Zambia-More Questions

Old Oct 10th, 2008, 02:28 AM
  #21  
 
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Lisa,

Shenton's hides are great but they tend to be used during the middle of the day so the light is not the best for photography. That said the hippo hide can be great when there is some argy bargy with the hippos.

It is a good use of the idle hours of the day though.

Recently 7 guests, a guide & a ZAWA game scout spent 2.5 hours in silence crammed in the Mwamba hide watching 2 lioness attempt to ambush impala & bushbuck at the waterhole. It was rivetting viewing but bloody hot and I was covered in sweat when exited the hide after the baboons gave the game away.

Another amusing tidbit is that the Mwamba pride have taken to the hippo hide with a couple of lions falling through the roof and others leaving deposits on the floor. They like the shade & coolness it provides.

Tafika is a beautiful camp but my knowledge is outdated as I last stayed there in 1999.

Just remeber one thing. When it comes to gameviewing it is the luck of the draw. There can be superb sightings one day and nothing the next.

Any of the SLNP camps can produce great gameviewing.

Geoff.
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Old Oct 10th, 2008, 02:29 AM
  #22  
 
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We did 4 nights Kaingo, 2 nights Mwamba, 3 nights Luangwa River Lodge and 3 nights Kasaka.

I do not think you can go wrong with either Mwamba or Tafika as I have heard good things about Tafika. Tafika will use a slightly different area than Kaingo/Mwamba if that is of interest to you. These lodges work together so the transfer should not be a problem. On the other hand, you may receive a discount for the 7 day stay at Kaingo/Mwamba -- we booked directly with them and received a 10% discount when we did it. I would ask for either that or a free night for a 7 night stay. So, if keeping costs down is a consideration (it always was for us) the Kaingo/Mwamba combination might be best. Mwamba is very small -- only takes a maximum of 6 guests -- and is more rustic -- I remembere it was the guides' favorite -- magical is what they called it and it was really great.

Kasaka and Chongwe are both outside the LZNP. If I went back, I would prefer to stay in the park even though it costs more. One reason is that it will take a half hour or so to get to the park from the camps. You have to be out of the park when it gets dark -- when you stay in the park, you just have to get back to the camp. If you are a few minutes late no real problem but if you are late leaving the park it is a problem because they do lock the gates. The park is large so if you are a far bit away from the entrance, it can be a rush to get back -- I remember that happening more than once. It just seemed getting out of the park and back to the camp took forever -- an hour or so over not great roads. Chongwe is a little closer to the park than Kasaka was but I would definitely look at Sausage Tree or Old Mondoro or Chiawa if I went back.
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Old Oct 10th, 2008, 02:33 AM
  #23  
 
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Just saw GeoffG's reply regarding the hides. Yes they are usually used during the day but I found Kaingo very accomodating and, if your seatmates don't mind, I am sure they would try to find a way for you to go there when the light was good. If you look on their web site, you will find that Jules has become a great photographer and Ithink she would be happy to try to arrange that for you.
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Old Oct 10th, 2008, 10:17 PM
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mpkp,

Jules is very busy with her baby daughter these days. She rarely visits the guests. I saw her out with Dereck and her camera only once when Al called in to say that lions had brought down a buffalo.

The current positioning of the hides is not good for light. In the morning you would be shooting into the sun from the hippo hide and in the afternoon the closer hippos would be shaded by the river bank.

That said the hides are brilliant.

Tafika would definitely use a different game viewing area as it is on the other side of the river.

Geoff.
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