Zambia Visit 27Th Apr to 24Th Jun 2009 58 Days 7053 Km 4408 Miles

Zambia Visit 27th Apr to 24th Jun 2009 58 Days 7053 km 4408 miles Total Accommodation Costs £650 Total days camping 56 Total days ‘paid’ camping 48 Total camping costs £481 Average cost per night camping for 2 £10.02 Total Fuel Costs £630 Average cost per litre £0.75 Average cost per mile £0.15 Average mpg 22.7 Park Fees £503 Park Days 15 Average cost for 2 per park day £33.53 Birds seen: 300 out of a country list of 762. We were really impressed with the country and the people. In many areas we visited the roads would be thronged by hundreds of pedestrians and cyclists: the bikes serving as beasts of burden with all manner of goods being carried; from huge loads of charcoal to live pigs, to a pole across the handlebars with a dozen or more live chickens dangling therefrom. The people are warm and friendly, with the exception of the two so-and-so’s in Lusaka who snatched our phone. The country feels, and is, a lot more third world than the previous countries but nevertheless is the real Africa for us. Away from the few large towns shopping was fairly basic. Another vast country with many wilderness areas although it does suffer badly in the wet season, generally November to May, when many of the parks are impassable. We didn’t attempt to visit the west of the country as the Zambezi was still in flood and apparently affecting travel in much of that area: we’ll save that for a future visit. We would also put North Luangwa Park on our list and wish we had done it on our way north. There are several brilliant parks, when accessible, with the added bonus of camping, like Botswana, is without fences to add to the fun of it all. Direct flights to Lusaka from the UK with BA, and with a few internal flights make this an ideal destination. Livingstone – a popular tourist location thanks to the Victoria Falls. In my opinion the Falls are better viewed from the Zimbabwean side which can be easily accessed from Botswana. Livingstone is a popular start point for the many overlanders who visit. Lake Kariba – we visited just to say we had been there. We saw only a tiny section of the huge man-made lake. (Later in the trip we did also camp on the Zimbabwe side) Lochinvar National Park – a remote park good for plains game and birds but when we visited in May just after the rains had ended, the main tracks were in a poor state. There was little evidence of repair and most side tracks were still impassable. That said, the isolation, peace and tranquillity made the journey to it worthwhile. Kafue National Park – the whole Park is one of the largest reserves in Africa. We visited the southern section as the northern one was reported as still being impassable. Not our favourite park although there was quite a bit of game and predators; the hunting dogs for us made it memorable. The laissez faire approach to camping, where we could camp anywhere, was novel and the total lack of other visitors and tourists was brilliant. Just outside the park we would recommend Puku Pan Lodge as a great place to stay. South Luangwa National Park – a really lovely park with lots of game and although we spent several days on the edge of the park at the idyllic Chipembele we should have spent some more days in the actual park. A fair trek from Lusaka although it is possible to fly into Mfuwe. No campsites inside the park although there are some exclusive lodges to be had, outside there are several options including the famous Flat Dogs Lodge and camping. Kasanka National Park – another isolated and remote park, famed for the migration of the straw-coloured fruit bats that visit in their millions from the Congo in the fruiting season (November and December) – we missed that. A lovely park, with few tourists, that we were unfortunately unable to fully explore thanks to the weight limit of the river pontoon but what we saw we liked. Excellent for birds. Bangweulu Swamps – well and truly off the beaten track with a very long and very challenging route in. I think we were the first to have driven in in a few years; most of the other few tourists, not that we saw any, it seems, fly in – I can see why! The star attraction is the presence of the rare and enigmatic shoebill, found only here and in a few swamps in Uganda, Sudan and Tanzania. We both felt the people, many of whom fish on the marshes, were a lot less friendly than elsewhere in Zambia and it seems there is some cultural tension amongst the locals. Mutinondo Wilderness Camp – another quiet and remote area with a lovely mountain river flowing through. The lack of game and predators make it a safe place to wander along the numerous tracks and follow the river on foot. Excellent for birds. Kapishya Hot Springs Lodge – a brilliant stop-off point with a lovely campsite next to the river, a very nice lodge and restaurant and a wonderful hot springs pool. Excellent for birds. Kapishya is part of the larger Gore-Brown’s Shiwa Ng’andu estate which has a lot of history and although we didn’t visit the house, some 20 km from Kapishya, it is meant to be worth a visit but needs to be arranged in advanced. Kalambo Falls – in the extreme north west of the country the Kalambo River plunges 221 metres vertically over the side of the Great Rift Valley into an impressive gorge on its way to the nearby Lake Tanganyika. They are the second highest single drop falls in Africa. Really remote and isolated; I’m glad we went there, if only to say we have! Lake Tanganyika - a place most have heard of but few could place on a map. Its statistics are really impressive: longest freshwater lake in the world at 677km; second deepest at 1433 metres, Lake Baikal in Russia being the deepest; second largest African lake after Lake Victoria. .

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