Zambia 2024 - A family adventure in South Luangwa National Park.

[John M.]

@mopsyI think we had genuine tyre-changing on every trip. On one occasion, we were in rough country, used both spares, and had to radio for help to replace another flat.

   I don't remember a single fake tyre check; maybe our guides had tough bladders!  But I do remember my only toilet stop when a couple of us passengers went off to one side of the vehicle. When we returned, the guide told us he had just spotted a couple of lionesses in the bushes on the other side. I think he was genuine☹

[mopsy]

Morning drive day 2

 

After a light breakfast we are, I believe, the first one's at the gate this morning. We are headed straight back to where we left the dogs last night hoping they will still be there. Nothing will stop us, nothing will slow our progress.

 

"Look, fish eagle!" says one of the boys. They are learning quickly. Better stop to acknowledge their sighting.

 

 

At the same spot there are hippo munching away on cabbage.

 

 

Eventually we get to the spot where we left the dogs last night but predictably, they are gone. We start searching the area hoping they won't have gone far. Whilst doing so we notice fresh lion and hyena tracks on the road so we keep our eyes peeled for them too. We encounter other vehicles in the area and check in with them but they are in the same boat as us. After a couple of hours we abandon the search and move on.

 

After the usual sightings of puku, impala and warthogs we are driving adjacent to an ebony forest when something catches my eye flying from a tree further into the dense trees. Kennedy notices my quizzical look and says that was a fishing owl.

My ears prick up at this, I've seen these mentioned on Safaritalk many times before. 

"It wasn't a Pel's fishing owl was it?" I asked, to which he replied it was.

He immediately swung offroad down a steep bank where we got out to see if we could find where it went. Kennedy spotted it and pointed it out. The boys got eyeballs on it but I did not. Before anyone could raise a camera it was off and gone again. Took a couple of pictures of the area, and after a couple of false starts getting up the bank again we were off to find somewhere for morning tea.

 

 

 

 

We head to the river and see ele's on the other side of the bank.

 

 

We stop at a place where we have hippo for company and listen to them grunt and carry on while we enjoy drinks and biscuits.

 

 

 

Heading back to camp the only thing of note seen is a couple of kudu.

 

 

 

It wasn't a very exciting drive, especially compared to yesterday. That's ok we have time on our side.

I'm sure our luck will improve this afternoon.

 

Edited July 31 by mopsy

[mopsy]

Afternoon drive day 2

 

"Do you realise we haven't seen lion or hyena yet Kennedy?" Harry politely asks as we drive towards the restaurant for afternoon tea. Gotta love the youth of today, no patience at all!

 

After entering the park we finally get a look at some giraffe up close. We had seen them a few times but always from a distance.

 

 

 

 

Next up elephant.

 

 

 

Soon after we rounded a bend and found this lazy fellow beside the road.

 

 

We waited patiently and after 10 or so minutes he started showing signs of life.

 

 

 

 

 

At this point he began roaring, but only quietly. We wondered if he was calling to a mate that may be somewhere in the area. Next minute the calls were answered. We drove to investigate and found this handsome fellow a few hundred metres away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed with them a lot longer than you would normally seeing it was the boys first time seeing lion. They didn't do much at all, didn't even get up once but they were sitting up most of the time so at least they weren't flat! 

Time to move on for sundowners. On the way to our spot we came across these.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We enjoy our refreshments by the river. Mosi tastes good but maybe this time a bit better than normal after seeing male lions.

First up on our night drive was a mother and baby elephant.

 

 

We also manage to find a hyena wandering through the long grass. Boys happy about this. Photos were taken but not very good ones. 

 

 

Lastly we did come across one of these. It hurried into the long grass as we approached so only one quick shot was attempted. Anyone want to have a guess what it is? Good luck if you do!

 

Satisfied with our drive we make our way back to camp for dinner and bed.

Tomorrow morning would prove to be arguably our best drive. It's something we are still discussing to this day!

 

Edited July 12 by mopsy

[AndrewB]

Civet??? Saw quite a number when staying at Flatdogs/

[mopsy]

Correct @AndrewBwell done. This was the only one we saw so it was disappointing that we didn’t get a better look.

 

You can’t have it all though!

[Zubbie15]

Sorry for your loss @mopsy, but I’m glad you were able to make these memories with your kids.  They really got off to a great start!

[Kitsafari]

Sorry for you loss @mopsy and what a poignant trip to be on. Your dad would have been delighted with the boys' reactions to the safari, and how it has become a full circle - him passing the  love for nature and wildlife to you, and you passing that to your boys. 

 

Pel's! and Dogs! what luck you and the boys have, even without photos of the owl. SNLP was and still is one of our favourite parks, and our night drives were the best of all African parks, we spent a lot of time counting the number of elephant shrews but those little critters were tough to photograph! but i think it made a difference for us staying in the park as we could stay out till late.  

[mopsy]

Thank you @Zubbie15Appreciate it. Kids super lucky with the first 2 days sightings. I did tell them it's unusual to see so much so fast, though Day 3 and 4 were to make me look a little silly with that claim!

 

And thank you to you as well @Kitsafarivery nice of you to say. I echo your thoughts on SLNP, it's an awesome park, could be my new favourite now! Though I do wonder whether our thoughts on a particular place are influenced by the level of our experiences there? That would be natural I guess.

Regardless of that it is a stunning place to spend some time.

 

 

Edited July 11 by mopsy

[mopsy]

Morning drive day 3

 

The alarm goes off at 5am and we are getting organised for the day ahead. At 5:15 the unmistakable sound of lions roaring pierces the quiet morning air. They are close. Real close I am convinced. Maybe it is our males from yesterday afternoon's drive? I grab the provided spotlight and inch my way onto the pool deck, swinging the light all over looking for any sign of them. After a minute or two of fruitless searching I retreat back inside to await Kennedy's arrival.

When he does arrive we tell him what we heard. 

"Really? From what direction?" he asks.

I point towards the river, with the feeling he is amusing me. I mean, surely he heard it too?

 

After a quick breakfast we are on our way. Once through the park gates we take the first available left turn and start doubling back towards the river. Not far along we come across an elephant having some morning breakfast.

 

 

 

He is reaching up and pulling branches from a tree. We are hoping he will go onto 2 legs to do so but the branches aren't quite high enough.

 

 

We move along and reach the river. Soon after we find a hippo who looks like he is playing hide and seek. If that is the case he needs to work on his technique.

 

 

Very shortly we are directly across the river from Flatdogs and the Croc's Nest. Righto, I have my bearings now. If the lions are on this side of the river they won't be far from here I reckon. After another five minutes of searching we find them.

 

 

 

 

Not the same males as yesterday. Different ones. We couldn't be happier as we follow them whilst they patrol their territory.

 

 

 

 

They begin to roar as they continue on, letting all within earshot know that they are the kings here. It's a fabulous sound up close, it's almost as if the vehicle is shaking when they are in full voice.

 

 

 

They come together and rest for a period, nuzzling each other to re-enforce their strong bond. After a while they are up and off again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obviously worn out after all the patroling they pick a scenic spot on the river to sit down and survey their kingdom.

 

 

It's time for us to move on now, the vehicle numbers are starting to rise. All good, we just spent around an hour with these guys. Awesome sighting. We all really enjoyed it. 

Would have been better though if I had of thought to record some of it rather than just take photos.

Well it just so happened that I had a teenager in the car who was thinking better than his old man. Unbeknown to me Jasper did take some videos and one happened to be of the lions roaring. Turn up the volume and watch his handiwork!

 

 

Morning drive to be continued shortly.

 

 

[mopsy]

Day 3 morning drive cont.

 

Leaving the lions and growing vehicle numbers behind we set off to find a place for morning tea. I didn't take notes like I normally would on safari, but judging by the lack of photos we really didn't see much for a while. A result of lions roaring in the area perhaps?

 

Before arriving at another stretch of river that will be our resting point a zebra pique's enough interest to warrant a shot.

 

 

On the river now, we disturb a hippo late getting home from his nightly forage. He tolerates our presence but once we got too close he was quickly down the steep bank to the sanctuary of his safe place.

 

 

 

Whilst enjoying our refreshments a journey of giraffe wander by on the opposite bank.

 

 

After our break we decide to try our luck inland. As we drive along there are constant herds of impala, puku and waterbuck. Eventually we see a couple of vultures finishing off a fresh kill. It wasn't hard to work out who did all the hard work for them, they were still on the scene about 50 metres away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thrilled to have found the dogs again after looking for them to no avail yesterday. We had them to ourselves for a nice period of time before another car arrived. The dogs looked like they were about to settle down so we decided to return to camp and come back again this afternoon. Sit! we said as we drove away, hoping they wouldn't disappear on us again. Fabulous drive, very happy with what we saw.

Edited July 12 by mopsy

[JimS]

Really enjoying following along @mopsy, great that you kept finding the dogs!

 

[mopsy]

14 hours ago, JimS said:

Really enjoying following along @mopsy, great that you kept finding the dogs!

 

Thanks Jim. In the month or so leading up to the trip I was looking for reports of them being seen in the area but could find none. Luckily for us they arrived just at the right time.

[Kitsafari]

Good thinking Jasper! Lion roars just give me chills along the spine especially when they are just next to the vehicle. just awesome.

 

Dogs! and some really good-looking ones (with more white patches) too. 

[mopsy]

18 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

Good thinking Jasper! Lion roars just give me chills along the spine especially when they are just next to the vehicle. just awesome.

 

Dogs! and some really good-looking ones (with more white patches) too. 

 

He did very well @Kitsafari After that I will never complain about him and his over use of the phone ever again! 

[mopsy]

Day 3 afternoon drive

 

After a restful siesta period we are on the road again and predictably it is in the dogs direction we are headed. We stopped for nothing along the way, didn't want to take any chances in case they moved location.

We needn't have worried as they were right where we left them. Problem was the bush telegraph had been in full swing and there were cars everywhere at the sighting. We counted 7 safari (lodge) vehicles and 5 self drivers. On top of this there were another half a dozen vehicles parked away from the scene awaiting a chance to get closer.

 

I will add what I was told to the discussion in @JimStrip report regarding vehicle numbers at sightings.

 

Kennedy said there was a 6 vehicle limit at sightings. If a 7th approached the first car on the scene was to depart. So on and so forth. Pretty simple you would think. Not at this sighting however. Kennedy was most annoyed, as were a couple of the other drivers, with the vehicles from one nearby camp, who have a reputation of not following rules and leaving when they should. There were four of them taking up a spot and they showed no intention of moving on to allow others a chance to take a closer look.

A few words were said, a lot of shoulders shrugged. No one was moving so we decided to press on and come back later.

 

A couple of quick snaps on the way past. Dogs were only sleeping so we weren't missing much anyway.

 

 

 

So its onwards we go. We have that feeling of passing time before we try the dogs again, but we still saw quite a few different species.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was quite a common scene in the Luangwa valley. Multiple species living in close proximity to each other. In this case 4 of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The boys, like all of us, saw the beauty in the LBR.

 

 

We had our sundowners then went back to the dogs. The self drivers had all moved on as they had to be out of the park by 6pm. Despite this there were still more than six vehicles present, and the same vehicles from the one camp still there too. It didn't look like the dogs had moved an inch in the last 2 hours, and didn't look like they were likely to do anything even remotely exciting any time soon. We fired off a couple of pointless photos as it had gotten quite dark by this stage and decided to leave them to it.

 

Our night drive was uneventful. Just before exiting the park we encountered a big traffic jam. A leopard had been spotted about 40 metres off the road. It was lying flat on its stomach with only its head visible. We didn't bother stopping at all, it was a poor quality sighting.

 

Tomorrow we are doing an all day drive. A fairly early night was had by all in preparation.

[mopsy]

Day 4 - All day drive

 

During the planning stage I was keen to book a second camp further north of Flatdogs. I couldn't find anything that suited so doing an all day drive to this area would be the next best thing. I discussed this with Jess pre-departure and she confirmed it wouldn't be a problem.

Discussed it with Kennedy on our first day and we decided the perfect time to do it would be day 4. The goal was to seek out species only seen further north of the Mfuwe area such as Cookson's Wildebeest and Eland. 

 

We departed camp at the normal time after our light breakfast. It didn't take us long to find these guys.

 

 

As we drove along we passed in close proximity to 2 large herds of buffalo about ten minutes apart. I would estimate the first one numbered around 500, the second 300. I was keen to stop for a bit, but Kennedy said we will see them on the way back this afternoon. This confirmed to me that he was headed somewhere quite specific, and it wasn't too long after we found out what that was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well satisfied with our good start we press on. Soon after we find lion tracks on the road and follow them to see if we can find who they belong to. They lead us to the river but we fail to find the cats. We decide to stop for morning tea. It comes as no surprise there are hippo's close by.

 

 

 

I challenge the boys to try and get a shot of a hippo with it's mouth open. Mitch comes up with this about 20 seconds later using his phone. Too easy he says!

 

 

Not long after there is a huge commotion in the pod. Two bulls start going at it on the beach. It's a serious fight which results in one leaving the pod and seeking sanctuary on land. All cameras were in the car but again Mitch took these with his phone.

 

 

 

 

 

Excitement over we pile into the truck to see what else we can find.

 

 

Edited July 15 by mopsy

[mopsy]

Our good luck would continue this morning as we found this male leopard hiding in the trees. He had his eye on some puku who were grazing nearby completely oblivious to his presence.  They were a little too far away for him to stalk over the open ground so he bided his time awaiting an opportunity to pounce.

Photography was difficult due to the light breeze blowing long grass and small branches into the frame but we managed to get these shots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He eventually laid down once it seemed no prey was going to come close. As we drove along we saw the usual antelope, warthogs etc. We crossed this nice creek as we continued our journey north.

 

 

Soon enough we found more lions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Onwards we go, at a fairly fast pace now as we have lost a lot of time with our lion and leopard sightings. After a while we come across one of our goals of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And with that it is time for lunch. What will this afternoon bring? Time will tell.

[mopsy]

All day drive cont.

 

After leaving the wildebeest it takes half an hour for us to reach our lunch spot. Kennedy has taken us to an open clearing at a nice spot on the river. There are puku, warthogs and impala grazing away as we sit in the shade of a sausage tree and enjoy the food prepared for us by the Flatdogs kitchen team. It's a good chance for us to sit and talk about our everyday lives when not on safari. It also provides the boys a good opportunity to run around a bit and burn off some energy. 

Once again we have hippo for company.

 

 

 

After a couple of hours we are packed up and ready to move on. We must have been driving for about a minute when we found this leopard lying in the bushes. From where she was she had a view of our lunch spot as well as the antelope grazing nearby. I did wonder at the time what she found more interesting, the antelope as a potential meal or 3 boys running around like mad men.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again we had some pesky branches to deal with but it was a nice sighting. She yawned a couple of times and we hoped she might get up and move around for a while but no such luck. We decided to continue on our way. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soon we were back where we had seen our second pride of lions for the day. They were still there, but had moved into a spot where they could soak in some nice warm afternoon sun. I could only find one photo of this sighting on a camera, the rest were taken by Jasper on his phone. Not sure what happened there, would have sworn I fired off at least a few shots.

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued.

 

[mopsy]

All day drive cont.

 

Soon enough we are back in the central sector. We stop to chat to a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction, self drivers who happen to be fellow Aussies. We talk for about 10 minutes about our respective trips so far then go our separate ways. I bring them up as they will help complete a sighting we encounter the next day.

 

It's not long after this we find our third leopard of the day lounging in a tree. Not sure if it was a male or female, it was around 50 metres from the road which tested our cameras capabilities as well as our limited skill set. Regardless it was a great sighting, one of my favourites of the trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As there was no indication the leopard would become mobile anytime soon we continued on our way. Not really much to report from here on in. Sleeping male lions which were the same one's we saw on day 2 and an elephant finished our day.

We were back at Flatdogs just after 6pm, didn't want to do the night drive as the boys were starting to tire after such a long day.

We thoroughly enjoyed the day out, had some really nice viewings.

Back to the normal schedule tomorrow morning.

 

 

 

 

[mopsy]

Morning drive day 5.

 

At morning breakfast Dave, one of the camp managers, comments to me that we have seen a lot in our first few days, there's really nothing else you could hope for.

"Can't disagree with that, we are now at the point where we have a very specific wish list. Dogs, lions or leopards hunting. Cubs of any kind." I respond.

It's a comment made without a hint of seriousness. Of course it would be great to see but you never go out expecting to witness any of those things, especially hunting. Who knows, maybe we will be lucky....

 

Once we enter the park we come across a nice herd of elephants to kick off proceedings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very nice way to start. Off we go to see what else we can find.

 

 

 

 

 

Eventually we come across something the boys had been very keen to find. We had seen several but only on night drives. Finally they would get a look at hyena in broad daylight.

There were 3 all up. First one was relaxing in the shade.

 

 

The second one was fighting a losing battle with the last remains of a giraffe kill. Try as he might he just couldn't break it down any further to get anything meaningful out of it to eat.

 

 

 

 

 

The third hyena, which had been relaxing nearby, took flight into the nearby bushes as we approached. Not keen on being in the next edition of National Geographic it seems.

Continuing on we find some giraffe enjoying their morning snack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After this it's time to make our way back to camp. As we cross the Mfuwe bridge I ask Kennedy to stop so we can take a couple of photos. We cross this bridge 4 times a day so should at least document what we see each time. 

 

 

 

While doing this another vehicle stops thinking we have seen something exciting. No, move on, nothing to see here we tell them. Instead they hang around and we all have a chat about nothing in particular. Glad they did as after 5-10 minutes a herd of elephant appeared down below the bridge giving us a view of them you seldom get to see,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to camp now for breakfast/lunch. It was a nice drive even if we didn't find any big cats or dogs. Maybe this afternoon will be different.

 

[mopsy]

When we returned to camp Kennedy dropped us straight back to the nest. I can't remember how it came up but I commented to him how we hadn't seen elephants at all during the day around our accommodation. Kennedy was surprised by this, and said he was sure they would be around soon. It wouldn't be long at all until he was proven to be correct.

 

We would be having our breakfast/lunch at the nest today. Whenever we did this it was usually because Harry wanted to get straight in the pool after the morning drive. Even though breakfast, lunch and dinner were all included we found that you didn't need all 3 as well as early breakfast, morning and afternoon tea and sundowner snacks. So we usually waited until 11:30 then ordered something from either the breakfast or lunch menu, whichever took your fancy. This worked perfectly for us, no one ever complained they were hungry.

Lunch was ordered over the radio and whilst waiting we had a much anticipated visitor.

 

 

 

 

 

The other 2 boys were inside at this stage missing all the action. They were most impressed with the bravery of their little brother when I showed them the picture I took of him patting an elephant. As you can imagine their looks of admiration only lasted a second or two.....

 

 

Our breakfast arrived shortly after which we ate outside with our guest and a couple of late arrivals.

 

 

Also around the nest at this time were bushbuck. We saw them around camp a few times but strangely this is the only place we did so, never laid eyes on any in the park itself.

 

 

 

 

Once the elephants departed we rested for a while in preparation for our afternoon drive.

 

Edited July 20 by mopsy

[Toxic]

@mopsy still enjoying following along. What lovely photos of your boys and the elephant visitors!  

 

Also really enjoyed your hyena sighting, and wow so many leopards! 

[mopsy]

3 hours ago, Toxic said:

@mopsy still enjoying following along. What lovely photos of your boys and the elephant visitors!  

 

Also really enjoyed your hyena sighting, and wow so many leopards! 

 

Thanks @Toxicappreciate you coming along for the ride!

[Hads]

@mopsythanks so much for writing this trip report. Sharing a Safari with your kids does not get any better.

It is so nice that you are planting the seed with your boys, the same as your father did with you.

Condolences with the passing of your dad. 

South Luangwa spoilt you with predators  

[xelas]

Late to your trip report but enjoying it almost as much as your boys enjoyed the trip itself!