Zambia 2024 - South Luangwa: "Wait until the evening"

[JimS]

 

Just back from South Luangwa (Flatdogs - where I met @mopsyand sons, Chikoko, Big Lagoon, Tafika, Nkwali). Overall a superb trip albeit with some periods of frustration. It will take me some time to gather my thoughts and my photos, so for now I'll kick off with a cliff-hanger of a prologue.

 

 

Prologue:

 

The spotlight is broken. Sebastian works on it in near darkness by the light of Isiah's torch. He replaces the bulb, then the fuse, but still no joy. Sitting alone in the back of the vehicle my frustration mounts with each failed attempt. Twelve days into a thirteen day trip the sightings have dropped off in quantity and quality. Dogs eluded me entirely; they were top of my wish list but I'm resigned to missing out. I haven't seen a single lion for eleven days. Thank goodness the leopard have been reliable, though recently restricted to fleeting glimpses as they move in and out of cover. The only kill witnessed was a frog, victim of a Ground Hornbill.

 

On the previous night's drive from Nkwali I had the vehicle to myself, with Sebastian as guide/driver and Isiah as spotter. We heard lion but couldn't locate them. The other Nkwali vehicle saw dogs and radioed news to Sebastian, but again we couldn't locate them. Back at camp I shared the excitement of the other guests as they recounted their sighting. On the surface at least; inside I felt a little crushed. I conferred with Sebastian and Kiki, the manager at Nkwali. "Tell me the earliest we could leave in the morning, I  guarantee I'll be ready". Isiah was enlisted to spot for a morning drive and we agreed to set off an hour and a half before daylight. With no other guests sharing the vehicle, there's no need to confer or compromise on this.

 

Leaving camp next morning there's a sense of purpose to our swift movements. A short brisk march to the riverside, a skip down the steps, the boat captain is already pulling back from the bank as we take our seats, then carving a path between crocs and hippos as we cross the Luangwa in the darkness. As soon as the boat nudges the sandbag jetty on the other side we're on our feet, up the bank, and into the vehicle we'd left here the night before.

 

 

I tried to contain my hopes, learning from prior disappointments: reports of dog sightings near Hot Springs triggering a dashing pursuit through the Nsefu sector to no avail;  a cacophony of lions and hyenas as the former chased the latter from a hippo carcass on the beach, but the terrain prevented a line of sight to the action. This morning though, optimism is justified. We know the lion are in the vicinity from their calls in the night, and we're early enough to locate them before they settle out of sight in a shady thicket to sleep through the day.

 

Then the light goes out.

 

[mopsy]

Wow great start @JimS looking forward to more!
Love and am jealous of your writing style - really enjoyed it.

[Caracal]

It's a long time since I was in South Luangwa .

I'm enjoying your descriptive writing @JimSand know I"m going to enjoy following this TR so roll on when you have the time. 

 

[Towlersonsafari]

Now that is a dramatic start to your trip report!-looking forwards to the rest @JimS

[KaliCA]

@JimSOh the tension is mounting and the dramatic opening is waiting for a conclusion. But I will wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been….

[Atravelynn]

You've taken Quote of the Trip to a whole new level!

 

 "Tell me the earliest we could leave in the morning, I  guarantee I'll be ready".  Now there's the spirit!

[JimS]

Thank you for the encouragement @mopsy@Towlersonsafari@KaliCA@Caracaland @Atravelynn, I hope you'll bear with me when the tales are less dramatic, I want to include a fair bit of practical information, as I found this really useful in others' reports when I was planning this trip.

 

A year ago my wife asked if I had a special holiday in mind for my 50th. We'd been on a safari trip in Tanzania (Nyerere NP) for her 50th in 2022, I imagine she expected/hoped I'd suggest Japan, South America… basically anywhere we'd not already been, but I told her there was nowhere on earth I would rather go than Africa on safari. The Luangwa Valley in Zambia was top of my list, but she wasn't keen on the Luangwa-style accommodation (reed chalets, outdoor bathrooms) and suggested I travel on my own. Once we'd negotiated terms (I get a trip to South Luangwa, she gets a trip to Morrocco with a friend) I'll confess I had mixed feelings: I'd have loved to have her with me, the shared memories would have been so much more special, but I know she would have found most/all of thisquite stressful and now I could plan on my own terms without compromise:

• 3 nights Flatdogs: tented accommodation with outdoor bathroom. Game drives.
• 2 nights Chikoko: reed-built tree-house, very open to the elements (and fauna!). Exclusively walking.
• 2 nights Big Lagoon: reed-built chalet, equally open to the elements. Exclusively walking.
• 3 nights Tafika: reed-build chalet, yes... open to the elements again (most evenings I got ready for bed with bats circling my head). Game drives.
• 3 nights Nkwali: stone-built chalet, but - you guessed it - very open to the elements (I disturbed a baboon trying to steal my bag one day!)

 

Day 0 - To arrive where we started:

 

 

Arriving in the Luangwa Valley feels like a return, even though the place is new to me. I'd researched thoroughly when planning this trip, perhaps it's just like watching a movie adaptation of a favourite book. But there's something deeper that I'm sure you all recognise - as though a genetic homing instinct tugs us toward the birthplace of our species, where we started.

 

The tension stored up during the international legs of my journey had dissipated during the Lusaka-Mfuwe flight. With no more jeopardy of missing flight connections or losing luggage, I sit back, enjoy a "Californian Frooty Red" and follow our progress through the window.

 

 

 

I'm met in the terminal by Dave and Kennedy from Flatdogs. A family of three from San Francisco are collected from the same flight, luggage arrives quickly and we're on our way to Flatdogs, only delayed en route to watch a sizeable group of elephants browsing the trees a short distance outside the camp.

 

 

Leaving the elephants, we're met at camp by Anne and Memory (Memo for short), Anne shows the Americans to their chalet, Memo shows me to my tent.  Tent #1 is closest to the communal areas, but not so much that I'm disturbed, and it has a lovely view directly onto the river where I see my first puku, this fabulous male sunning himself on the bank.

 

 

Memo explains the Flatdogs timetable and leaves me to unpack and settle in:

• 05:30: light breakfast (cereal/toast, coffee/tea/juices) - look for a table with your guide's name on; assemble there for a quick bite and a drink
• 06:00: depart on game drive (typically entering the park around 6:15 each morning, depending how many elephants you encounter on the way)
• 10:30: down-time in camp; mealtimes are flexible, you can take a brunch immediately on return, or wait an hour or two for lunch, whichever you prefer; the menu is extensive, including daily specials.
• 15:00: re-assemble with your guide and vehicle-mates for tea; place orders for evening dinner; head out on afternoon game drive, which becomes a night drive after sundowners.
• 19:30: dinner in camp, timing flexible.

 

Flatdogs' game drives are up to 6 per vehicle, all vehicles have 3 rows so everyone has a window seat. I'm to be guided by Jabes, sharing with the American family, and for this evening we'll be joined by Blair and Jacqui for the last drive of their safari. Blair's magnificent moustache brings to mind an old-school British Army Colonel. He and Jacqui are safari veterans, I'm a second-timer, the Americans first-timers. Regardless, we all tell Jabes we're happy to see whatever appears. While I do have a wish-list (particularly the leopard and wild dogs I missed out on in Tanzania) I'm happy for the first drive to be an orientation, getting a feel for the landscape and its inhabitants. It doesn't disappoint.

 

The camp is outside the park, but barely a 10 minute drive from the gate. It takes longer sometimes because the game viewing starts the moment you leave camp: the elephants we'd seen on arrival have moved away, but I have my first view of the endemic Thornicroft's giraffe.

 

The South Luangwa is home to the Thornicroft Giraffe sub-species which typically has the usual one head and four legs.

 

I don't recall ever having to queue at the entrance to the park...

 

... usually if we found more than one vehicle waiting there, it was due to crossing elephants

 

This central area of the park has a reputation for game density (as well as vehicle density - more on that later), and you really couldn't turn your head without spotting a herd of impala, puku, or a confusion of guinea-fowl. The landscape is beautiful despite being so flat. Every turn of the road seemed to reveal another lagoon, its surface carpeted with lush green nile cabbage.

 

Every lagoon had at least one resident hippo, usually adorned with cabbage.

 

Aside from the impala and puku, waterbuck were plentiful.

 

It had never occured to me before that a baby elephant would use it's mouth, not it's trunk, for suckling.

 

But when mum made clear she wanted privacy, we moved on.

 

Then we came into a large open area with a prominent tree standing alone at one end. Approaching the tree we spot a hyena sitting underneath.

 

 

Every so often he glances up into the tree...

 

What is he looking for up there? Jabes repositions the vehicle, the hyena skulks away, and we see his goal wedged in a fork.

 

 

A dead impala in a tree can only mean one thing, and I'm grinning ear to ear as Jabes once more repositions the vehicle and we finally spot "Lucy" still dozing high above us.

 

 

Jabes explains that Lucy chose this tree to stash her kill two or three days ago. Leopard sightings are near enough guaranteed until she finishes feasting and the guides in the central area are making the most of it. The poor hungry hyena has been sitting in vigil underneath the tree ever since. We spot him again, settled in a small depression still in sight of the tree and close enough to dash in to steal away anything that drops.

 

 

Incredibly, no other vehicles are around at this point, Lucy briefly raises her head...

 

 

Jabes tells us to wait for her to yawn: "If she yawns four times she will be getting up", but for now this leopard wants more sleep.

 

 

 

By now more vehicles are arriving, so we leave her and head off for sundowners on a wide bend of the river where we watched skimmers gliding back and forth , the first sunset of the trip set the tone for all those to follow.

 

 

Like @mopsymentioned in his report, I was sceptical whether the night drive would show much, and initially it seemed to be that way. A scub hare and a white-tailed mongoose provided some interest...

 

 

 

... but otherwise it was just spot-lit hippo after spot-lit hippo, until...

 

 

Known to the guides as the "Big Pride", this group originated from a super-pride of over 30 that split around 12 years ago. Male coalitions have come and gone, including the famous Ginger and Garlic, but numbers dwindled - Ginger and Garlic only produced three surviving offspring between them.

 

 

 

Last year twelve cubs were reported, swelling the pride numbers to sixteen, joining a ruling coalition of two brothers and four adult females. Hopefully these two males will fend off challengers long enough for the young ones to reach adulthood.

 

 

 

The spotlights prove a double-edged sword on night drives. Normally the spotter is swinging the light left-right-left-right and the landscape is dotted with similar lights swishing back and forth. When the swishing stops it's a good sign that something has been spotted, becoming a beacon for other vehicles. I counted five other vehicles watching the Big Pride, when the sixth arrived Jabes started the engine and moved off.

 

 

The rest of the drive was uneventful in comparison, except our arrival back at camp was delayed when this elephant began to cross in front of us...

 

 

... then, perhaps finding the spotlight a useful aid, chose to take the road most of the way to camp, reducing us to elephant's pace all the way.

 

 

I couldn't have asked for a better start. Seven hours after landing in Mfuwe, barely three hours into the first game drive, I've seen four of the "big five" (and however good a guide Jabes is, he's not going to find a rhino here).

 

Edited July 9 by JimS

[TonyQ]

An excellent start. High quality writing and photos.

 

I look forward to the rest!

[michael-ibk]

Seconded. An excellent first game drive, and an excellent start to your report. Great photos.

 

I like your comparison of a new safari area as a movie adaptation. Often had that weird feeling of familiarity when I first visited a place after having read so much on it on Safaritalk.

 

In this rare case, though, the movie is inevitably always better than the book.

Edited July 9 by michael-ibk

[mopsy]

Indeed that was a great first drive @JimS

 

Flatdogs certainly delivered first up for both of us. Great way to kick off the 50th celebrations!

[Kitsafari]

a very enjoyable atmospheric writing! I'm curious, when your guide decided to move on when a 6th vehicle joined - was that because of a rule that not more than 5 vehicles are at a sighting? we never had that when we were at SLNP but that was many years ago. or was it because the guide made the call not to overcrowd the sighting or to get you away from crowds? 

[JimS]

12 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

a very enjoyable atmospheric writing! I'm curious, when your guide decided to move on when a 6th vehicle joined - was that because of a rule that not more than 5 vehicles are at a sighting? we never had that when we were at SLNP but that was many years ago. or was it because the guide made the call not to overcrowd the sighting or to get you away from crowds? 

 

Thank you @Kitsafari, I don't recall hearing of a specific rule, I got the impression Jabes was making his own call that it was time to reduce the crowd. I can't comment more generally as I really didn't experience many crowded sightings, the only other one came right at the end of the trip (this time with Sebastian from Nkwali) and once again we gave way when more vehicles turned up.

[JimS]

With 30-40 people in camp, communal meals aren't practical. Guests are free to form their own groups, and I joined Blair and Jacqui for dinner. It proved to be good food and good company. I enjoyed Blair and Jacqui's accounts of their sightings from Flatdogs and their previous camp (Chindeni if I remember correctly). Leopards featured a lot, but this didn't surprise seeing as we're in the valley of the leopard where National Geographic claim "the infamously reclusive big cats can be readily seen lounging in the trees, lurking in the bush, and dominating the clearings in pursuit of prey". More interesting was mention of wild dogs near Chindeni; I really wanted to see dogs but hadn't heard much about recent sightings. I left for my tent in high spirits - so much had happened already it took some effort to remember I'd only been here half a day - I couldn't wait to see what the first full day would bring. The wildlife wasn't done with me yet however - I was kept from bed just short while longer until a hippo finished grazing on the path to my tent.

 

Day 1 (20 July): Opportunity makes a thief

At Flatdogs there are no wake-up drums or calls from the night watchman, half-awake anyway from the wheeze-honk of hippos, I was fully awoken by my alarm at 5am. Breakfast is a light and relatively quick meal. There's a small range of cereals, toast, boiled eggs accompanied by coffee, tea and juices. A newcomer "A.J." is already at Jabes' table. He's a Livingstone resident, here to collect a hire vehicle and drive it back to Livingstone, but will first join us on today's game drives. The Americans arrive in good time, Jonathan and Sorel, plus daughter Tessa, and we leave camp on the dot of 6am.

 

We don't make it very far as some straggler elephants are still making their way back into the park after a night on the town.

 

 

Once inside the park we headed directly for the tree where we'd found Lucy, her stashed impala, and the would-be impala thief. The rays of a low sun make every clearing idyllic.

 

 

The only distractions along the way were birds: a giant kingfisher right at the park entrance, a pair of saddlebill storks, Meve's starling, wood hoopoe, then close to the tree a confusion of guineafowl. The latter as relaxed as the puku grazing nearby. We conclude the leopard is likely not around but go to check anyway.

 

 

 

Puku, including a nursing mother, were grazing unconcerned close to the leopard's tree.

 

The hyena came to check things out, maybe hoping our arrival meant something happening in the tree and a window of opportunity...

 

...like us, he gazes wistfully into the canopy hoping for something to come down...

 

...but soon gives up hope and heads away to find mid-day shade.

 

With nothing to see here, we moved on, and before long were watching a pair of male lions lying up in the open.

 

 

One briefly raised his head, long enough to get a good look at his face. He has a lovely mane, a mohawk on top, fuller below and fading to black at the bottom. Both his ears bear the notches of past battles while his brother's ears seemed more intact, maybe Notch fought all the battles while Notchless looked on.

 

 

 

 

 

Notch laid his head back down and slept. With little merit watching sleeping lions we moved away for a coffee break.

 

 

Much of the rest of the morning was spent around the lagoons closest to the main gate. The lagoons and immediate surrounds proved a good spot for watching birds: jacana and hamerkop rode the backs of hippos, sacred and hadada ibises strutted through the shallows; striated and black-headed heron, great egrets and yellow-billed storks peered into the waters through the gaps in the nile cabbage.

 

Hamerkop takes a bow

 

Striated heron

 

In the surrounding trees were  blue waxbill, lesser-striped swallow, tropical boubous, arrow-marked babbler, fork-tailed drongo as well as a multitude of Meve's starlings and ring-necked doves.

 

Tropical boubous - almost always heard in a male/female duet

 

Arrow-marked babbler

 

Further afield crowned crane and Southern ground hornbill seemed to prefer drier ground. Riding the thermals high above us fish eagles and bateleur.

 

Grey crowned crane

 

Southern ground hornbill

 

The surrounding vegetation is lush. Zambia has suffered lower than usual rains this year, but animals are still well dispersed. Nonetheless a croc tries it's luck with some makeshift camouflage but fools no one: impala and zebra come to drink but pick their spot with care, it has no opportunity to steal a meal.

 

Hopeful camouflaged crocodile

 

 

A pair of squirrels watched on with interest.

 

 

Then it's back to Flatdogs for brunch. I join Jonathan and Sorel, the American couple, and their daughter Tessa, at a table under the trees. Poached eggs and avocado on toast is served up, but before anyone can start eating a furry blur crashes onto the table from above and a vervet monkey scampers away with Tessa's toast. A replacement plate is brought quickly, and for the remainder of the meal Memo stands guard to deter further opportunist thievery.

 

Edited July 16 by JimS

[TonyQ]

Some beautiful photos here @JimS.

I particularly like the idyllic clearing, and the hyena looking up the tree.

[JimS]

23 hours ago, TonyQ said:

Some beautiful photos here @JimS.

I particularly like the idyllic clearing, and the hyena looking up the tree.

 

Thanks @TonyQ, the park and its inhabitants are all extremely photogenic

[Toxic]

Beautiful photos and great narrative! Found myself laughing at the camouflaged crocodile 😂

[xelas]

The Prologue shows how great this trip report will be! I love the narrative and of course, the photos are excellent.

[JimS]

Work and family commitments have slowed progress, but now I've had a chance to sort through many more photos from the trip it's time to conclude the Flatdogs portion of the report.

 

Day 1 (20 June): continued... afternoon game drive

 

Every game drive we would pass this clearing on the way to the park, and every time we paused here, there was always something to see. This afternoon it was a typical scene - a small group of impala grazing, some baboons picking through the ground looking for tubers, or if they're lucky picking through some recent elephant dung.

 

Typical South Luangwa scene (like almost all the wide shots in my report, this was taken with an iPhone 15 pro)

 

The baboons are always happy to pose for a portrait…

 

Yellow baboon (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400mm @400mm, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO2000)

 

A couple of male impala were sparring with one another…

 

Sparring impala (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400mm @150mm, 1/320s, f5.6, ISO200)

 

...it was only when I was processing the photos back home I noticed the baboon in the background seemed to be carrying something, but what? Cropping tighter, it seems we have a young one not in favour of this mode of transport.

 

Unhappy yellow baboon baby (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400mm @150mm heavily cropped, 1/320s, f5.6, ISO200)

 

Immediately after this shot I switched to video to capture the dualling impala, reviewing the footage I can assure you the baby was placed gently to the ground a short distance away.

 

Only 24 hours into the trip we've seen plenty of animals, and our guide Jabes has picked up on my interest so we stop for more birds - not every LBJ, but certainly for the more colourful/notable ones we encounter. Reviewing my photos I think I was still "getting my eye in" at this stage (Big Year participants can look forward to a lot of EBCs), but a few shots I'm happy with included this fish eagle, little bee eater, and western banded snake eagle.

 

African fish eagle (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400mm @400mm cropped, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO640)

 

Little bee eater (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400mm @400mm cropped, 1/320s, f8, ISO200)

 

Western banded snake eagle (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400mm @244mm, 1/1000s, f6.1, ISO4000)

 

As the sun got lower, we made our way down a long peninsula formed by a tight bend in the river to an area which I believe was roughly across the river from Chinzombo lodge. Here we spent a good while watching a tower of giraffes...

 

Tower of Thornicroft giraffe (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400mm @100mm, 1/320s, f5.6, ISO200)

 

Thornicroft giraffe (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400mm @100mm, 1/640s, f5, ISO400)

 

One in particular seemed keen to show off, prancing around then skidding to a halt in front of us...

 

Thornicroft giraffe (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @125mm, 1/2000s, f2.8, ISO500)

 

Before performing what I can only describe as an "endo" (mountain bikers may be familiar with the term, for everyone else just remember what used to happen when you tried to pull a skid but squeezed only the front brake by mistake).

 

Thornicroft giraffe performing an "endo" (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @110mm, 1/2000s, f2.8, ISO400)

 

Leaving the giraffe we headed right up to the river, where a small group of elephants were making their regular crossing to spend the night foraging on the other side.

 

Elephant crossing (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @150mm, 1/320s, f5, ISO200)

 

Just a little further along the river we found our sundowner spot and enjoyed our G&Ts and beers under another lovely sunset.

 

Sundowners (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @46mm, 1/1000s, f5, ISO200)

 

So far so good, but no predator sightings this afternoon. As we left the sundowner spot though, I felt I recognised our surroundings, and sure enough soon we found ourselves under what I now mentally labelled as "Lucy's tree".

 

Lucy's tree (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @40mm, 1/320s, f2.8, ISO1250)

 

There's no sign of the hyena, after a bit of searching we find Lucy, and after a couple of minutes she starts to yawn. Once, twice, three times...

 

Lucy waking (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @150mm, 1/125s, f2.8, ISO6400)

 

And just as Jabes predicted, at the fourth yawn she got to her feet and peered down as though checking her buffet was still there...

 

Lucy checking out the buffet (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @150mm, 1/320s, f2.8, ISO12800)

 

... and all appeared to her liking as she licked her lips before moving down to the feast

Something smells good! (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @150mm, 1/125s, f2.8, ISO6400)

 

 

 

 

Edited August 12 by JimS

[JimS]

 

We were lucky again to be the only vehicle on the scene at this point as she made her way down the tree to her kill, before having a good sniff and a prod, trying to work out which part to feast on tonight. I can't recall if Jabes had already pointed it out to us, but as she stood here it was clear to us she was pregnant.

 

What to eat first? (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @48mm, 1/320s, f2.8, ISO8000)

 

Maybe I should prod it a bit? (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @50mm, 1/320s, f2.8, ISO8000)

 

Now I don't know if leopards regard the stomach sack of an impala to be a particular delicacy, maybe this particular leopard has French culinary leanings, but she was interested in nothing else - sniffing, nuzzling and clawing at the stomach ignoring everything else. I stopped snapping for a moment to switch to video, and just as I did so the stomach fell to the ground and she leapt down after it, presumably fearful the hyena would come rushing in and steal it away. I tried making a quick composite from screen-grabs from the video, none of the frames are good enough quality really for this to work well and in hindsight I wish I'd kept on shooting stills.

 

Composite from 5 video frames, OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @50mm

 

 

Any sign of the hyena? (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @150mm, 1/320s, f2.8, ISO12800)

 

After a brief scan to make sure the way was clear, she tucked in and made quick work of the stomach. It had burst on impact with the ground and she squeezed out the contents and ate the sack in no time.

 

Bon appetit (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @110mm, 1/200s, f2.8, ISO8000)

 

Lip-smackingly good (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @115mm, 1/160s, f2.8, ISO6400)

 

By this time there's one other vehicle apart from ours, and according to my photo timestamps we've been with her for 20 minutes. The light was fading to near total darkness and I was glad I had the 40-150 f2.8 lens even though it lacked the reach of the 100-400mm. It became a standard procedure for the rest of the trip: I'd start with the 40-150mm first thing in the morning, changing to the 100-400mm usually around coffee break or shortly before. The longer lens would stay on until sundowners when I'd switch to the shorter/faster lens.

 

Post meal snooze time (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @150mm, 1/160s, f2.8, ISO400)

 

Eventually more vehicles arrived, alerted in the dark by the spotlights we now depended on. By the time there were four vehicles we'd been with her for nearly an hour and were happy to move on.

 

Second portions always within easy reach (iPhone 15 pro max, 6.76mm, f1.8, ISO 800)

 

With that it was time to return for our own dinner. Once again, Flatdogs food impressed. All our vehicle dined together that night, we'd got to a point where politics seemed safe ground for a conversation, and spent most of dinner bemoaning the political scene in our respective countries. A few beers later we said goodbye to AJ - he'll be setting off on his drive to Livingstone early the next morning. No one else is due to replace him in our vehicle, so for the rest of my time at Flatdogs it'll be me along with Jon, Sorel, and Tessa.

 

Edited August 12 by JimS

[xelas]

That was a great evening encounter with a leopard! Excellent shots at high ISO.

[JimS]

On 8/14/2024 at 6:32 PM, xelas said:

That was a great evening encounter with a leopard! Excellent shots at high ISO.

 

Thanks @xelas, I know you're familiar with the OM-1, it's a big step-up for low light shooting in m43 cameras isn't it. With a fast lens and the electronic viewfinder there were times I'd be busy snapping away and not realise how dark it had become until I took my eye away from the camera.

 

South Luangwa certainly lived up to reputation when it came to leopards.

 

 

[JimS]

 

 

Day 2 (21 July): ...

 

My vehicle-mates/surragate family opted for a walk this morning and I agreed to join them, the exercise will be welcome. We start with a short drive into the park and I'm joined on the rear-most row of seats by Confidence, a trainee guide who will look after the vehicle while we walk. It feels a good omen to be setting off with Confidence.

 

As we approach the Mfuwe bridge an elephant clambers up the bank to cross the road ahead.  I recognise it from a distinctive hole in its ear and what looks like a splinter of tusk embedded in its side. You might also recognise it from Day 1 of this report - clearly a creature of routine - and if you've read @mopsy's recent South Luangwa trip report you may also remember it from his first sighting. Reviewing my own photos I now realise that mopsy and sons made a cameo appearance in them:

 

Elephant with clear distinguishing feature (iPhone 15 pro max, 6.76mm, 1/30s, f1.8, ISO 640)

 

Mopsy and sons cameo appearance. The elephant has what looks like a splinter of tusk embedded in its side.   (iPhone 15 pro max, 6.76mm, 1/55s, f1.8, ISO 800)

 

As we drive on I talked with Confidence about his guide training. He's a Level 3 guide in the Zambian system - a transfer guide qualified to drive people from A to B in closed vehicles. Soon he'll be tested for Level 2 allowing him to conduct game drives in open vehicles. In time he hopes to achieve Level 1 like Jabes, able to lead walks. According to Confidence it can take up to 6 years to progress through the three levels, you can see why the quality of guiding here is so well regarded. Jabes himself has been guiding for 18-19 years, all that time in South Luangwa. He started at Flatdogs, returning there recently after periods at many other camps in the park. For him, Flatdogs offers the advantage of being able to live with his family in Mfuwe rather than spending weeks at a time away from them in more remote camps inside the park.

 

A while later we disembark the vehicle and commence our walk, leaving Confidence to drive on to a pre-determined meeting point. The walk itself was relatively uneventful but an opportunity to enjoy the scenery at a slower pace.

 

A typical South Luangwa scene, the slower pace on foot gave more time to appreciate views like this (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150mm pro @90mm, 1/500s, f2.8, ISO200)

 

Apart from the expected briefing about walking order, what to do if certain things occured etc, Jabes was very keen that we should never pause under a sausage tree. He explained how he'd once found a dead impala under a sausage tree with no visible wounds, no tracks around it indicating an attack. The only clues to the cause of its demise: a soft indentation he felt in its skull and a large sausage fruit lying beside it.

 

After 2 hours of walking we emerge at the riverside not far from yesterday's sundowner spot, where Confidence has tea and coffee waiting. Another ST'er mentioned in a recent trip report (apologies, can't remember who) how these morning stops are good times for bird photography and I found the same. On this occasion however the only bird life to be seen were some too-distant Egyptian geese and some too-fast martins, but I took up the challenge with the martins - most shots were just blurry smudges confirming nothing more than the presence of a fast-moving airbourne subject, but I was pleased that a few came out reasonably crisp.

 

Brown-throated (plain) martin  (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400 @400mm, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO250)

 

Brown-throated (plain) martin  (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400 @400mm, 1/1000s, f7.1, ISO200)

 

After the coffee-break we continue by vehicle, and spent a while viewing the wildlife in and around the lagoons closest to the park entrance. There was more opportunity for bird-in-flight practice...

 

Pied kingfisher  (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400 @400mm, 1/4000s, f6.3, ISO1250)

 

... and a fascinating stand-off between young hippo and a crocodile who both wanted the same spot of mud...

 

Hippo v crocodile  (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400 @269mm, 1/1000s, f6.2, ISO400)

 

... the croc eventually gave up and crawled aside when the hippo began nudging with its head.

 

 

It's soon time we returned to camp, but as always there's something to delay us between the park and Flatdogs, and us is often the case it's elephants. This time a really lovely encounter with mum and baby.

 

Mum and baby elephant  (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400 @100mm, 1/1000s, f5.0, ISO2000)

 

The baby ignored us while suckling. Mum was watchful, raising her trunk to have a good sniff. This is just a few hundred meters from Flatdogs where the elephants wander very near (and sometimes through) the camp and even with young like this seem very relaxed with our presence. Eventually the calf stopped suckling to have a look at us...

 

Shy baby elephant  (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400 @400mm, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO12800)

 

Still shy baby elephant  (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400 @400mm, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO5000)

 

Leaving the elephants in peace, we're back in camp in no time for brunch and a cold beer.

 

Edited August 19 by JimS

[Geoff]

@JimSThat's a lovely image of bubs underneath mum. The baby's eye draws the viewer right into the image. Good effort with the bifs, especially the 2nd image with the sky background.

[mopsy]

Well I guess we are now famous due to getting an appearance in your trip report @JimS

 

It's funny what you pick up when reviewing photos. That elephant with the hole in it's ear was our first sighting of the trip. And then it was one of the 2 elephants that hung around the Croc Nest for an hour or so on our last day. I didn't realise this until writing up my trip report!

 

Enjoying your report so far!

[JimS]

Thank you @Geoffand @mopsyand anyone else following along. Sorted all the photos from the Flatdogs portion of the trip, so I'll bring that to a close and we can then set off for more remote adventures...

 

Day 2 (21 July) continued (afternoon/evening game drive):

 

After lunch, it was time to pack my bags in readiness to leave Flatdogs tomorrow morning, then head out for my last evening game drive with Jabes.

This evening Jabes has something different lined up. As we reach the junction with the Mfuwe bridge road, instead of turning left toward the bridge and park entrance, we turn right, then right again, heading south west toward the pontoon crossing. There's usually plenty to see in the Game Management Area this side of the river so I don't mind the detour (it took about an hour to get from Flatdogs to the pontoon, with periodic stops for wildlife).

 

Not long out of camp Jabes suddenly stops and reaches for his binoculars. I follow his line of sight and see a flash of vivid red. I get my own binoculars to check my suspicion, and sure enough there's a southern carmine bee-eater, perched on an overhead cable when it really ought to be a long way from here with the rest of its kind. Eventually we spot a few more, and Jabes explains that he occasionally sees them singly or in small groups, birds that were too young or injured to make the migration and will stay behind until the next time.

 

A lonely southern carmine bee-eater waiting for the rest of its kind to return (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400 @400mm, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO500)

 

Not much further on, something crosses the track ahead in a furry blur, then freezes in the open for a few seconds before disappearing into undergrowth. It's a slender mongoose, and a lovely clear sight of it as well. I saw a few more on the trip but none that hung around to pose like this one.

 

Slender mongoose (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400 @400mm, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO2000)

 

The next sighting of note was a buffalo herd, probably one or two hundred in total dispersed in clusters among long grass and shrubs.

 

Cape buffalo (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400 @400mm, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO640)

 

Baobab seemed a rarer sight here than I recall from Nyerere NP, enough that we stopped to admire this one for a while.

 

A shapely baobab (iPhone 15 Pro Max @2.2mm, 1/640s, f2.2, ISO40)

 

Just beyond the baobab a lone elephant was demolishing a tree. He strutted toward us like a catwalk model, struck and pose, then turned on his heels and flounced away.

 

"I'm a model, you know what I mean..." (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400 @100mm, 1/1000s, f5.0, ISO1600)

 

"... and I do my little turn on the catwalk" (OM-1 + Olympus 100-400 @100mm, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO640)

 

Then we're at the crossing. We disembark while Jabes manoeuvres the vehicle, then climb back aboard to be pulled across the river by the pontoon crew.

 

Jabes manoeuvres onto the Nkwali pontoon (iPhone 15 Pro Max @2.2mm, 1/2500s, f2.2, ISO40)

 

Pontoon and crew (iPhone 15 Pro Max @6.76mm, 1/5300s, f1.8, ISO80)

 

The crew "rowing" us across the Luangwa (iPhone 15 Pro Max @2.2mm, 1/850s, f2.2, ISO50)

 

I've not seen this technique before but the means of propelling the pontoon across the river is simple and ingenious. The lengths of wood slide easily forward along the cable but lock against it when pulled back, allowing a rowing-like motion from the crew. Just a couple of minutes later we're on the opposite bank, inside the park.

 

From here we drive in a long loop back to the central area to leave the park through the main gate. It's enjoyable to spend time in a new area, though the wildlife seems notably scarcer even this short distance from the central area.

First notable sighting was this lone hippo defending his shrinking pool. He jumped to his feet on our approach, gnashed his teeth, turned his back on us, then flopped back into the mud and defecated. His flapping tail helped fan the accompanying smell in our direction and produced the desired result: we quickly departed.

 

Hippo about to deploy its tourist deterrent (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150 Pro @40mm, 1/1000s, f2.8, ISO160)

 

We then arrive in a wide dambo - I've seen the area referred to as Wakumba on maps - bisected by a snaking gulley. Jabes stops and we sit there for quite some time taking in the scene...

 

Wakumba dambo (Panorama merge of 4 shots, each from iPhone 15 Pro Max @2.2mm)

 

Very close to us a pair of ground hornbills squabbled over the choicest treats from some dung…

 

Southern ground hornbill squabble over dinner (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150 Pro @150mm, 1/1000s, f2.8, ISO1250)

 

To our right a dagga boy watches with interest, chewing stems of dry grass like an old hillbilly.

 

(OM-1 + Olympus 40-150 Pro @97mm, 1/1000s, f2.8, ISO2000)

 

Looking out across the dambo we watch baboons, impala, puku, zebra, warthogs, elephants, Egyptian geese, crowned cranes…. probably others I've forgotten and didn't photograph.

 

(OM-1 + Olympus 40-150 Pro @40mm, 1/1000s, f2.8, ISO1600)

 

(OM-1 + Olympus 40-150 Pro @40mm, 1/1000s, f2.8, ISO2500)

 

A baby elephant had got separated from its family and made a hurried stumble to catch up.

 

(OM-1 + Olympus 40-150 Pro @130mm, 1/320s, f2.8, ISO1250)

 

(OM-1 + Olympus 40-150 Pro @150mm, 1/320s, f2.8, ISO640)

 

Back in line with the family, they recommence their journey.

 

(OM-1 + Olympus 40-150 Pro @73mm, 1/320s, f2.8, ISO200 - recovered from being very underexposed)

 

By now the sun has already set and the light is very dim. We've missed sun-downers and head to the riverside for moon-risers instead.

 

 

 

Then we're on the move again aided by the spotlight. The first spotlit sighting of the night was a genet

 

Large spotted genet (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150 Pro @40mm, 1/1000s, f2.8, ISO10000)

 

Then the sighting of the evening... by pure luck, a leopard trots across our path and disappears into the bushes before anyone is able to react. We make a detour to where Jabes believes it will be heading and we wait. Sure enough, a few moments later a beautiful male appears. He's not lingering but stays with us just long enough for a few photos. As we're well inside the territory of Lucy, the female we saw on previous days, Jabes feels it's likely to be the father of her soon-to-be new cub(s).

 

Male leopard, possibly the mate of Lucy (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150 Pro @150mm, 1/125s, f2.8, ISO12800)

 

As quick as he'd appeared, he fades into the shadows...

 

(OM-1 + Olympus 40-150 Pro @150mm, 1/100s, f2.8, ISO12800)

 

We're close to 'home' now, the only notable sight on the way back was a hippo leading her calf to graze on land. We were all amused at her choice of attire.

 

"Do I look fat in this?" (OM-1 + Olympus 40-150 Pro @57mm, 1/30s, f2.8, ISO12800)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 29 by JimS