Zambian Safari

What was the one thing that I had hoped to do during my stay in Malawi? A safari, of course! So when the opportunity arose to join Kate and Sarah on a weekend safari in Zambia, Ryan and I jumped without hesitating. Under the excitement lied ample gratitude.

Practically chomping at the bit, Ryan and I met our Texan friends at the downtown headquarters of the safari company, Kiboko, on Friday morning. I typically prefer not to book all-inclusive tourist trips when traveling, but a safari is not something to do independently unless you know what you’re doing.

We received a quick briefing on the weekend itinerary before departing. The four of us were joined by an expat Spaniard. Antonio is currently working at a tobacco company in Lilongwe for a year, and is originally from Málaga (a neighboring city of Granada). My eyes lit up when I became aware that he would be joining us on the safari, patiently awaiting the opportunity to discuss all things Spanish. Our newly acquainted group became the “Big 5.” So it goes, the big five safari animals include the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and buffalo.

Just after 8 am, the Big 5 set off in an embarrassingly large safari vehicle. We departed for Luangwa Valley, stopping at the border to properly exit Malawi and enter Zambia. I didn’t notice many initial differences between the two countries, but Zambia is a much larger country, and is slightly more developed. Similar to Malawi, Zambia gained its independence from England, so driving is on the left, and English is one of the spoken languages. Zambia’s African language sounds similar to Malawian Chichewa.

En route to our final destination, we stopped at a campsite to share a packed lunch. Stops included, the total journey took around seven hours.

We arrived at the Kiboko campsite by early afternoon. The camp sits across the Luangwa River from South Luangwa National Park, where hippos can be seen swimming in the murky water. Referred to as “glamping” (glamorous camping), each tent had two cots, a fan, and a lamp; so not exactly “ruffing” it, but also not hotel status. The grounds also house small chalets, a pool, exercise area, and restaurant/bar.

We were pleasantly greeted with a welcome snack upon arrival—fresh banana muffins and tea. Heading into late afternoon, it was time for our first game drive! Doused in mosquito repellent, the Big 5 set out with our guide, Thomas, and a “spotter.”

The safari began before we even arrived at the park. First up was the Hama kop—a species of bird with one pair per nest.

A family of warthogs triggered my recollection of the Disney movie, “The Lion King.”

Next sat a group of baboons, waiting for sausage fruit to fall from the trees. Baboons are omnivores, breed year-round, and have excellent eyesight. At night, they can be found sleeping in trees (such as the African Ebony), while they take to the roads in the morning in order to avoid the dewy grass.

Almost out of nowhere appeared giraffes—up close and personal! Male giraffes are bald, and have darker spots than females. They are often solo travelers, and are a favorite meal for lions.

At the entrance to the park, a hippo was spotted out of water. Typically they can be found in the water by day, and are active by night. The paths that lead from the river to the feeding grounds are nicknamed “hippo highways.”

Crossing the river at last, we entered the park, where more hippos could be seen from the bridge. Hippos do not eat meat, but their strong jaws pose a threat to humans.

South Luangwa National Park contains over 100 species of mammals. It is the second biggest park in Zambia, with over 9,000 square km of territory. Poaching sadly remains a significant problem in the park, with a high demand for rhinoceros horns and ivory from elephant tusks. Illegal killing of animals makes the park less attractive to tourists, which ultimately hurts the economy.

The park is home to several species of antelope. One of the most common (and my favorite) is called the impala. Impalas are easily distinguished by the black marking on their rear in the shape of an “M.” As a result, Thomas told us that they are nicknamed the “McDonald of the bush” because they are fast food for the lions. These seasonal breeders rely heavily on their sense of smell. Males have horns and can often be seen standing guard on the outskirts of the herd. When large numbers are seen together during the day, it is a peaceful sign that cats are nowhere to be seen (or smelled).

The waterbuck is another type of antelope. They have four-chambered stomachs filled with enzymes that help to digest food. Bushbuck and puku are still other antelopes. Rare to Africa, puku are known to be shy and are year-round breeders.

Zebras are my absolute favorite! Contrary to the waterbuck, these grazers have round bellies filled with parasites that help to digest food. Females have a wider black line on their rear than do males.

Velvet monkeys are omnivores and seasonal breeders.

The African open-billed stork feeds on water snails and muscles.

In this way, the drive continued leisurely until suddenly our spotter miraculously caught a glimpse of a leopard sleeping in a tree. As a member of the big 5, leopards are extremely difficult to spot. Days are spent resting in trees or bushes before descending at night to hunt—typically medium-sized antelope. After making a kill, the carcass is dragged up a tree in order to avoid scavenging hyenas. These territorial animals are usually solitary except for mates or a female with cubs. Males are bigger than females.

The leopard kept our attention for quite a while. Sharing a pair of binoculars, we watched it sleep, waking now and then to yawn or change positions. At one point, however, an impala innocently wandered into the territory below the napping cat. Almost immediately, the leopard jumped down from the branches and leapt for the nimble antelope. But the impala was too quick, and escaped the claws of the hungry cat. I’ve seen encounters like this on television programs, but it is completely different to experience it live! South Luangwa National Park has four out of the big five (all but the rhinoceros); so far, we were one for four.

Video 1. Leopard/impala chase

As night fell, we took a “sundowner” break to get out of the car and stretch our legs. So much food and so little exercise! Still reeling from the leopard encounter, we shared Sobo juice and peanuts. Thomas pointed out Mopani trees near to where we were parked—a favorite treat for elephants.

Before long, we continued on with the night drive. Our spotter used a spot light to search for wild game, making sure not to disturb animals that sleep at night. Every now and again, we would come upon a pair of yellow eyes. Nocturnal animals that were spotted included the owl, jennet (previous member of the cat family), and bush-tailed mongoose. We also caught a glimpse of a spotted hyena. These scavengers have shorter rear legs in comparison to their front legs.

The first safari drive was a rush. Everyone was on point, hoping to spot the next animal. It was key to look for animal tracks and to not only search the ground, but the trees as well. I also found it amusing when we periodically passed other safari vehicles, at which point the drivers would “pow-wow” for a few minutes. For all we knew, they were talking about the soccer game, but it seemed as though they were discussing the current location of the animals (most likely the cats). It made me wonder what it would be like to work for a safari company; to be an expert on wild animals, surrounded by nature, never knowing which animals would be around or how they would interact… doesn’t sound like a bad gig!

Back at camp, dinner was served outside of our tents around 8 pm—tomato soup, garlic bread, and spaghetti. The night guard was posted to keep watch for animals around the campsite, and to accompany us to and from the bathrooms. Nighttime brought to light several critters—everything from spiders and insects to lizards and frogs. Also heard throughout the night were the sounds of monkeys and baboons, as well as grunting hippos.

Day two began at 5 am. A beautiful sunrise was the backdrop to breakfast. I was surprised to see among the spreads locally produced peanut butter. From my experience, peanut butter is often difficult to find outside of the U.S. and Australia.

By 6 am, we departed for our second game drive. En route to the park were African elephants—two out of the big four! These elephants are smaller than Asian elephants, but have larger ears. Also different is that both males and females have tusks.

Crossing the bridge, we entered the park hopeful to be as lucky as we were the day before. It was a stunning morning, suggestive of another beautiful day. The humidity was masked by the gentle breeze brought by the safari vehicle.

First up was a large herd of impalas. It was incredibly peaceful to watch nature interacting so harmoniously.

We also stumbled upon the helmeted guinea fowl.

Next, we stopped to watch an aggressive male hippo going after the females in another “pod.” Each pod has only one male unless the other males remain subordinate. If these non-alpha males begin to show interest in the females, they are then kicked out of the pod and remain alone or join a bachelor pod.

The lagoon is home to hippos and crocodiles during the wet seasons, and is used for vegetation for grazers when it is dried up. The Nile crocodile can grow to be 5 m long and weight up to 1 ton.

The Mopani squirrel sleeps in tree holes at night and eats sausage fruit.



Nocturnal hyenas are rarely seen during the day.

More elephants...

...zebras...

...and giraffes!

Apart from the animals, the lush landscape brought numerous photo opportunities as well. I found the trees especially to be quite intriguing, curious as to what they’ve seen over the years. 

One of my favorites was the enormous baobab tree.

After taking a short tea and cookie break, we found a large herd of buffalo. It is rare to see them in the wet season, because they normally migrate to higher ground during this time of year. Three out of the big four!

The water monitor lizard can grow to be 4 m in length. They are carnivores, feeding mostly on birds, nest eggs, and even baby crocodiles.

Male lesser max weaverbirds build the nest, while waiting for a female’s approval.

We saw a number of other birds: a variety of storks and hawks, Egyptian geese, crown cranes (the national bird of Uganda), black headed heron, king fisher, francolins, and knob billed ducks—to name a few!

Back at camp, we had some downtime for lunch and R&R. Again I had to remind myself that it was January as I slipped on my swimsuit to take a dip in the pool.

As the afternoon grew later, the weather shifted and dark clouds rolled in. A heavy downpour was unleashed just as we were preparing to embark on our final game drive.  We waited to see if the storm would pass, bummed by the quick turn of events, but also content in realizing how badly the rains were needed (both by humans and animals).

The rain started to lighten up a bit, which we read as a signal to head out. Armed with rain jackets and ponchos, we navigated our way through the muddy roads leading to the park.

Even as the rain began to taper off, everything left in its tracks was soaked. Nevertheless, the sodden earth was beautiful in its own way. Quietness filled the air, where the smell of fresh rain was intoxicating.

Video 2. Impalas jumping

The main thing on our minds was finding a lion—the last of the big four. We circled for hours in a desperate search, eventually coming up on a number of giraffes.

We also had a close encounter with a defensive elephant.

Video 3. Elephant encounter

Eeriness crept through the park as night fell. We spotted hyenas and elephant shrew. Eventually, we bid goodnight to the animals, and farewell to the park. There was a general positive feeling that we would find lions on our return journey someday.

Dinner was served back at camp. Exhaustion set in after the long day.

We awoke on Sunday to another outstanding sunrise.

After breakfast, we started the long journey back to Lilongwe. We stopped at a tribal textile workshop on the way, selling lovely but pricey local fabrics.

Unable to discretely take photos of local houses and people thus far, I snapped a few from the car to capture the beauty of it all.

At the border, we traded in our Zambian visas for new Malawian ones. My passport is quickly filling up.

Around 2 pm, we had finally arrived to Lilongwe. That afternoon, we joined the Texan girls at the Four Seasons for live music and fresh pizza. What a fantastic weekend. 10 days left in Malawi.