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Letter from
Livingstone … and beyond
By Gill Staden
Many people
have visited Livingstone but have wanted to go further afield. So
here are some snapshots of a trip I took from Livingstone, to the
West Bank of the Zambezi, into Caprivi Strip, Namibia, then to Chobe,
Botswana, then back to Livingstone, during May this year. I was
travelling with four friends from UK who had come out on a holiday
to see Africa – two of them for the first time in Sub Saharan
Africa.
We took the
road from Livingstone to Sesheke – a 2-hour drive – crossed the new
bridge then took a dirt road north for about 20 km to Zambelozi
Island Lodge.
Zambelozi
Island
Lodge
This lodge has
just been completely renovated and has luxury facilities. The lodge
is on its own island and a morning bird walk in pyjamas is quite
acceptable as I found out from my friends. Of course, the reason
for visiting this area of Zambia is for the fishing. Zambelozi has
its own boats and guides and a day on the river is a must. Normally
the fishing on this stretch of the Zambezi is famous for its
tigerfish and bream. We were unsuccessful but had all the excuses –
it was high water, it was too cold, it was a full moon.
Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time on this little used piece of
the Zambezi. The highlight for me was sitting one morning on the
veranda of my chalet to watch three otters as they climbed out of
the water and mooched around the undergrowth on the bank. I was, in
fact, sitting there bird-watching as this is an excellent
bird-watchers destination, so the otters were an added extra.
From Zambelozi
we took the road back to the Namibian border. The only formality
(as there are few nationalities which require visas), was to buy a
Cross Border Charge for the vehicle – N$120. This is available in
Katima Mulilo – on the right-hand side coming from the Katima Mulilo
Border. Katima Mulilo town is a dusty, unattractive town but it has
all the facilities for shopping, petrol, etc. There are no bureaux
de change so money has to be changed at the bank. A few shops
accept credit cards. Rand and Namibian Dollar operate side-by-side
so it is best to get some Rand before you go, as Namibian Dollars in
Zambia are hard to find.
After shopping
for some snacks and filling up with fuel we took the tar road
towards Rundu. After about 120 km, before Kongola, there is a sign
to Camp Kwando, where we were to stay. A journey of about 40
minutes along a dirt road found us at Camp Kwando.
Camp
Kwando
Camp Kwando is
a budget option which offers dinner, bed and breakfast. All the
chalets are tents along the Kwando River. Each tent has its own
open-air toilet and shower room added on the back. There is a
swimming pool and campsite. The lodge has a lovely dining/deck area
and the food is sumptuous.
We had hoped
to go into Mudumu National Park, a short distance away but the
vehicle sprouted a petrol tank leak and we were confined to the
lodge except for trips along the river. The Kwando River meanders
through reed beds which are full of birds. It is very similar to
the Okavango; in fact the Kwando runs into the Okavango. We did not
see much game, except for crocodiles in the river. But the beauty
of it was that we saw no people – it seemed like this bit of the
world belonged to us for the time of our stay.
The camp
management had been very helpful and managed to fix the petrol leak
so after two nights there, we took the road back to Katima Mulilo
and then onto the Botswana Border at Ngoma. Katima Mulilo to Ngoma
is a tar road and took about an hour. The Botswana Border was
easily negotiated – no visa, just a Road User Permit of P120. A
short distance from the Ngoma Border we took a right to Muchenje
Safari Lodge.
Muchenje
Safari Lodge
Muchenje is a
luxury option but is well worth it. It is built high up on a ridge
overlooking the Chobe River in a forestry area. Many animals are
found wandering in the forestry area and coming to the lodge
waterhole to drink. Our time at Muchenje was spent being organized
from one activity to the next – mainly into the Chobe National
Park. Our one full day there started with a trip to the local
school which my friends thoroughly enjoyed – they were all
ex-teachers. Then we took the safari vehicle into the park which
was just down the road. The advantage of staying at this end of the
park is that it is not crowded. (Staying in Kasane, one tends to
join the masses as they go game viewing.) After touring the park by
vehicle for a few hours we were taken to the bank of the Chobe and
were met by a boat. We climbed into the boat and did a boat cruise,
which included a picnic. Then back to the safari vehicle for
another quick drive then to the river for sundowners at the perfect
spot.
To list what
we saw would take up too much space. We saw just about everything
including lion and the thousands of elephant for which Chobe is
world-renowned.
Returning to
Zambia via Kasane, Botswana Kazungula Border Post, pontoon and
Zambian Border Post is always a bit of a reminder that Zambia has a
lot of work to do. The pontoon, fortunately, was in good working
order and we did not have a long time to wait. (The ferry costs
K40,000 per vehicle). But the Zambian Border is disorganised and
awash with litter. There are broken down vehicles all over the
place. There are money changers and other people hanging around.
And there are few signs which tell the visitor where to go or what
to do, and with all the people loitering in the area it does become
confusing. I know that Zambia prides itself on being the Real
Africa but this is a bit too real for many foreign visitors. We
need to wake up. |
August 2005