On Safari

(This is our second post in an hour, so make sure you didn’t miss the last one!)
We thought long and hard about our next adventure after leaving Chishawasha, and after extensive research, we determined that the absolute best place to go on safari in Zambia was South Luangwa National Park, which we heard is among the best parks in Africa… cool! We were very lucky to find one company, Jackalberry Safaris, that does all-inclusive budget safaris in South Luangwa, and picks clients up from the nearest city, Chipata. Since the rainy season had started and would likely affect the safari itinerary, Gavin, the man in charge, gave us a big discount on an already great deal for a five-day safari. So, from Chipata, we set off on probably the roughest four-hour drive of our lives with two fun-loving drivers, Chris and Aaron, to South Luangwa National Park. Take it from us, Gravol is a wonderful thing! Nevertheless, we arrived unscathed at Wildlife Camp on the outskirts of the park having gained some great knowledge about traditional medicines along the way from a really interesting gentleman named Thomas.
We met Gavin there, and got along really well with him right away. He’s a South African expat who’s been working in Zambia for many years, and Jackalberry is his latest project. We had many great conversations with him throughout our time there, and he contributed a lot to our education about all things southern African. He showed us around Wildlife Camp, which is a beautiful spot on the Luangwa River with a swimming pool and a bar, and the sturdiest tents we’ve ever seen with real beds inside! After getting to know the local pod of hippos, we set off on our first evening and night game drive with our awesome guide, IB, who is considered one of the best guides in the park – lucky us!
It took us about 10 minutes to realize that this would be the greatest safari EVER. As soon as we left the camp and before we even got into the park, we met a big family of elephants with several babies… unreal!! And it only got better from there. By sunset, we had encountered several giraffes, puku, impala, bushbuck, waterbuck, zebras, many more elephants, hippos, crocodiles, a huge water monitor lizard, and a whole host of fascinating birds, just to name a few. We had also had an encyclopedia’s worth of knowledge imparted to us from IB, whose capacity for information about the natural world is astounding. After a stop for sundowner drinks at a beautiful spot, we set off on our first night drive – a whole different kind of experience. During night drives, a spotter shines a bright light around looking for nocturnal animals, and you spot them by their shining eyes. Sightings of gannets, civets, and other denizens of the night quickly took a backseat when we came upon a pride of lions on the hunt… or rather, when they came upon us, and passed so close to our truck that we could have reached our hands out and touched them. IB promised us that if we didn’t stand up, the lions would think we were just part of the vehicle, and we can tell you that we remained firmly planted on our seats… especially when the alpha female turned around suddenly and stared us down hungrily. We were able to follow them for a while and saw them chase (but not catch) an impala and get rid of some hyenas who were following them, hoping for their leftovers. What an exhilarating first day!
Since the early morning and late afternoon and evening are the best times to spot animals, life on safari involves very early mornings (6:00 AM game drives or walks), lazy afternoons by the pool when the sun is strongest, and evening/night drives or walks, followed by a late dinner and early bedtime. We were unbelievably fortunate with the weather, which was beautiful almost without exception. Since it’s the rainy season, by all rights we should have had plenty of rain, which would have seriously curtailed some of the activities we could do. As it was, we were able to do and see everything almost exactly as planned, and it was far beyond anything we could have hoped for.
Aside from many game drives, the major highlights were two bushwalks, which are so amazing in that they put you within and among the natural landscape in a completely different way than a drive ever could. You notice so many small things that you would miss otherwise, and the walking guides have amazing knowledge to share along the way. During a walk, you really begin to understand how an animal must feel when it sees a storm coming, or when the savannah is deserted and you have the feeling that a predator could be following you from any direction. It’s eerie, exhilarating, humbling, and a completely unique experience. We got up close and personal with zebras, elephants, impala, an owl that we surprised from its rest, and an impressive array of birds and insects, as well as a pretty epic storm that we just managed to outrun.
We also had the opportunity for an all-day drive from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM – Jackalberry is the only company that runs all-day drives, so we were very lucky! Since we had such an enormous amount of time, we were able to explore more of the park than we ever could have otherwise, and it is exceptionally beautiful, especially now that the rains have begun. An all-day drive is yet another kind of immersion into this world as you tend to forget about taking pictures and just soak everything in. Just sitting among a mixed herd of impala, zebra, and elephants and watching them go about their daily lives all around you is such an incredible thing. Throughout the day, we spent many hours watching giraffe, warthogs, and other animals, stumbled upon two tortoises (which we’re told means we’ll have a lucky journey), spotted more lions, and even came across a lone wildebeest who should never have been in that area of the park (we’re chalking that one up to the tortoises’ luck). That evening was capped off by another real highlight: an amazing sighting of a huge leopard, who we followed for a while as he marked his territory. They are indescribably beautiful animals, and you really have trouble deciding whom to root for: the adorable baby impalas or the leopard!
There were so many moments and experiences that made this safari memorable, such as the fact that there were babies of almost every species of animal we saw, and IB’s propensity to discuss everything in wildlife terms (he told us about all of the different “species” of beer at the local bar), and the opportunity to visit the village and meet the families of the safari guides, that we can never cover everything here. We’ll have plenty to tell you when we get home… and you won’t believe our pictures!!!
We’re back in Lusaka now after an epically lengthy bus ride back from Chipata, and tomorrow we head for Livingstone, the adventure capital of Africa! We have grand plans for whitewater rafting and viewing of Victoria Falls, and then it’s off to Tanzania for some scuba diving before we head home… stay tuned!
Much love,
-Jenny and Jimi

Wrapping up and Moving on

Our last day at Chishawasha was sad but amazing. We had our last workshop with the Chishawasha staff, which went incredibly well. We facilitated some work on organizational and team communication and strategic planning, and in the end they said that ‘chishawasha will never be the same’ after the time we shared. And while this is the best compliment we could ask for, the reason it won’t be the same is because of the incredible resources within the staff team that have become unlocked during our time there. The ideas and communication and goals that came out of that session were nothing short of inspiring. We are so excited to see where they will go next and how they will continue to build on the work we did together.
Later that night we had our last dinner – we’re really going to miss nshima. Near the end of dinner we noticed a lot of activity. Shortly, mummy Maureen informed us that everyone was waiting for us in House One. We went over and found all the mothers and children seated in the large living area. We took our seats and were treated to the most amazing display of singing, dancing, and poetry. The children were so talented and rehearsed. The show lasted about an hour and a half and ended with a procession of thank you cards and handshakes and hugs from the entire 92 person family of Chishawasha. We were so moved. Jenny had to speak because Jimi couldn’t get a word out (which was funny because men aren’t usually supposed to show emotion that way in Zambian culture… but I think they overlooked the happy tears for the white guy). He’s almost tearing up now just thinking of it… jeeze man, pull it together!
The next day we got organized and said our final goodbyes. The staff at chishawasha gave us a beautiful gift – a traditional Zambian outfit for each of us (yes, we match). We were really not expecting it but were so grateful. We had a nice dinner out with Philip and Mary and then took a nap at a hostel until our 3am departure to Chipata.
Leaving Chishawasha was SO difficult. We’ve been so blessed by this opportunity and while we leave reluctantly, we leave feeling excellent about the work we did and knowing that we will always be welcome back. As Philip has said a number of times we ‘have no choice but to come back’. And we can’t thank the children, mothers, teachers, staff and Philip enough for all they have given us.
Safari Stories next,
Much Love – Jimi and Jenny