Lake Tanganyika

UGANDA The Lodge at '@on the river Ishasa' was comfortable, and the staff extremely pleasant and helpful. After advice from a tour guide and some locals, we decided to drive back via the road we took to Bwindi Impenetrable Rainforests. This road was well maintained because it was regularly used by visitors to the Mountain Gorillas. This route took us pass Lake Bunyonyi and Kabale. That night we slept at THE GREAT LAKES MUSEUM & LODGE. TANZANIA - LAKE TANGANYIKA After breakfast we continued to the border post of Kikagati. After passing through the Ugandan and Tanzanian border posts, we were advised to return to Uganda, take a 50 km detour, and re-enter Tanzania from Nshangezi. This detour saved us from having to negotiate a difficult pass, which, after the rain, could have been treacherous. From Nshangezi we drove through enormous sugar plantations. Just before Kyaka, there was a police and customs check point. Here they checked our re-entry permits and we continued our journey to Bukoba. The Victorious Perch Hotel provided us with accommodation once again. At 06h00 the next morning we left with hotel packed breakfast parcels. At about 10h00 we stopped for breakfast and coffee in The Biharamulo Nature Reserve. As Steve sat down on the caravan door step, he noticed a white substance dripping from underneath the caravan. The remainder of our milk cartons (3 liters) had chafed through on the previous day's journey. It was the first time that I was glad that the caravan had not been sealed properly. The clean-up was quick and we managed to save 1,5L, pouring the milk into 3 x 500ml empty water bottles. The breakfast provided by the hotel included 2 slices of dry bread, one hard blue boiled egg, 2 dried out chiapattis, and 1 not-so-cosher sausage. We took out our own butter, jam, peanut butter and syrup, and made some coffee. Our journey took us back to Nzega and from there to Tabora. We booked into The Orion Tabora Hotel. It is a beautiful old colonial style hotel. At dinner we met a group of Tobacco merchants. They advised us which roads to take to Lake Tanganyika and warned us to expect poor roads. The next morning we took the B6 to Ipole. From Ipole the tar road turned into a track that changed from bad to worse. The wheel on the caravan picked up a 6inch nail - our first and only puncture on the whole trip! 

Puncture

   

First and only Puncture!

  Over the next 4 hours we experienced every bad-road-scenario: potholes, soil erosion, soft, thick sand, roads with rocks and boulders, powdery dust holes, and perfect corrugation that shook the caravan almost completely off the road. We were exhausted, having to fight the road all the time! Accommodation at Mpanda was unacceptable, and in Katavi National Park far too expensive due to park fees. We made the decision to continue to Kipili on the shore of Lake Tanganyika. The first section of the gravel road through Katavi had culverts sitting on top of the road, covered in sand and not easily noticed in the evening dawn. Tsetse flies hitched a ride with our vehicles until we left the wooded forests that flanked us on both sides of the road. Outside Katavi National Park we came across an excellent newly tarred road (about 20km long), before it, once again, changed to a gravel road which winded through Namanyere and Kipili fishing village. We reached Lake Shore Lodge at 22h00 that night. The staff at Lake Shore Lodge had been informed of our late arrival and put us into Bandas for the night. A Banda is a sparsely furnished room without a bathroom and toilet. Ablutions facilities were in a separate building and was shared between Bandas. The Bandas and ablution facilities at Lake Shore Lodge was spacious, beautiful and clean. Steve and Theo talked one staff member into opening the bar and pouring us each a drink before we went to bed.

Lake Shore Lodge

  The next morning we could see our surroundings in daylight and we were thrilled! Lake Shore Lodge has Camping, Bandas, Luxury Chalets and a Honeymoon Suite. The Lodge is run by the owners, ex South Africans, Chris and Louise. Chris is an engineer, builder and restauranteer. Louise used to be a fashion designer in Johannesburg. They make a formidable team. The Lodge is beautifully laid out, well built and perfectly maintained. Louise's feminine touch and artistic detail is everywhere. The camping and ablution facilities are situated under massive mango trees, with plenty of shade. LSL offer their guests diving, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, fishing, sun-set cruises, quad biking, interesting walks, just relaxing in the sun or reading in an open air lounge. They serve great food, and dinner is a lantern-lit affair on the beach, just a few meters from the water's edge.

View of Lake from Inside the Lodge

  Steve had tremendous fun hooking a few tigers from the jetty and the beach. We loved it so much that we ended up staying for 8 nights! (The last 2 nights we were upgraded to the honeymoon suite!) I promise that this will be my last 'spill' story: remember the milk that we transferred from broken cartons to plastic water bottles? Well, when we opened up our fridge in the caravan after above mentioned horror road, all the plastic bottles had chafed through and everything else in my fridge stood in 1,5L of milk! Luckily, the milk was contained in the fridge. (Always a silver lining.........) The fridge in our caravan packed up - a gas pipe must have broken due to the bad road - and all the gas leaked out. Luckily we still had our trusted 40L Engel in the car. ZAMBIA Ndole Bay is situated on Lake Tanganyika, but on its south western side, in Zambia. The border crossing through Tanzania and Zambia did not take long and we managed to get to Kasame where we stayed for the night. From Kasame we would have had to travel all the way back to Ndole Bay. Unfortunately an old back injury started playing up and Steve turned back towards Mpeka.The Forest Inn (not the one in Nzega!) was fully booked when we arrived there at 17h30. We continued for another 2,5 hours to Frangilla Farm. By this time it was dark and we were glad to get off the road. The Great North Road is not pleasant to negotiate at night. After breakfast Steve drove through Lusaka to Livingstone. The temperatures soared the further south we went. Livingstone was battling a mosquito plague with temperatures of 45 degrees C. We booked into the Protea Hotel for the night (air conditioning was a major prerequisite).  CAPRIVI AND NAMIBIA The next day we had another border crossing, Shesheke and Katima Molilo. From there we travelled to Nambwa in the Caprivi. We were a little apprehensive, knowing that this once 'wild place' had undergone a tremendous change. A lodge had been built where we once camped and we did not know what to expect. African Monarch left 4 of the original camp sites in place. We camped next to the river with good, old, familiar views. The lodge is stunning, but very expensive. We experienced thunder, lightning and rain - a first for us in Nambwa. We had 2 good days in Nambwa. We met a very special gentleman in Nambwa. Klaus accompanied Steve on an evening game drive, and mutual interests created an easy friendship.  Ngepi camp was our next stop. Here we washed our vehicle and caravan and slept with the trumpeting of elephants and the whoop-whoop of hyenas in our ears.

Sunrise in Nambwa

 

Camp site at Ngepi

  We stopped and stared at the road running through the Kaudom ("next time - my back will not make it") then turned away to Rundu for fuel. Tsumke, Grootfontein, all the Otji's!, until we reached Otjiwarango. Unpack, eat, sleep, drive..... ITS TIME TO GO HOME! One more place to sleep - Orange River Lodge - Noordoewer. Last border crossing - South Africa - our beloved country. Breakfast at the Springbok Cafe ............Somerset West at 14h00!  21 July 2016 - 30 October 2016  102 DAYS       7 COUNTRIES  +- 20000 KM ITS GOOD TO BE HOME!!!  

Tree-climbing Lions

Tree climbing lion

After our incredible experience with the gorillas, we returned to Lake Bunyonyi for another day before leaving for Queen Victoria National Park further north in Uganda. This park is known for its tree-climbing Lions. After speaking to locals and reading many a blog, we chose a different mountain pass through the rainforest to the one we drove to Bwindi to see the gorillas. We were in awe at the scenery on this pass and stopped many times to take photographs. The road on this pass had been carved out of the side of the mountain. The trees formed a natural canopy over the road. On the one side we had the mountain towering over us, and on the other side the mountain dropped away severely, but still covered with enormous trees and lush rainforest vegetation. In most places the road was so narrow that only one vehicle could be negotiated at a time. it would have been nearly impossible to reverse our trailer and caravan down this pass! Vehicles that had the misfortune of leaving the road involuntary, would most probably not have been able to be recovered. This beautiful mountain pass climbed up to over 2800m. It was an exciting but dangerous, impassable pass, in rainy conditions. Our Angels were looking after us! A decision was made not to return via this route due to inceasing rain and resultant landslides. This was later confirmed by locals from the area. Be it may, we were glad to have driven this wonderful mountain pass. 

The narrow road on the pass

  Outside of the National Parks the mountains had been cultivated in terraces up to 2000m and more. These were mostly covered by tea plantations and the farms of local inhabitants. These subsistant farmers grew bananas, maize, and various other traditional crops. Farms could only be reached by foot, by either climbing up or down the mountain. Because of the steep slopes, large terraces had to be cut out of the mountain to enable a family to build a house. This is all done by hand! As in the rest of Africa, the women and children appear to do the work! When we reached QVNP it was already late afternoon. At the entrance we were informed that it would cost us R4500 per day to enter and camp inside the Park. The lady at reception was helpful and informed us of accommodation a few kilometers outside the park where we could camp. As we left to investigate the possibilities, it started raining.  We ended up ' @on the river Ishasa'. Being the only visitors we were able to negotiated a full board and lodging price which sounded better and better as the rain got worse! We were very comfortable in our lodgings on stilts overlooking the river. The next day all 4 of us got into Steve's cruiser (a $50 saving by using one vehicle) and went looking for the famous Tree-Climbing Lions. We were surprised to find large herds of buffalo in this area. And yes, we did find 2 tree-climbing Lions (and they were in two separate trees!). There is much speculation why the lions in this park climb the trees. It could be because it's cooler high up in the trees or to get away from tsetse flies and mosquitos. They do look very comfortable and safe in their elevated positions. A ranger later informed us that we were lucky to have seen the lions, as there had not been a sighting for 2 weeks! We also saw hundreds of Topis (an antelope similar to our Red Hartebeest). Monkeys and birds that we have never encountered before, and which you only find in Uganda, continued to surprise us.

Tree climbing lion

  The second day we drove through the QVNP to the Equator in Uganda (and took pictures to prove that we were there!) It poured with rain and we were both elated and sad. From this point on we were turning around, heading South again - homeward bound to our beloved South Africa. Two familiar figures drove pass us on our way back to our lodgings. We turned around and caught up with them. It was Helen and Jimmy from The UK, touring through Africa on their motor bikes. We met them at Lake Bunyonyi. They also went over that treacherous pass and had some bad luck with punctures! We exchanged hugs, wished them Bon voyage and a safe journey. We have met amazing people while travelling through Africa. This couple had (understandably) limited packing space, and their lodgings every night is a thin little tent. At one stage their tent was ripped, trashed and completely fouled by baboons. Jimmy seems to be very good with a needle and thread. Maybe we'll meet again….......

Helen And Jimmy

 

Uganda & Mountain Gorillas

The staff at Tunza Beach in Mwanza was sad to see us leave. We were also sad to leave this beautiful place and friendly people, and it took a while to say our good-byes. We had driven the road down the coastline of Lake Victoria the previous day to find out more about the location and cost of the ferry. We hit the morning traffic as there is only one road into and out of Mwanza. Together with police road blocks and numerous people on motorbikes, bicycles as well as pedestrians, the going was slow.  At Usagara we turned towards the lake. Two ferries were working at the same time. As one ferry loaded its 'cargo', the other one is docking on the opposite side of the lake. We did not wait too long for our turn. Smaller cars were loaded first, then larger vehicles and trailers, and then buses and trucks, all squashed in like sardines in a tin. Passengers are asked to leave the vehicle before its parked, as the passenger door sometimes cannot be opened because the cars are so close together! After the vehicles, motorbikes and bicycles are driven aboard and passengers are let on by foot. " 'n Hele gedoente", as Rosalind would say. The ferry had an upper deck where passengers could  sit for the short 20 minute ride to Busisi. By the time we left the ferry at Busisi, we realized that Bukoba would be too far to reach in one day. We found accommodation (camping) at The Old German Fort in Biharamulo. Ros and Theo discovered a 'milk spill' in their trailer and started a big clean-up. Although black clouds were forming above, promising us a thunderstorm and downpour, we quickly set up camp and started a fire. While we were braaiing, we were visited by two owls: a mommy and her baby. It was wonderful to watch the interaction between them. The little one was crying for food, and the mother looked like she was trying to coach it into flying and becoming independent. The next morning we left early and had a beautiful drive on tarred road through the Biharamulo Game Reserve. The last mountain pass before Bukoba was under construction, and we had a steep climb over the pass. The road took us all the way up the western side of Lake Victoria. The camping accommodation, facilities and security  at Bukoba was totally unacceptable, as were many other so-called 'hotels'. We made a decision to go to the 'most expensive' hotel in Bukoba. It seems that hotels award themselves a star rating and hotel descriptions are thumb sucked and beautifully embellished. We had driven about 500 km (10 hours of driving!) and we were tired. The Victorious Perch Hotel ticked all the right boxes. Both accommodation and food was affordable. Jacob, the manager did his utmost to make us comfortable. Tilapia (freshly fished from Lake Victoria) was on the menu and everyone was happy. The next morning we left after breakfast and drove for a while on a tarred road. It looked like Tracks-for-Africa clients had never driven this road. We were aiming for the Tanzanian border at Kikagati. At one stage the maps just showed us that there was no road to said border post. We persevered and basically 'made our own tracks' towards the border. The last pass we crossed before the border was spectacular, despite being 'littered' with small villages. The going was slow, to say the least. At the Tanzanian border we were helped quickly and efficiently, but the gentleman on the Ugandan side was ill equipped to process the information and after 3 hours our nerves were frazzled. Eventually we entered Uganda. We still had about 150 km to drive, but the roads were horrendous. When we hit the tar road towards Kabale it was already dark. Steve and I decided to book into a hotel in Kabale as we had to refuel, draw money and buy food in town the next day. Ros and Theo pushed on in the dark to Lake Bunyonyi.  Lake Bunyonyi is definitely one of the most beautiful places we had visited on our trip. It was lush and green and the resort  was well laid out and maintained. It had a restaurant, bar, catered for boat trips and food was well priced. I mentioned earlier that we had now entered Uganda's rainy season. We ate most evenings in the restauran at Bunyonyi, as we were drenched in thunder storms almost every evening. We could also organize our Gorilla trekking into Bwindi Impenitrable Rain Forest from Bunyonyi's office.  Thursday morning at 05h00 the four of us drove with Theo's Cruiser to Bwindi for the start of out Trek. Conditions were misty with poor visibility, but we made good time and arrived at the starting point with an hour to spare. Bwindi is high up in the rainforests and incredibly beautiful. More 'Gorilla Trekkers' arrived. At our briefing we were advised to rent a porter. After being briefed we were divided into 3 groups. Each group would visit a different family of gorillas in different parts of the forest. Our group of 7 'Trekkers' were chosen to find the Oruzogo Group - a family of 17 members, with three silverbacks, many females and plenty babies! Our terrain was the steep rainforests of Bwindi. We drove higher up into the mountains and then had to walk up the rest of the way. At a certain point we had to start trekking down the steep hills of the rainforest. The ground was slippery, mushy and wet. After about an hour we were told that the trackers that went out at 07h00 that morning, had found the gorillas - they were very close.  Our first sightings of the Mountain Gorillas were astounding! They were so high up into the trees that they looked like small Chimpanzees. Slowly and graciously they climbed down the trees - they were magnificent! I did not expect them to be so close! They sat down as close as 3 m from us, foraging, eating, burping (and farting loudly!) There were 3 Silverbacks in the Oruzogo group, each with their own ranking. Each of them had a different personality. No 1 Silverback had this Enormous Personality, large, overpowering, and rather grumpy looking. I found myself mesmerized by him, and forgot that I was not suppose to look him straight in the eyes. He started leaning towards me with a fierce look and I had to humble myself before him if I did not want to be chastised by an attack. The no 3 Silverback (actually still a Blackback!) was a real performer! If we moved away from him, he would get up, pull down a tree and break it to show off his strength, then casually strip the leaves from the bark, eating and looking at us askance. One of the visitors became too enthusiastic and came too close to a mother and her baby. The next moment the mommy gorillas exploded into a ferocious 'attack', coming to a halt 1 m from the frightened lady. Everyone were holding their breaths and Steve held his ground (he was standing next to this lady!) (Some people had to change their underpants after this incident!)

Mountain Gorillas of Bwindi

  There are only 880 Mountain Gorillas left in the world. They are critically endangered and can be found in 2 small populations: in the Virunga Volcanos of Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, houses 400 of these gorillas. In Bwindi, gorillas move about 1 km per day, depending on the availability of food.  Gorillas are vegetarians. Their diet consists of leaves, stems and fruits. They climb as high as 20 m to get to fruit! They eat for several hours, then go to sleep. Gorillas are exposed to humans for only one hour per day.  Our one hour went past far too quickly! Being with gorillas are like swimming with dolphins - you are adrenalin charged and euphoric for hours afterwards. It was well worth the time and money visiting the Mountain Gorilas of Bwindi.   

Serengeti

The morning we left Kilimanjaro, 'The Lady lifted her skirt' for us and we could actually see the top op Kilimanjaro! Accommodation was our next concern. The Sundown Carnival Hotel, only 10 km outside Arusha, looked like a perfect place to stay. We had lovely rooms, breakfast, as well as a magnificent view of Mt Meru. On the 21st September we were picked up by Leopard Safaris in a Landcruiser Safari Vehicle (a spacious 8 seater). These vehicles are designed with a roof that can be raised to enable 360 degree game viewing and photography. Basil would be our driver and guide for the next 5 days. The distance to the Serengeti was about 300 km. We entered The Ngorogoro Conservation Area first and got a breathtaking view of the Ngorogoro Crator! One has to drive through the Ngorogoro Conservancy to get to the Serengeti. The Maasai has the right to live and farm with their cattle and sheep in this area, and while we were driving we saw Zebra and Giraffe 'mixed' with cattle, goat, sheep and even camels! We entered a second 'gate' to the Serengeti. While we took photographs and do what tourists do, Basil was standing in line to get the necessary permits and approvals. The road into the Serengeti was taxing, to say the least.  This is the only North-South road for hundreds of kilometers. It us used by, not only visitors to the Serengeti, but also supply vehicles such as petrol tankers, trucks and buses which transport locals to villages to the north of the Serengeti. The condition of the road explained why our Safari vehicle carried a main leaf spring! We had been warned beforehand of the condition of the roads, and were very happy that we had decided not to drive into the Serengeti with our own vehicles!   

Mt Meru from our balcony at Carnival Hotel

  As it were late in the afternoon, we had decided to go directly to our Lodge. This proved difficult as we came upon a number of lions, including a magnificent male. By the time we reached the Lodge we had a tally of 7 lions! We arrived at the Lodge at 18h45, with just enough time to book in and wash up, before we had to go to dinner. It was a long day, but we were on a high! The Serengeti Sopa Lodge is built on a hill, and all 73 rooms face the Serengeti Plains. The Lodge is furnished in African style and colours. After dinner at night we enjoyed African singing and dancing.  

Serengeti Sopa Lodge

  Basil urged us to get going as early as possible the second morning, and he covered about 150 km of the Serengeti plains. The Serengeti surprised us time and again: 3 leopards (eating, sleeping on ground, and up in a tree) 20+ lions, and the hi-light of the day: a kill by a cheetah. We first spotted her and her 4 cubs under a tree. After a while she left her cubs (they were so obedient - just sitting upright watching their mommy moving cautiously towards 4 Thompsons Gazelles). It was incredible to watch her skill. With a sudden burst of speed and accuracy she hit her prey in a cloud of dust. The Cubs just waited until their mom was sure it was safe. When she called them, they ran towards her. While they ate, she kept looking out for possible danger. It is amazing that a cheetah could keep 4 cubs alive with so many predators around! Apart from the predators, we also saw hundreds of buffalo, zebra, Thomsons - and Grants Gazelle, elephant, hippo, giraffe and Impala. On our way back to the lodge we stopped numerous times to watch hyenas coming out of their dens. It was getting late and we only got back to the lodge at 19h00.  We had been in the road for 11 hours! The next day was a repeat of the first (except for the kill). We were lucky to have such a skilled driver and guide. Basil did his utmost to get us to a sighting. The Serengeti Plains are vast, and the guides are in contact with each other. Many tourist would come back from their drives and complain that they saw only Impala and Zebra. Over 3 days we saw more than 40 lions, numerous leopards and  cheetahs, as well as hyenas. (Isn't it funny that tourists only count predators........) of course we saw everything else except for the rhino and wild dogs. Elephants are still our favourite animal, and we had plenty encounters with them. The fourth day we moved to the Wilderness Lodge on the rim of the Ngorogoro Crator. We had good sightings on our drive in the Crator. When you stand on the rim of the Crator and look down, it is almost impossible to imagine that there are animals and water down there. Our trip to the Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crator came to an end as we left the area on the 5th day.

Lions in Ngorogoro Crator

  On our way back to the Sundown Carnival Hotel where we left our vehicles and trailers, we stopped at Mtowambo Market to buy fresh produce. Markets in Tanzania are colourful, filled with fresh, red tomatoes, yellow bananas, green watermelons, cucumbers, garlic, ginger, pineapples, oranges, red and green peppers, and many other interesting fruits and vegetables that we did not know. We saw red bananas for the first time (apparently they are less sweet - a good alternative for diabetics!) Women are dressed in bright clothing with beautiful friendly smiles. It was a real treat to buy our produce from this market.  

Mtowambo Market

 

Mwanza - Lake Victoria

Although Arusha is a big and vibrant city, we entered it only when we had to. Traffic in African cities gave us a lesson in Patience, with a capital P! If you could forget that there was an urgency in getting somewhere, you could actually enjoy the hustle and bustle, the colours, the people and interactions. Getting through a city could easily take you an hour, unless you were there in peak traffic - then you could be 'sightseeing' for about 2 hours or more! We left Arusha, once again travelling towards the Serengeti, but this time veered to the West. Our aim: Mwanza, a town situated on Lake Victoria. We got as far as Nzeda, where we stayed overnight at The Forest Inn. We were slowly (albeit unwilling?) getting used to the African hospitality industry, and we would just 'go-with-the-flow' and enjoyed it! TUNZA BEACH RESORT at Mwanza, got some great reviews from both BRADT and Trip Advisor. It had a small stretch of beach, with Palm trees and big grassy areas, with colourful tables and chairs for day visitors. It also had a restaurant and bar area (called The Cocpit Bar). Lodging facilities were thatched 'rondavels' (2 single beds, table and chair in each) with bathroom en-suite. As the general bathroom facilities were being upgraded, we were offered a rondavel as our bathroom. This worked out well as there were many day visitors to Tunza that also used the campers bathrooms! We met a few 'lodgers' at Tunza, but we were the only campers. Agatha visited us before we had finished setting up camp and offered laundry services! GREAT!

Sunset at Tunza Beach - Lake Victoria

  One of the regular lodgers at Tunza was Eddie Wilson, a helicopter pilot from Centurion in Pretoria, South Africa! He was contracted by a mine in Tanzania. What an enthusiastic person! Theo and Steve chatted to him and the 4 of us were organized on a helicopter flight the next morning! What a great experience that was! Eddie showed us a hotel from the air - 'Good food' he said, and after our flight we ended up going to The Talapia Hotel for lunch.  Talapia is said to be one of Tanzania's best eating fish. Everyone agreed!  Every night we watched the fishermen with their boats and dhows go out to fish. When darkness decends, the whole horizon is lit up by the lights on the boats. Steve saw a boat-building yard not far from Tunza Beach and we visited it. He had great fun trying to talk to the locals (they spoke only Swahili), climbing into their boats and showing them pictures on his cellphone of fish that he had caught! While we were there, a few boats came in with fresh fish. Yes, of course! Steve bought a fish! (It was a Nile Perch)Then he took it back to Tunza's kitchen, filleted it himself, and I fried it for dinner that night.

Helicopter flight with Eddie

  Mwanza is also known as 'Rock City'. It has numerous 'koppies' of rock strewn all over the town. People just build their houses on top of the rocks! It was a sight to behold from the helicopter! We got really 'mellow' at Tunza Beach. We stayed for 5 days! By the way, Lake Victoria has crocodiles in it! We never swam, but the locals and a big group of school boys on an outing did! It was interesting to observe our fellow Africans coming and going at Tunza. (I am sure they went home and said the same about us!) The owner of Tunza Beach employs the services of a group of Maasai to tend to the security of the Resort. We felt safe even when 50 school boys descended on the small beach. If people came too close to our camp or started hanging around our cars, the Maasai (neatly dressed in traditional Maasai garb) just looked at them and pointed. Then without a word from either party, the culprits would move off. The morning we left Mwanza, we had our first rain! We were expecting the rain, knowing that it would start in October.  The road to Uganda was going to be long, and so we took a ferry across Lake Victoria to cut out a few hundred kilometers.

Serengeti & Ngorogoro

The morning we left Kilimanjaro, 'The Lady lifted her skirt' for us and we could actually see the top op Kilimanjaro! Accommodation was our next concern. The Sundown Carnival Hotel, only 10 km outside Arusha, looked like a perfect place to stay. We had lovely rooms, breakfast, as well as a magnificent view of Mt Meru. On the 21st September we were picked up by Leopard Safaris in a Landcruiser Safari Vehicle (a spacious 8 seater). These vehicles are designed with a roof that can be raised to enable 360 degree game viewing and photography. Basil would be our driver and guide for the next 5 days. The distance to the Serengeti was about 300 km. We entered The Ngorogoro Conservation Area first and got a breathtaking view of the Ngorogoro Crator! One has to drive through the Ngorogoro Conservancy to get to the Serengeti. The Maasai has the right to live and farm with their cattle and sheep in this area, and while we were driving we saw Zebra and Giraffe 'mixed' with cattle, goat, sheep and even camels! We entered a second 'gate' to the Serengeti. While we took photographs and do what tourists do, Basil was standing in line to get the necessary permits and approvals. The road into the Serengeti was taxing, to say the least.  This is the only North-South road for hundreds of kilometers. It us used by, not only visitors to the Serengeti, but also supply vehicles such as petrol tankers, trucks and buses which transport locals to villages to the north of the Serengeti. The condition of the road explained why our Safari vehicle carried a main leaf spring! We had been warned beforehand of the condition of the roads, and were very happy that we had decided not to drive into the Serengeti with our own vehicles!    As it were late in the afternoon, we had decided to go directly to our Lodge. This proved difficult as we came upon a number of lions, including a magnificent male. By the time we reached the Lodge we had a tally of 7 lions! We arrived at the Lodge at 18h45, with just enough time to book in and wash up, before we had to go to dinner. It was a long day, but we were on a high! The Serengeti Sopa Lodge is built on a hill, and all 73 rooms face the Serengeti Plains. The Lodge is furnished in African style and colours. After dinner at night we enjoyed African singing and dancing.  

Serengeti Sopa Lodge

View of Serengeti from Lodge

  Basil urged us to get going as early as possible the second morning, and he covered about 150 km of the Serengeti plains. The Serengeti surprised us time and again: 3 leopards (eating, sleeping on ground, and up in a tree) 20+ lions, and the hi-light of the day: a kill by a cheetah. We first spotted her and her 4 cubs under a tree. After a while she left her cubs (they were so obedient - just sitting upright watching their mommy moving cautiously towards 4 Thompsons Gazelles). It was incredible to watch her skill. With a sudden burst of speed and accuracy she hit her prey in a cloud of dust. The Cubs just waited until their mom was sure it was safe. When she called them, they ran towards her. While they ate, she kept looking out for possible danger. It is amazing that a cheetah could keep 4 cubs alive with so many predators around! Apart from the predators, we also saw hundreds of buffalo, zebra, Thomsons - and Grants Gazelle, elephant, hippo, giraffe and Impala. On our way back to the lodge we stopped numerous times to watch hyenas coming out of their dens. It was getting late and we only got back to the lodge at 19h00.  We had been in the road for 11 hours!

2 Beautiful Males

The next day was a repeat of the first (except for the kill). We were lucky to have such a skilled driver and guide. Basil did his utmost to get us to a sighting. The Serengeti Plains are vast, and the guides are in contact with each other. Many tourist would come back from their drives and complain that they saw only Impala and Zebra. Over 3 days we saw more than 40 lions, numerous leopards and  cheetahs, as well as hyenas. (Isn't it funny that tourists only count predators........) of course we saw everything else except for rhino and wild dogs. Elephants are still our favourite animal, and we had plenty encounters with them. The fourth day we moved to the Wilderness Lodge on the rim of the Ngorogoro Crator. We had good sightings on our drive in the Crator. When you stand on the rim of the Crator and look down, it is almost impossible to imagine that there are animals and water down there. Our trip to the Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crator came to an end as we left the area on the 5th day. On our way back to the Sundown Carnival Hotel where we left our vehicles and trailers, we stopped at Mtowambo Market to buy fresh produce. Markets in Tanzania are colourful, filled with fresh, red tomatoes, yellow bananas, green watermelons, cucumbers, garlic, ginger, pineapples, oranges, red and green peppers, and many other interesting fruits and vegetables that we did not know. We saw red bananas for the first time (apparently they are less sweet - a good alternative for diabetics!) Women are dressed in bright clothing with beautiful friendly smiles. It was a real treat to buy our produce from this market.  

Mtowambo Market

 

Tanzania

The Kitchen at Coffee Tree    

The beautiful dining room at The Old Farmhouse

Our next destination in Tanzania was Iringa, The Old Farmhouse Campsite. The distance to Iringa was about 280km and after breakfast and our tour of Utengule Coffee Farm, we left at about 11h00. We were on the main tarred road for a short period when we encountered roadworks. The roadworks continued for the next 200km! Road users were mostly big trucks and fuel tankers who do not adhere to traffic rules or road signs. They pass you on a blind corner or hill. A solid white line on the road means nothing. On the dirt road it was even worse. To slow down the traffic, severe bumps had been created in the road. In some places the bumps had been partially flattened by the big trucks, so they choose to drive on the side that had the smallest bump. More often than not that side would be the side we were driving on! To 'stay alive' we started doing the same - it was horrendous! It was a matter of 'push in or get pushed out! We eventually arrived at the camp site just as it was getting dark. We were met by 2 Masai warriors, complete with red cloth attire and spear. We set up camp as quickly as possible, had a tuna sandwich and collapsed into our beds. Ros and Theo discovered a 'coca cola spill' in their trailer, and first had to unpack crates and fridge, wash and clean, before going to bed. The next morning, after breakfast, we had a long chat with Nicky, the owner. She gave us invaluable information on National Parks to visit, accommodation, tour operators, and which roads to drive in order to avoid roadworks. 

                                                      Breakfast at The Old Farmhouse      We had been travelling for two months and had covered about 10000 km! The four of us sat down with maps and Nicky's info, and had a serious talk about the distances that we could cover in a day, how much time we had left, and everything we would still like to do. Dodoma was the next 'big town' and we had to sleep there for one night. On Nicky's recommendation we stayed over at The New Dodoma Hotel. By now we were getting fed-up with small towns with bad accommodation facilities and no camping, so we set our minds to drive further the next day. We drove via Singida and Babate towards Tarangire National Park. Ros found accommodation for us at Zion Campsite, just outside Tarangire NP. We got there in the dark and were the only campers. Dinner was Bully beef with 'smoored' tomatoes and onions. Ros added penne pasta to help fill those hungry stomachs! We had been traveling for six days and needed a break. The next day we entered Tarangire NP with one vehicle. There was a long que of mainly tour operators waiting to enter the park. We had never seen so many tour operators in one place, all waiting with their customers to get into Tarangire.  

Tour operators waiting to enter Tarangire NP

We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of animals we saw in Tarangire. It really lived up to its reputation as the park with MANY  elephants. We also saw great herds of Blue Wildebeest, Zebra, Giraffes and Buffalo, and sighted the rare Thompson's Gazelle! Tarangire boasts a massive grass plain aptly named Little Serengeti. Enormous Baobabs covered the landscape. The park closed at 18h00 and we made it with a few minutes to spare! We camped at Zion for a second night and cooked fillet medallions with a mushroom sauce and a wonderful salad for dinner.  Arusha was an important stop for us. The Cruisers needed to be serviced and we had to get quotes from at least 2 tour operators. Once again it was Friday. Toyota could service the cars on Monday. We spoke to 2 tour operators and decided to drive to Kilimanjaro for the week-end while we waited for a quote to come through. As we left Arusha, we came upon another section of roadworks. We were glad to leave the town and the roadworks behind us as we drove to Mount Kilimanjaro. The last bookings were made in Zambia, so every time we neared a village we started scouting around for accommodation, using our internet connections, Tracks-for-Africa GPS, or the BRADT book for travelers. This time we struck gold and our Tracks-for-Africa led us to a small piece of heaven called The Coffee Tree Campsite, situated in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. It is a small, neat campsite, grassed with a well manicured garden. 

The Coffee Tree Campsite    

The kitchen at Coffee Tree

  The first night at Coffee Tree we got a reasonable quote from a reputable company, and we were very excited. We confirmed the booking, changed our Cruisers to be serviced on Tuesday, and decided to stay at Coffee Tree for 3 nights! It is a lot cooler here and we love it. (By the way, we had the whole camp to ourselves!) The next day Daniel took us on a 2 hour guided walk through the villages and right up to the entrance of Kilimanjaro National Park. Everyone we met greeted us with a friendly 'Jambo' (hallo in Swahili). Daniel is 54 years old and is actually a guide for hikers to the top of Kilimanjaro. He told us that he can only manage two groups to the summit in a month, as he is getting 'old'. I took this photograph of Daniel and Steve in front of a local shop. When Steve said to Daniel: Come stand here with me, we are the same., Daniel looked at him and said: The same, except I am flat!

Daniel, our guide.     Produce sold inside the shop

The village butcher    

The village Tailor    

Entrance to Kilimanjaro NP

 

Malawi - 9 September 2016

We entered Malawi on 9 September 2016. The border post of Mchinji was dirty, 'plein deurmekaar', but we were assisted and got through the arduous job of filling in forms, paying for TIP and getting third party insurance, which came to a total of MK45000! That is just short of R1000! We were surprised to find a relatively good tarred road that ran right through Malawi (M1). The small villages next to the road were neat and tidy, with gardens and small patches of cultivated land. We were so impressed! One could buy fresh tomatoes, sweet potatoes (red and white), sometimes even red onions and peanuts in baskets all along the road. The speed limit was 100km/h on the open road and 50 km/h through the villages. The villages were so close together that one seldom got to 100km/h, and driving through the villages dropped our speed to 30 - 40 km/h. There were hundreds of cyclist in Malawi. The bicycle is not only used for cycling, but also for the transportation of water, wood, pigs, goats and chickens, and whatever else. Baskets, 1,5 m wide are strapped on the back of a bicycle and goods are transported in this way to a town or market. It is quite hazardous trying to pass a cyclist with such a wide basket on the back, swaying over the road trying to keep his balance! Bicycles are also used as 'taxis'.  What a colorful world we have entered! Most women still wear the traditional chitenge, a colorful 'sarong' wrapped around their clothes, to be used as an apron, a wrap to tie a baby on their back or front, or to carry produce in, or to wrap around their shoulders when they are cold. It is often seen hanging in a doorway or used as a table cloth. The chitenge is bright and traditionally patterned batik. We have found out that it is sold in 4m lengths and is called Java fabric. There is a massive drive in Malawi to educate girls. One of the bill boards at a girls' school read: DONT MARRY ME, EDUCATE ME! The 120 km to our first camp site after the border took us 5 hours to complete. Steve negotiated a good price for B & B at Barefoot Safari Lodge and we stayed in their chalets for the night. We also had our vehicles, caravan and trailer washed at the Lodge! After breakfast the next morning we set off to Lilongwe, the Capitol of Malawi, and decided to drive into the town for supplies. Once again we had entered a town on a Saturday morning, and we struggled with throngs of cars and people. With a foreign vehicle registration (and a caravan/trailer in tow) you are a target! I was walking back to the vehicle on my own and watched a young man with fascination. He was scouting through the car park (he was about 20m infront of me) saw the Cruiser and caravan and targeted it immediately. He first looked at the vehicle registration, and then started circling it. He looked very disappointed when he saw no one in the car. He then stationed himself under a tree and watched the vehicle. I decided not to go to the car, stationed myself under another tree and watched him intently. Eventually he spotted me and started walking my way. Unfortunately there are so many people without work, and people are always begging. I have had an encounter with young boys on the side of the road that also said: give me money, give me food. I introduced myself and asked them their names. I asked them about themselves, about going to school, and about which sport they liked. Steve joined in and kicked a soccer ball around with them. I was surrounded by these beautiful, smiling young boys and complemented them on their good language and soccer skills. They counted with me while I was letting down the tyre pressure, right up to 60! Before I left I asked them: 'Now what are you going to do when you meet a stranger.' One replied: 'Hallo, my name is Lawrence, how are you today?' I couldn't have been prouder of my own children.  After we left Lilongwe we traveled to Mzuzu looking for accommodation. The area in Malawi up till now was very flat. We drove through our first pass, and Steve remarked that this was how he imagined Malawi to look. We saw massive boulders on top of the mountains that made Paarl Rock looked insignificant. As we climbed the hills, the temperatures dropped to 20deg. The first accommodation we encountered as we drove into Mzuzu was The Grand Palace Hotel, 4 stars. Steve negotiated an even better price than the previous night, and we were very happy to stay in a luxurious hotel!

The Grand Palace Hotel in Mzuzu

  After a wonderful breakfast and even better Mzuzu Filter coffee, we left for the Tanzanian border post of Serongwa. 155 km before the border, on a steep mountain pass where we had our first sighting of Lake Malawi, we met another cyclist, Nick Simon, coming up the pass. He is cycling from Cairo to The Cape. Check him out on nicksimon.org! He looked a bit hot and tired, but he was smiling and stopped to chat to us.

Nick Simon in Malawi

We decided to travel through Malawi to get to Tanzania rather than Zambia. On our way back we will take time out and explore Malawi.   We got to the border post at about 14h00. 3 young boys ran to me - they wanted my empty water bottle. I gave it to them. Any water container is precious to them. They still have to walk many kilometers to collect water. I started chatting to them. Most Malawian children can speak or at least understand English. I asked theim their names. They gave me big beautiful smiles. The smallest one pointed to my hair and asked: Is it grass? I burst out laughing. I took his hand and and invited him to feel and pull my hair. He was fascinated.  By now, when we reached a border post, we knew the drill: sign out of the counry; sign into the next country; encounter third party salesman/woman; money exchanger finds you - know your exchange rate and negotiate a good rate; walk into obscure area where you exchange money; check the money; all this while cajoling and with small talk in between; go to immigration counter; get immigration form; fill in immigration form and go back to immigration counter; be friendly, be patient, answer all questions; move to next counter; vehicle registration, drivers licence, police clearance certificate, and what-ever-else-they-want; pay TIP, road tax and road levy, and whatever other taxes; move with third party salesman to his office (this time his office was behind two lively pubs) ... did I mention patience?...... Steve and Theo had disappeared with the third party salesman, and I was working on my blog when Ros rushed in and pointed out the time. We had only 20 min to get across the border! Tanzania is an hour ahead of South Africa, and the time was actually 17h40! We got across the border in time, but we could not believe that it took us 3 hours! 

Wheeling and dealing at the border post

  The guys had been held up (we felt purposefully delayed, as we were the only ones there!) and no one was thinking straight when we put our accommodation for the night into our GPS's. Utengule Coffee Lodge was our destination. It got dark when we left the tar road thinking that we were going up a mountain into the coffee plantations. We drove and drove and drove......but no coffee plantations! Twice Steve (with Theo' help) refueled our car with jerry cans. We started phoning Utengule coffee Lodge. I accidentally phoned our next destination. The lady, Nicky, was totally confused when we told her that we were over 2000m on a mountain pass. We checked our maps again, and saw that, instead of a decent tar road, we took a 'road from hell' (as someone described it). The road was actually a single lane, rocky dirt track, with the mountain on the one side and darkness on the other, the road dropping into an unknown abyss. We went through numerous villages, built within meters of the track. Tiny little shops, lit by candles and lanterns could be seen doing business late into the night. We were forced to slow down to a walking pace because of people walking in the middle of the road with their belongings on their heads. Some were on motorbikes, carrying everything from water, feed for their cattle, and passengers, or building materials sticking a meter out on both sides of their motobrbikes. Most bikes and even some vehicles had no lights! When we thought that the worst was over, we encountered Igali Pass. The road got increasingly worse with numerous sharp bends and erosion on the inclines. All this combined with never ending dust from motorbikes and vehicles coming from the front and back. This 73km took us almost 3 hours to complete. We were exhausted when we got to Utengule. We decided not to camp and booked into comfortable rooms. In retrospect we were sorry that we did not see the pass in daylight - apparently it is was beautiful pass! Before we left the next mornng, we took a walk to the coffee plantation. It was well worth the 1 hour trip.

Utengule Coffe lodge

Blossoms on the Coffee plants

 

Lusaka

Pioneer Lodge & Camp

For the past 3 weeks Steve had been making enquiries about upgrading our Cruiser's suspension. With the help of family, friends and 'connections', we managed to get hold of the IRON MAN agent in Lusaka, with positive results. Our accommodation for the next few days was on the opposite side of Lusaka, Pioneer Lodge & Camp. There was no road to our accommodation other than through Lusaka. Ros and Theo left Roy's Camp a bit later than us, and we're heading straight to Pioneer Camp. We managed to get hold of Mondi, the person who would install the new suspension, got a quote from him, and organized for Steve to bring the Cruiser in to his workshop the next mornng. We stopped at Toyota, and Steve replaced the filters on the air conditioning and the air filters on the vehicle. The road through Lusaka was 'interesting'. When we hit the Great Eastern Road that took us to Pioneer Camp, the traffic eased off a bit, and we noticed more modern buildings: shopping centers, hotels, and a beautiful University. Pioneer Camp was about 22 km outside Lusaka. Their chalet facilities did not look as good as our own beds and once again we decided to camp. Ros and I were excited to see a washing machine (don't laugh!) at the lodge and immediately organized our washing to be done. Dinners at the Lodge were really good and reasonably priced. Steve got up at 05h30 the next morning so as not to be stuck in traffic. Well, the story  about the fitting of the suspension to the Cruiser is best told by Steve. I had never seen Steve so frustrated, desperate (and a few other words I could add, but should rather not). He got home that night at 19h00! The ordeal was not over. He had to return the next day to have a few more things fixed, and was up again at 05h30. He got home at 17h00 the second day. The Cruiser looked good, and Steve had a smile on his face. The next morning we were up once more at 05h30. Steve went to town to refuel, while we packed and got ready for our next adventure: South Luangwa!

Roy's Camp

Sunset over a fire at Roy's camp

Roy's Camp

We left the  Busanga Plains with great memories. Our next destination was Lusaka. Once again we had quite a distance to cover in unknown terrain, so we managed to get accommodation at Roy's Camp. This camp was not on our itinary, and we were not sure what to expect when we drove down the road towards the camp. What a surprise we got - a little gem next to the Kafue River, with welcoming hippo noises, and even a small crocodile bathing in the hot son! Just as welcoming was yet another friendly Zambian, Mark, who helped us in every way he could. Mark helped us to wash our caravan and car! We set up camp, had a hot shower in clean ablution facilities, made a huge fire (complimentary wood supplied by the camp) and watched a spectacular sunset. 

Camp fire at Sunset

 

Busanga Plains North Kafue

Busanga Plains lies in North Kafue. It is part of Kafue National Park and is known for its tree-climbing lions. Like the rest of Africa, it has also experienced drought for a few years. On our way to Busanga, we came upon a veld fire that chased us back on the road we came. We have been in other parts of Africa where we have had similar experiences, but this fire roared with a wind chasing it and we choked on its smoke. The wind changed direction a few times. Eventually Steve and Theo unhooked a trailer, and went to investigate. They came back, smiling, and we got our vehicles turned around once again (not an easy feat on a single track with deep culverts and high embankments on both sides!) We drove through a sad looking veld. It was amazing to see how quickly the fire dissipated. The dry grass burned with high flames but was not hot enough to light up the surrounding trees. Gilmore had told us that they actually set out to burn the veld at a certain time of the year. August is not the month to burn the veld, because of the 'August Winds'.  Busanga was a pleasant surprise. Flood plains dotted with 'islands', literally thousands of Lechwes and Pukus, buffalo, hippos and crocodiles ever present at every lagoon or waterhole, a variety of bird life (a bird lover's paradise), lion and elephant. Poaching, although illegal, is still taking place. Therefor elephant is best avoided as they are very agrressive. For us the 'elusive' leopard stayed elusive, although residents talked about seeing them almost daily. Unfortanely Busanga has no camping available in the Park, but if you can afford to stay in a Lodge, it is really worth a visit. The Lodges combine a 3 night stay with Ballooning! We met Balloonist Eric, and his wife Nancy - two amazing people, who are also avid conservationist and anti-poaching supporters, who, with their Ballooning, is trying their best to promote an influx of visitors and money to Busanga to conserve this beautiful part of Africa.

Kaingu Lodge Kafue

To get out of Liuwa Plains we had to take the pontoon to get across the river once again. Our next destination: Kaingu Lodge in Kafue. The trip to Kaingu was almost 600km. We got up in the dark, and started traveling with the first light of day. We knew that despite our early rise, getting out of Liuwa's thick sand, waiting your turn to cross the river by hand drawn pontoon, and stocking up in Mongu, would not get us to Kaingu Lodge before dark. Instead we opted to camp at Mayukuyuku Lodge en route. The next day we only had 137 km to drive to get to our destination. It took us 4 hours to complete our journey to Kaingu. The first 40 km we drove was on a good tarred road, with many speed bumps, as we were traveling through Kafue National Park. The next 40 km was on a reasonable gravel road. The last part of our journey took us on a beautiful, winding track, through dense forests dotted with massive granite boulders.  Every now and then we spotted Zebra, Puku, and Vervet Monkeys. on this track we collected passengers in the form of tsetse flies. I noted in the instructions we got from Kaingu that we had to stop and spray our vehicles against these pests at some point. At a 'check point' we enquired about the spray, but the official did not know what we were talking about. We continued on our way to Kaingu. Kaingu clearly stated that we were not to bring the tsetse flies to the lodge. We were nearing the lodge and all we had in the caravan was Doom. We stopped the car. Steve rushed to open the caravan with hundreds of tsetses attacking him. I retrieved the fly swotter (aptly named 'Iedere vlieg se moer') and set off doing exactly that! Steve entered the caravan with tsetses in tow, closed the door behind him and made a lot of noise! I was outside swatting myself to get rid of tsetses biting me, jumping up and down and waving my arms. After Steve had emptied the can of Doom, he exited the caravan, well marked by tsetse biting marks, and remarked drily: Well, we declared war on the tsetse flies, and the tsetses won! We continued our journey and 'licked our wounds'. About 2 km from Kaingu Lodge we came upon a big sign that read: PLEASE STOP YOUR CAR HERE FOR 5 MINUTES. THIS IS A TSETSE FLY CONTROLL AREA. which we did. Lo and behold! All the tsetse flies lost interest in our vehicle and disappeared! I have been dreaming about visiting Kaingu Lodge for more than 2 years. A few years ago we discovered that Gilmore and Julia, a couple that we had met on a 4x4 trip from Luderitz to Walvis Bay, had bought shares in and was helping to run Kaingu Lodge. So we were so excited to meet up with Gilmore and Julia once again! The team of Rick (a retired veterinarian) and Lynda (pharmacist), Gilmore (a forestry specialist and practical engineering person), and Julia (with her artistic background) makes a formidable team at Kaingu Lodge. We camped at Chief's Camp, but could also use the lodge facilities. We went on a river cruise, a game drive, and had dinner at the lodge. The staff at Kaingu was friendly and helpful. We did not want to leave! The last day Gilmore and Julia took us on an interesting walk. We ended on top of a granite rock (similar to Paarl Rock) with a beautiful view from which we watched the sunset and had some drinks. Then they invited us for dinner at their house. The house is absolutely unique. It was built on and incorporated into granite rocks and trees. There are no glass windows and the doors do not get locked. All the furniture were hand made and Julia's artistic flair is everywhere to be seen. Julia's own personal art adorns the lodge as well as the Chalets at the lodge. We stand in awe at all the work Julia has put in to building and decorating, not just their own house, but also the ablution facilities at Chief's Camp, and the bathrooms in the Chalets.

Baobab on shower wall, done by Julia

Bottle detail in Baobab

Toilet with a view

Rock pools at Kaingu

Sunset with Gil and Julia

 

Liuwa Plains

The Pontoon

From Kabula Tiger Lodge we had 315 km to drive to get to Mongu. We stocked up on fuel, water food etc. From Mongu we travelled to Kalabo. The road to Kalabo was a brand new tar road. We crossed 26 bridges, spanning many wetlands and rivers, most of them dry this time of year. Prior to the road being built, Liuwa Plains had been inaccessible during the rainy season. Although the road was very good, we had to stop at many 'check points' or slow down because of cattle, goats, donkeys, and small villages right on the highway. This road will in future be used by Zambia to access Angola's harbours. At Kalabo, the only way to cross the river was by using a pontoon. This pontoon can transport only one vehicle and trailer at a time. It is pulled across the river by 4 men, using a thick rope which is secured on both river banks. It just did not look adequate to carry a vehicle and a caravan, and as many pedestrians that could fit on it. Theo and Ros was first and we took pictures and videos as they went across. Theo radioed us as soon as he drove off the ferry: the sand was thick and soft. We started letting our tyre pressure down even before we drove onto the ferry. We were suppose to sleep at Katoyana, the camp site in the middle of Liuwa Plains, but opted for an alternative: a community camp, not too far away from the pontoon.

Community camp site

 After a light supper we watched the sunset, took many beautiful pictures, and watch a red moon rise on the opposite horizon. It was beautiful.

Sunset

The next mornng we set off to Katoyana. We travelled for most of the day, game viewing and bird watching as we went along.  The road was hectic at times, but we made it to Katoyana in one piece. We were welcomed to our camp site by two friendly Zambians, Agrey and Lucas. They were happy to see us and offered to bring us wood, wash our dishes and clean whatever else needed to be cleaned. Every morning they swept our camp sites and at night brought us lots of wood. We had enormous camp fires at night. Steve and Theo explored the north of the park while Ros and I chilled the first day. The second day, on a long drive to the south of Liuwa, Steve and I came upon 6 hyenas, bathing in the water and mud of a pan, cooling off in the heat of the day. On the opposite end of the waterhole a water monitor (about a meter long )tried to sneak out of the water. The hyenas spotted him, and watched him with interest. He carefully and as quickly as possible ambled back into the water. Liuwa Plains lives up to its name with thousands of square kilometers of grasslands, which are submerged during the rainy period, which is mid November to April. Dotted across this vast landscape are islands covered in enormous trees. Although the area was very dry, we were amazed to find pans, filled with water and greenery around it. These pans were filled with a variety of large bird species which included Saddle Bill Storks, Grey Crowned Herons, Secretary Birds and many more. We saw big herds of Zebra as well as Blue Wildebeest. We loved Liuwa. It was so remote. We were the only occupants at every camp we stayed in.  At our last camp site in Liuwa, we had 11 bats in the ablution facility. We were so dusty that not even the bats could keep us from having a shower! Due to the very sandy conditions in Liuwa, Steve got his worst fuel  consumption thus far - 26,3L/100km.

Kabula

Kabula Tiger Lodge

Another sunset at Kabula

5kg Tiger!

The border crossing into Zambia took about an hour. We had to exchange Dollars into Kwachas before we entered the border post. 'Money Traders' can be found on both sides of the border.  A lot of wheeling and dealing took place to get a reasonable rate of exchange. Zambia has got a very neat, organized border facility. Our destination in Zambia was Kabula Tiger Lodge. The name says it all - the guys booked here to fish!

A sunset cruise to the Rapids!

Sunset at Kabula

Ros's birthday party at Kabula