Liuwa Plains - Going home was also fun

The Liuwa Plains were now done at dusted and it was time to make our way home. We got a good start in the morning to arrive in Mongu at around lunch time. Although I’ve glossed over it, the trip out of the Plains was as much “fun” as going in. If possible, the roads seemed to be even worse – maybe we were going against the grain. After a couple of wrong choices on multiple choice tracks, by the time we got to Mongu I was starting to suffer from a serious sense of humour failure.


Anyway, we made it to Mongu in one piece and decided that, as efficient as the Mutoya Camp was, that we’d rather give it a miss and make it as far as we could in that day without ending up driving in the dark. So we gave it horns and headed for Sioma Camp (courtesy of T4A). The road from Mongu to the Kalangola ferry also felt worse than on the journey to Mongu. It is possible as we had had fair bits of rain since our arrival. However, after all of these roads, the one from Kalangola to Sioma (which we had also traversed on the way out) seemed almost like a highway.

We drove passed quite a storm on the way, with the most magnificent rainbows. The non-die-hard campers were starting to think the chalet route again. Upon arrival at Sioma Camp (http://www.siomacamp.com/) negotiations were quickly dispensed with, over a beer, and chalets were chosen. This was made easier by the fact that the actual campsite had suffered some storm damage, as had the reception and bar. But probably even easier by the fact that it had been one helluva day. 294 Km in nearly 11 hours – going pretty much as fast as we possibly could – with limited stops. At the same time we arranged for a trip to the Sioma Falls, which were nearby.

That night we again ran into Francois and Charl of OpenAfrica (http://www.openafrica.org/ ), and spent a really interesting evening discussing the Plains, Zambia specifically, their mission and Africa in general. This brief encounter reiterated my earlier impression – this is something worth keeping an eye on.
The day had been hectic, so the get together wasn’t that late. We retired to our chalets, with satin sheets and pillows – and quickly got rid of them. Satin in the bush is just so wrong – can’t imagine what they were thinking.

After Popa Falls in the Caprivi, I was hoping that the Sioma Falls were something more. It was quite a boat ride there, with a drop-off and short walk for the boat to traverse the rapids, and then a longish walk later to get to the Falls themselves. The advertised “20 minutes to the Falls” was considerably longer, and the walk conveniently never mentioned. Be that as it may, the falls were a revelation and definitely worth the trip. In fact, if you’re in this neck of the woods, they’re a “must do”.

After everyone photographed them from every angle we made our way back, had a swim in the Zambezi and a very near mishap in the rapids. Thanks to the pilot it was negotiated with just a few raised pulses and no other harm done.

There were a number of lodges along this stretch, many of which appeared to be abandoned or falling apart. This was borne out by feedback from locals who said that Gavin Johnson (of Transvaal, Sharks and Springboks fame) was really the only person managing to make this stretch work as a tourist destination. We would also argue that Kabula Lodge was working, but not making a mint.

Although Sioma Camp has all of the right ingredients, sadly, our experience there would suggest that they too will follow the route of the others unless something is done. (Anybody want to buy this with me?)

After that, a short trip to my personal favourite, Kabula Lodge, passing by the boom, now unmanned as it was a Sunday. Go figure 

Fuel was starting to get a bit tight at this stage, but it looked as if all of us would make it to Katima the next day.

We celebrated our return to Kabula with a few beers. We had chosen to camp in their stunning grounds this time. A word to the uninitiated, putting up a dome tent while marginally under the influence is not a quick affair. Simon and Ted (who were in a chalet again) did little to help the situation while they watched – preferring a few words of encouragement mixed with derision.

We went for a short fishing excursion to try to relive the glory of the earlier part of the trip. We managed to hook absolutely nothing – my record is intact.

The next day we made our way out of Zambia. I, personally, felt very sad to be leaving the Zambezi Valley. You feel almost as if you’re leaving a part of yourself there – to pick it up when you come back. There seems to be an acceptance that you will do so. It is such a beautiful part of the world and has so much going for it.

That’s it then – leaving Zambia and retracing our steps via Katima, refuelling there with some relief, via a quick stop in Kasane and over-nighting in Elephant Sands and then Kwa Nokeng – boring tar all the way to home. Border stops all the way were a breeze and accomplished with the minimum of fuss. The only change was carrying a monumental hangover from Elephant Sands to Kwa Nokeng – a very heavy extra passenger. This was the result of over doing Simon’s “Mafunyane Xmas Party” with a few other travellers.

Now for my impressions and observations;
Zambia
Bearing in mind that we only did the very West of the country, bordering on Angola, this shouldn’t be considered as part of the definitive guide to Zambia – and should be recognised as my own humble opinion. This area has got 4 major things right; the absolute beauty of the place and its surrounds, the friendliness, industriousness and hospitality of the people, the cleanliness outside of major centres and their cell phone network. It appears to be incredibly poor, but you could pick up a signal in the most unlikely places – including the Sausage Tree in Liuwa.

Much of the industry, or lack thereof, appears to be driven by the state of the roads. There is just no easy way to get to this part of the world and very few other vehicles are seen. Those that you do see seem to be Government Department vehicles, or road works / aid vehicles - many driven by Chinese - they’re everywhere. Initial impressions suggest that the state of the roads is as a result of laziness and lack of foresight. It is not! When you see what the effect of water is on the flood plains, and you see the absolute lack of resources in this area, you begin to understand why they are that way. The hardship and lack of opportunity that the state of these roads imposes on the people suggests that they would have it another way if possible.

Barter is more popular than money in this area. Most people would prefer to be paid in goods than money - because there is nowhere for them to spend it. The cost of transport to shops would be prohibitive. We heard the story of 2 young men walking 65 km’s to buy something. They then had to get back.

But there appears to be something even more disastrous. Being in rural Africa you really become aware of the effect of Aids on this continent. We saw very few people between the ages of 18 and 40, and some of the smaller towns are nearly empty. It is estimated that between 50%-60% of the people have Aids. Given this situation we were very surprised by the lack of clinics and health services in the region. They only appeared to be available near the major centres. Given the state of the roads, they will have no effect on the rural people.

Despite the apparent poverty, or more correctly, the lack of means, we never felt unsafe or threatened in any way – even walking around in Mongu. It puts our own country, where crime is blamed on apartheid and poverty, in a very negative light. Despite the fact that there are huge power lines in the country, none of this seems to make its way to the rural people. They have to fend for themselves and draw water from the rivers - and they're happy. Makes you wonder about our service delivery protestors. Maybe the bush makes people happy?

Other than in the Liuwa Plains there was no game!! And Liuwa plains could have supported a lot more than it does. No monkeys, no baboons, no buck – and so on. My guess, and it might be the wrong one, is that the locals eat bush meat as a dietary supplement. This spells disaster if they’re trying to attract foreign tourism. Foreign tourists want the Big 5. What is heartening is the land that they’re putting aside for reserves and the work that some international organisations are doing to try to reintegrate game into the area – it certainly lends itself to this. The trick will be to show the communities that it is in their interests to work with these initiatives – and that is part of where Open Africa comes in. (if you do nothing else – read the “Founder’s Message” http://www.openafrica.org/page/about )

This made absolutely no difference to my trip. I had an adventure and saw the Wildebeest gathering – anything else would have been a bonus.

Would I go back to visit this part of Zambia? In a heartbeat – I loved it.

The Trip
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip, despite the roads. However, if I went back to Liuwa Plains it would have to be part of a longer journey. It is worth seeing, but I doubt that I would do that as an only destination again. Too much hard work for 4 days.

Our end itinerary was right, and I don’t believe there are too many changes to make to that for the trip to work again.

In the beginning I missed the trailer. Upon reflection you could pull a trailer there, but I don’t think that I would – if that was the only destination, or unless the stay was longer. The vehicle, campsites and packing worked and got easier as we went along. It is not as easy as the trailer, but it’s definitely manageable. Some stops for lunch were probably not as hygienic or aesthetically pleasing as usual, but they worked. The dome tent worked like a charm and I will never contemplate the purchase of a rooftop tent. From my point of view it unnecessarily restricts your movement, particularly when you’re in one place for more than a day.

The only things that we had to top up on were bread, beer and whisky. All to be expected, so no loss. I would plan my fuel for a little more leeway than I did.

Simon was a great guide again and his food kept us going. I will travel with Mafunyane (http://www.mafunyaneadventures.com/), Ted and George again. They really added to the texture of our trip. I certainly know more about birds, from Kobus and Debbie, than I did before.

 

Dave, despite your nervousness in the beginning and the fact that you caught the Tiger you were a great co-driver. I thoroughly enjoyed having you along for the ride. We had great fun and many many laughs and irreverent moments. If I’m ever in need of a co-driver again, I’ll have no hesitation in calling.

Liuwa Plains - What we came here for

We burst through (okay, emerged from, is more accurate) one of the “islands” of shrubs and trees that adorn the Liuwa Plains National Park onto an expanse of grassland that stretched as far as the eye could see. We’re here. WOW!! A little further on we stopped and switched off when we observed some lumps on the horizon. Silence. Absolute silence, enhanced occasionally by the sound of bird life and the call of a Fish Eagle. We were the only people on earth. After the continuous movement and sound of engines this was unbelievable and, immediately, the weariness just slipped away to be replaced by peace and anticipation.

The lumps on the horizon were Wildebeest – hundreds of them in the distance. This was why we were here.
At Kalabo the Zampark official had given some idea of what we would find at the community campsites in the Park. Having been to Kwai / Moremi in Botswana and Popa Falls in the Caprivi, we were a little bit sceptical as to what constituted a Community Campsite. In those places it is a spot under the trees, nothing else. Here we were met at the edge of one of the “islands” and guided to our site at the Lyangu Campsite. Wow again!! It was situated in some beautiful shade, level, swept clean and raked, with a thatched Berakah to house the kitchen. The path to the ablutions was also swept and the ablutions, with toilets, showers and basins, were spotless. Even though the water was hand drawn from a well, there was always water in the taps. Wow again – some other communities could really benefit from a visit here!!

We were pretty much experts at setting up camp by now, and this little formality was quickly dispensed with. It was now about 37° and fairly humid. The others went for a drive and Dave and I busied ourselves with a little bit of camp maintenance – cleaning and reorganising the fridge, decanting water from our jerry cans and the time honoured tradition of just sitting and having a quiet beer. Then it was time to go for a drive, see if we could spot some animals and watch the sun set over the Plains.

We parked in the middle of nowhere. That’s exactly how it felt – the middle of nowhere. My co-driver morphed into a photographer and became Taz as he set up his equipment and then we settled down and let the whole experience overtake us. Again that amazing silence eased over us, slowing the heart rate and miraculously emptying the mind. This was awe inspiring and the spirit just quietened and lifted. You drank in the moment and thought of the people back home, missing them, but not the bricks and mortar. For this brief moment alone the trip became worth it.

When the sun had set we took that feeling with us and joined the rest at the campsite. What a magnificent evening. The silence remained, broken only by some wind later and the incessant chatter of one of our companions (who shall remain nameless) and the swoosh of a myriad of huge moths, attracted by the unusual spectre of lights in the bush.


A good dinner and a great sleep - again. We awoke to a gentle rainfall that made a little lie in necessary and welcome. Coffee and rusks and a drive to see what Liuwa Plains offered. Tracks4Africa was great and has much of this park mapped. It was a leisurely and pleasant drive and we saw Oribi, Lechware, Hyena, Zebra, Mongoose and, in this place, the ubiquitous Wildebeest and their calves. Clearly vehicles are not commonplace on the plains – the game was skittish and moved away very quickly – if you stopped and stayed very still, they would return slowly or at least not move that far.

The little bit of rain had obviously had a wonderful effect on the plant life and there were collections of unusual and pretty flowers that had suddenly sprung into being. I have never seen as many Cranes and Crane Species in one location as we saw here. Amazing and very elegant. We were again struck by the vastness that surrounded us. At one stage we stopped and you felt that you could see the dip of the earth on the horizon, such was the flatness and the distance that you could see.

Okay, our stomachs were rumbling now and we headed back where Simon whipped up a delicious brunch. We then settled down for the rest of the day. Fixed and changed the flat tyre that I got in Mongu and then, variously, read, chilled, downloaded tracks and slept until later in the afternoon. This is the really great part about staying longer than 1 night in a place – you get a chance to catch your breath and really “be” in Africa. Later George joined Simon and Ted in the Landy, to preserve his fuel. He was pretty low and with very little chance of finding more in Zambia, this was a prudent thing to do. We then took a drive and experienced 100’s of Wildebeest, oodles of space and another amazing African sunset – different, but as peaceful. Many people in the overlanding and game travel community tend to ignore Wildebeest, just like they do Impala.

To witness them in this environment and in these numbers is a vastly different experience. You see them in a new light and appreciate a strange type of beauty that exists in them, particularly with their young calves in tow. I will forever see them in a new way. However, creating a “Wildebeest Appreciation Society” is probably too big a step – they’re still pretty stupid, whichever way you see them.


We were to move camp to the Kwale Community Camp the next day, and had our normal evening, punctuated only by an unearthly sound coming from Dave as he tried to dislodge a seriously big beetle, with seriously big pincers, from his leg. This shattered the calm and generated much excitement and mirth.


Rather than going straight to the new camp, which was about 10 km’s away, we did this by way of new routes through the plains. The situation changes, but the surroundings remain pretty much the same, as do the animals. This is not meant to sound jaded or bored – it absolutely isn’t. We were just as keen and interested, and stopped often to experience new things, but there are just so many times that you can write, “we saw 100’s of Wildebeest, or Cranes, or whatever”. This WAS a birders paradise, with many different and new species. I stand under correction, but I think that Kobus and Debbie identified more than 20 that they hadn’t seen before. Despite all the bird books we had in our car, Dave and I still don’t manage to get far past the, “gee, that’s a pretty small (or medium or big) brown (or blue, or black) bird”, but the variety was stunning to see.

Although we had yet to see any sign of the 3 lions ( C’mon, give me a break. I know I was there, but 3 Lions in 1000’s of hectares is quite a big ask. Isn’t it?) that they had introduced, or any of the apparently plentiful Wild Dogs, we did see Buffalo today. ZamParks was busy introducing them to the Park and trying to train them into not straying too far from the area that they were introduced into. This is a very fine line – trying to balance the community’s needs in the park with the tourism requirement. I hope they manage it.

On the way we stopped for the obligatory group shot, which worked really well. We arrived at the Kwale camp and were just as impressed with the layout, ablutions and cleanliness of this camp as we had been by the previous one. In fact, in terms of location and view, it was probably even better. BUT (note the big BUT) the flies in this camp were off-putting – to say the least. I had continuously been exhorting my companions to, “ignore the flies, and they will stop worrying you” throughout the trip. This worked for me, but I’m not convinced that it ever did for them. However, in this camp, that approach was wholly inadequate and they plagued us for the stay. In fact, on the second morning I walked out of the tent in a pair of shorts and I swear I was set upon by more than 40 of them. This was so not cool!! Thanks goodness they disappeared at night, but they led to us keeping shirts on during the day.

In addition to these, I have never seen as many moths as there were here at night. It became increasingly apparent that our intrepid photographer was not big on the “bug” side of things, and these kept him quite busy. I’m not sure that he ever tied together the fact that he had a red light on his head might well have been responsible for them flying at him with red eyes gleaming. Of course, my turn came when bloody big green and yellow frogs started showing themselves.


Next morning we took off early again, and went to the Sausage Tree (as it’s shown on T4A). We saw that there were already a number of Wildebeest at the water hole, with more arriving. We parked in the shade of this tree and just waited. 2 very quiet hours later and we had been surrounded by 1000’s of these animals. As they passed us they moved off in waves over the horizon – until there were lines of them as far as you could see. What an amazing sight and what a privilege to be able to see this. We then moved on to King’s Pools – obviously normally a river. A beautiful spot, but exceptionally warm that day.

We had a similar brunch, whipped up by Simon, and proceeded to emulate the activities (or non) of the day before. However, this was not to last. Eventually the flies drove us back into our vehicles for a drive – this was with the exception of Dave who barricaded himself in our tent to wait them out. On this trip George and I tried to stalk a Hyena to get a better pic of him. He wasn’t having any of this – every step we took towards him, he took another 4 away.


That night we heard our first Hyena giggle close to the site. Huge excitement – but he disappeared again. As I said, they’re very nervous of humans. Only about 350 visitors visited this park this year, and for most of the time we were the only vehicles. This is an amazing opportunity to not be disturbed by others, but it doesn’t bode well for the existence of the Park if it doesn’t attract more visitors to prove to the communities that it is indeed beneficial to them to keep it going. Particularly given that most of this area is under water and almost impassable during the rainy season - so visiting periods are limited.

After another stunning sunset, that night passed as many others before them had. Good food, good drink and the stars were really out and lighting up the whole sky. We took a walk out of the campsite, not every far, but the night was still and amazing. I tried to teach them that one can walk in the dark, with no moon, without a torch, but they weren't having it and George's portable searchlight put an end to any thoughts of darkness. We returned to the camp for coffee and a night cap and just to enjoy the stillness. The same chatter as before eventually drove us to leave the fire – some of us to bed, and Dave and I to the middle of the bush, watching the stars and giggling like school kids while listening to George snore. No wonder the animals stayed away from the campsite.

It was a poignant moment – tomorrow we were to leave the Plains. We had expended some serious effort and time to get here, had an amazing time, and the long trek home beckoned.


Don’t miss “The trip home and my impressions” next on the Blog!!

Liuwa Plains Zambia - How tricky is that drive!!

So, just how long can 255 km’s take? If you factor in one ferry crossing and 100 km’s of really good tar, you would be forgiven for thinking around 4 or 5 hours. Surely not 8 hours? Well, that’s what it was.

Normally, when recounting our trips, I do not dwell on the roads and travelling conditions, but given that our destination on this trip was as much about getting there as it actually was about being there, I have to. And you might also start to glean some clue to my reference to Charles Dickens. I’ll try not to make it too obvious for those of you that like a cerebral challenge. These conditions do have a great bearing on my final summation of this trip, so please bear with me and skip those bits that you want to. As if I really have a choice in what you do.

From Kabula to the Kalangola Ferry there was, unquestionably, a road. It had just received very little attention for some time and, in many cases, there were tracks on either side of the road that were, ostensibly, smoother. (In spots, there had been efforts to maintain this road, but they were few and far between) This was never proven to any extent and it often found all of us using a different track.

 In the middle of nowhere we encountered a manned boom. Reading the information on the board, which made no sense but contained many references to sections of legislation, it appears that different councils are legally able to charge you for traversing their areas. Whether this was true or not, we have no idea. But R100 per vehicle later we were on our way. Our departure was accompanied by an official looking receipt, a huge smile and we were still none the wiser as to what we were paying for or what we were getting for that. Oh well – c'est la vie!!

Heading towards the ferry we were starting to enter the floodplains of the Zambezi. As we drove off the side of the road and bypassed a very rusted bridge, our experience with roads that were no longer roads was not at an end. In fact, it were just beginning. The ferry was somewhat clunky, but it was efficient and the pilot seemed to know what he was doing. We were loaded and $20 later we were unloaded in double quick time - about 40 minutes for this one.

Once on the other side we were in the flood plains. It would appear that the roads that had been built across these stood no chance against the water. Over time these roads had been rendered pretty damn useless, and they were more remnants of roads than roads themselves. In fact, these remnants made passage more interesting as you moved from tracks on either side of the road and over the road when your track became impassable. The good thing about this is that you were never able to fall asleep behind the wheel. Some bumping and grinding and regular contact with the middelmannetjie and we were eventually back on tar. As much as it pains me to admit it this statement has an element of relief in it. Lead foot Reid took over the reins and drove us the rest of the way to Mongu – with subtle references by me to spare fuel ‘cos you never know. (okay, I admit it – I’m a kak passenger) 100 km’s of very good tar later we arrived. However, this tar was showing signs of wear that suggest that it too, over time, will disintegrate.

We arrived quite early and topped up at the local, very respectable Shoprite. Dave managed to top up on Johnny Walker Black Label, incurring the wrath of a local, moneyed resident who was stocking up for a party and wanted all the bottles. Risking life and limb our intrepid photographer managed to wrest a bottle from her. Just as well – Ted’s Famous Grouse wouldn’t have lasted.

We caucused – do we push on or not? It was only another 125 Km’s to our camp in Liuwa. Sanity prevailed and we moved to the Mutoya Camp in Mongu. Without a 4x4 your chances of getting to this campsite and your own camp would be very slim indeed. The sand was very heavy. While really comfortable, neat and clean, with grass and very good ablutions, this was probably the least favourite of our sites. We were surrounded by walls and electric fencing – almost like camping in someone’s back yard. It was very functional as a transit camp, and really the only stop around. If the Plains ever really take off and more tourists visit, there would be a good opportunity for someone to do something outside of Mongu. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Oh bugger, no firewood, and this with a braai planned for the night!! This gave Simon and I an opportunity to see the sights of Mongu. We first went to one market which was as interesting and aromatic as most African markets are – with flies just as plentiful. We met an individual who could speak a smattering of English and he offered to guide us to the other market. Thankfully he did – we would still be looking if he hadn’t. This little escapade allowed me to offer some lightning observations – no wait, let me do that later.

The next day, while packing, we met our camping neighbours – Francois Viljoen and Charl Pauw (of SABC3 News, Sikorsky Helicopters and Africa Penguins 94.7 fame). They belong to an organisation called Open Africa which is trying to help “..link the splendours of Africa in a network of job creating conservation-oriented tourism routes from the Cape to Cairo”. This is a really interesting endeavour that I want to stay close to. (http://www.openafrica.org/)
We tried to buy some fuel - to no avail. We had been warned, but thought it was worth a bash to be on the safe side. One more stop at Shoprite to restock on some essentials and guess what – I got a bloody puncture in the parking lot. The only puncture on a trip of this nature and it’s in a shopping centre parking area – go figure!! With George and Dave’s help, it was very quickly resolved and we were off again. Just a short 125 km’s to our Lyangu campsite in the Liuwa Plains National Park. It shouldn’t take too long.

We left Mongu, down a steep road to drive through the “harbour”. There was a collection of boats going nowhere and not much water. But, by all accounts, during the rainy season the whole place is water. The differences between this section and the last were in the softness of the sand and the number of alternate tracks was greater.

Up, down, bump, scrape, up, down, bump, scrape – and so it went on. You start to lose track of time and almost get into a bumpy rhythm that, unless you’re Simon or his trailer - George, you can’t really rush. Around 20 km’s into the journey we just drove onto the Mongfe ferry which seemed to be waiting for us – slightly newer than the last, but just as efficient – and $20.

We then pushed on to Kalabo. This was an epic journey of 61 km’s from the Mutoya camp to Kalabo. It is really difficult for people back home to possibly begin to understand how slowly you can do 61 Km’s. It took us 3 hours – and 40Km’s of that was tar!!!

Kalabo is a really clean little town, with the appearance of, almost, a ghost town. Very few people, empty buildings and not much happening. After a little detour in the town, we paid our fees for the Park and hopped onto the Kalabo Pontoon. This was much more rustic and pleasurable - no diesel, just a rope pulled by the owner and the passengers. This only cost $10 – and covered the return trip. It took two vehicles across at a time river. While some (one) of us took photographs others helped propel the pontoon across and we were on the final leg.

The roads didn’t improve after the last leg, but we didn’t mind this. There wasn’t supposed to be a road. Tracks that are supposed to be tracks are easier to traverse than tracks that are supposed to be a road. Work that one out!! Now only 15 km’s to our Lyangu campsite in the reserve, stopping for a light lunch just inside the park.

We arrived there just after 15:00. This day’s total journey of 125 km’s took us 8 hours, including stops!!

This was probably some of the hardest driving that I have ever done. Not in terms of technicality, but in terms of sheer concentration and time. Women who are even moderately endowed would have found this stretch very uncomforatble. This was borne out by our one female traveller. I think I might have mentioned it, but I love my vehicle. It performed like a dream, only occasionally plowing the middelmannetjie. A word of caution to those drivers with the "soft" bumpers - like the standard Prados, LC 200's, Pajeros etc, I have an idea that they might have been damaged on this trail. With the proximity of the lumps in the road you started to achieve a rocking motion when you picked up speed. This ended up with the my bash plate on the ARB winch bar occasionally picking up debris. Without it I might have had an issue.

I’m dying to give you my observations on the trip and on Zambia, but have decided that I’ll wait until after the full account of the trip. In this way I won’t be tempted to go off on a tangent.