Photo Safari Report: Custom Two Valleys | Aug 2025

Anabezi is a large, well-appointed lodge overlooking the Zambezi River. It’s 5 minutes’ drive from one of the best wildlife areas in the Lower Zambezi and I have enjoyed brilliant sightings here over the last 7 years. I had high expectations of this trip!

Every time we left camp, we were able to find headline species in the areas that we wanted them. It was remarkable. The trick became deciding which sightings to stay with, and when to move on and look for something else. The leopards of the area have always been relaxed, showy and very photogenic but, this time, there was a strange energy in the area. We learned during our time at Anabezi that two male leopards were in the area and the females were more anxious than normal, choosing to stay hidden rather than showing themselves as normal. Nevertheless, we managed some great images, watched a female being chased up a tree by baboons and saw two rounds of leopards mating in the night. Fabulous game viewing, without doubt.

The lions were also nearby and passed through camp one morning. We followed and caught them drinking at the river just before sunrise. The youngsters are doing well and it seems that the pride will finally grow in size after many years of stagnation and lost cubs.

The wild dogs, which we had hoped to spend time with, decided to den far to the western side of the park. Another pack of 5 have been seen in the Anabezi area but they were not around while we were there.

What is clear from the photos below is that, even when wildlife sighting plans don’t work out as expected, there’s still so much that we can enjoy on a photographic safari, from big game, to landscapes and great light….and we maximise the predator sightings when they occur. I always find something great to photograph, even if it’s not one of the headline species. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Lower Zambezi, as always, marvelling at the beauty of the place — I honestly see photo opportunities everywhere due to the play of light & shade alongside colour and shape.

Moving to Lion Camp, I knew that sightings would be excellent. It’s dry in the Luangwa this year so the game is concentrated along the river more than normal. And the view of the floodplain in front of camp was a constant flow of zebra, buffalo, elephants, antelope and predators; one night lions chased and caught an impala in front of Chalet 1, and we awoke to find the lions in front of main area another day. This is some of the best wildlife safari anywhere and, crucially, no one put it here; this wildlife habitat has been evolving and adapting to the whims of environmental changes since the rift valley was forming 20 million years ago. Standing in the middle of the bush and knowing that for 350kms in a NE and 350kms in a SW direction there is very little except wildlife habitat is special and increasingly rare in our world where land is parcelled up and fenced to contain or exclude.

Indeed we had an incredible time at Lion Camp; on our first morning, I drove out of camp and turned off the engine. Distantly I could hear vervet monkey calls so I honed in on the direction and drove towards it. We had a brief sighting of a leopard’s tail and it was hard to resolve what was happening. Listening again, impala calls took me 200m further and I found a young leopard (clearly a different one) carrying a freshly-killed bushbuck. We focused on her, despite the monkey calls which continued behind me. Over the next hours we watched as she tried to secure the kill in a sausage tree and then decided to move it to an easier tree….and we returned to the original site to find the leopard’s mother feeding on an old carcass in a tree. As we moved off, a young male (who was very shy) scaled the tree and stole the remaining carcass from the female leopard. Perhaps it had been his all along and the dominant female had stolen it from him. Quite a start to safari!

Over the next 5 days, we enjoyed lions, honey badgers (including the best daytime sighting I have ever had of these uncooperative nocturnal creatures) and wild dogs which are tending to pups at their den. The lions showed interesting social behaviour, the badgers dug up dung balls and the dogs chased (and were chased by) baboons in an ebony grove. On our final morning, we went in search of wild dogs early to see if we could catch them hunting. We met them on the road, in full pursuit, and quickly located them on an impala kill; nearby were two lionesses who got wind of the action and rushed in on top of the dogs, stealing the leftovers.

Throughout, we tried shooting into the light, predicting the action and taking chances to get the best shots. When I spotted hyaenas rushing in one direction, we took a chance and guessed where they were going which led me to a fresh impala kill in a tree. We were fortunate every day! However, we also left camp at 05:30 each day, worked long hours and covered ground scanning for tracks and listening for calls that would lead us to sightings.

Back in camp, we enjoyed amazing hospitality and great food, alongside superb staff who took care of every need. Want to leave earlier in the morning? No problem, the team can pack a light breakfast of eggs, yoghurt, fruit and scones to take with you. They are an outstanding outfit and I highly recommend 5-8 nights at this camp to enjoy all that there is on offer in the area.

You can follow Jaisal and Anjali’s Instagram pages to see their images from this trip, as well as their leadership and curation of the Suján Safari Camps in Rajasthan. I have been lucky to guide them several times, and to visit their camps in India, and I can say that they demand and deliver the highest standards in their operations……and a visit to JAWAI or Sher Bagh will be a lifetime experience.

I will be back again at Lion Camp at the end of the year and again several times in 2026. I am working on trips for 2027 at the moment so, if Lion Camp is on your list, get in touch and I’ll be happy to put together a trip for you. (At it stands, all my 2026 tours are already full.)