Bangweulu Swamps

Driving through soggy land from Chimbwi Airstrip to the boat channel	Road from Chimbwi Airstrip (S11 58.0/E030 15.4)	Landcruiser on the flat grassland at the edge of the Bangweulu Swamps	Guide from the Kasanka Trust which operates Shoebill Island Camp
Mokoros - wooden dugout canoes used in the wetlands of Southern Africa	The waters of the Bangweulu are part of the upper Congo River basin	Grass hut of the local people at the edge of the swamp	The wetlands extending southwards from Lake Bangweulu cover up to 15,000 square km, roughly the size of Connecticut
Lily pads in the Bangweulu Swamps	Lily, Bangweulu Swamps	Bangweulu Swamps with white puffy clouds	Lily covered open water of the Bangweulu Swamps
It's takes around 45 minutes by boat from the edge of the swamp to Shoebill Island Camp	The local people of Bangweulu Swamp get around by mokoro	Local fishermen on mokoros, Bangweulu Swamps	Zambian on a mokoro, Bangweulu Swamps
A family of 5 in a mokoro, Bangweulu Swamps	The fisherman are clearing an area of lilies to place their nets	Fishermen on mokoros preparing to set their nets	Bangweulu - "Where the water sky meets the sky"
Safe arrival at Shoebill Island Camp	Shoebill Island Camp - not luxury (but you wouldn't know it by the price...)	Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus)	Zambia10 1147.jpg
Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps	A short nature walk around Shoebill Island	Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps	Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps
Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps	Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps	Hut on the edge of Shoebill Island	Mokoro, Shoebill Island
Fisherman, Bangweulu Swamps	Fisherman, Bangweulu Swamps	Native hut near Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps	Fish trap
The tiny fish they catch in the traps	African Spoonbill (Platalea alba) in flight, Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia	African Spoonbill (Platalea alba) in flight, Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia	Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps
Heading back to camp, Shoebill Island	Common Fiscal (Lanius collaris), member of the Shrike family	Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps	Ralph, our fearless leader
Ralph, Mosi-model	Canoe on a shallow channel leading to the camp	Sunset with a flock of birds, Shoebill Island	Sunset, Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps
Sunset, Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps	Sunset, Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps	A tiny frog enjoying our toilet	Sunrise, Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps
Sunrise, Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps	Sunrise, Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps	Sunrise, Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps	Sunrise, Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps
Sunrise, Shoebill Island, Bangweulu Swamps	Tent at Shoebill Island Camp	Shoebill Island Camp, Bangweulu Swamps	Shoebill Island Camp, Bangweulu Swamps
The polers heading for the boats	Morning excursion by boat to seek the elusive Shoebill	The boat launch area at Shoebill Island	Lily, Bangweulu Swamps
These larger boats are quite a bit more comfortable and stable than mokoros	Reed Cormorant (Phalacrocorax africanus), Bangweulu Swamps	Ibis (Sacred or Glossy) in flight over the Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia	Poler from the Kasanka Trust
Chicken coop of a local family of swamp dwellers	Chickens, Bangweulu Swamp	Children of the Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia	Zambian boy, Bangweulu Swamps
Zambian boys, Bangweulu Swamps	Mokoro in a shallow channel by a grass hut, Bangweulu Swamps	Native hut, Bangweulu Swamps	It mustn't be an easy life living here
Zambian children, Bangweulu Swamps	Zambian children, Bangweulu Swamps	Huts of the inhabitants of the Bangweulu on a small channel	Zambian children, Bangweulu Swamps
Zambian children, Bangweulu Swamps	The channel got so narrow and shallow that the polers had to get out and push	Channel in the Bangweulu Swamp too small for our boat to float	Nicole
Me and Reinhold	Pushing the boat through the swamp	The Zambian Air Force	Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) in flight over the Bangweulu Swamps
Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) in flight over the Bangweulu Swamps	Zambian poler	...looks like a lot of work...	Flock of Spur-winged Geese (Plectropterus gambensis), Bangweulu Swamps
Another section too shallow	...but apparently the guides are sure the shoebills are in this direction...	Lilies, Bangweulu Swamp	Taking a break
Kasanka Trust guide looking for shoebills	...sorry...wattled crane...	Bangweulu Swamps	Looking for the shoebill
...maybe over here...	Boat from Shoebill Camp, Bangweulu Swamp	Ralph & Christian, Stephanie & Johannes	Large flock of Spur-winged Geese in flight (Plectropterus gambensis), Bangweulu Swamps
Reed Cormorant (Phalacrocorax africanus) in flight over the Bangweulu Swampsin flight, Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia	The guides go off on foot to look for shoebill while we wait	Off on foot through the swamp to find a shoebill	Not the easiest terrain to wade through
Guides dragging a boat through the swamp grass towards where they said they found some shoebills	...hope it's worth it...	Mannix and Rhoda, the manager from Kasanka Trust who came along	Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) in flight, Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia
Shoebills are especially prized by birders	There were two, but luckily only one flew away	Hiking/Wading through the Bangweulu Swamp	One of our boatmen from Shoebill Island Camp
Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), Bangweulu Swamp, Zambia	Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), Bangweulu Swamp, Zambia	Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), Bangweulu Swamp, Zambia	The main season is from May to August when Shoebills can usually be seen on canoe trips
Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), Bangweulu Swamp, Zambia	He was very cooperative and let us get fairly close	Shoebill with its mouth open	Another large flock of geese passing overhead
Christian and Ralph wading through the swamp	Reinhold, Nicole, Johannes and Stephanie didn't feel up to wading through the swamp for a bird...	Don't they all look so dry...	Wimps!
Zambia10 1419.jpg	Mokoro, an African canoe dug out of a single log	Another shallow section to walk around	The guides were able to get the boats across the shallow part without us in them
Poler posing	Zambian boatman	The kids we saw earlier in a mokoro	Kids from the huts we passed earlier
Boys in a mokoro, Bangweulu Swamps	Girl poling a mokoro with her little brother	Bangweulu Swamps	Bangweulu Swamps
Boys with bamboo poles in front of their grass hut, Bangweulu Swamps	Boy with bamboo poles in front of their grass hut, Bangweulu Swamps	Zambian boys, Bangweulu Swamps	Zambian boys, Bangweulu Swamps
Bangweulu Swamps	Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia	Zambia10 1453.jpg	Bangweulu Swamps
Bangweulu Swamps	Bangweulu Swamps	Bird landing on a lily pad, Bangweulu Swamps	Zambia10 1463.jpg
Little Bee-eaters (Merops pusillus), Bangweulu Swamps	African Openbilled Stork (Anastomus lamelligerus)	Lily flower and lily pad, Bangweulu Swamps	Great Egret (Ardea alba) in flight, Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia
Great Egret (Ardea alba) in flight, Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia	Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus), Bangweulu Swamps	Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus), Bangweulu Swamps	Sky and Water - Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia
Bangweulu Swamps, Zambi	Heading back to Shoebill Island Camp	Bangweulu Swamps, Zambi	Bangweulu Swamps, Zambi
Bangweulu Swamps, Zambi	Bangweulu Swamps, Zambi	Bangweulu Swamps, Zambi	Sky and Water - Bangweulu Swamps
Bangweulu Swamps, Zambi	Bangweulu Swamps, Zambi	Bangweulu Swamps, Zambi	Lily, Bangweulu Swamps, Zambi
Bangweulu Swamps, Zambi	Swamp Dog (Sandy?) riding on the back of a mokoro	Bangweulu Swamps, Zambi	Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus), Bangweulu Swamps
Wattled Cranes (Bugeranus carunculatus), Bangweulu Swamps	Wattled Cranes (Bugeranus carunculatus), Bangweulu Swamps	Wattled Cranes (Bugeranus carunculatus), Bangweulu Swamps	Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus), Bangweulu Swamps
Fair-weather cumulous clouds over the Bangweulu Swamp	Bangweulu Swamps	Bangweulu Swamps	Bangweulu Swamps
Cloud over the swamps	Open-billed stork (Anastomus lamelligerus) in flight over the Bangweulu Swamps	Evening, Bangweulu Swamps	Silhouette of the polers after sunset, Bangweulu Swamps
Silhouette of the polers after sunset, Bangweulu Swamps	Nicole and Reinhold	Full moon over the Bangweulu Swamp, Zambia	Second sunrise at Shoebill Island Camp
Morning of our departure from Shoebill Island Camp	Zambia10 1788.jpg	The scenery and sites are fantastic but they really could do so much more with this camp...	Canoes at Shoebill Island Camp
Last boat ride - back to the airport	Early morning, Bangweulu Swamps	Early morning, Bangweulu Swamps	Bangweulu Swamps
Reed Cormorant (Phalacrocorax africanus), Bangweulu Swamps	Reed Cormorant (Phalacrocorax africanus), Bangweulu Swamps	African Openbilled Stork (Anastomus lamelligerus), Bangweulu Swamps