New Years at Kanyemba Lodge: Part 1

Dominic & I took off for our first "real" Zambia outing over New Years with our friends, Phil & Katherine Nervig, their cousins Brit and Mike, and their kids Jack and Sam. We drove about 3 hours to Kanyemba Lodge, which was spectacular! It sits overlooking the Zambezi River and offers spectacular views, on the water wildlife spectating, and various other activities.

Within ten minutes of arrival, I was sipping a gin & tonic, eying the pool overlooking the Zambezi River and I had already seen my first vermit monkey.  I admit in advance that this post and the ones following it probably has TOO many photos, but I shot over 600 this weekend so I figure that for me this was narrowed down.

We took a refreshing dip in the pool had lunch, and then hopped on board the speed boat to spy out some game park wild life.

Dom and I saw our first hippos! There were literally hundreds of them on the river. Fun hippo facts include: Hippos do not swim...they walk on the bottom of the river. They are nocturnal animals, and spend all day in the water, and come on land during the night to eat. They can stay under water for 5-7 minute intervals before having to pop up for air, and they do this all day even while they are sleeping. If a mother has a male calf she will hide him from the father as hippos are very territorial. Male hippos will fight "to the death" in order to gain a herd, or as I called them hippo harems.

After some animal viewing, the speed boat stopped at a sand bar where we all chilled out with some New Year's champagne watching the scenery at sundown. That my friends is the perfect way to say goodbye to the old and hello to the new!!

I loved the hippo footprints all over the sand bar. Here are theirs and mine. Just in case you wanted a size comparison, I am a 7 1/2. :)

We arrived back to the lodge in time for a spectacular dinner, and an evening full of good friends, bananagrams, and ringing in the New Year!

 © Crystaline Randazzo Photography - All images are copyright of Crystaline Randazzo and in no way are to be used by Google, Google Advertisers or any third party. These are not your pictures. Steal them and I will sue you.