May with a difference
There may be much to worry about but there remains a lot to be thankful for when we acknowledge the beautiful place in which we live and work, and the spirited people that make up our family.
A lot has happened this last month and although global changes affect all of us and demand our full attention, we’d like to capture you for 20 minutes to share what’s been happening in our lovely part of the Luangwa Valley.
Before we start reflecting on May, we’d like to share some exciting news from Nick…
WALK LUANGWA 2020
Since we have a bit more time on our hands than usual, Nick has decided to realise a dream – walk the full length of the Luangwa. Although the entire walk isn’t possible right now, he’s planning to do a 350km (220 mile) stretch from North Luangwa to the southernmost camp in the South Luangwa at the end of July.
Nick plans to visit as many camps along the way as possible, sharing his progress on social media, promoting the beauty of the Luangwa, its camps, its communities and its wildlife as we believe this is a time to band together.
He hopes to raise funds for the Luangwa which will be distributed to:
- SCOUT PATROLS (managed by DNPW, CSL and NLCP)
- CARNIVORE MONITORING (ZCP)
- 2021 FOOTBALL FOR WILDLIFE league (Remote Africa’s Tafika Fund)
- COMMUNITIES – the biggest proportion, for food ration packs, concrete grain stores and chilli blasters for community food security, hand sanitizer (Project Luangwa, Tafika Fund)
We’re really excited by his adventure, the support shown by everyone in the Luangwa and look forward to sharing more news on this in the next newsletter.
Back to Tafika
Since the Coppingers arrived in Tafika at the beginning of May, things have been mobilized and the whole Remote Africa Safaris team got to work building Tafika Camp. Although we aim to employ different people every year to spread the benefit, this year we are focusing on our core team members. With carefully managed work rotations and food parcels, we are positive that the company and our hundred staff members will all see through the year despite its challenges.
Camp building
Waiters, bed room attendants, laundryman, watchman…all proving that they are equally skilled with thatching in addition to their other roles which is extremely impressive. Guides are in supervisory roles instead of their usual guiding roles.
The airstrip has been prepared and officially opened which is quite a big job when you’re slashing grass by hand!
Cooking up a storm
Chefs from our 5 different camps are working on rotation to keep up their cooking skills.
Fred hasn’t lost his touch after a long rainy season and his flame grilled cooking is as good as ever.
Game viewing roads
We have made good progress with road grading and many of our loops are accessible again, opening up the area for game viewing and anti-poaching patrols.
First the bush needs to be cleared and then the tractor tackles the new bumps created over the Emerald season by hippo and elephant.
Tafika garden
The garden is looking good and our favourite paw paw trees (papaya) are producing delicious fruits in healthy abundance.
Gleaming egg plant and marrows are growing at a good pace and our leafy greens such as spinach and lettuce are doing well.
The Luangwa
The Luangwa is fresh and green after the big rains. John has done several microlight flights and seen a range of wildlife; big herds of elephants, fat and happy buffalo, healthy herds of antelope, towers of giraffe, dazzling zebra and even some lions getting on with their business.
He even spotted an old poacher’s drying rack much further north which was reported after touching down and reminded us of the need to maintain a presence in the area.
We’ve tested out the cycling tracks which were a bit grassy at the beginning of May but still offered a great time out on the saddle and some beautiful elephant sightings.
Our spotted friends are still very present and we’ve had some great leopard sightings. The paw-less male is still looking strong and healthy despite having fresh fighting wounds. For those that don’t know this leopard, he’s missing most of his front left paw but the defect doesn’t stop him from climbing trees, hunting and fighting other males. Here’s a photo of him in 2016 (left) and from a recent sighting in 2020 (right) – not only is he surviving, but he’s thriving, which is testament to the resilience and strength of wild animals.
The Yellow-billed stork colony is huge this year, probably due to the high-water levels which protected the colony trees for longer than usual.
The buzz of excitement is electric and the usual trees are snowed under with noisy chicks, doting adults and lots of droppings.
All-in-all there’s a lot happening in the Luangwa to be thankful for. We toast to all those who have suffered or struggled in the last few months, and hope that everyone can find something, big or small, to be thankful for during this time.
Take care and we hope to see you all again very soon.
Best wishes from the Remote Africa Safaris family
COVID-19 ZAMBIA
Now that your 20 minutes is over – just a quick recap on the Covid-19 situation in Zambia. The country never went into a lockdown but did implement many safety measures and several businesses, e.g. restaurants, were closed.
As of the 22nd of May, the Zambian president, Dr Chagwa Lungu, has encouraged all tourist operations to open. A two week quarantine is still required for international arrivals but we anticipate a change regarding this fairly soon. Ethiopian Airlines continue to fly into Lusaka several times a week and Emirates have announced a return to inbound flights into Lusaka from August. As of the 6th of June, Zambia has 1089 known covid-19 cases with 7 deaths (WHO) and no unprecedented or irregular death counts in the highly populated areas around Lusaka, Zambia’s capital. We hope to continue sharing positive news in this respect.
