If you're not accustomed to flying in small aircraft, it's hard to describe the range of emotions -- fear, anxiety, excitement, combined with pure adrenaline -- that take hold of you as you're cruising across Zambia in a six-seat Cessna 208B Caravan.
And it's not just about flying -- it's looking down during the descent and seeing tiny specks that, as you get closer to the ground, you realize are elephants, buffaloes and zebras. As that became clear, I released the death grip on the handlebar in front of me. I was hooked.
An Africa neophyte, I was invited by the Luxury Safari Company to attend the re-imagining of Chiawa Safari's newest safari camp, Puku Ridge, in South Luangwa National Park last October.
Zambia is currently open to international tourists who agree to mandatory Covid-19 testing and a 14-day quarantine. Grant Cumings, owner and operator of Chiawa Safari, said the country has done great work in mitigating the crisis in the hopes of reviving tourism in time for the 2021 season.
"So far, Zambia has handled this crisis exceptionally well, resulting in much lower than anticipated infection and mortality rates," he said.
Cumings said his camps have inherent safety features, given their remote locations, small size, spacious layouts and open-air dining and safari activities.
Contactless check-in and temperature checks are part of the new normal for the operation at all three of Chiawa's three safari camps in Zambia. (In addition to the luxury Puku Ridge, the portfolio also includes Chiawa Camp and Old Mondoro in Lower Zambezi National Park.)
But much of the safari experience will remain the same, he said.
"The same" in Zambia means something completely exhilarating every day: Game drives without the herds of other safari vehicles that detract from more well-known parks; daily sundowners overlooking a bay of hippos; an afternoon of catch and release of tigerfish.
Zambia claims to be the birthplace of the walking safari, and indeed, you can actually walk alongside the "big five," as awe-inspiring a safari experience as you can imagine. Canoeing down the canals of the Zambezi River is equal parts harrowing and bewildering as you weave through heaving pods of hippos, cantankerous crocodiles and herds of elephant families.
At Puku Ridge, eight luxury tents are spread out across the sprawling property, each with its own private plunge pool and rooftop bed under the stars. No worries about social distancing here.
I've been dreaming a lot about those tents lately and that magical canoe ride down the Zambezi. My visit to Zambia last fall left a permanent mark, inspiring not only a love for safaris but for the importance of pushing your boundaries and living life to the fullest. Because, let's face it, after living with the Covid crisis these past six months, that Cessna flight looks like a walk in a park.
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Puku Ridge will reopen April 1, with rates starting from $755 per person, per night, inclusive of accommodations, meals, drinks, safari activities, daily laundry, park and conservation fees as well as transfers between camp and airfield. On arrival to Zambia, all visitors must present a negative Covid-19 test result from less than 14 days prior. This pertains to all international arrivals, including U.S. residents, who must obtain a tourist visa on arrival in Zambia.