I recently finished a safari at Kafunta River Lodge (hosts of my Prime Luangwa safari) with German photographer Stephan Tuengler and his group from InAfrica travel. We had 9 nights at Kafunta and enjoyed the steady pace that an extended trip allowed us to take each day. We were able to sit quietly on sightings and wait for events to unfold, rather than feeling we needed to move on because time was limited. The best sightings do not happen every day on safari, so staying for a week or more is the best way to ensure that Luangwa reveals her magic during your safari.
This approach served us well, and we enjoyed several incredible sightings as well as ample opportunities with the more commonplace bush residents. I spent my week with two of the group – Peter and David – and I thoroughly enjoyed their company and helping them get the best from their safari.
So, in caption form, here is a run-down of the highlights of the tour:
This stunning sighting occured 5 minutes out of camp on the first morning. The light, setting and animal behaviour was perfect. We were lucky since elephants don’t often drink in the early morning unless they happen to be near water. This fortune set the tone for the rest of the trip!
Predators were high on the wish list for all the guests and we wanted to track down the dogs, fearing that they would soon be denning and perhaps out of reach. We were lucky to find them on our first morning though the light was bright by the time we arrived. The alpha male was showing lots of dominant behaviour, perhaps because the alpha female is very close to birthing, and perhaps because the yearlings are starting to develop adult behaviours of their own, and the male needs to assert his dominance to keep the pack together. All dogs’ efforts will be required to help rear the new litter of pups.
Probably the most memorable sighting of the trip for me – a black mamba coiled up in the low branches of a sausage tree. I spotted it as we passed the tree and we had 10 or 15 seconds to take some photos before its head disappeared into a hole in the tree. Within a few moments, the whole snake was gone! I have only seen a handful of mambas on all my safaris and this was certainly the best sighting of all.
In the afternoon of the first day, we returned to watch the dogs. They tried to hunt but failed to catch anything. The sight of them lining up as they prowled towards the feeding antelope was quite impressive.
I lined us up along a small drying channel where two saddle-billed storks were methodically fishing for barbel. They both had success, snatching and swallowing small catfish while we watched.
We found the dogs again on the second day but they were resting after feeding heavily in the morning. The light on the alpha female was incredible. She will be denning very soon, so this might be the last time we see her for a while.
On a very still morning, we enjoyed photographing this elephant and his perfect reflection in the water.Later that morning, we found a leopard and her cub feeding on an impala carcass in the bottom of a dark thicket. We weren’t able to get decent photos, but agreed to return in the afternoon, hoping that the female would drag the antelope into a tree before dark. When we returned, the cub was resting in a tree, but the mother was still on the ground. We waited for a long time, until the light was perfect for shots of the cub, with pink light creating a soft glow on the branches in front…..
…..just before dark, the female started to drag the carcass from under the bush towards a tree to protect it from hyaenas. It was a massive effort for her, and we allowed her to do so without moving the vehicle to try to take photos. Sadly she couldn’t lift it into the tree. They fed together on the ground, but very soon after we heard guinea fowl alarm calls. Suspecting a hyaena, we increased ISOs in preparation for a face off between the two predators. It turned out that the alarm calls were for another leopard who had come to challenge the female to her prize! The cub fled and the female valiantly tried to defend the carcass, repelling the male time and again! I have seen leopards fight over caracsses before, but this went on much longer that I’ve ever seen; I think she knew she had to retain the meat for her cub. After several minutes of intermittent combat – where they often locked claws and tumbled over and over in the grass, snarling and biting, the male dominated and the female slunk off. She didn’t go far and every time she thought of approaching, the male snarled menacingly. It was a superb sighting and one that I will not quickly forget!
Wondering how we would top that, we took the following day to enjoy whatever came along, and spent time with giraffes, zebras and baboons. We worked on motion blur shots in the late afternoon and enjoyed an hour with a troop of baboons as they fed in the branches of a tamarind tree.
Using a shutter speed of around 1/50sec is a suitable starting point for most motion blur shots.
One afternoon, we took an evening drive to the central area of the park, to see some different habitats and perhaps catch up with the wild dogs. These elephants gave us a great floodplain crossing for a wider, animalscape shot.
…and in the night, we caught up with Ginger, the golden lion of South Luangwa, and spent some time side lighting him with another vehicle’s light.
I found this giant eagle owl in a tree during the morning drive. I tried a close shot, but the light wasn’t good, so I noticed the composition of the tree branches around it and decided to zoom out and include them in the shot. The result is much more pleasing I think.
The group were eager for leopard sightings and we’d had at least one each day (!) but not always in the best positions for photos. One day this changed, and we had this stunning male in the morning….
….and this superb male in a tree in the afternoon! A good day for leopards and a good day for photographers!
Coming towards the end of the trip, I was spending more time coaching my guests on making beautiful shots out of ordinary sightings. This is the key to a successful photo safari. One of the best opportunities that we had was with this impala who stood elegantly under this tree. To most people, it was an impala in the shade, but we could see the opportunities in the situation, by looking at the shapes and textures of the scene and then executing well with careful use of exposure compensation. It is probably my favourite photo from the trip.
On our way back to camp on the final morning, we spotted a group of impalas crossing the road. As we approached, those towards the back of the group ran to catch the rest, giving us a series of panning blur opportunities. As this impala jumped, I tracked the movement and got a shot that I am really happy with!
It was great to spend time with this group and I hope perhaps to guide some of them on repeat trips to the Luangwa with Stephan. Thank you to Kafunta River Lodge for giving us a great time in camp, as always. I look forward to seeing you in August and again in October.
