I do hope that you are all fabulously well and have had a wonderful weekend. Here in the Luangwa it has been an incredible week for sightings both big and small and despite the rather nippy morning temperatures the guests are out and about making the most of their time in South Luangwa.
So where to start….
Let’s head to Tena Tena first where the watchman got a little bit of a surprise as he sauntered over to tent 8 one evening while all the guests were out on game drive and found 5 lions just inspecting the new room! He bid a hasty retreat and waited until the guides and guests got back from game drive to venture back that way to check that the coast was clear. Fortunately for all it was and the evening proceeded as normal. Fortunately, the guests had not missed out by going on game drive as they had seen a lovely male lion at Lunga lagoon.
Making the most of the colder weather the guests have been going out on full day picnic drives and venturing further afield than they would on their usual activities and this has taken some of them over to The Stork Colony which is in full swing. We were a little worried as last year this didn’t really happen but they are back and it is as always a spectacle to behold with hundreds of chicks noisily demanding food and the adults swooping in and out to check on their offspring. The trees appear almost ghostly as they are covered in faeces and maribu storks just hang out waiting for a chick’s demise.
The Stork Colony is of course in the heart of Olimba’s territory and since she sadly died last year there was a certain amount of discussion over who would take over and it would appear that all of our hopes have been met and her daughter Mutima who we saw back in the area at the end of the season seems to have taken up her mother’s mantle. Not only has she held onto the territory over the rains she has resumed her mum’s hunting grounds loving the gullies in the Wafwa area and was found hunting a male impala and succeeding. We cannot wait to see how this young female blossoms over the course of the year.
Watch: Mutima
The other leopard that is making regular appearance is a female who roams the area around the fourways crossing and she has been seen regularly in the area moving around during the day hunting and going down to drink and is becoming a real star for some of our game drives.
After all of this amazing game viewing surely a game drive needs to stop and get a few drinks out and enjoy the view. Well Daniel did just that up at Nsefu Camp but no sooner had they stopped did he spot an enormous python coming over the opposite bank. The python appeared to be heading to the water for a drink, so they watched as this enormous snake slowly made its way down the bank until this crocodile snuck out to meet it. This was truly a breath holding moment…. What was about to happen. It was quite far away and there was no way to get closer, but what appeared to be a nose-to-nose moment of complete calm the crocodile suddenly launched its self at the python. A skirmish of enormous coils ensued with both animals going into the water and it would appear that the python got away from the croc swimming off and escaping. There are no other words except WOW.
Watch: Croc vs Python!
There are also no other stories that will top that one for the week so on that note I shall bid you all a very fond farewell and hope that you have a fabulous week ahead with plenty of smiles and laughter and don’t forget to look after one another.
