I trust you have had a lovely and restful weekend and now gearing up for the week ahead. Here in the Luangwa, we are enjoying incredibly high water levels accompanied by some delightful sightings, ranging from stunning vegetation, diverse bird species to the bigger game.
Today however, we are hearing from David Rogers who is usually here in the Valley round about this time leading one of his much loved emerald season photographic safaris. Over to you David:
“Right now, as I have done every year since 2006, I should be packing my bags and heading to South Luangwa National Park to meet my friends at Robin Pope Safaris and a new group of photographers. Instead, I am going through my images and publishing a retrospective of more than 20 trips. With its big billowing clouds and changeable skies, incredible landscapes of swollen rivers and lagoons, myriad wildlife and dazzling summer migrants, the South Luangwa National Park at this time of year is miraculous.
Make no mistake you could get rain. But the storms are short lived and its pretty easy to dodge the thunderstorms without getting too wet. There’s always a lot of general game in South Luangwa, and during the Emerald Season impala are found in particularly large herds with their young. We also see big journeys of Thornicroft giraffe and elephants too, making the most of the season of plenty. The big buffalo herds are mostly absent, spending this season away from the river in the mopane areas, but there are always a few ‘dugga boys’ lazing about near the lagoons.
There are plenty of predators including lions, leopards and wild dogs and surprisingly we see them most often after heavy rains when they, like us, are forced to stick to all-weather roads.
Game driving is possible in much of the area around Nkwali thanks to some good all-weather roads however there are also many sandy and higher lying areas that remain dry and are great for walking at all times.
What sets the Emerald Season apart are the river trips. Upstream in the Nsefu Sector we go boating up the Mwamba Channel through the vast flooded ebony groves and into peaceful lagoons. Another highlight is visiting the stork colony and watching the birds flying in with their nesting material. As most camps are closed at this time of year, we have the place entirely to ourselves.
In a continent known for its warm hearted people, Zambia is the friendliest place I have ever visited. It’s the guides, the waiters, the chefs and the scouts that make this such a special place and I miss them all. Once you have been touched by the magic of this place and its people, you will want to return again and again.
I do hope you enjoy these images and that it spurs you on to pack your bags and head to Zambia – or simply enjoy a little armchair travel.
It’s not too late to book a trip for 2022 – or chat to us about 2023. We can’t wait to see you there!”
Thanks for touching base with us David and we are really looking forward to seeing you later in the year!
On that note, I am going to bid you a very fond farewell and hope that you have a fabulous week ahead with plenty of smiles and laughter.
