23rd
The Lower Zambezi harks back to a more romantic time when dashing rugged hunter-types tangled alternately with bad-tempered savage beasts and pouty heroines who somehow remained crease-free throughout their dusty ordeals. The flight in a wee plane over the creased escarpment to land on a dirt strip all seems rather “Out of Africa”. Straight away you are in big game country (the planes have to sometimes go around again while elephants traverse the airstrip), and being borne along in an open safari landrover by a khaki-clad professional guide garnishes the experience.
The camps in this area cut a dashing wild style; Sausage Tree’s high canopied white tented roofs, Chongwe’s unique Albida and Cassia suites where you can hear hippos while you do your own wallowing in roll-top baths. You may find yourself indulging in the ultimate liquid lunch aboard an intimate launch, cruising peacefully down the river with birds and animals aplenty laid on for your entertainment. Game-drives are interspersed with scenic interludes under palm trees where coffee is served on a crisp cloth on the bonnet. You may find yourself enjoying a sunset, glass of wine in hand with your feet cooling in the mighty Zambezi. It is all very Clark Gable and Ava Gardner…and what a pleasure.
It is impossible to separate the guilty pleasures from the adventure here; walks, river cruises, game-drives and canoe trips offer up a rich game experience. In fact, this is one place where you really feel as though you are a visitor in wildlife country. For example, in Chiawa you may find that an elephant sees fit to wander into camp during lunch, while hyena and lion call around the camps through the night. In Kulefu, the dawn-chorus is so overwhelming in its variety and volume that it renders that lie-in impossible.
If you like the idea of a safari in style, click here for some ideas from Natural High.
09th
Sliding over the calm, clear shallows of the Okavango Delta with the regular sound of the pole gently splashing and propelling you smoothly forward, the calls of fish eagle, kingfishers and bee-eaters, the warm sun lighting up the reeds and jackal-berry trees, and the deep blue sky overhead… It’s hard to choose words that don’t make this sound like syrupy marketing spin but there’s no avoiding the fact that that travelling through the Okavango in a mokoro is really quite idyllic.
Mokoros are long, sturdy canoes traditionally hewn from hardwood trees such as ebony and bleached a pale grey by the sun and water over time. The “River Bushmen”, amongst other tribes, still use the canoes for transport and fishing. However, with the influx of tourism into the Delta, some of these seasoned fishermen have turned their skills to guiding and what better way to undertake this unique experience than in the capable hands of a local?
The core of the Delta remains water-logged all year round, but the seasonal inundation fills out a vast swathe of channels and lagoons between March and June, swelling the Delta to more than three times its permanent size. The water that rises in Angola gradually creeps down hippo “highways”, creating seasonal islands and enriching reed-beds. Annual migrations bring an influx of elephant, buffalo and antelope into the area along with hundreds of birds as the Kalahari loses its green mantle to winter. For this reason, the period between July and the end of October is the best time of year to visit the Delta for the quantity and variety of wildlife.
Travelling by mokoro allows you access to areas otherwise impossible by motorboat or vehicle and the quiet is very much part of the appeal. It allows you to enjoy the sounds as much as the sights and gives you the opportunity to cruise quietly up to animals without disturbing them with noisy engines. It goes without saying that the view of an elephant is quite different from a few feet off the surface of the water and many animals are surprisingly relaxed in the presence of water-borne humans.
Many camps and lodges in the perennial Delta offer mokoro trips as part of the day’s activities while other camps which benefit from seasonal flood-waters will do so if the water is high enough, so you do need to choose your area carefully depending on the time of year. For those that wish to experience full immersion (not literally) in the Delta, there are safaris solely dedicated to exploring on foot or by mokoro in the old ways of the local people.
Look at ideas for safaris in the Okavango.
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02nd
Every now and then it’s quite nice to push the envelope a little and step out of one’s comfort zone. More often than not, the experience is a good one and it’s a way of re-tuning your perceptions and discovering a new aspect of the world. Walking in the bush is just one such example, and for those that have never been or safari, or have only ever seen wildlife from the relative confines of a vehicle, going bipedal will certainly open up a whole new way of seeing Africa.
Walking in the bush is more than just a game drive without a vehicle, as you’ll quickly realise. It’s not a hike or a route march either, although it is great to get out and about and stretch your legs. Simply “spotting” animals is just the superficial tip of the African safari experience and by getting out on foot, a whole rich tapestry of interesting stuff is laid bare.
You may be following the recent tracks of a lioness or discovering the filigree nest of a praying mantis, learning how termite colonies work or establishing which way a breeding herd or elephant walked last night. It’s pretty cool to watch an experienced guide call in half a dozen different species of bird by imitating the call of a pearl-spotted owlet. Curiously, you spend an inordinate amount of time examining poo. It’s amazing what you can learn from it!
In the 1960s, Norman Carr pioneered guided walking safaris in the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. Both a hunter and passionate conservationist, he was also one of the first to acknowledge the importance of involving local people in the development of tourism and care of resources. Since then, the Luangwa Valley has carved a well deserved niche as one of the best places to experience the bush on foot.
The landscape of the Luangwa is perfect for walking. The broad sandy river winds through forests of ebony and winter-thorn, leaving lagoon-like oxbows and grassy floodplains which attract wildlife like a magnet. Animals are creatures of habit and carve their own footpaths through the bush, so we can follow literally in their footsteps.
Animals tend to be more wary of people when we are not camouflaged in a land-cruiser so you may not get as close or see as many animals as you would on a game drive, but there is always the possibility of unexpected encounters. If the wind is in your favour, you can approach an elephant thrillingly close without it even realising you are there. Things that seem ordinary from a car take on new significance when you part of the action.
The good news is that whether you are new to Africa and/or walking, or a veteran of the bush, there is a range of options to suit your interests. You can try out bush-walks as part of the daily activities, or alternatively go on multi-day safaris where you walk at a leisurely pace from one camp to another, stopping to check out interesting things along the way. Mobile walking safaris (where your camp moves with you) offer one of the best ways to explore a different, and usually more remote, area every couple of days.
Zambian guides are rigorously trained and there are some who have worked in the Luangwa Valley for decades. Many of them have been brought up in villages nearby, with their ancestors’ understanding of the environment ingrained within them. They know the local beasties, where best to go to see them and how to keep safe if you encounter the big ones. In Zambia, you always walk with a guide that is specifically qualified to do so, an armed game scout and often, the all important tea-bearer.
Look at some ideas of Luangwa walking safaris
24th
You’ll be doing well if you can find somewhere that’s as little visited and so rich an experience as the Mahale Mountains in Western Tanzania. Its great distance from virtually anywhere has kept Mahale mercifully free of tourists at any time, but for our money, June is truly hard to beat.
Arriving by boat after the flight, you chug your way slowly down the shore of Lake Tanganyika, Africa’s deepest lake. The water is gin clear and turquoise and the woodland along the shore is still rich and green at this time. As if that wasn’t enough, as you trek up into the mountains in search of the Chimpanzees, the forest is filled with the scent of wild jasmine and wild butterflies are in abundance.
Greystoke Camp, just 6 rooms sitting on a white sandy beach on the lake shore at the foot of the Mountains is one of the most unusual and exceptional experiences in Africa.
Chimp tracking is quite unlike any of the more traditional elements of safari. Here you are on your feet throughout and in awe inspiring forest that bares no resemblance to anything you will have encountered elsewhere in the country. When you find the chimps you are often in close proximity to them (sometimes they pass within a few feet of you) and they more or less ignore you…read more
View an itinerary for Mahale and Katavi
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