I stayed at Sausage Tree Camp last week as the second part of my Lower Zambezi getaway... after all I'd heard about the camp, I'd wanted to visit for a long time, and was quite excited to see it actually come to fruition!
I was collected by boat from CLZ HQ by George, ready for the 45min trip downriver - thankfully in the middle of the day, as the winter mornings and afternoons are quite chilly on the river! En route, George stopped the boat, and got out his binoculars - he'd spotted some eland on the opposite banks (great eyes to see them!)... a real highlight as they're not a species commonly seen in this area!
On arrival at camp, I got a warm welcome from Nicci and Alan (managers along with George and his wife Merle), and a safety briefing, along with a nice refreshing welcome drink. Then it was time to head off with my muchinda (butler) to check out my digs for the next two nights.
My breath disappeared as soon as I was shown into my suite - I'd been given a HUGE room, with two bedrooms, large living area, and private pool/sundeck area. What a treat! Not to mention a huge bathroom with deep tub, double showers, and enough space to throw a party. Just amazing - such luxury in the middle of the bush!
It was soon time to head back for tea...I stayed at Sausage Tree Camp last week as the second part of my Lower Zambezi getaway... after all I'd heard about the camp, I'd wanted to visit for a long time, and was quite excited to see it actually come to fruition!
I was collected by boat from CLZ HQ by George, ready for the 45min trip downriver - thankfully in the middle of the day, as the winter mornings and afternoons are quite chilly on the river! En route, George stopped the boat, and got out his binoculars - he'd spotted some eland on the opposite banks (great eyes to see them!)... a real highlight as they're not a species commonly seen in this area!
On arrival at camp, I got a warm welcome from Nicci and Alan (managers along with George and his wife Merle), and a safety briefing, along with a nice refreshing welcome drink. Then it was time to head off with my muchinda (butler) to check out my digs for the next two nights.
My breath disappeared as soon as I was shown into my suite - I'd been given a HUGE room, with two bedrooms, large living area, and private pool/sundeck area. What a treat! Not to mention a huge bathroom with deep tub, double showers, and enough space to throw a party. Just amazing - such luxury in the middle of the bush!
It was soon time to head back for tea and afternoon activities - and so my Sausage Tree eating safari began. Merle is in charge of the kitchen and delights in arranging the most scrumptious treats at all hours of the day - she really did a wonderful job keeping us all well fed.. the range of food available to us was extraordinary!
As I was the only one wanting to do a game drive that afternoon, Alan took me out, and we went "hunting" a pride of lions that had been seen the previous day... it took some time to find them, but it was an amazing afternoon once we did - just sitting there with them, watching the cubs playing around, and the mothers trying to instill some discipline! One of the utmost luxuries on safari is being on a private vehicle, so you have some say in how long you stay with one sighting.
The next day I managed to get out of my VERY warm (thanks to the snuggly hot water bottle) and comfortable bed to head off on a walking safari - it was a great morning for it, though quite chilly to start off! We had to backtrack several times as elephants were playing games with us, moving around to wherever we were headed, but Chris our guide, as well as our escort scout kept us safe and well informed on what was happening.
Lunch was a real treat - we headed out onto (and into) the Zambezi for a sandbank lunch. A braai had been set up for us, with a table in the middle of a Zambezi sandbank, so we sat out under our shade tent, ankle deep in water drinking Pimms and gorging ourselves on wonderful food - thankfully we had sufficient time for a siesta when we got back to camp though!
My night drive that evening was one out of the bag - we managed to see the same lion pride with their cubs heading out on a hunt. Chris had an idea of where they were going to head to, and so we also went that direction to meet the lions there. Once we arrived at the predicted hunting ground, we sat waiting, with our lights turned off, just absorbing the night sounds and smells, and of course - the night sky. The stars were truly extraordinary - and seemed close enough to touch! It didn't take long for a short alarm call to be heard - and when we turned on the spot light, there they were... our lion pride staking out their prey! We turned off the spot light again to sit and wait - and for almost 30 mins we wondered if there was going to be any action.. eventually we had to leave them to their hunt, as our dinner was waiting!
We didn't head back to camp for dinner though - as we took a slight detour, we found out that a bush dinner had been arranged. Dining under the stars with paraffin lamps and a campfire as our only sources of light was just breathtaking. Hyenas were making their presence heard in the distance, and at the end of dinner as we were sipping on hot chocolates, we heard the alarm call of a baboon close by. Thinking there may have been a leopard on the move, we headed off to see what we could find - sadly for us we didn't find the leopard, but the thrill of the chase really capped of a wonderful night out in the bush, and an extraordinarily wonderful stay at Sausage Tree.
I can't recommend Sausage Tree highly enough. From the friendly staff and management who go out of their way to make you feel like the most special people on earth, to the wonderful rooms, great food and of course great location and wildlife, it is a safarilover's paradise.More
Show less
