Zandre has just returned from doing 2 expeditions back to back, here are some amazing pictures and stories from the Northern Zambia 13 day Expedition NZe13
After spending another near two weeks in the Luangwa valley, it has endlessly spoiled us with amazing sightings, adventure and great new friends, in both North and South Luangwa National park.
We enjoyed early mornings, rising before the sun and going to bed after the last ember faded into ashes. Sleeping lightly as the humidity hardly gave way as night fell. Hippos grunting and the crack of elephants breaking branches in the distance, we listen to how lively the bush comes alive around us.
We are on a morning walk just West of camp outside North Luangwa National Park. Its almost 7:00AM, when suddenly, the unmistakable movement and leap of a female leopard out of the tree not 25m away. A few seconds to react and get everyone closer and quietly explain, “Leopard”. We stay static for a moment whilst scanning the bush looking if this majestic creature is still around. “There”, pointing excitedly, it sat within the grass line staring at us. It remained there for a good forty plus seconds before disappearing further into the grasses.
Exciting, lucky and scary in the same, we had come so close to one of these beautiful creatures yet we are astonished on how close it allowed us before bailing from the tree. It teaches us that even the trained eye can overlook the amazing camouflage of the Panthera pardus. Moments like these is what make the bush the amazing place it is, it reminds us to respect nature for the wildness and unpredictability it throws at us.
We ventured down South to our camp just outside South Luangwa National Park. It is half a days travel in normal conditions, however we came across some lovely muddy roads where we had a different approach to adventure. Slipping, sliding and enjoying what the first rains had brought to the bush. Loads of amusement as we make our way through these mud covered roads. Surely it would have been even more fun if we had gotten stuck with mud pools sometimes knee deep.
Enjoying an afternoon game drive inside the park along the Luangwa river we came across a dead buffalo and one of three dominant male lions protecting it as his own. We snap of uncountable photos and realize its attention turning toward a pack of wild dogs approaching carefully. It gets up and speedily starts charging toward them. He wards of the pack for a good 150+ meters after chasing, he slows down, but then they turn around and do what wild dogs do best, work as a team. They start chasing the lion back. He bails and speeds back to the buffalo on higher grounds to secure himself another meal. Definitely a very rare sighting to find two of Africa’s predators chasing each other through a dry river bed only to enjoy a bit of buffalo.
