This fall, I once again traveled to Zambia and South Africa. South Africa was great as always, but Zambia exceeded my expectations and confirmed for me that it truly is a unique destination in Africa and will be a rising star in the safari industry in the years to come. My flight on United to Washington DC and then on to Johannesburg on South African Airways went off without a hitch. Though not always the cheapest option, this routing does get you to Johannesburg earlier than any other airline and you can earn miles on United. Upon landing, I walked to customs and immigration, apologizing to the slightly annoyed immigration official for stepping out of the "visitor" line into the "locals" line because it was much shorter. She processed me anyway. Note: I now take all my luggage (rolling duffle and back pack) carry-on as it ensures that my bags will always arrive with me and it saves time in airports. I carry a 20-year old Eddie Bauer duffle with a frame and wheels on the bottom, but a soft, duffle upper that can be compressed on the small plane flights within Africa. Though not very big, it has plenty of room for all my clothes, shoes and toiletries, as I know that most camps and lodges can do laundry along the way.

Anyway, upon exiting customs I was met by my driver from Tintswalo Upon Waterfall. Before leaving the airport, I changed $100 into South African Rand, as US dollars are not accepted anywhere and the airport bureaus de change have very competitive rates. After finding our car, we took about 45 minutes to get to the luxury boutique hotel, set on a hill on the outskirts of town. Tintswalo Upon Waterfall, quite a mouthful, is built on a luxury residential property with horse stalls and polo grounds. The hotel has just a handful of rooms and a very nice pool and health club. I found it amusing that through every room is named after a type of horse and each room has a picture of a horse inside and there are maybe 60 stalls for horses, there are no horses for rent at the facility.

The rooms are very large and well appointed, and the bathrooms could accommodate 4 or 5 people easily! After showering, I met my dinner guest, Professor Rudi Van Aarde. Rudi is a very colorful figure who directs the Conservation Ecology Research Unit of the Department of Zoology & Entomology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. For the last 18 years his research has been focused on ecological restoration and conservation planning. He's one of four experts leading our very unique Elephant Conservation Safari in South Africa. By the way, the dinner was fantastic, only surpassed by the South African wine we had, and since the Rand is so weak against the dollar, the bill was unbelievable cheap.

Next morning, I had the best breakfast I've ever had in my life—I table full of gourmet food which 4 people could not have finished. I then rolled to the car for some meetings, and then drove to the Federal Air private terminal at OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg. This comfortable little terminal, about a 15 minute drive from the main airport, offers free snacks and drinks and a small gift shop while you wait for your flight.

I then flew to Tanda Tula in the Timbavati Game Reserve, adjacent to Kruger National Park. This nice little camp (just a dozen tents) offers a great setting, good location, friendly staff and great guides. It does this at a relatively reasonable price compared with neighbors like Singita, Londolozi and Ulusaba. Tanda Tula has good overall game viewing – in one morning, we saw lion, rhino, giraffe, buffalo, hyena, side strapped jackal, elephant, a boomslang (yikes) and much more. Though the land was parched, we did have a heavy but short rain, which cleaned the air and wetted my passport, which got drenched despite being in my pocket and under two rain ponchos. (Note to self: you've got your passport wet on each of your last two trips — next time remember to put it in a Ziploc bag!)

But really I was there to meet with Drs Steve and Michelle Henley, key players in the Save the Elephants program. Steve and Michelle obtained their PhD degrees in Zoology at the University of Port Elizabeth and the Witwatersrand respectively. They provide scientific information for management planning by tracking elephants with technology to understand their needs and what motivates their movements. Put more simply, they know just about everything about elephants and are happy to share their wealth of knowledge, and that's why we've tapped them to lead our Elephant Conservation Safaris. Their work, supported by Tanda Tula ownership, Save the Elephants and others, seeks to track and understand elephant behavior to aid in conservation. Lucky guests on our conservation safari could get to collar or de-collar real elephants.

From here, my trip briefly turned South, both literally and figuratively. I flew by light aircraft to Kruger Mpumulanga International Airport in Nelspruit and overnighted at the Jatinga Country Lodge, a quaint lodge about 20 minutes from the airport. The next morning, I arrived at the airport plenty early for the first of my three flights on 3 different airlines to get me all the way to South Luangwa National Park in one day. This is something I would not recommend for our clients and read on to see why we build days into itineraries with long or complicated travel! As the time passed, my flight was delayed a little, then a lot, then a lot more. Then, the next flight was also delayed, and then the next one. I visited the counter numerous times, asking the lady, always politely, what was happening and whether my flight or any other flight would fly that day. At some point in the morning, I came to the sad realization that I might not make it, so I visited my friend behind the counter once again. "I'm not going to make it, am I? I should rent a car and drive to Jo'burg, shouldn't I," I surreptitiously whispered. "Yes," she whispered. Swiftly, I moved over to the rental car desks and hired one of two remaining vehicles on the whole lot. As I returned to the desk to check in one last time, they announced that all flights that morning were cancelled. Immediately, pandemonium ensued and people charged the counter trying to get rerouted and also trying to get their luggage back so they could go somewhere. Fortunately, I had my bags with me, so I wheeled my old Eddie Bauer out to the parking lot and got in my teeny tiny 3 cylinder, standard, shifted into reverse, revved the engine, and started driving.

The 4-hour drive to Jo'burg was actually very pretty for the first half with windy mountain roads and beautiful scenery. On the way, I broke the rules of safety and prudence and sent several emails from by Blackberry to Zambia, trying to alert them that I would miss my final flight, and that since I would only make it as far as Lusaka, I would need a hotel and transfer. Arriving at OR Tambo International, I left the car in the parking lot and hightailed it to the South African Airways counter to try and get on a flight to Lusaka. Luckily, I made it with 30 minutes to spare. Upon arrival at Lusaka, our partner had arranged for me to stay in a nice hotel for the night. It wasn't as perfect or a cheap as I would have liked, but on such short notice, I was happy. Lusaka holds very little interest to visitors, so I went to the "gym" and then had dinner at the hotel. I did enjoy the geriatric band playing in the restaurant, with their wispy, seasoned voices singing a mix of local and international hits. I also enjoyed a drink in the bar, watching the locals watch the Zambian presidential count on television. The broadcast was of a female official, somewhere in the capital, reading the numbers of each district one by one. "156 for Banda from...231 for..." A day or two later, she finished and Zambia had a new president.

Next day, I flew to Mfuwe, the gateway to South Luangwa National Park in the northern part of Zambia. Admittedly, I was a day late and I wasn't sure that the message had made it all the way through to the drivers, but I was a bit surprised by the reception I received. I'm a customer after all! "Are you my driver?" I asked the first guy with a Norman Carr Safaris hat. "No, I'm picking up two guests," he said. "Are you my driver," I asked the second guy. "No, I'm picking up three guests." "Are you my driver?" I asked the third guy. No response at all — he just stared through me with a deer-in-headlights look in his eyes. I tried again. "Are you picking up Kent Redding — I'm a day late, and supposed to be going to Kakuli Camp today?" "Not sure," he said, gesturing towards the 4WD just outside the door. I decided to go out and wait by the cars in the lot, so I would not be left. When I stepped outside, I was hit by a furnace-like blast of hot air. After five minutes out there, I realized why these guys were so unresponsive. Their brains had melted, as did mine soon after. (And by the way, the service and guiding at Norman Carr was great overall.) The moral of the story is that Zambia can be unbelievably hot in October and November. There were several days when the temperate exceeded 105 in the shade with no breeze at all. It was so hot we had to finish all morning activities by 10 a.m. and didn't dare begin again until after 4 p.m. But more about that later.

So, 24 hours late and many degrees warmer, I arrived to visit Kapani Lodge and the management of Norman Carr Safaris. This is a comfortable lodge set on the Luangwa River. It's a nice "base camp" from which to start or end your safari in South Luangwa, and the stone chalets have fans and there's an inviting pool to swim in. Next, I drove through stifling heat to Kakuli Camp, set on the confluence of the Luangwa and Lewi (seasonal) rivers. The camp has five traditional safari tents under shady thatched roofs and open-air bathrooms. The guest tents overlook the river with nice views up and down this hippo-packed stretch of the Luangwa. There's also a nice dinning/lounge area where meals and drinks are served. At Kakuli, I enjoyed fantastic game walks, and lovely day and night game drives. During the day, I saw many lion, puku, impala, buffalo, giraffe, elephant, zebra, and many interesting birds including carmine bee eaters, wattled starlings, Lucille's lovebirds, just to name a few. At night, we saw lion, chameleon, porcupine and many other critters. My guide, JJ, was excellent as are the other guys, many of whom have been doing it for many years. In addition to your guide, each outing is escorted by an armed scout, supplied by the national parks and required by Zambian law.

With Norman Carr Safaris and other operators in South Luangwa, the camps are very small—usually 4-6 tents, and you often walk from camp to camp instead of driving. Our second morning we were scheduled to walk to Muchenje Camp. Before my 5:15 wake-up call, I was awoken by lions roaring very loudly nearby. At 5:30, we had a nice breakfast of strong coffee, fruit, toast, cereal, muffins and more. Soon, we left Kakuli walking upriver, a several mile journey that took about three hours. Not long into our journey, our guide pointed out interesting plants, birds, tracks and signs. We saw a dead hippo on the edge of the river with 60 crocs patiently waiting for it to explode so they could feast. (Apparently, there are about 6,000 hippos in South Luangwa, in habitat that should only accommodate about 3,500.) We saw leopard tracks and then larger lion tracks, which were going away from us, but then doubled back. The group quieted down at this point and then shortly after we saw And on foot, I can tell you it's particularly exciting and somewhat unnerving to see a big male lion walking in your direction, then losing him in the thick bush—especially when you have to walk right by him to get to the next camp.

Skirting the lions, we made it to our next camp, Muchenje, a luxury bush camp with just 5 tents. Here the rooms are more upscale—with larger tents, bathtubs, and a bit more flair—but still casual and comfortable and close to nature. There is also a larger common area including a plunge pool. Here again, the food is simple but very tasty — our first lunch included veggie pizza, pesto pasta, a South African dish resembling moussaka, carrot and beetroot salad, bread, green salad and fresh fruit. As with the other Norman Carr Safaris camps (Nsolo and Lewi being the most remotely located of the five), walking is a highlight, but game drives are nice too. Here, I saw leopard, elephant, lions, black shouldered kites, kudu and much more.oo soon, I bid South Luangwa driving out of the park and then to Mfuwe Airport, with a stop at Tribal Textiles (www.tribaltextiles.co.zm) to buy some nice hand-made African printed clothes. We had a 9 a.m. flight to Lower Zambezi National Park via Lusaka. Or so I thought. When trying to check in at the tiny counter, we found that we had been bumped off the flight. Now we were leaving three hours later and would be flying direct. So, we headed back to Kapinga for a dip in the pool and a snack. We returned to the airport, checked in again, and were met by our pilot, a very nice guy who looked about 16 years old. We then got in our plane—which looked to be about 67 years old. With little fanfare, we took off and flew south along the path of the Luangwa, over some small mountain, finally meeting up with the mighty Zambezi, the third longest river in Africa. The Zambezi is truly impressive, and its many side channels make for an incredible site from the air. After flying along the river for some time, we landed on a basic airstrip surrounded by thick bush. Once again, when we landed in mid-afternoon it was blistering hot. Our guide picked us up and we drove about 20 minutes to Chongwe River Camp.

Chongwe River Camp has eight tents and two super luxurious suites, all set right along a tributary to the great Zambezi. The camp has a very comfortable lounge and dining area and a nice pool for cooling off in the heat of the day. The suites have private plunge pools and dining areas. A few steps away, a number of fishing boats and canoes sit ready to take guests on the water. There is also an additional option, Chongwe House, which is a few minutes boat ride away and is a super luxury option for groups of up to eight people.

For me, Chongwe River Camp combines the best of both worlds. We had excellent game drives and even better walking safaris, led by our veteran Zimbabwe guide, Rob. While game viewing, we saw elephants, buffalo, waterbuck, impala, warthogs, baboons, hippos and crocs, amongst others. Rob was even daring enough to dig up a crocodile nest to display the eggs buried beneath the sand—luckily before the mother decided to check on her brood.

For me, though, the highlight of Lower Zambezi was the canoeing and fishing. The Canadian canoes at Chongwe are relatively easy to maneuver. In just 3 hours, however, my limited skills were put to the test several times. The first was when a violent storm suddenly appeared on the Zimbabwe side of the river, quickly moving across to our side, turning the strong but calm Zambezi into a white-capped, ominous snake that I wanted to get off as soon as possible. Lucky for us we were at the entrance to a side channel and quickly followed it into calmer waters. The channel was peaceful and we saw many birds—storks, herons, egrets and more. Just as it narrowed, our second major challenge presented itself. Our guide told us to stay close, and we approached and then slid by a lone, menacing hippo. Vehicles awaited us at the end of our journey, beers in the cooler for the ride back to camp.

Fishing for tiger fish was a real thrill, and a number of guests visit Chongwe for this activity only. On our modern boat, we buzzed upstream, then floated downstream daring the toothy fighters to take our lures and bait. Here, the fishing is catch-and-release and anglers can choose between bait fishing, spin casting and fly fishing. I was told the camp record tiger fish is 14.5 pounds. Someday, I hope to return to challenge that record.