Wild Africa: Rivers of Life

On the Luangwa River the law of the land is dictated by the ever changing seasons and the constant cycle of life. In the wet season the Luangwa Valley is a green paradise. The river’s waters flow in abundance and lush green vegetation carpets the landscape. But in the dry season, when rains become but a distant memory the greenery turns brown and the water levels drop by a foot a day. Only, those best adapted to life in this extraordinary environment can call the banks of the Luangwa River home.

The life sustaining Limpopo River flows along a 1000 mile course through South Africa and Mozambique and out into the Indian Ocean. For four months of the year this powerful river continuously revitalizes the landscape nourishing the abundance of wildlife dependent on it. For the remaining seven months its waters are locked away in inaccessible underground aquifers leaving behind a series of small and ever shrinking muddy pools. Excruciating heat and drought ravage the area until the next rains.