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Travel story

On safari in South Luangua

African wildlife as diverse, unique as continent itself

Having crossed the border into Zambia, we were stopped at a police check. Apparently our trailer’s tires were bald. Our guide protested and asked the officer if he had seen the condition of the tires on the minibuses overloaded with passengers that pass by regularly. With a crocodile smile spread across his face, the officer suggested that we cut our losses before he takes exception to the trailer’s taillights. Point taken. After getting a receipt for the fine back at the police station, we continued on our way to South Luangua National Park.

We stopped for a snack under a shady tree, and within minutes I counted 20 school-aged children in our immediate vicinity. Some were there out of curiosity, some were there in the hopes of getting something to eat, but all did their best to get in a picture when the cameras came out.

We arrived at Marula Lodge, on the bank of the Luangua River, in the late afternoon. After getting settled, we migrated to the river’s edge and watched the hippopotamuses wallowing in the water and the crocodiles basking on the shore. Seemingly harmless and docile creatures, hippopotamuses are the most dangerous animals one might encounter, especially at night when they leave the water to graze. Get between a hippo and its access to water, and you have big problems.

We were very excited about seeing our first African wildlife. Our guide, Godfrey, an ex-head ranger for the park, woke us at 5:30 a.m., and after a quick bite we were in the park just after 6. We saw a few impala, with their sleek coats and mascara faces, but Godfrey was keen on finding more elusive animals. We got quite excited about seeing our first zebras and their stencil-like markings. A small herd of elephants appeared off the side of the track, and a large bull walked into the middle of the road a couple dozen metres in front of us. He didn’t seem too happy to see us, but eventually moved on.

We crossed a bridge over a dry riverbed, and many tracks – even those of some large cats – were evident in the ground. We followed the riverbank and suddenly a giraffe reared its long neck and head right beside us. They are such elegant creatures, with beautiful patterns and an odd, bowlegged stance. They look awkward drinking from a pond, but seem to float when they run.

We came across a troupe of baboons that evacuate the trees in which they are perched at the first sign of danger, as well as some Vervet monkeys who take to the trees when they feel threatened. We stopped for a snack overlooking a large plain where all the species we had encountered so far and some buffalo (the season’s first sighting) could be seen. We spent the rest of the morning trying to get close to the buffalo, but to no avail. In the meantime, we enjoyed watching all the other animals, including monitor lizards, puku and kudu (types of antelope), warthogs, waterbuck, bushbuck, a mostly nocturnal honey badger, and an elusive mongoose. Cranes, herons, eagles, vultures, guinea fowl, geese, and the beautifully coloured aerial acrobat lilac-breasted roller, among a kaleidoscope of other birds, were everywhere.

We returned to the lodge for lunch and a rest before setting out on an afternoon drive. Godfrey had one species in mind, but in our search we witnessed the fascinating behaviour of some other animals: juvenile male impalas honing their fighting skills; juvenile male giraffes "necking" – strengthening their necks by pushing against each other; and a bull elephant storming off in a huff after being given the brush-off by a group of cows. This latter display was quite amusing, and somewhat comforting to know that human males aren’t they only ones to suffer this type of humiliation.

Just as the sun was getting low, we saw one. A lion was walking across the field. It looked like a female, as no mane could be seen. As we approached, we saw that it had a mane; and it didn’t. There were two of them! A male and a female. They were beautiful. The male’s huge nose was criss-crossed with cuts from a combination (most likely) of fighting and loving. We admired these gorgeous creatures from a distance of a few metres for a quarter of an hour, before a beautiful sunset showed us the way back to the lodge.

At 5:30 the next morning, Godfrey woke us up again and our day started much like the day before. While driving through one field, he remarked that the herd of impala seemed to be split down the middle. Some were on one side of the field, while the rest were on the other. He said that this was usually an indication that a predator was in the area. Scanning the edge of the tall grass around the field, my eagle eyes spotted something. Through a pair of binoculars, it was clear that it was a leopard. We drove within 10 metres of it. The leopard stayed long enough to have its photo taken, before vanishing in the tall grass. Awesome!

We came across a hippo soaking in a pond, and it wasn’t long before the shy creature decided he’d seen enough of us and exited the water revealing his huge and rotund body. A hippo out of the water – another highlight!

Despite these marvellous sightings, the park seemed quieter than the previous day. As we were driving back to the park gate, Godfrey suddenly stopped the truck, backed up, and pointed out… wild dogs! A pack of 11 of these extremely rare and increasingly threatened animals were lounging in the shade and enjoying a mud bath in the midday sun. We stayed with them for a while, until Godfrey observed that they were hunting. Sure enough, a few of them darted into the bush, and out bounded a female impala with the dogs in hot pursuit. The rest of the pack joined the chase and we tried to follow them, rather unsuccessfully.

Wild dogs consume their prey live, and our group shared a somewhat guarded anticipation and apprehension at the prospect of witnessing such a kill. Our disappointment was mixed with relief when we lost sight of the hunt. We asked Godfrey if he thought the dogs had caught the impala.

"They don’t miss," he replied.

A few minutes later, we almost drove into a huge herd of buffalo crossing the track. Like hippos, these deceivingly shy animals can be extremely dangerous, and are known for their short temper. These curious-looking creatures resemble wigged barristers, but they have unique horns and their faces are so ugly, that they are almost cute!

After lunch, set off for our last game drive of the safari. We didn’t see any new species, but we stopped at a watering hole where dozens of animals had gathered. This mammalian and avian menagerie painted a very African picture.