Well, hello there. I hope that you are all fabulously well and have had yet another smashing weekend. Here in the Luangwa, it is really heating up and with that comes the action. The river is incredibly low, the lagoons are but mere puddles, so all the animals are now starting to move into the riverine areas which means the predators are having a field day and the hippos are busy fighting for their patch of water.
The Luangwa Safari House lagoon is a hot spot for elephants and not a day goes by of late where the house hasn’t been surrounded by these beautiful creatures.
This lends itself to constant game viewing from both the comfort of the swimming pool or the secrecy of the Hide (getting down quite low and taking a totally different perspective on these giants).
The elephants of course are not the only ones making use of the lagoon and it is a hub of activity day and night. Baboons, warthog, impala, puku, buffalo to name but a few and I am sure that we get a few nocturnal visitors as well which we are yet to catch a glimpse of on the camera trap as we are not yet all that proficient in placement and settings!
Whilst we could get completely waylaid in the animal action around the house let us venture out on safari with Yona who in the last couple of days has had some fabulous sightings. Heading into the Park across the river nudging past the hippos who come up with a snort and a grunt really is a fabulous way to start any safari. A quick boat trip across the river then climbing into the car, it’s not long before the action starts. Maybe a bark from a baboon, a whistle from a puku, either way a tell-tale sign that there is a predator lurking so following his ears off he heads looking for the source of the commotion. And one thing is for sure these last few days the guests have not been disappointed.
Leopards seem to be ever present for Yona at the moment seeing 1 or 2 every day the last week or so which is always a highlight as they really are spectacular creatures. There seems to be a notice out on lions killing buffalo this year. Whether it be at the main gate area where the big pride has indulged in a few of late or a smaller pride further south, it makes for a fabulous sighting that is before the lions get too full, fat and sleepy as then after that they hide under a shady tree and digest. However, at that point the hyenas and vultures start coming in and squabbling for whatever they can get hold of, so the entertainment continues.
Some few nights ago Tisie and the team laid on champagne sundowners for the guests on the banks of the Luangwa. When it was time to head back to the house everyone got back in the car and just before reaching the house they saw a pair of Jackal. This is super exciting as we don’t get sightings of Jackal very often and as I was talking about this excitedly and loudly, Jason also told me that on his last Mobile Walking Safari they also saw one. Maybe this is something that we can hope to see a bit more frequently.
On that note I am going to gracefully call it a day and bid you 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.
