What a great holiday! We went to Kafue National Park and
stayed at Leopard Lodge.
The drive down was somewhat eventful. We left at 7:30am and
arrived at 1:30pm. For a fair part of the drive the road was bitumen. But just
after Kasempa, the road became red dirt and sand. We had to go over the Lunga River
by ferry and it is amazing how clear and clean the water is. Not like the Murray
at all. By the end of the trip, I felt like a rally driver, going over bumps
and dodging potholes. It was a good thing I was not driving. Poor Tom was sick
in the car, and so we had a big mess to clean up. There were also a lot of
villages along the way and surprisingly quite a few schools. It’s amazing to
think the people we saw lived out there in the middle of no-where, with such
poor living conditions. I have no idea when or if, they would even get to the
nearest town. The poverty is incredible. We are trying to get the kids to
understand how lucky and privileged they are.
On arrival, we were shown to a beautiful chalet. It had 2
bedrooms and a bathroom in between. The roof was thatched and so high, the beds
covered by mosquito nets. The windows had no glass, only fly screens and
curtains, so it felt so fresh and open. Leopard Lodge sits on the Kafue River,
which flows very fast, and there is a dining / bar area that overlooks the
water, so we had a snack there before heading out for an afternoon river
cruise.
The river cruise was amazing. We could not have asked for
more. We saw so many animals that night including crocodile, elephant, hippo,
puku, impala and so many different species of bird. The kids had a ball. We
even heard one of the elephants trumpet a warning at us, as we were close to
the bank and they had calves in their herd. We had been warned not to expect to see much,
as the lodge is on the edge of the park, but we were very lucky. We returned to
the lodge where a fire welcomed us along with a beautiful dinner under the
stars.
The next morning we were up before the sun, to head out on a
game drive. The mist was rising off the water and the sun was rising through
the trees. It was a gorgeous morning. After cereal, we were bundled into an
open air truck and wrapped up in ponchos. The amount of puku and impala around
was incredible. They are absolutely everywhere. We first stopped at the hot
springs. It is an old drilling area that now has boiling water coming up from
the cracks in the ground. It was beautiful in the morning as we could see the
steam in the early morning light. We even came across some elephant tracks.
Apparently, the elephant come to get the mineral salts out of the water. We
continued on with our drive. We came across wart hog and even 3 zebra grazing,
which promptly ran at the sound of the truck, so unfortunately I was not able
to get a photo. Probably just as well as I took about 300 over the 4 days! Such
a shame I did not have my big lens, due it being still in Perth.
When we arrived back, we had breakfast number 2. Apparently
cereal is not a proper breakfast. So out came the yoghurt and muesli, then the
eggs, toast, bacon and beans. I think I have come home looking like a hippo
with all the food. We certainly did not starve. We then had time to have a nap
before going out again on an evening game drive. The food and fresh air certainly
makes you tired.
We were not as lucky this time on the drive. We did not see
anything more than what we had previously seen, but once the sun set, the stars
were amazing. The kids thought it was wonderful to see as many stars as we did,
such as the big dipper and the milky way! The kids love going out every night
and seeing the stars before bed, it is a little ritual we have gotten into. We
see a lot on site, but there are still street lights around. Out here on the
drive, we only had the headlights and so could see thousands more. The fire was
burning again on our arrival and this time 2 more guests. Two guys were out
from London, visiting the mine in Solwezi and so we had a lovely chat over
dinner, which was a braai. Again the food was gorgeous and plentiful.
The next morning we had a sleep in, and then were able to
sit and watch the animals go by. It was a cold morning and so we enjoyed having
a nice hot chocolate overlooking the river wrapped up in blankets. Once the
guys got back from their short game drive, we headed off on the boat to the
other side of the river into Kafue National Park proper. We got onto the truck
and then did a drive around before lunch / breakfast. It was interesting to see
the land on this side of the river as it was flatter and with fewer bushes. The
flies (Tsetse – see Note) by this time were getting bad. They bite! So the
guides collected some elephant dung to burn in tins on the side of the truck,
it kept the flies away. We found some
lion tracks and so followed them for a while, but we had no luck in finding the
beast. On our way back to the river, we came across another group of elephants.
We could see them smelling us as we were up wind from them, but due to the
burning elephant dung, they could not tell what we were. Their trunks were up
in the air like telescopes from a submarine.
That night we went out for our last river cruise. We saw
more elephants and hippo and again some beautiful birds. We watched as about 10
vultures circled then landed, so our guide hopped ashore to see if it was
anything interesting. We were hoping a lion had made a kill, unfortunately not,
they were only coming in to roost for the night. The guide then found us
another spot with easier access, so we could get off the boat and have a drink.
It was then that we heard a lion roar. It was incredible to think that this
huge beast was out their roaming and we were listening to its roar, what a
fantastic sound. The kids got a bit scared, thinking that the lion was going to
come out and get us, so we boarded the boat for home. Such a truly African
experience hearing the lion roar with the sun setting over the trees. We headed
back down the river into the night as the sun set around us bringing some
wonderful colour to the sky.
As we had dinner that night, a hippo made a grunt. It
sounded so close that poor Laura was so scared it was going to come and get her
that she ended up in tears. We decided to have an early night as she would not
let Phil go. The guides were all laughing as were Phil and I, but she was truly
scared.
After a beautiful night’s sleep, it was time to hit the road
for home. We said our goodbye’s and
headed off.
We were prepared this time on our trip home and just as
well, as poor Tom was sick again. Oh how I wish we had his ‘magic apron’ (a plastic backed towel made by Mama) with
us. The trip home was a lot busier. We could not believe the amount of people
out walking the road. Not a lot of traffic, only people heading home to who
knows where.
We really are very lucky. In that we are able to experience
this adventure and have the comforts that we do. At the end of the day, we get
to have a hot shower, food and hop into a warm comfortable bed. We know there
will be food tomorrow and a roof over our heads.
I would recommend a visit to Leopard Lodge.
I would recommend a visit to Leopard Lodge.
Africa - Tsetse Flies
There are 22 different species of tsetse fly, and they live
only in Africa. These flies are slightly larger than a horsefly. They breed
along rivers and streams. They are active during the day and feed exclusively
on blood. Unlike most biting flies where only the female feeds on blood, both
male and female tsetse flies are blood suckers.
Tsetse flies are an enormous health risk in parts of Africa.
They can transmit a disease called trypanosomiasis, an infection of the central
nervous system. There are 2 forms of trypanosomiasis: Rodesian (sometimes
called East African trypanosomiasis) and Gambian (sometimes called West African
trypanosomiasis). Rhodesian trypanosomiasis, also known as nagana, is
transmitted from animal to animal and mostly affects cattle, horses, and wild
animals like antelope--although humans can also be infected. The Gambian form
is much more prevalent and only affects humans. It is commonly called sleeping
sickness.
Tsetse flies transmit nagana and sleeping sickness through
their saliva. They first bite an animal or person that is already infected with
a tiny microorganism called a trypanosome. This parasite lives inside the
tsetse fly's stomach for several days and then travels to its salivary glands.
After that, anyone or anything bitten by the fly becomes infected.
