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

[offshorebirder]

Nice trip report with some cracking images @JimS.   Thank you for putting it together.

[JimS]

2 hours ago, offshorebirder said:

Nice trip report with some cracking images @JimS.   Thank you for putting it together.

 

Thank you @offshorebirderfor the kind comments and for reading along. With so many images to sort through it's slow going, though the next part of the trip involved 4 days of walking, with far fewer photos as a result so I hope to speed things along a little.

[Biko]

I very much enjoy your report and excellent pictures. I liked the composite of the five video stills. Looking forward to what comes next. 

Edited September 2 by Biko

[JimS]

 

Day 3 (22 July) AM Part one: Leaving Flatdogs

 

The time at Flatdogs has passed quickly, and today I'll transfer up to Tafika for onward journey to the first of their walking camps: Chikoko. Before taking you on that journey, I'll wrap up this section with a few reflections on Flatdogs…

 

Excited for what is to come, I'm still slightly sad to be leaving Flatdogs. I found it a perfect way to start a South Luangwa safari, able to adjust to the safari routine in a comfortable camp with a little bit of a buzz about it, and get a few game drives in the game-dense central area.

 

The camp:

The hub of the camp is a very pleasant courtyard enclosed by the camps buildings. Meals are served at any time  either under cover in the sitenje or in this courtyard… just take a seat and someone is quickly at your shoulder with a menu.  Serving the meals like this helps create the atmosphere where's there's a little bit of a buzz but without it being crowded. It's unlikely that all guests will appear at the same time, but there is almost always someone around to chat to.

 

Courtyard at Flatdogs, with sitenje and kitchens to the left, bar and lounge/shop to the right.

 

There's a building opposite the sitenje housing a small shop and some sofas. In practice, I only went into this lounge/shop building twice: once to take the photo above, and once to buy postcards/stamps which I was told might make it to friends and family back home (note: none have yet arrived, 2 months later). I don't recall seeing anyone else in there, but it might be frequented more at times when shelter from the elements is desirable.

 

Flatdogs lounge/shop where you can buy postcards and stamps that might make it back to the UK one day

 

The beer of choice here is Mosi. Below is Jeff the Giraffe relaxing in camp after a game drive. Jeff was purchased in Lusaka airport to serve as a mascot, a proxy for my family back home.

 

 

Accommodation:

 

There is a variety of options for accomodation here: Meru tents (with open air bathrooms), chalets with multiple bedrooms and everything enclosed (including bathrooms), as well as the separate private family tent/pool which @mopsy wrote about in his trip report.

 

I stayed in tent number one, which was very comfortable, close to the communal areas but not disturbed by them. My vehicle companions were staying in a chalet which they were very happy with, they remarked in particular about how spacious it was, big enough for more people than just the three of them. All the accommodations are well dispersed around the camp, I'd go so far as to say I was vaguely aware there was a tent immediately to my right, but didn't really notice any of the other tents/chalets.

 

Tent #1

 

 

 

Hot water was available in the bathroom at any time of day

 

Mains electricity was available with sockets either side of the bed, so charging cameras was never a challenge. Wifi is available, supposedly only in the central area but signal was generally good from tent #1.

 

No problems charging cameras and other devices

 

Game drives/walks:

 

Located as it is just outside the main entrance to the park, our activities have all been in the central area. When I plotted GPS tracks of our activities onto a map, it was clear they were very concentrated within about 3km radius of Flatdogs.

 

 

Having said that, it didn't really feel that we were covering the same ground all the time. The diverse scenery in this small area helped, along with the options to take the pontoon crossing, spend time walking, and do night drives when everything feels very different. The density and variety  of wildlife is also a factor making it hard to get bored of the area. Jabes was an excellent guide, the decades he's spent in the park really came across in his knowledge, and he showed good anticipation of what we might be interested in, when to move on and when to pause. Occasionally we'd ask him to stop or to turn back to something that caught our interest, but often he was one step ahead of us. From a few conversations in camp I got the impression everyone had the same high opinion of their guides.

 

As for density of other vehicles, this was only a noticeable down-side on a couple of occasions - and most clearly at night sightings where a spotlight that stops moving becomes a beacon to attract all other vehicles in the area. I suspect that the time of week has a very big effect, I arrived at Flatdogs on a Wednesday and I'm leaving on a Saturday morning. Later in my trip I'll be back in the central areas at a weekend with vastly more self-drivers / day-trippers around. My suggestion for anyone planning an itinerary including the central area would be to aim to be here mid-week and spend weekends in more remote parts of the park.

 

In summary I'd be very happy to return to Flatdogs, in my view it was fantastic value for money, and well worth including as a first stop on a multi-camp safari before going to more remote areas. I might even be able to persuade my wife to come with me and stay in one of their chalets with bathrooms that aren't open to the elements!

 

Edited September 2 by JimS

[mopsy]

Great summation of the camp @JimS

 

Did you have any issues with the bathroom being open? My boys didn't mention any with theirs, and the new room where I stayed at the Croc's Nest was fully enclosed so I had none.

Different story in Southern Tanzania a few years ago. Insects were close to unbearable especially at night. That was during the wet season though.

[JimS]

7 hours ago, mopsy said:

Great summation of the camp @JimS

 

Did you have any issues with the bathroom being open? My boys didn't mention any with theirs, and the new room where I stayed at the Croc's Nest was fully enclosed so I had none.

Different story in Southern Tanzania a few years ago. Insects were close to unbearable especially at night. That was during the wet season though.

 

Thanks @mopsy, no issues for me. I generally don't mind bugs (in reasonable numbers) but didn't notice many at all. Now in my wife's case, unfortunately it only needs an anticipation of bugs to put her off!

Edited September 3 by JimS

[JimS]

Day 3 (22 July) AM Part two: Transfer to Chikoko

 

Standing on the bank of the river waiting for our scheduled rendezvous, my mind imagines a clandestine border crossing from a spy thriller…

 

A small flat-bottomed motor boat is moored against a sand-bag jetty on the opposite bank, but there is no boat-man in sight. No one at all in sight. Looking behind I can just make out the vehicle that brought us here, hidden under the trees nearby. The family who had harboured me remain in the vehicle, out of sight in the shadows. I'm sure they can still see me, standing as I am in the open in the harsh late-morning light.
    
A vehicle appears from the tree line opposite and draws to a halt at the top of the riverbank along side the boat. The driver climbs out, signals with a wave, and clambers down the sandy slope. Moments later the boat carves a path across the river until it nudges the near shore.

 

 

"Jimmy" says the boatman, offering his hand first to me, then to Jabes. I thank Jabes warmly with a vigorous handshake, give a wave toward the unseen family in the vehicle behind me, and step into the boat and into the care of Jimmy.

 

I'm jolted out of my Walter Mitty daydream as the motor sputters into life, we back away from the river bank and make a line for the mooring point opposite.

"How was the journey?" asks Jimmy.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The journey had been very pleasant if largely uneventful. The day began like the previous few, the morning routine now established: wake before dawn, wash, dress, pack bag for morning game drive, breakfast, game drive. Leaving Tent #1 for the last time, I say a silent goodbye to the little group of yellow-billed storks who frequent the riverside near my tent, and head for breakfast.

 

 

I'm to spend the next 4 days at Chikoko Tree Camp and Big Lagoon, satellite bush camps of Tafika and collectively referred to as the Chikoko Trails. The journey from Flatdogs to Chikoko will involve a game drive through the park, following the river north-east until a point opposite Tafika where I'll cross by boat. From Tafika there'll be a drive onward east of the river then a canoe crossing back into the park and a short walk to Chikoko Tree Camp.

 

 

The drive to the Tafika boat crossing takes around 4.5 hours. It's a game drive, but one where we're on a schedule: we're to get to the crossing at 10:30, so although we drive at the usual pace, we don't make detours to look for wildlife - but if we spot something along our route we make a stop to observe for a while before moving on.

 

Even so, it proves an enjoyable drive even for the scenic interest. The route skirts the areas of many camps on the western riverside - names that will be familiar to many on the forum: Mfuwe Lodge, Kakuli, Mchenga, Kaingo, Mwamba, Lion Camp.

 

Early in the journey we pass through Luangwa Wafwa. This is a large crescent-shaped dambo / seasonal oxbow lake (wafwa I understand is the local term for a "dead" river), a remnant of the river's route in years gone by. Right now the area is mostly a dry shallow depression with fertile grazing for puku and impala but when the rains come it will flood to become almost indistinguishable from the river on it's new course.

 

Many of these wafwas or dambos have a distinctive carpet of contrasting green and orange. I asked Jabes what these plants were but didn't make a note (paper or mental) of his response - I think he may have said the orange is stinkweed, which turns this colour as it dries. He explained that the presence of these depressions is critical for the puku who depend on these plants during the dry season, and is a factor in them being near-endemic to the Luangwa valley.

 

Luangwa wafwa with characteristic orange and silvery-green carpet

 

Another feature common to the wafwas and dambos here is the gully winding a course down it's length, making these areas prime territory for the leopards who stalk the puku and impala who graze alongside.

 

Luangwa wafwa

 

We find no leopard here today, the puku are relaxed, the females dispersed around the gully grazing ...

 

Relaxed puku grazing in a prime leopard ambush spot

 

...  while the attendent male struts among them looking quite pleased with himself.

 

A proud puku male

 

Some lower-lying areas remain waterlogged, attracting a black-headed heron and great white egret

 

Black-headed heron

 

Great white egret

 

Leaving the Luangwa wafwa behind, we head into regions I've not yet seen on previous game drives. Somewhere near Kakuli camp, a large bird glides across the road ahead of us, something furry dangling beneath. We scan the trees by the track where we find an African goshawk, an unfortunate squirrel trapped under it's claw.

 

 

Mmy favourite part of the journey is the area around Kaingo camp, especially the photogenic groves of ebony overhanging still mirror-like pools which I've seen featured in many trip reports here. As we ford the water, a group of waterbuck descend the bank nearby to drink and it feels like we're in a fairy-tale setting.

 

Ebony grove near Kaingo camp

 

Waterbuck in ebony grove near Kaingo camp

 

I didn't see many kudu in the whole trip, but in the area between Kaingo and Lion Camp we get a really good sighting of this handsome male, one of the best kudu encounters of the trip for me.

 

Kudu, male. I guess he's about 2 years old from the antlers

 

Soon after this, we're back by the riverside, Jabes positions the vehicle in the shade of some trees and prepares tea and coffee.  It's a peaceful setting, we've seen no other vehicles for some time, and the only sign of human life here is the boat moored opposite. A small group of hippos nearby rest their heads on one another as they sleep, paying no attention to us.

 

 

Then the radio crackles into life, after a brief conversation Jabes tells me "Jimmy" is on his way to receive me. I say goodbyes to Jon, Sorel and Tess and make my way down to the water's edge to meet Jimmy.

 

 

 

Edited September 10 by JimS

[JimS]

 

Once across, Tafika is just a very short drive away where we collect Craig and Averil who will join me at Chikoko for one night. From here Jimmy drives us further north east for 30 minutes or so where we cross the river once again, this time by canoe.

 

Jimmy waves us off (frame-grab from GoPro video)

 

A welcome party is waiting at "Chikoko Harbour" (OM-1, Olympus 100-400 @100mm, 1/000s, f5.0, ISO 200)

 

Our bags have made it across before us, ferried over by Joseph (if I have my names right), one of the Chikoko camp team. Once we've disembarked at "Chikoko Harbour" introductions are made. Billy is our guide; Sasu is a trainee guide and will carry the essential tea-making paraphenalia on our walks; Andrew is the ZAWA scout. We leave the river, and in little more than 10 minutes of walking we arrive at Chikoko Tree Camp.

[JimS]

 

Day 3-5 (22-24 July): Chikoko Tree Camp

 

"That was a big one!" Billy exclaims. I've just shown him a photo of the snake which Billy identifies as a black-necked spitting cobra, notorious in its ability to spit venom at your eyes with great accuracy. I pointed to the undergrowth a few steps away from my door where I'd spotted it. "Oh yes, it would definitely get you from there"

 

Black-necked spitting cobra (OM-1, Olympus 100-400mm @ 400mm, 1/400s, f6.3, ISO 12800)

 

Black-necked spitting cobra (OM-1, Olympus 100-400mm @ 400mm, 1/320s, f6.3, ISO 12800)

 

It was quite the welcome, I'd only just arrived in camp and was heading to my accommodation to unpack when I heard a rustle among the loose twigs and leaves that littered the ground nearby. I stayed very still scanning the undergrowth until I spotted a movement, something dark sliding slowly within the dark, almost like the shadows themselves were moving. It broke cover and raised its head just long enough for me to grab a couple of shots before it was gone, dissolved back into the shadows.

Snakes aside, Chikoko Tree Camp is wonderful and everything I expected having read a few ST'ers write fondly of it. The communal area of camp consists of a small bar/dining area at ground level covered by a raised deck with additional seating (and where afternoon tea is usually served). In the communal area a bank of USB power outlets provides power for charging devices.

 

 

Communal area of camp, bar and dining below, tea deck above (iPhone 15 Pro Max)

 

Sundowners by the fire (iPhone 15 Pro Max)

 

Food is prepared in a true bush kitchen - bread and quiches baked in an underground oven, stews simmered over wood fires - and all delicious.

 

Henry showing me round his kitchen, including ground oven where bread, cakes and quiches are baked (iPhone 15 Pro Max)

 

Accommodation is in the form of reed-built chalets each with two storeys reaching up into the trees.

 

My "tree house" at Chikoko. This shot was taken as I approached it for the very first time, the cobra had appeared just a few seconds later from the undergrowth behind the tree to the left of shot (iPhone 15 Pro Max)

 

Inside, to borrow the language of estate agents, the tree houses are "deceptively spacious". Stairs lead up to the bedroom, downstairs is a large open plan washing/sitting room with screened off shower and toilet in opposite corners.

 

Chikoko room - downstairs (iPhone 15 Pro Max)

 

Chikoko room - downstairs (iPhone 15 Pro Max)

 

One of the few times I remembered to take some pictures of the room before I unpacked and made it all untidy (iPhone 15 Pro Max)

 

View from the bedroom (iPhone 15 Pro Max)

 

The upstairs bedroom creates the effect of sleeping in a tree-house, with extensive views across the surroundings as well as a "birds-eye view" of avian comings and goings in the trees.

 

Black-backed puffback (OM-1, Olympus 100-400mm @400mm, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO 1000)

 

Holub's golden weaver (OM-1, Olympus 100-400mm @400mm, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO 1000) [I'm 90% sure of the ID, happy to be corrected if anyone thinks otherwise]

 

Beyond the trees, the view takes in a large semi-open area dotted about with shrubs and more trees. Much of it is high grass hiding smaller mammals, but not the comings and goings of elephants visiting a nearby lagoon.

 

Elephants seen from my tree-house. There's a bonus LBR in the frame - a prize for the first to find it (OM-1, Olympus 100-400mm @150mm, 1/500s, f6.3, ISO 200)

 

Activities here are walking only which means a different schedule to the other camps, mainly because of the dangers of walking when the light is too low. The rough timetable is:

 

• 05:30: alarm
• 06:00: light breakfast (cereal/toast, coffee/tea/juices) by the fire in front of camp
• 06:15 - 10:00: walk
• 12:00: lunch
• 15:00: tea on the deck above the bar/dining area
• 15:30 - 17:00: walk
• 18:00: warm water is added to your bucket shower - an important milestone not to miss unless you like cold showers
• 19:00: dinner

There's no vehicle access round here so the only people you will encounter are those who walked in, and the only people who will walk in are those staying here. Just three "chalets" mean a maximum capacity of 6 guests, though tonight there are just three of us and tomorrow I'll be the only guest in camp. Billy tells me the guiding team - himself plus Sasu (trainee guide, tea porter) and Andrew (ZAWA scout) - will remain together for days/weeks at a time escorting groups of guests between Chikoko and Big Lagoon, and they appear to be a well-functioning team. Billy had a way of including everyone in discussion, giving Sasu an oppportunity to practice his knowledge on us, while also making the guests themselves feel like part of a team. I really appreciated this aspect of the walks, including seeing how Sasu was being mentored, and made sure to pass on this feedback when I got to Tafika a few days later.

The walks generally take us around some small lagoons near camp, from where I can stand where the elephants were and look back at my tree house where I'd sat watching them.

 

An elephant's eye view - sort of - looking back toward my tree house from the point where the elephants were seen in a previous photo (iPhone 15 Pro Max)

 

It's a lush area, rich in wildlife, mainly various species of antelope. Impala and puku are seen in numbers as usual, and it's hard to take any route without practically tripping over a group of waterbuck, they seem unusually abundant here.

 

Puku, impala and waterbuck were common around the nearby lagoons, in this case joined by a pair of saddle-billed storks (OM-1, Olympus 100-400mm @100mm, 1/1000s, f5.0, ISO 3200)

 

I knew not to expect close wildlife encounters on foot, if anything I was pleasantly surprised how close we could get to the antelope. The waterbuck in particular seemed relatively relaxed allowing us to pass quite closely before taking flight.

 

Waterbuck near Chikoko (OM-1, Olympus 100-400mm @100mm, 1/1000s, f5.0, ISO 800)

 

Waterbuck near Chikoko (OM-1, Olympus 100-400mm @200mm, 1/1000s, f5.9, ISO 2000)

 

One group of waterbuck took cover behind a bush as we passed nearby, though a brave buck broke cover to check that we were indeed passing harmlessly and posed no threat.

 

Waterbuck near Chikoko (OM-1, Olympus 100-400mm @400mm, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO 2000)

 

I mentioned I'd had a good kudu sighting on the drive up from Flatdogds, but on our first walk from Chikoko there is the best kudu sighting of all as we pass close to a family group: a large male accompanying a few females and young. The male is wounded and, just like the elephant we'd seen at Flatdogs, a shard remains of whatever punctured its flank. We speculate as to whether this animal has been fighting over breeding rights.

 

Kudu family, the male has a pucture wound with a shard of something (antler perhaps) remaining in its side (OM-1, Olympus 100-400mm @218m, 1/1000s, f6.0, ISO 5000)

 

It was by one of these lagoons I saw the only malachite kingfisher of the trip. These beautiful birds had seemed ten-a-penny in Tanzania a couple of years ago, I was glad to have spotted this one from the flash of colour among the grasses and reeds.

 

Malachite kingfisher (OM-1, Olympus 100-400m @400m, 1/1000s, f6.3, ISO 500)

 

On the first evening walk a lone elephant appeared beneath (and behind) a far off sausage tree. I'm not great at estimating distances, I'd say we were around 60-70m away, but on a path that took us further away; at first it seemed totally unaware of us.

 

Elephant near Chikoko (OM-1, Olympus 100-400mm @400mm, 1/500s, f6.3, ISO 4000)

 

Suddenly it seemed very much aware of us, and turned to give us due notice to keep moving. I took my cues from Billy who seemed "cautiously relaxed". The elephant seemed content that a flap of ears and an intense stare was sufficient.

 

Elephant near Chikoko (OM-1, Olympus 100-400mm @400mm, 1/500s, f6.3, ISO 4000)

 

On the second day we first walked to the canoe crossing point to see Craig and Averill off on their journey back to Tafika. After waving them off Billy turned to Sasu and Andrew saying "This afternoon let's take James to find some lion!" I can't honestly remember a great deal about the rest of the morning's walk, I was preoccupied with thoughts about what the afternoon would bring.

 

We'd heard the roaring in the night, but the need to take the others to the crossing meant waiting until evening before heading in the direction of the sound - roughly due west of camp. Billy expected them to have been around the dry bed of the Mwamba river, and sure enough we found recent tracks in the sand there. The lion themselves though were not to be found. Disappointing, but having said that even the possibility of finding them had been thrilling.

 

Billy looks for lion spoor in the dry bed of the Mwamba (iPhone 15 Pro Max)

 

Billy and I dined alone that night, discussing all manner of topics. He tells me he heard of a dead leopard found in the road near Tafika in recent days. Cause of death unknown but vets from the Zambia Carnivore Program had been alerted, I thought for a moment of Jabes's tale of the impala and wondered if this leopard lingered too long under a sausage tree. Billy is a skilled raconteur with many fascinating tales to tell, not least about his annual visits to Japan, his entrepreneurship making paper from banana stems, and how these came about. The last thing we discuss is my thoughts on the trip so far. I tell him how much I've enjoyed Chikoko, but 2 nights feels the perfect duration for a walking camp like this and I'm looking forward to Big Lagoon. He tells me he thinks I'll love Big Lagoon even more than Chikoko, we talk a little about the journey there, confirm timings for the morning, and I go to bed really looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by JimS