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Life in the Bush: Nyika Plateau National Park

Nyika National Park is just 250kms from the northern boundary of the South Luangwa National Park. But its position on the edge of the rift valley and its elevation (most of the plateau is above 2,200m) means that it's hard to believe they are on the same continent. The few similarities include the presence of zebra and roan antelope grazing the plains, but there the comparisons end. The route up to the plateau follows the road [...]

Trip Report: Bespoke Pan Luangwa | Chindeni, Kaingo & Nsefu Camps | Oct 2023

October is always considered to be the peak safari month in South Luangwa. It's hot, dry and there is a fantastic concentration of game along the river banks. It's a time for safari purists who seek the greatest interaction of species, the best chances for sightings such as lions hunting buffalo, and don't mind the early mornings and hot days that are required to achieve it. It's elite safari. I was excited to get started on [...]

Trip Report: Two Valley Special | Lion Camp & Anabezi Camp | Sep 2023

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. [...]

Trip Report: Bespoke Two Valleys | Classic Zambia, Nsefu & Lion Camp | Aug 2023

It's a huge honour to welcome back guests on repeat visits. It indicates that they enjoy the way that I run my safaris and, more importantly, that they have loved Zambia's wildlife and wilderness. So when Don & Kathy and Kathy & Gordon arrived in Lusaka, it was for their 5th and 4th safaris with me respectively! This is not an accolade that I take lightly; there's no resting on any laurels and it means that [...]

Trip Report: Exclusive Luangwa | Nsefu Camp & Lion Camp | Aug 2023

We had been planning this trip for over a year by the time Denise, Gerrie, Cathy and Austen arrived in Mfuwe ready to start 10 days on my Exclusive Luangwa Tour. "Exclusive" is perhaps an overused word in the safari world; I keep it to mean a safari that is private in experience and allows us the very best safari time. Our plans can be entirely our own and we rarely, if ever, have to accommodate [...]

Guest Report: Kathy Phipps | Pan-Zambia Safari | Classic Zambia, Nsefu & Lion Camp | Aug 2023

Kathy joined me on a photo safari with husband Gordon and two friends. This was her 4th safari with me and, once again, this kind of repeat custom is something that I value very highly, and am thankful for. Thank you to Kathy & Gordon, and all my other guests who have travelled with me many times, for being great supporters and for sharing my love of Zambia and all that it offers. Kathy has written [...]

Guest Report: Ann Brownlee | Pan-Zambia Safari | Anabezi, Lion Camp & Busanga | Jul 2023

It is the greatest accolade for a guide to have repeat guests and it is not something that I ever take lightly. Ann is unusual in that she is not a photographer and has, even so, now travelled twice with me. (We are planning our third trip for next year at the moment!) She joined my Pan-Zambia safari in July with her husband and two other guests. We had a fantastic time, and I'm really grateful [...]

Trip Report: Bespoke Two Valleys | Jul/Aug 2023

I was excited to lead this predator-focused safari during the dry months which is the best predator time in Zambia. We chose 3 camps in two national parks, hoping that the extended time would yield great rewards. Read on to see how it went! Below is a photo-based account of the trip, separated into the 3 areas that we visited. If you want to see more 'behind the scenes' you can catch up with my daily [...]

Trip Report: Ethiopia | Jun 2023

In June 2023, I ran a recce trip to Uganda to scout for a couple of photo safaris that I am running to that wonderful country in 2024. On the way home, I spent a week in Ethiopia's central area, visiting 3 areas in the Afar and Oromia regions. The purpose of my visit was to see more of this diverse continent and to assess whether Ethiopia is suitable for future photographic tourism trips. I landed [...]

Trip Report: Pan-Zambia Safari | Anabezi, Lion Camp & Busanga | Jul 2023

Two repeat guests and two new, plus three superb National Parks and excellent camps to explore from. This was a trip that I had been looking forward to for a long time. We met in Lusaka and stayed overnight at the excellent Latitude 15 hotel before leaving early to travel to the Lower Zambezi National Park the following day. Before we even arrived at Anabezi Camp, we had seen more than 100 elephants and endless plains [...]

Skills: Expose to the Right

In the beautiful forests of Zambia's South Luangwa, we have the opportunity to shoot wildlife among the big trees. It's an unusual setting by comparison with much of Southern Africa and makes for spectacular images. However, as the light starts to get stronger in the late morning, the contrast increases between the brightly-lit areas and the darker shadows beyond. Cameras are getting better at dealing with this high 'dynamic range' but the full potential of the [...]

Guest Report: Andre Erlich | Emerald Season | Robin Pope Safaris | Apr/May 2023

Andre has travelled with me once before and was returning this time to see the Luangwa's Emerald Season. He's a skilled and experienced photographer with many destinations in his travel history. But Zambia drew him back and we enjoyed a fun 12 days in the bush. Below are a few words from him about the trip and then a link to the album on his website: Finally my Emerald Season safari, planned in 2019 and Covid-postponed [...]

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