Wild Africa Epilogue: The Road Best Traveled

Joan Higbee and Darla Davis at Victoria Falls

(Winthrop, Massachusetts, December 5, 2013) When are we going back? Where are we going next? These are questions we’ve asked ourselves many times since our Road Scholar Wild Africa Program. Something magical happened during our journeys through Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia – magic that touched all of us; magic we all want to recapture.

When are you coming back…for a walk along the river?

Part of the magic is no doubt Africa itself. The wild animals we saw daily, so much that we almost took them for granted. Sure, we thought, we’ll see a few dozen elephants, giraffes, and zebras tomorrow. Of course, those are monkeys scampering across the roofs of our cabins at night.

A well-kept Zambian home near the Zambezi River.

But the magic of a Road Scholar program goes beyond any single location. We were welcomed into the villages and homes of the people we met, but we’ve always been invited into people’s homes everywhere Road Scholar takes us. Our guides, and the organization’s reputation, ensure that.

Watch the Road Scholar Wild Africa Program in Action! Click on the link below:

Road Scholar YouTube: Wild Africa Video

When are you coming back…for our Road Scholar hospitality?

We were out in the wilds of Africa every day, yet we always came home to accommodations that were way more comfortable than we thought we’d see in places called “camps.” Real Africa – wild animals, village life, and spectacular scenery – was right outside our doorsteps. But what doorsteps they were.

When are you coming back…to catch up with good friends?

And we’ve stayed in touch. Our group has its own Facebook page, where we share photos, stories, and memories, even two months after our program. Old friends became closer, strangers became new friends, and our friendships grew to include the schoolchildren we met. Beginning next year, they’ll study in classrooms renovated with our donations.

When are you coming back…to see how we’re doing in school?

We saw  lions and water buffalo. But Road Scholar could just as easily take us to  Costa Rica’s giant tortoises and tree frogs. We stayed in camps, but we could also sleep in a French Colonial hotel in Saigon, a Queen Mary stateroom, or a trailside lodge near Zion National Park.

And we’ll see each other again, either by design because we’ll plan future travels together, or by chance, since so many Road Scholars come back again and again for the magic we know we’ll find on every program. And when we’re not traveling, we’ll often ask the Road Scholar question: Where are we going next?

In many ways, the sun never sets on a Road Scholar adventure.

Continue the adventure of our Road Scholar Wild Africa program by reading Sally Hensel’s blog at:

http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sallykhen/2/1380185035/tpod.html

A Land of Bounty for All

The Zambezi and Luangwa River Valleys Draw All Species of Visitors

Sometimes, we didn’t need to visit the animals. More than once, the animals came to us.

(Winthrop, October 24, 2013) Traveling great distances can be a common experience in Wild Africa. Transatlantic flights necessarily bookend our journeys to this trip of a lifetime. But, particularly in the dry season, many of the animals we see have walked many miles to get here, too.

Dorothy McFadden-Parker enjoys the Luangwa River’s magic.

The views from Africa’s river banks, and from our cruises on the rivers themselves, are spectacular. The Luangwa and Zambezi run strong all year, even when there’s no rain, sustaining life for humans and wildlife alike. We can imagine the joy of drinking from the Luangwa on a hot afternoon.

A hippo walks where he might swim in the Green Season.

We rely on our imagination to think of what the land must be like when rivers run fast and deep. The Africans call it the “Green Season.” But dry riverbeds do serve as highways for the species we’ve come to see. Water may be scarce, but at least traveling to it is easier.

Video: Our journey through Wild Africa with Road Scholar 

Water is precious and scarce in the dry season.

It hadn’t rained for months prior to our arrival, and the locals had all made crucial seasonal adjustments. Many of the trees shed their leaves to reduce evaporation. Even the largest animals seek shade from the hot mid-day sun. And local farmers rely on irrigation to grow the crops they need to survive.

The beauty of Africa’s rivers can be indescribable.

You can hear the distant roar of Victoria Falls, even when appreciating the quiet majesty of the Zambezi River on a windless afternoon.

Africa After Dark

Spotlight on Wildlife in the South Luangwa Valley

Lionesses and their cubs devour a Cape Buffalo their pride killed earlier in the day.

(Winthrop, Massachusetts, October 17, 2013)  When the sun sets, Road Scholars watch the South Luangwa Valley comes alive with a different, more primal energy. Photogenic animals that seem to pose for the camera by day ignore us, and go about the real business of their lives. They eat, sleep, hunt, and hide until dawn.

Spotlights focus on the natural order of nighttime in the wild.

Night game drives are a revelation. They show a world that doesn’t care if we’re there. We learn individual lessons – how lions eat, how hyenas move, the silence of elephants walking. But the larger truth is that, by night, we are irrelevant, and can only watch in awe.

The search for food can be a solitary journey.

Big cats rule the night. They move in stealthy silence. Baboons, hyenas, impalas, and birds know this, and  unite to stand guard. Their alarm calls fill the night with hoots, whistles, screeches, and even one that sounds like a loud neighbor yelling “bark” – trying to keep the hunter hungry.

Video: Two leopards discover another reason to love the African night.

If you were an African Hare, you’d be on guard at night, too.

If they were human, many animals might have a love-hate relationship with the night. It allows them to hide from sight, perhaps eluding predators. But sound and scent still give clues about where they are…clues that can quickly turn a small animal into a snack. This hare needs a good hiding place.

Hyenas travel in packs, but they often follow a lookout.

You can hear hyenas before seeing them. And they’re just as dangerous as the big cats. A single hyena may appear first, but if food is discovered, many others will soon join in, forming a formidable pack. On our night drive, a leopard found the same meal as the hyenas, but outnumbered, she could only watch and wait.

Vultures are the birds that greet the wild African dawn.

The next morning, after the lions moved on for water and rest, an even larger family descended on the Cape buffalo. And they worked fast. Thirty minutes after this picture was taken, only a skeleton remained. They hyenas would return to eat these bones later that night.

A Wild Africa Program Checklist

Eight Things to Make a Safari Complete

1. Go Wild!

Our successful search for the White Rhinos of Zambia

(Winthrop, Massachusetts, October 16, 2013)  Every day on a Road Scholar program is full of activity. But even with a packed itinerary, surprises are always on the agenda. One afternoon, we were asked if we wanted to see a rhinoceros or two. You can imagine our enthusiasm, even if the rhinos seemed less than impressed.

2. Learn

Josephine Rekart reads 150-year old letters at the Livingstone Museum.

Some lessons were from the distant past. “This is a record of  incidents which occurred…with people of the interior, in order to…reproduce the feelings which animated me in endeavouring to open up Africa to the sympathies and succor of Christians in more favoured lands.” – David Livingstone, 1^st January, 1854.

3. Teach

Denise Slusser’s impromptu yoga class at Mambwe Village.

Many of our best moments were spent with the people we met on our daily adventures. Conversations taught us much about their lives, but a few of us went the extra mile to create more active communication. Whenever we did, there was never a shortage of willing participants.

4. Laugh

Jan Thornberg and Abraham at the helm on our sunset cruise.

Sundowners, that great tradition of ending each day with a toast to everyone and everything, gave us some of our best chances to relax and reflect. Some sundowners were more ornate than others, but even the most casual ones included the key elements of vistas, friendship, and fun.

5. Dance

Dorothy McFadden-Parker cuts a mean chitanga in Mambwe.

One of the many great guides at Mfuwe Lodge in the South Luangwa Valley is Peter Zulu – also the Headman at nearby Mambwe Village. He brought us there one afternoon for a local celebration of international friendship. The villagers got the party started, but it wasn’t long before everyone joined in the fun.

6. Jump!

Paul Mason adds a punctuation mark to his African adventure.

Even with the action-packed daily itineraries put together by program leader Lisa Reed, there was still free time for us to select adventures of our own. Riding a zip line across one of Victoria Falls’ gorges may or may not be your choice, but the views – and the ride – are breathtaking.

7. Enjoy

Larry Kameya takes in the views at Victoria Falls.

Almost lost in the excitement of our other activities was a visit to the world’s largest waterfall, one of David Livingstone’s greatest discoveries. The roar of its mighty waters could be heard for miles around. But its scenic beauty inspired quiet contemplation of nature’s wonders, beyond the people and wildlife of Africa.

8. Remember

One of the most spectacular sunsets of our lives.

You Ought to be in Pictures

Road Scholars learn that great photographs are always just around the corner.

Elephant Sunset, Zimbabwe, September 19, 2013.

(Winthrop, Massachusetts, October 11, 2013) Inspired by an unlimited supply of once-in-a-lifetime views, Road Scholar participants from all over North America recently gathered along the banks of – and sometimes on – the Zambezi River and its tributaries in Zimbabwe and Zambia. Equipped with various cameras and lenses, they sought the right combination of wildlife, scenery, and spontaneity that define the perfect picture.

A young giraffe obliges with a pose.

There was no shortage of subject matter in any of the national parks we visited. All species of four-legged creatures, birds, and even fearsome crocodiles, lizards, and snakes took turns appearing in our viewfinders. Sometimes it felt like there were just too many great shots.

Barbara Alm shares photo tips with a friend.

In fact, we photographers had more to consider than Africa’s many animals. Every day, we visited with local residents, young and old, to share their experiences and create new ones along the way. We all spoke English, but even better, we also shared the common languages of curiosity, friendship, and fun.

Quick! The light is fantastic!

Don’t let images like this one fool you. Traveling from sunrise to sunset and beyond by boat, jeep, and on foot in search of that perfect photograph is hard work. And the animals never seem to cooperate in providing that up-close and personal perspective a great picture requires.

A big lunchtime distraction, September 23, 2013.

Except when they do. One day, we didn’t need to travel at all to find a willing subject. At Mfuwe Lodge on the South Luangwa River, George the Elephant came to mug for our cameras, striding the sidewalks and munching on flowers that had fallen onto the main building’s thatched roof.

I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. Road Scholar.