25. Zambia: Wildlife Camp, Luangwa River

Our 13 hour trip led us to Wildlife Camp, a peaceful, remote location where animals are free to roam through the campsite. We are poised on the Luangwa River, so the location has the benefit of attracting animals looking for water.

What a treat this morning. We got up at 6:30 and looked out our window to see a herd of hippos active in the water. We drew our camp chairs to the river's edge, and spent an hour watching them move about before heading to our campsite for breakfast. (This is what is referred to as African TV.)

I'm realizing that the very large animals like elephants and hippos move quite slowly. When we watched the elephants queue up for water at Elephant Sands, they would take a few steps forward, wait 10 minutes, then jockey for a better position, wait another 10 minutes, then take another step forward. Frustrating if you're trying to get a video and move on, but a surprisingly pleasant way to pass the time if you have it. I think the elephants and hippos might be my favorites.Read more