Night Game Drives
There is no better park in Africa for night game drives than South Luangwa. On my most recent visit, the night game drive started out slowly until we almost ran over a lion lying in the middle of the road. What a shock! He was a member of a pride of seven that was hunting in thick bush. We followed them for awhile until the driver was afraid that we might accidentally get caught in the middle of the hunt and become the hunted!
We then followed a leopard at close range (20 ft./6 m.) which all but ignored our presence. We had quite a thrill when the leopard jumped high into a bush after two doves that must have been sleeping. Other sightings on the night game drives included spotted hyena, Pel’s fishing owl, several more leopard and lion, and a number of genet and civet.
Wildlife seen on one week’s safari to South Luangwa included baboon, buffalo, bushbuck, civet, eland, elephant, large-spotted genet, Thornicroft’s giraffe, hippo, honey badger, spotted hyena, impala, greater kudu, four leopard, over 20 lion, puku, vervet monkeys, warthog, common waterbuck, African wild dog, gnu, Burchell’s zebra, banded mongoose, white-tailed mongoose, crowned crane, African darter, fish eagle, goliath heron, marabou stork, sacred ibis, long-tailed glossy starling, brown snake eagle and many other birds.
There are few all-weather roads in the park north of Mfuwe, so most of the northern camps are closed from Novem¬ber 1-June 1. In May and early June the grass is still high. The northern part of the park is usually closed December through May.
Guests of most camps usually have a game drive or walk in the early morning, and in the afternoon, take either a day game drive departing about 3:30 p.m. and returning at dusk, or a late afternoon/night game drive, departing after 4:00 p.m. and returning around 8:00 p.m. Schedules will, of course, vary from camp to camp. Be sure to sign up for the option of your choice when checking in or as soon as possible thereafter.
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