Background
Being addicted to wildlife documentaries and wanting to ensure the best possible photographic safari in Africa, care was taken in an extensive Web review of locations and types and the decision was made to do a walking type safari to get closer to the nature of Zambia.
As it turned out, this decision did not allow us to be closer to the animals (more on this later) and we opted for game drives after a couple of walks.

The safari portion of our trip (Joburg to Joburg) was put together by Misi Pearson of Zambezi Safari & Travel Co's Par Excellence service. Misi is an expert at putting together many different items into a seamless and perfect experience.

Robin Pope Safaris (RPS) was the tour provider selected and they exceeded our expectations by making sure EVERY aspect of their safari was trouble-free and very friendly. They employ local people as their guides, drivers and staff. All their staff were especially friendly and knowledgeable. The guides were very well trained and knew everything of every aspect of their environment.

The one other item that really comes to mind is the cleanliness of Zambia ... as compared to South Africa (Joburg and Soweto) and the areas of Botswana we visited. It is our impression that Zambia is the most unspoiled and tourist-friendly country in Africa. The RPS staff were particularly focused on ensuring it remained unspoiled with minimal impact to the environment due to their game drives and walks.

A typical game walk - tea bearer, Helen, Vaughan, Chris, guide, and scout with large rifle

Helen, hesitantly decided to go along with my need for exercise on the safari.
and, when our Australian friends (Vaughan and Chris Williams) heard about our plans, they were very enthusiastic about joining us. Chris and Vaughan (aka 10x zoom) truly helped it become an excellent adventure.

Some of the pictures we took during the safari

Most pics are from the Luangwa Valley area in Zambia.

For the birders, here is what Zambia offers.

The Safari Portion In Brief
We stayed at Thorntree Lodge (well looked after by Stuart Roberts) in Livingstone for two days, where we visited Victoria Falls and Mosi-o-Tunya game reserve.
We then flew to Lusaka (Zambia capital) for another connecting flight to Mfuwe, where we were picked up by RPS for the 10 days of safari on the Luangwa River in South Luangwa National Park. The safari portion involved: Nkwali Camp, Tena Tena Camp, Nsefu Camp, fly camping and back to Tena Tena Camp.
Then back to Thorntree Lodge where we spent two days (the second day was a game drive in Botswana's Chobe National Park).

Maps
A general map of Zambia showing the areas we visited (Livingstone then through Lusaka to the South Luangwa National Park's RPS camps ... Nkwali, Tena Tena, and Nsefu).
A map of the Livingstone area identifies Victoria Falls, Thorntree Lodge and Mosi-o-Tunya Game Reserve.

Send questions and comments to [email protected] and I will answer when time permits.