After a couple of days in Lusaka, we caught a prop plane for Mfuwe in the Eastern Province.  This remote village is located near the Luangwa River and South Luangwa National Park and one of the best locations for game viewing in the world.  We arrived Mfuwe International Airport in mid-afternoon and were met by our safari guide, Byron–or Lord Byron as we would come to know him.  He was a fantastically knowledgeable guide from Mfuwe with a real talent for unveiling the beauty and wonder of the park in an authentic and exciting way.  We stayed at Flatdogs Camp adjacent to the park.  (Flatdog is a local term for Crocodile.)  The camp was a perfect fit.  We stayed in a chalet that felt authentic with a small kitchen, loft, porch, 2 bedrooms with good nets, and a great view of the river from the front door.  The package included meals at the open air restaurant–great English breakfast (eggs, roasted tomato, bacon and baked beans) and very nice Zambian foods—great nshima, greens and curry dishes.  Our first safari left a 4P that day —the weather was clear and warm (70’s).  The air was dry and smelt of distant fires from the village and the mopane forest.  The earth was largely a red dust that became a familiar (and not unpleasant) veneer on life.  We took safari in an open truck with tiered open seating which allowed for amazing views of not just wildlife and scenery, but the amazing open African night sky and Southern hemisphere constellations.  With Lord Byron’s expert tracking over the next 2 days, we were able to identify nearly all the mammals on our list and scores of birds, crocs and amazing trees, including the epic Boabab tree.  Morning rides included sunrise and lots of morning activity prior to bedding down for the day.  Evening rides included views of spectacular sunsets and night safaris with our spotter–Tony–scanning the horizon with a spotlight.  Highlights included 3 glimpses of leopards, including one aborted attack on a group of yellow baboons, 2 close encounters with lion prides–one after a kill of a enormous buffalo and another between a futile giraffe hunt and an impala ambush foiled by a meddling hyena, extended periods of observing towers (standing) and journies (walking or running) of giraffes, including two sparring teenage boys, a lounging spotted hyena (no different than Roscoe and Obie at mid-day), and an intimate moment between a mother and baby elephant.  Of course, we have well over 1,000 pictures that I hope to share soon, but I am including a gallery of our favorites here.  I will also note that Darby invented a new approach to game viewing called “selfari”—-lots of likes on instagram.  As we finished our time in Luangwa, it seemed hard to believe that we had only been in Zambia for just 5 days.  There was so much more to come!  Enjoy the pictures.

Mitch