ZAMBIA Overland Trip: Western Zambezi up Barotseland through to Kafue then heading south to Livingstone. 2 Land Rover Defenders kitted out with long range fuel tanks and water tanks plus 3 jerry cans of fuel and another one for water. Travel Essentials: - Engel fridges (beer, meat, champagne purposes) Important note: I am writing about our experiences traveling along our proposed route. We were quite relaxed about things in general which made this trip all the more fun and worthwhile. Do not attempt this route if you’re a stickler for time, and want to control everything (especially the times to reach destinations). Also, good 4x4ing is essential. Sense of humour and adventure vital. And finally, this trip is only possible during Low Water season (i.e. before the rainy season) and therefore not possible between mid-December and mid-July (though you can go White Water Rafting around that time in Livingstone, it'll be their 'High Water' period, which will probably equate to some really extreme rapids). Day 1 Left home around 5am (stopped at a Wimpy 3 hours later for brekkie) arrived at Botswana Border (Martin’s Drift) around 9am. Tip: In SA, when passing through Mokopane (ex Potgietersrus) beware of opportunistic attacks at traffic lights – these guys wander right up to your car with hand on car handle eagerly scanning contents of your car while the other one awaits your response on driver’s side for a quick attack. Right in front of your eyes (happened to us both times). All you need is a breaker bar for threatening purposes and a heavy hand on the horn (and of course locked doors and closed windows). Home to border: 350km, 4 hours We arrived in Francistown around 2:30pm and straight to the nearest Land Rover Dealership in Francistown thanks to a very poor service from the guys out in Kya Sands back home which caused the clutch to slip more often as we reached Botswana. Something which seriously needed fixing before Zambia. The poor service unfortunately translated as follows: clutch kit had to be replaced, including the flywheel and master cylinder. It has to be said, the Land Rover Dealership in Francistown has got to be the best dealership ever - the service, the people, everything... The workshop team were working on our Landy until 10pm without a trace of grudge or dissent - they were smiling their way and cracking jokes, and just being pleasant throughout. Where else would you get such quality service here? (or anywhere in the world for that matter?) The best 4x4 dealership by far. All this activity of course broke our driving at just the right time (we were initially going to camp at Elephant Sands as Nata Sanctuary burned down) but Tati River Lodge in Francistown served as a very appropriate one-night-stop. With restaurant for a quick brekkie (starting at 6am) before our next long stretch. No complaints there.
Day 2 Tip: we kept filling up whenever we could in Botswana as fueling in Western Zambia was always going to be a bit of a gamble on our chosen route… After a hearty breakfast at Tati River Lodge we set off around 8am towards Chobe River Lodge. We arrived there around 3pm and surveyed our camping spots (note: you don’t book for camping – first come first serve). We found 2 beautiful spots vaguely overlooking the Chobe River with some hippos in the distance and some Wildebeest and Ellies further way, and with our resident warthogs and restless monkeys to complete this idyllic scene. As for our birding experience, truly satisfying, we got to identify some of the following sounds: orange-breasted bush-shrike, plenty Pied Kingfishers (you actually saw them at work during our trial fishing periods), yellow-billed Kites – all easily identified thanks to our birder companion (Linda – thank you).
Day3 Today was the day for our long-awaited river cruise. We had a spot of Tiger-fishing in the morning followed by a quick dip in their refreshing pool before setting off on our river cruise for the afternoon. Chobe National Park is said to have the highest concentration of elephants than anywhere else in Africa (we could certainly believe it - lots of different herds wandering about). Also rich in bird viewing... Tip: when they say the cruise will start around 3:30pm, what they actually mean is that they will leave by 3:15 as people tend to arrive early so once they’ve more or less packed the boat, they will leave without you. No matter, we were duly escorted to our proposed boat in no time… This cruise is highly recommended as you get to see lots of interesting animals up close and personal. Hippos, crocodiles, elephants (lots of separate herds), kormorants, fish eagles, skimmers, monitors, bee-eaters, zebra and more…
Day 4
Zambian Border: It felt like every tiny office we visited got to empty our wallets even more. Having survived the onslaught of smoking our meat at the Namibian border (thanks to a hefty shopping spree at the Spar in Kasane – definitely recommend you shop there as there’s a long detour to go shopping once in Zambia). So instead of handing in our layers of vacuumed-packed meat, we opted for a quick smoking session just outside the border (thanks to our freebie from Land Rover years ago – the fabulous, multi-purpose Cob). That minor delay mean’t we arrived at the Zambian Border (Sesheke) around 2pm. No problem, or so we thought. We had no idea that so many Kwachas were required for one visit. We landed up haggling with the locals outside the offices (only Kwachas or Rands were accepted) who were all switched on as far as the current rate went (calculating their profits with their latest mobile phone brands). Utterly surreal African experience. So that was an hour's experience at this extremely hot, ramshackled Border crossing. We asked one of the officials what all these extra costs were for and she promptly answered “for the general up-keep of this place”. Clearly. We turned Left once we left the Border to head up to Sioma and were immediately hit by deep sand, driving along the Western Zambezi. Amazing experience. Well this road got gradually worse so be warned, you really do need a reliable 4x4 with good ground clearance and low-range diffs. Both Landy’s (including trailer) were superb under those conditions. In total it took about another 115km from the Border to Sioma (which translated into 4.5 hours driving). We arrived around 18:30pm (just in time). And our wonderful host, Hans Aaskov was ever so accommodating. We got to choose a really cool spot on a slope overlooking the beautiful Zambezi. Check out our sunrise pics.
Day 4 – 5 - 6 Day 4 – we arrived late so we managed a refreshing outdoor shower having chosen a beautiful camping spot overlooking the Zambezi. Day 5 – was a much needed lazy day as we set up our campsite (kitchens, lounge, et al).
Day 6 – Our full day of cruising on the Zambezi. On our morning river cruise we got to swim by the Lumbe River, and for our afternoon cruise we got to see the impressive Ngonye Falls, followed by some desperate Tiger fishing on the way back (having been somewhat motivated by a local fisherman with his impressive sizeTiger fish)... Our guide Ernest was most encouraging on the Tiger fishing front.
Day 7 We decided to continue the long and rugged road westwards towards Kalabo. No regrets either. Here you really need to rely on your up-to-date GPS (lots of disappearing sand tracks as you are driving over dry flood plains – most of the year this road is flooded, so we were honoured to have driven it). Beautiful experience. Our senses were naturally heightened – started noticing new sounds (apart from the very mobile shongololos – centipedes) and the occasional hooting from an owl, and something that sounded like drumming at the distance with occasional lightning displays … we soon dozed off. We were absolutely knackered and it’s amazing how well we all slept considering how remote and far removed from the normal roads we were. Our plan was to wake up early and leave before the locals started visiting. The other option of course would have been to take the pontoon crossing at Sitoti and then again at Lealui towards Kalabo (which apparently is marginally longer and also packed with more disappearing roads and bridges). At least with our one, it was (eventually) a long and single road passing through lots of curious but friendly villages and at times narrowing within the bushes, but a single road (tyre treads) were almost always visible. An up-to-date GPS for this route highly recommended.
Day 8-9 You need to have already booked and paid for camping in the most remotests of Parks, Liuwa Plains National Park (which is flooded most of the year, and which is where all the animals migrate to towards November time). The heavy rains start around mid-Nov, by Dec this park is inaccessible. Costs: Park fee – 40USD per person per night; Camping fee – 10USD per person per night; Pontoon crossing to Liuwa is 40 000Kwacha with a carbon tax of 5 000Kwacha per vehicle Pontoon crossing here is very basic, but reliable
Once over the river, you’re on your own (no mention of a park guide or where to drive to) so we set off on our GPS coordinates (given some details of the campsite, with a hand-drawn map of the southern part of the park) and headed for Sikale campsite (the most remote and in our opinion, the best campsite by far).
tip: make sure your GPS is up-to-date with the latest maps as the roads change continuously in this Park as it’s flooded most times of the year. The roads tend to disappear so you do land up driving on the Plains at some point, but as long as you’re considerate of animals and plants and follow your GPS religiously along the Plains. You do get there in the end. Driving up to our campiste we saw 3 hyenas resting by a watering hole. Few Wildebeest. Lots of different birds (will slowly add the detail here)...
Sikale campsite is a further 4 hours drive from the pontoon crossing (about 81km)
A bit about Liuwa Plains: Access their brochure on: http://www.african-parks.org/apffoundation/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=19&Itemid=31 We had the best campsite overall. We camped underneath a beautiful Mobola Plum Tree (about 91 paces in circumference). Beautiful. Big. Round. It certainly kept us cool during our stay. And we had the Plains with a few waterholes in full view. We saw: Wildebeest in the distance. From the Birds list we saw and identified: Bateleur, Yellow-billed Kites, Plovers, Wattled Cranes, Crowned Cranes…We even saw a yellow-billed kite successfully catch a fish in one of these watering holes and parked nearby for a quick feast. Day 10 Saw lots of Wildebeest on the way. Few of them chasing the crowned cranes (almost using them like bowling pins). 2 Secretary birds also wandering along this watering hole (quite extraordinary looking birds). Wattled cranes. Oribi darting across the road. You can tell these animals are not that used to vehicles as they often dart right in front of you, crossing over in desperation or just playfully (hard to tell at times). Liuwa Plains truly is a bird haven. Our campsite was good for a one-night stop – facilities were most appreciated by this point. Unfortunately, the flies really made it impossible to endure. However, we did get to hear and see some unusual birds: Meyer’s Parrot out in the open and an African Barred Owl. Exquisite.
Day 11 Brief history on the King of the Lozi people (little village in Lealui we drove through). Around the time the floods are due to start (usually around February or March - before the full moon), the King has his long mokoro boat ready and, together his people/village, they migrate to higher ground. This annual migration is called Ku-ombuka Ceremony…
Fuel up in Mongu: Mongu to Kafue Park: 400km (6hours on good road)
Camped at Mayukuyuku campsite (right along the river in full view of a herd of hippos bellowing away all day and night. Beautiful. It had started raining then, light rain. We heard the hippos all night – what a colourful lot. The facilities at this campsite were superb (proper showers, basins and a mirror – though not sure by that stage would be most welcome). We left our driving companions behind for another night with the hippos before heading off to Lusaka, while we made our way South the next day.
Day 12 Roads are really bad in this park, but the drive beautiful as it got to evening. Beautiful lighting through rain clouds. Driving through beautiful magical forest. Saw a couple of Fish Eagles in their trees. Saw an elephant chasing a saddle-billed stork (quite remarkable) he was a young bull annoyed by the stork’s presence a couple of metres off our road, and then easily disappeared the other side of the forest. We arrived at our campsite around 6:30pm and it started to rain again – though driving through the plains on the way there was quite remarkable with the lightning displays following us in the distance, a solitary road and Landy making its way through the vast plains. What a classic Landy scene. We put up our shade one side of the Landy. Set up a table, a few chairs and snacked on some provitas and canned peaches. We were finished. The campsite helpers tried to put a fire on for us but the rain kept restarting so they would resume their fire-starting skills in the morning. Which they kindly did. We also got to inspect the facilities, which though basic, worked well and blended with this spectacular environment we were in. The campsite faces a few watering holes about 200m away. We saw some waterbuck chasing away some cranes (again) – delightful. We also awoke to the unmistakable exciteful sounds of the African Fish Eagle (quite a few of them too). Heaven. It is definitely worth venturing out South of this magnificent Park to Nanzhila Campsite - they close around beg-Nov due and are closed for the entire rainy season (Nov-July). It's a hard and long drive south but we both agreed that it's well worth it - those drives without a doubt always deliver the best results. Quick coffee and off we were once again to Livingstone…
Day 13 – 14 The road out the park, continued its challenging form. The road to Kalamo (which was destined to be our next fuel stop but wasn’t (ran out of fuel – we even saw some trucks parked off for the day/week?) We had about ¼ fuel left. Just enough for Livingstone. And the road to Livingstone (which we reckoned being marked as tar and all would take us a couple of hours). To give you a picture, it took us 4 hours. The roads were being worked on so the detour we took was no better. Bits of concerete remained from this wreck of a road. Large potholes. We were forced to drive on the side of the road for most of the time which mean’t that we had to climb back onto the road on occasion when this dirt road narrowed or when faced with an enormous 20ton truck heading our way. Fun, but weary. We just wanted to get to our glamorous hotel now.
We arrived at 3pm, and after being introduced to our butler we slowly settled down for some High tea. What a treat. Off for a quick walk around the grounds (heading towards the famous Falls via Zambezi Sun) then back in time for a sunset swim in their refreshing pool. What a civilized, beautiful place. It almost seemed so out of place having hammered down most of Zambia’s dirt roads (and tar roads) to be settling into something so serene and civilised. Our trustful Landy certainly looked the part having been plastered with Zambia’s finest mud, parked outside this pristine setting. Priceless. Well the Royal Livingstone Hotel also hosts some giraffes, zebras and vervet monkeys who seem to have taken ownership of most places. Our classic (regret not having taken a photo here) was watching a whole lot of groups of vervet monkeys and their little ones parked out on the lawn watching the sunset with restful eyes, slight breeze in the air. Hilarious. This was clearly their hotel... A delicious supper under the moonlight and off to bed (yes, a proper bed – most welcoming by this stage). A good night’s rest was definitely required for our full day of rafting the next day.
Day14 Safari Par Excellence: highly professional team of knowledgable guides (and great sense of humour too). Our team leader was Choongo (pronounced Chongo). The best rafting experience ever at low water/full day (which equates to 30km of exhilirating rafting). Superb. Let the pics speak for themselves. At $60 for full cd & dvd (well worth it). Looking back, it feels like quite an accomplishment to have gone through rapids with intimidating names like "The Terminator", "The Mother", "Stairway to Heaven" and "Oblivion" (which ultimately was the one that flipped us... rapid 18 i think). Awesome fun - words do not describe the exhiliration, emotion and assault you go through. You can check out more details about the grading of these rapids (grade 5 being the most dangerous as graded by British Canoe Union) - http://whitewater.safpar.com/ Our boys thoroughly enjoyed seeing mummy and daddy disappearing into the rapids.
For 284USD (for 2 people) it involved full day rafting with lunch and free drinks en route to their club where you have supper followed by more laughter watching the video of our successful rafting expedition. Drive you back to the Hotel. Excellent service indeed. Supper at the Royal Livingstone, did not disappoint. We sat first at their bar with very long Gin & Tonics admiring the décor (as it would have been in the famous Dr. Livingstone’s time). There is even a pith helmet with a green cocktail drink (apparently non-alcoholic) and newspaper rolled up for the good Dr at the end of the Bar counter and classic ragtime piano blues played in the background. Calm transportation back into another era.
The next day, after another scrumptious breakfast, we bid farewell to Livingstone. Day 15 Few obstacles remained though. Kazangula border, which surprisingly went rather smoothly. We were guided by one of the street boys who obviously know the process well enough and for a small fee (pref $) they get you to the front in no time. Kazangula Border: squeezing through office to office we drove on their very rickety pontoon (this one took 1 truck plus 2 vehicles). Just seeing the planks lift up behind the trucks wheels, certainly kept us alert during this crossing. Past Botswana Border and all systems go. Having tackled the last of Botswana's finest potholes northern side (a good 20km - Nata stretch). We arrived at our halfway stop in Francistown around 4pm, old faithful (Tati River Lodge). Utterly exhausted this time. We settled for an early supper (suddenly appetite kicked in and we ate well). And slept well. Early start of 6am after some coffees from our underused gas bottle we set off.
Day 16 Arrived home at 3pm with some very excitable boys welcoming us (before telling us off for having taken too long). What an awesome adventure we’ve had. Truly inspiring and well worth traveling.
Final tip: a good sense of humour always prevails when out in deepest darkest…
Interested? or want to find out more? email us at: vivian@grenfellonline.com |
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Created by Vivian Grenfell 01December2008
