We knew it was possible to see leopard at South Luangwa, but we didn’t know we would see them on 3 of our 4 drives through the park!
The first time, the mother and two cubs were hiding in a bush. The cubs peeked out at us. We didn’t realize the second one was there until later when we looked at the photos! This photo was taken by Sean, who was with us on the safari. Thanks for the photo, Sean! Continue reading “Leopards”
We found a pride of lion toward the end of our first night drive at South Luangwa. And the lion had found a herd of Cape buffalo. It was too dark to take many photos, and this was the only one I got that came out at all. But the lion and buffalo were doing a dance–the lion circling and the buffalo guarding their young. After several minutes, our driver said that we would have to leave. The gate to the park closes at 8PM and if he doesn’t get out by then he will lose his license. And the dance could go on all night. Another truck had just left, and we followed close behind. Continue reading “The Kill (Almost)”
The wildlife at South Luangwa is numerous and varied. Here’s just a sampling of some of the things we saw. Continue reading “Various Sightings on Safari”
One thing South Luangwa is known for is its birds. Here are just a few of the ones I found most interesting, or at least the interesting ones that posed for photos. Many thanks to Ruth for helping with identification! Continue reading “Birds”
One of the first things we saw after entering South Luangwa National Park was a herd of impala, which initially wasn’t very exciting for me. We’ve seen plently of “DLT’s” (Deer-Like-Things) in Africa. But this was an experience–we got to see a male chasing away his rivals, making noises I never would have associated with an antelope. Here’s the video. I would have edited out the part where I lost them in the bushes, except for the exclamation by our tour guide at the end: “Don’t get my females!”
While my parents were here, they took us on a safari to South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. It was amazing! We just missed the opportunity of being charged by a herd of buffalo that were attacked by a pride of lions, but we did get in on some other excitement. Too many photos to post in a single day, so I’ll spread them out a bit. Enjoy! Continue reading “South Luangwa National Park”
With apologies to our regulars, this is going to sound more like a travel brochure than a normal blog entry. Less than an hour from the road that connects Nyika to Rumphi is Vwaza Marsh Reserve, and we stopped there for one night at Kazuni Camp. There is almost no information at all available about this camp on the internet–all of the normal travel sites say “closed until further notice,” or something similar. And the phone number in the latest printed tour guides is no longer in operation. So for the benefit of those who are searching in vain for information about Kazuni Camp and the Vwaza Eco Lodge, I’m going to include several boring details like prices and phone numbers. Continue reading “Vwaza National Park”
On the drive out of Nyika, we had one last animal encounter. It started with fresh dung–there were several piles on the road that hadn’t been there when we drove into Nyika.
We are now in the middle of our kids’ school’s 2-week-long Easter break. We haven’t spent much time out of the city since arriving in Malawi, so we decided it was time to break into the US dollars that we brought with us after selling our vehicles back in the States. We spent most of last week in the Northern part of Malawi visiting a couple of National Parks.
We drove four hours from the end of the tarred road into Nyika National Park, stopping only for vomit breaks along the bumpy, muddy, and rutted 60 miles to the Nyika Plateau. The plateau is beautiful, and is so high in altitude that there are no mosquitoes! This was the first time we’ve been able to sleep without mosquito nets since we came to Malawi last year. It was also cold at that altitude, so we very much enjoyed having a fireplace in our chalet. Continue reading “Nyika National Park”
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