This is an extract from a write-up of a much longer safari in late dry-season 2019 and showcases Shenton Safaris’ Mwamba Hide and Hippo Hide.
We had booked to stay at Mwamba Bushcamp primarily for the incredible hide just behind the camp. This hide gives low, close views of the last waterhole in the area which is pumped from the camp’s borehole. In my opinion, a hide must give lower and closer views of wildlife than you can get in a vehicle or it will never attract me away from a safari drive. This hide is really spectacular, enabling guests to get photo angles and compositions that they simply can’t achieve any other way. Over the next 3 days – in fact 4 as we extended our stay at Mwamba to enjoy another day in the hide! – we spent many hours in this hide. After a short morning game drive, we would head to the hide around 08.30 and enjoy the late-morning rush as hundreds of mammals and birds came to drink. On one day, we had more than 100 elephants visit from 08.30 until 15.00 and at one point, there were 100 impalas at the waterhole at one time. It was sensational.
Here is a small selection of images that I selected from over 2000 that I took while in the hide! We were lucky that on several of the days, there was thin cloud cover that softened the light and made it possible to shoot all day with no consideration for the angle of the sun.
I cannot recommend this hide highly enough, especially in the months of September and October when it really comes alive, but at any time in the dry season, the sightings are good. We also had some funny moments, like when a large bull elephant (known to me and easily identified by his torn ear) approached the hide very close and gave us all a few breathless moments! These are the times when photos rarely do justice the scene and it’s great just to watch and feel the experience.
We also had a great afternoon in the Kaingo hippo hide which gives us a very close and low angle on a large and busy pod of hippos at the confluence of the Mwamba stream and the Luangwa River. With the water level so low, there are constant skirmishes between males and also when the males intrude on the privacy of the females and their calves. I was able to watch and help the guests predict where the next battle might occur, giving them just enough time to frame and pre-focus before the action happened. We closed apertures down to ensure enough depth of field at this close distance, and to account for the fact that the autofocus system will often latch onto the water spray rather than the hippos behind.
For photographers, the chance to get photos from such an unusual angle and to have a rolling slideshow of photo opportunities throughout the day (at the Mwamba hide which is within walking distance of the camp) is so valuable. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
