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

 

Khwai to Katima

Khwai River Camp

Although Theo had warned us that the next trek to Katima Mulilo was an arduous stretch of road, we voted to drive it in one day. We left Khwai River as early as we could manage. We wanted to drive down the cutline next to Savuti, through the Linyanti Camp, visit our memorable 'Koffie Pan',  and get to the Botswana border post, Ngoma, before it closes at 18h00. Many years ago three families, the Pauws, Malans and Drinkrows, the 'Paumalrow' Group, did a similar trip, and stopped off at this picturesque, small Pan for coffee and rusks. We fell in love with it and actually camped there on a return trip.  The road down the cutline was full of potholes and heavily overgrown, but not as sandy as we expected. Halfway up the cutline, we came across, what appeared to be a Jeep, completely burned out. The heat was so intense that it had melted and curled the windows, and melted sections of the engine and rims. The fridge had completely disintegrated and 2 gas bottles had exploded. We suspect that this vehicle must have accumulated grass around its exhaust system, which is a common problem on these kind of roads. The resulting fire completely destroyed this vehicle and its contents, as well as setting the surround veld on fire.  When we turned into Linyanti we followed the road to the campsite, where we met a couple that informed us about the road ahead - extremely thick sand in which they got stuck. It took them 2 hours to get out! We had already dropped the tyre pressure, and we ARE driving Landcruisers!, so we were not too perturbed. Theo and Ros were leading the way, and we followed a few hundred meters behind them due to the grey powdery dust so typical of the Linyanti. Ros called us on the radio with the dreaded news - they were stuck! We arrived at the scene. Ross and I scrambled around for wood to put under the wheels, the men took out the spades and started digging! No success. We pulled our caravan pass the Pauws Landcruiser and Conqueror and unhitched the caravan. Steve and Theo connected two kinetic ropes to each other, and then to the 2 Cruisers. The 200 Series pulled Theo's whole rig out of the sand. Theo drove his vehicle and trailer off the road to get out of the sand, and Steve dug his Cruiser into the sandpit! It was lying right on the diff! Now it was Theo's turn to unhitch his trailer and pull Steve out! All this took us about an hour. A lodge guide in a passing Landcruiser, came pass us and advised us not to carry on driving on this road, as we definitely would get stuck time and again. He gave us an alternative route. This route was closer to the river (a concession area) which took us past an airfield and then back on the original road. We enjoyed the scenery on this road, and even saw a massive herd of buffalo. Our GPS told us to expect a tar road very soon! This tar road did not materialize, and we realized that with the speed we were traveling, about 18 - 20 km/hour, we were not going to make it to the border. Theo and Ros could travel much faster than us, and so they scouted ahead for accommodation. They found us tented accommodation, and organized dinner with the owner in charge. When we stopped at Mwandi River Lodge and opened the caravan, we found, for the third time during this holiday, that the last two remaining 5L of wine, mixed with Linyanti dust, had leaked out. This was too much for me and I burst into tears! After a great shower, clean clothing, dinner and a few drinks at the bar, we all felt much better. With Steve's help, we cleared out the mess, washed out the caravan and repacked it. Luckily the toilet rolls were packed in the same compartment as the wine and that sucked up a lot of the wine. The next morning the caravan still smelled like a wine cellar.  With the newly added front bullbar  and winch, we have found that the front suspension of the 200 Landcruiser was too soft to handle the badly dug out roads we were traveling. (Hence the numerous wine spills!) Sometimes we were forced to drive at 15 km/hour and less. Steve started phoning around to see if and where we could get an upgrade. We were prepared to drive back to Windhoek, but there was nothing available. At the moment we are waiting for some feedback from Lusaka. If they have the right suspension, we will have the upgrade done there. At the border we were questioned repeatedly about our 'Mercedes' that we were taking across the border. It seems that our new caravan number plate had crossed the border 3 times before (as a Mercedes!) The poor official phoned 3 different authorities, and Steve presented him with all the right documents (Licence, document of ownership, Data-dot identification as well as Police Clearance Certificate!) Eventually we could go! We booked into Namwi Lodge and Camping site, about 5km from Katima. Namwi is next to the Zambezi River, neat and beautifully maintained. Mimi De Klerk is the manager and she runs a tight ship. We took a camp site right on the river, while Theo and Ros opted for a bungalow. There was a lot to be done before we could leave on the next leg of our trip. We loved it at Namwi. The staff at Namwi did our washing (clothing, towels, bedding), and even our cars, caravan and trailer were cleaned. After struggling with his fridge for about 2 weeks, Theo and Steve eventually figured out that there was a bad earth at the plug as well as in the main DB  board of Theo's trailer. We were so thankful that this problem had been solved! We stocked up on food, water etc and Steve managed to get a new Jockey wheel which had been destroyed on our way to the Khwai River. We felt great - all problems solved and resolved, except for the front suspension of the Cruiser. The next day we would cross the border into Zambia!

Khwai River - Magotho Camp

Maun was our next town for supplies. It had grown tremendously since we last visited it. We were surprised and excited to find a Woolworths and a Spar Supermarket in Maun. The ladies stocked up on food and water, while the men refueled the vehicles, checked  tyre pressures, refilled water tanks etc. Cable ties and insulation tape was a priority on Steve's shopping list. Gone were the days when a hammer and a piece of wire could fix everything! The Deli next to Reilley's Garage supplied us with great meat. We left Maun and found comfortable accommodation at Drifters, about 22 km outside Maun. Drifters is situated on a river, has camping and Tented bungalows available, as well as a bar and kitchen for dinner and breakfast. Shaun, their manager, was entertaining and informative, and gave us great advice for our journey ahead, especially the trip into Uganda. He had worked as a Safari Operator for 14 years, of which 7 were in Uganda. We had a lovely dinner and breakfast the next morning, served on the deck next to the swimming pool, overlooking the water.

Breakfast at Drifters

  After breakfast we set off for the Khwai River. At first the sandy road was comfortable and the scenery beautiful - a large Mopani forest. Then the sand got thicker and we let the tyre pressure down. From this point on the road had deteriorated to potholes of dust at regular intervals, forcing us to drive very slowly. After driving the whole day, we eventually got to Magotho Camp, on the Khwai. We were exhausted. We were lucky to find a camp site right opposite the river. While setting up camp, we had our first visitor - a big bull elephant, quietly walking through our site. This became a regular occurance. A few lone bulls with Askari would walk through our camp site every morning and evening to get to the river to drink. Sometimes they stopped to graze on the foliage of trees and bushes, watching us closely, even lifting a trunk to smell us. We loved it. The next day we did not go for a drive. The animals came in groups to the river to drink water. We could just sit on our chairs in the shade of a massive Russet Bush Willow, and enjoy the scenery. We loved the baby elephants. The one baby rolled around in the mud like a naughty child. At one stage we thought that he got stuck in the mud! Impala, Zebra, Waterbuck, Giraffe and Warthog were regular visitors to the river. At night we heard hippo and lion. Ross and Theo spotted a leopard and lion on one of their drives. Another time they watched the male lion walking through the river to get to the female. We got some information from a camper that had been following the lions movements for 2 weeks. It seemed that the male lion would walk a circular route and mark his territory, always returning to the female to mate. Then early one morning, after an exciting night of lions roaring, we spotted a female lion walking behind our camp site. That night we were sitting around our camp fire, when a game drive vehicle stopped and warned us that the male lion was walking on the road towards our camp site. Everyone scattered, grabbing spotlights and cameras! Very exciting stuff!  On a drive we were always rewarded with sightings of animals as well as many hippos and enormous crocodiles. The river also attracted a variety of birds and the call of the Fish Eagle was ever present. We loved our stay at Khwai River, but was also saddened by the lack of control by the Park authorities. There has been an influx of tour operators and an increase of camp sites at the Khwai. Double bookings seems to be regular and we often found people driving in circles looking for a place to camp. Camp sites were littered with ash from numerous fires and some campers still have not learned to burn their toilet paper.

Guma Lagoon

Camp site at Guma Lagoon

Fixing the geyser

We left Khutse early, knowing that we had a long way to go. We refueled (Cruisers are thirsty vehicles) at Lethlakeng and continued our journey. We were happy to get to the tarred road. We travelled to Kalahari Rest Lodge and stayed in their luxury cabins for the night. The next morning we travelled to Ghanzi, refueled, stocked up on water and supplies, and decided to go straight through to Guma Lagoon. After enquiring about the level of the water in the delta, we were told to take the road to Guma via Ethsa 13. The first bit of the road was passable. Then we hit heavy sand. We stopped and dropped the tyre pressure to 1.2 bar. The Cruisers comfortably negotiated the sand as well as 2 water crossings. We arrived at Guma at about 17h00, tired but excited about the beautiful place we encountered. Massive trees, green grass to camp on, our own shower (with hot water) flush toilet facilities - heaven! The next day Steve and Theo rented a boat and went Tiger fishing. They successfully caught a few Tiger fish. That evening Ros and I joined them on a sunset cruise ( which of course included more fishing!) I got bored and joined them for a while, but all we did was 'hengel'. Never the less, it was a pleasant experience. Guma Lagoon's owners have a few pet dogs that visited us each day. They also have a barn owl that had been hand reared. On our last evening, the owl, named Ducky(?) swooped into our camp site. After a while Ducky moved closer and closer and Ros even managed to stroke his soft head. He then sat on the back of the camping chair and ate out of our hands. The one dog was very jealous of the owl and chased him away whenever he appeared. Ros and I had a lot of washing to do (tedious but necessary). Steve once again tackled the Xcape's geyser and after speaking to numerous people, managed to get hold of the actual suppliers. I am not a technical expert, but as Steve explained it to me, the spark that had to ignite the flame to heat the water in the geyser, was not igniting. On our very bumpy road, the geyser had moved. One measly little screw that was suppose to hold the geyser in place was loose. The other screws were never put in. By now Steve had become an expert on caravan pumps and geysers. I am happy to report that Steve managed to fix and secure the geyser. Knowing that our water supply were sorted out, was a great relief. We would need it at the Kwai River! 

Khutse

Steve fixing the water pump

Camp site in Khutse Game Reserve

Khutse presented us with a few new 'problems'. Most of the water we carried was in the X-Cape's tank, and the pump in the caravan would not work. After a day and a half under the caravan, Steve managed to sort out the problems with the pump. Then the geyser would not heat the water. At the same time Ros and Theo started having problems with their fridge. In the end everyone decided to relax and enjoy Khutse. The guys went on numerous game drives, and although Khutse is having problems with a drought, a few of the pans had water and they saw quite a few animals. We saw big lion spoor, but never the actual animal. The beauty of Khutse lies in its remoteness. At night we made huge fires, ate well and looked at the stars. The cold evenings around the fires were warmed by story-telling, laughter and hot coals under our seats! Our 5 nights at Khutse came to an end and we were sad to say good-bye to our beautiful camp site under the massive Camel Thorn tree.

Back tracking

Today, 14 August, we crossed the border into Zambia. I have lost all previous postings due to lack of Internet connection. I am going to back track a little - right back to Jwaneng. We had two reasons for going into Jwaneng: The fuel filter light in  the Cruiser came on, and we wanted to get a Botswana Cell phone card so that we would have data, specially for this blog! To get the Orange cell phone card took more than an hour. The fuel filter was a different kettle of fish. Steve had an extra filter, but seeing that this was part of his 'stock', did not want to use it. We scouted around for a reputable garage and mechanic and was directed to a dusty little workshop in an industrial area. Steve spoke to 3 guys (who did not impress him at all) and decided to do the job himself. He got a new filter from Midas and with Cruiser and X-Cape in tow, parked next to and in full view of Nandos customers, and started with the job at hand. I was playing 'appi' (as usual!) at one stage Steve dropped the Allen Key he was using into the engine compartment and called me over to fish it out. I took a torch and eventually located the Allen Key . Steve in the mean time, had walked back to Midas to buy a new Allen Key. I realized, after locating the key, that I could not retrieve it by hand. So I dug out the braai tongs from the 'braai crate' and climbed back into the open engine compartment. Now, those of you that know me, knows that I am not the tallest person around, and with that, a Cruiser is a big vehicle! Picture this: me, lying inside, on top of the open engine compartment, with a torch in one hand and a cooking utensil in the other. Well, by the time Steve returned, I had successfully dislocated the Key (and a few other things on me personally!) A quick call to Francois van Rensburg, who managed to source some information to switch the now 'faulty' sign off, and we could eventually leave Jwaneng! The trek to Khutse was long, tough and eventful!

Upington

Cornwall Safari Lodge Botswana

Armandt Visagie recommended we stay in Tshahitsi Lodge in Upington. What a beautiful place! Springbok and Emu walk in the gardens of the lodge and the accommodation and breakfast we had was 5 star. We were so glad that we stayed in a lodge - temperatures dropped to 2 degrees C that night! Jeune and Francois joined us late that night. They decided to go with us to Witsand Kalahari and camped there with us for the weekend. It was really great to see them before we left on our extended trip. Unfortunately they had to leave mid Sunday morning to get back to Pretoria. We left Witsand late on Monday morning and travelled to Cullinen Guest Farm. it was even colder at Cullinan!  We had a lovely dinner with the Cullinan family. Marda served Naba as a starter. Naba is a San word and is similar in taste to truffles. It is a round bulb that grows under the ground and the local people knows just where to find it. After the first rain a crack appears in the ground that points out the spot where the Naba is growing! They dig it up and sell it to local farmers.  Temperatures plummeted to -2 deg C and we had trouble showering the next morning due to freezing water in the pipes. Tuesday we crossed the SA border to Botswana via Mc Carthy's Rest without any problems, and continued to Cornwall Safari Lodge. We considered driving to Jwaneng but there was only camping available. We met Heather and Jannie Strumpher, owners of the lodge and in the end we were glad that we stayed with them. Before we met Heather and Jannie, Jock came and greeted us. Jock is an Australian cattle dog. Cornwall's chef cooked us a tasty meal. That night we were comfortable and warm. Wednesday morning we left the lodge at 05h00! We could not shower at all! All the water pipes were frozen. Temperatures dropped from -5 to -8 deg C while we were traveling to Jwaneng! I had never been so cold. We got to Jwaneng at 08h00, and tried to do our business as quickly as possible, but we hit the 'Pace of Africa', and by the time we left it was 11h15. We still had to travel to Khutse Game Reserve. The GPS'Tracks for Africa' took us on the 'shortest' route north-east to Salajwe. This proved to be rather time consuming as we could only average around 40 km an hour due to a bumpy, sandy track that forced us to stop a few times to check if car and caravan was still intact. The 205km to Khutse took us 6 hours! Ros and Theo welcomed us into our camp for the next 5 nights - only to give us the news that we would be sharing our camp site with a 4 - 5m African Python!    

Jock fell in love with Steve

   

The 'good' road to Khutse