It’s Monday and hello from the Lower Zambezi!

Well, hello there! I do hope that you are fabulously well and have had another lovely weekend. Here in Zambia, it is all systems go, there is no denying it. Whether from the game-viewing perspective or the camp side of things, this has been a season like no other. The icing on the cake has got to be the opening of our new camp in the Lower Zambezi, Kujana Camp, which welcomed its first guests last week.

The team in the Lower Zambezi broke ground in the middle of June, and since then it’s been all go, from digging and building to paperwork and orders. Coming up with an idea and building the camp is one thing, but buying an entire camp’s worth of fixtures and fittings has to be the biggest online shop I have ever done! The team have worked tirelessly, and for the last month of the build, Rob and I were down there along with some of our key maintenance guys from the Luangwa. Finally, Sarel arrived with the Mobile Walking Safaris team to get everything shipshape and ready for the guests.

The camp is set on an island off the main drag of the Zambezi, which gives a slightly different perspective from being on the main river. It overlooks another small island, which we discovered has a resident leopard who was seen a few times during the build, strolling along the opposite bank (Watch here). The elephants come through and cross the channel regularly (Watch here), hippos pop up the channel for a change of scenery, and the birdlife is just magnificent. We have also had lions come through on several occasions (Watch here) and have certainly seen leopard tracks in camp as well. It is just teeming with wildlife.

Once you have driven through a small section of the channel and into the main game-viewing area, you are never far away from something spectacular. Whether it is simply the beauty of the national park, with its towering winterthorn trees, open plains and stunning mountainous backdrop, or the numerous elephants, zebra and waterbuck that seem to be everywhere, there is always something to enjoy. Even on the half-hour drive from Jeki Airstrip to camp, sightings seem to be causing delays to guests’ arrivals! We have had lovely sightings of wild dogs (Watch here), leopard and lion. It’s been a really incredible start.

Let us also not forget that the Lower Zambezi offers another gem of an activity, and that is getting out on the water. Whether it’s a case of putting a rod in the water, accompanied by a nice cold drink, and floating downstream enjoying the sunset, or game viewing from the river, there is never a moment when you are left wanting.

The sight of elephants wading across the river has to be something that is unforgettable (Watch here). On the other hand, the sight of enormous Zambezi crocodiles feasting on a dead hippo is certainly something you can’t forget either (Watch here)!