Zambia

After three months in Canada and the US, I returned to Africa one month ago. Three months is a long time for me to be away from Africa so I am very happy to be back. 2009 and 2010 will find me in Lusaka, Zambia, where, at this very moment, it is fall, soon to be winter, and where sunny clear days of 80 degrees F will give way to nippy 50 degree evenings. I may have to put on the one sweater I brought with me.

Lusaka is an easy city around which to navigate. Zambia lacks the chaos and vocal culture of the Republic of Congo - where I spent 2008 - but this makes it an easier (and quieter) life here too. My dogs are with me, after sitting out my Congo sojourn in Vancouver. Born and raised in Tanzania, I like to believe they are happy too about coming home to Africa. Their new residence is a small house on acreage just outside the city limits where horses wander a pasture out front; Lilac-breasted rollers dive for insects; and the stars are exquisite at night.

This year's travel schedule is busy…visits to Victoria Falls; Kafue, South and North Luangwa, Lower Zambezi, and Kasanka National Parks and the Lake Bangweulu Wetlands; a canoe safari on the Zambezi River, several cultural ceremonies around the country, and a Congolese gorilla safari are on the calendar. I also hope to fit in Zambia's very own wildebeest migration in its remote Liuwa National Park, which reaches its peak just after the start of the first rains in November; the herds are second in size to the Serengeti's better known migration. It may be Zambia's best kept secret.

Since I live on the city's fringes, I can walk every morning on any number of meandering red earthen tracks which connect farms and small local compounds. Zambian children help make my walks that more enjoyable by giving me the thumbs up when I pass and going into fits of apparent delight at my sight. Zambia offers superb walking safari opportunities for which my daily walks are good training. Zambia is definitely a country for horse lovers too. I will show photos, videos, and talk about Zambian travel destinations this November when I am back in Vancouver and Seattle, my next scheduled visit to North America. This presentation schedule will appear on my website's homepage later this year.

Another great plus about living in Zambia is its proximity to Tanzania. Although Zambian Airways has recently folded – eliminating the quickest and easiest way from Lusaka to Dar es Salaam – I can fly via Nairobi to either Arusha or Dar to take care of my Tanzanian safaris. Taking the TAZARA (Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority) train is another option. When I lived in Tanzania, I had always planned to take this train to its western terminus on the Tanzania – Zambia border, but didn't get around to it. Now I have another chance, but from the opposite direction. And because Zambia is so close to Tanzania, I am working on a safari idea to combine destinations in Western Tanzania (such as Ruaha and Katavi National Parks) with some of Zambia's long list of wildlife areas. For what programs are possible now, see More MTT Safari Destinations 2009/2010 later in this newsletter.

28-05-2009

Kuomboka Ceremony

Western Province, Zambia

The upper Zambezi River valley is a treeless plain, a land of lush grazing for the cattle of the Lozi people who live there. Between February and July the Lozi's plain is flooded and its residents must retreat from the rising waters to dry ground. This collective move is called kuomboka, which means to "emerge from the water". Today, the Kuomboka is one of Zambia's most colorful and popular cultural ceremonies, attended by enormous crowds from all over the country and international visitors as well. The pageantry centers on the current Lozi king's transition from dry season palace to wet season palace, a journey taken in his royal barge called the Nalikwanda (which means "for the people"). This special craft is 30-meters long, painted black and white so that it somewhat resembles a floating zebra - coincidental I am told - and paddled by some sixty men in the distinctive red, black and white Lozi traditional dress. In the middle of the royal barge there is a hive-like canopy with a large elephant figure mounted on its top and it is under here where the king sits for the five hour trip between palaces. Many other barges carrying those of lesser rank accompany the king in the Nalikwanda, which in turn are swarmed by people in smaller canoes (or anything which floats) who want to get a close look at the royal procession. When the Lozi royal finally arrives at the wet season jetty, he is greeted by the enthusiastic crowd of well-wishers, drummers, dancers and singers. This year's ceremony is April 11th.

An informative site on the Kuomboka is www.barotseland.com/kuomboka1.htm

MTT can arrange your visit to a Zambian cultural ceremony. There are many of them throughout the year which, with advance planning, can be incorporated into a safari itinerary.

On the day before the Lozi royal barge departs the dry season palace a royal canoeing competition is held. In the past, this regatta was open only to men, but beginning a few years ago, Lozi leadership decided to allow women to compete. I attended a fundraiser in Lusaka for the women's regatta training program. Every year more and more women are entering. The top prizes in the women's category aren't sums of money which can be taken from them by their families, but appliances like washing machines and stoves which can lessen their daily workloads.

27-05-2009

Africa's Longest Walking Safari

Across Kenya's West and East Tsavo National Parks

Even with Zambia's walking opportunities, this foot safari is tough to beat for imparting the sense of connectedness that I feel is paramount to Africa travel. What motivated its creator - Kenyan mountaineer Iain Allen - is that the spring snow - melt from Mt Kilimanjaro and all the watershed areas of that great mountain - Africa's highest today - are connected to the Tsavo lowlands below.

The hike crosses two ecosystems. The riverine forest along the Tsavo River which rises in the highlands around Kili, and made up of thickets of fig and tamarind trees, doum and raffia palms (we spent the first few days dodging thorns), gives way to the east to more open acacia forest and savannah and finally to semi‐arid desert. Along the way the Tsavo River reaches the confluence of the Athi River where it becomes the Galana River which flows into the Indian Ocean. Within these two ecosystems primary wildlife sightings were hippo in the heavy riverine vegetation near the Tsavo River and elephants along the Galana. I got the closest to elephants while on foot than I have anywhere else in Africa, and after the first few close encounters, under Iain's watchful eyes, I felt perfectly at ease with it. But we also saw lots of antelope, leopard, and the famous mane‐less Tsavo lions too, including the remarkable sight of eleven lion cubs on a buffalo kill. This walk lives up to its name and uniqueness: it incorporates breath‐taking geography and wildlife sightings with geology, history and animal behavior lessons, while at the same time it presents the physical challenge of walking no less than 10 miles (6.5 kms) every day across Kenya's largest national parks (they make up the size of Wales) under what is often a blistering hot sun. (If you go earlier in the dry season, June and July for example, then the weather will be much cooler.) When we got to the Indian Ocean resort on the 12th day, as much as we all loved the experience, believe me, no one wanted to walk on the beautiful stretch of beach out front. Instead, we headed to soak our feet. It helps that Iain has set up no less than eight (no easy feat) extremely comfortable mobile camps along the way, so no matter how tired you are at the end of the day, you have a soft bed - yes, a bed - to fall into after a wonderful dinner and cold beer and wine. Please see my photo album of Tsavo under the website's Gallery.

This walking safari across Tsavo is now part of MTT's permanent offerings during Kenya's dry season of June through October.

27-05-2009

Bush Walking Tip

While crossing rivers like the Tsavo and Galana where there are crocodiles lying in wait to consider, we walk in single file and close together. Both factors are enormously important. We never fall out of this formation (if you do on the Tsavo hike, you will incur Iain's wrath, otherwise known as "the look"). Crocs determine the whereabouts and likelihood of appropriate prey from sound waves they receive through the water. When all of us cross together we create sound waves which relay the message to any waiting croc that we are too big an animal to tangle with. The worst thing you can do is squat on your own by crocodile infested waters and say, dip your bandana in the water to wet it. To a croc you might be a solitary impala come to the river's edge to drink, and snap, you might be in trouble.

27-05-2009

An Exceptional Wildlife Blog

Tales from Kulafumbi: The Diary of a Nature Lover - Kenya, East Africa

www.wildernessdiary.com/tanya-trevor-saunders

I came across Sandra Trevor Saunders diary while researching Tsavo National Park. I now check in regularly and I have been in touch with Sandra too. Director of the African Environmental Film Foundation, Sandra grew up in the bush, in a home called Kulafumbi, which is just outside the Tsavo Park borders. By most of our standards, she lives a truly charmed life - a present day "Out of Africa" existence - but we shouldn't romanticize what she has either. Many of us who think we could live happily in the bush would fail to meet its challenges. "Yes, Kulafumbi is indeed a magical place", she wrote me, "but it is tough living here too ‐ you have to be self‐sufficient for everything from water to sanitation to electricity to communications... so when something goes wrong, there's no‐one to fall back on! But we love it and we think it's worth the hard work!" Those of you who are crazy about Africa will not want to miss Sandra's updates about her work and her life.

27-05-2009

Tanzania's Yaeda Valley

It took me a few days for my blisters to heal after the Tsavo hike. Then it was off to Tanzania's Yaeda Valley, a circle safari which started in Lake Eyasi - south of the Ngorongoro Crater - and which ended in Karatu town. Somehow, despite all the modern influences of late, many of them good and many of them lamentable, which have made it down the ancient precipitous rifts which surround Lake Eyasi, its sense of remoteness and uniqueness prevails. But to then travel to Eyasi's extreme southern shores, where the sandy track climbs up and over one of these ancient surrounding rifts to the 3975 square kilometer Yaeda Valley beyond, is really stepping back in time. Yaeda is the true home of the hunter and gatherer group known as the Hadza (who have made Eyasi a popular tourist destination in recent years) and Datoga, pastoralists like the Maasai. Both the Hadza and the Datoga I meet in Yaeda are refreshingly natural, instantly recognizable as people who have not had much contact with the tourism industry. There is no infrastructure in Yaeda; we camp on a friend's land. We don't see another car besides our own while in the valley, but this doesn't mean that Yaeda is or will be left untouched. An Arab hunting concession gave up its rights to a swathe of it recently when the Hadza and Datoga joined forces and opposed the deal. Mining companies are the new threat. I suggest that travelers to whom cultural destinations are vital should see Yaeda now. Please see my photo album of Yaeda under the website's Gallery as well as a short video shot on the safari under YouTube links.

This trip to the Yaeda Valley can be arranged through MTT.
Dry season is best - June through September.
There are certain Datoga ceremonies which you might catch if you visit in May.

27-05-2009

Central African Gorilla and Forest Elephant Safari

I arrived back in Congo from East Africa one week before guests were due to arrive for the last gorilla safari of the year. My husband gave me the bad news on the way home from the airport. The airline we were to fly from Brazzaville to Ouesso in the north of the country, the jumping off point to Nouabale - Ndoki and Dzanga - Ndoki National Parks, was no longer flying due to licensing problems. This was, I must admit, a typical start to these Central African gorilla safaris. Every day is about what doesn't go to plan. All's well which ends well, however. And it usually does if you trust that it will. We flew to Ouesso on Air Congo (after I spent days procuring tickets); and we had excellent encounters with both park's habituated silverbacks, especially with Makumba of Dzanga - Ndoki. He and his family were feeding in the open bai (a saline clearing) the morning we arrived at Bai Houkou research camp. The great photo opportunities we had of this mighty animal made us forget that we were standing ankle deep in the swamp. Take a look at Trish Peck's shots of Kingo and Makumba. They are fantastic! Also take a look at the YouTube video of this safari - which was Trish and Tony's honeymoon. (All my YouTube videos are here.)

I offer this escorted gorilla safari to no more than four people every October. 2009 dates are October 24 to November 6.

Kingo

Makumba

27-05-2009

Sheldrick's Elephant Orphange - Nairobi, Kenya

While in Nairobi for the Tsavo hike, I made a pilgrimage to the orphanage to see my elephant foster son, Kimana. There are special visiting hours set up for foster parents, which is an additional incentive to foster. Here is another reason to adopt an elephant: Ithumba Camp in Tsavo East National Park. Operated by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and close to where the older orphans are transferred after the Nairobi nursery, the camp is open only to private groups of no more than six foster parents of the trust's elephants. I think it would make a fantastic add‐on to any Kenya‐based safari, such as the Tsavo walk. A combination of the two is perfect for anyone who is passionate about elephants. MTT can arrange stays at Ithumba Camp.

To foster the ever growing number of baby elephants,
go to www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

27-05-2009

Glenn Simmons' and Leann Perron's honeymoon safari

September 2008: I had dinner with Glenn and Leann in Arusha at the completion of their Northern circuit safari. They had a memorable encounter in the Lobo area of the Northern Serengeti when a male lion arrived in their campsite and roared all night long. No one got any sleep. Poor Leann wondered if she was to survive her honeymoon!

27-05-2009

Mark Achtemichuk's and Evelyn Lee's safari

November 2008: On Mark's and Evelyn's first day out on their first ever safari, they saw wild dogs in Tarangire. Mark tells the funny story of how his driver/guide, having heard that the dogs were at the airstrip, nevertheless stopped and waited patiently so that Mark could photograph a leopard tortoise. He then suggested that his uninformed clients sit down and hold on so he could drive straight to the dogs before they disappeared. Mark and Evelyn would thank him for that decision. Mark got some great shots. I also include Mark's beautiful shot of my favorite bird in flight, the lilac - breasted roller.

27-05-2009

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