travelandleisureindia.inmy bed, I stared upward through a
mosquito net and a layer of mesh, to
branches seemingly hung with stars. The
whistling of tree frogs and the whooping
of hyenas made up the soundscape until
dawn, when doves and coucals took over
and I was summoned to breakfast.
In the camp’s open dining area, Craig
and Lindy Reiche, Mwamba’s young
managers, doled out coffee and muffins,
and told tales of their neighbours.
“We have an elephant who loves the
gardenia by our hut,” Craig said.
“He makes so much noise with his
chewing,” Lindy added with a laugh.
It felt like I was entering a drama in
which humans had decent parts, but not
necessarily leading roles. The Reiches’
employers, Derek and Juliet Shenton, are
two important characters. Derek founded
Shenton Safaris back in 1992 with the goal
of bringing guests as close to nature as
possible. He grew up in Zambia. “I was
farming with my father when I came here,”“Are there many leopards here?”
“Many! This is the perfect habitat for them.”
South Luangwa’s roots go back to 1949, when Nfetsu, the
chief of the region’s Kunda people, created a private game
reserve at the urging of the British conservationist Norman
Carr. Carr went on to invent the model that many safari
companies now follow, seeking to empower local people
through employment and training, development, and tourism
designed to promote conservation. All around us was evidence
of his legacy: an environment so rich with life that we
encountered a bird or beast at every twist in the track.
Our home in South Luangwa was Mwamba Camp, a
cluster of thatch-and-bamboo huts on the banks of the
Mwamba River, which runs along the park’s eastern edge.
Each of the four guest chalets is open to the sky, allowing
night breezes to take the place of air-conditioning. From
Clockwise from top right: A herd of red lechwe in the Bangweulu Wetlands;
the Numbu Star Bed at Mwamba Bush Camp, in South Luangwa National Park;
a leopard hiding from a group of lionesses in South Luangwa National Park.