Day 15-16 - Aug 5-6 - Fly Camping
Trip start
Two days walking and camping in tents. The tents, bathroom and shower were Send questions and comments to [email protected] and I will answer when time permits
Safari start
previous - Nsefu Camp
built during the morning. We walked from Nsefu to the first tent (about
28KMs total walking to the fly tents and back to Tena Tena) area on the
Luangwa River. The next day, we walked again to the next tent area where
the lions joined us. The safari staff moved the facilities and set up the
tents during our morning walk.
The standard contingent for a walk is a tea bearer at the rear, a scout leading with a 375 rifle, and a guide (Deb).
Our tents were in place before we arrived for lunch
You can see how we had to rough it as far as food was concerned
Afternoon tea-time (G&T time, to be more accurate)
The biggest set of horns we saw on a kudu,furing the afternoon walk
The only wildebeest (cookson wildebeest) we saw ... running with the impalas
Chris, Helen and Vaughan at a baobab tree
Off on our afternoon walk
The first night camping was out in the open and we were alarmed by two lionesses right beside our tents while eating supper (in the dark). The pride was very close (seemed to be within a 100 metres), and quite vocal, all night.
One more sunset pic
The second day, our tents were beside the river ... moved and built while we walked that morning from the first camp
Deb (our guide), Chris, Helen and Vaughan at lunch the second day of walking to our fly camp
fing area
The second morning walk
It was guessed that a poacher placed this elephant tusk here a few years ago, for safe-keeping while being pursued by game wardens, and never came back for it
Tsetse fly captured with Vaughan's close-up
FACT: Sleeping sickness a 'big threat' 20/02/2003 10:08 - (SA)
More than 65 million Africans risk catching trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness, the common name of the illness, every year and the disease is a major threat to Africa's development, a report by the African Union (AU) warns.
The pan-African organisation launched a continent-wide campaign to eradicate the tse-tse fly-spread disease, which also affects both livestock and wildlife.
The general public is largely unaware of the dangers posed by trypanosomiasis and ignorance of the illness "constitutes a serious threat to the socio-economic development" in Africa.
More than half a million Africans currently suffer from sleeping sickness, which can have a mortality rate of as high as 80%.
But, if one takes into account the zones infested by tse-tse fly, it is clear that up to 65 million Africans, most of them inhabitants of rural areas, are at risk of contracting the disease.
The disease kills more than 50 000 people each year.
Trypanosomiasis is also one of the most deadly parasite-borne animal diseases and kills three million head of livestock every year.
Trypanosomiasis, also locally known as nagana, threatens some 50 million cattle in Africa, according to a recent report by FAO.
About 20 tse-tse species infest a third of Africa's surface area or more than 10 million square kilometres in 37 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
All together, trypanosomiasis threatens to reduce the total number of livestock (165 million animals in sub-Saharan Africa) by about 10-50%.
Unlike malaria, Aids and other priorities and emergencies of the continent, trypanosomiasis continues to attract insufficient attention for intervention and action.
Some kind of beetle actively cleaning his home
Hippos in a water cabbage filled lagoon
Sundowner time, the second day
Blackheaded heron, during our return to Tena Tena the third day
The very elusive Civet
Kudu
When approaching Tena Tena, at the end of the morning walk the third day, the predictable happened and was captured in a pic as well as Vaughan's video. We has made a bridge of sticks over the lagoon and Chris had easily made the assisted crossing. However, the 'athletic' Helen had some balancing problems and fell into the mud, to everyone's laughter.
To have a bit of fun, they muddied themselves, including our guide, before entering Tena Tena.
next - return to Tena Tena camp
Safari start
Trip start