Behind the scenes

There are many challenges when building a safari bush camp in the heart of Kafue National Park: logistics, weather and the wildlife. There are days that remind you, very clearly, that we are guests in their home. Time may wait for no man, but work will wait for elephants! Saturday, the 1st of November 2025, delivered one of those moments we will be talking about for years to come at MAWIMBI: the day the elephant came for lunch.

For me as a photographer and passionate nature lover, the walking safari (or bush walk as the scouts term them) is truly the icing on the cake. The experience is totally immersive, close and personal. The soft crunch of your boots on sun-baked earth as you set out from the Mawimbi Bush Camp into the Kafue bush. The breeze murmurs through winter thorn trees. A fish eagle cuts the quiet with its unmistakable cry. And there’s no vehicle. No engine noise. No stop start, and onto