The exposed sandbanks of the Luangwa River remind us that the dry season is well established. With the heat comes the flowering season, baby monkeys, concentrated game viewing, predators on the prowl, Carmine Bee-eaters and in our story, it also comes with a new camp as we opened Olimba Camp in August.
Natal mahogany trees (Trichilia emetica) grow abundantly in the Valley and the sweet scent of their budding flowers pervades the riverine area in September. Coupled with the lovely woolly caper bush flowers (Capparis tomentosa), there really are some sensory delights at this time of year.
The Sausage Tree (Kigelia africana) flowering and leafing is also in full swing and, although not a sweet scent for humans, these spectacular flowers are shed in the early morning attracting many eager herbivores so these trees become renewed points of interest. They also become ambush points for expectant predators.
With the heat comes dust, which may sound like a bad thing but with the right attitude, it can be a spectacular addition to a safari. A kick up of dust may bring a sneeze or two but it can become a photographer’s dream photo opportunity. If you’re about to venture on safari and are keen on photography, remember to use the dust.
Our new camp, Olimba, opened in August and has been accepted by the resident wildlife as they cruise through the camp on a daily basis. Elephants visit the camp’s acacia trees hoping for new pods, giraffe browse on the fringes of the camp and are often visible from the chalets, the Nsefu lion pride killed a buffalo near the camp recently and strolled between the chalets after their meal.
Wild dogs have made a few kills near Olimba, one in front of the lagoon hide which made for an exciting morning.
This year wild dog sightings have predominantly been enjoyed in the Trails Walking camps and from our North Luangwa camps: Mwaleshi and Takwela. There have been several special sightings with guests enjoying lovely interactions at eye level on foot and Big Lagoon guests observed a handful of wild dog pups right behind camp recently.
Up in the North Luangwa, the dogs regularly use the Mwaleshi river for hunting which also attracts cheeky hyena resulting in entertaining interactions. Lion sightings are on the rise with the Kayuya pride frequenting the Mwaleshi river.
The ZCP (Zambian Carnivore Programme) have published some amazing studies that give insight into wild dog movements in and around Zambia and highlight how amazing this species truly is. Here are some interesting reads; Extraordinary movements connecting distant ecosystems by African wild dogs and ‘Like a Disney movie’: Three wild dog brothers make Africa’s longest journey.
Game viewing continues to improve in the Trails walking camps; elephants, buffalo and giraffe frequent Big Lagoon and spectacular views of them are regularly enjoyed from the luxury of camp. The carmine colony has established on the west bank now and are best viewed on foot this year.
Hunting lions have been spotted from the Big Lagoon deck and lions taking down a buffalo was observed from the Chikoko deck during lunch recently. Roan antelope have made their usual appearance at this later, drier, time of year and big herds are enjoyed from Chikoko Camp, seen from both walks and camp.
Sadly, the resident female leopards at Tafika, Kwela and Chibala, have lost their cubs. Kwela’s cub was found near Tafika, having succumbed to some nasty back injuries. We suspect that they were both male cubs and were killed by a new big male leopard who has been prowling around and propositioning the females.
Both female leopards have been very visible since the loss of their cubs and have already been observed mating. During one of these sightings Chibala had treed a kill at the Olimba lagoon but the leopards were chased off by lions who climbed the tree and devoured the kill. Unfortunate for the leopards but an epic sighting for our guests.
Overall game viewing has been fantastic as the Luangwa continues to share its magic with us. Combined with special sundowners and picnic brunches, we’ve had some very memorable safaris.
We were sad to say goodbye to Georgia, who has been a great asset to the front of house team at Tafika for the last two seasons. We wish her all the best as she pursues her studies in pediatric nursing. Georgia will be sorely missed by all but especially by Leo!
The Tafika Fund
The Football for Wildlife league was as competitive as ever with the final match taking place in South Luangwa this year. The South Luangwa Mwanya ladies were victorious against the North Luangwa Chingozi ladies and the South Luangwa Mkasanga men beat North Luangwa’s Chifunda men in yet another final. The football league is a very popular way for the chiefdoms to benefit from photographic tourism through a fun and entertaining league. We were happy to conclude another successful community event which is reliant on the surrounding wildlife.
Our scholarship programme is ongoing with our school pupils having returned for their final term. Our scholarship students are working hard and one of our university students completed a six week internship with our accounts team which was beneficial to us all. Incidentally he worked alongside, Given, who also completed his accounting studies supported by the Tafika Fund.
We were very pleased to welcome back Ginny and Keith who facilitated health checks for our team. This time we were able to get them up to the North Luangwa so all of our staff were able to benefit from their medical assessments.
We’re so thankful to so many of our guests who’s donations make all of these initiatives possible.
