Author: rabbitsv

Having left Livingstone behind us, we spent the night surrounded by proteas and orchids, thinking we were much further south in the Highveld again.

We were unsure as to what to see and do next, as the road conditions in all of Zambia were very uncertain. Thus Chris and I decided to head to Choma, where we could find out whether we should head towards Kafue National Park, or towards Lake Kariba depending on how passable the roads were.

We found our answer in the form of the owner of the local hardware store, who informed us that the roads to Lake Kariba were impassable, but that it was possible to go towards Kafue. He also mentioned that the Kafue roads weren’t in great shape, but should be driveable – with a 4X4.

The road to Namwala was tarred, if worn down. However, having passed through Namwala, we found out that the locals had created a two-track through the wetlands running parallel to the main road, as the original road was in a truly shocking condition.

We traversed this two-track for 30 very slow, bumpy and muddy kilometres, finally ending at a real obstacle. The Kafue River. Having thought that the track we were on would lead us to a bridge, we were quite surprised to find the means of crossing the river to be a ferry.

Thus the Rock Rabbit, Chris and I had our first ferry crossing. It was quite something to be on this iron ferry, which had been absorbing the sun’s heat all day and to feel that heat reflected back at you – making you feel that your plastic slops would melt!

Having crossed the Kafue successfully, we found the road to be much improved. Thus we managed to reach our campsite on the banks of the Itezhi-Tezh Lake, just as the sun was setting. And good that we did, as the sunset proved to be one of the most spectacular so far.

Early the next morning we crossed into Kafue National Park, ready to take on the 280km of watchful driving ahead of us. Kafue is HUGE – really, really huge.  The first few hours provided only a few very interesting birds, until we almost decapitated a huge rock python sunning itself across the road. Driving around the corner, admittedly looking for birds in the treetops, we thought the 4m python was a branch lying across the road. Chris reacted by swerving the car onto the embankment, missing the snake by mere centimetres. We quickly did a U-turn, wanting to make sure the reptile was unharmed. We just caught the last few glimpses of it sailing off into the dense underbrush, happily completely unharmed.

Now very much alert, our next “Kafue Special” was a trio of Cheetahs, lazily lolling in the shade of the road. The mother and her two adolescent cubs were very fat off of their last kill and had no interest whatsoever in either us, or the fact that we kept creeping closer to get a better look at them. We thus had a truly spectacular sighting, with no one else around! Rare indeed…

Chris and I decided to leave the park, after our initial plan of spending the night at the Community Campsite was dashed. The camp offered no facilities or amenities whatsoever and for the patch of grass that we would camp on, they wanted to charge us US$ 25,00 per person!

However, this turned out for the best, as we spotted a pack of over 20 Wild Dogs playing on the rainy road in front of us! What a spectacular ending to our “Kafue Specials”.

We’ll be back…

Before we left on our trip, Chris and I did extensive research on all aspects that we could think of, including insurance. During our research we came across something very useful, namely the COMESA Yellow Card (Third Party insurance). This insurance can only be obtained from a COMESA country and enables you to travel to all the COMESA  countries (Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, ……), without having to get a new policy at each and every border. It also works out significantly cheaper than buying a new policy at each border you cross.

Zambia is the first COMESA country on our trip and Livingstone the first large town where we could have our Yellow Card issued. With our prep work done, Chris and I head for the closest insurance company. We walk into the office, are greeted by the very friendly and helpful gentleman and then get a bombshell placed in our laps.

The COMESA Yellow Card insurance may no longer be issued to a South African registered vehicle! The reason for this seems to be very vague, even unknown to the insurance agents of Livingstone, but what makes it even worse is the fact that this new legislation was apparently only passed in December 2013! So now Chris and I have to buy a new insurance policy at each border we cross between Zambia and Ethiopia. Frustrating and expensive to say the least!

To whichever person or company that is responsible for this change, whether in South Africa or in the COMESA countries, let it be known that this is a very bad turn of events. All “foreign” registered vehicles are now being extorted for vast sums of money.

When Chris and I said our goodbyes to the Maddens, we crossed the border at Katima Mulilo and headed down the worst “good” road we’d ever been on.

The road was good in that it was tarred and raised from the surrounding wetlands, bad in the sense that you couldn’t do more than a few km an hour in some areas, as the potholes would eat you alive otherwise! In fact most of our time on the road was spent driving on the relatively good gravel shoulder, weaving in and out and from left to right around the tyre munchers.

Our reason for traveling this road was however a very good one – in theory at least. Spending so much time with avid birders tends to rub off on you and Chris and I had planned on going to find the Black-Cheeked Lovebirds in a remote area of the Machile River.

Finding the correct turn off in the correct village was an adventure all by itself, but we did eventually find the right two track and happily started wading our way along it, all the while keeping our eyes open for the very pretty lovebird.

Unfortunately we didn’t get too far and we didn’t get to see the Lovebirds either. I did however spot a very rare breed indeed: a Black-Legged Shoveller! J

This rare breed can only be found during the rainy season in the notorious black mud of the Zambian bundus …

Since the end of December, Chris and I had known there was a chance for us to meet up with Antje and Bernard Madden, the parents of Chris’ best friend Patrick. Since we’ve known Antje and Bernard since we were kids and we get along with them extremely well,     we decided to make an effort to see them while they were in the Caprivi.

Antje and Bernard had been invited by Holger Kolberg of the Ministry of Namibian Wildlife (?)  to join them for their annual count of birdlife in the wetlands of the Caprivi game reserves and since Chris and I wanted to spend time with the Maddens, we headed with them to the Buffalo National Park.

Arriving at the designated campsite, Antje and Bernard introduced us to the birding team and explained how and why we were there as well. Thankfully Holger, Claire, Neil, Gudrun and Frans didn’t seem to mind Chris and me tagging along (amateur birders that we are).

We spent three nights at a very scenic campsite overlooking the Okavango River, with the days filled to the brim with counting and learning about birds in the Buffalo and Mahango National Parks. In the evenings we sat around the fire, enjoyed our braais, drank ice cold beers and G&T’s while telling stories.

The next part of the count was in the Bwabwata National Park on the Kwando River. Here we stayed at the beautiful Mavunje Camp, owned and run by Dan Stephens. For two days Dan took us out on the boat to do the bird counts, ensuring that we got to all the best sites and deftly avoiding all hippo obstacles along the way. The afternoons were spent with ringing the birds and looking for those few species that had evaded us on the boat.

Thus Chris and I had spent a week learning about and appreciating the intricacies of birding and of bird counting, as taught by the experts. I don’t claim that we were useful birders by the end of the week, but we definitely had fun learning!

We were both happy and sad when we had to go our separate ways. Happy that we had met these wonderful people and that we had gotten to spend so much time learning from them and sad that our time together was over.

P.S.:

For more information on Holger and his work, visit https://vulturesresightings.crowdmap.com/

To find out about Dan’s wonderful Mavunje Camp visit: www.mashiriversafaris.com

To one and all we wish a wonderful year with much joy and love!

We hope that the celebrations were well enjoyed and that the babbelaas wasn’t tooo bad! 🙂

Our old year’s eve was spent on the banks of the Okovango river, enjoying a booze cruise and meeting the wonderful people who meet up at Camp Hogo.

Photos will follow once we’re capable of operating heavy machinery again….

The Caprivi and Kavango are the most populated areas in Namibia, making it very difficult to find quiet spots to camp.

Chris and I had been looking for a suitable campsite for a few hours, when we decided to try a new tactic and  – ask. We soon found ourselves seated in front of the headman’s house, waiting for an audience. After a brief conversation through a translator, we were shown to a spot situated directly on the river in one of the most beautiful surroundings we’d ever been in.

In front of us was the Okovango river (the one that ends up famously in Botswana) with its white beaches, warm crocodile infested waters and surrounded by palms, flowering bush willows and beautiful meadows covered in yellow flowers.

Here we spent a few very soothing days, catching up on our birding, washing and reading.

We also learnt a valuable lesson – only a squeaky wheel gets oiled!