You had chosen the order and locations of the bush camps very well. Always a different kind of camp, different view, different part of the Luangwa NP south of Mfuwe bridge.
Bee Kuyenda you can hardly speak of bush camps anymore. Someone called it “safari chic”, and that was it. South African “interior design”. Just a little different everywhere. What a huge "house on stilts" at bilimungwe with large four-poster beds, with the elephants in the waterholes (filled with water pumps) below. Fantastic, but I prefer to sleep on the floor (tent or chalet). A huge deck/balcony over the water.
Very good experienced guide James, started as a scout and continued for his guide exams and now a very experienced, valued and strict teacher who also takes guide exams. Leopards galore. We ended up seeing 13 leopards in 14 days. That has never happened to us. Lots of walking, lovely. The manager, Tom, had just arrived from Yellowstone a month or so ago. He was a Yellowstone NP ranger who had grown tired of the American tourist invasion every summer and had met Bilimungwe on his honeymoon a few years ago.
Then Chamilandu , we had the furthest "house on stilts" with the most privacy and (from bed) a beautiful view of the Luangwa and what walked or swam in it and the Chindeni Hills. Due to a change in their schedule, we got James as a guide there again; we were really happy with that. The permanent manager was on leave and was replaced by the "operations manager" the bushcamp, Mike, really a "manager in the bush" type, no more "2 legs in the bush" type. Wonderful tours and walks. The chalets are completely open on the river side and every now and then a strong wind comes from the river, blowing straight in. True, there are reed mats that can be rolled down, and in a sudden storm that cannot be an undivided pleasure.
Last Kuyenda , where Phil Berry, despite his advanced age (76), still guides and his partner Babette runs the camp with a tight hand. What an impressive man, although you clearly notice that it is going to be difficult, the walking and driving and maintenance of the guests. I'm glad we got to see him. There aren't that many of his generation and a little younger in the Valley. You notice how he is treated with respect by everyone.