Zimbabwe

FROM HOME TO ZIMBABWE.

16TH April to 20th April
Spent our first night out of White River, with very special friends, Francois and Vic’s. Gave us a special send off. Thank you both. Spent a night just before the Beitbridge border.
As all big borders go I can do without them. (Fellow travellers, a little advice, don’t take the runner to help you, this could be very expensive!!). This is the beginning of Africa and we need to learn patience. The roads to Victoria Falls, really still quite good, don’t have a lot of traffic so you can just enjoy. Closer to Vic Falls the area is very green and very thick.
Found quite a good site at Victoria Falls Lodge and camped out and chilled. Our first drink did not touch sides. Sunday we found a church, and enjoyed the music and singing to the sound of drums. Mostly all in English beside some of the hymns.
Walked onto the bridge which goes over to Zambia. The falls are so high that most of the way all you see is mist and rain. The sound is unbelievable and sleeping at night, you could be at the sea with waves crashing on the rocks. Wolf did a helicopter ride so we could get some photos, only way, as the spray is so much you can’t see much.
Coffee at the Victoria Falls hotel ($8) still brings you back to the Colonial Days.(but almost empty.) Lots of Staff and very friendly.
Filled the car with fuel, found that all is not so bleek, you can get fuel/diesel and this cost us $1 per lt.
INTO ZAMBIA
What a pleasure, half hour border crossing, with the most helpful friendly officials
We are camped on the Zambezi, at the Zambezi Waterfront Resort. First things first had a “Mosi” (beer) and Savanah overlooking a fast running Zambezi. (Tom & Chandy, we always think of you when this comes first)
For fellow traveller, we purchased a COMESA third party here in Livingstone which covers you for third party for all African Countries taking some of the hassles and costs at each border post.
We did a walk to the falls on the Zambian side, the start you can see a nice portion fairly clearly but, from there on right across the Knife Edge Bridge which goes over the Zambezi River, it is totally misty and the spray is worse than a Johannesburg Thunderstorm. We were like drowned rats, but what fun, we laughed like school kids.

HIGHLIGHT: To see the Falls at this high point, the highest, it has been in years. The locals here say, 8mts higher that usual after the rains.
LOWLIGHT: Beitbridge Border post & the poverty on the streets.

Zambia

ZAMBIA
21st to 25th APRIL, 2009-05-03
Had a chill out day, cleaning sorting and planning for the next week, chilled out in Bar on Mosi Beer (local) Right from the campsite which is about 3km away, the noise from the falls is unbelievable.
Wolf was a bit worried about the trailer so before setting off next day, we had the trailer checked, all okay and on our way south east. 529km for the day. Checked into Gwabi River Lodge on the Kafue River in the Chirundu area, Chirundu being the border into Zimbabwe. The border post seems to be busy with constant streams of trucks going through or waiting to go through. Fuel containers are to be seen quite frequently, cost of Diesel in Zim is $1 per lt. And although we were told that Zambia fuel was far more expensive it works out at about R9.00 a lt which was far less than what we expected.
Crossed the border the next morning. As borders go not too bad, the road into Manna Pools when you enter the park was not good and very corrugated, also the vegetation on both sides of the road very dense. Mapani bush most of the way. Lots of Elephant tracks and dung (filled with thousands of butterflies) a change from dung beetles but no elephant to be seen. It was one of my dreams to go there and camp without fences and this was all what I imagined. Sleeping at night, you could hear lions, elephants, hippos, hyenas all at the same time. We even had lion in camp (Erika reminds us of the Kalahari when Wolf went to the loo and you had just seen the lion)
The animals are very skittish, and photos not easy, as soon as you stop the car they run off. We had a super viewing (TOM) of a croc eating a baby hippo and a couple of crocs trying to have their share. Super bird life, lots we could identify and lots we couldn’t.
We spent three days there and then onto Lusaka to stock up on fresh veg, all got from South Africa; the prices are horrific and quite limited in choice. I saw yellow peppers in Checkers for R50 per kilo. Wolf has to be content with butternuts/pumpkin/sweet potato/cucumbers and tomatoes. Thank heaven for the dried veg we got before leaving SA, it really comes in handy for our potjies.
27th & 28th April
Left for Kafue National Park, about 200km north west of Lusaka. Unfortunately this was a bit of a disappointment because the roads up north had not yet been graded after the rains and not accessible to vehicles yet. But all the same, we camped on the Kafue River which is flowing well. The park fees here are $60 per day for the two of us, car and camp fees. That’s not including the camping fees ($15each) for the camp site which are privately owned. The only camp site we found which belonged to the park was so horrific that you would rather camp wild (which in Kafue National Park is not allowed) so all those who complain about the Kruger, should think how lucky they are. So all in all the two days were quite expensive. We did however see Kafue Lechwe and Defassa waterbuck (which we have never seen) All very skittish. The park was established in 1924 and covers about 22,400km2. Unfortunately in the 80s and early 90s it was very let down with no resources and very little done about poaching. .
29th & 30thApril
Left early to stop over again in Lusaka, for internet café (my computer will not work off the phone) to send off email and post our pictures of Vic Falls on the website. Again did a quick pick up of veg, and Soda (very scarce) and then on our way east to South Luangwa. Stop over 320km at Bridge Camp, on the Luangwa River. Cheated that night and took a chalet, I must have been tired or confused with the rate (Heather reminds me of buying Nougat in Venice) but paid far too much. (pay back time for Wolf and the Beitbridge border)
Stopped over again at Chipata (360km) at Mama’s Camp, and tried to get some information on sorting out the computer. Also found out that the next day’s driving of only 153km would be quite hard going.
1st to 5th May.
South Luangwa National Park.
153km took us 5hours. The road is something else, I am not sure if we prefer potholed tar or sand which has not seen a grader for ages, it goes from heavy corrugation to holes which we could sink the trailer in, to soft sand. Then all of a sudden 100km later we see the airport and there in front of us, is a tarred road which was a pleasure for the next 45km. What gives you an idea they only want "fly in" guests, the rest of us camping travellers must just do with the dreadful road.
Because of the high park prices, we camped just out of the gates of the park at Flat Dogs Camp (the local name for a crocodile). Booked a night and morning drive, this allows you to pay only one park entrance as it works for a 24 hour period. Also the private camps get better rates if you drive with them. What a wonderful start to this park visit. Within minutes of entering the park, we saw, elephant, herds of impala and puku, zebra (crawshays), Giraffe (Thornicrofts) hippo by the hundreds (and I mean hundreds), yellow Baboon, Buffalo, and first four young lion cubs which are a in a pride of 7. 2 females, 1 male and the 4 cubs. After taking some photos, we moved on and to our amazement a km away there were the two females asleep up a huge tree. They looked just like leopards with their legs dangling over the branches. On our way out we were privileged to come across the male lion asleep in the road. We also saw 3 civets, a white tailed Mongoose and a large spotted genet. Before it started getting dark, beside the normal birds another 12 different species of birds.
The Morning drive did not disappoint us, we saw two male lions from a different pride (comes from a pride of 17) buffalo, lots of elephant, two breeding herds with little ones, hippo, kudu, Puku,, Giraffe and 14 more different species of birds.