22nd – 30th March 2011
Trekking through Zambia.
Mark & Margie joined us in Livingstone so we’re now together in 2 HiLux vehicles with roof top tents journeying from south to north Zambia. Together we carry lots of food, water, cooking gear, safety equipment, spare tyres, high lift jacks, and Engel fridges. Driving together is excellent. The plan is to leave both vehicles in Tanzania and fly back to South Africa. M & M will return one day with friends to pick up the cars and resume the trip.
Heading to the capital Lusaka we stayed a night on a farm co-op where the workers grow their own foods and the women are taught to embroider. They sell cloth baby books about African animals, and pot holders etc. In Lusaka we caught up with friends of Margie’s who have built a new home so we enjoyed a great night and tapped into their expertise on the conditions of the roads north, (being the wet season).
At Kasanka National Park a highlight was a slushy walk across wetlands to see wildlife like sitatunga and puku (deer). For such lush fertile grazing area we were surprised not to see more. There are 3 scouts here dealing with poachers – mostly they are locals who take the deer for food, resulting in prison sentences. A few were caught the nights we were there.
David Livingstone walked all through this area on his expedition to find the source of the White Nile. It was 50km from our camp that he died of lots of illnesses including malaria. His body was taken back to the UK but his heart was buried here. Well when we pulled up in the car we were surrounded by kids and people…we were only the 4th visitors there this year (it’s a very remote area and the end of the 25km road) so there was a lot of competition as we pulled out the biros we’ve carried to give the kids. Biros are better than the sweets they’ve asked for…hehe the teacher in me ☺
Northern Zambia is more lush, has a higher rainfall and better soil. We’re starting to see more fresh roadside vegies like tomatoes, mushrooms (bright orange and rather tasty), sweet potatoes and peanuts. There were waterfalls at Mutunondo Wilderness camp where we stayed 2 nights – once again not much wildlife to be seen. Then back on the main road north where trucks carry the copper to Dar Es Salaam and freight comes back to Zambia. 800 trucks a week drive on this dodgy potholed road and serious accidents likes trucks toppling over occur weekly.
Shiwa Ng’andu – www.shiwangandu.com Stewart Gore-Browne developed an estate and built an English style mansion from 1924 - 1932 in far north Zambia. Shiwa is an estate with a community feel – many workers live in the village (in old brick houses) and there’s a school and medical centre – all built by Gore-Browne and using 13 million bricks made and fired on the property. We stayed in one of the rooms in amongst the history, antiques and artefacts from England and Africa. Included were all meals and activities (horse riding, bird and game viewing). We saw cattle being drenched, there are sheep, chooks, horses, goats and a young orphaned wildebeest that all run around freely. Our 2 nights there were filled with amazing stories about life here at the time and in the present. Gore-Browne and the current owners (the grandsons) have entertained royalty and the Zambian presidency and the house is filled with photos, books and antiques.
Then it was back to the potholes, the crummy roads and the busy truck route to the border……
