A Luangwa Marathon

This is a trip that you do for the challenging drive, rather than for a restful and relaxing holiday. It is a gruelling and taxing journey of some 2,000 km that will test your and your vehicle’s stamina to some considerable extent. It is not for the faint-hearted.

The easy bit is on day one when you drive to Shiwa N’gandu and camp at the Kapishya Hot Springs Lodge. The reason for going to Kapishya is that you need some directions and the first port of call will be Buffalo Camp situated in the North Luangwa National Park and operated by Shiwa Safaris.

It is necessary to make reservations for Buffalo Camp, either at Kapishya or, before you leave, via a travel agent. North Luangwa is managed by a set-up affiliated to Frankfurt Zoo and has some rules which do not apply to other National Parks. Firstly you may not drive your own vehicle in the Park unless you are in transit. Secondly Buffalo Camp is restricted to ten adult guests at any one time. But Buffalo Camp is the only one in North Luangwa that offers self-catering accommodation at relatively low rates – the others offer packages for overseas tourists.

The turning off the Great North Road is about 60km north of Mpika (towards Chinsali) or 30km south of the turn to Shiwa N’gandu. Coming from Shiwa, the turn is on the left and is signposted. It will take about four hours from here to reach Buffalo Camp. The road meanders through forest and occasional villages and one simply follows the signs until the park entrance comes into view. Here you pay your entry fees (including one for the vehicle you won’t be able to drive) and begin the descent into the valley. The terrain is very broken – one minute the road is going steeply downhill and the next it is climbing back up. Occasional glimpses of the valley floor encourage the weak of heart to keep going as the road becomes rougher with slippery gravel. It is soon apparent that one is going down more than up and eventually things level out and the valley spreads out before you.

A complicated network of tracks lead in various directions and the map now comes into its own. If you haven’t got one it is probably best to go back and get one – seriously – but the ones on sale at the Park Entrance were not much good. Try to get a sketch map from Kapishya to take you at least as far as Buffalo.

Buffalo Camp When we arrived at Buffalo, we found that there were already eight guests there – making the total number of adults about fifteen. It turned out that four of the other guests were in transit from Luambe to Shiwa – they were from France and had hired a car in Livingstone. Having spent some nights at Luambe (see below), they planned to cross the Luangwa and climb the escarpment we had just come down. A German vet called Olaf Behlert was their host at Luambe and he and his son, Bjorn, had agreed to escort the French party and a Dutch couple to the Luangwa River and ensure that they crossed safely. They didn’t! Their vehicle (a 4x4 automatic) bogged down in the sandy riverbed and no efforts to pull it out were successful. So they abandoned it and drove with the other two vehicles to Buffalo. They were waiting for Shiwa Safaris to come and collect them and transfer them to Lusaka and their flight to Paris. There didn’t seem to be much concern about the stranded vehicle. Olaf was pleased that we had arrived because he didn’t fancy crossing the river alone and one of our vehicles had a winch.

Our plan was to stay two nights at Buffalo and then move on to Luambe and, subsequently, Mfuwe. Imagine the consternation that first evening as we contemplated the idea of crossing a river that had just claimed one vehicle and, moreover, finding a route across that avoided the stricken vehicle. A reconnaissance was called for.

Next morning it was quickly agreed that one vehicle going to the river to check out the crossing counted as transit and so, accompanied by Olaf and Bjorn, I set out. It was a good job that they were with me because the route was again quite complicated and without a map (or Bjorn) I would soon have got lost. Before reaching the Luangwa River the Mwaleshi River had to be crossed. This in itself was a daunting prospect. It was not very wide – perhaps 20 metres – but it was obviously deep, flowing fairly slowly and with marker posts showing the route to be taken. The entry was very steep so, to avoid creating a huge splash and flooding the engine, it was necessary to go in extremely slowly. However, once in, a bit of speed was required to ensure that the wheels didn’t sink into the sandy riverbed. At the far side, the exit was equally steep and needed an act of faith, as all you could see as you went up the bank was bonnet and sky.

The Mwaleshi successfully negotiated, it took another 45 minutes to reach the Luangwa. As we approached the place on the river which was said to be fordable, it was clear that not many people had attempted the crossing this year – the track was overgrown and had virtually disappeared. Nevertheless, Olaf was confident that we weren’t lost and we arrived at a point where there was a track down onto the sand that would have been the riverbed in the rainy season. The sand was quite hard and gave a little bit of confidence; this was quickly dispelled by the sight of a once smart 4x4 up to its headlights in river and surrounded by basking hippos.

We surveyed the crossing and decided that there was a route past the drowning vehicle, but it looked like a very long way to travel in water that, at its deepest, would be three-quarters of a metre deep according to Olaf. Total distance across the river – including a sandbank at the far side – was probably 150 to 200 metres and the river was flowing fast.

We awarded ourselves a beer and returned to Buffalo, making plans as we went. The main danger in deep water is that water can be sucked in through the air intake and get into a cylinder – water does not compress and you can break a con-rod. For petrol vehicles there is the added problem of keeping the electrics dry. To cross this river a balance had to be found between going fast enough to avoid sinking in the sand and slow enough not to create a bow wave that would flood the engine compartment.

Back at Buffalo, it turned out to be someone’s birthday. The party was noisy and a bit tense – thinking about tomorrow’s crossing. But lots of ideas on how to protect the vehicles had been put together. Firstly tyres would be reduced to half pressure, giving better traction in the sand; secondly plastic rubbish bags would be fixed across the radiator grilles to divert the bow wave. More plastic protection to keep the electrics dry would be provided for the only petrol vehicle (mine) and air intakes would be fixed so that they were well above the water line. There was mention of removing the fan belt so that the fan didn’t flick water up into the electrics, but that seemed to be going a bit too far.

Next morning we packed up reluctantly and set off for the river. This time we found an easier crossing of the Mwaleshi and were soon parked in a row examining the Luangwa and the captive 4x4. We were five vehicles in all and everyone was busy letting down tyres, moving air intakes, protecting electrics etc. A beer for courage was called for and then it was agreed that Olaf would go first, because he had done it before. He made it without incident and we all felt better, especially when the second vehicle a Land Rover with a winch and all the children sitting on the roof also cruised across. Third across was a diesel pickup and then it was the turn of the petrol engine. By this time, a party with a tractor had arrived from the Park HQ to pull out the hire car. Seeing a tractor standing by was very comforting so in we plunged. As we passed the 4x4, I noticed that they had left the windows open and our wash – and presumably everyone else’s – sloshed in through the front window, adding to the damage already done. We almost made it, but some water penetrated the protective plastic and the engine died with about two metres to go to the sandbank. It turned out that the fan had flicked water onto the underside of the distributor!! The winch was deployed and hauled us onto the sandbank where everything dried quickly in the sun and we completed our crossing. Car number five also got across in fine style and a celebratory beer was enjoyed as we re-inflated our tyres. We watched the tractor unceremoniously haul the 4x4 backwards out of the river and take it to a nearby village for collection by the hire company along with the bill for salvage, presumably!

Having successfully crossed the Luangwa we all felt omnipotent, but time was passing and it was decided to stop for the night at Luambe Lodge with Olaf rather than try to make it to Mfuwe. It was a relatively easy drive through some dusty villages where the children all came rushing out shouting “sweetie”. It occurred to me that this was the African equivalent of watching the Monte Carlo Rally go past – five weird looking vehicles roaring by in a cloud of dust, packed with white people and loaded with camping gear.

Luambe is a small National Park on the East bank of the Luangwa and has been neglected until recently. It is now managed by Cologne Zoo with Olaf and family in charge. The Zoo uses the National Park for conservation education purposes as well as offering tourist accommodation at the Lodge. And what excellent accommodation it is. Spacious tents under thatch, each with its own bathroom en suite and with a shower that, being German, works wonderfully. There is a large dining and sitting area and we ate at a long table with Olaf and his family who were most hospitable. This Lodge is highly recommended; unfortunately we could only stay one night – this time round.

In the morning, we headed south to Mfuwe intending to investigate the Nsefu Sector of Luangwa on the way. A direct drive would take about two hours we were told, but we had plenty of time and decided to “do a few loops”. A pair of lions studied us lazily from across a ditch, but were unable to help us with directions to Mfuwe. We were hopelessly lost and going round in circles until, quite by accident, we drove into Tena Tena. Fortunately, someone was at home and we got directions and got back on the beaten track.

We had a booking at Flat Dogs Camp in Mfuwe and were soon installed in cottages close by the swimming pool. An evening at the bar, a meal in the restaurant and a good night’s sleep seemed a good way to finish the day. Next morning the elephants passed through the Camp – as they do every morning – and checked out for free morsels from the dustbins. One even poked his head into the chalet (which had an open verandah) and waved his trunk around in search of titbits – like half a pumpkin. He was so close that I could have counted his eyelashes. It is worth remembering that these are wild animals, however, and they must be treated with caution even when they have their head in your kitchen. So I didn’t stop to count his eyelashes – I moved quickly into “damage control” mode.

The plan for the day was to drive North up what is known as O5 (a one time oil prospecting road) to the Mupamadzi River, cross and follow the escarpment road to the Mutinondo River where we would camp for the night before attempting the assault on the escarpment.

The Mupamadzi has a nice gravely bed which means you can go as slowly as you wish and it proved relatively easy to negotiate. The only problem was that, after three vehicles had hauled themselves up the opposite bank, it became a bit muddy and the last of the convoy had to be winched out.

It was not far to the Mutinondo, but this was a more unnerving crossing. A very steep entry into the river, which again had a fairly firm bed but was deep. As soon as you entered the river, you had to turn right and follow its course rather than cross it. After 50 metres there was an exit point and the night’s campsite had been reached. The Mutinondo is a very pretty river and we camped on its bank most comfortably. In the morning we were going to tackle the notorious escarpment road.

The intention was to climb the escarpment, rejoin the Great North Road and go home to Kitwe. The ascent of the escarpment beggars belief. First gear low box is necessary for about an hour (including a couple of stops to admire the spectacular views back into the valley) and you plod slowly up the amazingly steep track which is littered with boulders over which you bump and roll. Sometimes the boulder flirts out from under your wheel and you slip back a little, but gradually you wind your way up through the hairpins and eventually arrive at the control gate. The altitude at the camp by the Mutinondo was some 600m – at the end of the climb we were at 1500m. We had climbed about 900m in a distance of maybe 10km and in a time of about one hour. A lot of the time we would have been overtaken by a pedestrian and I couldn’t help wondering what would have happened if we had met something coming down.

The same vehicle that had negotiated two escarpments and forded four rivers with a full load was now slipped into fifth gear and dashed down the Great North Road at 100km/h back to Kitwe, where we arrived just after dark. Amazing!

(Whilst searching for something else, I found this article on my computer. Can the author please own up. Ed.)

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