Our trainee tour leader, Colin Walsh, who set off on the 11th of May 2013 on our Cape Town to Kenya (CTK41) tour, shares his fifth part of his adventure as he leaves the activity capital ‘Livingstone’ and heads north to the Kafue River, Lusaka and Chipata before crossing the border into Malawi. Find out what happens when he hops on the Kafue Queen House boat for a fun filled cultural experience, the animals at camp in Lusaka and the last town situated 20km from the border of Malawi. Read more…
Day 22 – Kafue River, Zambia
After a great time in Livingstone, we were ready to keep the tour moving and carry on further into Zambia.
Our next destination was the mighty Kafue River. This river, which was at one time only a stream, provides the country and mainly the capital Lusaka with its water and is a prominent fishing ground for the local people. We were excited, and ready to experience the river to its fullest on the Kafue Queen – a 2 story houseboat with a fully stocked bar. Yes, there were exciting times ahead!
The cruise was a leisurely one, lasting approximately 2 hours, with us only travelling around 8km up river. It gave us time to enjoy magnificent views of the valley walls, lush with vegetation and the sounds of various bird species, whilst sipping on a nice cold well needed beverage. The most prominent bird spotted by one of the locals was the ‘Call of Africa’, the well known Fish Eagle.
We arrived at our camp just before sundown, and managed to get our tents up before it was dark. By this time the crew, who were from the local tribe, had already made a fire and were preparing the drums for a little entertainment – a true Kafue experience. We were so mesmerized by the beats of the drum and the sound of their voices that we almost did not hear the call to join in. Standing up, we all started dancing and clapping, the tempo and excitement growing as the song built up to its peak; before the music finally slowed to a stop just in time for us all to catch our breath. In a huge sigh of relief, we all collapsed into our seats laughing
After an amazing fun experience, it was time to eat, and I must say… we were all very hungry! As we made our way to the Kafue Queen, we settled into our seats and enjoyed a nice cooked meal prepared by our lovely tour leader Bombastic. Content and full, we made our way back to the fire and enjoyed our last beverage before heading to our tents for a good night’s sleep.
As we were going to visit the nearby village, to see how they lived and witness a few of their day to day activities the next morning was an early one. We got to speak to the head of a household who gave us a great tour around his small holding, giving us insight and answering every question we had to throw at him. The children were all playing a local version of dodge-ball, having a great time just being kids and of course we joined in for the experience. Saying our goodbyes to the kids and families we boarded the Kafue Queen back to our truck Rufunsa, which we again enjoyed for its slow pace and brilliant views. A magical and worthwhile experience not to be forgotten!
Boarding our truck, our next stop was at a camp site just outside of Lusaka. We did not have far to travel today, so we enjoyed the time to do some washing, or simply soaking up the rays by the pool. Our campsite Eureka has game roaming freely and to our surprise we had zebra’s, many types of antelope and even a giraffe wondering between our tents giving us all sufficient time to ‘pose’ with the animals for that great postcard photo we were all want to have.
The next day was a long drive, and transit from Lusaka to Chipata, just 40km from the Malawian border. We arrived just before sunset, and merely used the time to enjoy a nice hot shower, eat a beautifully cooked meal made from the group, a drink at the local bar and an early night. We were preparing for a great time ahead in Lake Malawi and the much talked about Kande Beach.
Stay tuned over the next few weeks to discover what he gets up to with the group as they cross the border into Malawi then onto Tanzania to Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.
Written by Colin Walsh