32. Fantastic!!!

Entering Zambia is a slow process. Surely the people working at the border are not in a hurry to get you in. One guy kind of lies on his desk, suffering from malaria. The other ones just take their time to get everything sorted out. Yes, this is administration done at its most efficient.

Before heading out to the Victoria Falls, we make a stop at the Luangwa South National Park. From Chipata it is barely a hundred kilometres but it takes us three hours to get up there. The road starts off fine with nice tarmac but then – off course – gravel with lots of wholes takes over again. The road is under construction though, so we can imagine the pleasure people in the future will have driving up the new tarmac. ;)

We first try and find a place to bush camp but with the national park just 5 minutes away wildlife is very much present. So we decide to go and camp at a lodge. As we arrive we are welcomed by an amazing view of the river with hippos just passing their time. When I sign us in the guy at the counter says “If you have any food in the car make sure to get it out. Elephants (!!!) smell it and it has happened that they break into the vehicle to get it. And be aware of the fact that the hippos come out to eat the grass. And obviously there are loads of the monkeys here.”. OK, welcome to the wildlife zoo without fences! LOL When the manager comes to welcome us fifteen minutes later he tells us the monkeys steel food. By then we can acknowledge that as they have already snatched bread away. And as he presses again on the ‘elephant fact and hippos wondering around as if they own the place’ all I can think of is ‘I hope I don’t have to pee at night’ LOL.

View from our camp spot

At three o’clock it starts poring down rain. And when we say poring down we mean like the heaven showers are all open! And that goes on for hours on end, incredible! When at 6 am it is still raining heavily we decide to have an easy day and to postpone our daytrip to the next day. And so what does one do on a day like that in a superb place like we are at? We enjoy watching the hippos and we try to keep the monkeys from steeling our food! The monkeys are not scared at all. And they are super quick, the little bastards stole our coconut cookies! So we try to pay attention at keeping all the doors closed and especially the back door. We don’t want them steeling anymore and more so we don’t want their nasty nails on our air mattress. And imagine this scene: we left the drivers’ door open and the both of us are standing at the back of the car but on the other side. All of a sudden I hear a noise so I move to the front of the car, on the passenger 's side. I stand eye to eye with an adult baboon sitting in the drivers’ seat! All I can say is “ Babe, baboon in the car, IN the car!”. LOL I tell ya’, this is such a laugh!

The cookie snatcher

With the first rays of sun the next morning we get up and get prepared to go and see some wildlife. At 6 sharp we are at the entrance gate. We heard off a group of lions and the morning is the best time for game viewing. Barely half an hour in the park we are rewarded for our long drive two days ago and for getting up this early: a group of 18 (yes, 18!!!) lions is sitting next to the road. One Simba (lion king) with 8 females (de snoeper, as we would say in Dutch LOL) and 9 cubs. Because it is rainy season the lions stay near the roads where they can keep there claws dry. And best thing of all, we can approach without them moving. As they are not interested in us at all, we can drive the car up to 3 metres. This my friends is just the most amazing experience! We can also see the vultures not far who eat the remains of the lion ‘s pray (the pray that we can clearly smell btw… don’t know if you ever smelled a dead animal but trust us, that is disgusting).

Playtime

The ‘cleaning up the corpse crew’ has arrived

We have spend many hours in this incredibly beautiful park. For me personally the most amazing national park so far. Not only for the ‘up close and personal moment’ with the lions but for its diversity in animals and vegetation. Also, the lack of other tourists which gave us the feeling to have the place to ourselves. We definitely were the only ones driving our own 4x4. A highlight of our fantastic trip, a fantastic day we’ll never forget.

Isn’t he tiny?!!! (well, for an elephant that is LOL)

Flower power buffalo