Tafika Camp was an unforgettable remote African experience for our family.
Our experience at Tafika Camp was a special in many ways.
The remoteness, which seems well protected by the rough road in (not a problem for us) really gave us the feeling of wild Africa. Though we anticipated the area would not be crowded this early in the season, we were surprised that we didn't see even one other safari group the entire time we were there. We had the entire Park to ourselves.
After leaving the villages along the main road, we didn't encounter another vehicle until reaching camp, only a few locals hauling their fish from the river by bicycle. Myself a botanist and my daughter an ecologist, we really enjoyed seeing different habitats in the northern part of the Park along the drive in. Although we haven't completed our checklists, we saw all the wildlife we hoped to see with some added bonuses. Our first night drive we encountered several of the smaller species we hoped to see including civet, genet, mongoose, hyena, and porcupine. Our excellent spotter even found green chameleon in the trees against the green leaves within arms reach from the vehicle - though it took minutes for us to see it. Early the next morning I took a flight with John on the microlight flight at sunrise, flying over large herds of buffalo and impala, upon landing a snake was observed on the landing strip, on inspection (not too close) turned out to be a boonslang, a real highlight for my son waiting to board the second flight, who was determined to observed a dangerous African snake on our journey - and did just that. John was careful to protect us well during the ordeal. Well, that was the best we could have had we thought, but as my son was ready to board for the flight there was commotion in the Camp, a lioness had gotten into the fenced garden and was quite upset at not finding her way back out the gate. As we had arranged for a walk later that morning fortunately an armed Park guard was present in Camp. John boarded my son for the microflight to go up and spot the animal and as the staff and the rest of us rushed into the safety of the camp office, the guard and the guides worked to open a portion of fence for the animal to escape, then just as we heard a loud roar we saw her leap through the garden in a flash and she escaped through the opening the guides had provided. The experience was exhilarating as we gathered in the office with the camp dogs, watching the commotion from the safety of the barred window. We were quite excited but felt safe with the situation handled by the guides and the Park guard. My son enjoyed an extra special flight as John circled over a few times to spot the activity below.
After things calmed and all gathered for breakfast before our walk, we joked that this wasn't in the brochure...and asked if this was just another day at Tafika Camp. The walk was a real education as our guide described the natural history of the numerous trees and other plants and we observed a small herd of buffalo and parade of elephant. Crossing the Luangwa River by canoe with hippo and croc in the distance was exciting to say the least, and knowing we were just downstream of Livingston's original crossing point put the whole adventure in perspective for me as I had become quite interested in the history of the continent.
Our second evening drive at Tafika was not to be outdone, as we encountered a leopard with a kill in a tree branch overhanging the trail, and though he darted into the tall grass as we approach we were able to see the remains of his kill in the branch a couple meters above our heads. Later, as we drove inland from the river to a lagoon for tea at sunset, we found another leopard resting across a small lagoon not more than 50 meters away. We watched for more than 20 minutes as he rested and rolled in the dirt bank, with just enough light to get decent photos. Our drive back to the airport was really the 'frosting on the cake' as we say here, as just out of camp we came upon a group of giraffe with a pair attempting to mate just off the road. Our guide stopped for us to watch and explained the interactions of the other males in the group. Then further down the road in the open grassland area a group of impala crossed in front of us, with one making an acrobatic leap high over the road directly in front of us, a sight to remember forever. Overall, Tafika Camp greatly exceeded our expectations for a remote African safari camp. The accommodations were very comfortable, the food was excellent and we didn't miss having a selection of meal options as was provided in the other camp we stayed at. The candlelight dinner on the lawn was great as was lounging around the bar afterward. Sitting around the morning campfire on the riverbank as the sunrise colored the river at breakfast was heaven.
We were treated somewhat special as we were the only group in camp except for a couple who were friends of the owners visiting John and Carol, which did not cause any distraction for us in any way, in fact we enjoyed very much the conversation around the bar with them before dinner. The relaxed and quiet tone of the camp was very nice as a contrast to the somewhat more active Flatdogs experience. After only two nights, we felt like part of the Tafika family. In all, Tafika camp was a perfect fit for our family African safari experience.
