Good morning. I do hope that you are amazingly well and have had another wonderful weekend. Here in the slightly chilly Luangwa, it seems to have been the week of the elephants, so I am certainly not complaining as I must admit I think that they have to be one of if not my favourite animal.
Running through all the camps before telling tales of more sightings, lets start at Nkwali where the guests have been relaxing at the pool with elephants enjoying the lagoon not only for a good drink but also some delicious lagoon delicacies to munch on. Luangwa Safari House guests have been eating lunch out on the deck while the elephants have been enjoying splashing about in the lagoon just below them which has certainly been a highlight.
Luangwa River Camp has had elephants trying really hard to drink from the sprinklers but upon realising that this was not really an easy option they instead hit the bird bath and sucked up its water in one go. Tena Tena has their resident big bull George who decided to break into the bar and ate all the granola which was a disappointment for breakfast that morning. Nsefu has been enjoying the daily elephant parade as they cross the river in front of camp.
Here our daily lives incorporate all animals big and small, and we simply adore having them around although sometimes even if a little annoying they can also prove to be highly entertaining. Luangwa Safari House had a hilarious incident for a baboon sneaking into the house and making the most of that Friday Feeling and helped himself to a bottle of Chivas. He then, proud of his steal, moved off with his bottle and tried to figure out how best to enjoy his reward!
In the park the sightings have been proving absolutely fantastic with so much happening including plenty of leopards both in trees with kills and even one walking through Nsefu past the bar one evening while the guests were all enjoying a pre-dinner drink.
Down at Nkwali our wonky legged giraffe that we often see opposite camp finally met its maker as overnight last week it was taken down by a pride of 9 lions. Whilst no one saw the kill everyone saw the remnants the following morning including some very fat lions who parked off in the shade to digest.
In other predator news, our wild dogs have been going through quite a tumultuous time and some of you may remember that last year the big pack that we used to see in the main area sadly lost the Alpha female causing the entire pack to split up. These last few days however, the guides have been catching glimpse of 7 dogs which they suspect could be a splinter group from the big pack and one of the females looked very pregnant. Whilst they gave no indication of settling in one area to den, we are all looking forward to seeing where they choose to settle and hope that this is the re-birth of a new and settled pack in the area. So, watch this space and if we hear and see more, we shall certainly let you know.
Then lastly one small note from Luangwa River Camp as a stunning male lion has taken to walking along the riverbank opposite camp a few days in a row which has been an absolute pleasure for all to see even if one day the boatman hadn’t seen him and was casually going about his business before being alerted to the lion’s presence and dashing back into the safety of the boat.
So, there you have it, another action-packed week. As you can see and as always, we look forward to hearing more from the guides as the week progresses and shall fill you in next week with news from the bush. However, between now and then I shall bid you a very fond farewell and hope that you have a fabulous week ahead with plenty of smiles and laughter.
