Looking for a wild destination, my choice naturally turned to Zambia, and more specifically the three best-known National Parks: Kafue, Lower Zambezi and South Luangwa.
Three completely different worlds, yet all equally striking and sumptuous. Exceptional flora and fauna, and landscapes and surroundings that take your breath away…
Accompanied by drivers and guides who were not only highly skilled but also deeply passionate, we covered the tracks of these parks, encountering various antelope species, big cats, pachyderms, reptiles and birds — all set within lush vegetation.
Despite this “wild” character, the animals let you approach fairly closely… Take, for instance, that hippo lying asleep right inside the middle of Mukambi Safari Lodge! Unbelievable.
Or that elephant we found ourselves face to face with one morning, stepping out of our tent right in the middle of Kasaka River Lodge.
What a privilege to watch the sunrise and sunset every day in such surroundings.
Living experiences this close to nature — as at Busanga Plains Camp, a camp set in the middle of nowhere, reachable only on foot, 500m from the vehicles, right among pukus and lechwe antelope, with just 4 tents and outdoor bathrooms, where everyone eats together, sharing stories and different experiences…
A real pleasure, moving through these wild spaces, with moments like watching herds of gazelles and antelope (impalas, lechwe, pukus, wildebeest…) grazing; troops of monkeys (baboons and vervets) feeding and playing in the trees; birds by the water’s edge searching for food.
But also moments when nature reasserts its own order… A lioness moving on only three legs, the lower part of her left hind leg severed, now dependent on her pride to survive; lions devouring a freshly killed zebra; a mother leopard with her two cubs having her kill (a baboon) stolen by a hyena…
Here, nature reigns with its own laws and rules — fortunate for some, unfortunate for others…
The law of nature, the law of the strongest, with no room for the weak.
In short, a thoroughly immersive journey. Here, you forget everything else.
Authentic, unforgettable experiences lived throughout this remarkable country that is Zambia.
A real favourite… An experience to repeat!
Ludovic R., back from a tailor-made journey to Zambia designed by Etendues Sauvages.
