Zambia World Wide

After two relaxing days at Flatdogs we pressed on to North Luangwa.  We had no map – and Valentino was very vague.  Our friends had directions through the valley, but they didn’t leave with us as they were hoping to get a flight to Banguelu Swamps to see black lechwe and shoebilled storks.  Not surprisingly, we got horribly lost and only started on the correct road north after about an hour and a half of messing about asking the locals.

We eventually found that we had to go through the Nsefu Sector of the park – and just follow the road up out of South Luangwa.  If there were any crossroads – just ask somebody for the way to Buffalo Camp in North Luangwa National Park – nobody knew how far it was – estimates ranged from 8 to 12 hours.  We found an amazing hot spring in Nsefu and also our companions caught up with us here as they could not organise a plane.  We saw lots of plains game in Nsefu, as well as reed buck, and it would be a great place to stay if we came again.

Thankfully the roads here were much better – little used, so no ruts or boulders – although we practically had to drive through tunnels of vegetation with the track barely visible most of the time.  We once again lost the other car – which was leading the way with the directions!  We drove through pristine mopani and brachystegia forests filled with birds including ground hornbills and Namaqua doves.  There were a few small villages along the route where we actually found some true Basenji dogs which we photographed.

This place is absolutely beautiful – unspoilt and wild.  We met some interesting people as we had to ask for directions wherever the track parted.  We met an old man who was obviously ex-army.  He stood to attention when we asked him the way – and this sprightly septuagenarian hopped onto the back of the bakkie to get us on to the right road.  When we reached the road he hopped off, stood to attention and told us that he had given up drinking once, but had thought better of it and was drinking again!  He was so funny and such a nice man – like the majority of Zambians – really lovely people.

We eventually met up with the other car as night fell.  They had been down to the river crossing into North Luangwa, but had been prohibited from crossing there as the river was still too full.  They had directions to the pontoon that we would take in the morning.  After a few river crossings where we got stuck and pulled out with winch by our companion drive, and then the Land Cruiser getting stuck a few times and getting dug out by us and many villagers, we eventually stopped for a braai in the middle of nowhere and dined on delicious gemsbok burgers cooked on a fire made on the track.  What a lekker supper!  We pushed on again and stopped to camp in a clearing near a village.