A Tale of Two Rivers – part 2

Part 2 recounts Marie’s return to the Lower Zambezi

“Sadly, our three nights at Puku Ridge had come to an end and Andrew took us back to Mfuwe airport to go onto Jeki and the Lower Zambezi.

Lyson was waiting for us at Jeki airstrip and drove us to the river to make the 45-minute boat trip across the mighty Zambezi to our third, and last camp, Chiawa, where we had a very warm welcome from all the staff greeting us with traditional African songs.  Some of the staff I knew from my last visit to Chiawa in 2022, like our brilliant guide Derick, guide Moses and Manager Simon, and it was great to see them again.”

“Apart from excellent morning game drives with the beautiful Zambezi Escarpment constantly in the background, and afternoon river cruises, on which we saw a mind-blowing amount of wildlife and birds (82 different species ticked off my list over our five-night stay at Chiawa), we were always very well fed and watered; the food being exceptional in both quality and quantity.  The lunch for just my friend and I on the boat on the river, with Derick and Bartholemew hosting, was very special, as was the dinner the following evening up the spiral staircase to a large balcony with dining area.  The evening before we left, the camp put on an excellent BBQ for all guests.  All guests are made to feel ‘special’ and we were no exception.”

“The day we departed we had time for a short game drive before we left for Jeki.  We were fortunate enough to come across a pride of lionesses and four cubs running to greet two males that were lying on the track in front of us; a third male, part of the coalition, was not around.  The lionesses and their cubs hadn’t seen the males for many days, so it was quite a reunion and a wonderful experience for us.  Derick messaged recently to tell me that the same lions managed to kill a baby elephant, proof of strength in numbers and the tenacity of this particular pride.

So, as quickly as we arrived in Zambia, we departed and were on our way back to the Ciela in Lusaka for the night before we boarded the plane back to Heathrow the following day.”

“Thanks to Katharine’s impeccable organisation, we were timely met by friendly representatives or guides at all airports/airstrips.  Everyone made sure we had ample time when it was time for us to leave or fly on to another camp.  Wherever we travelled in Zambia we felt very safe, and airport staff were extremely helpful and friendly.

We would thoroughly recommend all three camps we stayed at on this trip.  We were always treated with the utmost respect and politeness, and what we also appreciated was the flexibility guests were given with timing for breakfast and starting out on morning drives; if we wanted a lie-in for an extra half hour or more then it wasn’t a problem.  It was also our choice in the evening if we wished to eat by ourselves or with the other guests.   All-in-all, an incredible experience of Zambia as a country, its people and, of course, its amazing wildlife.”