"We drive across this usually," said our guide, as I looked in awe at the massive river before me. The Luangwa was encroaching into our camp, making boat landings easy, but causing the guides visible concern about how closely it was approaching the lodge. Such is the Emerald Season in Zambia. The river makes for stunning the views from the lodge, and also meant that we needed to take a boat to go on game drives. This only enhanced the sense of adventure that already permeates Zambia and added to the intoxicating feeling of remoteness.
Our trip centered around Robin Pope Safari camps, who run a wonderful collection of lodges including the few that stay open during the Emerald Season in South Luangwa National Park. We were the only visitors at our first lodge, Luangwa River Camp, and enjoyed the privilege of having the lodge, guides, and vehicles to ourselves. Robin Pope camps manage to feel both rugged and luxurious, open to the wild while providing exceptional guiding and delicious meals.
We traversed the river in a metal fishing boat, en route to our first game drive. On the far bank, we climbed into the Land Cruiser, eager to explore. The ground was saturated and inches of water sat atop the earth, hidden by the pullulating tall grasses. The air smelled of freshly turned soil and growth. It was a duck’s heaven, and every turn of our wheels scared up a new species of water bird to check off our list. There were hamerkop and knob-billed ducks, and spur-winged goose and Hadada ibis, and even woolly-necked storks, all reveling in the watery joys of the season.
As we made our way back on water-logged roads toward the boat, thunder began to crack in the distance, while bolts of lightning illuminated the skies. Rain fell steadily as we climbed into the little boat and, as we crossed river in a lightning magnet, my heart raced happily and I wondered how many crocodiles and hippos lurked below. The storm blew fiercely through our camp that night, knocking everything off the counters in our chalet while making the mosquito netting fly about wildly. In the morning, we woke to find clearing skies and enjoyed coffee and eggs as we marveled at the progress of the river toward our camp.
On our morning drive, I spotted lion footprints beside our vehicle, perfectly preserved in the wet, red soil and we turned to follow them. Humorously, they made a sharp turn across the road behind where we were just driving, and right beside the road was an adult female taking a leisurely nap. We pulled up beside her and switched off the engine. After some time, she sat up and sniffed the air in an adorable fashion. A herd of impala approached on the opposite side of our vehicle. She continued to smell the air, reminding me of Ferdinand the Bull happily smelling flowers, although in this case her intentions were perhaps not so innocent. Luckily for the impala, another vehicle pulled up and caused them to reverse their approach, saving them from an unhappy fate.
Mid-day, we had a welcome rest, feeling grateful that the break in rain the landed at the perfect time. The pool was a heavenly oasis in the hot sun, and I watched Vervet monkeys and baboons play in front of me, enhancing the already wonderful river view. By the time we crossed the Luangwa for our evening drive, the clouds had gathered once again. Approaching the opposite bank, a hippo snorted at us and quickly vanished beneath the surface with a whoosh. It was my first time (but thankfully not last) being so close to a hippo, and when Yumba put the oar down on the side of the boat and it brushed against my arm, I jumped about a mile! By the time we mounted the Land Cruiser, it was pouring. I put on a warm poncho, carefully covering my camera equipment, and smiled at the magnificent landscape. I love the rain. I knew photos this evening would be atmospheric, and just hoped that the animals hid near enough to the road to find them.
Approaching a bend in the road, my heart stopped as I saw what every safari-goer wants to see: spots. A female leopard, soaked from the rain, crossed the road right in front of us. We angled our vehicle to watch her walk through the woods,= when a second leopard, her one-year old cub, emerged from the dense grasses. The dewdrops clung to the vegetation and his fur, and he followed his mother’s expert navigation. The woodlands were so flooded that the best path for them was on the same road we were traveling on, and we had the privilege of carefully following behind the pair for some time, until the mother located a suitably dry bush for them to rest under.
Moving on, we stopped near a pond and got out of the vehicle to enjoy sundowner drinks. I stepped into a hippo print to compare foot sizes while sipping passion fruit juice happily and watching the animals grunting nearby. A large troop of baboons ran about, the babies chasing one another mischievously. The setting sun reflected against the calm waters and the entire area was aglow. A hippo stood out of the water nearby and was silhouetted against the blue and orange sky. When the sun dipped below the horizon, we climbed back into the vehicle, turned a spotlight on, and began our night drive back, scanning the trees and roads for nocturnal creatures. Luck was with us, and two lionesses hunted just along the sides of the road, One female called out in a mighty roar as she walked, communicating with the lion ahead. The deep, guttural sound reverberated through the air and into my bones. First one leopard and then another, in a territory surprisingly nearby the first, crossed the road into our spotlight as we watched, also on the hunt. I could not believe our good fortune to view so many predators in one drive. Approaching the boat landing, lady luck smiled upon us once again as Yumba’s spotlight caught the reflection of eyes in the trees: a leopard slept on a branch not far from the road. What a night.
We woke to lukewarm temperatures and pastel skies that held the promise of a beautiful day. Could this be our first day with no rain? Although the skies were clear, the roads were almost impassable, and those that were dry just the day before were now covered in a foot of water, which our Cruiser and driver handled with great expertise. I reveled in the bumpy ride as we managed our way over the difficult terrain.
I told our guide, Jonah, that I’d like to search for crowned cranes, so we headed toward a wide-open field where we would have a good chance of spotting some. When we arrived at our intended savannah, I was rewarded to find one of these stunning birds perched majestically atop a tree. We continued to traverse the large plain looking for more cranes when we sighted movement in the distance. I looked through my 600mm lens and saw that there was not one, not two, but five lionesses making a slow approach. My mouth gaped in awe at their presence. Against my instincts, Jonah pulled the Land Cruiser around to their side rather than stopping and letting them approach us straight-on. We were rewarded with the most stunning backdrop as the lionesses plopped down one by one to rest in the sun. We switched off the engine to observe. The lazy predators stretched and yawned, enjoying a leisurely morning.
One of the sleeping lions sat up regally and surveyed the savannah. A herd of zebra milled about in the distance. She eventually walked toward her napping pride-mates and they bumped heads with great affection, much like my house cat does to me. The sun grew increasingly brutal, and the lions felt it as much as I did. At this point, two other safari vehicles had also parked nearby. One of the females stalked through the grasses directly toward us, before veering off toward a couple self-driving. The lioness hugged the shade of their vehicle and laid down just next to the back tires. A second and third lioness followed her lead, and copied her good idea. The driver leaned out of his window to video tape, and the her head shot up to affix him with an intense glare.
The lions do not bother with humans when they are in vehicles. They consider you to be one with the vehicle, and you are neither a threat nor of interest to them–you are inconsequential to these queens of the savannah. Another lioness made her way through the grasses, and this time chose our Land Cruiser as her place of respite. She walked around the front of our vehicle, her mouth mere inches from Jonah’s foot in our totally open Cruiser. Jonah told me he’d had a lion lick his boot once before in a similar situation, as he did his best not to react.
It was then my turn to have a close encounter. She walked up right next to me, so close that I could have reached down to pet her without stretching. I had to lose my telephoto lens and switch to a wide angle just to capture the moment. I controlled my movements to be slow and deliberate so as not to pique her prey drive, and was able to take photos of her from above, while chatting with Jonah. The lioness did not remotely mind our presence or react, although she could clearly see me. At one point she looked up at me and made direct contact with her intense, golden eyes and I could really feel the power of this predator through that gaze alone. She, however, was just happy to be in the shade. Meanwhile, the Zambian sun was baking my skin, and I opened my bag while the lioness cleaned her paws to take out sunscreen. Passengers in another safari vehicle took photographs of me as I calmly applied sunscreen while within easy reach of the great cat, and I thought “what a wonderful sunscreen commercial this would make!” The passenger in the self drive vehicle was less intelligent about his movements and he suddenly popped the top of his vehicle to lean out over the three lions resting below him. Hi sudden movement made the lions stand up suddenly and take notice of him, and our guide yelled at him to get back in his vehicle. It is important to never forget that these are wild animals, to understand their behavior, and temper your own behavior accordingly, exciting as their presence may be. Two other lionesses came and laid down to my right with their pride-mate. How very lucky I felt.
The group of zebras approached while the fifth lioness lay in the tall grasses to our left. They appeared to have no idea that someone lurking nearby would love to eat them. The lions, however, had misguidedly focused their attention instead on a group of zebras in the far distance. As they stood to look at this far group, the closer group of zebra took notice and sounded an alarm call. One zebra stood watch as the rest of the herd made an exit to another part of the field, before the brave watchman joined them. After several wonderful hours enjoying the closeness of these magnificent animals, it was time for us to return to camp. Jonah started the engine, a lioness right next to his foot, and the three of them jumped away from the Land Cruiser. I photographed the three of them standing together with my wide angle, and sighed in sadness to leave this once in a lifetime moment.
