LOWER ZAMBEZI JUNE 2021

[marirangwe]

[AfricIan]

Thanks for posting @marirangwe, some great sightings & photos up to now and I'm looking forward to more, especially as we're booked for LZ in June next year 

[marirangwe]

On arrival at Anabezi John my guide and I sat down with the camp manager who wanted to know what my preferences and expectations were in regards activities. I wanted to do some fishing and spend time on the river photographing the bird life in addition to the game drives. Personally I am not a fan of the night drives, since my night vision is not good and (again purely a personal preference) I would rather be back in camp in lots of time for a second whisky or two on ice before dinner, as opposed to bouncing around the bush in the dark. I let John know this, and so after the sundown drink we always headed straight back to camp after the game drive in the evening. The camp staff were awesome and I remain most appreciative of the service and treatment I received from all of them.

Since I was booked in for a relatively long stay of 12 nights, one of the junior camp managers teased that she would have to give me a uniform and put me to work since i'd be like one of the family before I left.

Anabezi is quite spread out along the river bank. There are twelve very spacious tents in total. Six on either side of the main deck, reception and dining area. A second smaller deck sits over the seasonal Mushika River, after the last tent to the East of the main area (down river). Both decks have a swimming pool, in addition to the private plunge pools on the deck of your tent. On one morning when I opted out of the game drive I spent most of the morning on the smaller and quiter deck over looking the Mushika River where i watched elephant, buffalo, water buck, impala, wart hog and baboon along with the bird life.

I look forward to posting more photographs in a few days, time permitting.

[Atdahl]

Excellent start @marirangwe

 

I look forward to seeing more great pictures.  The Africa itch needs to be scratched...

 

Alan

[marirangwe]

I must confess that as much as I enjoy reading the day to day trip reports which are more intimate, its frankly more work than I'm inclined to put in. I will however attempt to post, or keep posts, in rough sequence.

I was introduced to the local lion pride even before arriving at Anabezi. That is to say we stopped to view them on my transfer between Old Mondoro and Anabezi. Anabezi is only about 15 minutes down river (East) of Old Mondoro.

The pride consists of three or four females and youngsters led by the pride males. I only saw one pride male during my stay. When I asked John (who informed me that the pride was led by a coalition of three males) if the other two pride males were on territorial duty he answered yes. I dont seem to have any photographs of the pride members together, but any photographs that follow are of the local lion pride around Anabezi/Mondoro and the dominant male that was present while I was there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[marirangwe]

[marirangwe]

[marirangwe]

On subsequent days we found the pride youngsters playing in the reed beds along side one of the dambos. And on another day one of the adult females resting her head on a log.

 

 

 

 

[marirangwe]

[marirangwe]

We did not see the pride every day, and I never saw them on a kill. However they must have eaten during the days I was there because they appeared to be a happy and contented family.

I often heard them calling during the night in the distance, from my tent. Or was it the missing pride males I heard? 

 

[marirangwe]

Some miscellaneous edited and not.

 

 

 

[marirangwe]

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[marirangwe]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AfricIan]

19 hours ago, marirangwe said:

I must confess that as much as I enjoy reading the day to day trip reports which are more intimate, its frankly more work than I'm inclined to put in. I will however attempt to post, or keep posts, in rough sequence.

 

Fortunately there is no defined format for a trip report and everyone has their own "style" - all are welcome with open arms , especially in these constrained times 

[marirangwe]

I alternated activities between game drives and spending time on the river. If we were on the water in the afternoon, and not fishing, then John or the Boatman would motor upriver and we would drift on the current, watching the sunset over the escarpment, and arriving back at camp just after dark. I remember previous trips on the Zambezi during the very hot summer months, and the experience of the cooling breeze and the smell of the river itself coming off the water just before the sun set. A wonderful sensation. Not so much during the winter months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[marirangwe]

[marirangwe]

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[marirangwe]

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[marirangwe]