I haven´t made it to South Luangwa yet...

[Bush dog]

@madaboutcheetah

 

Thanks, Hari, for recalling me wonderful Tafika and you are right, the ebony forest is a magical place.

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks a lot @michael-ibk - Michael, highly recommend a visit!  A very good Wild Dog destination too I would think!

Thanks @Bush dog - Mike, FYI Remote Africa will have a second camp in North Luangwa too which will have a mix of drives/Walks according to preferences.  Mwaleshi is all walking at the moment.  They will put in some roads to make a road network for drives. Taquela(spelling) is the name? ....... What I loved about Tafika, is the use of radios only for any emergency situation for messages to camp.  No sharing of sightings on the radio and you seldom bump into any other vehicles until you get to the Hot Springs/ Salt pans areas where there is the possibility of some Robin Pope cars coming up that way from Nsefu camp.  Btw - met a lovely couple from the UK. who started going to Tafika after the closure of old the Zib camp.  

Edited July 5, 2018 by madaboutcheetah

[SafariChick]

Fabulous, wonderful stuff. Those Punks definitely are rough and a bit scary looking - wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley! So Many Leopards! The leopard kill sequence was amazing - how lucky to see that! Feel so bad that the hyena stole it though.

 

I really have to get there too, don't know why I have't yet either @michael-ibk! Just too many great destinations - tough to decide which one next each time! Loved it @madaboutcheetah, thanks for sharing!

Edited July 5, 2018 by SafariChick

[Towlersonsafari]

lovely report, and we remember going to the ebony forest and seeing Pels as well-although in the night-what was Lion camp like? @madaboutcheetah for my very old birthday in a couple of years we were wondering about luambe  park in the middle of South and North Luangwa where there is just one camp and it reads rater exciting! 

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks @SafariChick

 

@Towlersonsafari - Luambe is managed by African parks l think? 

 

Here are some photos of Lion camp. Right now, it feels like a Luxury hotel more than a safari lodge. They have breakfast at 10am daily and lunch at 2pm. However, they have high service standards and excellent guiding. Very little socialising with other guests. I had a private vehicle so came back at 10am for breakfast. Others usually came back at 9 30 am. In the wilderness of Zambia; this feels like those places in SA.  I was well looked after when I came down with a bad cold.... they were very attentive.

 

they have a gin bar if that's of interest to anyone! 

 

Overall, Meyem was an outstanding guide.

Edited July 5, 2018 by madaboutcheetah

[Towlersonsafari]

Thank you very much @madaboutcheetah i think Meyem was the guide we had at Kaingo and Mwamba for some of the time when we were last in the SLNP a 

[madaboutcheetah]

1 hour ago, Towlersonsafari said:

Thank you very much @madaboutcheetah i think Meyem was the guide we had at Kaingo and Mwamba for some of the time when we were last in the SLNP a 

Yes, indeed he mentioned so! (that he was based at the Shenton camps for many years)

Edited July 5, 2018 by madaboutcheetah

[The_Norwegian]

Quote

 

wow wow, amazing post, amazing pictures! What a paradise! I have to read more about this wonderful location! 

[Kitsafari]

Wow what a thrilling sequence of the leopard hunt/hyena steal! and so jealous of the Pel's. such a gorgeous and elusive bird. 

thanks for bringing back wonderful memories of Tafika. so pleased you loved it and the coppingers - they have done a fantastic job at tafika and community work for the local people as well. interesting bit about their new plans - sounds like a great combo to do in the future when I get myself back to SLNP. 

Lion camp looks very posh, far grander than Kaingo, and rather out of place in the remote wild bushes of the park. I still love the rustic, tiny, intimate grounds of Mwamba. 

the beautiful magical ebony grove near Kaingo  - I believe - was where Shenton Safaris' Derek Shenton got married at and I can see why he chose that place! 

I love your landscape photos of the river and its banks. 

 

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks a lot @Kitsafari and @The_Norwegian

 

Yes, Kaingo/Mwamba I'd like to try at some point.  So too North Luangwa with Tafika.

[janzin]

Great report and wonderful photos as always. Some fantastic encounters, especially the leopard/hyena!! It may be enough to convince me to give SLNP another shot  (if you recall from my trip report, we were rather disappointed in our experience there.) I think it all comes down to the camps and also ensuring that one has a private vehicle.

 

I was going to ask you about the revamped Lion Camp but I see that you did post a bit about it. It was closed for renovation at the time we were going, but I'm not sure what might have changed.