Last Saturday Mahlatini’s Directors Greg Fox and Chris Goldring attended the JN Wines Northern Ireland Festival of Racing at Down Royal Racecourse. As well as enjoying a brilliant day out, they were there to present the winner of this year’s Best Dressed Lady Competition with a Mahlatini sponsored holiday to Zambia.
The lucky winner Pamela Edwards-Lynch from Doncaster looked beautifully elegant in a cream Escada dress, complete with her mother’s stunning hat. Pamela walked away with a luxury safari holiday Zambia to the value of £13,000.
Zambia is the ultimate holiday destination for those with a sense of adventure and love of nature. Often referred to as the 'real' Africa, it offers a fabulous wilderness experience away from the crowds, affording some of the best wildlife sightings in Africa.
The first two nights of this truly unforgettable trip will be spent at Sausage Tree Camp, an exclusive safari camp which offers the highest international standards in luxury and service. The next two nights are spent in the breathtaking Kalamu Tented Camp in the South Luangwa National Park, home of the walking safari. The final three nights of this once in a lifetime trip will be spent in the spectacular Toka Leya Camp on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River beside Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
Contact a specialist about a Holiday in Zambia
After nearly a 2 month break, Zambia's Livingstone Island is once again open to the public. The Island was force to close due to the high water levels in the Zambezi River and the Victoria Falls. The area is one of the most unique places in the world and holds the accolade of being one of the 'seven wonders of the world'. A popular tourist destination the Livingstone Island reopened on the 09th June 2010.
Puku Ridge Camp in Zambia has seen some great game viewing recently. Guests who recently stayed at the lodge had amazing leopard sightings. The female leopard made a kill in the flood plain right in front of the camp as the new guests enjoyed their welcoming drinks. You will not have a better start to a safari than this. The leopard has been seen a number of times and it’s quite apparent that she has established her territory with Puku Ridge Camp as the core.
The River Club in Zambia (which lies just north of Victoria Falls) is undergoing a few changes that will see some nice features added to the accommodation. The snooker room is being re-done with the snooker table re-covered. Air-conditioning is also being added to the room, with a nice addition of a library. You won’t have a hard time relaxing during those summer months.
The colonnade connecting the Summer House and the Main Area has also had a make over. The tennis courts that are being built should be completed over the next week or two.
July has definitely been the month of the leopards, almost all the guests that visited Old Mondoro in the Lower Zambezi National Park had great leopard sightings to boast about. Of all the leopards that were spotted one particular male has made so many appearances that he has become almost like our own celebrity in camp. He was spotted in the same tree 4 nights in a row, and has absolutely no hassles with the vehicles and their squirming passengers. He is so relaxed with the vehicles that almost every time he is seen he seems to find a nice spot to sleep next to the vehicle. One evening a female leopard was spotted with him, she suddenly dashed into the long grass and 2 minutes later came out of the grass with an Impala in her jaws! The resident male then wrestled the carcass from her and pulled it up the same tree he was spotted in the previous three nights.
The female then attempted to get her fair share but the male would have none of it, he virtually bashed the female out of the tree and the guests saw her dangling for dear life below the tree branch only managing to hang on with her claws similar to a baby baboon clinging to its mother’s belly! She then skulked off into the grass leaving the male with the prize an amazing sighting to say the least.
Old Mondoro had a remarkable 13 nights in a row of leopard sightings in July of which two nights delivered two leopards and one night provided the guests with a kill, so in total 15 leopards was seen in 13 nights, proving that Old Mondoro still lives up to its reputation of being an excellent leopard destination.
We are heading into the busy stretch of the season, which also means the valley is entering the crux of it game viewing period, the Old Mondoro team eagerly awaits the rest of the season’s guests and cant wait to see what the bush is willing to deliver, be it Leopards hunting next to camp or Lions sleeping next to the kitchen only the next day can tell.