ZAMBIA | EXPLORING LOWER ZAMBEZI
Exploring
LOWER ZAMBEZI [ WRITER: Kyle Branch ] [ PHOTO: Mana Meadows ] The pitch of the aircraft evens out after take-off from Lusaka and within the blink of an eye you are over the mesmerizing layers of the blue-green coloured mountains that make up the Lower Zambezi Escarpment. The next shift in the plane comes with a lazy left turn to the east. The wing dips and the shining silver serpent of one of the largest rivers in Africa disappears towards Mozambique in your window, a scene that captures one’s heart forever. The flight path follows the Lower Zambezi towards Jeki airstrip, the excitement running
deep in the veins of people passionate for a Safari in untamed Africa.
the most spectacular wildlife destinations on this continent.
Alongside the landing strip there is a herd of elephant being led by their matriarch over the warm surface of Jeki plains towards the soothing green winterthorn woodland and the promise of water. The first footstep off of the aircraft is greeted by the warm air of one of
The Lower Zambezi National Park is almost a million hectares of pristine bush- with the catena effect creating a diverse set of habitats ranging from the rocky escarpment and Miombo woodland, down to combretum and Jesse bush thicket, ox bow lakes surrounded by acacia savannahs and finally a magnificent cathedral of winterthorn that line the banks of the surging Zambezi.
[ PHOTO: Kyle Branch ]
There is no better way to experience the vast web of insects, birds and animals that serve a special purpose in the life cycle of these habitats, than by the guiding of Zambia’s most passionate guides. Guides that have not only studied for years in the bush but have also grown up offline too- guides that live and breath for tracking leopards and lion but will sit and watch Livingstone’s flycatchers for hours or search thickets for weeks to find African pittas. The secret to this park lies not just in the surrounds but the experience- there are not too many places in Africa where you Safari on land AND water! Boating on the Lower Zambezi: This allows for the sighting of many diverse species of aquatic birds with very different photographic angles to those on game drives.
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TRAVEL & LEISURE | May - Aug 2022
