Well, hello there. I hope that you are fabulously well and have had a lovely first week of 2024. Here in the Luangwa, we are enjoying the beautiful emerald season – plenty of new growth, flowers and young ones. This week I am going to hand you over to regular guests Richard and Mary Chaplin who have been kind enough to share with us some amazing photos and stories from their latest safari.
“On the 1st of November we finally returned to the Luangwa Valley after an absence of 5 years. This was our 10th visit in twenty years, bringing our total nights at RPS to well over a hundred. Do we enjoy our visits…? No need to ask! Yes, there have been some changes over the past 20 years, but not in the way we are received at RPS: everyone is so friendly, the accommodation is splendid, the guiding superb and the game-oriented ethos unchanged. Long may it remain so.
We had a wonderful 22 days, with superb wildlife viewing including 172 bird species – though some of the migrants seem to be a bit late this season, the pennant winged nightjars were there in full resplendent finery.
My initial impression was that carnivores had become a bit shy, with lions really hiding right inside combretum bushes, not just in the shade. But looking at my photos I now think I had been too anxious to get close to these wonderful animals again after 5 years of deprivation. Let the pictures speak for themselves.
There is always an element of chance in what each game drive brings, though our experience is that the RPS guides (and spotters) are “lucky” and deliver a wonderful experience. The weather, so unpredictable these days, also plays a part in the game distribution. Some heavy rain early in November had encouraged game to move back from the banks as water became widely available, but as it then dried out, the game came back. A visit in November always runs the risk of heavy showers and it was very evident on this visit how the rain was very localised, with some areas drenched while close by it was dry – another challenge for the guide.
Thank you everyone at RPS for another wonderful, unforgettable holiday.
Richard and Mary”
W0nderful! Thank you so much Richard and Mary and as always it was wonderful seeing you again – I can’t believe it’s been 5 years.
In other news, Nkwali team has been flat out with some maintenance, but Perry and Julius have been busy with guests at the houses and have had some fabulous sightings with huge herds of elephants. Zebras and impalas simply loving the fresh new shoots that are now everywhere for them to munch on. The leopards making the most of the thick bush making it even harder for game drives and prey to spot them but spot them our guides did indeed and the guests got to share some shade with a lovely female as she lay splayed over a branch.
For this week let me bid you a fond farewell and wish you a wonderful week ahead with plenty of smiles and laughter and don’t forget to look after one another.
