|
| |
If you’re interested in
travelling individually or in your own group of friends and you wish to travel on your
own, don’t hesitate to ask us about personalised trips, vehicle hire, national parks,
hotels or general information about travelling in southern Africa.
.........................................................
| 19 DAY ROUTE IN ZAMBIA/VICTORIA FALLS |
| This new
route around Zambia allows us to discover the norther part of old Rhodesia with its
national parks and spectacular fauna; lake Kariba, a paradise of water, birds and legends;
its capital, Lusaka, and the mythical Victoria Falls.We will cross Zambia from south to north
almost reaching the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We’ll get to
know and spend time with the chimpanzees in the biggest orphanage of its type in the
world. This is, without doubt, a unique experience that will let us enjoy but at the same
time contemplate the limited future these animals have in the wild in the present day.
We’ll be shown the terrible conditions in which many of them are treated before being
confiscated by the authorities and sent to this orphanage. The Kafue National Park and
South Luangwa National Park are a delight to those amongst us who are birdwatchers, and
love the animals. Night drives and walking trips are allowed in the National Parks. |
| PROVISIONAL
ITINERARY |
| Day
1 |
| Arrival
at Victoria Falls International Airport. After collecting baggage we’ll set off to
Livingstone in Zambia where we’ll spend the first night. Free afternoon to visit the
city or the falls. Camping. |
| Day
2 |
| We´ll
leave early in the morning from Livingstone to Lochinvar National Park. This beautiful but
almost unknown park, is formed by to big lagoons coming from the Kafue River who atract
innumerable quantiity of birds, some of them very difficult to be seen in other
places. Another atractive of this park are the the Kafue lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis)
that can only be seen in Lochinvar and in Blue Lagoon National Park. This wetland has been
considered important enought in the Ramsar Convention for the IUCN and WWF (World Wide
Fund for Nature) to run a conservational project. Bush camping. |
| Days
3, 4 and 5 |
| From there
we will continue towards Kafue National Park. Kafue is Zambia’s oldest park and by
far the largest. It was proclaimed in 1950 and is spread over 22 400 square kilometres -
the second largest national park in the world and about the size of Wales. The park
sustains huge herds of a great diversity of wildlife. From the thousands of red lechwe on
the Plains, puku, sable and roan antelopes in the woodland to the diminutive oribi
and duiker. The solid-rumped defassa waterbuck, herds of tsessebe, hartebeest, zebra and
buffalo make for a full menu of antelope. Large prides of lion solitary leopards and
cheetahs are the prime predators. There is a host of smaller carnivores from the
side-striped jackal, civet, genet and various mongoose. Over 400 species of birds have
been recorded throughout the park. Camping. |
| Days
6 and 7 |
| We’ll continue north, going to the "Copperbelt", the mining region
which includes towns like Ndola, Kitwe and Chingola and whose mines converted this region
into one of the world’s main producers. Unfortunately, the price of copper suffered a
major recession and today many of the mines are closed. Via this mining region we’ll
reach the city of Chingola, only 60km form our final destination: Chimfunshi
Wildlife Orphanage. |
|
|
If you want more information on the
orphanage, its inhabitants or about its adoption program, consult its WEB PAGE |
 |
|
|
 |
|
| This last road to the orphanage, although it is paved, is in very bad condition
with large holes which slow down the speed of any vehicle. Once we’ve reached the
turn from the main road we’ll go down a track until we reach the camping area (in the
rainy season, it’s almost impossible due to the flooding by the River Kafue and the
access ends up a mud bath). The next day, as long as there are no objections on the part
of the animals’ trainers, we’ll go to visit the project and the new enclosures.
Camping. |
| There are various organisations that offer extensive information about
primates and conservation problems… |
 |
International
Primate Protection League |
 |
 |
| Day 8 |
| From
Chimfunshi, heading south, we will spend the night at Lusaka. Although the road is good,
the time we take depends on the number of police controls we encounter and can become
somewhat excessive. It’s just a question of patience. The stops can help us to enjoy
the scenery (it’s always better to look on the bright side). Camping. |
| Days
9, 10 and 11 |
| We’ll
leave Lusaka early in the mornig to continue to South Luangwa. Experts have dubbed South
Luangwa as one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world, and not without reason.
The concentration of game around the Luangwa river and it’s ox bow lagoons is among
the most intense in Africa. The Luangwa River is the most intact major
river system in Africa and is the life blood of the park's 9050km2. The Park
hosts a wide variety of wildlife birds and vegetation. There are 60 different animal
species and over 400 different bird species. The only notable exception is the rhino,
sadly poached to extinction. Thornicroft’s giraffe, unique to
Luangwa Valley should be easily spotted.The park has 14 different antelope species, most
of which are easily seen on game and night drives. Night drives are fascinating in the
Luangwa. Not only for the chance of seeing a leopard but for the many interesting animals
that only come to life at night. Genets, civets, servals, hyenas, and bushbabies as well
as owls, nightjars, the foraging hippos, honey badgers and lion. Night drives and walking
safaris on request (not included). Camping. |
| Day
12 |
| We will
leave the National Park heading again to Lusaka. Camping. |
| Day
13, 14 and 15 |
| From
Lusaka, we’ll go down to the south of the country, to the Lake Kariba. The history of
this reservoir is not without its own legends. Past Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River in
its passage down to the ocean formed a deep valley, which was the main impediment to the
exploration and commercialisation of the north. In 1955, the government of the then
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland decided to construct a dam at the mouth of the
Kariba. The name comes from the shape of this formation, similar to the nets used for
fishing and which in the shona language are known as "kariwa". The work started
in 1956 and was to be done by an Italian company. Numerous incidents and catastrophes led
to the loss of life of many workers whose names can be seen in a small church on top of
the Kariba Hill. Many locals blamed these accidents on the wrath of the legendary river
God, Nyaminyami. Throughout centuries, the territories now beneath water were inhabited by
the BaTonga, a people who maintained a symbiotic relationship with the nature and wildlife
of the valley. According to popular folklore, this existence was presided over by the god
of the Zambezi River. The BaTonga people reacted with an armed uprising against the
construction, but their arrows were of little help. Their wise men prophesised that
Nyaminyami would destroy the dam. Therefore the unusual floods, which slowed down work and
killed many workers, were accounted to the fury of God, so supporting the myth and legend
of Nyaminyami, the god with a snake’s body and dragon’s head. Camping.
We’ll start our exploration of the Zambezi River from Chirundu. This is an
extraordinary experience in canoe that lasts 2 nights and 3 days, camping on islands
during the trip. It is without doubt an unforgettable, different and ideal way to watch
the fauna in its own environment (there is no special experience or physical preparation
required). This activiti is not included in the price
od the trip and must be payed directly in Chirundu (aprox. USD 300 per person)After the
experience we will go back to Chirundu where we will spend the night in the campsite. . |
| Days 16 and 17 |
| From
Siavonga, we’ll leave the country for the time being and go into Zimbabwe, crossing
the border at Livingstone to go on to the mythical Victoria Falls. Here we will conclude
our journey, but not without spending two restful days where we can do last minute
shopping or, for the more adventurous, take part in various aquatic-sporting activities in
the wild waters of the Zambezi. Other alternatives range from safaris by horse, elephant,
on foot or by boat to canoeing, flights in microlight, helicopter or plane. Everyone can
choose depending on his or her interests. |
 |
|
