Well hello there from a hot and steamy Luangwa where the cicadas are out in force and all the animals are basically moving from shade to water and back to shade again. The female impala are starting to look very pregnant indeed and the lions appear to have developed a particular taste for giraffe – we have had 3 taken in the last fortnight. However, this week we have some amazing sightings from Geoff and Ann Hughes who came to visit us for a fourth visit. Often our regular guests get asked by friends back home why they keep on going on safari – the simple answer is that no one trip is ever the same. And this one for sure chucked out all the stops but it was the leopards that at the end of the day stole the show. So, for now I shall hand over to Geoff and Ann for a little rundown from their trip as well as some amazing photos.
“Stepping off the plane in Mfuwe after the long and sometimes eventful journey always has this special feeling. As an RPS team member greets you at the door to the airport with a huge smile you know that you are in good hands. Arriving for our fourth trip to the Luangwa we were surely not disappointed and our request for leopard was more than fulfilled at Tena Tena and I needn’t have worried.
At Tena Tena Nyambe and Sebastian found us a leopard or two on every single drive and we even set a camera trap in the bush and one evening it went through a particularly tough patch as it was licked by a leopard and then chewed by a hyena – fortunately though the memory card was safe and sound and we managed to get this lovely footage of a leopardess and her cub who was particularly intrigued by this new and strange object on its path. Watch the video here.
We later caught up with the same female leopard and her cub up a tree with a kill. The female leopard was certainly tucking in, and the young cub sat patiently looking at dinner and waiting until finally it was allowed to have a snack – although mum didn’t seem that pleased about sharing!
The leopards continue to enthrall as we headed down to Nkwali and found a leopard stalking its pray in a gulley, but the choice of dinner didn’t seem particularly appropriate given it was an elephant and thankfully sense got the better of him and he sauntered off.
It wasn’t all about leopards though and we came across a wonderful carmine tree in full blossom adding some much needed colour to the rapidly drying out bush and a lesser spotted Obi at the next turn.
It’s always fantastic to catch up with friends whether in the bush or back in camp over a cold beer. It wasn’t all about the cats though and we had a multitude of plains game sightings and overall, an incredibly special safari at both Tena Tena and Nkwali. The teams welcomed us back with such warmth that we just can’t wait to be back again.”
Wow, thanks so much Geoff and Ann! We can’t wait to see you both back out here again soon.
In the meantime, there is not much that will follow on from such wonderful sightings so I shall instead bid you a very fond farewell for this week and hope that you have a wonderful week ahead with plenty of smiles and laughter. Don’t forget to look after one another.
