Zambia: Ultimate Predators and Fruit Bat Migration

Photo Safari & Expedition

October 25 - November 7, 2013 (14 Days)

GROUP SIZE LIMITED TO ONLY SIX PHOTOGRAPHERS!

LAND ROVER SEATING - ONLY ONE PHOTOGRAPHER  PER BENCH!

Most generous Luggage allowance in the industry:

1 checked duffel (50lbs/22KG) and 1 carry-on camera bag (40lbs/18KG) and 1 laptop computer per person!

Zambia – ULTIMATE Predators and Fruit Bat Migration Photo Adventure featuring expert instruction from Canon Northern Explorer of Light and X-Rite Coloratti, Christopher Dodds. A unique blend of  guided walking with the animals and one bench per person Land Rover safaris. Don't miss this once in a lifetime ultimate photo safari adventure!

Christopher Dodds is proud to present a carefully crafted expedition to one of Africa’s most thrilling wildlife photographic destinations; Zambia. This friendly country is unquestionably one of the finest photographic locations in Africa yet remains mostly off the beaten tourist track. This 14 Day nature and wildlife photographic expedition into the heart of Zambia’s most famous national parks; North Luangwa, Lower Zambezi and Kasanka. This Photographic expedition is timed for the end of the dry season and there is no better time to photograph the spectacular wildlife that Zambia has to offer.

Friday, October 25, 2013 to Monday, October 28, 2013 (3 Nights):
Arrive in Lusaka International Airport (early morning October 25, 2013). Transfer / Charter Flight / Game Drive. Arrive Mulondoshi Fly Camp, North Luangwa National Park. A mobile, tented camp in "Classic Luangwa" on the banks of the Luangwa River.

• Classic general Luangwa River scenery – the river itself is an amazing phenomena and offers some amazing photographic vistas.  For example, upside down trees in the river, amazing light on the river banks, sausage trees everywhere, lily covered ‘emerald’ lagoons, and a whole lot more!
• Huge pods of hippo lying up on the banks and in the water.  The river will be at its lowest at this time of year which means great concentrations of hippos in the remaining pools.
• Masses of Nile Crocodiles lying up on the sand banks.  It is quite scary how many crocodiles there are in this river.
• Carmine Bee eater colonies – photograph thousands of these beautiful birds as they fly in and out of their colonies in the banks of the Luangwa River.
• Birding parties on the drying pools and lagoons – Pelicans, Yellow Billed Storks, Open Billed Storks, and Spoonbills all come to sweep up the fish in the drying waters.
• An excellent area for photos of Kudu and Bush Buck antelope in particular, but also masses of Puku and Impala antelope in the area as well as Waterbuck.
• Excellent Elephant and lion and leopard country.  Everything is congregated on the Luangwa as this is the only water in the area.

Monday October 28, 2013 to Thursday Oct. 31, 2013 (3 Nights):
Una's Camp, Mwaleshi River, Noth Luanga National Park. Una's camp is a grass bush camp located at a stunning location on the banks of the Mwaleshi River; a shallow crystal river that attracts huge herds of buffalo and the lions that hunt them.

• A completely different environment to photograph from the ‘classic’ Luangwa above – the river is a shallow crystal clear tributary of the Luangwa that flows all year round.  The scenery is fantastic with hills in the background and vast grass plains on either side of the Mwaleshi – again, scenically stunning.
• The main attraction here is the huge herds of 500 plus buffalo that follow the Mwaleshi River up and down.  You can walk right up to these herds on foot or drive in close on open topped vehicles.
• Following the huge herds of buffalo are prides of lion.  This can almost be guaranteed on the Mwaleshi at this time of year.
• The Mwaleshi is great for elephant and other plains game such as Wildebeest, Hartebeest and Zebra.
• In terms of birds, again, there are over 400 species of birds recorded in the North Luangwa and the Mwaleshi is a prime birding area.

North Luangwa Wildlife: The Big Five; The Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant & Black Rhino. Wildebeest, Hartbeest, Eland, Impala/Puku and huge pods of Hippos. Carmine Bee-eaters in huge colonies and White-fronted & small Bee Eaters. Ground Hornbills, Pels & Giant Eagle Owls, Fish, Martial & Crested Eagles, Lappett faced, White backed, hooded and white headed Vultures. Large bird parties on lagoons - Yellow Billed Storks, Pelicans & Spoonbills. Lilians Lovebirds & other Parrots, Goliath, Purple & other Herons, Sandgrouse, White Backed Night Heron * Green Backed Night Heron, Giant, Pied & Malachite Kingfishers. Hundreds of Crocodiles, Pythons, Puff Adders, Black Mamba and the Mozambique Cobra.

Thursday, October 31 to Monday, November 4 (4 Nights):
Potato Bush Camp, Lower Zambezi National Park. Potato Bush Camp is an idyllic location on the banks of the Zambezi River in southern Zambia. Right in the heart of the Lower Zambezi National Park and over looking the Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe, this is prime wildlife heaven. Excellent Elephant, buffalo, and Hippo with guaranteed predators like lion and leopard; combined with the scenery of the Zambezi River, this place is magical. Potato Bush Camp is the epitome of bush chic offering a civilized approach to a true bush experience with lavish attention to detail. This exclusive camp, voted number one on BBC Holiday Programme's "Ten best luxury Destinations", specializes in the very best game viewing with the highest international standards in luxury and service.

• Potato Bush is set in a stunning scenic location in the heart of the Lower Zambezi National Park.  From a photographic perspective, the scenery will blow you away immediately with the blue vastness of the Zambezi River contrasted against the rolling dark escarpment in the background.  This can all be viewed from 4x4 game viewing vehicles, from boats or from canoes.
• In terms of game, this camp is all about location, location, location.  Being in the middle of the National Park and with a Zimbabwean National Park opposite, the game is immense.  You can be guaranteed amazing elephant and hippo shots as well as massive Nile Crocodiles when on the water.  Inland there are huge herds of buffalo and all the predators too – lion, leopard and hyena for example.  In camp there are resident porcupines and Honey Badgers.
• In terms of birds, there are all the plovers, thousands of water fowl, carmine bee-eaters, pelicans, open-billed storks, crowned cranes.  The Zambezi is the life blood of Zambia and Zimbabwe and its natural wonders are amazing.

Lower Zambezi Wildlife: Excellent Elephant, Large herds of Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, Spotted Hyene, Honey Badger, Porcupine, Kudu, Impala and Huge pods of Hippos. Wattled Cranes, Crowned Cranes, Secretary Birds, Ground Hornbills, Martial Eagles, Fish Eagles, Lappett faced Vultures, Whaite backed Vultures, Hooded Vultures, White Headed Vultures, Black Shouldered Kites, African Marsh Harrier, Large * small Plovers, Waders, Huge Flocks of open bill Storks, Longclaws, Stonechat, Pitta, Bohms Bee Eater, Kingfishers, Large Kafue Crocodiles, Pythons, Puff Adders & Cobras - Black necked, etc.

Monday November 4, 2013 to Thursday November 7, 2013 (3 Nights):
Sitatunga Camp, Kasanka National Park. Sitatunga Camp is a tented mobile camp. Millions of bats and the shy and elusive Sitatunga right in front of the camp are the highlights here. The bat migration is one of the world's greatest natural wonders! The photographic highlight at this time of the year is the Straw Coloured Fruit Bat;

• The photographic highlight for Kasanka National Park at this time of year is the Straw Coloured Fruit Bat; millions of them flying in at dawn and flying out at dusk.  Eight million of these flying mammals congregate in the same two hectare patch of ‘Mushitu’ forest  every November for one of the natural world’s  ‘spectaculars’.  Photographers have the opportunity to photograph the bats from various vantage points and hides around the forest.
• The next highlight of Kasanka is a chance to see and photograph the shy and elusive Sitatunga antelope.  This is an aquatic antelope that can fully submerge its body under water with only its nostrils sticking out when disturbed.  Special blinds will be set up to try and photograph this specialist animal.

Kasanka wildlife: Straw Colored Fruit Bats - MILLIONS of them. Sitatunga, Blue Monkey, Kinda Baboon - Sub species of the yellow baboon, Thousands of Puku, Sable antelope, Wooly Necked Storks, Abdim Storks, Saddle Bill Storks, Lap Wings, Lots of Plovers and water birds, Barn Swallows, Mosque Swallows, Common Waxbill, Schalow's Turaco, Purple Roller, Birds of prey, vultures and Eagles preying on the bat colony, Pels Fishing Owl, Bohms Bee Eater, Narina Trogan, Pied Barbet, Red Chested Cuckoo, African Finfoot, Spurwing Geese and African March Harrier.

Price

The price for the Ultimat Zambian Photographic Expedition is US$15,895.00 per person sharing. The price of the single supplement is US$2,900.00, and will be charged if you wish to have single accommodation. Rates are based upon group tariffs; if the tour does not have sufficient registration (a minimum of 6 paying participants) a small party supplement will have to be charged - though that is very unlikely. A 50% non-refundable or transferable deposit is required to secure your spot on this trip of a lifetime; balance due June 27, 2013 (Canadian residents must add 5% GST and Quebec residents must add 5% GST and 9.5% QST).

Cost Includes:

• All road transfers and charter internal flights with extra baggage allowance
  
• All meals and beverages (except selected wines) starting at dinner (day 1) to breakfast (day 14)
• All accommodation
  
• Entrance fees to National Parks
• Tourism Levy’s for National Parks
• Private Vehicle Use Only one photographer per bench
• Laundry Services
• All game viewing activities at selected lodges and camps
  
• Private Expedition Leader and expert photographer Christopher Dodds
  
• Expert photographic advice and tutoring
• Service of local guides
  

Cost Excludes:

• International flights
• Items of a personal nature (Sunscreen, Insect repellant, curios, souvenirs, beauty treatments and telephone calls, etc.)
  
• Gratuities
  
• Travel Insurance and Travel Visas.

Please note:

• These costs are subject to major foreign exchange fluctuations and unforeseen increases in tour related prices, and may have to be adjusted as a result. Furthermore, we may be forced to change or alter the itinerary due to unforeseen circumstances; we will, however, attempt to adhere as close to the original program as possible.
• For the chartered flights you are restricted to 50lbs / 22KG luggage in a soft case or duffel bag. The allowance for carry-on photographic equipment is another 40 lbs / 18KG and each passenger may bring a laptop computer on board as carry-on luggage.
• Fitness and health: The Zambia photographic expedition does not require a high level of fitness, but participants should nevertheless be in good general health, since for much of this tour we will be in remote locations well away from modern medical facilities.
• Accommodation throughout the trip is of a high standard.
• Due to the presence of potentially dangerous game we will be spending much of this tour in vehicles or on walks with armed and experienced guides/trackers.
• All camps are unfenced. The camp takes necessary precautions but clients are asked to keep vigilant.
• This photographic safari occurs in a malaria area and a prophylaxis is necessary. You will also be required to have a yellow fever vaccination.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE DETAILS:

The tour will depart from Lusaka airport on October 25, 2013. Further meeting details in this regard will be forwarded to you in due course. The tour will conclude at Lusaka Airport on November 7, 2013. If you wish to arrive early and/or depart late and would like assistance in this regard, kindly let us know.