As we reach the end of our 2024 season we reflect on the last two months of great wildlife sightings, progress in our community programmes and we start looking towards a new season.
September and October are always prime months in the North Luangwa and this year was no exception. This season we have seen more wild dog activity at Mwaleshi than any of our other camps and consequently most of these sightings were on foot.
On that note, an interesting publication (Creel et al. 2023. Hot or hungry? A tipping point in the effect of prey depletion on African wild dogs) involving the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP) concluded that South Luangwa has one of the highest densities of wild dog in Africa. We anticipate that North Luangwa is close behind albeit less accessible for studies.


The Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP), Conservation South Luangwa (CSL) and the Department of National Parks (DNPW) continue their good work in the Luangwa Valley and a team recently came up to the Nsefu sector to dart another wild dog. The inter-pack movements of the wild dog have been confusing and continuous throughout the year so we look forward to seeing who settles with who in 2025.


The lion sightings were also regular and impressive in the North Luangwa with lots of activity enjoyed by Takwela and Mwaleshi guests along the Mwaleshi river and along Luangwa’s east bank. Several lovely big males have been appreciated in the prides.

The dry October heat brought the roan antelope to Chikoko Tree camp in search of water and a large herd of up to 100 antelope were seen regularly during the walks from camp. A massive herd of buffalo were visiting Big Lagoon, making use of the water. Sadly for them, some got bogged down in the mud while drinking and fell easy prey to the resident lion pride all visible from Big Lagoon camp.

The Nsefu and Salt pan prides have been seen regularly by Tafika guests and although several cubs were lost at the beginning of the season we’re happy to see that the remaining cubs are looking fat, strong and their future looks promising. Weak herbivores are always targeted at the end of the year to the benefit of our big cats.


The Hollywood pride has also been spending a lot of time around Tafika property over the past couple of months and recently walked through camp as guests were about to sit down for dinner.

Our Carmine Bee-eater hide at Tafika was built at the end of September, a bit later than usual due to the late nesting of birds on the east bank. It’s always a pleasure observing these active, beautiful birds from the quiet cover of a hide and is a must-do-activity for October safaris.


Our spotted residents of Tafika continue to impress, Chibala and Kamini are keeping us entertained and are enabling more regular sightings of their cubs. We have now deduced that Kamini’s cub is a male explaining his more elusive behaviour and need to remain undetected by adult males in the area.
Chibala has a female cub which is becoming accustomed to the spotlight as it frequents our private hide at Kawere lagoon. Both mother and cub are spending more time on Tafika’s private property, prioritizing this area over the Nsefu sector.


Despite her age (approx. 13), Olimba, still continues to put on a show for us and recently displayed her hunting prowess in an aggressive chase in broad daylight – a trademark activity for this impressive leopard. Her daughter, Mutima, seems to have settled in the Stork colony area again, overlapping with her mother’s territory. We wait to see if Olimba continues to tolerate this.

As much as the herbivores fall prey to predators at this time of year it also marks a time of new life with the arrival of many offspring timed to take advantage of the abundant Emerald season. In October we started seeing warthog mothers with tiny piglets in tow and in November the impalas began dropping their elegant long limbed young – always a special sighting.

Those of you who stayed at Tafika over the past four years would have come across an extremely hard-working and dedicated set of film crews, putting in years of passion towards one of the most exciting and ambitious wildlife documentaries ever produced.
This filming journey has come to an end with the close of the 2024 season. Although it’s a sad closing of a chapter, it opens a new chapter for Remote Africa Safaris (RAS) because in 2025 we plan to open a new exclusive safari camp on the same site that accommodated these crews.

This additional tourism option under the RAS umbrella will enable our guests to take the front row seat in viewing Luangwa’s wildlife action. Watch this space for updates in 2025.

On that note, we’re excited to announce the introduction of our very own specialist photographic vehicle which will be available from May 2025 at Tafika (private hire at extra charge).

This 2-guest vehicle is equipped with two swivel seats for easy 360° viewing and photography, a charging unit for phones and camera batteries, a short roof so bird and leopard-in-tree photography is still possible from the luxury of a shaded seat, a fridge for frosty refreshments throughout the adventure, a gas cooker for hot coffees and freshly cooked bush snacks and lock boxes for dust free storage.


As the 2024 season comes to a close we reflect on all the past seasons, ups and downs, changes and consistencies. The single most consistent element has been John and Carol Coppinger’s role in RAS’s growth and this marks the end of their 30th season directing the company since creating it in 1995.

Starting from a young family and two tiny tents on the banks of the Luangwa to the 6-bushcamp portfolio now known as Remote Africa Safaris, I think we can agree quite a bit has changed. Then again, the essence of who we are remains the same; an authentic, experiential, wildlife and community focused safari company doing what we do for the love of the Luangwa and its inhabitants.

Thanks to all that have been part of our history and our recent 2024 chapter. Please join us in the 2025 season to continue our story.

Catch up with the latest RAS publications
‘After tea, we headed off in search of lions – on foot’
Ditch the 4×4 and head off on your own two feet to get up close and personal with the Big Five
>> The Telegraph, by Anna Selby (2024 guest)

‘Walking in the Wilderness’
At first it was imperative to have that heart-pounding experience, the big encounter in the care of an expert guide… It took time to understand that walking safaris are all about the stops and not the walking.
>> Travel Africa, by Denis Costello (2023 guest)

The Tafika Fund
We reviewed 2024 applications for 2025 student scholarships and a final 5 impressive candidates were chosen in October. The successful applicants include two students going to the University of Copperbelt (CBU) to study degrees in science and business administration; one student going to NIPA to study a degree in business administration; and one student studying nursing. The final student has received a part-scholarship (tuition only) to finish his masters degree in Social work (specializing in project management, monitoring and evaluation) at the DMI St Eugene University.
Our lucky new students were happy to receive generously donated phones and ipads to help progress their educational journey.


We recently celebrated the successful graduation of Yotam Nguni who received his practising medical license having finished his 3-year diploma in clinical medicine at the Sandridge institute of health and social science.
Thank you to so many of you who have left second hand items throughout the year, they contributed to a large and joyful lucky dip where they were distributed equally throughout our staff. Generous medical donations were also delivered to the local Mkasanga clinic to stock pile supplies in the Emerald season.


At the end of every season we do staff and school game drives to share the beautiful Luangwa and it’s wildlife with our wider community. This year lions on a hippo kill was a highlight as well as mating leopards and huge herds of elephant and buffalo.
