RAINS ACROSS EAST AFRICA BRING NEW LIFE, OPTIMISM AND RELIEF FROM THE HEAT

Safari guide extraordinaire Richard Coke is regularly checking in from the bush to post a blog courtesy of Passage to Africa Safaris. This week, the rain has cooled off the lowlands of Zambia and the Impala mamas need wait to gestate no more.
 

RAINS ACROSS EAST AFRICA BRING NEW LIFE,

OPTIMISM AND RELIEF FROM THE HEAT
 

Lambs

New life is springing up across East Africa with the onset of the rainy season.

This is one of my favorite times of year here. The heat of summer is over, the drought is gone, and the rains have brought new life and a feeling of optimism.

The lowlands of Zambia turned emerald green within days of the first rain falling.

This is when female impalas give birth, and right now their young — called lambs — are visible everywhere.

Impalas gestate for six months — breeding season was back in May. But they can hold their young in-utero for an extra month if the rains are late, or conditions are otherwise difficult.

Thankfully, this year everything's running on schedule.
 

A PASSION FOR AFRICA:  About Richard Coke
 

Richard's first guiding opportunity presented itself in the late 1990's. Whilst managing backpackers in the Drakensberg (Dragon Mountains in South Africa) he was able to conduct guided walks through the mountains to view historic Bushman paintings. It was this initial experience that kindled his desire to share his studied knowledge and passion for Africa's wilderness with people from around the world.

Moving to Namibia in 1999, Coke guided many safaris and developed a fondness for elephants. In 2001 he left for the Okavango Delta and the Savuti where he spent the next seven years exploring and guiding through an intricate network of channels and floodplains using varying modes of transport: mokoro, boat, 4x4 and on foot. He has also ventured into Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and South Africa. When not exploring ecosystems
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