ISSUE 13 -JANUARY - APRIL 2019

TRAVEL & LEISURE

ZAMBIA

& ZIMBABWE JANUARY–APRIL 2019 | EDITION 13

HARARE

The City That Never Sleeps

Seven Amazing Facts About

CARMINE BEE-EATERS THE LUANGWA RIVER LUXURY LIVINGSTONE

Accommodation

Dream Explore Experience

Experience Pure Luxury & Style In The Heart Of Africa

Steeped in history and evoking a sense of a bygone era, The Victoria Falls Hotel continues to offer guests true luxury and excellent service.

[M] (+263-772) 132 174 or (+263-772) 132 175 [T] (+263 83 28 44751/9) [E] reservations@victoriafallshotel.com [skype] resmgr.tvfh [W] www.victoriafallshotel.com

TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA / JANUARY–APRIL 2019

CONTENTS Features

Know Your African Wildlife: Carmine Bee-Eaters 06 Edward Selfe

Working With Junk Karen Beattie

Seven Amazing Facts About Carmine Bee-Eaters 10 Kelsea Lee

When It All Comes Together For Wildlife 36 Sarah Kingdom

Elephant Charge Sarah Davies

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The City That Never Sleeps 40 Stan Higgins

Luxury Livingstone Accommodation Sarah Kingdom

14

Speak Out For Animals Shelley Cox (Africa Conservation Travel)

42

18

The Matobo Hills Shelley Cox (Africa Conservation Travel)

44

26

A Taste Of Victoria Falls Sarah Kingdom

46

The Intriguing World Of African Wines Sarah Kerr

48

Conservation Kafue-Style Sarah Kingdom The Luangwa River John Coppinger

South Luangwa...As It Was Nicky Dunnington-Jefferson

30

33

Advertisers’ Index IFC 01 03 05 07 11 15 20

The Victoria Falls Hotel Ndole Bay Lodge Bushtec Safari WTM Africa People And Places Shamba Lodge Fawlty Towers Ad-dicts Advertising

21 23 24 & 25 32 34 & 35 39 IBC BC

Musekese Camp Green Safaris Mukambi Safaris Flatdogs Camp Shenton Safaris Jacana Lesanne Photography Zambian Ground Handlers

are you in the tourism industry? advertise with us to be seen!

TRAVEL & LEISURE

ZAMBIA www.zambiatravelmagazine.com / andrew@zambiatravelmag.com / +260 977 308 711

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TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

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A word from the MD

TRAVEL & LEISURE

ZAMBIA Publisher Safari Magazine

Editor & Managing Director Andrew Muswala andrew@zambiatravelmag.com Sub-Editor Nicky Dunnington-Jefferson nicky.dj@sky.com Layout and Art Director Gemma Beardsall gemmakb@hotmail.co.uk Consultant Jo Pope popejo@gmail.com

Website www.zambiatravelmagazine.com

2019 is here! We at Safari Magazine would like to welcome you all to this brand new year. We sincerely hope your dreams will be realised and that you’ll be successful in all your endeavours throughout the coming months.

This is the 13th edition and the first of the year, and we wish to thank sincerely everyone who has been part of Travel & Leisure Zambia & Zimbabwe magazine from the first edition to date. Indeed, your continued support has enabled the growth of the magazine and is crucial to its continued progress.

Zambia and Zimbabwe are two of the most authentic safari destinations in Southern Africa. The essence and aim of the magazine is to reach out to as wide a readership as possible, thus enabling agents to promote the wonderful destinations offered by both these countries. Furthermore, in helping products and Destination Management Companies (DMC) reach their markets, the magazine is also an excellent sales and marketing tool.

In this edition our focus is on southern carmine bee-eaters (P6) and Kelsea Lee points out seven amazing facts about these beautiful birds (P8).

Elsewhere, John Coppinger writes about the Luangwa River (P26), we look at Conservation in Kafue National Park (P18), learn about Elephant Charge (P12) and reminisce about South Luangwa, as it was (P30).

Zimbabwe is listed number three in Lonely Planet’s list of ‘Top 10 Countries to Visit in 2019’! Shelley Cox recently enjoyed the iconic cultural landscape of this country’s historic Matobo Hills (P44). And in Harare, the city that never sleeps, we join writer Stan Higgins on the first of his three-part series about this beautiful capital city (P40).

Wines of South Africa (WOSA) Grand Tasting event came to Zimbabwe and was held at the Victoria Falls Hotel in October last year. Travel writer Sarah Kerr attended the occasion and shares with us the significance of this event (P48).

HAPPY READING!

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TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

Our New Contributor Shelley Cox is a proudly-born Zimbabwean with a deep passion for wildlife and conservation. Having studied for a Bachelor of Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa, Shelley has worked in the tourism industry for the past nine years and is a co-owner and the marketing and sales director of Africa Conservation Travel, an organisation with a focus on creating a greater connection between tourism, conservation and local communities. Shelley was also recently appointed to the Forestry Board of Zimbabwe, and carries out voluntary consultancy work for the Zambezi Elephant Fund, an organisation focused on the protection of the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve. She is also on the board of trustees of Victoria Falls Enviro Watch and on the board of the African Travel and Tourism Association.

Subscriptions ads@zambiatravelmag.com +260 977 308 711

Contributors John Coppinger, Scott Ramsey, Nicky Dunnington-Jefferson, Karen Beattie, Project Luangwa, Leelee Ngwenya, Zambean Café, The Bushcamp Company, Esnala Banda, Robin Pope Safaris, Sarah Kingdom, Islands of Siankaba, Patrick Bentley, Thorntree River Lodge, Edward Selfe, Sarah Davies, Elephant Charge, Mukambi Safaris, Kelsea Lee, Time + Tide, Will Burrard Lucas, Adrian Steirn, Stan Higgins, Lesanne Photography, Sarah Kerr, Chundu Island, African Albida, Ilala Lodge, Shelley Cox, Remote Africa Safaris, Speak Out For Animals (SOFA), Dulce by Jessie Submissions We welcome editorial and photographic submissions to the magazine. Accompanying images should be sent in high-res jpg and minimum 3MB in size. Please send a synopsis of the proposed article to andrew@zambiatravelmag. com for consideration.

Printers New Horizon Printing Press Plot # LUS/9815/H Kafue Road, Lusaka, Zambia

Copyright Copyright © All rights for material appearing in this magazine belong to Travel & Leisure Zambia and/or the individual contributors. No part of this magazine may be reproduced either without the written consent of the publishers or without due acknowledgement.

On the cover

Carmine bee-eater in South Luangwa National Park Photo credit: Edward Selfe Photography

Know Your African Wildlife:

Southern Carmine Bee-Eaters

C

armine bee-eaters are found right across Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. The northern species extends from Senegal to Somalia and down through Kenya; the southern species—which visits us in the Luangwa—is found from southern DRC across to western Tanzania and down to the northern parts of South Africa.

Writer: Edward Selfe Photography: Edward Selfe

These birds are unmistakable! Apart from their northern cousins—which have a green face—there is no other bird that resembles them. Each year, they start to appear in Luangwa in the early dry season and announce their arrival with loud, resonant ‘terk, terk, terk’ calls from high in the sky.

Initially, they are scattered throughout the woodland, ‘hawking’ (see Seven Amazing Facts About Carmine BeeEaters) for large insects which form the basis of their diet. But as the dry season intensifies, and the river level drops, they start to congregate along the banks, seeking out suitable nesting sites. They require steep, solid sand river banks into which they can burrow a long tunnel; the bank must be soft enough to excavate but cohesive enough not to collapse even when hundreds of birds burrow two-metre-long tunnels into it!

These steep banks give the birds’ nests protection from predators—such as baboons and raptors— which would attack either the eggs or the chicks.

During the nest-building process, there are often squabbles over ‘real estate’ as they all compete for the prized spots.

Once the nests are dug, the females lay a clutch of one to three eggs which they incubate. The males continue hawking for insects and delivering them back to the nests.

The carmines are most active in the morning and evening when it is cool, and are often found resting in shady trees during the hottest hours. Since their activities often coincide with the sausage trees’ new leaf growth, we enjoy a vivid combination of crimson reds and intense greens.

When the chicks hatch, the adults both hunt to feed the youngsters and the colony becomes a very busy place. Birds come and go throughout the day, and opportunist predators such as yellow -billed kites swoop in and attempt to snatch anyone who isn’t paying attention! As the remaining birds erupt from the bank in flight, there is a moment when the air is filled with noisy squawks and crimson wing-beats. And then, after all the frenzied activity, the adults begin to depart with their fledged youngsters. Some juveniles—and a number of adults—choose to stay behind and can be seen throughout the rainy season in the mopane forests until the rest of the population rejoins them the following season.

The annual visit of the carmines is really something to behold. The drama begins in August, extending and intensifying through September and October before the rains bring an end to the breeding season in November.

I hope you enjoy your safari in Zambia!

For more in the ‘Know Your African Wildlife’ series, visit: www.edwardselfephotography.com Edward is a seasoned safari guide and specialist photo safari operator based year-round in South Luangwa National Park.

People and Places is an owner-run, Zambian-based tour operator specialising in tailor-made itineraries throughout Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

It is the people and places of Africa that we love and our team are dedicated to ensuring that all clients that travel with us have the optimal African experience.

We focus on efficiency, flexibility, generosity and consistency. We thrive on offering a very personal service. +260 966740362 / emma@peopleandplacesconsult.com www.peopleandplacesconsult.com TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

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Writer: Kelsea Lee Photography: Time + Tide. Will Burrard Lucas, Adrian Steirn

1.

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They are masters of ‘hawking’, a hunting technique where birds launch from a perch, catch an insect from mid-air and return to the same or a different perch. Carmine bee-eaters have even been known to use the backs of antelopes or kori bustards as roving perches.

Will Burrard Lucas,

Adrian Steirn

SEVEN AMAZING FACTS ABOUT

TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

2.

3.

They build burrows one to two metres deep into dry riverbanks. A whole colony will occupy the same stretch, making for dramatic displays as they come and go from their burrows.

Carmine Bee-Eaters

Just like the great wildebeest migration, the southern carmine bee-eaters follow a yearly migration route— from August to November they reside in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. During the summer months they fly to their southernmost habitats in South Africa, before eventually returning north to the lush rainforests of equatorial Africa from March to August.

Will Burrard Lucas,

4.

They are drawn to bush fires and will circle high above the flames, catching the insects that are flushed out of the burning undergrowth.

TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

9

Their favourite foods are bees, termites, cicadas, dragonflies, butterflies and locusts. They will regurgitate pellets containing the indigestible chitinous parts of the insects.

6.

When hunting bees, they will return to their perch and smash the bees into the branch, rubbing the abdomen to remove the venomous sting before eating the bee.

7.

During the breeding season the females will eat snail shells, sand and other calcium-rich items to help produce stronger eggs.

Will Burrard Lucas,

Will Burrard Lucas,

Will Burrard Lucas,

5.

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TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

Writer: Sarah Davies Photography: Elephant Charge

C

louds of dust billowed behind us as we raced towards our last checkpoint of the Fuchs Elephant Charge 2018. Would we finish this epic adventure in time and intact? Would our distance be short enough to put us on the podium? Our driver, Adrian, fiercely concentrated on the terrain in front whilst the runners disappeared over the horizon to find the shortest traversable route.

ELEPHANT

Throughout the day our team, ‘Hot Clutch’, had battled causeways of precariously balanced boulders using both a front and back winch to right ourselves, navigated river crossings and avoided tyre-shredding rocks across the Zambian wilderness. And all of it with a grin from ear to ear even during radiator explosions!

By way of explanation, the Elephant Charge takes place annually and requires teams of 4 x 4 vehicles and motorbikes to complete a gruelling cross-country course through the Zambian bush in the shortest distance possible. A car team is made up of a driver, a navigator and runners who check out the bush looking for the shortest route, while attempting to conquer each of 10 checkpoints.

This is a unique opportunity to experience the exquisite beauty of the Zambian wilderness through adventurous motor sport while raising funds for wildlife conservation. Each kwacha raised by teams shortens their net distance in order to put them in the running for the trophy.

Wildlife conservation in Zambia has been outlined as a priority for both the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) as well as international communities.

Did you know, since the 1960s we have lost 90 per cent of our elephants? 50 years ago, Zambia was home to over 250,000 of nature’s gentle giants. The most recent surveys indicate that we only have 10 per cent of this number left, with a population of around 21,000 mainly found only in our national parks.

Significant support for wildlife conservation through the GRZ Department of National Parks and Wildlife, as well as supporting organisations, comes from overseas countries such as the United States, Finland and Germany. However, for over 10 years, a Zambian born and bred organisation, the Elephant Charge, has been raising seed funding for Zambian wildlife conservation efforts with a huge impact of almost US$1 million so far.

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TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

PROVIDING A SPRINGBOARD FOR CONSERVATION IN ZAMBIA

CHARGE

This year the Elephant Charge has been delighted to see one of our beneficiaries, Conservation Lake Tanganyika (CLT), grow through a partnership with Frankfurt Zoological Society in order to protect one of Africa’s most threatened elephant populations in Nsumbu National Park.

CEO Craig A. Zytkow believes that the Elephant Charge had a big part to play in supporting CLT to get to this point. He says: ‘Finding enough resources to slow the downward trend of wildlife in a remote corner of Zambia is exceptionally difficult, especially in the early days of Conservation Lake Tanganyika with no history and very few stakeholders.

‘Being the recipient of steady and annual funding from the Elephant Charge since our inception in 2012 has enabled us to evolve from a small organisation supplementing rations and fuel, to a crucial partner in preserving one of Zambia’s most valuable natural resources, Nsumbu National Park on Lake Tanganyika.'

Join the Elephant Charge herd!

Put together or sponsor a team. The Elephant Charge adventure continues on 28th September, 2019.

To find out more about the Elephant Charge please visit: www.elephantcharge.org or email info@elephantcharge.org

TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

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Luxury

LIVINGSTONE ACCOMMODATION

I

t is amazing how sophisticated the northern banks of the Zambezi have become. Once the ‘poor relation’ in the Victoria Falls ‘experience’, Livingstone has undergone an incredible transformation in recent years and now has some truly special places to stay with some serious luxury on offer. After my visit there I can confidently say I have never felt so pampered in my life!

We had our first taste of what Livingstone can provide at Thorntree Lodge. Thorntree is Livingstone’s most recently opened luxury river lodge... and what an awesome time we had there. Perfectly appointed rooms right on the banks of the Zambezi, sundowners beside our private swimming pool, morning wake-ups to drink tea in bed, with the vast expanse of the river stretching out before us… these were all parts of an experience never to be forgotten. Thorntree is located in the 66-squarekilometre Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, home to buffalo, zebra, giraffe, elephant, various antelope, warthog and much more; but also, home to 12 endangered white rhino. On a game drive through this tiny park we had the fabulous opportunity to get out of our safari vehicle and walk right up close to a mother and baby rhino.

For those times you felt you should be working off all the good food, but didn’t want to miss out on any of the ‘wildlife

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TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

action’, Thorntree even had a gym with a view. I visited the treadmill every morning, while the rest of my family were ensconced in their beds, and came back with reports of the beautiful birds, monkeys, baboons, giraffes and even elephants that I had watched while ‘running to nowhere’.

Moving on after some fabulous days at Thorntree, we arrived at the Stanley Safari Lodge. The Stanley has a very different viewpoint and perspective to most of the other lodges in the area, most of which are built right on the river banks. Here you are

perched on a hill overlooking unspoilt bush, with snaking stretches of the Zambezi River and the spray of the Victoria Falls visible in the distance. We arrived in a deluge and had to make a mad dash from the car to the welcoming shelter of the dining room—this rain was to continue for the rest of our stay.

A thunderstorm during dinner provided a spectacular display of lightning across the border in Zimbabwe, and the reflection of the lightning in the swimming pool, which

we could see from our table, was incredible.

Our next move found us at Royal Chundu River Lodge, located 60 kilometres from Livingstone, upstream of the Falls.

Royal Chundu operates two lodges: River Lodge and Island Lodge. From the minute we arrived at River Lodge we knew we were in paradise! Having relied on Google maps to get us there, we had taken a very circuitous route and were feeling rather flustered by the time we arrived. All that fell away though as we took the first sip of our welcome cocktail and stepped aboard the boat that would take us from River Lodge out to our room at Island Lodge, on nearby Katombora Island.

Having gone into town for dinner we arrived back at River Lodge after dark.

Boarding the boat again we took a short, moonlit boat ride upstream to the island.

Reaching our room we found a freshly-drawn bath on our verandah, with bubbles that must have been at least a metre high. I hopped into the tub, watching the Southern Cross and the Milky Way while being serenaded by a chorus of frogs. Lions roared in the park across the water. It was an absolutely perfect moment—warm water, cool night air, mountains of bubbles, brilliant stars and the sound of lions.

On our final night at Island Lodge we were treated to a special Zambian tasting menu.

Normally I cringe at the thought of activities that sound overly touristy or are labelled a ‘traditional’ or ‘cultural’ encounter, but this dinner was nothing like that at all. It was an inspired use of traditional Zambian

Writer: Sarah Kingdom Photography: Islands of Siankaba, Thorntree River Lodge

our room and the rain falling on the canvas roof at night made us feel cosy and warm tucked up in bed, lulling us off to sleep. The next morning we awoke as tea and coffee were delivered. We sat on our verandah, watching 40 or 50 blue-cheeked beeeaters and just as many wire-tailed swallows swooping over the water. A Cape clawless otter appeared, swimming around Departing Royal Chundu, our next stay was the partially submerged small islands in front of our room. Walking to breakfast Islands of Siankaba, a lodge built on two private islands in the middle of the Zambezi. we found cracked crab carcasses on the Accommodation features wooden rooms bridges, remnants of giant kingfishers’ breakfast. built on stilts and perched on the river’s edge, with verandahs jutting out over the Moving on, our last stop on this luxurious water—all interlinked by a series of raised tour of Livingstone was the Royal wooden walkways. The walkways and suspension bridges that link the two islands Livingstone Hotel. We only had one night here, but we certainly made the most of our together gave an air of adventure to the lodge from the moment we arrived. They visit. Just after arrival we were ushered off were a constant source of entertainment to an extravagant high tea, where we were to my husband, who would deliberately each presented with a three-tiered cake stand loaded with goodies, accompanied by wait until I was in the middle of the main suspension bridge before jumping up and our choice of any number of tea varieties down on it and trying to make my crossing and, of course, some sparkling wine. Having as shaky as possible! missed lunch, we savoured our high tea whilst watching zebras grazing by the pool.

The rain we had experienced at The Stanley Just as I swallowed my last bubbly sip, nibbled my last morsel of cucumber sandwich, continued at Islands of Siankaba, and the sound of the swollen river swirling beneath and decided there was no way I was going ingredients, which started with the chef’s ingenious take on chibwantu (a traditional home-made fermented beverage), served in a giant snail shell, and went on to include the imaginative use of ingredients such as wild spinach and vinkubala (caterpillars).

This was, for sure, a novel and special way to end our stay.

to fit in any dinner, I was whisked off to a luxurious massage in a gazebo on the banks of the Zambezi.

Our last morning in Livingstone dawned and we enjoyed a delicious champagne breakfast while watching the spray of the Falls. We followed this with a last-minute visit to the Falls themselves (which you can access directly from the hotel garden).

Taking advantage of our last bit of luxury we didn’t even walk there ourselves, instead catching a ride on the hotel’s golf buggy!

After a solid week of rain, the Zambezi was a swollen river of chocolate and the Falls were really pumping; it was hard to drag ourselves away from watching the sheer volume of water that was pouring over the edge. But sadly all good things come to an end…

Sarah was hosted by some spectacular lodges on her visits to Livingstone…

THORNTREE RIVER LODGE: www.africanbushcamps.com STANLEY SAFARI LODGE: www.robinpopesafaris.net ROYAL CHUNDU: www.royalchundu.com ISLANDS OF SIANKABA: www.siankaba.net ROYAL LIVINGSTONE HOTEL: www.royal-livingstone.anantara.com

TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

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Lusaka Lunch Spots

Dulce Writer: Leelee Ngwenya Photography: Dulce by Jessie

D

ulce by Jessie is a multi-cuisine restaurant located in the quiet suburb of Kabulonga at Plot 50J, Sable Road. It features indoor and outdoor garden seating which is perfect for a leisurely weekend lunch by the pool or an intimate dinner set-up. Alternatively, if you work in the area, you can easily drop in for lunch between the hours of 11.30 am and 5.00 pm.

At Dulce by Jessie, signature dishes include the mouth-watering barbecue spare ribs, garlic butter prawns served with coconut rice, or locally farmed lamb shank. The restaurant also serves gourmet burgers and its specialty gourmet cheese sandwiches such as the bacon, Gouda and guacamole sandwich.

You can also enjoy among others a tasty vegetable wrap made with seasonal vegetables or a chicken and mushroom wrap.

If you fancy a light bite try the famous chicken and avocado salad with added crayfish, Thai beef salad, quinoa salad or a classic Greek salad. Alternatively, if it’s a little chilly outside in this rainy season, you can warm up with one of the hearty rustic soups, including those made from butternut squash, mushrooms or fresh tomato and basil.

Are you unable to drive in and sit down to enjoy your meal? Dulce by Jessie’s menu is also available on www.afridelivery.com or the Afridelivery app. You can place your order and have your food delivered conveniently right to your office.

Do you fancy a leisurely lunch with your friends or family over the weekend? Dulce by Jessie is the perfect place for you to sit by the pool and enjoy a swim and a meal. The weekends often offer specials like the Sunday braai or a brunch menu that will certainly get you through your weekend.

Many people are health conscious so if you love a healthy drink you can enjoy freshly squeezed juices and smoothies made with ingredients from the garden. But if you fancy something sweet you can try one of the delicious milkshakes to satisfy your sweet tooth.

As a perfect finish to your lunch, Dulce by Jessie is also well known for its decadent desserts; some favourites are baked cheesecake, carrot pecan cake and red velvet cake!

By Jessie

Lusaka Lunch Spots

The Zambean Writer: Leelee Ngwenya Photography: Zambean Café

T

he story of Zambean began four years ago when Timothy Burrell opened up a café with a goal— trying to influence the coffee culture in Zambia, serve good food and provide good-quality service. And most patrons over the last four years would agree that all three goals have now been knocked out of the park!

At Zambean, iced coffee is the signature drink and in this case it’s a locally sourced medium-roast Zambian coffee blend that is used. The food served is typically light café-style such as gourmet sandwiches and salads; certain specials are offered on a weekly basis. Known for using only the freshest ingredients such as organic lettuce and micro greens, the salads are definitely worth a try. Only butter is used in the baked goods and the home-made bread has a top secret twist that makes it sinful.

In winter the menu features a variety of soups, lasagne and cottage pie. However, this menu carries through into summer as it is fairly light. Other recently launched items on the menu are the Zambean beef and chicken burgers, peri peri chicken and delicious sticky ribs.

Zambean is open from 7.30 am, just in time for parents who have completed the school run to grab a bite or a cup of coffee, and the café closes at 5.00 pm during the week. Saturday’s hours are 7.30 am to 2.30 pm and are perfect for early risers to enjoy breakfast after a jog or for latecomers to enjoy ‘Bubbles & Brunch’. The last Sunday of every month is another chance for customers to enjoy good food whilst sitting in the garden under the cool shade of the msasa trees. The iced coffee is highly recommended and is a perfect drink on a hot summer’s day. For sweet lovers, the café also serves chocolate brownies and a rich dark chocolate cake, as well as offering delicious muffins for the more health conscious among us.

Zambean also stocks a wonderful selection of South African wines and award-winning ports, so next time you’re in the neighbourhood (off Leopard’s Hill Road, Lusaka) do pop in for coffee and a bite to eat.

Contact details: timothy@ap-inter.com

Coffee Co.

Kafue National Park

CONSERVATION Writer: Sarah Kingdom Photography: Mukambi Safaris

T

he Kafue National Park is Zambia’s oldest and largest national park and one of the continent’s wildest. Wilderness Safaris (www.wilderness-safaris.com) have just announced the results of an aerial population survey they carried out in the park in October 2017 in different habitat zones, revealing a significant increase in wildlife numbers. The survey, conducted 10 years after their first aerial survey, shows a promising increase in a number of species, including red lechwe which have increased in numbers by 487 per cent, puku by 103 per cent, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest by 78 per cent and blue wildebeest by 113 per cent.

Formerly plagued by poaching, it has taken a dedicated commitment, both physically and financially, with assistance from local lodges and operators and various NGOs (World Bank, Norad, WWF etc.), to turn the tide and protect Kafue’s wildlife.

TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

With the coming of the rains and the flooding of the plains, the camps on the Busanga Plains close, due to limited access and infrastructure. Although several camps have caretakers during this period, there is limited anti-poaching undertaken by the DNPW due both to chronic underfunding and poor accessibility. This has led to widespread poaching, as poachers have been able to operate with little fear of reprisal from law enforcement. In some cases camp caretakers were left powerless, watching The Busanga Swamp, with its adjacent flood poaching activities being carried out right plains, in the far north-west of the park, before their eyes.

'There are at least 161 species of mammals, 22 of which are antelope. Kafue boasts the highest antelope diversity of any African park'

Research by the Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) into illegal hunting and the bush meat trade revealed that an estimated 4,000–6,000 poachers live in households situated in the Game Management Areas adjacent to the

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Kafue National Park. 75 per cent of these poachers use firearms (accessed both legally and illegally), while 13 per cent are using snares. The DNPW has also found that there has been illegal hunting conducted by licensed hunters, who are ‘harvesting’ as much as double their allocated quota. This sad state of affairs has been attributed to ‘compromised monitoring’ which can be blamed, to a large extent, on the poor and irregular payment of game rangers’ salaries.

is probably the best known area of Kafue National Park. Much of this northern sector is permanently waterlogged, but in the dry season (May to November) the water recedes, leaving vast expanses of lush grazing, irresistible to the array of wildlife found here. The Busanga Plains are definitely a highlight of Kafue National Park, for both their diversity and quantity of game.

Over the last few years Mukambi Safaris (www.mukambi.com), working with Wilderness Safaris, have brought in anti-poaching patrols from the DPNW, providing transport and deployment of the anti-poaching teams and paying for rations and bonuses. They were not sure how effective the patrols were, but what they did know was that although poaching was reducing, it was still going on.

With this in mind the local operators felt it was imperative to protect the area more effectively. ‘Lessons from the past told us that we need better patrols and more information on the effectiveness of these patrols,’ says Edjan van der Heide of Mukambi Lodge. A new approach was devised and a fresh anti-poaching project was born...

Kafue National Park

KAFUE-STYLE The ground operators would fund and support a year-round DPNW patrol team presence on the Busanga Plains. As the Busanga Plains flood annually, greatly limiting ground access, air surveillance and the deployment of teams by helicopter were needed. The geography of the plains makes it ideal for air surveillance, with the open plains offering no hiding places for poachers. A group of ground operators— Mukambi Safaris, Wilderness Safaris, Namib Sky Balloon Safaris (www.balloon-safaris. com) and J&M Safaris—would fund the patrol teams, covering rations, fuel, bonuses and the cost of necessary aerial support (which would be provided at cost price, by Ntengu Safaris, based in the Game Management Area adjacent to the plains). A small two-seater spotter ‘plane would undertake surveillance of the area, and if poachers were spotted, then a helicopter would be dispatched, along with the patrol team, to wherever illegal activities had been seen, reaching the site within about 15 minutes.

Kafue and we are thrilled that the survey’s findings further prove… that we have made a dramatic impact on the reduction of poaching in the region.’

However, this aerial surveillance project is not really a viable, long-term solution.

Although the operators are happy to contribute to the costs of this project, it ultimately needs to be the responsibility of the DPNW to monitor the park and control poaching. With limited funding however, it is not certain that they will ever be in a position to do so.

'Mass tourism does not exist here and the bush is still pure and unexplored'

The Kafue doesn’t have the huge herds of game yet that can be found elsewhere in Africa, but what the park may lack in animal density it more than makes up for in diversity. There are at least 161 species of mammals, 22 of which are antelope. Kafue So far the results are very promising. ‘We boasts the highest antelope diversity of noticed hardly any poaching activities, since any African park, with everything from the the poachers know they cannot escape a tiny blue duiker to the massive eland, with helicopter,’ says Edjan. A number of poachreedbuck, sable, hartebeest, puku, Defassa ers has been arrested, poaching camps have waterbuck and many more in between. The been destroyed and weapons and other Busanga Plains are home to thousands of equipment confiscated. Ron Goatley, MD of red lechwe often stretching as far as the eye Wilderness Safaris, says that ‘this demoncan see, frequently in the company of herds strates our commitment to conservation in of roan and buffalo. An incredible 24 ungu-

late species occur in the park, even more impressive when you consider that some of the best game viewing areas in the Okavango or Hwange only have around 17 or 18 ungulate species. There are six cat species in the park: lion, leopard, cheetah, caracal, serval and African wildcat. Elephant, zebra, hyena, wild dog and warthog can also be added to the mammal list. Kafue National Park is named after the river which bisects it almost north to south. The river is home to fish, otters and hippos, full of sand banks where spur-wing geese saunter, colonies of African skimmers swoop and crocodiles sunbathe.

Mass tourism does not exist here and the bush is still pure and unexplored.

Infrastructure is sparse and visitor numbers are low (somewhere in the region of 15,000 to 20,000 per annum) and despite its proximity to Lusaka and Livingstone, Kafue National Park remains little known with huge tracts of its bush still pristine. In the north, the Busanga Plains, with an atmosphere of untouched solitude, are a remote and timeless gem, and without a doubt the park and its wildlife are well worth preserving. It is to be hoped that the anti-poaching initiatives instigated by these passionate and dedicated ground operators in the park will continue, and ultimately that the Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife will be in a position to assist in an increased way.

TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

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energy consumption was required for burning bricks or producing cement. Also, harnessing the sun’s energy through solar-generated power exemplified another commitment to ‘green thinking’.

In addition to these efforts and through the foundation, Green Safaris have committed further.

They have opened a community farm just outside the national park; sponsored the deployment of a new digital radio system for Panthera (an organisation exclusively protecting wild cats) to improve their anti-poaching and law enforcement activities, and sponsored the purchase of a fire-fighting unit for Game Rangers International to assist in controlling vast wildfires.

Also, they have sponsored the construction of the Zambian Carnivore Programme’s new base station and sponsored a new pilot project called Hack the Poacher, developed by a technology collective run by the Dutch and dedicated to improving the monitoring of poaching activities throughout the Kafue.

In Malawi, Green Safaris’ great love for this country has now fuelled their acquisition of a second lodge; Kaya Mawa on Likoma Island, a romantic beach destination rated one of the top 10 honeymoon destinations by Condé Nast magazine. Replicating Ila Safari Lodge’s silent eco-friendly safari ethos, Green Safaris have begun converting all the property’s quad bikes to solar power.

Eager to implement its green footprint, Green Safaris, the operational arm of the foundation, quickly took up the Likoma Island reforestation project where the foundation secured land, seeds and management skills to grow both large quantities of indigenous trees as well as a dedicated section of fast-growing saplings, including fruit trees. They continue to support ‘Katundu’, a community project dedicated to Green Safaris, formed by a group of like-minded and environmentally sensitive empowering the local women as they learn to nature lovers, fell in love with Africa’s pristine wilderness years ago and in make world-renowned products. Green Safaris particular with Zambia and Malawi. And it was a passion for eco-safaris that led have started a number of other new initiatives them to construct an eco-lodge, Ila Safari Lodge, located in one of the world’s most including the Likoma clean-up project, dedicatuntouched parks, Kafue National Park in Zambia, where the lodge is situated on ed to reduce the amounts of (plastic) waste on the banks of the Kafue River. the island, and the Likoma health project, which involves the sponsorship of several projects to Furthermore, the Green Safaris Conservation Foundation was set up by the team improve the quality of health care through and is responsible for allocating funds to support conservation and community infrastructure and student sponsorship. development in the areas where the team is active.

Additionally, there are the Likoma education projects where the foundation sponsors several At Ila Safari Lodge, driven by their passion to preserve nature and to contribute nursery schools on Likoma Island to improve the towards an eco-friendly and unique safari experience, Green Safaris invested in a quality of education. solar-powered boat and an electrically-powered vehicle, enabling guests to enjoy game-viewing in silence. Pushing the boundaries a little further, the ‘green team’ Green Safaris seek to replicate their footprint chose to build the lodge using sandbags to reduce its footprint; in this way no further, as a dedicated group aimed at allowing guests to ‘travel with a purpose’.

GREEN SAFARIS

TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE

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TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

BBCWildlifeMagazine_Updated_Print.pdf

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08/11/2018

14:47

GREEN SAFARIS TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE

Kafue National Park, Zambia

Likoma Island, Lake Malawi

THE GREEN SAFARIS GROUP Green Safaris is developing what we aim to be Africa’s “Greenest” safari circuits. Our mission is to offer unique experiences in pristine wilderness areas, in a sustainable and most eco-friendly way. Enjoy magnificent game encounters and/or relax in our award-winning properties: Ila Safari Lodge in the Kafue National Park, Zambia and Kaya Mawa on Likoma Island, Lake Malawi.

Next to being situated in the most pristine and exclusive areas, Green Safaris is dedicated entirely to supporting conservation projects and community development in the areas where we are active. Green Safaris are actively supporting wildlife conservation, reforestation projects, setting up community farms, workshops and operating with solar boats and vehicles, plastic free and self-sustained through the use of renewable energy.

The aim: to have our guests experience memories of a lifetime, whilst traveling with a purpose FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GREEN SAFARIS: WWW.GREENSAFARIS.COM TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

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Mukambi Safari Lodge Mukambi Safari Lodge overlooks the Kafue River and is the gateway to Kafue National Park

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South Luangwa

THE LUANGWA RIVER Writer: John Coppinger Photography: Remote Africa Safaris, Scott Ramsey

T

he Luangwa River never ceases to fascinate and beguile me. How many rivers are there left on earth that flow for over 1,000 kilometres and are still as untouched, remote, healthy and scenically beautiful as the Luangwa? It’s pristine: no dams, no commercial agriculture and no livestock. Certainly no other river in Africa can make such a claim.

The river has a dramatic beginning, rising high in the Mafinga Hills, a plateau of over 7,000 feet and situated in the far northeast of Zambia. The source itself is a spring located just to the west of the watershed which forms the international boundary between Malawi and Zambia. This spring soon becomes a beautiful crystal-clear stream which runs through tropical forest and cascades down the Mafingas before reaching the valley floor, taking on the unique and unmistakable character of the Luangwa as most people know it. The Upper Luangwa is lined with dense reed beds and offers the stunning backdrop of the Makutu

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Mountains to the east and the Muchingas to the west.

The Middle Luangwa supports some of the finest wildlife concentrations in Africa and flows adjacent to and through three national parks: North Luangwa, Luambe and South Luangwa.

There are three gorges along the river, all along the Lower Luangwa: the first and most spectacular is in Chief Luembe’s country; the second just upstream of the confluence with the Lunsemfwa River and the third where this river is constricted between the Nyankongolo Hills, shortly before the confluence, where the Luangwa disperses into the Zambezi River. The river flows entirely within Zambia although a small section near the Zambezi confluence forms part of the international boundary with Mozambique.

The gorge in Chief Luembe’s country, through the Kampeketa range of hills, produces some of the most beautiful, rugged country along the course of the river. There are a number of rapids in the gorge, commencing with the most impressive, Chipinda cha Nyanga— ‘place of bad spirits’— which acquired its name from the

South Luangwa

capsizing of a cargo of ivory, transported by Portuguese traders in a bygone era.

a wide array of animal and birdlife and for these reasons tourism is the only significant industry along the river. contain an incredible concentration of these There is a recent proposal to dam the river prehistoric reptiles. It should be noted that at this gorge which would dramatically The Luangwa Valley has been dubbed ‘The fish is a very important source of protein for impact on the nature of the river and the Valley of Elephants’ and great concentrathe people of the Valley and the inhabitants along its course. It is thought tions of these animals can still be seen in all existence of hippo is key to the abundance by many to be an ill-conceived plan which three national parks, despite a very of fish. The Zambian Government has would displace thousands of local farmers disturbing increase in Africa of poaching recently declared plans to cull 2,000 hippos in the area and also result in siltation on a throughout the range of these magnificent in the mid-Luangwa, a decision based on grand scale, not to mention negative chang- animals. fears of environmental degradation resultes to the wildlife. There is a public outcry ing from an overpopulation of these large against this proposal.

Leopards are abundant, and the parks animals. This has raised concern amongst provide what are arguably the best places in conservationists locally and abroad and The Middle Luangwa boasts heavy clay soils, Africa to see these beautiful animals. Lions, fears of potential damage to the tourist which are fertile and rich in nutrients, but too, are numerous, although numbers are industry have also been expressed. the presence of tsetse flies (which precludes reported to be declining and concern has the existence of domestic stock, vulnerable been expressed regarding the management Currently, however, the mid-Luangwa Valley to nagana—sleeping sickness), and the of the hunting of these iconic big cats. still holds an exceptional array of wildlife prevalence of malaria, combined with an and offers tourists a world-class safari inhospitable environment, has resulted in Wild dogs, which were adversely affected experience. little development and low human populaby a devastating anthrax outbreak in 1987, tion densities. Much of the area is have made a dramatic comeback and are For further information, prospective visitors can visit the inaccessible during every rainy season as now regularly seen. following sites: the floodplain becomes a quagmire and South Luangwa National Park: http://www.zambiatour impossible to traverse. Consequently, The Luangwa River contains the highest ism.com/accommodation/south-luangwa the wildlife flourishes and nature reigns density of hippos in Africa and this feature North Luangwa National Park: http://www.zambiatour supreme. There can be few places where alone justifies the existence of the three ism.com/accommodation/north-luangwa nature is as strong and each rainy season national parks. Hippos fertilise the water, Luambe National Park: http://www.zambiatourism.com/ the rivers, dambos (shallow wetlands) which feeds the fish, which in turn feeds accommodation/luambe-national-park and lagoons are replenished and support the crocodiles, and some stretches of river TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

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Lodge Life

t u o b a s U Tell lf.... e s r u o y

Briefly tell us about your background?

I was born on 25th May, 1980 in Chipata and grew up in Mfuwe, in the cropping area. I did my primary education from grades one to seven at Mfuwe Primary School then for my grades eight to nine I was at Mfuwe Basic School. For my senior secondary I was at Mambwe High School.

Are you married?

Yes, I am married to Jane Banda and we have three children, two boys and one girl.

Has your family been supportive of your work?

Very much… my wife has really been behind me. I spend a lot of time away from her and it takes someone who really understands, can support my family, send my children to school and be able to help the extended family.

You have been guiding for how many years and what guiding qualifications do you have?

Since 2006 which is 13 years ago. I have a grade two licence for driving and a grade one for walking safaris. I got the walking safari licence in 2007.

- Enough water to drink for the guest and me.

- A very special stick.

- A Leatherman (knife).

When did you join the Bushcamp Company?

At the end of 2005 as a trainee safari guide. I used to do general work, a spotter during evening game drives and cleaning the surroundings at Mfuwe Lodge.

You now manage Chamilandu Bushcamp and act as the guide. When did you assume this role?

At the beginning of 2017 safari season. I must say that I have had full support from the team here at Chamilandu who have helped me and together with them achieve a lot of things.

What do you always carry with you on safari?

- First aid kit.

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A D N A B L E U FANN anager, Camp M amp c h s u B u d n a il m a h C

Is being a safari guide a good career?

It’s a very good career. Like every other career, it takes someone with passion to like it. It helps me to learn more from the world, as I really feel great when I am able to interpret to the guests what the bush tells us like animal behaviour, nature tracking and what history has left for us.

It’s more like you wake up in the morning and nature has provided you with adequate information through the signs left behind. Getting to feel the proximity to nature when you are on a walking safari is one of the best experiences.

Lodge Life

WINNIE BANDA Chef, Nkwali Camp

Writer : Esnala Banda Photography: Robin Pope Safaris

‘I decided to join this industry for the adventure that working at a safari lodge would bring. The thought of working around the animals and being close to nature intrigued me,’ Winnie Banda says.

Winnie is a chef at Nkwali Camp in Mfuwe, run by Robin Pope Safaris. She is the only female chef in a male dominated kitchen and explains that it is a field she’s enjoying conquering.

Robin Pope Safaris was founded in 1986 and offer a comprehensive range of locations in Zambia—the Victoria Falls and South Luangwa National Park. In Malawi it’s Lake Malawi, Majete Wildlife Reserve and, most recently, Liwonde National Park.

And in Zimbabwe there’s John’s Camp in Mana Pools National Park.

This company offers an experience of the wonders of Africa’s secluded wilderness, rich culture, beautiful beaches and the outstanding wildlife, including leopard, lion, elephant, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, wild dog and hippo, to name a few. Added to this, more than 450 species of birds are to be found and an amazing array of tropical fish found only in Lake Malawi.

This experience is not limited to the wilderness alone but spills over into its staff, kitchens and cuisine.

‘I have only worked here for just over a month and I’m having an awesome experience; being the only woman here had some privileges in terms of work load but I’m not about to take advantage of that, because anything the men can do I can do, and can do better,’ Winnie quips.

With a lively confidence, Winnie describes serving the early morning bush breakfast as the best part of her job.

‘Our day starts early. I like being trusted to do this by myself. It has been awesome, and even though there are wild animals around I’m not scared of them. Well, except maybe the hippos. Waking up early around 4.00 am can sometimes be a scary experience to walk to the bush fire but it’s an interesting experience.’

Winnie explains that other than breakfast, her favourite dishes to make are the salad dishes and various dressings. She is also excited at having the chance to improve her baking skills.

She adds that her parents have been very supportive of her choice to work in the tourism industry, especially her late mother.

Winnie is certain that she would have been a teacher if she wasn’t a chef. ‘I love the one-on-one interaction with kids, and love to babysit. I would probably teach pre-school if I couldn’t be a chef working here,’ she explains.

TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

29

SOUTH LUANGWA ...As It Was

Writer: Nicky Dunnington-Jefferson Photography: Nicky Dunnington-Jefferson

Our sub-editor remembers South Luangwa National Park over 30 years ago

T

he Luangwa River was heaving with hippopotamuses. In its turbid waters it was not unusual to see 80 at a time—and that’s above the surface—to say nothing of the subaqueous giants disporting themselves in its muddy depths. This staggering concentration of mobile monoliths is one of the many lasting memories treasured not only by me, but also by many visitors to Zambia’s remarkable Luangwa Valley.

In 1986 I visited South Luangwa National Park, without doubt one of Africa’s finest game sanctuaries, where wildlife abounds in diversity and unspoilt freedom within its 9,050 square-kilometre boundaries.

The Luangwa River is responsible for the density of the game population in the area. Rising in the north-eastern hills, it flows southwards into the Valley, as it is affectionately known, where it weaves a torpid, tortuous course before bequeathing its waters to the mighty Zambezi.

As the river cuts its course through the Valley it is constantly carving out a new path through erosion, thus forming a series of oxbow lakes. The Luangwa floods its banks during the rainy season from

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December to May, but during the latter months of the dry season the water level drops dramatically and animals and birds congregate nearer to river and lagoons for sustenance when bush and bough are bare and barren.

A safari in the Luangwa Valley is a unique wildlife experience and boasts, among others, one outstanding asset: versatility.

It offers visitors the opportunity to choose their own special brand of game viewing.

The Valley caters to all tastes; there’s game viewing in open vehicles, walking safaris, night drives with spotlights, or just sitting by the river or perhaps soaking up the sun by the swimming pool.

A short flight transports the visitor from the hubbub of the capital, Lusaka, to the tiny airport at Mfuwe, on the outskirts of South Luangwa National Park. Reassuring safari-clad representatives of the various lodges are there to greet disorientated guests and with friendly mien take charge, spiriting them away in vehicles to their respective lodges and the new world of sublime Africa.

It would be a crime not to spend at least a week in the Valley— longer if possible.

The lodges are very good, by any African

game lodge standard. Each lodge and surrounding habitat area has something different to offer and a stay of less than two or three nights at any one of them would defeat a true appreciation of the environment and its wonderful wildlife.

In the infant hours of the morning a hippo grazes not ten yards from my window. The eerie woo-whoop of a visiting hyena sends tingles down the spine and the shrieks and screams of treetop bush babies may ban sleep that first night— wild Africa has already tightened the drawstring of her inextricable web.

When I visited South Luangwa I stayed at two safari camps, Chinzombo and Nsefu.

And I am very pleased to say that they are both still operating today. I recall that at Chinzombo, Natal mahogany trees and African ebonies shaded the camp, providing respite during the heat of the day. I also remember that the food was outstanding, and I even recall what I ate: crème caramel, home-made rhubarb crumble, the lightest of pancakes and roast lamb with all the trimmings…In those days Phil Berry was the resident ranger, and it would be hard to find a more knowledgeable wildlife fundi than Phil.

He was, and still is, the quintessential bush master. It was Phil who introduced

me properly to the Viverridae, the family of mammals to which genets and African civets belong. These small to medium-sized mammals have fascinated me ever since I learnt about them all those years ago in the Valley.

Memories flood back…a drumbeat sounding at 5.30 am; the huge sun hoisting itself over the horizon; the calls of a laughing dove, its mate answering; and starlings chattering, along with babblers doing justice to their name. And hippos, now back in the river after their nightly feasting, grunting and grumbling contentedly. As guests, we had a choice of daily activities and the same is true now.

If you didn’t fancy an early start, you were not obliged to join the dawn patrol. Some visitors might prefer a relaxing morning around the camp, followed by an afternoon game drive and maybe a night excursion.

However, if you want to catch a glimpse of the night hunters before they hole up for the day, it is better to go out early before the sun gets too hot.

Throughout South Luangwa elephant, giraffe, hippo, plains zebra, warthog, impala, Cape buffalo and kudu are readily seen. The giraffe found here is a subspecies known as Thornicroft’s giraffe. The kudu is the greater kudu, a magnificent antelope, the bulls possessing superb spiral horns. A buck unfamiliar to many is the puku, found only in the area drained by the Zambezi and its tributaries. Grazers not browsers, they are very common on the flood plains near a permanent water source.

A special feature of South Luangwa is an opportunity to take a walking safari. These safaris may vary in length from a few hours to trips lasting a few days. Plenty has been written in this magazine about walking safaris so I will not describe them here in any detail.

When I visited Nsefu, constructed close to the river in another part of the park,

Thornicroft’s giraffe, as evening approaches Top left: Hippos wallow in the Luangwa River at sunset

I remember it as a beautiful, small and exclusive camp. I also remember that it had a reputation for serving the best breakfast in the Valley! In the area around Nsefu, one may come across Livingstone’s eland, a subspecies of the common eland, largest of the antelope, though not common in the Valley. Also in this sector of the park, at the Luangwa Wafwa Lagoon, large concentrations of hippo, crocodile and a fascinating variety of birds may be observed.

Birdlife in the Luangwa Valley is outstanding, with over 400 recorded species. Memories tumble over each other of hornbills and hoopoes, doves and ducks, a tiny exquisite malachite kingfisher, the distinctive voice of the hadeda ibis and the unforgettable colours of the bee-eaters.

Majestic eagles soared high in a cerulean heaven; huge lappet-faced vultures picked a carcase clean, and ‘go-away’ called a grey lourie. Stately saddlebill storks strode out purposefully, while an ugly relative, the marabou stork, joined the vultures at a kill…the list is endless.

I have been on various night drives in the years following my visit to South Luangwa, but can in truth say that the one I experienced in the Valley has stayed with me all these years. In the darkening twilight a giant eagle owl prepared for a night’s hunting. Night was fast approaching, and a crescent moon beamed clear in a deep lilac sky. The sounds of the day were hushed and the night noises took over. Birds, so rich in song during daylight hours, became suddenly silent, and the haunting cry of the fish eagle, surely one of Africa’s most iconic sounds, was muted.

Baboons barked in alarm— maybe a leopard was near; in the distance a lion roared. Night was falling, enveloping you in her dark embrace.

As we drove along, the spotlight weaved back and forth and our heads turned from side to side, seeking the sudden glow of

eyes in its beam. The night creatures were abroad— the Viverridae that I had learnt about from Phil Berry. The little bustling genet, an arboreal cat-like animal, was going about its business of searching for its favourite diet of birds, mice, snakes and fruits. Civets, which can weigh up to 44 kilograms, are much bigger, with semiretractable claws unlike the genet, whose claws totally retract in feline fashion.

Also abroad was the striking white-tailed mongoose, a magnificent large creature with a conspicuous white bushy tail.

Sometimes one’s luck is in: a nocturnal kill. A lioness had just killed a female puku, its body still warm and twitching.

Crouching beside her prey, the big cat looked about her, and fixed our vehicle and its inhabitants with a glare from her yellow eyes before deciding that this intrusion would not interfere with her and proceeded to commence her meal, tearing at the flesh, now oblivious of her audience.

To some this might appear a bloody and brutal scene, but it is an integral part of the art of survival.

Leopard…spotted cat with stealthy tread, epitome of feline grace, arsenal of suppressed, explosive deadly energy, and perhaps the most exciting creature to see in the Valley. This most elusive animal is rarely seen during the day but the Valley is well known for its nocturnal sightings of this magnificent cat. Leopards are still fairly plentiful in South Luangwa and the chances of seeing one probably better here than in any other game park in Africa.

My visit to South Luangwa was acutely memorable. Little did I know then that all these years later I would become so involved with Zambia and maybe soon I might return to this outstanding park. I certainly hope so.

Plains zebra and impala TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

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Offering Award-winning value and hospitality, Flatdogs Camp makes you feel right at home from the moment you arrive. The wide range of accommodation gives choices to all and the a la carte menu is unique in the safari world.

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contact reservations on info@flatdogscamp.com

WORKING WITH

JUNK

Writer: Karen Beattie Photography: Project Luangwa

F

rederick Phiri makes his living from junk. His is a young man who knows that it is up to him to make his way in life despite, or maybe because of, a hard start.

Frederick’s childhood story is not dissimilar to that of others in Zambia. His father died in the same year that Frederick started school, and the young boy was sent away from the family home in Mfuwe to live with his grandfather in Chipata whilst his mother and younger siblings went to live in Lusaka. His grandfather was not a rich man but managed to send Frederick to primary school.

‘But when I qualified for a place at Chipata Day Secondary it became a struggle to find school fees,’ Frederick explains, ‘and in any case my grandfather was thinking that I would not pay much attention at school because I liked art and music.’ During his years at secondary school Frederick was often chased from school when his fees had not been paid, and so by grade 11 he was working as a golf caddy to pay the fees himself.

In the school holidays he often went back to Mfuwe to stay with his cousin and it was there that he returned after completing grade 12. He learnt to make animals from snare wire to sell to tourists and would tour the local safari lodges hoping they would stock them in their

craft shops. In early 2017 he called into the Project Luangwa craft shop, and as sales are better when the craftsman is seen working, was given a small area in which to sit, make and sell his work.

Over the rainy season of 2017–2018 he was taught to weld when working with welder Moses Mbewe and helped make a beautiful set of doors for the Project Luangwa coffee shop. An inkling of an idea was born in the mind of a Project Luangwa director who gave Frederick an assortment of metal junk with the instructions, ‘ See what you can make from that’.

Some days later Frederick arrived back at the shop with his first creation, a crowned crane that started out as a padlock. Next came an elephant, followed by more animals and Frederick’s sculptures began to sell. Working with Project Luangwa, Frederick’s skills are developing but there is no denying that he has a natural artistic talent. Original metal components, keys, padlocks, springs— even spark plugs— feature in his work, sometimes left intact and sometimes ground down, making his work and every piece unique.

Frederick’s dream is to study at art college and make art his life as well as his career.

TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

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WHEN IT ALL COMES TOGETHER FOR WILDLIFE...

Z

ambia’s South Luangwa National Park marks the end of the Great Rift Valley, is a world-renowned wildlife haven and home to a dazzling array of fauna and flora.

The wide, meandering Luangwa River, with its oxbow lakes and lagoons, plays host to huge concentrations of game— amongst the densest in Africa. The river, teeming with crocodiles and hippos, provides a lifeline for a huge diversity of habitats and wildlife, supporting more than 60 species of mammals and over 400 bird species.

South Luangwa is home to elephants and buffalo, often in herds numbering hundreds strong. There are large populations of the beautiful Thornicroft’s giraffe, with their white legs and faces. Crawshay's zebra (a subspecies of plains zebra) and Cookson’s wildebeest are particular to the Valley and easily spotted here. Antelope, especially impala, puku (rarely seen outside Zambia), bushbuck and waterbuck wander the wideopen plains, and hippos and crocodiles are hard to miss along the river banks. The main predators in the Luangwa Valley are lion, leopard, spotted hyena and wild dog. Of these, lion are probably the most common, and their prides are often seen roaming the park. Leopards, with a density here among the highest in the world, hunt in the thick woodlands. The park’s birdlife is tremendous, including everything from sombre-looking ground hornbills to colourful carmine bee-eaters.

South Luangwa was founded as a game reserve in 1938 but was officially declared a national park in 1972 and now covers 9,050 square kilometres. But it has not all been smooth sailing. The park faces widespread poaching of big game (for ivory and game meat) and there is also the never-ending challenge of snaring, which is not only a direct threat, but also represents a danger to non-target species such as elephants, lions and wild dogs. Tragically, the consumption of bush meat and trafficking in wildlife products is reaching an all-time high.

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Writer: Sarah Kingdom Photography: Patrick Bentley

Enter Conservation South Luangwa (CSL)…

CSL is a Zambian, non-profit, wildlife protection and rescue organisation whose mission is ‘to work with community and conservation partners in the protection of the wildlife and habitats of the South Luangwa ecosystem’. In an attempt to hold back the current onslaught on wildlife, CSL’s projects include the following...Wildlife rescue and de-snaring: CSL works with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife and the Zambian Carnivore Project to mount regular patrols and rescues, working to combat the snares, wildlife’s ‘silent killers’ that are responsible

for the deaths of thousands of animals in the Luangwa Valley annually.

Human/wildlife conflict mitigation: CSL has a large-scale programme centred on the use of chillies as a mitigation measure, to help alleviate the damage experienced by communities living in the areas surrounding the park, when elephants, unable to resist temptation, raid farmers’ crops and fruit trees.

Law enforcement support: CSL funds salaries and provides technical support, equipment, rations, training and transport for 65 community-based scouts. In addi-

tion, they assist with aerial surveillance and niques and creative ideas to provide a fresh monitoring in the park. perspective on the natural world, with a particular emphasis on black and white, inDetection dog units: in 2014 CSL set up frared and aerial photography—sometimes Zambia’s first ‘sniffer dog unit’ working to in combination. detect illegal wildlife products and firearms.

Conservation does not come cheap and CSL The subjects of Patrick’s images are the is reliant on funding and donations to main- iconic wild animals of the Luangwa Valley, tain its presence in the park and continue each one a character with a defined role in protecting the precious wildlife of South his photo narrative of life in this unspoilt Luangwa. corner of Zambia. Patrick’s photographs provide an insight into their exclusivity and individuality. Through his work, an observer Enter Patrick Bentley… cannot help but feel an emotional connecPatrick Bentley is an award-winning fine tion with the magnificence of this region, art nature photographer from Zambia. He where the untamed Luangwa River and the creates images using a variety of tech-

Valley’s fertile soils and lush vegetation create a wildlife haven like no other in Africa.

It is a place of unparalleled beauty and dramatic seasonal variations— an environment that demands protection.

Patrick has collected together a stunning selection of his photographs in his book, TIMELESS. The images in this book are a celebration of South Luangwa in all its beauty and glory. Many of the images are hauntingly beautiful, others strikingly dramatic and yet more seem magically ethereal; this is a book that captures the true soul of African wildlife in all its many moods.

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The introduction to the book was written

by Rachel McRobb (CEO and founder of Conservation South Luangwa). US$20 from every book sold will go directly to CSL to support its commitment to the conservation and preservation of the local wildlife and natural resources in South Luangwa.

An excerpt from the introduction reads…

‘TIMELESS is a book that fills me with hope.

Such an important emotion in the preservation of wild spaces, it is hope that drives us on. Hope that despite the seemingly endless fight against the destruction of nature, others will be inspired to join our cause and that the Luangwa Valley and the magnificent animals that live here will endure’.

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Enter Lion Camp…

Lion Camp in South Luangwa was Patrick’s base for a considerable time and the majority of the images in his book were taken in the vicinity of this special camp.

Set in a unique location in the remote north of the park and surrounded by an abundance of wildlife, Lion Camp is the epitome of luxury, whilst still allowing guests to feel wholly immersed in the bush. Game viewing from the stunning swimming pool area or from the privacy of your own beautifully appointed tent is something to be savoured. Herds of zebra, impala and puku graze nearby as you enjoy champagne and brunch on the deck, while elephants and warthogs take mud baths mere metres from your personal verandah.

Delicious dinners, served with fine wines,

are accompanied by the distant calls of lion and hyena. Drives through the park, escorted by your experienced and professional guide, are a experience never to be forgotten. Totally refurbished and recently reopened, Lion Camp is the perfect place to witness Patrick’s photos come to life and to experience the wildlife that CSL works so hard to protect.

South Luangwa National Park, Conservation South Luangwa, Patrick Bentley and Lion Camp… all coming together for wildlife.

Website: www.patrickbentley.com Facebook:www.facebook.com/patrickbentleyphotography Instagram: @patrickbentleyphotography Order the book here: http://www.patrickbentley.com/ timeless Conservation South Luangwa: https://cslzambia.org Lion Camp: https://lioncamp.com

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Across the border - Zimbabwe Writer: Stan Higgins Photography: Lesanne Photography

Z

imbabwe’s bustling capital, Harare (Salisbury of old), is often described as the place that never sleeps—and for good reason. It’s a modern metropolis with a large and growing population, and despite an ongoing set of economic challenges, it offers residents and visitors a wealth of action, activity and excitement that makes it one of Southern Africa’s buzziest cities.

Before colonial settlement, people lived along the fringes of waterways around what is now the greater Harare area.

But since that settlement of the late 19th century, growth has been focused around a highly active business district in the heart

THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS LOOKS OUT TO A NEW ERA OF GROWTH AND PROSPERITY

of the city, in turn surrounded by a mix of high-density and low-density suburbs, industrial areas, shopping centres, parks, golf courses and green areas. A drive from the southernmost suburbs to the northernmost fringes is a journey of 40 kilometres or more, and growth just never seems to stop.

Travel to Harare is in the main from business people hoping to do business in a Zimbabwe that is opening up after a two-decade period of recession. So in the hotels and lodges around the city one will find a range of business types, from Middle Eastern moguls to sales representatives from neighbouring South Africa, all eager to be part of the anticipated period of growth and expansion in what is generally called ‘the new dispensation’.

But it’s also a centre for leisure travellers; from people who come in from other

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centres of the country and the countryside through to international visitors who stop over on their way to destinations like Victoria Falls, the Eastern Highlands, Lake Kariba and national parks such as Hwange and Gonarezhou. When they come to the capital they look for entertainment, shopping and sightseeing, and are often surprised by the large amount of each of these features available to them.

Around Harare are a number of attractions that are well worth a visit. A short drive to the west of the city is Lake Chivero, a major water supply facility on which, and around whose shores, are a game reserve, a bird garden and a number of water-based activities. To the south, and five minutes from the airport, is the private animal sanctuary Wild is Life; Mbizi Game Park is only 10 kilometres from the airport, and a fairly recent focus centre is the Twala Trust Animal Sanctuary, which looks after domestic and wild animals that have been abused or abandoned. A number of visitors enjoy the chance to see the countryside around the city by driving on a route that takes them north to historic Mazowe, home of some famed citrus estates, then through to mining centres like Bindura and Shamva, and then back to Harare via Ewanrigg, now a national park and once a small farm whose owner gave it to the nation and in doing so provided access to one of Southern Africa’s most famous collections of aloes, cycads and other unusual plants.

Cape Town’. Add to that a large selection of coffee shops, bistros and other outlets for socialising and networking, often with entertainment laid on. Tour operators offer visits across the city, taking in retail as well as interest spots. Fans of the vine can enjoy wine tastings and related activities, too.

While South Africa has taken big strides with what is called ‘township tourism’ in recent years, Harare has not quite got into this, but there are people now looking at how to get international visitors into the sprawling high-density areas around the city for a glimpse of life here. If this is successful, it will offer insights into modern life, as well as culture and history, and there will no doubt be culinary features to such developments. People who are keen to find out more about the history of nationalism in the country would find such tours fascinating, as the political growth of the post-Second-World-War period was entirely founded in the older suburbs such as Mbare and Highfield.

Sadly, the city centre is no longer the neat and bright place it used to be, but with new horizons opening up for Zimbabwe, talk has started on how to revive the inner city, emulating success stories from all over the

Across the border - Zimbabwe early May, it’s time for the Harare International Festival of the Arts, which started in 1999 and is today a week-long feast of local and international artistic endeavour.

In August, it’s time for the Harare Show, a mix of business showcase and entertainment outlet, and a chance for visitors to gain a meaningful glimpse into what makes Zimbabwe tick commercially.

Harare is also a busy sporting centre, chiefly focused on soccer, cricket, rugby and golf (with three championship-rated courses around the city), as well as equestrian and aquatic sports. At Donnybrook in the eastern suburbs there is a major motorsports complex, while the upmarket suburb of Borrowdale is the home of the Mashonaland Turf Club, where horse races are run regularly, among them Southern Africa’s oldest sponsored horse race, the Castle Tankard. Almost all other sports are catered for in one way or another, too.

The people of Harare are an interesting mix. Not only are there people from the majority Shona-speaking population groups, but also from the Ndebele-speaking group that is next largest, while indigenous people from Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi are to be found in abundance. Among the other population groups are white people from almost every country in Europe, south Asians whose ancestors came from what are now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and a more recent growth in Chinese speakers. The influence of this eclectic mix of people is to be found in entertainment, cultural activities and cuisine.

'It’s a modern metropolis with a large and growing population'

Within the city are equally interesting destinations: the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, with its collection of local and international works of art; the Zimbabwe Museum of Human Sciences, where visitors can view a 700-year-old Lemba artefact called ngoma lungundu, which some believe to be a replica of the Ark of the Covenant and is the oldest wooden object found to date in sub-Saharan Africa; the National Botanic Gardens and Mukuvisi Woodland and Nature Reserve, a game and habitat preserve sited entirely within some southern residential suburbs.

Live theatre can be found at venues such as Reps, Theatre in the Park and the Old Mutual Theatre adjacent to the Alliance Française centre; music of all kinds thrives in a wide range of places, from open-air venues to restaurants and night clubs.

Clubs, societies and associations provide a huge number of opportunities to enjoy art, culture, entertainment and other recreational pursuits.

The city is home to dozens of restaurants, many of them of the highest international standard of cuisine and service; a recent international journalist described Harare’s restaurant scene as ‘the brightest in subSaharan Africa outside Johannesburg and

world, not the least in Johannesburg, where the central business district (CBD) is once again a welcoming and vibrant magnet for visitors. This is sure to be matched by inclusion of CBD tours by tour operators, which will be welcomed by all visitors. At present there are areas within the CBD that are pleasing to visitors, among them Africa Unity Square, a green and historic park in the city centre, overlooked by the five-star Meikles Hotel, which recently celebrated its first full century of operation.

Shoppers will find visits to suburban retail and entertainment complexes of particular interest. Chief among these is Sam Levy’s Village, once a sleepy suburban shopping centre with a few convenience stores, a restaurant and a fuel station, and now a huge complex covering many hectares and home to retail outlets of every kind, restaurants and cafés, cinemas and supermarkets, bank branches and motor showrooms.

At different times of the year, Harare offers various special events that are themselves massively popular visitor attractions. In

It’s hard not to get excited about the vibrant and attractive city that is Harare of the 21st century. Visitors know that when economic solutions are found to current problems, this city is destined to become a giant of African urban life and its popularity as a destination for business and leisure travellers will grow exponentially. Already it is showing signs of growth as a city for major regional and international conferences and special events.

As a city that never sleeps, it has much to offer. But with a huge range of accommodation types available to visitors, from simple overnight stays in Air BnB offerings through the luxury of five-star hotels, it’s also a place where a good night’s rest is most definitely to be had … sleep tight when next you come!

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SPEAK OUT FOR ANIMALS The Organisation Giving a Voice to the Voiceless Writer: Shelley Cox (Africa Conservation Travel) Photography: Speak Out For Animals (SOFA)

‘T

he greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man’. Mahatma Gandhi.

The world in which we live today is under increased pressure on all fronts. Our human populations continue to expand at an ever-increasing rate, resulting in a rise in the requirement for space/land off which to live and survive. This results in fewer habitats for our animals and wildlife, an upsurge in human/wildlife conflict and increased animal/wildlife deaths or cruelty.

Once you begin to delve into the issues being created by our human population expansion, it is difficult not to feel despair or concern about the intensifying damage we are causing to the planet, and the critical condition in which we will be leaving it for future generations.

There is, however, an organisation which is providing hope and reassurance, and whose core focus is to provide a voice for the voiceless and advocate for their protection, conservation and the advancement of animal rights and welfare. Founded by Zimbabwean- born lawyer, Ever Vimbai Chinoda, Speak Out For Animals (SOFA) was created primarily to undertake the enlightenment and education of people from all walks of life on the importance of protecting and conserving all species by upholding the law.

‘My desire is to see animal law incorporated into university and college curricula leading to an increase of lawyers devoted to the field of animal law. It is my goal to increase awareness regarding protection of all animals in Africa—wildlife, domestic, aquatic, and agricultural livestock,’ says Ever. To date, Ever has trained prosecutors, lawyers, rangers and police officers on wildlife law.

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The organisation is certainly making some big strides forward and has already undertaken several projects since its inception which include, and are not limited to, the following: Case Monitoring SOFA’s main mandate is to protect animals and promote their welfare through the legal system and this is achieved through monitoring cases to ensure justice for the animals. This involves proper and robust monitoring of all cases from the gathering of evidence, drafting of the charge sheet, arrest of the accused and bringing them before the court within 48 hours up to the time when the court makes its decision (conviction and sentence).

Animal Law Training SOFA conducts introductory training in animal law to law students, graduates or lawyers interested in this field and selected participants are awarded certificates.

As a follow-up, SOFA conducts in-depth training to equip the participants with the necessary legal knowledge so as to enable them to advocate for animal protection and welfare.

SOFA Student Chapters and Community Education At the core of its objectives, SOFA engages with universities, local communities and schools with the aim of changing mindsets with regard to animal welfare and to human/wildlife conflict. SOFA is also working to implement libraries specific to animal welfare and conservation.

Advocacy and Lobbying Working with authorities, stakeholders and key country decision makers, SOFA is dedicated to educating and influencing legislation for the benefit of animal welfare.

On 11th October, 2018, Ever Vimbai Chinoda successfully launched the Wildlife Legal Guide Book which will be distributed and sold across the Zimbabwe landscape in an effort to increase the awareness and ongoing work being done by Speak Out For Animals.

which makes her one of the few African animal lawyers and the first in Southern Africa. She is now a renowned international speaker and has made presentations on several international forums including the 25th Animal Law Conference, the Global Animal Law Conference in Hong Kong and the Free the Elephants Conference and Film Festival in Portland, Oregon, to list a few. She obtained her Bachelor of Law honours at the University of Zimbabwe and a postgraduate Master’s Degree in corporate governance and strategic management.

With individuals and organisations as committed and dedicated as Ever Chinoda and the Speak Out For Animals team, one can only feel positive about the future for our wildlife and animal welfare in Africa.

To get involved or support the efforts being made by Speak Out For Animals visit their website www.speakoutforanimals.org or Ever holds a Master’s Degree in animal law contact the team on from Lewis and Clark Law School, USA, info@speakoutforanimals.org

Across the border - Zimbabwe

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Across the border - Zimbabwe Writer: Shelley Cox (Africa Conservation Travel) Photography: Shelley Cox

W

hilst many people travel to Africa for its iconic wildlife species, there are cultural landscapes across the continent which delve deeper than the physical experience and allow for a more spiritual connection to nature and one’s surroundings.

The Matobo Hills, located in southern Zimbabwe, south-west of Bulawayo, are considered to be one such landscape and thought to be the spiritual home of the country. Covering an estimated 3,100 square kilometres, of which the core is the Matobo National Park, the area is an extraordinary masterpiece of dramatic natural rock formations, smooth whalebacks locally known as dwalas (sloping, low-lying rounded or elongated hills) and broken granite kopjes with balancing boulders interspersed with thickets of lush vegetation. It is a unique landscape and one of the most underrated tourism gems of Zimbabwe.

This specific area marks critical stages in human history and evolution stretching back over 100,000 years. The first settlers were the hunter-gatherer San people who created images rendered on immovable natural rock surfaces, cave walls and large boulders, the rock art acting as a form of documentation telling their stories and history. The paintings forever inscribed into this landscape illustrate evolving artistic styles and socio-religious beliefs, whilst providing evidence of the lives of foraging communities in the Stone Age and the way agricultural societies eventually came to displace them in the Iron Age. The combined works of nature and humankind express a long and intimate relationship between people and their natural environment and speak volumes of the intrinsic dependence humans have on these natural habitats. With over 3,000 rock art sites, the Matobo Hills contain one of the highest concentrations of rock art in Southern Africa, making the protection of this traditional and cultural landscape vital and necessary in maintaining biological diversity.

These hills also feature in many of the important historical events that have shaped the modern nation of Zimbabwe.

The present peace and serenity of the area belies its turbulent history. It has been both a place of worship and a place of refuge during rebellion, a hunting ground and a battleground. As a result, there are battle sites, graves (including that at World’s View of Cecil

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Across the border - Zimbabwe

the matobo

hills A CULTURAL LANDSCAPE WHERE EAGLES SOAR John Rhodes, 1853–1902), ruins, shrines and sacred places. The grandeur and stillness of the hills have contributed to their hallowed reputation and many rituals and religious activities are still performed amidst the hills today.

This magnificent area, however, also provides a haven for a diverse array of wildlife and an estimated 400 bird species. Today it contains nearly one third of the world’s 47 eagle species and is said to hold the highest population in the world of Verreaux’s eagle (Aquila verreauxii), formerly known as the black eagle. It is arguably the best studied eagle population in the world, having been subject to continuous, detailed study and monitoring since the late 1950s. Other eagles common to the area include the African fish eagle, whose well-known calls echo through the granite gorges; the magnificent martial eagle, so powerful it has been known to take small antelope; the crowned eagle and a healthy population of snake eagles.

The caves and ledges in the hills are also home to a number of owls, including the rare Mackinder’s eagle owl, a subspecies of the Cape eagle owl. Scan the skies and you’ll seldom fail to see a raptor soaring overhead whilst searching for prey.

Established in 1953 as a national park, the Matobo Hills were awarded World Heritage status in June 2003 and are an Intensive Protection Zone for the endangered black and white rhinoceros.

Travelling to the Matobo Hills will not only add a cultural and spiritual depth to your experience of this beautiful country but will also support the operators and their on-the- ground efforts to conserve and protect this unique and incredible ecosystem for future generations.

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Across the border - Zimbabwe

Writer: Sarah Kingdom Photography: Individually credited

M

y first visit to Victoria Falls was almost a quarter of a century ago...and when I put it like that, I somehow feel rather old!

I had visited, with my parents, when I was about 12 and revisited when I was working in Livingstone aged 21, but since then I had barely set foot in Zimbabwe for 15 years. Now, all these years later, I was returning with my own teenage sons to see what had changed. But first we had to cross the famous Victoria Falls Bridge from Zambia and get through the ridiculously lengthy queues at the Zimbabwean border post; it was the Vic Falls marathon the following day and the queue of runners crossing from Zambia was horrendous! Finally, just as we were wilting and our tempers fraying, we got our passports stamped, various paperwork for the car completed and were into Zimbabwe and on our way to Chundu Island.

Accessible only by boat, Chundu Island is a tear-drop-shaped island in the Zambezi River, 21 kilometres upstream of the Victoria Falls, in the Zambezi National Park. At just over a kilometre long and about half a kilometre wide, the camp is spread out amongst huge mahogany, acacia and water berry trees and was the perfect start to our Zimbabwe visit. We reached the island as the sun had nearly set, and the stunning red skies above and the inky black waters beneath our boat made for a surreal and magical arrival.

Woken at dawn by a friendly knock on the door and a delivery of tea and coffee, it was a challenge to drag ourselves out of warm beds; however the mist over the water outside our room was spectacular. After a light breakfast around the fire we were on the boat, crossing back to the main section of the Zambezi National Park and setting off on a three-hour safari on foot.

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Zambezi National Park covers an area of 56,000 hectares and is home to elephant, lion, buffalo and leopard. In addition, sable, eland, giraffe, kudu, waterbuck and impala are found here; along with plenty of smaller game and over 400 species of birds… clearly we were only going to be able to cover a tiny fraction of this on our walk!

Our guides Paul and Blessed were full of information and we learnt about the traditional uses of much of the local plant life. We ‘got wind’ of a herd of over 60 zebra up ahead, who fortunately had not yet ‘gotten wind’ of us and Paul was able to guide us silently towards the herd. We quietly crept to less than 40 metres away before a few individuals finally noticed us, by which stage our tummies were rumbling and it was time to head back to camp for brunch and a siesta.

My post-lunch nap on our verandah overlooking the river was disturbed by a persistent ‘barking’ noise. Initially mistaking the sound for a baboon, I looked up into the trees, before realising the noise was coming from a bushbuck just metres away. She was intensely curious about me, and kept up her one- sided ‘conversation’ with me, until I abandoned the verandah and headed out for a peaceful afternoon’s canoe trip.

Next stop on our trip was back to the Victoria Falls. At 1.7 kilometres wide and with up to 550 million litres of water a minute cascading up to 108 metres into the chasm below, during the peak flow, the Falls are truly a sight to behold. Wandering through the rainforest area of the Falls, amongst trees such as fig, mahogany and date palms, and dashing through the spray to see the Falls from some magnificent viewpoints, left me looking like a drowned rat.

Photo credit: Chundu Island

A Taste of Victoria Falls

Photo credit: Africa Albida Tourism

Photo credit: Ilala Lodge

Ilala Lodge in Victoria Falls is just a stone’s throw from the Falls themselves, so close in fact that you can see the spray from the Falls without even having to get out of bed! There were two definite highlights to our stay at Ilala. The first was a fabulous family of banded mongoose who had made the grounds of the hotel home, their antics providing much entertainment. The second was the hotel’s Palm Restaurant, where we were spoilt for choice, with warthog, crocodile risotto, stuffed kudu, ostrich fillet and a tagine of blesbok shank all on the menu… I made each member of my family order something different, so I could sample a little bit of them all… delicious!

on the verandah of the hotel, with its dramatic views down the gorges to the Falls and the famous bridge, is an institution. Threetiered cake stands appeared on the table, full of scones, cucumber sandwiches, macaroons and more... we were almost defeated by the quantity, especially coming so quickly after our lunch.

Loosening our belts one more notch, we valiantly worked our way through the feast.

Last, but not least on the day’s food epic in Victoria Falls, was dinner at the MaKuwa-Kuwa restaurant at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. The restaurant, open on three sides, overlooks the lodge’s waterhole and is an ideal vantage point for watching wildlife while A sunset cruise above the Falls is an essential part of any visit to you eat. We felt lucky to see two hyenas, a leopard and numerous Victoria Falls, and we did ours on the Ra-Ikane, a small luxury elephants— all while we ate our dinner. The restaurant is part of cruise boat, named after one of the guides who had led David The Victoria Falls Safari Lodge & Suites, where we were spending Livingstone to the Falls. With only 14 people on board and fitted the final night of our trip. The Safari Suites were a lovely place to out with period décor, you really got the feeling of a bygone era. We end our journey and we drank our final morning’s coffee whilst travelled up the river as the sun went down, spotting bee-eaters, watching bushbucks and warthogs on the grass outside our room. half-collared kingfishers, huge crocodiles and a nursery of baby hippos… and of course nibbling tasty snacks and sipping chilled A week after we had crossed into Zimbabwe it was time to head wine...a perfect afternoon. back across the bridge into Zambia and home. It had been a wonderful visit and we enjoyed every moment of our journey.

Lunch the next day found us at the seriously funky Zambezi House.

Constructed from old shipping containers on the banks of the Zambezi, the quirky retro décor, great vibe, riverside location and good food all combine to make this a ‘must visit’ place. After a few CONTACT BOX hours break—for a bit of digestion— we were off to the Victoria Chundu Island: www.chundu.co.za Falls Hotel for high tea.

Ilala Lodge: www.ilalalodge.com Victoria Falls Safari Lodge & Suites: www.africaalbidatourism.com Built by the British in 1904 and one of the oldest hotels in Africa, Zambezi House: www.zambezihouse.com the Victoria Falls Hotel was originally built as accommodation for Victoria Falls Hotel: www.victoria-falls-hotel.com workers on the Cape to Cairo railway. Now a luxury hotel, high tea TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

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Info Box The Wines of South Africa (WOSA) Grand Tasting is an annual event held at the Victoria Falls Hotel and takes place in late October.

Writer: Sarah Kerr Photography: Sarah Kerr

T

This year’s event will host industry training events which will equip participants to introduce and explore the wines of our region with guests, plus public events for those who wish to know more about their tipple. It is also an exciting opportunity for importers to meet producers.

he way we view and consume wine is rapidly changing and this was very evident at the recent Wines of South Africa (WOSA) Grand Tasting event held at the Victoria Falls Hotel.

The event showcases South African wines in all their diversity, expanding a burgeoning interest in wine on the African continent. The wine industry is changing. This has come about as travellers’ appetite for local products grows and the purchasing power of Africa’s developing middle class increases. Added to these is the evident demand for organic and socially responsible wines and this event aims to de-mystify wine and ensure that African markets have access to African wines.

To register, contact event coordinator Kudakwashe Hove at info@lewaandco.com or Victoria Falls Hotel Deputy General Manager, Farai Chimba on dgm@victoriafallshotel.com

The inaugural WOSA Grand Tasting consisted of a training day for those in the tourism and restaurant industries and a tasting event the following day.

I was thrilled to participate in the tasting and made my way to the manicured green lawns of the Victoria Falls Hotel where dappled afternoon sunlight filtered through the large trees. Wine-tasting stalls were arranged on the periphery of the lawn and umbrellas, tables and couches were strewn across it, giving people plenty of room to enjoy the beverages on offer.

At my first tasting, I was offered a Ladybird chenin blanc from Laibach Wine Estate. I was intrigued by the bottle and asked the distributor about it. As I inhaled the wine’s aroma and took my first delicious sip he explained that it is an organic wine. Each January the winemakers release thousands of ladybirds into the vineyards to combat pests, avoiding the need for traditional pesticides. I was charmed by this story behind the wine and as the day went on I continued to find more intriguing stories. For instance, there is the Rhino Range from Linton Park Wines who give a portion of their profit to the conservation of rhinos in South Africa and bottle their wine in eco–friendly, lightweight glass bottles.

Also, I met two powerhouse female winemakers, Ginny Povall from Botanica Wines and Karlin Nel from Vrede en Lust, who are succeeding in a typically male-dominated industry. Ginny has taken the wine world by storm despite being a relative newcomer in the world of winemaking, and her wines consistently earn five-star reviews from critics, while Karlin, impressively, is already head winemaker for Vrede en Lust at just 27 years old.

making; from the people tending the vines…and those picking the grapes… to the makers in the cellar.

As I sipped my final glass of wine after a truly enjoyable afternoon, I thought of how all of these delicious wines truly contribute to the issues faced in Africa, and what Matome Mbatha from WOSA said earlier that day… ‘People in Africa should be drinking African wines, not Bordeaux.’

Ovation wine from Diemersfontein is truly a I cannot help but echo this sentiment. Wine is socially responsible wine. The business is an amazing complement to tourism; it enhances owned by the staff of Diemersfontein—all of the guests’ experience… and what better way to do staff, not just the top management— allowing this than by sharing wines and their stories from them truly to invest in the wine they are our beautiful continent.

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TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA

THE INTRIG UING WORLD OF AFRICA N WINES

Zambia’s Original Independent Destination Management Company zambiangroundhandlers.com

Edward Selfe Photography