Over the years an impressive amount of wildlife documentaries have been filmed in and around our properties in the South Luangwa National Park. This comes as no surprise because this incredible park is renowned for being one of the last remaining wildlife sanctuaries on earth. It’s every wildlife film maker’s dream…
During the pandemic, when travel came to a standstill & holiday plans were put on hold, many looked for an escape from reality and found respite in wildlife documentaries such as the multi-award winning Leopard Legacy. This remarkable story of a mother leopard named Olimba, chronicling her trials and tribulations in the Luangwa Valley was particularly close to our hearts as it was shot in and around Nsefu Camp by the husband & wife duo: Will & Lianne Steenkamp. We’ve had the pleasure of hosting them at Nsefu Camp for several years, in their quest to bring authentic wildlife stories such as Leopard Legacy to you. Olimba won the hearts of many on and off screen as she was already quite the local celebrity at Nsefu Camp and we have had the privilege of watching her story unfold (live) over the years.
The Steenkamps also recently released the film Hippo King which was shot in and around Nsefu Camp too. Here is a quick interview with them, talking about their latest film: The Making of Hippo King.
Apart from full length films, Will & Lianne are also responsible for our popular series Safari Diaries which beautifully showcases the South Luangwa National Park in all its glory. The Steenkamps are currently here in the South Luangwa, working on a new and exciting film project. Watch this space!
Nsefu Camp is not stealing all the limelight though! We have also several filmmakers over the past year shooting around the Nkwali Camp area including the BBC as well as renowned filmmaker Bertie Gregory whose latest series Epic Adventures has scenes that were shot not far from Nkwali Camp! Keep an eye out for that later in the year on Disney+.
For now, here are some of the recent wildlife documentaries that we were part of:
Leopard Legacy – PBS, National Geographic, ORF
Hippo King – PBS (more networks to be announced later in the year)
Eden: Untamed Planet (Episode 3) – BBC America, BBC iPlayer
Wild Babies – Netflix
Check your local television listings if you don’t have the channels mentioned.
While these wildlife documentaries entertain us, uplift us and invigorate our wanderlust, they also play a huge role in educating us and raising awareness about the importance of conserving these phenomenal creatures and their habitats. We salute these filmmakers and take great pride in playing a part in these authentic, educational and meaningful wildlife documentaries.
Should you decide to come and explore this amazing park that’s been the inspiration for so many wildlife films, along with any of our other camps in Malawi and Zimbabwe this year, we are offering you a 15% discount off accommodation for 7 or more nights!
Happy wildlife watching (game viewing as we call it!)… on and off screen.