Fiona & Raj worked with me to run a photographic tour in September 2018. They have considerable experience running group photographic trips all over Africa via their company Travel & Photography UK.
We enjoyed a phenomenal 10 days and I am very grateful to them both for writing a detailed and in-depth review of their experiences. For anyone who’s sitting on the fence about coming on safari in South Luangwa, take some time to read about this trip from September 2018!
“Back in September we were privileged to have the opportunity to join Edward in the South Luangwa for what became one of the most epic safaris we have ever experienced. Beforehand we had affectionately referred to the trip as our Legendary Luangwa safari and little did we know that it would live up to it’s name in such spectacular fashion. That magical moment when the wildlife gods gaze down and smile and everything combines towards the realm of perfection.
Over the years we have been fortunate enough to travel extensively throughout southern and eastern Africa, spending time visiting and even working in some of Africa’s most incredible national parks. A few years ago we had the opportunity to visit South Luangwa and immediately knew we had found somewhere special. Unfortunately on that occasion we weren’t accompanied by Edward and it was only a little while later that we were fortunate enough to come across him. In 2017 we decided to bite the bullet and make our plans to return to South Luangwa and we knew we wanted to travel with Edward this time, so we got in touch with him in the hope of putting together a group to come and spend time exploring his home.
In many ways we are easily pleased, as Edward will attest by our excitement for everything the bush has to offer from tiny chameleons (that he had to drag us away from to be able to leave camp for our first afternoon game drive), to mongoose playing or the light reflecting on the water, we just love being in the African bush and marveling at everything nature has to offer. However there are some things we wouldn’t compromise on and Edward was intrinsic to ensuring those were met for us.
We wanted to come to the Luangwa during the peak dry season, but we don’t like crowds of people at sightings, we like to stay at camps that allow us to feel part of the action and not have to have that feeling of leaving the reserve at the end of a drive. With this in mind we opted to combine a couple of nights in the Mfuwe area, based at Robin Pope’s Luangwa River Camp and then move on to the more exclusive and quieter Nsefu sector, staying at Nsefu Camp. This turned out to be a wonderful combination. The river crossing into and out of River Camp allowed us to gain quick access into the park and then head out away from the busier areas around the main Mfuwe gate. With Edward’s incredible knowledge of the area we never really noticed the park being busy, apart from on our final afternoon at River Camp when we ventured closer to the main gate and ran into quite a few vehicles, which just confirmed how clever Edward had been in isolating us from this in the proceeding days.
Our sightings in the Mfuwe region were truly wonderful. September is of course Carmine bee-eater breeding season, so we spent several hours along the river bank, photographing these beautiful birds from different angles and locations, simply enjoying their ariel displays as they swept in and out of their nesting colonies.
The local lions also seemed intent on putting on a wonderful show, whilst at the same time looking at significantly boosting lion numbers in the Luangwa for the future, with not one but three pairs of mating lions frequenting the area close to River Camps crossing. In fact one evening we were particularly spoilt to have two of the pairs on the river bank directly opposite the lodge. This allowed us to spend time photographing them with the spot lights and experimenting with side lighting, with the lions of course being relatively active by lion standards.
We had leopards aplenty, thanks to Edward’s incredible guiding. He has honed a style that uses all his senses, and perhaps what is equally as special is that he explains his process to you, he will stop and listen, explaining the sounds he hears, and what they might mean. A squirrel alarm calling always warranted investigation and often yielded results. One particularly lovely leopard sighting was of a youngish male not far from the camp in the early dawn light. This leopard was curled up like a domestic cat, on the ground close to the base of a tree, as Edward so beautifully described him – he was a puddle of leopard, quite content to sleep whilst waiting for the warmth and light of the rising sun to greet him. We sat with him taking multiple images and then simply enjoying his presence. Eventually he rose and wondered off, we were able to follow him until he came to rest on the top of the river bank gazing out across the Luangwa. At this point we were close enough to the crossing back to river camp that we could drop down onto the crossing and photograph him with his paw resting on the edge of the bank and the sky behind him, with the light still enjoying the softness of the early morning.
It’s hard for this not to become a list of sightings as we really enjoyed so many incredible moments, but another highlight from the time at River Camp was an afternoon we spent on the edge of the forests near Luangwa Wafwa. The light through these beautiful trees in the early morning is reminiscent of the blue light we knew from Mana Pools in Zimbabwe, that creates a captivating backdrop and tempts any photographer passionate about the qualities of light. On this afternoon as the sun sank towards the horizon and our thoughts were drifting towards a spot for sundowners, a herd of elephants began meandering towards us through the grove of trees, no doubt gently making their way towards the river for water. Although lacking the blue light from the early morning, a dusty haze punctuated by the reddish light of the setting sun made for a glorious sight, one of those moments where you are torn between wishing to capture it with your camera or simply sit and soak in it, letting it surround and completely engulf you, the hot air filling your lungs and the bush gently rejuvenating your soul as you gaze upon these magnificent creatures.
After a fabulous few nights at River camp, which culminated with an amazing bush dinner down in the river bed under the stars, we said our goodbyes to the amazing staff who had spoilt us rotten and made our way north towards Nsefu. On the way we were distracted by leopards, glorious kudu and numerous vultures and several hyena cleaning the remains of a buffalo kill we had seen the day before, reaching the crossing point later then intended. The water levels in the Luangwa had dropped significantly, as the dry season was stretching towards it’s end and the crossing was becoming almost to shallow for the boat to navigate easily, it took a few attempts to safely transfer ourselves and our luggage to the waiting vehicle on the other side, much to the amusement of the pod of hippos sleepily gazing at us from their deeper water at the bend of the river.
Perhaps it was the fact that one of us had had the good fortune to be poo-ed on by a vulture that morning or maybe it is just the magic of Nsefu but the next five nights we spent here were utterly sublime.
Things got off to a good start when even the drive to the lodge from the crossing point, resulted in a sighting of seven lion resting up in the shade of a tree, but Nsefu had something particularly special in store that afternoon. Within about 5 minutes of camp we heard a squirrel alarm calling and, as had become customary, stopped to investigate. We were rewarded by a leopard resting in a tree, who we spent time photographing framed by the lush green leaves.
Already more then satisfied by an incredible day we were then treated to the most amazing sighting we have ever had. Close to Nsefu camp is an area known as the stork colony. Arriving here in the late dry season you would perhaps wonder at the name, as it is completely dry, devoid of water or indeed storks, rewind 6 months in the year to the rainy season and the area is flooded and the trees are home to a high rise of hundreds of bustling yellow billed storks and their rather haphazard nests as they raise their young. On our previous visit we had spent a whole morning at the stork colony enjoying what is truly a full on assault of the senses, as hungry crocs loiter at the bases of the tree waiting for any unfortunate babies or eggs that might tumble from their nests and the adults birds fly back and forth with nest material and food. There is another rather famous resident of this area known as Olimba, a female leopard who has become notorious for her use of the deep gullies that criss cross the plain to hunt the unsuspecting antelopes which graze the lush grasses. As the sun was beginning to drop and the light soften into the golden hour we arrived at the stork colony shortly after Olimba had successfully brought down a male impala, she was lying in a shallow gully still with a hold around his throat. On the open plain both she and her kill would be vulnerable, so to protect her meal it was imperative that she moved it to a safer place. We then sat transfixed as she proceeded to drag this large carcass across the plain towards the tree line. Each time convinced she would opt for a nearby tree she would carry on past it. We watched as she dragged this impala further and further. Eventually the effort of both the hunt and then moving the carcass seemed to get the better of her and she set the carcass down and heavily panting walked a short way to lay down and wash her paws, by now the sun had well and truly set and it was almost completely dark. Having briefly rested she rose once more and then turned and walked away from the carcass, silently disappearing into the gathering darkness. Conscious he didn’t want to draw other predators’ attention to the kill and as always mindful of his and our impact on the wildlife Edward made the decision that we should move away and wait until the following morning to see what would unfold. We happily agreed, a sense of overwhelming awe for what we had been privileged to witness and photograph.
Each day that followed continued to deliver in a similar fashion. From following a pack of seven african wild dogs (or painted wolves) successfully hunting right beside us; Several hours spent watching the five youngest, cutest members of the Nsefu lion pride entertaining us as the sun rose and they played, pounced and wrestled their way into our hearts; The Nsefu pride moving into hunting positions on an open plain as we tracked them with just the light of the full moon. Two rather handsome dominant male lions known as the Balotelli brothers, relaxing in the evening sun; The Nsefu leopard, Olimba and her family, her youngest cub and her older daughter Chimwera giving us spectacular shots of leopard feeding on a carcass, descending trees, drinking from waterholes and being able to photograph them at night, side lit for some spectacular effects. A host of birds and a crocodile hunting the poor fish left stranded in a small quickly drying pool. Elephants and giraffe running the gauntlet of crossing the river. A hippo heroically fending off a pride of lions from a buffalo that had died near his spot in the river. To our trip out to the spectacular salt pans on our last full day where we encountered a huge herd of buffalo coming down to drink with two of the bulls rather enthusiastically displaying their strength resulting in Edward doing a rather quick reverse of the vehicle to avoid these hefty gladiators and their sparring, followed by our morning coffee watching the ebb and flow of the crowned cranes flying over the marshes. Everyday in Nsefu delighted us with something different and equally extraordinary and firmly cemented it’s place in our hearts as one of our favourite places in the whole of Africa.
The staff at Robin Pope’s two camps worked seamlessly with Edward and ourselves, offering a wonderful level of service and hospitality, from bush breakfasts to sublime bush dinners under the stars, nothing was ever too much trouble, the settings were beautiful, the food always delicious and their company friendly and knowledgable about the area and the environment. Sitting at Nsefu camp gazing out over the Luangwa river, with the elephants regularly visiting to browse the tree line and the host of smaller animals at the waterhole provided the perfect foil for all our game drive adventures, a place to relax and recharge whilst still completely immersed in nature.
We were so spoilt by the predators of the South Luangwa that at times the safari was in danger of becoming a big cat safari. However Edward carefully managed this as he knew whilst everyone of course loves the headline acts, we equally love the intricacies of the bush and all the smaller animals too. His clever balancing of this is evident when looking back and reviewing images. Interspersed amongst the predators and elephants are the images where we would spend time photographing some of the more common birds, emerald spotted wood doves or plovers, even the guinea fowls scratching in the dust. Or the morning where the light catching the freshly fallen sausage tree flowers was just too tempting to pass by without giving it our full attention. It is this approach to safari that really fulfilled our brief. We have magical memories of watching a group of banded mongoose streaming across the plain, and interacting with vervet monkeys, baboons and even a young puku who really wasn’t sure what to make of these strange stripy little fellows. Hippos snoozing in the cool of the morning. Baboons feasting on wild figs high in the tree tops, or simply photographing impalas in the evening sun, all these were equally as special as the predator and big game sightings.
Edward really offers a very unique combination, he is an exceptional guide with both a sensitivity and sympathy for the environment and animals he interacts with, combined with the knowledge and eye of an experienced photographer. His knowledge as a guide allows him to find opportunities wherever possible but his eye as a photographer ensures he positions his guests for the best shots, considering all the intricacies of light, background, angle & his knowledge of animal behaviour to ensure you are well set up to capture fabulous images. He will gently remind you of settings to consider whilst on sightings but is equally sympathetic to existing styles and approaches you might all ready have. He makes himself available whilst at camp to review images and help with post-processing and is willing to offer as much or as little as you choose. We had numerous discussions with him, bouncing around ideas and different approaches, creating a real sharing of experience and concepts. Our group had a mixture of abilities and equipment, from someone with a simple bridge camera to some very serious and expensive professional lenses and camera bodies and Edward was able to harmoniously cater to everyone and their needs and abilities. Every single person in our group left feeling like they had significantly improved their photographic ability during the safari and were absolutely thrilled with the experiences, memories and images they took home.
If you are reading this, you are obviously aware of Edward and perhaps considering a trip with him. Having travelled extensively throughout Africa and experienced some amazing guiding and some incredible places, without hesitation we would recommend Edward and encourage you to get in touch with him and book a safari, you simply will not be disappointed. Whether you are an experienced photographer, a beginner or indeed someone who just loves nature, you will find investing in Edward and his time highly beneficial to elevate your safari to levels you simply didn’t even realise were possible. If we could travel with him everywhere, we would. Beyond all his knowledge is simply a wonderful person, who cares deeply about wildlife and the environment and who is a delight to spend time with. We consider ourselves lucky to now be able to call him a friend. Thank you Edward for such an incredible trip and memories we will cherish our whole lives.”
Fi and Raj
Once again, thank you both for the amazing write-up. If you would like to read more about this trip, you can review my write up, or check out Thomas Lehman’s photos from the trip. And if you are interested in any of the destinations that Fiona & Raj advertise on their website, I would highly recommend them as travel leaders! Their attention to detail and the way that they really listen to their guests is remarkable.
