Hello there. I hope that you are well and have the most wonderful weekend and ready and set for the week ahead. Here in the Luangwa the animals have simply not stopped showing off. We have had everything from little bark snakes warming up on the gravel paths, daily visits by our resident band of banded mongoose who chirp their way through camp, to wild dogs chasing a bush buck through the compound. But all of this is rather overshadowed by the wildlife that seems to be casually sauntering through Nsefu at the moment. Not to mention what the guests are seeing out on their game drives.
Starting off with the in-camp entertainment with the smallest of our regular visitors, we have had a genet wandering into the bar, maybe looking for some scrumptious morsel or maybe realising that it was quite a nice place to relax… Who knows… but if everyone is super quiet and still it will just wander right through in its own little world, not taking notice of anyone around. The nightly visits from some porcupine can also occasionally be sighted by the guests. They do tend to be a little more timid but are certainly keeping us on our toes making sure that the kitchen is well locked up at night!
With the water levels dropping, the elephants crossing the river is an almost daily occurrence and they are certainly around camp far more than last month. Just last week, the evening braai was disturbed, and everyone was calmly ushered into the safety of the bar as a herd of 10 elephants strolled past the table and straight through camp. Then as if that was not enough, dinner time entertainment a few nights ago saw a male lion make an attempt on a hippo right at the lagoon whilst the guests were busy enjoying dinner the other side of the bar.
Out in the Park and on the game drives, the predators have been out in full force. With the wild dog pups venturing further and further out of the den which is always such a treat to see. The hyena pups are also doing the same, but getting more and more curious and bold to the point that the guides are having to be incredibly careful when driving past as these little plump curious pups stick their noses out of the den and have been known to start chewing on a car tyre or two!
The pups however are all being left behind when the rest of the pack or clan goes out hunting. In an extraordinary sighting, the guests watched the dogs disappear off into the bush on their hunt and a couple of minutes later they came hurtling back being chased by the local hyena clan. The guide then totally stumped by what had happened, carried on with his drive rounding a corner and finding a large dead hippo being feasted on by 5 lions. It would appear that the king of the jungle is still the king and managed to chase off the dogs and the hyenas, but despite that success, still had a battle on their hands with the vultures. Needless to say, it was a hotspot of activity for the rest of the week.
So, there you have it, for yet another action-packed week here in the Luangwa. Let me tell you, this is just Nsefu, we have a lot more stories flooding in, and I cannot wait to share more with you in the coming weeks. I can only imagine that as we start round the corner and approach summer, that the game will only become more concentrated around the available water sources, and we will be right here keeping you posted on all that is happening.
For this week though, I am going to gracefully bow out of my story telling and bid you a very fond farewell. Have a wonderful week ahead with plenty of smiles and laughter and don’t forget to look after one another.
