Kanyemba, Lower Zambesi, Zambia

After seven wonderful days in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools NP, we crossed the border into Zambia, and went for a couple of days to Kanyemba, a lovely lodge on the banks of the Lower Zambesi river, facing Kanyemba Island. It is a nice place to do boat and canoe safaris, with many water birds, Hippos and Crocodiles to be seen at close range. Bull Elephants are also quite common, and they can be seen often grazing on the small islands in the river. It is nice to be able to approach the Elephants from the boat, coming very close to them as they feed on the banks. Elephants come mostly from the Zimbabwe side, as the Zambian side is quite heavily populated and farmed. Unfortunately on the Zimbabwe side there are hunting areas. Both Zambia and Zimbabwe still allow sport hunting, as South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania. Zimbabwe in particular has been heavily affected by indiscriminate hunting in the last ten years, with populations of animals seriously depleted outside of the National Parks. I am strongly against sport hunting, and I am proud that Kenya is the only wildlife-rich country where it is illegal to hunt any wild animal, without discriminations or distinctions.