Get away from it all in the Luangwa Valley

How to describe the "getting away from it all" when on safari?

Permit us to quote a great description of what it is like to soak up the experience of a stay in the Luangwa Valley - (link to original blog below):

Quote:

Two nights in Croc Valley

Croc Valley camp is called Croc Valley for good reason: located on the banks of the Luangwa River you can literally sit in a hammock, look out over the river and watch as the water spontaneously erupts into a thrashing of tails and teeth.

We were the only people staying at this luxurious camp (you can always tell a luxurious camp because the prices on the menu are quoted in USDs) so it was a fantastic opportunity to soak up the atmosphere of the national park that surrounded it. We were here for two nights so we had a whole day to wallow in the pool (deliberately shallow in case animals ever fall in), relax in hammocks and just sit and listen to the sounds of nature.

Every now and then the trumpeting of elephants nearby would drown out conversation; at night hippos brushed by our tents and hyenas cackled in the distance.

Sun rise here was spectacular. I woke up at 4.30am as the sun began to rise and watched as the sky became awash with rich oranges and reds. Captured on camera, the reflection of the sunrise in the river suggested the presence of two red suns.

As the sun rose, the national park came to life: vervet monkeys and olive baboons that frequented the camp awoke from slumber and began to clamber around the trees (or in the camp kitchen!) in search for food chattering as they went; birds burst into song, hippos grunted and guffawed and thirsty antelope came down to the river’s edge to drink.

Sitting there on a wooden bench overlooking the river contemplating U.L.E (universe, life, everything) I realized that I felt utterly stress free. Despite being homeless, jobless and pretty much penniless, I’m probably the happiest I’ve been in five years.

Unquote.

To read the original, go here.

Sundowners?

A romantic evening in the South Luangwa: chilled wine in the river as the sun sets

Classic 10 Night South Luangwa Safari

This writer found the Luangwa Valley unforgettable - I was fortunate enough to experience it when Norman Carr himself was there.

At the Norman Carr Safaris' website you can find this suggestion:

60th Anniversary Celebration - Classic 10 night South Luangwa Safari with Norman Carr Safaris

Please note that all of our safari packages are tailor-made, this itinerary is just a suggestion and can be amended to better fit your requirements.

2 nights Kapani
2 nights Luwi Bushcamp
2 nights Nsolo Bushcamp
2 nights Kakuli Bushcamp
2 nights Mchenja Camp

This Classic South Luangwa Safari includes all the best that the South Luangwa has to offer. There is plenty of time to explore the amazing variety of habitat and species. Help us celebrate 60 years of safari excellence. Leading the way since 1950.

Days 1 and 2 - Kapani Lodge

Kapani Lagoon House You will be met at Lusaka Airport and escorted onto your domestic flight to Mfuwe. Your safari guide will meet you at Mfuwe Airport and drive you to Kapani Lodge in time to settle in before brunch. You will have the rest of the day to relax, until tea at about 3pm followed by the afternoon game drive. After sundowners, the night drive is a search for nocturnal species such as genet, civet, porcupine and honey-badger, rarely seen in daylight hours. This is the best chance of spotting leopard and lion when they are at their most active. Return to camp at around 7:30pm in time for dinner.

Days 3 and 4 - Luwi Bushcamp

Tea After two nights at Kapani you will be driven deep into the National Park to Luwi Bushcamp. Described as Africa’s last real bush camp, wonderfully rustic and authentic, Luwi is set in the shade of large trees close to a permanent lagoon. The four rooms at Luwi have dry grass walls and thatched roofs with en-suite bathrooms open to the trees and stars above. Your safari guide will introduce you to the armed escort scout who will accompany you on your first real walking safari. The guide will take time to point out the tracks and signs that he uses to interpret the bush. Your first night in the bushcamp is likely to be accompanied by the noises of animals around camp. When day breaks, your guide will interpret the calls that kept you awake as you head out together and pick up the fresh tracks of a pride of lion or investigate the alarm calls of the local troop of baboon. This is no nature trail - this is the real thing - you are tracking big game through the African bush, on foot like the first Luangwa pioneers.

Days 5 and 6 - Nsolo Bushcamp

Pool On the second morning at Luwi, head out from camp as you did on the previous day but this time your guide will walk you down the Luwi river course. Your destination is Nsolo, the second of your bushcamps. After a few hours gentle walking you will arrive into camp. A cool drink will be ready for you, brunch will be on the table and your bags will be in your room. Your home for the next two nights will be a raised deck with dry grass walls and a tall, cool thatched roof. Once more your en-suite bathroom is open to the sky above.

Days 7 and 8 - Kakuli Bushcamp

Different Species The next move takes you further down the Luwi River, again on foot or by 4x4 game viewer if you prefer, to its confluence with the main Luangwa River and to Kakuli Camp. This camp is tented and has stunning views along a stretch of the Luangwa that is home to over five hundred hippo. Each of the four large Mehru style tents has a spectacular river view. Much of the gameviewing is still on foot although there are more game viewing tracks in this area so it is possible to use vehicles and with a dense population of leopards in the area the night drives are usually most rewarding.

Days 9 and 10 - Mchenja Camp

Leopard A taste of luxury awaits you at Mchenja. The last of your camps is set under the shade of immense ebony trees. The four individually designed tents each have a bath inside as well as an open, en-suite shower and toilet. The main chitenje (lounge) houses a small plunge pool alongside the bar and sitting area and meals are usually taken on the river bank.

Day 11 - Return

Elephant Walk Last drive through the National Park as you transfer from Mchenja to Mfuwe Airport for your flight out of the valley.

Norman Carr Safaris

Top 10 safari destinations in Africa

One of the main reasons most travelers choose to visit Africa is her wildlife parks and conservancies. These are certainly the highlight of any African trip, and here is the BootsnAll top ten choice of African wildlife destinations.

10 - Mana Pools Zimbabwe: These days Mana Pools is a little bit of a forgotten backwater on the African eco-travel map. The recent history of Zimbabwe has tended to isolate it from the mainstream which has done very little to help the conservation effort.

Mana is unique because it is different. The park is situated on 2500 square kilometers on the south bank of the Zambezi River. The area is a mix of riverine habitat rich in crocodile and hippo, floodplains supporting large herds of herbivores and a back-country of low lying Mopane woodland interspersed with thousands of mature baobabs.

The diversity of wildlife and scenic interest is just one of the reasons why Mana Pools should be a tick on your map of southern African eco destinations.

9 – Gorongosa Mozambique: This park, situated in north central Mozambique, is one of the region’s oldest and most troubled conservancies. Once the jewel of the colonial Portuguese conservation effort, and denuded almost to extinction during Mozambique’s series of civil wars, it is now one of the most visitable parks in the region.

Also of mixed habitat, the vortex of the park is a wet depression that supports a rich variety of vegetation that in turn provides succor and habitat to a huge diversity of wildlife. To the west lies Mount Gorongosa with its large number of endemics and unusual forest habitat. To the east wooded Miombo hill country offers shaded sanctuary to the more elusive of the African plains species.

Slowly being restocked, Gorongosa is still a work in progress, but is the focus of much international money and interest, and for the moment seems to have an assured future.

8 - South Luangwa Zambia: One of the principal watersheds of this large southern African nation is the Luangwa River which runs north to south along the east of the country, flowing ultimately into the great Zambezi. A significant section of the river frontage is reserved under the protection of two national parks. The North and South Luangwa National Parks are allied but different, and of the two it is South Luangwa that is the more popular.

Covering an area of 4636 square kilometers of the river’s east bank, South Luangwa offers a mix of riverine and floodplain habitat with high cliffs and forested hilltops. The park supports excellent wildlife diversity and offers the option of walking safaris.

This park is fairly new to the circuit, but is easily accessible, well maintained and protected, and served with excellent lodge and camp hospitality options.

7-Kruger National Park South Africa: This is one of Africa’s flagship wildlife destinations and one that sets the bar extremely high in the matter of wildlife conservation, breeding, research and study. As a consequence it can seem a little overdeveloped although the up-side is that all you ever hoped to see of African wildlife and more will be found here.

Kruger is an authentic bushveld destination with wooded savanna and acacia thornveld being the predominant habitats. This is also quintessential big game country where you can be justly disappointed if you do not regularly bump into the Big Five.

Easily accessible, well funded and managed, and exceptionally well and efficiently served with all the necessary amenities. This is a great option for beginners. It is civilized bundu-bashing in a developed-world atmosphere.

6 - Khalaghadi TransFrontier Conservation Area South Africa: This is another of South Africa’s superbly run national parks. Linked under international treaty (the Peace Parks Foundation) with Botswana, the combination of two enormous wilderness preserves in the Central Kalahari has opened up a vast an uninhibited safari area for those equipped for rough travel.

The better traveled region of the park is easily accessible and in a desert and semi-desert environment some of the signature scenery of Africa can be enjoyed from the deck of a luxury camp or lodge. Penetrate deeper into the wilderness and you can park your Landrover under a baobab and neither see or hear another human being for weeks.

A great option for enthusiasts, second timers and expedition junkies. Expect to see the Big Five with many other more localized or endemic species.

5 - Masai Mara Kenya: This is the sister park to the iconic Serengeti National Park and is a continuation of the same broad eco-zone. The annual migration of antelope species in astonishing numbers that define the region usually begins and ends in the Masai Mara. This is one of Kenya’s signature wildlife destinations so it is both heavily visited and carefully controlled.

However the inevitable jostle at certain times of the years is compensated for by one of Africa’s most Eden-like landscapes replete with natural splendor. Masai Mara is large – some 25 000 square kilometers - and is composed mostly of open grasslands and plains. The justly famous East African hospitality industry reaches its zenith in places like the Masai Mara so expect some of the highest standards of luxury on the planet.

This is an all-comers national park with something for everyone. The Big Five are dominated here by lion and cheetah but you can hardly fail to run into the rest too. Altogether an accessible, well managed and protected national park with some of the best photographic potential in Africa.

4 - Etosha Pan Namibia: Namibia is one of the most celebrated safari destinations in Africa. With a sparse population and all the wide open spaces a body can absorb, this is wild Africa with a very civilized underbelly. Etosha Pan is in a dry and unforgiving corner of the continent but despite that it is one of the most rewarding of the regional eco-destinations to visit.

Well managed, isolated and well protected this expanse of bushveld surrounding a seldom flooded pan enjoys unique ecological perspectives as well as all the best of African game safaris. The Namibians are excellent at long range 4×4 adventure, so for a little outlay an authentic African safari adventure is there for the taking.

Very wild and very real, this park is nonetheless easy to get to, easy to see and comfortable in the grand colonial tradition. Practical for all budgets. You can get the best and the most basic here.

3 - W National Park Niger: This park scores the highest points in Africa for interest. Very few eco-travelers ambulating the continent with binoculars in hand ever give much thought to West Africa. This is thanks mainly to the popular perception of teeming populations and very limited surviving natural heritage. Across most of the region this is true, but at the thee corners of Niger, Benin and Burkina Faso a unique configuration of river and land has been preserved as the W-National Park, a responsibility nominally shared between these three countries.

This regional conservancy covers some 10 000 square kilometers of largely uninhabited territory dominated by the delta of the Mekrou River with the Niger River. It is broken by rocky hills and expanses of bushveld. Equally unexpected wildlife encounters are frequent here with one of the last surviving populations of West African elephant and rare West African giraffe. Also expect to see cheetah, Lion and leopard with possible sighting of African painted wild-dog. Besides this there are many antelope species. W-National Park is a sought after birding destination.

So all in all an unusual eco-travel option with a frontier feel since facilities are scarce and access tricky. It is worth the effort though as Africa’s number 3 option.

2 - Okavango Delta Botswana: This is the Eden of the south. One of very few international inland deltas, the Okavango is a product of the Okavango River finding no outlet to the sea but instead spilling into the Kalahari desert and creating a vast and spectacular oasis that is home to some of Africa’s most unusual and prolific wildlife destinations.

The Delta is not wholly protected and is technically an area of mixed usage. Human habitation is present but limited, and on the whole the region is given over to wildlife. The main area of national park is Moremi Game Reserve which links in the north with Chobe National Park. Both are among the most important eco-destinations in the region.

Both parks have a riverine/riparian aspect with access by dugout and other river-craft. With generally superb standards of game management throughout Botswana you can expect to see the best of the Big Five and much more besides.

1 - Northern Circuit Tanzania: This is not one destination but several. The Tanzanian Northern Circuit revolves around the iconic Serengeti National Park, but it also includes the equally iconic Ngorongoro Crater Reserve and a handful of smaller destinations including Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Lake Eyasi, Arusha National Park and of course who could forget Kilimanjaro National Park.

The usual way to get the best of the Northern Circuit is a climb/safari packages that taxes your physical endurance and then soothes it with a relaxing safari among some of the greatest natural treasures in the world, and among some of the most esteemed representatives of the global hospitality industry.

In every respect the eco-travel potential in this region is superb. Although budget travel is not really encouraged, it is possible, but it is only when you dig deep in your pocket and spoil yourself with luxury that you will get the best that this region has to offer.

Features include the annual migration that takes place between the Masai Mara and the Serengeti every year. If you are lucky enough to catch this you will have witnessed one of the world’s greatest natural phenomenon.

http://www.adventurelogue.com/travelnews/top-10-safari-trips-destinations-in-africa.html

Zambia safaris: Elephants, baboons and a walk on the wild side in stunning South Luangwa

A gentle voice outside the tent-flap murmurs: 'Morning, morning.' During the night, hyenas whooped and howled persistently, so close behind the camp that their mournful wails seemed to rattle the guy ropes and, from time to time, lions roared. But now, just before dawn, absolute silence reigns.

Trunk enthrall: Elephants and buffalo cross the Luangwa River in Zambia

Hot water has arrived in each washing bowl. Breakfast is ready on the riverbank: tea, coffee, porridge and toast, cooked over a fire of mopane wood, which gives the food a special tang. We eat quickly, on our feet, watching the eastern sky start to glow, until a huge ball of fiery crimson climbs over the horizon and sets the surface of the river alight.

By 6.15am we are on our way. 'Keep behind me in single file,' says our leader, Robin Pope. 'If anything starts to happen, stay bunched together. Don't run.'

Out front is our escort scout, Piela Nandila, armed with a loaded .375 rifle. Next comes Robin, then the six of us, and at the back our tea-carrier Jonathan Mbao, swinging a fearsome machete.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1213066/Zambia-safaris-Elephants-baboons-walk-wild-stunning-South-Luangwa.html#ixzz0RbsQTEQd

African Safari Destination – The Luangwa Valley, Zambia

A pristine river runs through the lush rift valley that is known as Luangwa National Park, Zambia. The Luangwa river is one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi River, and one of the four biggest rivers in Zambia. Surprisingly, it is largely unaffected by man – there is no commercial agriculture along its banks, no sections of the river have been dammed and there is little/no pollution problem. The result is a very natural and untouched river, deep in the African countryside where natural seasonal fluctuations of water (flooding through to the vision of crisp river bed in the dry season) can be witnessed together with teaming wildlife during an African adventure holiday.

The river is so natural that oxbow lakes are scattered across the valley from where the river course has changed with the floods. Over the years river side camps and lodges have had to move. Here the river is king!

It is said that the Luangwa River in Zambia is the most unaltered and significant river system in Africa and it certainly is the key ingredient that keeps all 9050km2 of the park with over 60 different animal species and over 400 different bird species alive.

A large quantity of game can be found here since Zambia remains largely untouched by the tourist rush. Water results in rich vegetation that feeds varying herbivore animals and herds including buffalo, elephant, puku, impala and the more rare subspecies of Thornicroft giraffe and Crawshay’s zebra that are found here. Healthy and large populations of herbivores feed predators like lion, hyenas and leopard. In fact a BBC documentary suggests an average density of one leopard per 2.5km2 – twice the density recorded in Kruger, South Africa.

The best time to see game is in the dry season from April to October. As the river dries up the animals visit the lagoons and oxbow lakes to drink more frequently. Seeing them here in their natural environment is breathtaking.

As short rain showers begin to fall in November most animals give birth to their young and since the grass is still short spectacular sightings of mothers and their young can be seen. The landscape begins to change from a golden brown, dusty and dry land to an emerald green – known as Zambia’s green season.

Zambia’s Luangwa River also means that the valley can boast very rich populations of tropical bird life, including birds that live close to water and birds that prefer drier habitats in the forests and on the plains. The best time to see these birds is in the rainy season (November to March) since the rain provides abundant food supplies for them. Summer migrants are also present in the Luangwa valley at this time. Flocks of birds can be noted and a special site is a breeding colony of yellow-billed storks with their pink breeding plumage. The rain does not fall consistently and rarely lasts for more than a few hours, so you can still enjoy game drives and birding to the full.

In April and May, the rains will have stopped and the landscape begins to dry out. The Luangwa rivers water level begins to drop and sandbanks (the signature of the Luangwa River) are exposed. Once drenched roads begin to dry out and the main safari season beings once more. As the lush green grass begins to turn golden brown one truly understands the Luangwa River really is the life blood of this untouched landscape in the Luangwa National Park, Zambia.

Note: If you wish to publish this article on your website, blog, etc. you can as long as the article remains in its full entirety; including the links and the author resource box.
Sara Brown is instrumental in the running of the Best of Zambia site (http://www.thebestofzambia.com/), a website dedicated to putting Zambia on the map by creating a strong internet presence and successfully promoting Zambia and those operating in Zambia. This site will help potential visitors to Zambia reasearch this beautiful country, find the perfect holiday in Zambia, plan their trip and send out enquiries. As the site develops it will have useful links to the international development sector, commercial and investment opportunities and, local businesses and services.

Our mission is to ensure the Best of Zambia site becomes THE information hub for all things Zambia. You can learn more about the Best of Zambia and how you can benefit from our products and services at our constantly updated website, http://www.thebestofzambia.com/

Zambia is stunning and tourism is increasing. Despite this many would prefer Zambia to stay exactly as it is – a place that is fascinating, a rich resource of natural habitat and animals that few other people visit. As we promote Zambia, we ask that you respect its resources and people and help to preserve it – be a thoughtful visitor.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sara_Brown

A Zambian safari in the sky

A remote safari lodge in Africa has come up with a novel way of tracking animals - by microlight.

Matt Carroll gets a bird's-eye view

Matt Carroll gets really off road in Zambia with an airborne safari experience

I've never really had much luck with safaris. Ever since I first went on one to South Africa six years ago and found a scorpion in my bed, things have never quite gone according to plan.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/video/2009/aug/09/zambia-microlite-safari

Luangwa: Jack Fasari on Zambia and Walking Safaris

Why Jack likes both

It rained in mid June, not just a little rain but an enormous Biblical downpour for a couple of days. Some areas had over 100mm and quite a number of safari operators were caught out ending up getting their vehicles well and truly bogged in places they shouldn’t have. Some even had to get tractors to pull them out.

Not only that, but the flood that hit Maun is the highest for decades. There is water in places where it was only ever seen if the sprinklers were on. So I take my hat off to the old beardies who predicted this year would be a big one, they were right and doesn’t the delta and surrounding areas look fantastic.

Lake Ngami which hasn’t filled for years is not only getting water from the North, near Toteng but also, because at last the dam built by the mining companies to direct water down the Boteti river only, has been bulldozed away and the Nhabe River is once again flowing into the lake from the East.

The Zambezi is pumping like I haven’t seen it in years as well. Paradoxically this makes the white-water rafting a bit tame, due to the sheer volume of water smoothing out all the rapids.

However the jet-boating below the falls is fantastic and if you are going to Livingstone or the town of Victoria Falls then you have to see the actual falls from the air. It is the only way to get a true view of just how magnificent they actually are especially with the billions of gallons going over them at the moment and the best way to do it as far as I am concerned is in a microlight.

Yes this does sort of resemble a lawnmower engine attached to a kite, but it flies low and slow and you really are out there, in the breeze, so you get to see and really get a feel for the full, awesome power of the falls as the water plunges over the edge and it’s not as wet as walking around the falls, which believe me is quite wet at the moment.

Talking of walking. It is all very well sitting on a safari vehicle being driven by a good looking, knowledgeable safari guide, but if you really want to get down and dusty and experience Africa from a prey’s eye point of view you can’t beat a bit of a stroll in the bush. Not many places cater for walking in the wilderness, although there are quite a few places in South Africa, but let’s be honest walking where there is no dangerous game is a bit tame.

To make a walking safari exciting there needs to be at least the hint of a bit of danger, a decent dose of adrenaline when something crashes away unseen, into the bushes, a frisson of excitement as you slowly approach a group of elephant bulls or buffalos, a quickening of the heart and a fluttering of the guts when you see that first, fresh lion track on the path you are walking - otherwise what’s the point.

Zambia has a very well deserved reputation for running probably the best walking safaris in Africa. Pioneered years ago by a guy called Norman Carr and his associates in the Luangwa valley the Zambians have it down to a fine art nowadays.

It takes a lot to beat the sheer pleasure of stretching your legs in the bush of South Luangwa National Park. There are various companies you can go with Norman Carr Safaris obviously, Shenton Safaris and Robin Pope Safaris to name a few. The last time I was there we walked around about 8km (5miles) every morning, arriving hot and not a little sweaty but exhilarated by our experiences at a different camp every lunchtime to be reunited with our bags, cold beers, showers and our tents or grass chalets.

Game driving in the afternoons and some fabulous night drives, where I think the group managed to see leopards (plural) every night was just the right balance for everyone, I am not a big fan of night drives but for some reason they seem to turn up much more stuff in South Luangwa than elsewhere or maybe I have just been lucky, you need a bit of that on a safari.

If you can’t stretch to a full walking safari but are in Livingstone in Zambia one very good option is to go for a walk in the Mosi o Tunya National Park. A morning’s mooch around this great little park is well worth putting aside a few hours for. I took my group with Livingstone Walking Safaris (how did they come up with that name?) who were superb, the pick-up was bang on time we had a great guide who started off the walk with tea, coffee, muffins and a very reassuring safety talk and not only did hairy-chested Jack Fasaris have to hide from elephants much to the groups amusement but we walked so close to giraffe I realise it is the only way guests can actually appreciate how tall they are and just how graceful such a big animal actually is.

There was loads of other stuff to see and our guide seemed to spot it all from the biggest hippo to the smallest insects and he had something to say about everything (it’s what us guides are good at!) We got a good butchers (look) at a herd of buffalo and best of all we got to see a rhino close up, and that was just about the high point, not only for the group but for me as well. On top of all that (apart from the muffins obviously) I felt that I’d walked off a bit of that fat accumulated in the Landcruiser over the last few weeks and therefore thoroughly deserved my enormous chocolate drenched afternoon tea at The Royal Livingstone Hotel.

http://planyoursafari.com/blog/jack-fasari-on-zambia-and-walking-safaris/

Lions are guests at a cocktail party - sundowners

Courtesy of Norman Carr Safaris - here's a surprising development as sundowners were being served...

http://twitpic.com/bkea3

http://www.normancarrsafaris.com

KIDS FOR FREE WITH NORMAN CARR SAFARIS

FOR EVERY FULL PAYING ADULT – ONE CHILD STAYS FREE OF CHARGE.

Only flights and National Park fees to pay.

Offer applies from July 1st to October 31st 2009.

No minimum stay, applies to children up to the age of 17.

Children will stay in the same room as full paying adults. All accommodation, meals, drinks and game viewing activities are free of charge for each child traveling with full paying adult. Offer applies to Kapani Lodge but if availability and child’s age allows – bush camps may be included in the safari.

Contact

Kapani@normancarrsafaris.com

for a quote and further details

What Makes A Safari in Zambia Unique?

Zambia is Africa’s best kept secret. It is the sleeping giant of African safari. It also has friendly people and peace that the country safeguards and continues to enjoy. That’s what makes the country a haven for refuges from civil strive. …And Zambia is a hub of African travel.

Zambia is located in south central Africa with eight neighboring countries. There are 19 national parks and 34 game management areas. Thus a whopping 30 percent of the country’s 752,614 sq kms. The country has the largest water resources in southern Africa. There are large empty tracts of land in pristine state and a large wildlife estate. Zambia’s unique natural resources include minerals such as copper, precious stones and lumber; both native hard wood and soft exotic pinewood timber.

The population to land ratio is one of the lowest in Africa. At less than 15 people per sq km it is one of the lowest in the world. The sparse population has left a large portion of Zambia unspoiled in its natural state. You get to see teeming wildlife in pristine wilderness. Some of the animals have had little or no contact with humans. So the national parks present wildlife in its natural habitat.

The National Parks

Of the 19 national parks South Luangwa is Zambia’s premier game reserve. The South Luangwa National Park has probably the largest variety and concentration of game in Africa and perhaps in the world. Experts consider the 9,990 sq kms park to have some of the finest game-viewing areas anywhere. It is rated one of the top game reserves in the world with a profusion of wildlife. Some animals are only found in this reserve. An example is the Thornicroft giraffe.

Another game reserve is the Kafue National Park. The sprawling 22,400 sq kms is the second largest national park in the world and is about the size of Wales in Britain and twice the size of Yellowstone National Park in the USA. The park is located in the central-western Zambia and boasts excellent game viewing, bird watching and fishing.

The park has two unique wetlands. The Busanga Floodplain in the northern sector is special. The emerald green Lunga, Lufupa and Kafue Rivers crisscross it. Here are found multiple species of animals and birds. The Busanga plain is antelope country. The endemic lechwe fill its plains. The park’s southern limit also breaks into another wetland the Nanzhila Plains. The plains are next to Zambia’s newest lake at the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam.

http://www.fundednfree.com/africansafari.html

Luangwa Valley

The Luangwa Valley is famous because of its walking safaris and this is without doubt the most thrilling way of seeing the bush and game.

South Luangwa National Park located at the tail end of the Great Rift Valley covers almost 3500 square miles of Zambia's pristine wilderness. The park consists of large amounts of woodland; miombo interspersed with grass lands in the north of the park and large stands of mature ebony forming deep shade along the banks of the river.

It is the Luangwa River, slowly meandering its way through the park from north to south, which gives the park it's particul+ar character. The soft soil and shallow gradient between the north and south of the park, combine to make ideal conditions for the formation of the oxbow lakes for which South Luangwa is well known. These Oxbows eventually silt up and grass over. This is one of the elements which produce such exceptional game viewing as well as some spectacular scenery; grassy glades, magnificent stands of ebony and tranquil lagoons teaming with birdlife. The Luangwa valley is also criss crossed with sand rivers and some shallow, clear water rivers that flow all year round.

Luangwa is well known for large populations of all the major African mammals (with the exception of Rhino, which were poached to extinction in the 80s - but are being reintroduced into North Luangwa). It has a reputation for some of the best leopard sightings in Africa. This is partly because of the ideal nature of the habitat which includes thick riverine bush with plenty of cover, lots of game and some large shady trees to lie up in and also, unlike many parks in Africa, night game driving is allowed.

There are bush buck, puku, kudu, impala, zebra (although not many in the south) the indigenous Thornicroft giraffe and all the main predators, lion, leopard etc, including wild dog and the smaller predators such as genet, civet, mongoose etc. The bird life is excellent and very vocal with the oxbows and river attracting a vast number of water birds.

The game viewing is outstanding up near Mfuwe (the park entrance) where the animals are very used to vehicles all year round. Mfuwe area is also quite busy, so you have to be prepared for other vehicles which you really notice at night because of the spot lights used on night drives. The lodges around Mfuwe are usually a base from which to go into the park and with the game being so habituated in the area, it is an idea to have a night or two at the beginning of the trip for some game drives and night drives and to then head off into the bush for the walking.

The north park and Nsefu sector which has camps such as Tena Tena, Nsefu, Kaingo, Mchenja and Tafika, is particularly beautiful with some really very impressive ebony groves. These tall and majestic trees give a dreamy dappled shade to almost lawn like grass underneath and are a haven for the game. The area is also generally more open with the huge Mtanda plains and hot springs/salt pans which certainly at the beginning of the season makes for slightly easier game viewing.

Most companies have a main lodge close to Mfuwe and then several bushcamps. These are all very individual and can very easily be combined with each other. There is also the option of doing mobile walking safaris where you walk from camp to camp.

The beauty of the bushcamps is that the day is slightly more relaxed, walking is the main activity, so you feel as though you have earned the huge amounts of delicious food on offer and you really do experience the smaller things of the bush as well as, of course, the thrill of coming across the bigger game on foot.

The main season for the Luangwa is between June and October and as the season goes on, so the Luangwa river dries up leaving vast sandbanks and huge pods of hippo, all jealously guarding their own territories. The Luangwa also boasts one of the largest population of crocodile in Africa and there are some very impressive beasts to be seen basking in the sun. The animals come to the main areas of water to drink, which is obviously the river, but is also some of the oxbow lagoons that lead off the river. The drier it gets the more the animals congregate and you can get herds of over 1000 buffalo. Just after the rains in October the Luangwa bursts into flower and there are areas full of wild jasmine and other flowering shrubs. The impala drop their young and it can be a magical time of year to visit.

The Luangwa is also stunning in the emerald season. The inland areas of the park are impassable because of flooding and much of the park is made up of black cotton soil which is a nightmare in the rains. However around Mfuwe there are some great roads and the animals all concentrate around the area as the rest of the park floods. They breed, so there are lots of babies around and the rivers fill up so you can do boating activities. The bush turns emerald green and it really is a beautiful time to travel. During this season there are a couple of bush camps still open where you area able to walk or do boating safaris.

http://www.naturalhighsafaris.com/zambia/subregion/south_luangwa.html

Luangwa Valley - Waiting for Thunder

In Zambia's Luangwa Valley, rain and river create a wildlife stronghold.

The Luangwa, one of the last major unaltered rivers in southern Africa, is the lifeline—and protector—of the valley it threads. Hippos, elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, buffalo, and scores of other species flourish in the 20,000 square miles (52,000 square kilometers) of savanna-woodland watered by this 500-mile-long (800 kilometers) river. It is people that have been scarce here, especially beyond the town of Mfuwe. One reason is the Luangwa's annual flood cycle. Each year during the rains, the river reinvents the land. Swelling from a knee-deep stream to a roiling brown torrent, it carves new channels and spills into surrounding plains and woodlands, making this broad valley in eastern Zambia impassable by road for nearly half the year. For the other half, the waters retreat, leaving behind a rejuvenated landscape, which slowly parches through the long dry months that follow, when temperatures steadily climb until the land throbs with heat and thirst.

By late October, the floodplains are grazed to stubble, and a hot wind spins dust devils in the powdery soil. At dusk, hippos leave the river's last deep pools and melt into the darkness of the bush to forage. Some walk for miles to find food, and many die in this season of stress. One morning a small dead hippo floats by. Female hippos approach and nuzzle it, licking its skin, then moving away.

The seasons can be hard on the valley's wildlife, but people have been harder still. Hunting and poaching, even within the national parks, have drastically reduced hippo and elephant populations in the past, yet both have made a comeback, thanks in part to changes in enforcement and attitude. The resurgence is a sign of human tolerance and nature's resilience.

In November thunderheads build, bruised and dark, and the sky rumbles all night. One afternoon the earthy aroma of an approaching downpour blows in on a hard wind, and a cool gray curtain of rain sweeps the land, beating down in a torrent, rinsing dust from grasses and trees. Almost overnight, green shoots poke up from the earth. Bare mopani woodlands shimmer pink with new leaves. Lemon yellow blooms pop from acacias, and fragile spider lilies spring up in white drifts on the plains. Elephants and buffalo disperse into the uplands, where the browse is fresh. Impalas give birth, and zebras materialize from the bush with tiny foals.

Within days of the first rain, Abdim's storks appear overhead, wheeling in great gyres of thousands of birds. They are migrating south, and some Africans know them as bringers of rain. They touch down in a bobbing mass, moving together through the grass in a broad front, like fire, finding frogs and insects brought forth by the water. A new season is here.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/05/zambia-wildlife/eckstrom-text.html

Zambia's Incredible North Luangwa

Local communities to benefit from tourism ventures in their localities

A South African Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) dealing with the promotion of tourism has pledged to work closely with the local people to promote tourism in the country.

Open Africa is an NGO that promotes the development of tourism corridor routs in six southern Africa countries namely South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Mozambique,

Zambian route developer Cobus du Plessis said tourism can play a cardinal role towards alleviating poverty levels in the country if only local citizens participate in the implementation process.

Mr. Plessie told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka that despite Zambia been a country that has attract many tourists through its vast natural resources, her citizen have continued to live in abject poverty.

He said it is for his reason that his organisation has targeted full participation of local communities as a way of encouraging them to invest in the tourism sector and mitigate the effects of the global economic crisis.

He said despite the global economic crisis, tourism has proved to be a sector that can still continue to contribute to the economic growth of the country if all citizens are allowed to take part.

Meanwhile, Mr. Plessie has challenged tour operators in the country to lower their charges and also market their products locally to attract more tourists and increase their revenue base.

In Zambia the NGO will open five new routes in Kasanka national park, North Luangwa, Mpika, Southern Kafue and the Barotse land.

And the Private Sector Development Association (PSDA) has encouraged the business community especially in the tourism industry to collaborate if they are to remain in business during the global economic meltdown.

PSDA chairperson Yusuf Dodia explained that by working together operators will come up with constructive solutions that will go a long way towards revamping the national economy.

Mr. Dodia further hinted that Zambian tourism industry still stands a great potential of overcoming the current economic challenges if it is properly managed.

http://www.lusakatimes.com/?p=11726

Trails in the Wilderness – or Wilderness Trails

If you have ever wondered about the origin of walking safaris in Africa, it might interest you to read what the legendary Norman Carr writes in one of his books – when he mentions the “game reserve” he is referring to the Luangwa Valley:

Trails in the Wilderness - Wilderness Trails

Not so many years ago I inaugurated a non-shooting type of safari with a difference, which I called ‘wilderness trail’. (Later known as “Wilderness Trails”.) It is virtually a walking tour in the game reserve, miles away from habitation or man-made tracks, with a trail of porters carrying one’s requirements in the traditional African manner; in fact little changed from the methods of Livingstone and Stanley.

Such a safari always brings back to me nostalgic memories of earlier times when the only means of transportation was on foot. It helps to recall, too, a sense of completeness, of peaceful unity with nature, and to conjure up idyllic scenes of animals grazing undisturbed in peaceful riverine glades, where there is always time to pause and study their uninhibited actions without any feelings of guilt because you are wasting somebody else’s time.

Time nowadays is a commodity that increases in value with each succeeding year. Every hour not spent rushing from one place to another seems to be a debit entry which will have to be accounted for on the Day of Reckoning. Time was invented by man and he has now made himself a slave to it. It is a pity, for it is impossible, traveling at thirty miles an hour, to get to know an area intimately and to reflect on the intricate relationship between the soils, the vegetation and the fauna.

Africa has now been opened up to the four-wheel-drive vehicle and a journey that used to take a month can now be accomplished in a day or so. Very little touring on foot is undertaken any more, even by field officers, who now take Unimogs and Halflingers into areas too much even for Land Rovers – horrible dinky-toy contraptions consisting of a platform on wheels propelled by noisy, smelly engines from which every animal flees.

How peaceful and revealing it is by contrast to sit in camp at the end of a day’s trek and watch, for example, a pair of white-headed plovers sharing their nesting duties. Their nest is a mere depression in the sandy riverbed – I think perhaps a ‘scrape’ is a better description – and they make no attempt to embellish it. The four cryptic buff-colored eggs are cunningly camouflaged and practically impossible to see against the background of sand and stones, which the bird has selected, as its nesting site. If anyone should approach, the plover will cheep and twitter hysterically, sometimes even dive-bomb you and then fly off to a patch of beach some distance off, performing all kinds of peculiar antics in order to divert your attention from the nest. How can you possibly enjoy these little domestic displays from the seat of a motorcar?

Then again, to talk around the campfire to men who have now become individuals rather than a line of porters carrying their burdens is an experience in itself. For any one of them has a lifetime of knowledge and anecdotes, which he is only too ready to impart. How else can you get to know the intriguing customs and traditions of these simple and natural people? How else unravel the apparently inextricable confusion between their own astute observations and their naïve acceptance of folklore? (Norman was deeply respected by the local people – and he had learned to speak the local language.)

It is to these trails that I look back with great pleasure. They are difficult to capture exactly, but I would like to give others an opportunity to savor something of the excitement, the glamour and the atmosphere of Africa as it used to be.

On this sort of safari I like to restrict my guests to four, for it is difficult for one leader to look after more than this number without a party becoming a crowd. Usually we break camp early in the morning, for that is the time when the animals are most active. You might catch sight of some of the night prowlers returning late to their hideout – a honey badger, a hyena, or even a lion before it settles down in the shade to laze away the heat-laden hours until the sun’s slanting rays become cool enough for him once again to pad his haughty way along the forest tracks.

http://www.fundednfree.com/normancarr.html

Luangwa Valley

To anyone who has ever visited the Luangwa Valley, the following blog entry by PH Craig Doria with the headline "Puff Adders, Cobras and Floodwaters" will fascinate. Read the original posting - link at the end of this story.

"There is a huge wild valley in Zambia called the Luangwa Valley that just cannot be tamed. Of course, people have lived there since time immemorial, but they were unable to modify their world to any significant degree because the environment was just too tough for them.

In the 1790s chief Kazembe of the Lunda encouraged the first Europeans, the Portuguese, to open trade routes from Tete into Luangwa. The Portuguese found the place to be inhospitable and dangerous. They were plagued by malaria and troubled by wild animals.

In time, however, the Portuguese government granted estates throughout the Luangwa Valley, called Prazos, to families of mostly mixed Goan and African parentage. The Prazo owners formed their own bands of mercenaries and fought each other in this wild, lawless country. The ‘armies’ became known as the Chikunda, which is what the current inhabitants of the Luangwa Valley are often known as. By the 1890s Jose d’Araujo Lobo was the most powerful Prazo owner with an army of 12,000 men.

The strongest challenge to the Portuguese came from the Ngoni, an offshoot of the Zulu nation who were moving up from the south. The Arab traders from the coast also challenged them. But the British were the ones who finally forced the Portuguese to leave the valley, chased out the Arabs, and conquered the Ngoni.

What is particularly interesting about this rich history is that today one sees very little physical evidence of the Luangwa Valley’s past.

It has all been eaten by termites.

And things have not changed very much. We all built houses there, and lodges, and camps, and every so often the Valley (as it is affectionately known) reminds us that it is its own master. Every rainy season in fact.

I have never seen such active termites as in the Luangwa Valley. During the rains it seems that they go onto steroids and quite literally eat everything. We used to walk up to the bar at the nearby lodge in the evenings, and by the time we returned home the termites would have built a series of small towers coming up out of all the small cracks in the concrete floors. These humble beginnings of termite mounds could be four inches high when we caught them by surprise building away in our lounge. A colleague living nearby had a large personal library and kept each book in its own separate ziplock bag in order to keep them away from the busy jaws of the termites. They ate the back wall of our house and the thatch roof.

Snakes also come out aplenty during the rains. Big ones, small ones, medium-sized ones, up to five of them a day around the house and lodge. We had one particularly large cobra that seemed to live in a huge termite mound outside our house. Several evenings while we were drinking at the bar, our night watchman would come running up to tell us that this large snake was in the house and wreaking havoc. The snake was able to enter through the poorly crafted thatch roof, which was not good when our children were all tucked up sleeping in their beds. We would go down and usually find nothing. On one occasion, though, we found all the bottles on the bathroom shelf knocked to the ground. Then one day I found him in the roof of the outside long-drop and shot him from the inside with a 12-bore shotgun. It wasn’t very good for the roof.

Everyone tried to stay open year round and struggled through each rainy season with a dribble of wet tourists. Some new operators arrived, and one actually said to me in the bar late one night, “I’m going to show you guys how to run a proper safari business here.”

He sold his camp a couple of years later to an unsuspecting romantic.

There are a very small handful of safari operators and professional hunters who have lived in this valley for a long time. Adrian Carr is one of those people. Some readers might know Adrian due to a well-published, but unfortunate, accident with a fine Rigby rifle back in the 1970s. But that story has been documented elsewhere.

We had our small ramshackle collection of huts about 200 yards from Adrian’s house, and I apprenticed under him when I was doing my PH licence. So we got to spend a lot of time together in the bush.

We had a frightening encounter with a snake some years back. A buffalo had been wounded and we were following it. We spooked it twice, and each time we became a little more tense. Finally it entered the thicket along a dry, sand river. In we went and soon realized that its tracks were meandering back and forth and crossing themselves. We became even more tense. Eventually we found ourselves in a large stand of tall hyphereania. The two trackers were ahead of us and bent double, faces almost to the ground following the tiny drops of blood. We were behind, peering for all we were worth into the thick bush for any sign of the buffalo. Safety catches were probably off and fingers were probably curling ever so lightly around triggers. The buffalo just had to be close.

And then the two trackers turned into something molten and flowed back past us with such speed that we were slightly distracted by the sheer grace of it. My first conscious thought was, “OK, here it comes.” But there was no noise. No crashing of undergrowth and no heavy thumping of hooves.

And then Adrian leapt back, one nanosecond behind the trackers. That left me … brave … to face the music, and thinking, “That’s unlike Adrian.” And then I leapt back another nanosecond behind Adrian. And in that instant of us all leaping back we saw in front of us a spectre from every universal nightmare from every age of horror.

A seven-foot-long, two-headed puff adder was striking at us with both its hideous mouths agape and all four hideous fangs dripping with yellow venom. After leaping we staggered backwards, tripping over each other and stumbling to a rest several yards back. The buffalo was forgotten.

It took some time and a lot of confused chattering between all four of us:
“Huge snake!”
“Two heads!”
“Striking!”
“Both heads!”
“Let’s have a cigarette.”
But finally we went back to see the two-headed beast. By now, being a snake, and not very smart, it had settled down to doing what it had been doing before we had stalked so quietly onto it.

There, in an excited state of sexual bliss, and still joined at the vent, were two extremely large mating puff adders. With a long stick we hooked one up and it came with its partner attached. Inseparable they were.

But back to the story at hand.

Everyone with any sense knew that sooner or later the Luangwa River would flood properly. But we all built camps on the river. Of course!

Then in the rains of 2007 the river came up. Then it came up some more. “Oh it’s not too bad,” everyone said, “It’s good to have a proper rainy season for a change. This is just how the river should look at this time of year.”

And then overnight it rose even higher, and all the camps along the river were flooded. Water came up high enough that it flowed through windows and into well-decorated chalets. The lodges were all abandoned while everyone waited for the water to drop. And while everyone felt sorry for the lodge owners who lost a lot, it was really the local villagers who lost everything. These descendents of the Chikunda fighters had houses built of mud mostly along the banks of the Luangwa River’s tributaries. They all disappeared and people were left, standing on the edge of the one raised road that runs to the airport, with pathetic collections of what they had managed to salvage.

After a time the water started to go down, and the safari operators slowly started to move cautiously back in. The buildings were all awash with mud and slush. Adrian came back early and waded through what was normally dry land but was now a flooding Luangwa River, to get to his house that was on a slightly raised piece of land and thus almost dry. The water had receded enough to be lapping at the kitchen step.

Adrian and his partner Christina waded through flowing floodwater to their house and climbed the back step to survey the disaster. The inside of the house was, of course, a muddy mess, as they sloshed disconsolately from one room to the next. And in the main bedroom they found a large, black-necked spitting cobra.

One has to have seen a big black-necked spitting cobra to really know what a powerful presence it has. They are often over six-feet-long, and jet black. So jet black that they shine the deepest blue in sunlight. The scales seem as large as bathroom tiles, and they can be as thick as your wrist. And then they always turn to look at you when you approach. This is the most disconcerting. When a snake turns its head to watch you and fixes those dark eyes on you, you stop to think. The head is thick, rounded, blunt, muscular and … scary. The venom is a powerful cocktail of cytotoxins and neurotoxins and, of course, it not only bites but will also spit this venom into your eyes. I would think that after the black mamba it must be the most awe-inspiring African snake. So, of course, everyone is scared of them.

It is easy to imagine then, the fright they must have got when they walked into their bedroom and encountered the cobra. Adrian had a .22 rifle with him, and so he shot the snake. Then he shot it again, as you do with a large cobra in your bedroom. Then he carried the corpse through the muddy house draped over a muddy broom and left it on the kitchen step. He and Christina continued their house survey.

A few minutes later they returned and the snake had gone. They still had to wade back through the water where the snake had disappeared, so Adrian decided he had to find it. So he stood on the kitchen step, leaning out and hooking into the muddy water with the broom. About three metres away a single black coil of cobra rose slowly out of the water and disappeared in a gentle swirl as the current took it further away.

In every situation like this, there is a moment at which one could have backed off and saved oneself a useful place in the theory which Darwin propounds. But all too often we show that, indeed, we could easily be removed from the gene pool with no detrimental effect to the human race.

So into the water Adrian went to go and hook the snake and remove it from where he and Christina had to wade. And then a little deeper, above the knees fishing with the broom until, “Bugger me if I don’t feel it coiling around my leg … a couple of full, tight coils. So, like a Dinka warrior I lift my leg … slowly … stork-like from the water … and all six feet of shiny black snake is around my leg.” And if that wasn’t bad enough to send one to never-ending therapy, he continues: “The mouth is partially open, right up against my calf.”

Adrian had visions of dying cobras that we have seen bite pieces of wood or even themselves, but he somehow managed “to reach down ever so slowly and grab it just behind the head, all the while expecting a full bite.”

And his story ends thus “… I was shaking like a leaf. We then had a nice cup of tea (with lots of rum).”

http://russelhunter.wordpress.com/2009/03/26/puff-adders-cobras-and-floodwaters/

World Big Cat Safaris

The new sister company of the successful World Primate Safaris has now been launched.

World Primate Safaris is a very successful specialist tour operator that sends people out ot Africa and Asia to track some of the most endangered primates in the world, and at the end of 2008 their sister company World Big Cat Safaris was launched.

Again, World Big Cat Safaris relies on their expert knowledge of the areas they specialise in to
make themselves different to everyone else. The 3 tour consultants in the office are ex tour leaders and guides from the various regions of Africa and so their first hand knowledge is second to none.

World Big Cat Safaris are specialists safaris to track the Big Cats of the world. They tailor adventure or luxury safaris with a selection of mobile camps and luxury lodges in some of the best wildlife areas in the world...Safari Holidays are our speciality whether it be a tiger safari in India or an African Safari to Botswana.
World Big Cat Safaris donates a percentage of each safari sold towards the conservation of endangered Big Cats throughout the world. Holidays can be tailored to meet each specific clients requirements including luxury honeymoon safaris, family African Safaris, walking safaris and much, much, more.

World Big Cat Safaris offers a selection of traditional Kenya Safari Holidays to see the savannah game of the Masai Mara. Kenya is at the forefront of wildlife conservation and community led initiatives and is perfect for a honeymoon safari or family safari and beach relaxation.

Tanzania is a prime wildlife safari destination. Your Tanzania Safari can combine the wonderful Serengeti National Park, the stunning Ngorongoro Crater and the pristine tropical islands of Zanzibar or Pemba. Your Tanzania Safari should make the most of the fantatsic selection of luxury lodges and camps that are now available throughout Tanzania.

Wildlife in Botswana is the highlight. The Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park provide the ultimate locations for your Botswana Safari. An expensive safari destination, Botswana provides luxury safari accommodation with unique access to private concessions providing the ultimate in wildlife safari viewing.
Your South African Safari can consist of a multitude of interesting activities including a wildlife safari in the Kruger National Park or its surrounding private concessions, the winelands of the Cape and some of the most scenic coastal drives in the world. A luxury South African safari is actually very good value for money in comparison to other African Safari destinations.

Zambia Safaris are up and coming as Zambia is new as an African Safari destination. Your Zambia Safari will concentrate primarily on a few areas, including South Luangwa Valley, Lower Zambezi, Kafue National Park and the renowned Victoria Falls. Walking Safaris are also a highlight with some of the best African Safari guides available on the continent.

A Tiger Safari in India is the highlight of any wildlife enthusiast’s career. A typical India safari may consist of the one horned rhinos of Kaziranga, the Asiatic Lions of Sasan Gir National Park and of course the endangered but majestic Bengal Tigers. The best places to visit for your India Tiger Safari include the historic Corbett National Park, Ranthambhore, Bandhavgarh and the tiger park of Kanha.

The large predators are what people want to see when they go on a safari and with World Big Cat safaris they will put you in the best place to maximize your chances of seeing them.

http://www.pr-inside.com/world-big-cat-safaris-which-is-r1137746.htm

Both good and bad news for rhinos has been reported from Zambia this week.

Starting with the positive, WWF is working to re-introduce Black rhino into the country’s wildlife areas after an absence of 30 years.

Until the 1970’s, Zambia was a black rhino stronghold with a single Luangwa National Park providing sanctuary for around 20,000 animals alone. However by the end of the 1980’s they were all gone - shot for their horns which were sold to ornamental dagger makers in Yemen and traditional Chinese herbal practitioners in the Far East.

However, a small group of Black rhino were recently re-introduced into Luangwa from South Africa and WWF now plans to expand the re-introduction programme with animals from Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

James Phiri from WWF said: “We are supporting the re-stocking and sustenance of the Black Rhino to make sure that the population of the Black Rhino is raised.”

However, whilst this is hugely positive news, there was also bad news yesterday as a group pf poachers were arrested in Kafue National Park with 5 rhino horns and 72 elephant tusks.

Zambia Wildlife Authority’s, Dr Saiwana, suspects that the animals were killed in neighbouring countries not Zambia: “The 23 black rhinoceros in North Luangwa national park are safe”.

However, the incident highlights the continued threat to rhinos across Africa and the need for continued conservation efforts to ensure the species full recovery.

http://www.goallover.org/?p=1800

The Next Classic Safari

Over the past decade, a perfect storm of events has transformed Zambia from a wildlife wasteland into the adventurer’s safari destination. Largely uninhabited outside the major cities, the African nation has markedly improved its infrastructure, safari camps, and antipoaching and conservation initiatives.

Ever since conservationist Norman Carr first led clients through this wilderness in 1950, Zambia has been perfecting the walking safari. All of this explains why 11-year safari guide Kent Redding of Africa Adventure Consultants is anointing Zambia "the next new place to go in Africa."

AAC’s new Zambia itinerary—a journey inspired by the travels of British explorer David Livingston—begins with five days in South Luangwa National Park, where in winter the flooding Luangwa River becomes the stage for wildlife theater.

"The last time I was there we followed a zebra track down through the forest to the river, where we assumed it was drinking," says Redding. "Right behind that we saw crocodile tracks, so we imagined the croc was tracking the zebra. And then we saw hyena prints tracking the croc that was tracking the zebra."

South Luangwa remains far more low-key and rustic than most East African game parks (expect tented camps set up on lagoons, not on-site spa treatments). The final five days are spent kayaking and snorkeling a gigantic aquarium: Seven-million-acre Lake Malawi, the third largest in Africa, has more fish species (500-plus) than any freshwater reservoir in the world.

Repair at last to Mumbo Island and an intimate retreat that visitors share with cape clawless otters, rainbow skink lizards, water monitors—and nary a human.

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/print/2008/11/world-travel/best-trips/africa-text

US Tour Operator Launches Zambia Safari & Victoria Falls Travel Tours In Africa

AfricanMecca, Africa's top specialist safari and tour operator, announced the addition of a comprehensive Zambia safari and Victoria Falls travel programs to its portfolio, designed using Safari Tier(TM) Ratings to appeal to three distinct Africa travel market segments of varying budgets and travel preferences. This is especially significant under the current economic mood in which travelers are looking to escape from it all to more pristine, low environmental impact safari destinations with few numbers of visitors, while receiving superb experience and value for the money paid.

"Zambia delivers an authentic wildlife experience without the crowds in Southern Africa," says Raza Visram, AfricanMecca's Planning Director. "Our agents and clients are looking to us to offer consistent high quality of knowledge, guidance and service as we currently do in East Africa," adds Visram.

The several months of inspections of Zambia's wildlife parks, its safari camps, lodges and hotels by AfricanMecca will help travelers receive factual, personal experiences, professional advice, proven itineraries aided by online videos, photos and information available through its website and brochure, in addition to partnering with solid and world renowned Zambia safari camps and lodges.

"AfricanMecca as a tour operator have invested more heavily in time, effort and resources in getting to know Zambia than any other in the US that I can think of in recent times," said Christina Carr of Norman Carr Safari Camps in South Luangwa, Zambia.

At the end of their tour, travelers can spend time volunteering at local community projects. The areas toured in Zambia include the best wildlife national parks and world wonders of South Luangwa, Kafue, Lower Zambezi, North Luangwa and Victoria Falls.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/us-tour-operator-launches-zambia,687968.shtml

Safari in Zambia

Zambia remains to this day a beautiful uncommercial backwater, where family owned safari companies continue to operate small, intimate camps in remote and beautiful reserves.

Safari here is unusually outdoorsy and involving, often including a high quotient of walking. Real safari for real safari people.

The primary area is the wonderful South Luangwa and the more remote North Luangwa. To the west is Kafue, a huge and remote wilderness, whilst to the south Lower Zambezi is a superb location for canoe safari in particular. Not to forget the Victoria Falls at Livingstone.

Take a look at our list of the best lodges in the country.

http://www.africatravelresource.com/T1/africa/zambia/0/intro/?gclid=CIiYtu6T-ZcCFQFvGgod6hQbDg