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Exploring the Katuli area was a rewarding experience, but a sobering final day brought us hurtling back to reality. Within the space of a couple of hours, we came across two freshly poached elephants. Oozing maggots and dripping with squabbling vultures, the beasts lay rotting not far from where we had camped. The tusks had been hastily hacked from an old bull; but, even more disturbing than seeing a six-ton elephant needlessly cut down in its prime, was the decomposing carcass of a young elephant – maybe four or five years old – that had been slain alongside a waterhole; even its tiny tusk stumps had been clumsily chopped out and carried away by the poachers. The elephant carcasses epitomised the fragility of this beleaguered wilderness area.
Having spent the best part of a week bush-camping, we found Mutemwa Lodge the perfect spot for a refreshing swim,ice-cold beer and a much-needed shower. Tucked away on the bank of the Upper Zambezi River, it was a serene place where we could put our feet up and relax. Each of Mutemwa’s comfortable en-suite bush tents boasted a secluded riverside deck with enchanting Zambezi views. And with resident fish eagles, herons, storks, finfoots and trogons, to name but a few favourites, we were treated to some of Southern Africa’s finest birding right from the comfort of camp.
Mutemwa is more than a comfortable riverside retreat. While Penny kept a watchful eye on the preparation of delicious fireside dinners served under star-studded skies, Gavin showed his skills as a natural raconteur, sharing rugby,bush and fishing stories with equal aplomb. As the tales grew taller and the fish grew bigger, honking hippos provided the quintessential African soundtrack to memorable evenings on the banks of the mighty Zambezi.
Having made the decision to split our time between luxurious Mutemwa and the more overland-riendly Kabula Tiger Lodge, we drove upstream to try out Piet du Toit’s well-maintained and efficiently run camp. With a choice between quaint reed huts strung out along the river’s edge,and grassy campsites with spotless ablution and communal cooking facilities, Kabula is a camp which has something to
suit all tastes and budgets. Their fully-stocked bar and stunning riverside deck provided a great spot for us to watch the sun go down. But no visit to the Zambezi would be complete without enjoying a sunset boat cruise and well-chilled Mosi out on the river. Hiring a couple of boats and coxswains, we settled on the perfect afternoon combo: throwing a line to try our hand at tiger fishing while guzzling cold beers, as a fiery sun dropped toward the horizon.
Puttering along in our tiny fishing boats, I had no problem following our guide’s wise instructions to keep arms and legs out of the water at all times. The occasional hippo bobbed up near by, but it was the omnipresent crocodiles that commanded my utmost respect out on the river. One afternoon we even bumped into a skittish breeding herd of around 20 elephants feeding on Kabula Island as we fished a nearby channel. The elephants didn’t hang around at the water’s edge for too long, but it was great to know that they still roamed this enigmatic area.
A tiger fight is quite something to behold… One minute we were sitting there shooting the breeze, sipping beers and watching African skimmers flit by, when all of a sudden the drag on Dave’s rod started screaming. Pandemonium reigned as beers went flying, our boat rocked precariously and
everyone yelled their two-cents-worth of fish-catching advice. Despite the bedlam, Dave somehow managed to land his first tiger; and, after a couple of quick photos, the fierce fish was returned to the river, allowing us to get back to the serious business of ‘sundownering’ once more.
There is something very special and strangely addictive about spending time on Southern Africa’s largest waterway,and it was tough to finally put our rods down and move on from Kabula, but our time on the magical Zambezi had recharged us and we were chomping at the bit to explore some more virgin territory.
After popping across the Wenela Border to re-supply in Katima, we picked up our Lozi-speaking guide in Sesheke town before driving up the eastern side of the Zambezi. The dirt track skirted the wide river and every few miles we passed a village, or the occasional bicycle, but no cars.
Seeing a sign-posted turnoff to Nalikwanda Lodge, we decided to make a quick detour to check the place out for future reference. Not long afterwards, we bumped into Benjie Du Preez. This enterprising ex-rugby player is on a mission to uplift the local communities in the area by helping them establish a sable and roan breeding facility nearby. A perennially smiling and optimistic character
who has taken the time to learn the Lozi language and understand ‘Africa time’, Benjie remained undaunted by the challenges still facing his Touching Africa Development Trust project. And, although we saw only duiker still surviving in this heavily hunted area, Benjie assured me that there were also small herds of the larger antelope species in the surrounding woodland.
Exploring the enormous region that lies between the Zambezi and Kafue was a very different experience from our Sioma and Katuli adventure of the previous week. While the area exuded a
powerful feeling of raw wilderness untrammelled by tourists, it was certainly not a wildlife destination. Most of the herds this side of the river have long-since been eaten by hungry villagers and the remaining wild animals have become nocturnal and elusive in order to survive.
As we pushed on in a north-westerly direction, the ‘road’ became increasingly less road-like. We had long since dropped
off the map, with every form of navigational equipment we possessed showing nothing more than a spectacularly large blank area. Skirting the floodplains alongside the perennial Njoko, Kwembwa, Ngombe and Lumbe rivers, we came across a gaggle of desperately poor villages scattered along the river courses. The drainage lines were separated by huge sprawling woodlands and thick forests where moisture-loving flies seemed – as if by magic – to materialise in worryingly large numbers whenever we stopped to take a look around. It felt, at times, as if we were journeying towards the end of the earth.
As our rapidly deteriorating ‘road’ disappeared into a maze of overgrown Scotch cart tracks and proliferating cattle trails,our guide became increasingly valuable. We soon discovered,however, that stopping in small villages to ask directions was an unpredictable practice that yielded mixed results. While almost nobody spoke English, the locals were generally very friendly and helpful. But, in a surprisingly large number of these hamlets, we came across raucous beer parties where bleary-eyed men appeared absolutely sloshed by midmorning! We soon learnt to spot these iniquitous gatherings a mile off and steer clear.
After fording a number of increasingly deep tributaries along the edge of the Lumbe floodplain, we swung back east, and, after getting permission from a local chief, camped wild on the grassy fringe of the crystal-clear Luampungu Stream. Staring into the campfire that night under a dazzlingly beautiful star-strewn sky,I came to the realisation that in all my overland travels I had seldom felt so ‘in-the-middle-of-nowhere’ as that moment.
A few days later, after some entertaining soft-sand driving and having lost a wing mirror to an unruly tree, we agreed it was time to wind our way slowly back past Sichili and Mulobezi to civilisation.
Sisheke Chiefdom desperately needs more like-minded nature lovers to come and enjoy its hidden secrets. Offering a rare chance to enjoy a genuine off-the-beaten-track 4x4 adventure through one of the last unmapped tracts of wilderness in southern Africa, your mere presence will go a long way towards preserving a fragile area that is integral to reopening one of Africa’s oldest migration corridors, and key to the long-term success of Peace Parks’ audacious KAZA vision. Sisheke and Sioma need you, so don’t delay; start planning your trip today.
Having spent the best part of a week bush-camping, we found Mutemwa Lodge the perfect spot for a refreshing swim,ice-cold beer and a much-needed shower. Tucked away on the bank of the Upper Zambezi River, it was a serene place where we could put our feet up and relax. Each of Mutemwa’s comfortable en-suite bush tents boasted a secluded riverside deck with enchanting Zambezi views. And with resident fish eagles, herons, storks, finfoots and trogons, to name but a few favourites, we were treated to some of Southern Africa’s finest birding right from the comfort of camp.
Mutemwa is more than a comfortable riverside retreat. While Penny kept a watchful eye on the preparation of delicious fireside dinners served under star-studded skies, Gavin showed his skills as a natural raconteur, sharing rugby,bush and fishing stories with equal aplomb. As the tales grew taller and the fish grew bigger, honking hippos provided the quintessential African soundtrack to memorable evenings on the banks of the mighty Zambezi.
Having made the decision to split our time between luxurious Mutemwa and the more overland-riendly Kabula Tiger Lodge, we drove upstream to try out Piet du Toit’s well-maintained and efficiently run camp. With a choice between quaint reed huts strung out along the river’s edge,and grassy campsites with spotless ablution and communal cooking facilities, Kabula is a camp which has something to
suit all tastes and budgets. Their fully-stocked bar and stunning riverside deck provided a great spot for us to watch the sun go down. But no visit to the Zambezi would be complete without enjoying a sunset boat cruise and well-chilled Mosi out on the river. Hiring a couple of boats and coxswains, we settled on the perfect afternoon combo: throwing a line to try our hand at tiger fishing while guzzling cold beers, as a fiery sun dropped toward the horizon.
Puttering along in our tiny fishing boats, I had no problem following our guide’s wise instructions to keep arms and legs out of the water at all times. The occasional hippo bobbed up near by, but it was the omnipresent crocodiles that commanded my utmost respect out on the river. One afternoon we even bumped into a skittish breeding herd of around 20 elephants feeding on Kabula Island as we fished a nearby channel. The elephants didn’t hang around at the water’s edge for too long, but it was great to know that they still roamed this enigmatic area.
A tiger fight is quite something to behold… One minute we were sitting there shooting the breeze, sipping beers and watching African skimmers flit by, when all of a sudden the drag on Dave’s rod started screaming. Pandemonium reigned as beers went flying, our boat rocked precariously and
everyone yelled their two-cents-worth of fish-catching advice. Despite the bedlam, Dave somehow managed to land his first tiger; and, after a couple of quick photos, the fierce fish was returned to the river, allowing us to get back to the serious business of ‘sundownering’ once more.
There is something very special and strangely addictive about spending time on Southern Africa’s largest waterway,and it was tough to finally put our rods down and move on from Kabula, but our time on the magical Zambezi had recharged us and we were chomping at the bit to explore some more virgin territory.
After popping across the Wenela Border to re-supply in Katima, we picked up our Lozi-speaking guide in Sesheke town before driving up the eastern side of the Zambezi. The dirt track skirted the wide river and every few miles we passed a village, or the occasional bicycle, but no cars.
Seeing a sign-posted turnoff to Nalikwanda Lodge, we decided to make a quick detour to check the place out for future reference. Not long afterwards, we bumped into Benjie Du Preez. This enterprising ex-rugby player is on a mission to uplift the local communities in the area by helping them establish a sable and roan breeding facility nearby. A perennially smiling and optimistic character
who has taken the time to learn the Lozi language and understand ‘Africa time’, Benjie remained undaunted by the challenges still facing his Touching Africa Development Trust project. And, although we saw only duiker still surviving in this heavily hunted area, Benjie assured me that there were also small herds of the larger antelope species in the surrounding woodland.
Exploring the enormous region that lies between the Zambezi and Kafue was a very different experience from our Sioma and Katuli adventure of the previous week. While the area exuded a
powerful feeling of raw wilderness untrammelled by tourists, it was certainly not a wildlife destination. Most of the herds this side of the river have long-since been eaten by hungry villagers and the remaining wild animals have become nocturnal and elusive in order to survive.
As we pushed on in a north-westerly direction, the ‘road’ became increasingly less road-like. We had long since dropped
off the map, with every form of navigational equipment we possessed showing nothing more than a spectacularly large blank area. Skirting the floodplains alongside the perennial Njoko, Kwembwa, Ngombe and Lumbe rivers, we came across a gaggle of desperately poor villages scattered along the river courses. The drainage lines were separated by huge sprawling woodlands and thick forests where moisture-loving flies seemed – as if by magic – to materialise in worryingly large numbers whenever we stopped to take a look around. It felt, at times, as if we were journeying towards the end of the earth.
As our rapidly deteriorating ‘road’ disappeared into a maze of overgrown Scotch cart tracks and proliferating cattle trails,our guide became increasingly valuable. We soon discovered,however, that stopping in small villages to ask directions was an unpredictable practice that yielded mixed results. While almost nobody spoke English, the locals were generally very friendly and helpful. But, in a surprisingly large number of these hamlets, we came across raucous beer parties where bleary-eyed men appeared absolutely sloshed by midmorning! We soon learnt to spot these iniquitous gatherings a mile off and steer clear.
After fording a number of increasingly deep tributaries along the edge of the Lumbe floodplain, we swung back east, and, after getting permission from a local chief, camped wild on the grassy fringe of the crystal-clear Luampungu Stream. Staring into the campfire that night under a dazzlingly beautiful star-strewn sky,I came to the realisation that in all my overland travels I had seldom felt so ‘in-the-middle-of-nowhere’ as that moment.
A few days later, after some entertaining soft-sand driving and having lost a wing mirror to an unruly tree, we agreed it was time to wind our way slowly back past Sichili and Mulobezi to civilisation.
Sisheke Chiefdom desperately needs more like-minded nature lovers to come and enjoy its hidden secrets. Offering a rare chance to enjoy a genuine off-the-beaten-track 4x4 adventure through one of the last unmapped tracts of wilderness in southern Africa, your mere presence will go a long way towards preserving a fragile area that is integral to reopening one of Africa’s oldest migration corridors, and key to the long-term success of Peace Parks’ audacious KAZA vision. Sisheke and Sioma need you, so don’t delay; start planning your trip today.