Zambian safari guide Jody Higgins lowered his voice as though making a confession: “I have this unusual ability,” he said. “I can call lions.”
Aah. Yes. “Really?” I nodded, trying to mask my disbelief as Higgins studied the enveloping African night. The rest of the party on the night drive shifted restlessly in their seats. It was beginning to get a bit chilly as a breeze whipped up from the Zambezi river, flowing silently in the darkness a few hundred metres to our left.
Higgins, sombre as a rock, continued: “I got the idea from watching a young buffalo get caught by a crocodile which then tried to pull it into the water. The buffalo began to bellow its head off and within minutes it was surrounded on the land side by a pride of lions. Every time the croc pulled, the buffalo bellowed and struggled to pull itself up the bank where the lions tried to grab it.”
A bit of a predicament for the buffalo, I thought, while wondering what Higgins had up his sleeve as he got out of the vehicle and moved a few metres away into the darkness.
“Folks, I’m going to call some lions,” he announced to the other guests. Taking a deep breath he cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed like a tortured buffalo. As he paused for breath, a lion’s roar boomed from the distance.
Ten minutes later, two huge male lions and three lionesses were parked next to the vehicle roaring their heads off, sending shivers up my spine.
When he’s not engaged in big-cat communication, Higgins is the assistant manager at Kasaka River Lodge, one of a handful of bush lodges on the banks of the Zambezi serving the largely unexplored 4 100 square kilometre Lower Zambezi National Park, which flanks more than 100km of the river below Kariba dam. Across the river is Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools, while 30 minutes by air to the west is the Zambian capital of Lusaka.
It’s a beautiful setting, with the main lodge buildings, nine tented en-suite chalets (including a honeymoon suite) and a swimming pool perched high on the banks with sweeping views over the river. An open-air bar and dining area are situated under a canopy of huge tamarind trees with a library and lounge area overlooking the river. A small health spa has just been added to the facilities.
Activities are centred around game viewing both on the river and in the national park, with fishing, canoeing, photographic and painting safaris offered to guests. As far as the local wildlife goes, with no fences in this part of the world, the game often comes to you. Elephants, especially, are frequent visitors to the lodge grounds, as are leopards.
Birdlife in the park is prolific with special inhabitants including the rare Pels fishing owl.
As lodges go, Kasaka isn’t extraordinary. It’s beautiful to look at, comfortable to stay in and the food’s great. But its people are its greatest strength. Lodge manager Hugo Fourie and his wife Esther have been instrumental not just in keeping guests happy but also in kickstarting a community upliftment programme.
They have helped to build and fund the nearby Magurameno Basic School and make a point of buying much of the produce used in the lodge from small-scale farmers in the area. They are also involved with Conservation Lower Zambezi, an NGO begun in 1995 that is working alongside the Zambian Wildlife Authority and Zambian National Parks to protect the Lower Zambezi National Park.
At Kasaka support for the local Chiawa community is strong. The staff of 20 is made up of local villagers with the exceptions being the Fouries, who are South African, and lion-man Higgins.
“There is much more awareness of tourism and its potential benefits,” Fourie said. “Zambia’s wildlife and natural beauty are her main tourism resources, but now there is growing emphasis on sustainable development and community involvement.”
Fourie is passionate about his job. He also drives a mean Landrover, especially when being pursued by an angry bull elephant.
The jumbo, heavily in musth, was, in the words of our tracker, keen on “tampering” with the guest-laden Landy which had just broken its clutch. We all piled on to Fourie’s vehicle for a lift back to camp, only to have the old bull give us a demonstration of how to uproot small trees before giving chase. He gave up at full tilt a metre from the back seat as Fourie found third gear.
That same night one of the elephant’s colleagues made it his job to keep me awake by stripping the trees around my chalet.
This area is elephant central. The place is positively teeming with them, from lone bachelors to huge breeding herds. During my four-day stay they became like impala — something you appreciate but don’t stop for.
There was plenty else to stop for, including wild dogs. Numbers of this rare and beautiful predator are at last on the increase, but a sighting of an entire pack is still something special.
But I must admit, even after the excitement of rampaging ellies, roaring lions, wild dogs and the late-night leopard Higgins found outside the camp, kicking back on the deck in front of the fire with a Bloody Mary was about as near to perfection as I could get.
Sharon van Wyk was hosted by Kasaka River Lodge
The lowdown
Kasaka River Lodge is open from April to December. Daily flights to Lusaka with South African Airways and Comair cost about R3 000 for an economy return ticket.
There is a special rate at Kasaka for South African residents of $125 a person a night sharing or $150 a night for a single person. The price includes accommodation, all meals and game or river activities.
For more information contact Kasaka’s Lusaka office on Tel: 09260 1 265 836; fax: 09260 1 26 0012; e-mail: nyamsaf@ coppernet.zm; website: www.kasakariverlodge. com