In Support of Camping

By: Leslie Nevison Photos: Leslie Nevison

We are filling the open beds of the 4 x 4s with camping gear. The sun has just risen. I survey what is spread over the lawn – tents, mattresses, sleeping bags, pillows, lanterns, coolers, buckets, pots and pans, tables, wash basins, chairs – amassed over a few months of weekends for this one, do-it-yourself camping trip to Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park. As it happens, we have too much and must leave a table behind. I think, how much easier it is to book a safari lodge or camp, where upon arrival, smiling people offer refreshing towels, gin and tonics, and take your bags to your tent. Tonight, we must erect our own tents after first agreeing on their location away from hippos’ nightly meanders. And then, we must cook!

I suspect using an established lodge and camp is less expensive too. Determining the dollar value of what you have spent in hours of preparation is impossible. As a safari operator, I encounter clients who associate camping with saving money. ‘I don’t mind camping to keep my costs down,’ they write. Granted, the kind of camping they have in mind may not be the glamping to which I have graduated – my mattresses are 15 centimetres thick and my wine supply takes up the entire back seat. (And, I might add, calculated very carefully per person per night.) I use private camp sites over public ones. But the truth of the matter is that we don’t self-camp because it is less trouble or cheaper.

We find freedom in doing everything ourselves. We are not restricted by lodge schedules. We position our camp chairs with a view of river, spring, lagoon, or bush and observe what comes and goes on the wildlife channel. We identify birds and take photographs. There is no hurry. This is not to say that self-camping should replace safari lodges. It’s better if you combine camping with lodges where excellent guides contribute immeasurably to the entire safari experience. Diversity is the key to a great safari. Selfcamping is another way to add that diversity to the itinerary. It’s guaranteed that you will end up with hilarious stories about the baboons which tried to break into the tents or the hyenas which stole shoes in the middle of the night. Furthermore, there comes a time when everyone needs a proper shower, and when even the most astutely assessed quantities of wine run out. This is a good time to relocate to a lodge. Otherwise, all you will have to live on is food and water. (I paraphrase W.C. Fields’s quote: ‘Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days all we had to live on was food and water.’)

In Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park, our private camp site is on a bluff overlooking the Zambezi River. Zambia lies on the opposite shore. Elephants cross the river in either direction at first light and at sunset. A lioness and two young male cubs jog through on a mission one day. A hyena steals two of our guests’ shoes from outside their tents. We manage to retrieve one pair. That same hyena eats our camera trap which is fastened to a nearby tree. We take a few game drives but mainly we stay in camp and watch wildlife television. At night, we stare into the fire fuelled by aromatic mopane wood.

Such a magnificent private site is rare to obtain these days. Twenty years ago, I could arrive at the entrance gate of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park or the Selous Game Reserve and be given a private camp site. To be sure, this was before cell ‘phones and computers, but my point is that private sites were available for do-it-yourself campers and not all reserved for seasonal operators as they tend to be today. Zambia doesn’t permit camping inside its parks at all. Communal camp sites are in the grounds of accommodations outside South Luangwa and Kafue National Parks. Zimbabwe may be unique in that private camp sites remain inside its parks, which, if you start early enough (September/October of the previous year) and persevere with Zimparks, you can successfully book and enjoy the following dry season for as long as your wine and shoes last.

Leslie Nevison is the director of Lusaka-based MTT Zambia Ltd, which arranges private safaris in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and nine other African countries.

www.MTTSafaris.com leslie@MTTSafaris.com 00 260 962 831

We are sad to share the news of the passing away of Jenny, the matriarch of the Cumings family, wife of David, mother of Grant and Kevin, granny of Nathan, Lewis, Scott and Lauren. For those of you who knew Jenny, you might remember her for her famously late hours and her Skype signature, ‘Leopards work best at night, just like Jenny’. May Jenny’s soul rest in peace. The Cumings Family, Chiawa Camp & Old Mondoro

‘Onsite construction progress for the recently launched Chibembe Wildlife Reserve is proceeding to plan,’ says development manager for the project, James Arnott. ‘We have completed the internal plot access roads and signage, demolished the remnants of the old camp and commenced with the water reticulation to all the sites. The 2018 dry season will herald the start of the development of the new top structures. We have sold over 50 per cent of the 18plots on offer, so get in quickly!’ (www.chibembe.com or email james@chibembe.com for more info).

We recently created a unique tree house for guest sleep-outs. Woven muchinga, inspired by local grain stores, creates a special ambience for sleeping under the stars after a day’s canoeing or simply adding the icing to another memorable day on safari.

At Royal Zambezi Lodge we believe in responsible tourism and supporting the environment around us, giving high priority to the wellbeing of our local communities and preserving the local ecosystem. One of our developments within the community is the opening of the Claire Kartagener Maternity Ward at Mugarameno Village in December, 2016. READ MORE on www.royalzambezilodge.com/giving-back

If you don’t yet know about Mulberry Mongoose’s unique accessories let me enlighten you: - Every piece of jewellery sold goes to help fund anti-snare patrols and support conservation, so a portion of allsold pieces comes back to support CLZ’s wildlife protection efforts. - Team members weave organic andlocal materials into their designs to create a uniquely Zambian piece. Their signature pieces are made from vegetable ivory seeds (seeds that fall from palm trees), hand-carved wooden beads and vintage Zambian coins. - They transform collected snare wire into striking jewellery and celebrities including Bill and Hilary Clinton, Whoopi Goldberg and Sting have worn their pieces. Buy or own a stunning piece of art while helping a greater cause! Visit their workshop and retail outlet in the South Luangwa. Here, next to a well-trodden elephant path, they hand-craft their pieces. Ask your safari lodge for details on how to visit. You can also check out their online shop: www.mulberrymongoose.com

Scheduled to open in early June, the camp will retain its wild, authentic feel while sporting an entirely new design and infrastructure. We look forward to welcoming guests into the new and improved Kakuli Camp! Time + Tide’s popular Rivers & Rainbows itinerary will now be even easier for guests to enjoy with Proflight’s new direct flight from Royal Airstrip in the Lower Zambezi to Livingstone.