Zambia - South Luangwa National Park

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Zambia - South Luangwa National Park and Flatdogs Camp


We entered Zambia on the 22nd December, heading for South Luangwa and Flatdogs camp, there was an excited hubbub on the truck - everyone was looking forward to Zambia plus my addition to the truck had relieved some of the tension that had been building up through Malawi.

The sides were rolled up and everyone leaned out as the countryside spilled by. For some reason, (this happened a lot during my 8 weeks) I got choked up. Most people were looking at Zambia as an exciting new country, somewhere that most definitely wasn’t Malawi and as somewhere to have Christmas and New Years. I was seeing Zambia as your birth land.

I had been warned not to sit at the back of the truck as with the roads as potholed as they were I was likely to ‘lose some of the ride comfort’ This is ridiculous, unless you are lying down on ‘The Beach’ (open area at the front of the truck for game viewing, it also serves as Julie’s bed) then there is no ride comfort full stop. I didn’t care, the photo opportunities were better from the back.

Naturally the roads are not made from tarmac; they are the brilliant red dirt roads that you would expect and we kicked up dust in our wake. We were passing small villages of rondavels, goats, chickens and children. The sight of our truck was like an ignition - whole villages leapt up laughing and waving as we went past and the children would tear along behind us, their small legs pumping as hard as they could until we disappeared out of site. This happened at every village and it never got dull. Mostly the children would shout and laugh, screaming hello - trying to get us to wave. There were others that would demand things, ‘give me biscuit’ and ‘give me my pen’ were popular. Clearly other overland trucks had spoilt them.
‘I don’t have your bloody pen, you give me my pen!’ Would often be the response shouted back by Iain.

The roads were getting worse and progress was slow due to rain that had left mammoth sized reservoirs of water on the road. The truck pitched and rolled alarmingly from side to side whilst children cheered our progress. We continued in this way for 3 hours before finally making it to Flatdogs Camp. The camp is situated on the South Luangwas river and has no natural boundaries, wildlife is free to come and go as it pleases. It was stunning. Audibly we breathed a sigh of relief as Nick guided the truck to our campsite as led by a member of Flatdog staff. The guide got it wrong and led us into a mud pocket instead. This time we were well and truly stuck.

Fortunately for most of us we were already at our pitching site and this was to be my first night in my tent, ‘Mosi’. Accompanied by Louise we grabbed our extremely heavy, cumbersome tent equipment and began scouting around for a good spot to pitch. It was then that Louise noticed the tree platform. She looked at me an eyebrow raised. I craned my neck up to look at the platform and sighed.
‘Think of how cool it will be!’ she exclaimed
‘Yeah’ I muttered
‘It will have a great view of the river and it’s sheltered, we probably won’t get wet up there’
‘yep’ I’d probably forgotten to mention that Zambia is very hot and by this point I was very hot and very bothered.
‘Come on then’ I groaned heaving the tent bag onto my shoulder and scrambling with my other free hand to grasp the sleek ladder. Precarious and unsteady we somehow, after much huffing and puffing manoeuvred our way onto the unstable platform and dropped our bags with relief. We stood and surveyed the space around us. The platform wasn’t going to be big enough.
‘I don’t think it’s going to fit’ Louise sighed. I shot her a dark look, ‘I’ll bloody well make it fit, show me how to put it up’
There was hardly enough room for the two of us up there let alone with all of the tent equipment. The surface was slick and slippery and we were fifteen feet in the air. Straining and wrapping myself precariously around branches we laid the tent out and began to erect it. It was only when the tent was somewhat assembled that I realised I was stuck behind it and there was no ledge for me to walk back on to the ladder.
‘Darlings! That looks fabulous, what a cracking idea!’ came a cry from below. I grimaced with the effort to stay upright, ‘Sat for crying out loud! I’m stuck!’
‘Oh Darling! Here, let me help you’ I groaned, the last thing we needed was another person on the already over burdened platform. ‘S’ok’ I yelled, ‘I can do it’ with a mammoth effort I grabbed hold of a branch above me and swung myself around to the front. Louise was impressed, ‘look at you, you little bush baby!’
‘Jennet, darling - that was incredible!’
I beamed at them and then looked at our tent. All four sides were hanging over the edge and the fly sheet was sagging against the tent sides, but it was up. It would do. With relief we climbed back down to get our sleep stuff.

We arrived to a scene of chaos.

Fanny was still stuck. Nick had lost his good humour, sweating and swearing profusely he was struggling to heave the enormous metal mud boards out from under the truck where they were jammed. There was much shouting and swearing, Julie was pacing up and down and several African workers had arrived to add to the confusion, doing the best to help by yelling instructions in Bemba or Bisa or Chikunda. We realised we would have to help get her free. Dave, Goose and Troy helped free the mud boards and wedged them under the wheels and we all got behind the truck to push whilst Nick climbed up into the cab and revved the engine. I took off my slops, there was so much mud on the ground that it was easier this way, the mud was cool and squishy underfoot and it felt good.

At Nick’s signal we began to heave, our feet were slipping, we were sprayed with mud but she wouldn’t move. The cab door slammed as angrily, Nick jumped out and rolled back under the truck to move the boards. Sweating and now covered in mud he climbed back up and called for us to try again. Using all of our strength we pushed, she moved inches but then rolled backwards threatening to crush us. We surged onwards again and again, she crept ever so slightly forward. Nick repositioned the boards one last time and with a final effort the truck lunged forward and was clear. We cheered, the Africans cheered and Nick sat down and had a drink.

By Now I was tired, hot and sweaty but I couldn’t rest yet - I was on cook group. Partnered with Tiny and Pam we set about preparing chicken and rice for 18 people. Upon opening the chicken we noticed there were a couple of smaller bags inside the carcass. Curious I looked inside to see what they were. They contained the Chickens feet.........

Twighlight had fallen and so by lamplight I settled down to chop carrots, whilst fighting of hundred of flying insects when a noise ahead distracted me. Looking up, I gasped. 20 feet away from me stood a massive, full grown bull elephant. He stood, stamping his foot and swaying his head, his ears were flapping. ‘shit, that doesn’t look good’ I thought. Tiny was beside me, ‘wow’ he breathed. Slowly we both started to back away, trying to judge the distance to the truck, when I felt Jules beside me, ‘Anna!’ she whispered harshly, ‘come here, what the hell are you doing!’
Unseen by us until that moment we spotted Anna, 10 feet from the elephant and getting closer with her camera poised. ‘Anna!’ I breathed. Jules wasn’t impressed, ‘Anna! Now! Come here now!’ Anna ignored us, inching closer and closer. At that moment the elephant abruptly turned and charged back into the bush, I released the breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding. Jules ran to her, ‘Anna that was so stupid dude!’
‘What? Is ok! No problem eh’ and with that Anna stalked off to check her footage.

Dinner passed pleasantly, Jules laid down the itinerary for the next four days and then dishes were washed and ‘flapped’ (very important camping term, you stand there flapping dishes like a moron - it dries them and decreases the risk of bacteria) Stools were put away and people drifted off to their tents and chalets, (Sat would always upgrade whenever the opportunity arose) Some of the boys stood at the edge of the bush with a torch looking for ‘eyes’ in the torch glare. Troy and Goose got very excited exclaiming that they could see something and judging by the eye level it was a cat! I looked and true enough there was something there although it looked more like a gazelle........

It was at this time that Louise approached me, sheepishly she explained that she had upgraded to a chalet and wouldn’t be joining me in the tent that night, ‘they were so cheap!’ was her explanation.

We had a game drive booked for 6am the next morning so exhausted, I trudged back to my tree top paradise, alone.

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Photos

'Give me biscuit!'
Children chasing the truck

'I like your truck'
Village children, taken from the back of the truck

Chasers
Progress was slow due to road conditions, it wasn't hard for them to keep up.

Tiny Dancer
We were semi stuck at this point so the kids thought they would entertain us

'Smile'
Serious little faces

Zambia by roadside
The brilliant red earth and the dust we kicked up

In The Mud
Louise and I. Our contribution to our freedom

Vervet Monkey by Luangwa River
Monkey's and baboons swarmed the campsite. Funnily enough the baboons were afraid of humans and were never much of a problem - the monkeys were a lot braver and became pests.

Monkey Trouble
Hanging in a tree just above my tent

Luangwa River
Fishermen on the river. We cooked the fish they caught over the camp fire. Sadly one of the fishermen lost his life whilst we were there, Hippo's attacked the boat.