I’m looking for a fresh perspective...

Lucy and David Brooke are experienced African
safari hands, and were looking for something
different this time. They were a little surprised when c+l came up with Zambia but, knowing we always try out our destinations and accommodation, decided they would try it. It turned out to be just what they were looking for. “The joy about Zambia is that you feel like you’ve got the whole place to yourself,” says Lucy.

Their first venue was the South Luangwa Valley
and a spacious private house set on its own on
the plains and boasting a 50-foot walkway that
overlooked a waterhole where baby elephants
wallowed in muddy pools. One elephant even
paid them a visit in bed.

Here they were treated to food that took their breath
away, watched leopard hunt at night led by guides
they “would have gone round the world with” and
who catered sensitively to the different needs of
a group with varied interests and experience.

The party of eight friends then flew on on to
a remote camp on the Busanga Plains, where
solid-floored tents perfectly combined the desire
for comfort and the great outdoors. Days watching
game were followed by evenings spent looking
over the veldt as animals wandered past.

They then flew to their final destination on the
shores of the vast Zambezi River. The next three
days were spent on the water, as some angled
for tigerfish and catfish (hooking a 64-pounder)
and others watched the wildlife, including hippo
and the ever present crocodile. Here, the guides
were again perfectly attuned to their needs, never
pushing them on too fast, always keeping an eye
on the party’s safety and each individual’s interests.

The camp was a very simple set-up: tents, basins,
no electricity. It was, Lucy says, an adventure, like
the whole trip – one she would repeat “like a shot”.

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