Flying from South Africa to Zambia required progressively smaller airports and progressively smaller airplanes. By the time we arrived at Mfuwe, there was only one other family with us. The sounds of honking hippos and the dusty dirt roads reminded us how different this part of Africa was from Cape Town. An open-air safari vehicle took us to Mfuwe Lodge, located inside the South Luanga National Park. After checking into our chalet and enjoying a short night drive, we were treated to a local theater production called “The Bush” followed by a buffet of roast meats and nshima. The safari lodge schedule had us waking up the next day at 5:30am for the morning game drive, with a reminder to lock our doors against cheeky baboons. Our guide Francis opened our eyes to the wealth of Zambian wildlife, including impalas, warthogs, elephants, zebras, giraffes, and the colorful lilac-breasted roller. Big cats were rare sightings, but our well-connected guide got wind of a male lion on the radio, and we soon joined 3 other jeeps to take photos of the drowsy feline. Morning tea by the river was spent under the suspicious observation of hippos and crocodiles, and the lunch site was near a baboon colony with fighting baby baboons. Nearly comatose from the feasting, we returned to our hut for siesta time, only to find a gang of bachelor elephants dust bathing near our balcony. We spent the evening drive tracking a pair of elusive leopard cubs with our binoculars. On Monday, we set out for Chamilandu Bush Camp, passing by ultra-rare wild dogs and an impressive battle between hyenas and vultures over a hippo carcass, with a lion watching in the distance. The bush camp experience offered a very private and intimate look at the local wildlife. Our guide Manda impressively mimicked the call of an injured impala on the first night, which lured a hyena to our jeep. On our walking tour next morning, we learned how to use sounds to track a pride of lions, and how to examine civet droppings for clues about their meals. An armed scout was always present to lead us across the savanna, but his rifle was never needed. The closest animals we encountered were a tower of giraffes that quickly took off upon seeing us. In the evening, we watched a parade of elephants cross the Luanga River, and kept very still when two young bulls broke out in a fight just steps away from where we stood. Our following morning was lucky for us – the other couple at the camp wanted to sleep in, so we took another private walking tour, followed by a relaxing afternoon at the bushcamp hide overlooking a popular water hole. Our evening drive gave us a chance to capture some yawning hippos and a quick peek of a porcupine and her pup before they scuttled away. Although bouts of diarrhea and vomiting kept Melody from enjoying our final morning, it did not detract from our amazing first safari experience.