Africa Wine and Wildlife Zambia: South Luangwa National Park

Giant kingfisher at sunrise

By Michelle Alten

Goliath heron

Days 14 and 15

Last night we went to sleep to the sound of hippos grunting in the river and a loud, unidentifiable, squawking.  I discovered in the morning, it was not any of the exotic birds I had seen that had been making such a racket.  It was a bush baby — odd little nocturnal primates.  What a big noise for such a tiny creature.

elephants digging for water in a dried up riverbed

Setting off in the early morning to explore South Luangwa National Park for two more days, we witness wildlife behavior.  For us they are intriguing spectacles, for Africa’s creatures, they are part of daily life.  Vervet monkeys soaking in the morning sun from their perches in the trees.  Young elephants ripping fibers from the trunks of Baobabs, Open-billed storks at a waterhole, poking in the Nile cabbage in search of snails.  A leopard stalking antelope while baboons bark out warnings.

Cape buffalo approaching lions

the male lion is running as fast as he can to escape the cape buffalo

Although we saw a sleeping male lion on our first day, I continue searching the forests and grasslands for other lions.  At the end of our last day, we spot a male and two females lounging in the afternoon sun.  We stop to watch them.  Suddenly, two water buffalos begin approaching them. They clearly don’t see the lions, hidden behind tall waves of grass.  My heart is in my throat—the buffalos are walking right into an ambush.  They keep walking towards the lions.  Then they stop.  They’ve spotted the predators, or maybe smelled them.  In an instant, one of the buffalos charges at the male lion.  The lion dashes towards the brush with the buffalo chasing behind it.  The king has met his match.

cape buffalo

The lion sighting is a great way to top off our wildlife viewing.  On our last night, we toast to a great adventure with a glass of Amarula, a South African liquor made from fruit of the marula tree, a favorite of elephants.  We go to sleep with the wildlife around us– baboons bedded down in the trees, hippos dozing in the river, and bush babies ready for another night of ruckus.  Tomorrow we are headed home.  It’s time to leave behind the faces and voices of the wild.

impala portrait

Thornicroft giraffes necking

a bush brunch …

… and Nancy and Bob enjoying the champagne sun-downer

Before our trip, my dear friend Florence told me how she hated to see animals in zoos or captivity.  I pointed out the important role that zoological parks need to play in breeding and preserving endangered species.  But now I understand what she meant.  Seeing lions, zebras, elephants and so many other African creatures living in their natural habitat does raise the question—can keeping such animals in captivity ever be justified?  I will contemplate this question as we leave behind Nkwali Camp and pass the groups of elephants and Thornicroft giraffes feeding tranquilly in the thickets.

For our travelers, here is a list of some of the species we spotted at South Luangwa National Park:

Birds: Lilac breasted roller, Little bee-eaters, Yellow-billed stork, Ground hornbill, Red-billed hornbill, Grey hornbill, Bateleur eagles (Terathopius ecaudatus), Snake eagle, Red-billed oxpeckers, Francolin, Cape turtle dove, Golden weaver, Tropical boubou, Saddle-billed stork, Grey heron, Sacred ibis, Hadida ibis, Great white egret, Painted snipe, Egyptian geese, Open-billed stork, Guinea fowl, Tawny eagle, White-fronted bee-eaters, Banded mongoose, Wattled plover, Black-headed heron, Goliath heron, Crowned cranes, Brown-headed kingfishers,

Mammals: Puku, impalas, Cape buffalo, lions, hippos, African wild dogs, Vervet monkeys, lots of baboons, leopard, elephants, Banded mongoose, Thornicroft giraffes, Crawshay zebras.