Zambia - part 1

Days 4 - 7– 21^st – 24^th September

Monkey Bay to Lilongwe Kamuzu to refuel and exit Malawi, and on to Mfuwe in Zambia.  Much to our surprise, we were told that parking the plane there would cost $5 PER HOUR – and we were to be there for 4 nights!  Ouch!  Normal airport fees are around $15-20 per day!  Not a lot to do, but they promised we could pay by credit card. Hmmm.  See Day 8!

Robin Pope Safaris were there to greet us and drove us to their lovely River Camp in South Luangwa National Park, overlooking the river.  Their daily routine is up at 5.30, quick breakfast and a game drive till 10-10.30, then lunch at 11.30, afternoon rest and tea at 3.30, then afternoon/evening game drive till 7ish, dinner and bed!  The food throughout our stay was absolutely delicious and very creative and the managers and staff could not have been nicer.  We had a superb guide/driver and an open safari landcruiser all to ourselves.

Here are just a few of the highlights from our game drives – it will take me a few weeks to edit all my photos when I get home, not to mention videos!  Lion cubs, Carmine and White-fronted Bee-eaters, a beautiful male leopard (that was stalking a Puku antelope until an idiot in a white pick-up scared it away – grrrr!), necking giraffe (2 young males sparring), ellies and hippos galore, and … a Pel’s Fishing Owl – which Sherry has been dying to see for years!

 

 

We also had a large bull elephant wandering around the camp for the last couple of days – he was very interested in the chocolate brownies at tea-time! We also spent a day visiting the Nsefu area of the park (it was SO hot!) and had a lovely picnic by the riverbed – which was also nearly ‘crashed’ by an elephant family!

Next instalment – Victoria Falls, Livingstone Island and the Devil’s Pool!