The key to a good safari is, without a doubt, the quality of the guide and the accommodation of the guests during their stay. Having traveled to Kenya and Botswana on previous trips, I have experienced two of the best safari destinations Africa has to offer. I heard that Zambia offered a more basic safari and was therefore keen to see how it looked after those in search of a great wildlife experience.

Arriving in the Lower Zambezi with a connecting flight from Lusaka and an overnight flight from London never puts you in the best frame of mind to start a safari. What helps is a warm reception from a trusted host and at Chiawa Camp this came in the form of Grant and Lindsay Cummings. Grant established Chiawa, the first camp located in the Lower Zambezi National Park, in 1989 and, as a founding member of Conservation Lower Zambezi, has taken the camp and park from strength to strength. His passion for the mountains is evident from the moment you meet him. He encourages you to do all the activities on offer to see how much the park has developed and this is before you are even shown around his store. Grant’s enthusiasm carries over to the rest of his team and our guide Joe was proof of that. On our first night trip with him, we were lucky enough to come across a leopard stalking an impala. We carefully follow the leopard, making sure not to impede its hunt. As we followed him, Joe made a comment about his hunting habits; how he stalks, how often he eats and all this while driving through a thick forest… without any headlights on! The leopard hunt was unsuccessful this time, but that didn’t matter as we had learned a lot. It will always be difficult to follow such a wonderful encounter. Joe did it with confidence, though, not driving around the park trying to find something more exciting, but simply finding us a clearing, turning off the engine, and giving us a commentary on the massive starscape overhead. Of course, if an anteater had passed, he would have called it ‘Super Guide’, but that would have required a lot of luck.

From the Lower Zambezi, my journey took me northeast, both north and south of Luangwa. Our accommodation in North Luangwa was in Kutandala, a simple reed and thatched camp by the Mwaleshi River. This is the home of Rod and Gus Tether. Not only do they run and manage the camp, but they are also raising their two young children in the bush, which is no small feat. The emphasis in Kutandala is on walking and Rod is one of the best guides Zambia has to offer. Following the lions on foot is one of the options, but the lions weren’t around so we took a more scenic and refreshing day hike to Mwaleshi Falls. Along the way, Rod pointed out and identified numerous birds and animals and detoured the hike to see a large herd of hippos wallowing in the river – a spectacular sight up close. When we got to the falls, Rod’s eyes lit up and it was almost as if he was sharing one of his favorite toys with us. Lounging in the afternoon sun after a big barbecue, it was going to be hard to muster the energy to swim in the rock pools let alone walk home.

Not to be outdone by Rod’s barbecue skills, Gus produces what can only be described as miracle food in his simple bush kitchen. Kutandala, like many other camps, has its own salad and vegetable garden on site, so fresh, tasty produce is always on hand. However, when Gus made homemade sorbet and brandy skewers for the pudding at lunch, followed by homemade ice cream in a bowl of ice later that evening, I was truly blown away. I would challenge any London chef to produce such high quality food with such limited resources in such a remote location. Food is an important part of safari life and Gus’s was the best I experienced in Zambia.

Robin Pope Safaris is one of the most successful operations in South Luangwa and Nsefu Camp, located on the eastern banks of the Luangwa River, is at the heart of a bountiful game area. Of course, the wildlife has to be there, but a good guide will be able to find it and talk about it with confidence. Our guide in Nsefu was Kerry. She this was the first female guide I had seen since being piloted and guided by a four foot ten bush lady in Zimbabwe. She had proven to be an excellent guide, so I looked forward to seeing what Kerry could show us on our overnight drive. I heard that she was good with birds, so I decided to put her to the test. “How about we see if we can find some owls?” I asked as we left. Within 10 minutes, Kerry had found us an owl. “Where?” We all said, scanning the trees for a big fluffy bird. “In that bush over there,” Kerry said, pointing to a bush about two hundred yards from the runway. With the help of a large pair of binoculars, I found our barn owl, a spotted owl, about the size of a pigeon. An impressive place! Further down the road, after the sun had set, we came across a pair of porcupines, dimly lit by the moonlight. We watched them with the help of the spotter’s lamp for a while before asking if we could get closer. Undaunted by the steep embankment that we and the Land Cruiser will have to tackle, Kerry set off giving a perfect four-by-four driving demonstration. As we got closer, Kerry turned off the headlights. “I’m still learning,” she said. “Last week I found out that if you turn off your headlights you can get within 20 meters of the porcupines.” As a result, we got a very close sighting of these unusual animals.

Our last destinations were Kafue National Park and the Busanga Plains, about an hour’s flight west of Lusaka. Busanga is the only place in Zambia where cheetahs are regularly sighted. The wide open plains that flood after the December rains offer the perfect habitat during the dry months for these graceful cats, but searching for them in the tall grass requires the skill of a good guide. This time it was Lexon, who having grown up in the area knows Busanaga like the back of his hand, and along with Benson, his eagle-eyed spotter, made sure we got to see the cheetahs.

When it comes to tracking cheetahs, a guide who lives in a camp has an obvious advantage over the average guest who spends only maybe three or four days there. A guide will know the territory of the animals and when they were last seen, although of course he has yet to find them. I was at Busanga camp for only 16 hours, but Lexon and Benson enthusiastically accepted the challenge. Sure enough, within an hour of arriving at camp, we found five cheetahs (one mother and hers four year-old cubs of hers) bathing in the soft rays of the setting sun. A good handler thinks long term and by giving the mother and cubs distance from her in the early stages she gained his trust. The result was five cheetahs approaching the Land Rover to take some of the best photo opportunities I’ve ever had.

I came back from Zambia totally impressed by the quality of the guide and the accommodation. I found that a similar standard was evident in all the camps I visited. I recently traveled to Botswana, undoubtedly the most luxurious of all safari destinations, and to Kenya visiting some of Africa’s most pioneering and conservationist ranches. While Zambia can’t match the pristine, pristine waters of the Okavango Delta or the game density of some of Kenya’s best game reserves, it offers a unique African experience for me. The accommodation is comfortable without being overwhelming, the accommodation is excellent and the guide can only be described as brilliant. In Zambia, natural Africa is allowed to take center stage.

[http://www.aardvarksafaris.com/articles-zambia-grassroots]