As with so many of my 2022 trips, my safari with Alex, Jean and Steve was postponed from 2020. By the time we met at Track & Trail River Camp in early June 2022, we had traded so many emails that it felt like we knew each other pretty well already! Over lunch on the first day, we talked about cameras, safaris, wildlife and how we could get the best from the trip; it was clear from their attitude and approach that we were going to have a great time, and I was sure that Nature would reward that!
The central area of the park around Track & Trail is one of the most game rich in the Luangwa so spending a week in this part of the National Park was always going to bring good results. It’s also the busiest area but, over the course of the week, I knew that we would enjoy many sightings to ourselves where we could prioritise positioning of the vehicle for the best photos.
So, after a discussion about camera settings, getting everyone prepared for the trip, we started our first afternoon safari in search of great sightings, good light and memorable encounters. As always, here follows a selection of images and captions to illustrate the tour. I hope you enjoy…and remember that you can always find me daily safari diary in the stories highlights section on my Instagram page.
On the first afternoon of a photo safari, I usually choose subjects that allow us to practice the essential skills that we will use again and again during the trip; adjusting ISO and SS for correct exposures, assessing exposure and making changes using the over- and under-exposure dial, selecting auto-focus modes for different circumstance and ensuring that each guest has support for their camera so that they can rest it when needed. These bee-eaters were fast moving, backlit and against a dark background giving us a chance to chat about several of these topics.
As the light fell, I drove in to a floodplain and immediately spotted a puku who was on high alert. He appeared to be looking at a small drainage gully so I drove towards it. While we were still 300m away, a young leopard burst out of the ditch and lunged at the antelope. He easily escaped, leaving the leopard looking irritated!
He dropped back into the gully but seemed intent to continue hunting despite the alarm calls from the puku. He is a youngster who has become independent early because his mother has another cub and he seems not to have mastered the subtleties of hunting quite yet.
The following morning we set out early having heard lions calling in the night. We were distracted by this stunning fishing party.
The reflection of the treeline in the water makes the surface of the water very dark, accentuating the pink hue on the stork’s feathers. An underexposure of -1 is needed to prevent the whites clipping.
Late in the morning, we found a lioness hunting along a shallow channel. She was soon spotted but turned her attention to antelope on our side of the gully. We stayed with her but she was not successful and soon settled down!Over the next couple of days, we played with a variety of subjects and techniques taking advantage of the changing light and the skills that we’d shared on the first day.
A very cloudy and overcast afternoon was perfect for photographing the hippos in a small pond close to the main gate. The soft light is better for such scenes as the contrast is lower.
Early morning light on this hyaena was beautiful both with the light behind us…..
….and behind him as he crossed a dry channel.
The guests all loved photographing colourful birds so we spent time with bee-eaters…
…hornbills….
…and Lillian’s lovebirds.
Late on our second evening we had seen a pack of wild dogs feeding on a puku. We’d missed the kill by a few minutes and it was quite dark when we found them. On our 3rd day we went looking for them near where they are denning. Once again they didn’t appear until it was almost dark, so we switched to panning mode and captured shots of the dogs on the move.
A cold and quiet morning, with no predator action, gave us time to sit with baboons and zebras. They are both always entertaining! This one clearly thinks he’s Michael Jackson.
Entering the park early one cold morning, we met a male and female lion on the road. They were moving fast long before sunrise so photos were hard but we found the rest of the pride later in the morning when the light was better.
Superb light in the afternoons…..
…and in the early mornings on our all-day safari to the northern part of the park.
A puku alarm led me to believe that there was a predator nearby, but we never managed to find it…but we got a great shot of the antelope from the gully.
As we headed north, we entered the dry areas where kudu are more prevalent. This male was not willing to co-operate so we made the best of it when he paused behind a large tree.
When we stopped for coffee break, we were visited by a herd of elephants; they headed right towards us initially and we stood very still as they past very close!
Later that afternoon, I took an inland road to check on an area where I had seen two young leopard cubs the previous week. Their mother had not been seen previously and we were worried if the cubs were OK. With a bit of luck, we came across the cubs right by the road!
We spent the rest of the afternoon with them, no other vehicle in sight for almost all the time, until the light had completely gone.
They were initially sleepy but then started to move, play, climb and interact. It was a wonderful 3 hours. One leopard cub is great, but 2 together is 10 times better!
Finally, we got both in one shot!
Sundowners with guests after an amazing day.We’d had a fantastic all day safari the previous day, and I really wondered what our penultimate morning could give us that would top 2 leopard cubs. I should have known that Luangwa had something special in store. We met the Manzi wild dog pack at 06.10 as they broke through the thickets and emerged into a floodplain area looking keen to hunt. There is almost nothing more exciting than finding hunting dogs so early in the morning.
There was a period of around 10 minutes of chasing and pursuit before I noticed that the dogs were all heading towards the river. On the beach, a couple of the dogs had caught a puku and were already feeding. The rest soon joined in the frenzy.
The yearlings fed first, as is always the case in wild dogs’ society, and once they had filled their bellies, they played while the adults finished off the carcass.
They moved all round our vehicle at one point, giving us great close ups.
Once they moved off from their feeding, we rushed around to get to the area of the their den site before they did so we could watch as they played in the open before returning to feed the alpha female and the two dogs which stayed with her.
We got lucky! Their play was great to watch and they did it out in the open rather than deep in the thickets!
Nearby 3 young giraffes watched the commotion. Once the dogs disappeared into the thickets, we spent time with the youngsters who were repeatedly greeted by the females.The afternoon session was a quiet one as we tried a new area which had only just been opened up by the road grading team. However, my mind was moving ahead to the following morning which was our last safari. How could we finish on a memorable note when we had seen so much already?
I decided to visit my favourite area in the central part of the park and try our luck. As I scanned the grassland pre-sunrise I could tell that there was a predator around. The antelope were tense, though they didn’t appear to know exactly which way to direct their stares. After watching for a few moments, I decided where we needed to go and found this scene unfolding in front of us!
As we approached, the leopard was coming down the gully towards us, using the sound of our vehicle to cover her own movements. She coiled up like a spring and waited for her moment…
….without warning and much faster than we could track with our cameras, she launched out of the gully and caught an airborne goose about 3 meters off the ground! Incredible moment to end the week and not one we will ever forget. She fed and then disappeared into the thickets carrying the remaining carcass to offer to her cub.
There was nothing left to do but celebrate the amazing sighting that we had enjoyed, take shots of anything in great light and then have a final coffee break on the river bank!What a wonderful week we had. Superb sightings, great light and so much fun and laughter to go with it. Thank you to Steve, Jean and Alex for being fun, cheerful and so engaged in everything throughout the week. I so enjoyed your company. Thanks to all my readers for getting right to the end!
