Into Africa: safari adventure goes luxury, part 1

by J.S. Fletcher and Kathy Newbern © 2009

Back on July 22, we posted a piece on adventure camping called “Not your grandpa’s camping trip.”

Part of it was about luxury safari adventures in Africa run by companies like Abercrombie & Kent (A&K), on how we’d report back on the safari we were scheduled to take.

Well read on, because it was quite a ride, literally and figuratively. Two days before we were to board the plane from Heathrow International to Johannesburg, South Africa, we sat down in the swank, new A&K office inside Harrod’s London, to go over our itinerary. We heard great promises of things to come at their Sanctuary Retreats and safari offerings in southern Africa’s Zambia.

This is the one that came across strong and clear: “You’ll have adventure by day, and luxury by night.”

That promise was met in full, adding that there was even adventure at night that falls into the “remarkable” category.

A&K offers trips around the world to some of the most exotic places imaginable, but we understand why their clients choose Africa and safari adventure as their number-one travel pick.

The luxury- minded Sanctuary Retreats let you combine a truly upscale getaway with dream of going on safari to see “big game” animals in their natural habitat. You’ll even get to shoot some of them – with your cameras, of course.

Getting to the camps is an adventure in itself, and well worth every minute. After landing in Jo-burg, as it’s locally called, we catch another flight to Livingstone Airport in Zambia. From there we were picked up and transported to our first camp.

Sussi & Chuma

This camp is built on the banks of the Zambezi River, and immediately upon our arrival, we are captivated by a pod of hippos lounging on the facing shore. Throughout the night we hear them bellow and other animals call out.

Before dinner, Junior Mweemba, our personal guide, takes us on a river cruise in a small, fast skiff as our first “sundowner,” named for the sunset, during which time snacks and a beverages are provided for an appropriate toast. Each camp has some sundowner variation each evening, and each camp is all-inclusive, with food and beverages, including wines and cocktails, included. Hunger and thirst will not be a problem during the stay.

On our sundowner, we spot our first elephant, water buck (similar to an elk), crocodile (no one dares swim in the rivers here because the crocs are everywhere), and hippo close up.

At Sussi & Chuma, named after David Livingstone's faithful companions, the accommodations are “treehouses” – 12 of them (plus two two-bedroom houses) luxury in every way with soaking tubs and romantic four-poster beds draped in netting. A system of raised, wooden walkways connects the huts to the reception and dining area. Hippos and elephants regularly walk through the camp, and occasionally the walkways are knocked down by elephants hindered by the man-made obstructions.

At all three camps, we were escorted to our room after dark and given an emergency whistle in case of a too-close animal encounter, which indicates just how “in the wild” these camps are. Strolling the walkway on our way to breakfast, we’re entertained by the vervet monkeys in the trees.

A day safari drive from this first camp gave us our first sightings of speedy, graceful impala; giraffe, less than five yards from our vehicle; zebra, no two are striped alike; water buck; wart hog; and chacma baboon. Soon we are trying to recall the characters from “The Lion King” to compare them to their real-life counterparts.

Harkening back to the time when rifle-toting, big-game hunters were the people who came on safari, their primary targets were The Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, cape buffalo, and rhinoceros, all chosen for how dangerous they are. Of course, today tourists simply try to see the five, and here in Sussi and Chuma we first cross the elephant off of our list.

The rhino is a tough one to spot, as they are rare in Zambia. Thousands of them used to roam here, but poachers killed them for their horns, rumored to be an aphrodisiac. Our guide, Junior, drove us to Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park here in Livingstone. This, Zambia’s smallest national park at 66 square kilometers, is the best chance to see rhinos since the park’s five white rhinos (they’re actually gray in color) are guarded for their protection.

We met up with park rangers carrying rifles who escort us into brush where four white rhinos were grazing. At 50-some yards away, it’s still evident how huge they are.

A highlight here as well is visiting Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe, it claims to be the world’s largest waterfall (though not the tallest or widest) because at 5,600 feet wide and 360 feet tall, it forms the largest sheet of falling water in the world. Impressive.

Continue on to Into Africa: safari adventure goes luxury, part 2

If You’re Going

Abercrombie & Kent, offering premiere luxury travel since 1962, has year-round safari offerings in Zambia and other African locales.

Sanctuary Retreats are a collection of luxury travel portfolios from lodges and camps, in Zambia and beyond, to villas and cruises: www.sanctuaryretreats.com. A spokesman says guests typically travel a Zambia circuit, enjoying 2-3 nights at each camp for a river experience, a highlands experience and maximum game viewing. To plan a stay, he suggests, “10 days would be good.”

For more on Zambia and its 19 national parks, visit www.zambiatourism.com

Getting There

Zambia’s capital, Lusaka, is accessible from both London Heathrow and a number of international airports on the African continent. Various options include Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Nairobi, Kenya), Dar es Salaam International Airport (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania), as well as O.R. Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg, South Africa).

Livingstone, home of the Victoria Falls, is also serviced by direct flights from O.R. Tambo International Airport.

To reach some lodges and camps, there are charter and scheduled flights from both Lusaka and Livingstone. Proflight is the preferred small plane service. And since these lodges are located in pristine and often remote locations, flying is the recommended mode of transport.

Continue on to Into Africa: safari adventure goes luxury, part 2

International Travel Examiner J.S. Fletcher and spouse, Kathy M. Newbern, report on luxury destinations, spas and cruising around the globe. They are award-winning members of the Society of American Travel Writers and operate their personalized romance novel business.