Hippo Photo Safari Emerald Season

On arrival at Lusaka International Airport, you will be met by a Robin Pope Safaris' representative who will have a name board with your names. He/She will assist you with immigration and customs clearing then check in for your flight to Mfuwe, South Luangwa. The flight is on average one hour. At Mfuwe International Airport a guide from Robin Pope Safaris will meet you. The drive to Nkwali Camp is 1 hour through colourful local scenes of villages, agriculture as well as bush. Nkwali Camp has a wide view of the Luangwa River. On Robin’s private land, and overlooking the South Luangwa National Park, Nkwali is ideally situated for the start of your safari. The six rooms all look out over the river and have open air bathrooms. Depending on your arrival time in the day you will enjoy a lunch looking out over the lagoon to the back of Nkwali or if in the afternoon for tea and the afternoon and night game drive.

Day 2/3

Your transfer to Nsefu is achieved by boat exploring flooding lagoons and visiting the heronry on your way up river. There is much to see and there will often be animals on the river bank watching the water float by. Light in the Emerald Season is much softer than in the drier months and gentle rays falling through ebony groves makes for some stunning photographs. While you are at Nsefu you will explore the park on foot and by boat - a visit to the huge yellow-billed stork colony is an excellent adventure.

• Tips on activities on offer:

• South Luangwa: walking, game drives (day and night), Kawaza Village Tour, Tribal Textiles tour (for souvenirs), Chipembele Wildlife Orphanage visit.

Day 4

Enjoy a boat transfer back down to Nkwali Camp, where you will spend your last few nights. You spend these days discovering this part of the park or the Game Management Area where Nkwali is located along with the main Park as well. By the end, you should have mastered a number of professional tricks and refined your own techniques too.  

Day 5-7 : Nkwali Camp

You will often get up before dawn so you're in the park in time for the fantastic dawn light - luckily the camp has access to the park across the Luangwa River so it takes only a few swift minutes. You'll maximise your time in the park finding many subjects to photograph from the very small to the very big. After enjoying a delicious lunch, you can choose to relax during siesta or sort through your photographs and come to grips with Adobe Lightroom. After a refreshing cup of tea or coffee and scrumptious cake you go back to the park to find even more in the afternoon and evening, returning to camp for dinner around 20h30. Most evenings there will be a slideshow where you will get an illustration of some of the points taught or highlighted throughout the day, and you'll also have a chance to show off your best shots.

After an early breakfast you will transferred back to Mfuwe Airport for your flight to Lusaka to meet your connecting flight.