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Aardvark Goes Mobile
Author David Bell

David Bell, the most recent recruit to Aardvark’s Hampshire office had the chance to re-visit Zambia and sample a walking safari in the South Luangwa Valley earlier in the summer. 

Aardvark has always been keen to promote classic African safari experiences and one of the purest forms of this must surely be the mobile walking safari.  I jumped at the chance then when they decided to send me on a Zambian walking safari as part of my first educational trip in my role as an Aardvark Safaris consultant.  

I only had a week to plan the trip but, having worked for Aardvark for four months by this stage, planning bespoke itineraries had become second nature.  So after three days, 22 camps and lodges were booked for inspection, flights were paid for and 17 days on the ground were organised.  I was off.

I fell in love with Zambia some years ago while working at Lechwe Lodge on the Kafue River, so my trip felt as much like a homecoming as an exploration. One aspect I hadn’t given much thought to, was travelling solo.  Although I have had the privilege of a fair amount of travel I have never travelled alone.  This wasn’t an issue at all, as safari camps generate great camaraderie among guests - strangers soon become friends while discussing the shared experience of finding your first leopard or glimpse of a rare antelope.

For me and many others Zambia is the mecca for walking safaris, which were pioneered by Norman Carr in his beloved South Luangwa Valley in the 1950s. Zambia has become the benchmark for walking safaris across Africa. Combine this pedigree with the freedom and remoteness of a mobile tented camp and you have a truly real African experience that harks back to the safaris of a bygone era.

My mobile walking safari was run by Robin Pope Safaris, one of Zambia’s (if not one of Africa’s) top safari companies. The safari follows the Mupamadzi River in the northern region of the South Luangwa Valley. Currently they are the only company to run safaris this far north and certainly the only mobile walking camp to be found. The knowledge that only a 100 or so people a year tread this remote corner of wilderness adds to the seclusion and exclusivity of the place.

Although not a game rich area in comparison to the central Mfuwe area of the South Luangwa, sightings of big game – though never guaranteed - come surprisingly often. This creates a refreshing and unique change to the somewhat ‘list ticking’ approach that can take place on a normal game drive. The focus of a walking safari is by its very nature unfocused, and surprise and chance are king.

Every aspect and detail of your surroundings becomes your subject, from the tracks of a porcupine made the night before to the lilac breasted roller arrogantly displaying his bizarre flying aerobatics. You find yourself closer to nature then you have ever been, being amazed by a tiny ant lion larva sand-blasting its prey into submission or by the sheer size of a termite mound. When a hunting pair of lionesses first stood their ground, then ran off due to our presence we began to think of humans as the ultimate predators - although this feeling quickly crumbled away at the sight of a bull elephant marching our way.  Every sense is sharpened and attuned to your surroundings, the sound of a snapping twig taking on a whole new exhilarating feeling.

Even everyday tasks such as showering or visiting the loo become adventures, with bucket showers filled on request and long drop loos a surprisingly un-smelly  experience. Don’t be fooled into thinking that being more then six hours from the nearest camp means the menu consists of cold baked beans from a can. Bush gourmet just does not do it justice. The only kitchen appliances may be a hole in the ground, an open fire and a table, but this was some of the best food I have experienced in Zambia. If bush dining could be Michelin starred, this would have Gordon Ramsay written all over it.

Walking safaris are the most authentic, real safari experience you can have and I would suggest anyone with a sense of adventure - whether as an introduction to Africa like no other, or for an experienced safari goer looking for something completely genuine - would hugely enjoy one.  I know I shall be recommending them again and again. 

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