Last week, my parents and I joined my friends Mike and Hillary and her mom for a 4-day safari to South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. The first 7 hours were spent mostly on a dusty, bumpy road with driver singing one song, over and over again. In combination with the hot cheese, white bread, and mayonnaise sandwiches on the lunch stop, our introduction to the tour was not great. Luckily, no salmonella and the iPods covered the sounds of the driver. We arrived at camp and recovered from the journey, falling asleep listening to the sounds of the elephants and hippos munching happily outside our tents!
The next day, up at dawn, we went out on our first safari: monitor lizards, hippos, giraffes, zebras, elephants, lions around a fresh buffalo kill, vultures soaring on the thermals, and dozens of stunning birds like lilac breasted rollers (my favorite, and not just because of how the name rolls off the tongue) were in abundance. We also saw various forms of deer (water buck, kudu, gazelle, impala, diker, and other similar-ish creatures), but they get boring fast. After trying to relax in the scathing heat between safaris, we were at it again at dusk – repeating the animal sightings and trying, unsuccessfully, to find leopards at night.
The morning of day 3 was surreal. You know that scene at the end of the Lion King where all of the animals gather together peacefully to greet the new king? Yeah, that is pretty much what we saw (minus the lions) around a fig tree festooned with baboons and vervet monkey. On the ground, dozens of impala grazed happily on the fruits side by side with their elephant and warthog friends. I've been on many safaris, but I must admit me this scene left me awed. It is impossible to describe well, and not even photos would do it justice. I think that we watched for nearly an hour, and I am grinning again now just thinking about it.
I was also desperate to get my leopard sighting before we left, and we got one – a very close encounter, perhaps too close. The leopard literally walked under the jeep! It was a little too close for my comfort, but I was most annoyed by being on the wrong side of the car to catch it well on camera. We also saw marshes covered in pelicans, dozens of fish eagles, and countless zebras, giraffes, and the colorful bee-eaters (brightly colored red or green birds). At the end of the day, we found a nice spot on the river for sundowners (drinks!) and tried to get good photos of hippos yawning (notice I did not get one) while basking in our amazing experiences. Back in camp, we were joined by elephants, hippos, and baboons as our final day came to an end.
Up at dawn on our last day, we watched cape buffalo cross the river at sunrise and marveled at the audible, whirling, cloud-like formations of thousands of birds flying low over the river. It felt like a scene from Planet Earth (but without the recording equipment to share it with you in HD). After a quick breakfast and a stop in the tourist trap/textile factory, we made it through 7 hot, dusty hours in the car and made it home, still smiling.
The next day, with 1300 photos taken, my folks left for Cape Town, and I headed back to work. It was a fabulous whirlwind trip for them (3 countries in 14 days), a great chance for me to show them life here in Malawi, and a wonderful last trip around the region for now. And, in just under a month, I'll be home!
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