PAY ATTENTION TO THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE RESIDENT ANIMALS IN ZAMBIA’S SOUTH LUANGWA NATIONAL PARK AND YOU’LL HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF SPOTTING AN ELUSIVE LEOPARD IN THE WILD.
On the topmost branch of a towering ebony tree in the Luangwa Valley, a baboon is going berserk “WAH-hu!” he yells. Two harsh syllables, delivered with a fierce, pointed stare. “WAH-hu! WAH-hu!”
He’s clearly incensed, but not, apparently, by us. He’s concentrating on something else, just beyond our line of vision.
“Could be a contact call,” says Godfrey Shawa, our guide. “Maybe he’s been separated from the troop.” He lifts a well-worn pair of binoculars to his eyes and scans the ebony grove for clues. “On the other hand, maybe he’s just seen a leopard.”
My heart skips a beat. A leopard!
What is it that makes them so magnetic?
You don’t need to have one in clear sight to sense their enigmatic, exotic presence. Simply being in a leopard’s territory and knowing that, somewhere, a pair of smoky-gold eyes might be watching you from the shadows is enough to set the pulse racing. To the uninitiated, their forest habitat may look as innocent as a bluebell wood in spring. But a leopard turns it into a place of hidden dangers and raw, edgy anticipation.
Godfrey steers our open-topped safari vehicle in the direction of the baboon’s gaze and we peer intently into the foliage. There are no obvious signs: no paw prints or drag marks among the fallen leaves, no clawing on the trees. Nonetheless, if Godfrey’s hunch is correct, a whiskered face or a rosette-spotted flank could appear at any moment.
The baboon falls silent. “Does that mean the leopard’s gone?” I ask. “We’ll never know,” says Godfrey, and I feel my face fall.
Denne historien er fra September 2018-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra September 2018-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Dianne Whelan
THOUGH NOT A SEASONED HIKER TO BEGIN WITH, THE FILMMAKER BECAME THE FIRST PERSON TO COMPLETE THE WORLD'S LONGEST TRAIL NETWORK
NIGERIA
The country's many communities come together over hearty meals with plenty of heat
Katie Hale
A VOYAGE TO THE GREAT WHITE CONTINENT IS BOTH A DREAM COME TRUE AND A CALL TO ARMS, TO PROTECT OUR ICY POLES AND, IN TURN, OUR PLANET
WILTSHIRE
BEYOND THE MAIN ATTRACTION OF STONEHENGE, WILTSHIRE HAS EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE ANCIENT SITES, GIANT CHALK HORSES AND COSY PUBS IN HISTORIC VILLAGES
BATH
Thermal baths and Regency heritage have put this Somerset city firmly on the travel map - and this year the spotlight will be on former resident and literary great Jane Austen, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of her birth
GRANADA
In this Andalucian city, flamenco is an art form as well as a way of life not just for traditional dancers and singers but also for hip-hop stars, classical guitar legends and street artists
India's Golden Triangle
LINKING DELHI, THE TAJ MAHAL AND THE PINK CITY OF JAIPUR, WITH DETOURS FOR TEMPLES AND TIGERS, THIS IS THE PERFECT ROUTE FOR FIRST-TIMERS. WORDS: POOJA NAIK
FORGED BY FIRE
A SUBTROPICAL ISLAND IN THE ATLANTIC, MADEIRA HAS RUGGED VOLCANIC MOUNTAINS THAT RISE ABOVE THE CLOUDS, NATURAL SWIMMING POOLS DOWN AT SEA LEVEL AND MORE THAN 1,900 MILES OF HISTORIC AQUEDUCTS TRACING THE LANDSCAPES IN BETWEEN
ADRIFT IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
A KAYAKING EXPEDITION THROUGH NORWAY'S LOFOTEN ISLANDS OFFERS WHITE-SAND BEACHES, ROYAL ENCOUNTERS AND THE CHANCE TO CHANNEL YOUR INNER VIKING
the RETURN
ON A PRIVATE GAME RESERVE IN SOUTH AFRICA'S KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE, AN UNLIKELY CREATURE IS MAKING A TENTATIVE COMEBACK - AND VISITORS ARE OFFERED A GLIMPSE INTO THE CONSERVATION EFFORTS TO SAVE IT AND OTHER NATIVE WILDLIFE
