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Rivers of Zambia
"Don't worry, you'll each have a River Guide in your canoe"
The words of Jenny, the manager of Mvuu Lodge and campsite were intended to re-assure Angela, who was having second thoughts about the previous night's bravado of deciding to do a sunset canoe trip on the Zambezi River.
As we paddled downstream it struck me that the only value of the river guide who sat in the rear of my Canadian canoe was (a) he was doing most of the paddling on what was turning out to be a baking hot late afternoon and (b) in the event of a hippo attack the chance of being chomped was 50:50 rather than 100%.
Since the Okavango Delta and Caprivi, hippo had been our constant companions, sunbathing and cooling down in the rivers during the day and chomping the grass around our tent at night, regardless of location. The close view of 'Basil', the half full-grown celebrity hippo at Mukambi Lodge in Kafue, had emphasised the sheer size and power of these aquatic mammals. Sitting slightly above water level in a ridiculously thin piece of fibreglass, our first hippo encounter of the sunset paddle was a tense one; a pod of about 12 raised their heads to get a better view of us as we drifted by.
After the first 8 nervous encounters, statistics about hippo killing more people in Africa than any other mammal were forgotten and we began to appreciate the beauty and wildness of this river area, the waters of which tumble over the Victoria Falls some 200 kilometres upstream then stagnate behind the dam wall of the huge Lake Kariba before being released again to form the boundary between Zambia's Lower Zambezi National Park and Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park, a World Heritage site.
As it turned out, canoeing proved to be the cheapest way of experiencing the area. Zambia charges US$75 a day to access their park, but Zimbabwe trumps that with a staggering US$150 a day (raised for the World Cup and not lowered since!) to access theirs, so we declined to do either. Mvuu (it means hippo!) Lodge sits in the Game Management Area next to Lower Zambezi so you get the same scenery and animals with no park fees. The only unreasonable cost was the pontoon ferry over the Kafue River, the only way to get to Mvuu, and a tourist milking US$28 each way for an 80 metre stretch of water!
Mvuu proved an idyllic spot, the local resident male hippo kept a close eye on us during the day, and we kept a close eye on him every night as he hauled out to mow the lawn around our campsite. Hippos were not the only large mammal encounter at Mvuu. Our campsite name "Ellie", should have given us a clue! One moment I'm pounding the washing in the outdoor sink, next minute I'm walking backwards to make room for the first of 4 elephants, who squeeze past the sink and the edge of the riverbank on their way to re-arrange the lovingly nurtured gardens of the lodge!
In Kafue Italian overlanders had encouraged elephants in to camp by throwing oranges to them (elephants love citrus fruits but it usually ends up with cars damaged, people injured and elephants shot…I'd shoot the people personally). Fortunately the elephants at Mvuu have not been exposed to such temptations and it was a pleasure to get so close to these huge mammals (Angela may disagree on this subject, elephants are not top of her "huggability" index for some reason!)
Prior to visiting Zambia we'd assumed it to be a dry place like Botswana but the opposite is the case, it is criss crossed by rivers, fed by generous summer rains that start each October/November. The next river on our agenda was a famous one, the South Luangwa and it forms the southern boundary of the park of the same name.
This park is famous for walking safaris, but with a day time temperature of 44C and squadrons of tsetse flies on standby we decided to stay in the car, tsetse proof and nicely chilled. Actually "tsetse proof" is a misnomer, these flies have an uncanny ability to find human flesh regardless of glass windows and metal doors.
We'd been warned about tsetse flies before we arrived in Zambia (Botswana, South Africa and Namibia are tsetse free) and once one sinks its teeth in to you, you understand why. Unlike a mosquito the bite is painful, but like mosquitoes they enjoy blood. In Kafue our friend Jerry developed the rather strange habit of waiting for the tsetse fly to get inside his shirt, then he squeezed them until they exploded. After a couple of hours he looked like a contestant in a paintball/war games competition!
Despite the tsetse flies, the heat and the US$75 a day charge to get in, South Luangwa proved a beautifully scenic park, full of animals. We saw several prides of lions and, adopting the Simon Allen "elephant enema" approach, we managed to find a leopard by nearly driving over it. Once it and we had recovered from the shock of encountering each other on the road in the midday heat, we were incredibly privileged to watch it stalking bushbuck, it nearly got one!
The combination of expensive park fees, UK level petrol prices and very high food costs (everything is imported from South Africa) meant that our time in Zambia was inevitably going to be limited. It was sad to leave, lovely parks, good roads and very friendly people are a rare combination in Africa so it was with much reluctance that we left South Luangwa and headed over the border to neighbouring Malawi for what we hoped was a cheaper trip.
Thanks are due to Ron & Monica, who we met at Wildlife Camp, South Luangwa, thanks for giving us all the provisions prior to your return to Holland. Thanks also to Anna & Jerone for the Northern Mozambique and Zimbabwe advice, also to Stephen & Martine for their company on the night drive.
Thanks to Mike AG, fellow Brit traveller, for all the advice on Zambia and Malawi during two brief encounters on the road to Kafue and in South Luangwa. Look forward to meeting up for a future trip if you can ditch the Romany tent construction on the top of your Toyota (and ditch the Toyota come to think of it!!)
No thanks are due to the Vervet monkey that stole Angela's Nik Naks from the back of the Landrover at Wildlife Camp, hope your teeth rot!
Finally thanks are due to the tsetse fly, despite the painful bite and the bloodsucking tendencies! By causing sleeping sickness in cattle you've ensured that some of Africa's finest national parks have remained wilderness areas for wildlife!
- comments
Mike G If I ditch the Toyota, we would have to stay within a couple of days towing distance of Foley's garage in Livingstone!!! That could get a bit dull.... Nice to meet you guys, and thanks for the cold beers..........my shout next time! Mike
jola It's great to hear you are still traveling and it brings back great memories. I think this may be the second time in the last year I have sat down to read my hotmail. Atlin has been keeping us busy, as has Brad. We just shot a goat on Chilkoot Lake last Saturday and it's been very tasty. We'll save you a jar. Take care and safe travels and come visit we have a guest room in our rental. jola and brad
Ralph & Angela Hi Mike Leaving aside Jerry & Lisa's Landy, ours is working perfectly (for the moment!). Going to Foleys to get a coupling replaced on the rear diff, it was cracking before we left for Kafue so I don't like to look at it now! Poineer Camp is overcast and cool, the rains are coming! Did you about the guy killed by lions at Mana? Musn't get complacent! Good to hear from you on the website regards Ralph
Ralph & Angela Hi Jola Nice to hear from Alaska, I presume Chilkoot Lake was frozen when you shot the goat. I presume Brad remains more trouble than Atlin? Any plans to return to Africa? Will be out as soon as we can afford it Take careRalph