South Luangwa

By: Tendai Bushe

April has been a very interesting month for us as a team. We welcomed Karen back to Zambia (she will be with us for 3 months before returning to Edinburgh) and also welcomed Nashka to Zambia for the very first time. The whole team ventured out to South Luangwa for our 1st People and Places Retreat.

We landed into Mfuwe Airport just a few minutes before a heavy down pour came in. What a welcome! On arrival at Robin Pope Safaris Luangwa Safari House, we were welcomed by a joyous team. This stunning 4-bedroom house was to be our home for the next 2 nights. We started off with a cheery dinner where Emma shared the history of People and Places with us and expressed her pride at how much the company has grown over the last 11 years. We all went to bed full of delicious food and excitement for the weekend ahead. The cozy bed and the sound effects of the bush knocked me right out into a deep sleep.

After an early morning wakeup, we headed out to the Park for a walking safari with our guide, Yona. He passionately spoke to us about animals, birds, trees, plants, insects and even dung! He expressed how everything in life is interconnected and one thing cannot function without the other. He also spoke passionately about the history of walking safaris which started in South Luangwa under Norman Carr. Following on from our walk, we then did a short drive where we saw Impalas, Puku, Zebra, Giraffe and were pleasantly surprised when we came across a playful pack of Wild Dogs! After watching the dogs for a while we headed off to a secret spot where we were welcomed by the smiley team from the house who had set up a huge bush brunch for us. Drinks in hand with a magnificent view before us we listened to Yona tell us his life story and highlight how he started from security at Nsefu camp to becoming a guide! Feeling full and inspired we headed back to the house for our first team building session.

The deck overlooking the river was set up with chairs and a flip chart. We engaged, discussed and listened to the wealth of knowledge Dave shared – all whilst taking in our scenic surroundings. In between serious chats we wound down with some interactive activities – one of which was Chinese whispers. We very proudly nailed it and got 10/10 for our communication skills! The next morning, we went to Tribal Textiles to do a Batik Workshop. We created a beautiful wall hanging – all working together to bring this huge piece of art to life. This was such a fun activity and I highly recommend it for guests especially families or small groups! On our way back to the house we came across a calm bull elephant who was happy to let us observe him very closely for a few minutes then we were on our way back to the house to prepare for our flight back to Lusaka.

The objective of our retreat was to bond with one another, have fun and ultimately work on perfecting our service, and share ideas to improve our offering. We came back feeling exhilarated and ready to take on the safari season by the horns!