Weather in Johannesburg was fantastic, we visited Liliesleaf Farm, in Rivonia and
an awesome craft market in Bryanston. Apart from getting a little lost trying to
get out of the City onto the N14 which would bring me into the Northern Cape,
the trip went very smoothly. The scenery through the farmlands was beautiful,
the stopover at Sun River Lodge in Upington was an absolute treat. The wild flowers
were already starting to bloom from Calvinia to Clanwilliam and from there to
Cape Town the bright green and yellow of the farmlands was almost blinding with
its richness.
In Summary:
Highlights of the trip:
Kariba Ferry
The flight over Vic Falls
Mana Pools
Lake Tanganyika
Great Camp Sites:
Lebanon Citrus Farm - Clanwilliam
Augrabies Falls National Park
El-Fari Ghanzi (awesome ablutions)
Ngepi - Caprivi Strip
Jacobsen's Beach - Kigoma - Lake Tanganyika
Ntchisi Forest Lodge - Malawi
Woodlands - Francistown
Favourite Spots:
Mutinondo Wilderness Camp - Mpika, Zambia
Lake Shore Lodge - Kipili - Lake Tanganyika - Tanzania
Utengule Coffee Farm - Mbeya - Tanzania
Ntchisi Forest Lodge - Malawi
Roads Conditions:
Norther part of Zambia North of Mpika to Tunduma - bad potholes
Tunduma - Sumbawanga - Namanyere - Katavi and Kigoma - shocking deviations to about
80 kms before Kigoma where the new tar road has been opened (roads
will be completed by 2013/2014)
First part of the gravel road to Mana Pools is very corrugated
Fuel:
Unleaded available everywhere including Malawi - carried 20litres for safety
Border Crossing:
Chirundu and Tunduma were hectic, but there were no problems with paperwork at any
border post
Documents: Vehicle registration papers, police clearance, Letter of authorisation from
Finance company
Vehicle:
Daihatsu Terios - only problem one puncture and back number plate fell off
Safety:
Tauts are irritating at the border posts, but never felt threatened or intimidated in any way.
Would I do it again? Solo?
In a heartbeat, but it is more fun to share with others
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
1st August 2012
The remainder of the trip went by so quickly but was somewhat eventful. From Kigoma
Francis and I drove back down to Namanyere and then to Lake Shore at Kipili, run by
Chris and Louise. What a great place right on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and what
superb hosts. The garden banda on the beach was great, the food was superb, dinner on
the beach every night. Chris, together with Francis, managed to get the rocks out of a tyre
that we had gathered whilst slipping and sliding over very bad roads and fix a slow puncture
on the spare. What a gem of a place. Chris also threw in a sunset cruise which was such
a pleasure.
From there it was back through Sumbawanga and Tunduma to Mbeya. I was now running
one day earlier than expected and Utengule did not have a single room for me for that night.
Sharon very kindly upgraged me to a beautiful suite at no extra cost. Everywhere I went
I was showered with kindness. Utengule is also a lovely place to stay.
The next morning it was through Mbeya and onto a great road through the mountains into
Malawi. First stop was Nkhata Bay for two nights, which was lovely but very crowded,
then it was a lovely drive along the lake to Ntchisi Forest Lodge (another frightful road
that I thought would never end). Tom and Petal were also wonderful hosts and served
great food. I managed the 8km walk up the mountain through the rain forest that they
are doing their utmost to preserve.
Next stop was over the border to Chipata, uneventful and great road. I camped overnight
at Mama Rulas which was very pleasant and had a good run down the Great East Road to
Lusaka which I hit at 4pm on a Friday night. The GPS took me on a great tour of the
suburbs and by the time I got back to Cairo Road, it was jammed with traffic. It took me
some time to push my way through and I camped south of Lusaka. The following morning
I was off early to Livingstone, but when I got there I could not find a suitable campsite
so decided to catch the ferry at Kazangula into Botswana - that was quite some experience.
Shared a campsite with some very kind farmers just over the border and left for Francistown
in the morning. First speeding fine - got away with a few Rand and reached Woodlands
overnight campsite which was also very comfortable - spotless pool, great ablutions.
The next day reached Gaberone and decided to cross the border into SA. Spent the night
in a honemoon suite, hot bath, very comfortable. The following morning it was a short
drive to Johannesburg to stay with Clive Carr and have a couple of days r and r, also
replace my number plate which I lost somewhere in Tanzania. Wonderful stay and should
be making my way home on Friday, arriving Saturday, having had the most amazing trip.
Hope to add photos on my return.
The remainder of the trip went by so quickly but was somewhat eventful. From Kigoma
Francis and I drove back down to Namanyere and then to Lake Shore at Kipili, run by
Chris and Louise. What a great place right on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and what
superb hosts. The garden banda on the beach was great, the food was superb, dinner on
the beach every night. Chris, together with Francis, managed to get the rocks out of a tyre
that we had gathered whilst slipping and sliding over very bad roads and fix a slow puncture
on the spare. What a gem of a place. Chris also threw in a sunset cruise which was such
a pleasure.
From there it was back through Sumbawanga and Tunduma to Mbeya. I was now running
one day earlier than expected and Utengule did not have a single room for me for that night.
Sharon very kindly upgraged me to a beautiful suite at no extra cost. Everywhere I went
I was showered with kindness. Utengule is also a lovely place to stay.
The next morning it was through Mbeya and onto a great road through the mountains into
Malawi. First stop was Nkhata Bay for two nights, which was lovely but very crowded,
then it was a lovely drive along the lake to Ntchisi Forest Lodge (another frightful road
that I thought would never end). Tom and Petal were also wonderful hosts and served
great food. I managed the 8km walk up the mountain through the rain forest that they
are doing their utmost to preserve.
Next stop was over the border to Chipata, uneventful and great road. I camped overnight
at Mama Rulas which was very pleasant and had a good run down the Great East Road to
Lusaka which I hit at 4pm on a Friday night. The GPS took me on a great tour of the
suburbs and by the time I got back to Cairo Road, it was jammed with traffic. It took me
some time to push my way through and I camped south of Lusaka. The following morning
I was off early to Livingstone, but when I got there I could not find a suitable campsite
so decided to catch the ferry at Kazangula into Botswana - that was quite some experience.
Shared a campsite with some very kind farmers just over the border and left for Francistown
in the morning. First speeding fine - got away with a few Rand and reached Woodlands
overnight campsite which was also very comfortable - spotless pool, great ablutions.
The next day reached Gaberone and decided to cross the border into SA. Spent the night
in a honemoon suite, hot bath, very comfortable. The following morning it was a short
drive to Johannesburg to stay with Clive Carr and have a couple of days r and r, also
replace my number plate which I lost somewhere in Tanzania. Wonderful stay and should
be making my way home on Friday, arriving Saturday, having had the most amazing trip.
Hope to add photos on my return.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)