Hippo therapy - Zambia
By Roger Bray
It's not every day a hippo wakes you with its noisy chewing or an elephant threatens to mow you down. But then a Zambian safari on foot is not exactly your average walk in the park
THE elephant, standing alone on the far side of a dry water hole, seems benign enough. If she sees the red mist she'll have to cover a lot of ground to reach us, and even if she does decide to charge, she looks, to the untutored eye, cumbersome enougADVERTISEMENTh to dodge.
To the trained eye, however, it is time to retreat discreetly into the bush. Our guide, New Zealander Bryan Jackson, has picked up the danger signals – the first flap of the ears, then a lumbering pace forward.
"Come on, come on," he whispers urgently. We don't hesitate. It has been drummed into us, on this walking safari in Zambia's vast South Luangwa National Park, that such instructions must be obeyed instantly
All three camps, where accommodation is comfortable without removing the sense of adventure, have to be largely rebuilt after each rainy season, when the grass thatch and maize stalks used for roofs and walls become sodden and insect-infested. The food – Tafika has a magnificent garden in which a rich variety of fruit and vegetables are grown – is outstanding.
Scotlandonsunday.
Meneame
del.icio.us
