Lions of the South Luangwa Valley, Zambia

I am sure by now everyone has heard the news of the American women killed by a lion in Lion Park here is Africa. It houses its animals in large enclosures that simulate their natural environments. It has been split into two areas -  one for herbivores and one for carnivores.
These animals are not in the wild, nor allowed to roam freely, and do not hunt. They interact with humans daily.
We were in the South Luangwa Valley where the animals roam freely together in wide open space the way nature should be. There are no fences and they are not feed by people.

 When we approach them in the wild, we take caution, & assess the mood. They are very much aware we are there but generally want nothing to do with us. They do not depend on people for survival.

Leopards, Lions, 2 kills all in our first night game drive

On our first night game drive we had the most amazing experience. We were just out a short while when Jason, our guide  spotted a leopard sleeping in the grass.

 Jason told us this is a female they see often and have named Alice. Yes she looks very sweet and cuddly fast asleep in the grass but do not let that fool you.

After sun downer we saw her again as she crossed the field. She went in a patch of grass, we saw her pounce, heard a cry, and saw her come up with a young Puku. Our first kill. She will find a tree climb to put her kill in. 
   What came next was a experience we will never forget.

We came up on 3 lions which appeared to be just laying around,

 we drove just pass them and saw 2 more in front of us. We sat watching as the 2 in front kept watch, with more lions joining around them.

Our first day at Mfuwe lodge & game drive

After a good nights rest I was excited to see the lodge in the day light and explore a bit.
The rooms are very comfortable and have large decks that over look a wide open area.

 When we opened up the doors in the morning we were greeted by Elephants, Baboons, all sorts of birds I didn't know yet, and Impala's. Wow, I am really in Africa with all these wild animals right there in front of me roaming free.

Wake up is 5:30am, followed by a light breakfast, and then it's time for our first game drive at 6:30am.

 Our driver & guide for the day is Jason.

It is amazing all we saw and learned on our morning drive. The pictures best tell the story.  Here is just some of what we saw.

This young guy wanted to show off a bit before turning around and walking off.

After months of waiting and planning we have arrived in Zambia, Africa

The longest travel day of my life, 3 flights, 18 hours of fly time, 6 hours of waiting between flights, 2 sunrises, and we finally arrived in Mfuwe, Zambia just as the sun was setting. 

The ride from the airport to the lodge was about 40 minutes through the village of Mfuwe. There were not many lights but lots of people walking and riding bikes up and down the road. You could smell the fires of those living in the village. 

We are staying at the Mfuwe lodge, which is one of the few places you can stay within South Luangwa Park. It is made up of 18 chalets. Once we passed through the gates of the park we had our first sighting. There in the middle of the road was a large Leopard. It just sat there for a moment before getting up, stretching, and then moving off the road.

Welcome to Zambia. 

Mfuwe Lodge, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

Bushcamp Bonanza! South Luangwa National Park

This is where we will be in just a few days. 

Wow, it looks amazing. 

Packed!!

Call me crazy, its a week before I leave for our trip to Africa and I am already packed. I like to think of it as prepared.
  I followed my list and this is all I am taking for a 9 night safari.

I find the best way to save space and protect the clothes is to pack in zip lock bags. I prefer the gallon size freezer bags. It is a great way to keep everything organized without having to unpack, this comes in handy when you are moving from one place to another. I packed this way for a 8 day trip to Ireland and never once unpacked my suitcase. I always take a few extra bags along as they are great for so many things.

Along with my clothes we are also packing with purpose and bring school supplies to help support one of the local schools in Zambia.

I  weighed everything and all this is only 9 pds. Between all of us it should not be a problem adding these items in our bags. 

My son is bringing soccer balls which I know the children will enjoy.

Looks like I will have plenty of room.

Planning your trip of a lifetime, a African Safari

 There are many steps to planning a trip to Africa. It is much more involved than one may think and takes a lot of planning. I have done most of the hard part months ago.

Where to go
 First was just deciding where I wanted to go within Africa, there are 50 countries to choice from and many different types of safaris.
I recommend a good travel agent like myself to help make this part and the rest very easy.

When to go
Once that was decided, now I needed to look into when we wanted to go. Our window of time was small making this fairly easy.

Booking the trip
Now it was time to start booking the flights, hotels, and tours. This took a few days of making sure the places we wanted were available in the time frame we needed. Most of the small bush camps only have 4 thatched chalets, we needed 3 of them.

Once everything was booked and flights paid for I needed to purchase Travel Insurance. It is not only important to have it in case something happens while traveling but also to protect the money you just invested on the cost of the trip. If for some reason you need to cancel the trip without travel insurance you will not get your money back. Flights are non refundable and many hotels and tours have penlites for cancellations. Travel Insurance is money well spent.  

Travel documents need to be check. The passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the start of the trip. We need to have 4 blank visa pages in our passports.   A Visa into Zambia is required which we can purchase at the airport when we arrive. Need to be sure to have cash for this.

All the above should be done at least 6 months from the time you are looking to travel.

What type of clothes to pack for a Safari

You would think by now I would be an expert packer but nothing is further from the truth. On our last trip I really thought I had the packing thing down. But once again I found I had over packed. Over packing is not an issue if you are going on 1 flight or staying a long period of time in one place. But when you’re moving around, lugging that bag, you start to think “do I really need all this stuff.”

Packing for a Safari has its own set of challenges. Luggage has both size and weight restrictions. There are many dos and don’ts when it comes to what to wear. Packing becomes very important.

In doing some research for what to pack I learned why all the pictures of people on safari they are all dressed alike. 

Clothing Colors

The #1 rule for clothing is neutral colors, Khaki, tan, brown, olive, green. The idea is to be able to blend into your  surroundings while trying to spot wildlife. Bright & Bold colors just does not work. This is particularly important on a walking safari. 

Camouflage, jungle print, & white are BIG No-No’s. In Zambia they are not legal. I was a bit surprised at white but it is on the list of clothes not to be worn, at least in Zambia.

Dark Blue and Black attract tsetse flies. No Black or Blue for us, I am leaving out gray as well, no need to temp the tsetse flies.

Next Family Adventure, Walking Safari in South Luangwa National Park

 Time to start getting ready for our big family trip in May. This year we are pulling out all the stops and going on a Safari.

  In planning this I looked into different safari's all over Africa. Each one offers something unique and it was very hard to choose which we would do. I spent days reading about different areas, types of safari's, what type of animals we would be seeing, accommodations, and best time to go.By the time I was done I felt I had already been on safari.
  We became locked into dates due to school and jobs making the end of May the best time for us to go.
  I am always looking for something a bit off the norm, the road less traveled, and a bit more adventurous. When I came across a walking safari in South Luangwa National Park with Zambezi Safari & Travel Company I knew this was the one for us.

South Luangwa National Park, is home to a large  populations of Thornicroft's Giraffe, Crawshay's Zebra, and Cookson's Wildebeest. Herds of elephant, buffalo, hippo's, wild dogs, loins, leopards, and over 400 species of birds. We will have plenty to see. The more I read on the area the more I knew this was the right safari for us.

 Our trip will start in Mfuwe Lodge, which is located in South Luangwa National Park. Since following the Mfuwe Lodge on Facebook we have learned that the elephants are regular guests. They come through the reception area to get to the wild mango trees. I sure hope this is something we get to experience on our trip.

  We will also be spending time at 2 different seasonal bush camps, deep in the bush of the South Luangwa.