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| ZAMBIA: NORTH LUANGWA - NO ORDINARY GAME RESERVE by Winnie Graham   When a lion cub put his snout through a reed wall at Zambia's Buffalo Camp in the North Luangwa valley, the Belgian woman occupying the flimsy chalet was unabashed. She hit the intruder on the head and the little fellow withdrew immediately. She then went off to tell her host that she had had an unwelcome visitor.Mark Harvey, the young man who owns two small bush camps in what must surely be the remotest corner of Africa, picked up his rifle and went off to shoo the pride away, his guest in tow. The job done, Harvey turned to her and asked: "Where's your husband?" For the first time, the woman quickened her step. She hadn't given him a thought since her close encounter with the cub. "I've left him in the hut," she said. When they got to the reed chalet they found the man safe. He had created a barricade with his suitcases and climbed under the bed. Harvey related the story at dinner on my first evening in the North Luangwa National Park, and though it caused considerable amusement, he was adamant that this Zambian national park, far to the north of its sister wilderness in the south, is no place for first-time visitors to the bush. It is simply too wild. "Folks who are fearful of the wild shouldn't come," he says. "They will feel permanently nervous. This is a wilderness. Apart from the animals, there are snakes and insects which frighten people unaccustomed to the bush." The North Luangwa is, indeed, no ordinary game reserve. The accommodation there is not geared for many visitors. There are just three "camps" in the huge park and less than 150 people a year get to visit the area. This is a place for connoisseurs who appreciate every nuance of the wild, folks who welcome close encounters with nature. Buffalo Camp where we stayed on our short visit is on the Mwaleshi, a flat, broad river which eventually joins the Luangwa. It is a magnificent waterway populated by hippos and crocodiles. Bushbuck graze among the reeds on the banks. The reed "chalets" are rebuilt after the rainy season each year when, with the coming of winter, the camp reopens for business. The camp site is a splendid place, set among huge mahogany and kigelia trees. The huts are comfortable, but there is no electricity or flush toilets, though the suite long-drops are spotlessly clean. The shower (with hot water supplied manually) operates on a bucket system. The area is unfenced and wild animals flow through all the time, undisturbed by human activity. "There was a hyena who used to hang around here," Harvey tells us at dinner. "He got to be a real nuisance and we were wondering what to do about it when the park's rangers came and asked if we had heard the news. Did we want the good bit first, or the bad? We said the good news." "Harry, the hyena is dead," the rangers said. "Lions killed him." Then what could the bad news be? Harry, it seems, had an apprentice, Henrietta, who had taken her master's place. She regularly visits Buffalo camp. That evening, as we sat down to dinner in an open-plan hut, our meal was erupted by a blood-curdling scream – and a scuffle. Four lions killed a bushbuck in the reeds, just a few meters from where we are sitting. Harvey fetched a spotlight and there, on the opposite side of the Mwaleshi, carnivores were tucking into their dinner. A pack of hyena was waiting in the wings. We counted the sets of eyes, bright as emeralds, in the moonless night ..... 17. Surely one bushbuck would not feed that many? Surprisingly, the incident had not turned anyone off their food. After watching for a while, we returned to our own meal, appetite intact! Our dinner, delayed by the lion kill, meant a late start to our night drive. Again, the experience was enriching. We had not yet left the camp when we spotted a leopard on an anthill just near the staff quarters. He stared briefly at us before moving into the bush. The African workers moved about unperturbed. There was no moon, but with the aid of a spotlight we were to see herds of antelope, bushy tailed and large-spotted mongoose, civets, bushbabies and nightjars. A never-ending array of little creatures which make night-viewing memorable seemed almost to be waiting for us. Once we encountered a lone lion who stared back at us before settling down under a tree. Near midnight, on our drive back to camp, we turned a corner and, in the headlights of the Land Rover, saw four lions ambling in the dirt track ahead of us. They were in no hurry so we slowed down to follow at their pace. Moments later, Mark commented, "Don't look now, but we have company." So intent were we on the lions in front that no one noticed the two lionesses strolling silently next to the vehicle. But the evening was by no means over. Back at Buffalo Camp, the staff were waiting to tell us that we had missed the excitement. Soon after leaving on our game drive the lions from the kill had strolled through the camp, the hyenas not far behind. It was bedtime now and I was thankful for the paraffin lantern I carried. I wanted no unexpected encounters on my way to the reed chalet. I was undressing in the shower, strategically placed under a sausage tree, when I remembered talk of pythons and boomslangs (tree snakes). I hastily gathered my things and dived into bed. It seemed the safest place to be! The dawn call came all too soon, but with the sky tinged pink and the river alluringly misty, it seemed too beautiful a day to linger in bed. It was time for a morning walk in the wild. This has long been a popular nature experience and in the North Luangwa I was not to be disappointed. The walk took us through a forest of mahogany and kigelia trees on the banks of the Mwaleshi River, across golden plains where lechwe and impala, Cookson's wildebeest and Burchell's zebra grazed. As we walked Mark Harvey kept us entertained with a seemingly endless supply of anecdotes. He also told us that Zambians were beginning to realise that their knowledge of the medicinal uses of plants was a valuable resource. In the past this knowledge had been pilfered by drug manufacturers who came to question the local population and then used the information for gain. In the process plants worth millions had been removed from the country. "There is an African viagra you know. It grows on anthills," he told us. "I've tried it." "Does it work?" I asked. He didn't answer for a moment, then looked quizzically at his guests. "You know it works," he said, "when warthogs with their little tights bums and upright tails start looking really pretty...." The North Luangwa is not an easy place to reach, even by motor vehicle. Owners of 4x4s can make it to the entrance of the reserve but here they must be met by their hosts. Private vehicles are not given access – perhaps understandably. The North Luangwa has long been the poaching grounds of international gangs who have obliterated the rhino and done damage to many species of wildlife. The problems of the park were brought to the attention of the world by Delia and Mark Owens whose book, The Eye of the Elephant, chronicled their struggle with poachers. Possibly because the region is so inaccessible, its appeal is enormous. This is one place in Africa where nature lovers are unlikely to encounter other vehicles. I flew to Lusaka with South African Airways. From there we connected with Eastern Air which took us to Mfuwe. At Mfuwe, a small five-seater plane was waiting to take us the rest of the way. It took much of the day just getting there, but it was well worth the effort. The five-seater plane flew low over the reserve giving us ample opportunity to see the river below, pods of hippos in the water, lechwe and impala grazing on the plains and even the occasional kudu. Most spectacular of all, however, was the Luangwa River itself, snaking through the brown winter bush. The birdlife is excellent. Immediately we stepped off the plane we encountered huge flocks of Lilian lovebirds, crowned cranes, several species of vultures and eagles. Little wonder some call the North Luangwa paradise. Photo courtesy Zambia National Tourist Board SCRIBBLES ETCETERAS If you want a 4x4experience, make arrangements in advance with Mark Harvey (owner of one of two companies operating in the area). He has two "dry season only" camps which operate between May and October. He can be reached at the Zambian Safari Company. In Lusaka email: zamsaf.co.zm. When to go Operators in this region conduct safaris in the dry season from June to October when animal sightings are at their peak. Access in the wet season is virtually impossible. |
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