Two new guests, David & Cindy, joined two repeat guests, Paul and Debbie, for a late-dry-season safari in the South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi National Parks. When I was selecting the images for this write-up, I had to remind myself that this was just a 9-night tour….it’s extraordinary what we saw in that time. Such is the richness of these two wildlife areas, and the quality of experience on offer at Lion Camp and Anabezi Camp.
It is also worth noting that we got up and left camp very early each day, to catch up with predators before they settled for the day, and enjoy the coolest parts of the sunrise hours. As always, thank you to the camps for providing us with tea, coffee and nibbles at this early time; it makes a dramatic difference to the quality of the experience. Thank you to David, Cindy, Paul and Debbie for committing everything to the trip, rising early, putting up with the warm days and the bumpy roads and being great travel companions.
As before, here follows a visual record of the tour, but you can also see daily updates from the safari on my Instagram highlights – follow the link here.
I feel that when the first sighting after leaving camp on day 1 is a kudu ram with one of his harem, it is an indication that the safari will be a great one! These two stood regally at the top of a small rise and observed us all as we chatted cameras, focus, and compositions.
And not long later, we found the Hollywood Pride’s two litters of cubs with one mother guarding them. They little ones played….
…non stop…..
…until the light forced us to go home!
The light was superb throughout this trip; this part of the dry season usually gives us hot, sunny days, with a layer of haze which keeps the light from becoming too harsh… It’s perfect for waterbirds….
…and for scenic photos along the edges of the lagoons.
Unexpectedly, we came across 4 wild dogs which had chased and killed a puku out on the bank of the river, close to the water. They fed nervously, hoping that no other predators would spot them, so visible as they were out on the sand. When they returned to the bank, we were ready for their arrival.
That evening, we went in search of the lions again. They were resting in a beautiful spot, with their front legs over a small rise, with a dark shadow behind their heads. Being raised off the ground with a clear background makes for lovely portraits.
As the sun dropped lower, I advised the group that I was going to drive very slowly and quietly into a spot below the lions. They are completely unfazed by vehicles, but out of respect, I asked the guests to get their cameras into position before I drove in so that only minimal movement was needed when we arrived. As you see, the lions barely looked as us, preferring to keep watching zebras in the distance.
In the last light of evening, the pride came back together…but some were on one side of the small channel and others across….
Some jumped successfully…..
…and some splashed through!
Sunrise in the dusty late-dry season has a beautiful orange colour.
Playing with patterns.
The rest of the Hollywoods had been noisy, but not visible so far. We were happy to catch up with them on the river bank one morning. They’d eaten in the night, and the cubs were not with them, so there were brief moments of action in between a lot of sleeping!
During one such period of sleeping, we went to a nearby pond to shoot some other subjects!
The lions had been amazing and we’d spent a lot of time with them to the exclusion of the leopards of the area. We went in search of one of Kuita’s daughters near the ebony grove and found her, panting, in a tall tree. It was hot that afternoon.
She wasn’t going anywhere so we went off and planned to return later….taking in some panning shots along the way….
…and animalscapes in the ebony forest.
We returned to find her in another tree, but one where we could get behind and wait for a silhouette. She made us wait, but it worked out nicely in the end!! Very low light, 1/20sec, f5.6, ISO 6400….
We all saw the value of this scene as we came round the corner one morning near Fish Eagle lagoon. Often shots of elephants drinking are taken in harsh light in the middle of the day, so this was a welcome change.
Superb late evening light in the ebony forest with a fluffy subject who stands out so well!
Sundown elephant….
…and sunset people!
We had a short morning on our last day in South Luangwa, so we headed to the Carmine bee-eater colony…on route, we had to take in this superb bull in the rich orange of first light.
The carmines were wonderful, with lots of battling and competing over nesting holes which makes for amazing photos.
And that was it for South Luangwa; we knew we had been very fortunate with the lions, but had seen fewer leopard than “normal”. I had big hopes for Lower Zambezi and wondered what Nature would bring us…. On arrival at the airstrip, our guide Mwila told us that the Jeki Pack of wild dogs had been spotted nearby. We were able to find them quite quickly and enjoyed a happy half hour as they relaxed with the puppies in the shade near the airstrip.
Heading to camp the beautiful scenery of Jeki Plains, with warthogs going home and elephants heading to the river.
We were out early the next day and, in the early morning glow, we could see a Martial Eagle sitting low down on a fallen tree. I love these majestic birds so I asked Mwila to approach very slowly….
…we needn’t have worried; we were able to get very close and enjoy the ability to shift slightly in our seats to change the colour of the background. A rare privilege indeed.
Nearby alarm calls dragged me away from the eagle (I could have stayed all day!) and we quickly found Scar on a large fallen Winterthorn tree. The open nature of the Lower Zambezi makes for unreal sightings of these cats, with nothing to interrupt the scene.
After two massive headline sightings in one morning, the light was already getting strong, so we tried black and white compositions in the forest; I talked about the need to keep the shape of the subject nice and clear. See how the horns of this waterbuck are lost in the tree above, significantly impacting the strength of the shot.
Later that morning, a screaming squirrel and a clucking spur fowl led me to believe that one of the leopards was around. We sat and listened, waiting for a sign; then it came, the explosive blast of tawny-flanked prinias that have been disturbed from their roost. We drove around to the spot, in time to see Lady emerging from the long grass.
She hopped into a tree but it was a tricky view so we left her to rest.
We took the boat out in the afternoon; it was scenic as always, and one of the highlights was this Fish Eagle taking off from the shallow water.
We were a little unlucky with the elephant sightings, seeing only one family on an island, and none crossing the water. Such is nature and it’s rare for us to run out of luck!
There’s always time for sunsets!
Bulls in the early morning….
…and while we were listening, Crested Guineafowl started to call loudly; they led us to a small python which they were escorting into a small bush! The power of listening!
Sadly the water level was dropping fast in the Zambezi due to repair works on the dam wall at Kariba so we couldn’t go on the river as planned…but we were able to enjoy a beautiful sighting of elephants on the island next to camp….
…and crossing towards the main land.
Sunset elephants in the forests…
…and buffalo with a hazy orange glow.
I loved the detail added by the Cattle Egrets circling above the herd.
Same time of day, but opposite light angle gives us a very contrasting view.
Back in camp, I heard the ‘tuk-tuk-tuk’ winter call of a Yellow-spotted Nicator, which is usually very skulky, but was sitting out on a low branch!
White-crested helmet shrikes were foraging for insects in the leadwoods trees close to the dining tables.
Our last day; what would Lower Zambezi bring? Firstly superb light in the early morning…..
…and a panning blur shot of an elephant herd. Look how the lead elephant’s leg is blurred into invisibility!
Our final evening; we had left a male leopard sleeping on the ground when we drove out from camp. He wasn’t doing much so we planned to return when he might be moving. As we got back, I spotted him perched on a small, thin snag being harassed by baboons!!! What an incredible event to watch.
Baboons, particularly Chacma baboons, are often dominant to leopards, and especially during daylight hours in an open environment where they can coordinate their attack on a leopard. These males were brave enough to keep the leopard at bay, but not foolish enough to pursue him up the tree where they would have received terrible injuries from his lethally rapid paw swipes.
Heading to the airport on the final day, in very overcast weather, our elephant bonanza continued, with great views of them feeding, playing, dusting and parading through all varieties of forest type.
I particularly love the area of forest where the winterthorn trees are small, tightly bunched and in fresh leaf. I was very happy to have this as my final image in the portfolio for this tour.
And with that, an action-packed 9 days of safari in the South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi came to an end. It was a pleasure to see Debbie and Paul again, and to get to know Cindy and David. I hope to see you all again another time.
Thank you to Lion Camp and Anabezi for amazing hosting, a warm welcome and for going out of the way to meet every need that we had. It made for a spectacular trip and I’m grateful, from me and my guests, for all the hospitality. I will be running similar itineraries in 2024 and 2025. Get in touch soon as the 2024 season is almost full.
