Flatdogs

Visiting the Serengeti two weeks ago was an amazing experience for me and it more than lived up to my expectiations for spotting wild game in Africa. Since leaving the Serengeti I've heard from several people that the South Luangwa Park in Zambia is even more impressive. The itinerary of the Gap tour includes a safari in South Luangwa, so I was very excited today to drive to the park, set up camp, and prepare for a full day game drive tomorrow.

In the past I've heard of campsites in Africa where the wild animals live nearby and often wander right through the camp. I didn't know where any of those camps were or if they really existed at all until our truck pulled into “Flatdogs” this afternoon.

After several hours of enduring dirt roads with lumps in them the size of ski moguls, the truck passed by a few elephants and a giraffe only a few hundred feet away. Everyone jumped out of their seats to get a good look but Henk, our driver, kept on rumbling right past them. Our tour guide spoke up and said that we had just arrived at Flatdogs and that elephant and giraffe sightings are very common here. When the truck stopped we got out to set up our tents as a small herd of elephants grazed in the brush only twenty or thrity feet away from us. One of the elephants wandered closer towards us into the camp and everyone backed off very slowly, careful not to offend the giant wild creature. Later on, as we ate lunch, wild baboons created a ruckus behind us and chased each other off into the trees.Flatdogs sits on the South bank of the Luangwa River, which runs through the center of the park and is filled with wild hippos and crocodiles. After lunch I wandered down to the bank of the river with a few other people from the tour group. An African man paddled a canoe in the distance and fat hippos made occasional splashes in the water and laid low to cool themselves. One hippo let out a sudden honk and the river quickly erupted with the sounds of many other hippos honking and splashing.Tomorrow's full-day safari includes a couple of game drives interspersed by guided walks through the brush. At night I'll ride through the reserve in a jeep equiped with infrared lights to spot nocturnal animals. There are a few things that I'd really like to experience before I leave Africa. Of the famous “Big Five”, I've already seen rhinos, elephants, buffalo, and lions, but I still haven't spotted any leopards. That would be a nice thing to see. I'd also like to see a cheetah or a lion make a kill, and if it's not too much to ask, I want to ride in safari vehicle while it gets chased by an angry elephant. I don't know how much of that is reasonable to expect, but either way, I'm sure the safari will be worthwhile tomorrow. I'll cross my fingers and hope for a very belligerant elephant.