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enroute to Liuwa
yje mighty Zambesi river 01-06-07
7:30 we were on our way. We had forgotten how radical this route to Liuwa plains really is. It is deep sand all the way. The road or better track meanders along villages and one not only has to watch the bends and kinks of the track, choose the right low gear, but also avoid collisions with children waving frantically and echoing the “hello” Muzungu” “sweets” all along the way and dogs attack on our tires every few meters and low branches swiping off our firewood from the roof.
The 260 Km took us 12 hours and we hardly ever made it into second or third gear. Hence the headline: “Zambia in first gear”. The car is holding up, except the left door lock rattled loose and I will have to fix it this morning. Close to 18:30 we arrived in Kalaboand were received extremely well by Vanessa, a representative of African Parks, the authority who runs the Liuwa Parks on behalf of the Zambian Governement. She offered us a hot bath and a bed, which we gladly accepted. Chatting until the early hours of the morning we had a great evening. On our way we had visited
the Poho village and found it after only a minor detour in which old memories of a burnt out car and long marches through the bush revistited us. By accident we were actually travelling the exact road (we did not intend to) on which the accident happened. When the road was becoming almost impassable and so narrow that the bushes were scratching both sides we asked a few locals who were busy fixing a cattle fence for directions. The strong young son named John hopped in with us in the car and guided us to the parallel road, the one we originally wanted to travel on, which leads to Poho. Happy faces and many “thank you” later we said good bye to the villagers after we had dropped off our gifts. Very glad faces indeed. Thank you Roger for your contribution, the people will appreciate this very much. We had hoped the track to improve ….
04-06-07
Let me describe this to you: We are sitting on the open plane facing a flat waterhole some 50 Meters away to the left. There are waddled cranes, blue cranes, grey cranes, pelicans storks of various kinds a majectic fish eagle and a multitude of smaller birds. Streight ahead are red lechwe and wilderbeast, zebras and smaller bucks. The entire plane is filled with life and flat as a pancake all the way to the horizon. The grass is short and one can see even smaller animals from far. We have found our “old” place again and while admiring the views we are pleased to have made the effort to come out here again. It is a magic place ! The pontoon crossing and drive up to the pans was uneventful. The first two nights at the newly created campsites were a bit disappointing as they are situated near the villages and are lacking the birdlife and animal sounds that make Liuwa plains so special. The local people are extremely friendly and helpful and have certainly put their best foot forward. We are the first visitors to the park who came via car. The only other people before us came by boat and on foot! A film team for Discovery channel. We have the 3800 Km2 All for ourselves. We made every effort to find out if there is any chance to leave the park via Lukulu or by road to Mongu, but invain. The tracks are still flooded and the road to Mongu is washed away entirely. So there will be no other choice but to drive back the way we came. Worries are the amount of diesel we still have. Although we came with generous 190Litre it is amazing how much the landrover guzzles in deep sand and steep inclination. Well, we do weigh in at about 3,5 ton we have to admit. Supplies, diesel, water and equipment all have their share. I will upload this blog from Kalabo at the friendly invitation of the African National Parks to use their satellite link. Andrew and Roger we got your well wishes and thank you for ongoing support. No incidents or major breakdowns to report, although the tracks are heavy on the vehicle. The left door rattled loose and needed a 13 spanner tightening and all was sorted again. .. The views are absolutely awesome.
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ute gass
non-member comment
awesome pics
Hey there you two wandering, african souls! So pleased that you are safe. As they say in the classics: Africa aint for sissies. Take care, be blessed and enjoy the awesome trip. ute