By Justin Paul
Rhinos, river horses, and a behemoth waterfall – Africa tops the
Tap-tap-tap … … … Phwhooshhh. Phwhooshhh. … Tap-tap … … … Phwhooshhh.
The sound of hippos surfacing rivals that of whales. Rising up from the murky depths with a blast of their nostrils, they flick their ears and train beady eyes down their snoots at the four canoes and our guide who summoned them from below. “River horses” they’re called, and they take great pride in flexing their might. Infamously ornery, curious, and steadfastly territorial, these Zambezi River bulls are best avoided by drifters on their train.
My father and I have flown across the world to celebrate his 64th birthday with hundreds of them, and hundreds more unseen, during three days on the water. Crocs thrive here too, one for every 20 square yards of river by some estimates, but it’s the hippos for which our guide intermittently taps his paddle against the gunwale. It’s an engaging game of Whac-a-Mole in reverse, and we play throughout our journey down the Mana Pools Canoe Trail: Paddle taps down, hippo pops up, our party steers wide around.
This is the heart of our quest for the Last Great Safari, a sepia-plated grail of comfortable tented camps, solitude, and encounters with wildlife on its terms. Our custom 12-day journey with Wilderness Safaris covers three distinct regions – Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, the Zambezi River Valley, and Zambia’s Busanga Plains – conveniently linked by bush planes. Welcome to the Africa of adventure tales, where risk makes travelers active participants rather than ride-along observers. We have long since made the toughest call, when, after months into planning our trip, Zimbabwe’s smoldering politics erupted. Travel alerts went out, but the unrest stayed far from the remote camps, and after weeks of research and updates from Wilderness Safaris’ people on the ground, we decided to travel as planned.
How close do we want to paddle to that thing? Can we sit still enough in this hide for that elephant to drink beside us rather than toss us like toothpicks? These are our daily decisions now, and boy, are they fun to make.
Our initiation starts shortly before sunset, when our plane arcs toward Hwange International Grass Strip in Zimbabwe to reveal gray mounds morphing into elephants and twitchy zebras watching from a distance. We climb from the Cessna into a waiting Land Rover, and after introductions to our guide, Charles, set right out on a game drive.
Hwange National Park is famous for its thousands of elephants, Cape buffalos, and a host of large animals such as stately sable antelopes and giraffes that amble back and forth across the park’s border with Botswana. Early September marks the height of the dry season, when you could likely draw wildlife from miles away with little more than a pail of water. It’s almost suspicious how much we spot in the first hour alone – if I were a kori bustard in the brush, bets are I’d hear “Cue the lioness!” whispered shortly before our jeep drives up.
When we eventually roll up to Little Makalolo, there’s a rollicking Saturday night party at the camp’s water hole: Hyenas are stirring up trouble, twice treeing a leopard right in front of us before moving on to a sightly herd of buffalo. Elephants are sucking down a last drink before heading on their way. A black-backed jackal raises his voice above the din. By the time we sit down to dinner, we’ve already seen four of the “big five.”
It’s clear why Wilderness Safaris recommends a stay here. First, there’s the prolific game, but also, Zimbabwe is out there. Even after two days in Johannesburg to conquer jet lag, it’s nice to ease into Africa. Little Makalolo’s six tents, complete with en suite bathrooms and both indoor and outdoor showers, are a wonderful way to acclimate to the pace of safari life.
“Wild dogs!” assistant guide Mtu calls out excitedly, and suddenly the sunrise scene at camp – watching from an armchair in the dining tent while the water hole wakes up – becomes animated. I have no idea that painted dogs are such a prized sighting, but apparently they are (zebras and wildebeests: so clichéd, you know). We jump in the jeep to chase after them, and I discover that we were lucky to catch a glimpse. The dogs are long gone, dashing through as is their nature but honestly, I’m just as happy watching the elephants take mud baths nearby.
A short way down the dirt track, Charles spots the fifth of the “big five,” a white rhino grazing on the edge of a grassy wash. After sizing up the situation, we ease out of the truck. Every minute or so Charles gently squeezes a puff of dust from a bottle to gauge the wind’s direction, and we take a few more steps. Thirty yards away, the rhino swings its head toward us; it clicks that the six-foot guide to my left is the tallest thing between a dinosaur and me, and a squirt bottle of campfire ash foreshadows our fate. The Last Great Safari begins.
“You haven’t seen the ‘big five’ until you’ve seen them on foot,” Bryan tells us without the machismo the statement could easily carry. It’s our second day on the Zambezi, and he and our river guide Matthew have helped us beach the canoes for a game walk. A short flight from Hwange, the canoe trail stretches some 37 miles along the Zimbabwe-Zambia border. September brings one of Africa’s highest concentrations of wildlife to its banks, and in what proves a pattern throughout the journey, we step out at a seemingly barren spot and walk straight into a Wild Kingdom episode on the floodplain.
Mana Pools is birdcalls and hippos’ baritone bellyaches for alarm clocks in the gloaming. It’s the trumpeting elephant’s mock charge while you’re stretched out for a siesta (quite the wake-up call); a ripple oddly moving against the current, growing inch by inch until suddenly a “river horse” cruises
toward you. But it’s also the serenity of slipping up on waterbuck and other wildlife in morning haze, and simple pleasures such as having three days during which your only tasks are to wake up, talk, and drift. When I was growing up, my dad and I did quite a bit of canoeing, but we never had a staff to prepare us breakfast and break camp while we float beneath an elephant’s trunk (literally – it was too focused on a tree limb to notice), much less greet us with cocktails, a hot shower, and a plated dinner by the bonfire downriver.
If you can paddle a lake, you can tackle the Zambezi. Mississippi-wide at its narrowest on the canoe trail, the river fragments into channels around sandy mile-long islands and giant rafts of water hyacinths. It’s surprisingly shallow in places during the dry season – at times our paddles dig into sand a hundred yards from the bank – and flows so gently that headwinds bring progress to a crawl.
Few trips demand as much from guides, and few countries hold their guides to higher standards than Zimbabwe; they’re consistently tapped as the best on the continent. River guides such as Matthew must log more than 1,000 hours on their stretch of water before being allowed to take the license test. Even then, they can’t lead parties on walks along the banks; that’s the purview of professional guides such as Bryan, whose skills include stopping animals on the charge.
If that seems a bit outdated in today’s world, it won’t when you’re here. This is the place to stalk lion, Cape buffalo, and elephant on foot. There’s no rumble of jeep engines, crackles of CBs, or shutter snaps from neighboring vehicles to ward off game, but there’s no getaway car either.
As exciting as things get, no one in our group – a young couple from Colorado, a Dutch couple, and a South African man – ever seems nervous. Days fall into a relaxed routine. There’s the morning paddle on the river, followed by a game walk and coffee and tea. Bryan slings his gun up by the barrel, and we set out as if reporting for the Riverbank Times: “Civets Slay Catfish at Dead-end Mud Hole,” “Porcupines Rake Ant Lion’s Hideout,” “Impalas Walk Out in Show of Solidarity,” “Eleven-Foot Croc Makes Long Slog Home.” There’s not a plant or inch of ground that doesn’t tell a story with Brian’s combination of good luck and 18 years as a guide.
“Are there any mussels here?” someone asks out of the blue as Brian conveys the finer points of a snail we’ve run across.
“Just one kind,” he replies, glancing down. “Oh, there’s one there.”
Each afternoon brings a new cast of wildlife and a midriver raft-up around sunset for happy hour before that night’s camp comes into view. After some stargazing and trading stories by the fire, we’re escorted to the tents for the rest of the night (during the trip before ours, lions strolled through camp). The next thing I know, birds beckon again.
Bush planes provide welcome perspectives on safaris. Lifting off for Zambia’s Kafue National Park, we gain a larger appreciation for the Zambezi – the river’s size, the vast amount of terrain from which it draws wildlife to drink, and the rugged escarpment that borders the Zambian side but was hidden from us much of the time by haze. You can’t help but feel adventurous when landing, the plane approaching low across the treetops, dipping down onto a dusty clearing where a Land Rover awaits to spirit you away like some sort of revolutionary. This feeling reaches new heights on Kafue’s Busanga Plains, where a helicopter meets us at the airstrip for the final leg to Kapinga.
As at Little Makalolo and the more permanent tented camps, we’re welcomed by a camp host with cold towels and a beverage. Kapinga is a beautiful outpost: four elevated tents with private decks and an expansive common area built around a strangler fig, with a dining room, a sofa-surrounded fire pit, and plunge pool. It puts the “soft” in soft adventure and extends it to every aspect of guests’ stay at the camp, from massages to made-to-order breakfast omelets and impressive dinners. Today the chalkboard reads “Friday” (a handy way to help guests keep track of time) and lists dinner as a tomato, avocado, and mozzarella salad, followed by our choice of coconut fish curry with fresh cilantro or pan-seared steaks and a selection of cheeses for dessert.
We share the camp with a 70-something doctor and his wife, who have taken more than 40 safaris and can talk about almost any African country as if they’d just retired from guiding there, peppering their tailes with oddball stories, such as the one about an elephant that joined them in the shower. Thirty years ago they paddled the Zambezi. “The river is a life-changing experience,” the doctor tells me. “Our best trip yet.”
What the Zambezi holds in adrenaline, Busanga sees in peace. Roughly 12 times the size of Manhattan, the northern part of Kafue National Park floods a mind-boggling five feet deep when the Kafue River overruns its banks each year, then dries up into a grassy sea dotted with fig- and sausage-tree atolls. This is cat country, where game drives creep out in search of cheetahs, leopards, and double-digit prides of tree-climbing lions. On one drive we meet up with jeeps from Wilderness’ nearby camps and follow a cheetah with her young; on another, we park to watch lions mating and spot wildebeests and roan antelopes.
For our last night, we hop a few termite mounds over to Busanga Bush Camp. It’s a classic safari setup with fewer frills, but it has a magical kerosene lantern chandelier that I’m angling to dine under, along with a bonfire circle right out on the plain. Although that evening could have made the perfect nightcap for our journey, the next morning I can’t resist one last thrill. While standing in the grass watching puku and red lechwe antelope, I ask the helicopter pilot to fly low en route to the airstrip despite my dad’s misgivings (“I don’t see any reason to do that”). Hugging the tree line moments later, I crane my neck and catch his smile. This adventure isn’t over yet.
BIG TIME
Wrap up your safari with a wondrous sight
If you’re looking for a colonial or country-club reintroduction to civilization, check out The Victoria Falls Hotel (Zimbabwe) or The Royal Livingstone (Zambia). Alternatively, head for Wilderness Safaris’ Toka Leya Camp. Seven miles upriver from the falls, the decked outpost treads the line between safari camp and resort with 12 enormous, elegant tented rooms as well as a spa, river-view infinity pool, and an impressive bar and restaurant.
There’s wildlife around (we heard hippos chewing under our elevated tent one night), but river activities are the main draw. To make the most of it, have any of the hotels book a morning passage to Livingstone Island, and, if the river level is low enough, jump in Devil’s Pool, an eddy on the lip of Victoria Falls. Yes, it’s touristy and may seem like one of the most dangerously stupid things to do, well, ever, but in reality you’d have to try to wash over the falls and it’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Zimbabwe provides the best view of the falls, so walk the park trails lining the dry rim. After a late lunch (the terrace at The Victoria Falls Hotel is a classic choice) head back to Toka Leya to wrap up with a private sunset river cruise, where you can try your hand fishing for tiger and bream. If you’re lucky, you just may catch the second-largest tilapia in the river. My dad reeled in the first – I have the pictures to prove it.
Layover Reset your internal clock at The Westcliff Hotel. The terraced oasis features 116 rooms (most with private balconies), an infinity-edge pool overlooking Johannesburg’s zoological gardens, a spa, and La Belle Terrasse and Loggia’s celebrated seafood and game. Doubles from $451, including breakfast, a $50 dining credit, and a one-way transfer from the airport.
10 Safaris for classic Adventures
1. Canoeists paddle Mana Pools and stalk game on foot with Wilderness Safaris’ custom 12-day adventure in Zimbabwe and Zambia. Travelers also take in Hwange National Park, Zambia’s Busanga Plains, and Toka Leya Camp some seven miles upstream of Victoria Falls. Departures: Any day through November 15, 2009; from $11,912, including all meals.
2. Camels serve as porters on Micato Safaris’ journey through Kenya’s central highlands. The 13-day private outing includes five days of mobile camping, hiking, and riding on the Lewa Conservancy trails, followed by three days of game drives in the Masai Mara from a classic 1920s-style camp. Departures: Any day through 2009; from $16,640, including all meals.
3. Big Five Tours & Expeditions’eight-day Kenya safari immerses travelers in Masai culture. Parties hike to a local village and set out on game walks with Masai warriors, and search for the “big five” on game drives in Selenkay Conservancy. Departures: Multiple dates through 2009; from $4,390, including all meals.
4. Go ape with Volcanoes Safaris’gorilla-tracking adventures in Uganda and Rwanda. Eight-day itineraries feature four opportunities to track some of the world’s 700 remaining mountain gorillas, as well as the chance to climb two volcanoes and spend time with endangered golden monkeys. Departures: Multiple dates through December 8, 2009; from $4,926, including most meals and one gorilla-tracking permit.
5. Catch sunrise from the roof of Africa on Horizon & Co.’s 11-day Kilimanjaro trek. Hikers summit the 19,340-foot peak during the course of seven days in Tanzania, then head to Ngorongoro Crater Lodge for game drives, well-earned massages, and butler-tended suites. Departures: Multiple dates through 2009; from $5,995, including all meals.
6. Track game across Tanzania’s Serengeti and meet Jane Goodall’s chimpanzees with Natural Habitat Adventures. The new 12-day safari follows migrations from mobile tented camps and includes a full day of hiking with Jane Goodall Institute researchers in Gombe National Park. Departures: January 28 and August 1, 2010 (private departures available); from $10,595, including all meals.
7. Abercrombie & Kent Southern Africa explores Zambia’s wild side with game walks (or drives) along South Luangwa’s dry riverbeds and tiger fishing and canoeing in Lower Zambezi National Park. The eight-day safaris include guided outings to Victoria Falls and an afternoon in a fishing village. Departures: Any day through August 31, 2009; from $5,677, including all meals.
8. Traverse Botswana’s Okavango and Linyanti swamps by foot on Epic Private Journeys’ ten-day walking safari. Hikers trek 80 miles in six days in search of leopard, lion, buffalo, and some of Africa’s largest elephant populations, with two nights at traditional safari camps on either end. Departures: October 29 and November 9, 2009; from $14,065, including all meals.
9. Kayakers paddle among pink flamingos in Namibia’s Walvis Bay Lagoon on African Travel Inc.’s 12-day safari. The itinerary focuses on active pursuits, such as ballooning above the Sossusvlei Dunes, hikes in search of rhinos and desert elephants, and fly-fishing on the Kunene River. Departures: Any day through 2009; from $10,295, including most meals.
10. Travelers bike South Africa’s wine lands, sea kayak among penguins, and snorkel at Sodwana Bay with Heritage Tours. The private 12-day trip includes elephant-back safaris at Sabi Sands and game walks at Phinda Private Game Reserve. Departures: Any day through 2009; from $8,729, including most meals.