1. Lagoons, Luxury and Elephant Shaped Soap
2. Fears, Feasts and Mud Fights
3. Insects, Sex and Sachets of Gin
4. On the Move, On the Stove and On the Hunt
5. Lie-ins, Lounging Leopards and Laws of the Jungle
6. Dung, Dust and a Midnight Snack
7. Wading, Wobbling and Fond Farewells
8. Candles, Crocs and Customised Showers
9. Picnics, Puppies and Crocodile Cookies
10. Sausage Fruit, Socks and a Lifetime of Memories

Lagoons, Luxury and Elephant Shaped Soap

Well, they say you can take the girl out of the city but you'll never get the city out of the girl. That was my immediate reaction to Andy Hogg's invitation to join him on a walking safari between his three luxurious bushcamps when I met him at the Indaba travel show in Durban last year. Andy, an ex-rugby player, co-owns The Bushcamp Company, which is based in the South Luangwa Valley in Zambia - a well established outfit designed to meet the needs of the adventurous traveller who enjoys a touch of luxury. The luxury bit sounded fine but I was less sure about slogging it across the bush on foot - surely this was why they invented 4x4s? But Andy's passion and enthusiasm for his corner of Africa were irresistible and it was only a few weeks afterwards that I landed at the tiny airport of Mfuwe ready for my adventure.

I was enthusiastically greeted off the plane by Alison Oliver, a lively lass who manages all the day-to-day administration of the Bushcamps and who had been my main contact in the run-up for this visit. We were to meet up with Andy at the prestigious Mfuwe Lodge which is a short drive away from the airport. This is the only lodge inside the game park itself and, as Alison explained, although it means unparalleled encounters with the animals, sometimes their proximity can be a little daunting. To illustrate her point, she told me about 'Wonky Tusk' and her family (a large-ish herd of elephants), who have never let the building of a safari lodge get in the way of their normal route to the luscious mango trees by the river. It all sounded too far-fetched until she later showed me the pictures of this majestic animal leading her group directly through the reception area at the Lodge with nervous staff staring pop-eyed from behind the counter - what goes through your mind, I wonder, when an elephant asks if you've got any vacancies?

We were greeted at Mfuwe with warm smiles and a cold granadilla juice. A quick dip in the pool and we embarked on the drive to the first camp, Chamilandu. On the way we stopped to admire a large herd of buffalo, snorting and stamping their way across our path. On every side antelope and zebra were grazing peacefully. Reluctant to sound too much like a tourist, I confessed to Andy, that I had never realised that the game would be so numerous and so close. He laughed. "This is a huge park and we have one of the lowest people-to-animal ratios in Africa" he said. "These animals know we won't bother them - in fact, they think the jeeps and trucks are just another kind of strange animal anyway. You won't see better game anywhere - promise you."

We were met at Chamilandu by Debbie and Keenan who were to be our hostess and guide respectively for the next few days. After another cool drink and the opportunity to wipe some of the worst of the journey from me with a moist facecloth, Debbie showed me to my 'tree-house'. First impressions? If only there'd been my very own Tarzan installed in the comfy chaise-longue on the verandah, I would have thought I was in Heaven. A four-poster wrought-iron bed complete with crisp white bed linen, hand-painted wall hangings, plump, enticing cushions on the chairs, a light breeze blowing in from the raised open verandah, gently lifting the sides of the mosquito net - a far cry from the gloomy tent and camp bed I had been fearing. My wonder grew in the en-suite bathroom as I discovered the hot shower (how can they do this in the depths of Africa?), luxurious bathrobes, the hand-painted wash basins and the final, idiosyncratic touch - scented soaps shaped like little elephants! Somebody with exquisite taste and an unerring eye for detail had put these rooms together and it showed in every corner. This was Africa with style, safari-ing with a grace and grandeur I had never expected - who needs Tarzan when you have a comfy bed, hot shower and an elephant-shaped soap anyway?

Giddy with the unexpected wonderfulness of my room, the evening passed quickly. Debbie had concocted a delicious meal (fears of boil-in-the-bag meals completely vanished away), and after a quick run through of our planned walk tomorrow, I retired gratefully to bed and a dreamless sleep - all my cares abandoned in Johannesburg, and just an underlying feeling of excitement and nervous anticipation - tomorrow I would be walking with lions and elephants!

[continued...Fears, Feasts and Mud Fights]