That’s the Sussi & Chuma safari camp, near Livingstone, Zambia. We’re on a boat out in the Zambezi river. My cabin is on the left, nestled down low in the middle of those green trees at the left – you can barely see it. On the far right was the bar where we enjoyed drinks both nights, along with the bugs. At the center right is the pool – an infinity pool actually (where the speck of red is). The lodge itself is back behind those buildings. If you go to the website you can see a beautiful shot of the lodge.
We flew from Johannesburg to Livingstone – about a 90-minute flight. Livingstone is named for the 19th century Scottish explorer who lived in and around this area on many of his expeditions. Susi and Chuma were his loyal attendants through all of his years in Africa. Per his wish, upon Livingstone’s death, Chuma & Susi (both spellings of Susi or Sussi are found) removed his heart and it’s buried nearby. His body was shipped back to Scotland. So, the safari camp took the Chuma and Sussi names to give it some local credence, I suppose.
At the airport we paid $50 for a visa that would allow us to visit several countries in this area – good thing, as we ended up going to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls. Entering Zimbabwe hadn’t been on the itinerary. Also at the airport someone stood near the passport control and pointed a small hand-held box at our heads (not in our ears) to take our body temp. That’s how they check for Ebola. None of the countries in southern Africa have had Ebola, thankfully. From the airport we took our first bouncing rides into the remote bush.
Once we arrived at the camp – at every camp – we were greeted by the staff – all of them singing, clapping and dancing – and smiling as we pulled up into the camp. The guides always called ahead on the walkie-talkies to tell them we were about 10 minutes away. We were given chilled washcloths to clean our hands and faces (so welcome after being in the dusty bush), and usually some kind of fruit juice drink or iced cold water to quench our thirst. We’d walk into the camp lodge, find a seat, then we were given a little orientation, this being our first one about living in the camps. To learn things like “don’t go to your tent cabins at night without one of our guides.” Interpretation: there may be animals, snakes, the elephants may have destroyed the walkway (very common) or some kind of danger. Or, “don’t drink the water from the tap.”
Interpretation: dysentery may ensue. Bottled (filtered) water was always available. “Use the air horn if you’re in danger at your cabin.” Interpretation: probably wild animals are nearby or baboons are ransacking the tent cabin exterior, or as in my case, come get me because my cabin has been surrounded by elephants for 2 hours. Or, as was the case in a couple of the camps, the power went off at the cabins, which meant in the very small space underneath the A/C units (hung on the wall up above the beds) wasn’t cool anymore, so it quickly became unbearable. In most of the tent cabins we had no way to talk to the staff (no intercom or phone) so the only way to get someone’s attention was by using the air horn. Above was our first tent cabin bed. Yes, we had to ask them to make it into 2 beds. And yes, at EVERY safari camp the mosquito netting was put down and around the bed EVERY night. And at right above is the tree house we stayed in. It’s elevated about 10-12 feet above the ground and you walk on wood catwalks to get to-fro to the lodge. We never saw elephants below ours, but many others did.
Daytimes we could make our own assessment of the safety – of walking between our tent cabins and the lodge. Many times over the 2 weeks at safari camps we encountered animals, and frequently we stepped in elephant dung. It just gets matted down and becomes part of the fauna of the paths. Fresh dung we stepped over, thank you. See why I left my pair of closed-toed Skechers behind? If elephants were around, nobody challenged them to rights to the paths – we were told to go back to our cabins and wait until they’d moved on. They’re somewhat used to seeing people at a distance away, but not up close.
All of the camps we stayed in were luxury ones. And even though our rooms were tent cabins and somewhat rustic, they were still luxury. I’m making a 
generalization here, but I think we had much better food than some camps (based on my conversations with other friends who have done similar tours in the last year or so). And except for one, we had an A/C unit over the bed in every camp. I think that constitutes luxury out in the bush. There is no wired electricity from a power plant – this is the African bush – they run generators, or some have solar panels too. We had ample water for showers and baths every day, although the water is loaded with iron and is discolored. See photo. I’d been told not to take white clothes because they wouldn’t come back white. And yes, I washed and showered in that water. It was clean, just loaded with iron. Most camps, the water 
wasn’t as dark as this in the photo (that photo taken at another camp). The camps do your laundry for you (except underwear).
In the afternoons, after lunch, all of us went to our cabins and rested. I sprawled on the bed and cranked up the A/C to full power if I had a choice, and just laid there trying to get tell myself I was getting cooler. Sometimes not very successfully! I read a lot and rested or napped. Remember, it was about 100° every day, and even with the small A/C unit running, it brought the temp down by only 6-8° I’d guess, providing you were right under it. At night, once the mosquito netting was down, that seemed to confine the cool air some, so we were usually more comfortable sleeping and the temps did go down at night.
Above is a tree with a strangling fig killing the main tree. It takes sometimes years, but eventually the main tree dies and the strangling fig flourishes using the main tree as its anchor. Kind of sad, I thought. Sort of like mistletoe.
One of the nights we took a boat ride – a sundowner cruise, they’re called – and saw all kinds of wildlife. This was our first views of African wildlife – we saw elephant, kudu, impala, crocodile, baboons and dozens and dozens of hippos.
There were two boats of us, and those little black things beyond the boat are hippos. More pictures of them below.
I didn’t get a photo of them with their monstrous yawning jaws open. You see them in the river because of their ears – the body could possible be a rock, you’d think, except their ears are brownish pink and they flutter – then you know they’re hippos. They were feeding. Hippos walk on the bottom and then rise up to breathe. We didn’t get very close to them – it’s not advisable. There were youngsters in that group too.
The guides drove the boats into the shore near here – several hundred yards away from the hippos – and sat in them and had a sundowner (a drink – any drink – it doesn’t matter – it’s just that it’s partaken at sundown). The guides brought out all kinds of alcohol and mixers, plus nuts and nibbles for us to eat. All while sitting in the boat. Baboons were nearby playing – fortunately they didn’t bother us. I had a gin and tonic, the only type of drink I had on the whole trip, I think. Oh, other than the Amarula.
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