emerald season
Mary Holland
EMERALD SEASON EXPERIENCE ZAMBIA’S GREENEST TIME OF THE YEAR IN A VERDANT LANDSCAPE RICH WITH WILDLIFE
“Last night I fell asleep in my hotel room to the faint sounds of the village and I felt a million miles away from anywhere else in the world,” says the man from the back seat of the safari vehicle. As our vehicle creeps onto the ferry’s ramp, I see locals cleaning fish on the riverbanks and children splashing in the water: a window into daily Zambian life. The ferry, which works on a rope system, has to be manually pulled to reach the other side of the river. Once it touches dry land, the locals carrying their daily provisions pile off, and we follow in tow. We continue to drive for roughly 40 minutes, past villages and small farmlands, until we enter the Liuwa Plain National Park – a moment that is almost unmistakable. Not because there is a glaring sign (quite the opposite: the sign is a piece of wood tacked to a tree that reads ‘boundary’) but because the
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TRAVEL
landscape changes from thick bush to plains of tall grass. I turn back to the man on the vehicle, who I have now learnt is a pilot and spends much of his time traveling extensively through Africa. “Why did you come here?” I ask. “Because it’s so wild. You just don’t get this kind of experience any more,” he replies. Zambia is considered one of last remaining unspoiled safari destinations in Africa. Home to the wildlife-dense South Luangwa National Park and the remote Liuwa Plain National Park (among many others), visitors can pick from a multitude of safari experiences and activities, which are a lot less touristy than other destinations in East Africa. The South Luangwa Park, which became acclaimed for its walking safaris and excellent guiding, is crawling with game. “There’s just so much wildlife! You never know what to expect or what
will be waiting around the next tree,” says Shaddy Nkoma, Norman Carr Safaris’ senior guide. Norman Carr Safaris has been a pioneer in walking safaris in Zambia almost since its inception in 1950. Its holding company Time + Tide has a slew of lodges in Zambia, all of which are committed to community-based, sustainable tourism and conservation, with many community-based projects throughout Zambia.
Photo on the opposite page, by Will Burrard-Lucas © Time + Tide
15
“Zambia’s Liuwa Plain National Park has the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa.”
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One of its shiniest camps, Chinzombo, is a 5-star lodge in the South Luangwa Park – the first of its kind in Zambia. The camp offers game drives, walking safaris, boat rides and sleep-outs under the stars. It is also open year-round; during the hot, dry months, and the emerald season (November to May) when the rains turn the landscape verdant with tall grass and lush thickets. While many would consider green season an unusual time to visit, the experienced safari-goer knows that with the rains come droves of bird species such as wattled cranes and the opportunity to see abundant sand lilies as well as lechwes, cheetahs, lions and packs of hyenas of up to 50 in a totally different landscape. In Zambia’s Liuwa Plain National Park, which has the second largest wildebeest migration after the Serengeti, visiting at the start of green season between October and November can be the most rewarding. It is at this time of year when herds move into the southern part of the park (where the only permanent lodge is located) to calve. The Liuwa Plain National Park, with its endless fields of grass where one can almost see the curvature of the Earth, is one of the most untouched parks on the continent. Its only permanent camp, the brand-new King Lewanika Lodge, is innovative and eco-aware with a strong focus on supporting local communities. The lodge’s intention is to reduce its carbon footprint, using eco-conscious, modern and local materials. It is exclusive, but not over-the-top; spacious but intimate, featuring 5-star amenities and services. Unlike the South Luangwa Park, the Liuwa Plain Park is not teeming with game. A former hunting ground once rife with poaching, the park is still being restored. But while there will not be an animal behind every tree, when the animals do sneak up on you, it is so much more unexpected. Curled up in my canvas room in the park one night, I wake to the sound of a lion roaring. It is so loud I bolt up and clamber for the light switch. My first instinct is to scream, but then, knowing I am perfectly safe behind the canvas wall, I think how lucky I am to experience something so wild, something you just do not get anywhere else in the world.
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TRAVEL
Photo on pages 16 and 17, Liuwa Plain National Park has the world’s second largest wildebeest migration, image by Will Burrard-Lucas. This page, top, sleepout, by Norman Carr Safaris; centre, King Lewanika Lodge; bottom, the lush landscape of western Zambia, location of King Lewanika Lodge. All © Time + Tide
EMERALD SEASON EXPERIENCE ZAMBIA’S GREENEST TIME OF THE YEAR IN A VERDANT LANDSCAPE RICH WITH WILDLIFE
“Last night I fell asleep in my hotel room to the faint sounds of the village and I felt a million miles away from anywhere else in the world,” says the man from the back seat of the safari vehicle. As our vehicle creeps onto the ferry’s ramp, I see locals cleaning fish on the riverbanks and children splashing in the water: a window into daily Zambian life. The ferry, which works on a rope system, has to be manually pulled to reach the other side of the river. Once it touches dry land, the locals carrying their daily provisions pile off, and we follow in tow. We continue to drive for roughly 40 minutes, past villages and small farmlands, until we enter the Liuwa Plain National Park – a moment that is almost unmistakable. Not because there is a glaring sign (quite the opposite: the sign is a piece of wood tacked to a tree that reads ‘boundary’) but because the
14 | Deeply Inspired
|
TRAVEL
landscape changes from thick bush to plains of tall grass. I turn back to the man on the vehicle, who I have now learnt is a pilot and spends much of his time traveling extensively through Africa. “Why did you come here?” I ask. “Because it’s so wild. You just don’t get this kind of experience any more,” he replies. Zambia is considered one of last remaining unspoiled safari destinations in Africa. Home to the wildlife-dense South Luangwa National Park and the remote Liuwa Plain National Park (among many others), visitors can pick from a multitude of safari experiences and activities, which are a lot less touristy than other destinations in East Africa. The South Luangwa Park, which became acclaimed for its walking safaris and excellent guiding, is crawling with game. “There’s just so much wildlife! You never know what to expect or what
will be waiting around the next tree,” says Shaddy Nkoma, Norman Carr Safaris’ senior guide. Norman Carr Safaris has been a pioneer in walking safaris in Zambia almost since its inception in 1950. Its holding company Time + Tide has a slew of lodges in Zambia, all of which are committed to community-based, sustainable tourism and conservation, with many community-based projects throughout Zambia.
Photo on the opposite page, by Will Burrard-Lucas © Time + Tide
15
“Zambia’s Liuwa Plain National Park has the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa.”
16 | Deeply Inspired
|
TRAVEL
17
One of its shiniest camps, Chinzombo, is a 5-star lodge in the South Luangwa Park – the first of its kind in Zambia. The camp offers game drives, walking safaris, boat rides and sleep-outs under the stars. It is also open year-round; during the hot, dry months, and the emerald season (November to May) when the rains turn the landscape verdant with tall grass and lush thickets. While many would consider green season an unusual time to visit, the experienced safari-goer knows that with the rains come droves of bird species such as wattled cranes and the opportunity to see abundant sand lilies as well as lechwes, cheetahs, lions and packs of hyenas of up to 50 in a totally different landscape. In Zambia’s Liuwa Plain National Park, which has the second largest wildebeest migration after the Serengeti, visiting at the start of green season between October and November can be the most rewarding. It is at this time of year when herds move into the southern part of the park (where the only permanent lodge is located) to calve. The Liuwa Plain National Park, with its endless fields of grass where one can almost see the curvature of the Earth, is one of the most untouched parks on the continent. Its only permanent camp, the brand-new King Lewanika Lodge, is innovative and eco-aware with a strong focus on supporting local communities. The lodge’s intention is to reduce its carbon footprint, using eco-conscious, modern and local materials. It is exclusive, but not over-the-top; spacious but intimate, featuring 5-star amenities and services. Unlike the South Luangwa Park, the Liuwa Plain Park is not teeming with game. A former hunting ground once rife with poaching, the park is still being restored. But while there will not be an animal behind every tree, when the animals do sneak up on you, it is so much more unexpected. Curled up in my canvas room in the park one night, I wake to the sound of a lion roaring. It is so loud I bolt up and clamber for the light switch. My first instinct is to scream, but then, knowing I am perfectly safe behind the canvas wall, I think how lucky I am to experience something so wild, something you just do not get anywhere else in the world.
18 | Deeply Inspired
|
TRAVEL
Photo on pages 16 and 17, Liuwa Plain National Park has the world’s second largest wildebeest migration, image by Will Burrard-Lucas. This page, top, sleepout, by Norman Carr Safaris; centre, King Lewanika Lodge; bottom, the lush landscape of western Zambia, location of King Lewanika Lodge. All © Time + Tide
