As guides we are always so keen to share OUR experiences and knowledge. Not a bad thing, but we thought it’s time to try letting the animals and the guests do the talking first! We will do the storytelling next.
10 days on the Zambezi with a mixed team of experienced and new guides. What more could one ask for? Ngwee – sunrise. Good coffee, a sensational view over the Zambezi River and epic Eurasian Hobbies hunting dragonflies – an Attenborough moment to start every day!
The Lower Zambezi National Park is open, but mostly unvisited in the rainy season. So at this time of the year, it’s a private wilderness of the highest order. We could take our time at each sighting. Time to let the animals do the talking before one of us would step in. First listen to what the animals are saying. A zebra herd with numerous stallions and their harems interacting. Elephants wallowing and baboons doing baboon things! There is so much to experience by just watching and listening. Jumping to conclusions and repeating books takes very little skill!
The more time we took, the more accurate and interesting the storytelling became. Matabele ants raiding termites became a full-scale war for us to enjoy in HD. listening to the guests’ responses will guide us to the right interpretive approach. One raptor spotted became no less than 7 species in the mid-morning thermals once we really started to look in detail.
Birding along the Zambezi we enjoyed numerous sightings and interactions, both fun to watch and a good challenge to interpret. Brown-backed Honeybirds chasing, Horus Swifts at nesting bank, Martial Eagle mobbed by Black-chested Snake-eagle to name a few. We also had good sightings of African Emerald Cuckoo, Red-throated Twinspot, tricky Marsh Warblers and Red-necked Falcons.
We spent time under the impressive mahoganies sharing and telling stories. We explored the channels and islands of the Zambezi in search of its specials. Baobabs were inspected on walks, revealing their long, slow secrets.
The Zambezi from Ngwee to Cho….hot, humid but full of life, fun and learning. Thank you to Time + Tide for investing time and energy into gathering their guiding team for some quality time together. We are all very, very happy!
