safarigeek

Out and about in Zambia: Canoes at dusk.

I’ve lengthily extolled the virtues of taking to the bush on foot but today I discovered a new pleasure; cruising the banks of a river by canoe.  Part way through a long safari and at the end of a tiring day of travelling, I was feeling a little fraught and probably slightly ambivalent about venturing out within an hour of arriving at a new place…my beautiful tented room at the Chongwe River Camp and its quite extraordinary view was calling.

The Chongwe River is a tributary of the mighty Zambezi at the point where the Zambezi National Park borders the Chongwe GMA (Game Management Area).  Winding gently down from the ripples of the escarpment, the Chongwe is a pretty cool little spot.  At this time of day it is particularly attractive as the light softens and the river takes on the colours of the trees and sky.  It’s hard not to concede to such an all-encompassing peace and quiet.

Fortunately I didn’t have the opportunity to nod off (which may have led to a disappointing capsize and a humiliating return to camp).  There was no shortage of things to see on our gentle late afternoon paddle.  We floated past steep sandy banks in which white-fronted and carmine bee-eaters throng by the thousands to make their nests at different times of the year.  A small breeding herd of elephant ventured down within fifty metres or so, with a tiny calf no more than a couple of months old.  The assorted nostrils, eyes and ears of a pod of hippo watched our progress with interest but didn’t seem inclined to dispossess us of our transport, likewise the couple of crocs and a terrapin.

As the sun dipped below the escarpment, a giant eagle owl called from a large tree and we witnessed the aerial displays of a number of different species of kingfisher and a multitude of other water birds.  A fish eagle even gave us a private fly-by.  Troops of vervet monkeys and baboons watched us watching them.

I think that canoeing makes a great change from being bounced around in a vehicle with the noise of the engine and the dust which can get to even the most seasoned safari veteran after a while.  The quiet, the quality of light on the water at that time of day and just the gentle sounds of nature make you naturally want to switch to a lower gear, cease the chatter and just absorb the world around with heightened senses.  Click here for a little video…and pay attention to the sounds!

Incidentally, as I write this now, I am sitting in my room in Chongwe listening to a veritable cacophony of sound; lions roaring not far away, a hippo grazing about five metres from my room (I can see him by torchlight), an entire pack of hyena whooping over the river in Zimbabwe and all the other unidentified sounds of the African night….not sure there’s much sleep on the cards tonight!