The Zambezi Meander (Zambia-2021) Expedition with Nomadic Road
Nomadic road was back on track after almost 2years in oblivion, thanks to corona. Luckily I had done an expedition in North Kashmir this year in February and was waiting for some action to happen. Then came Venky’s call about the Zambezi meander expedition in Zambia and it was an exclusively boys trip for our Siberia gang, there was no chance of backing out. The brochure and details were enticing too. Somehow permission from Home ministry had to be obtained and it was difficult this time, but approved. Once confirmed, the process of booking tickets and visa formalities began. The brother in law duo of Suresh and Vijay couldn’t join us this time as they were preoccupied. Their place was taken up by Jos and John who increased the strength of Dubai gang to 5. As Dasha was not there to partner Ram, there was one more slot open and that was taken up by Santosh Ojha, my partner on the north Kashmir expedition. Since there was scope for adding one more vehicle to the convoy, Venky had roped in Eric and Cedric, 2 motor heads from Switzerland. Just a month to go and we received bad news that Neeraj had fractured his leg in a freak bike accident and wouldn’t recover in time to make it on this expedition. So Himanshu from Delhi, who had driven in Tibet with Venky, was roped in. Here we were 6 teams with a lead car (christened as advance) and the sweep car (christened as Shepherd) ready for the expedition. Also a good thought of helping a community school with some desks and stationery was conceived by Venky and his local partners, to which we readily agreed to contribute. Also Ashlyn, Ajesh and Jos took initiative to collect some toys and stationary for the school children as we had enough space in our luggage to carry from Dubai. Soon it was around 200 kgs and packed in 9 cartons which we managed to get within our allowed luggage allowance. Time had come and we were armed with Tickets, visa, insurances and the mandatory PCR test results for our departure. As usual we met at Ashlyn’s place for a pre-boarding meeting where I was introduced to John Aluka of Trissur.
Day 1. 7th Nov. Dubai to Lusaka. The Dubai gang assembled at the airport, sorted out the luggage (to be carried individually) and checked in for the morning flight.
The rest of the team from India and the 2 Swiss guys had flown in earlier and the full team were on the same flight from Dubai to Lusaka. For some of us it was like a reunion after Siberia and we were glad to meet up with the new people. On this expedition I was paired up with Ram as my vehicle partner, a chauffeur driven adventurer from Mumbai, which meant that I would be driving on the whole trip which I always love to do. Coincidently we were seated next to each other on the flight to Lusaka. The 7 hours flight to Lusaka went smoothly with good food accompanied by some good spirits. We had landed on time, swept through the immigration procedures and had a hard time explaining to the customs officials that we were carrying these boxes filled with toys and stationary for charity purpose. Finally we were out and welcomed by Kerry of Ntenda ventures to be transported to the hotel. As usual we spotted Venky at the entrance of the hotel ready to welcome us. Everything was ready for us. All we had to do was sign a paper and take the room keys. Our stay in Lusaka was at the beautiful new Ciela Resort and spa which has its own golf course, brewery and many other things.
We were told to enjoy the stay as we would see any luxury only after we are back after the expedition. We just had enough time to freshen up and be back in the lobby for handing over of the vehicles and briefing. We met Shanon and Tom at the parking lot, our expedition leaders for the next 10 days. Tom is an adventure Junkie and a licenced hunter who also leads hunting expedition. He is also a licenced angler. Shanon we heard had come on a hunting trip from South Africa, fell for the gorgeous looking Tom and stayed back in Zambia. We also had John and Sara, Tom’s assistants to help us on the expedition. The vehicles were ready and stickered with our names and blood group. With the roof mounted tents and modifications, the pickups looked sexy and raring to go.
We signed the disclaimers, insurance forms and rental agreements and these monsters would be our babies for the next 10 days. The pickups were fully equipped for camping. We had individual roof top tents fully furnished with bed sheets, pillow and sleeping bags. There was a full set of cutlery, kettle, gas stove, 2 cylinders, vessels, emergency equipment and even a deep freezer.
In spite of all this, there was enough place for other provisions and our luggage. During the vehicle briefing, we were also given a demo on how to open up the roof top tents and pack them up after use. It was not at all complicated, but needed patience and time. The 2nd part of the expedition briefing was at the Micro-Brewery along with local beer and some good food. All the do’s and don’ts were explained by Tom. Also we were given some insight on the local culture and tribal ways and what to look forward to in the coming few days. It felt like we started where we left off in Siberia. There was fun and laughter all around which signalled how next few days would pass. Again, we were missing Neeraj here who was the cream of the Siberia group. This expedition would have been something else with him around. An early start was announced and we were to assemble in the car park at 6.00 AM with vehicles packed and ready to move. So we retired early to our rooms for a good night’s sleep in luxury which wouldn’t be available for next few days.
Day 2. 8th November. Lusaka to Kafue National park. A good night’s sleep really helped in getting up fresh. I got the bags in the lobby before getting to the restaurant for an early breakfast.
With all bags packed, including the goody bags given by Ntenda ventures for the participants and the goody bag to be donated to the school in Mwinilunga, our expedition began on a positive note. The whole Ntenda ventures team was there to bid us good bye and to wish us a safe expedition. As we had left early we escaped all the hustle and bustle of the city traffic and were out of city limits in no time. The radios were kept busy with, we asking many questions and Tom and Shanon answering them very patiently. Since Ram wasn’t driving, he had agreed to handle all the video recordings I wanted. Whenever there was radio silence we would be busy talking on various topics. The first stop was for refuelling the cars. When we began rolling again and Tom wanted to up the speed of the convoy, and then came the first hiccup of the trip when Jos announced that his Hilux was refusing to go above 100km/hour. Tom too tried the vehicle and agreed with Jose. An SOS was sent to the rental company and they agreed to send a mechanic to look into it by evening. So we continued our Journey, but at the speed of Jos’s car. The Landscape had not changed much as Zambia is almost like a plateau with lots of greenery everywhere, with small villages scattered all over the place. People were very curious to know where we were going and for what. Our attempt to get some beers and tonic water at Mumbwa town failed as they didn’t have any in stock. Once we were in the GMA (game management area, the area around a national park), we started seeing glimpses of wildlife.
There were lot of puku around. Once we entered the Kafue National park, we intended to see many more. Our first stop was by a pond with some Hippo’s lying around. We were told not to get too close to the water as these gentle animals come barging at you and reach you in no time. Thanks to my Sigma 150-600 lens, I didn’t have to get too close to them to get good pictures. We decided to have our packed lunch on the pond side with hippos for company.
After lunch we drove around the park in search of game. To our luck we could only spot some small animals and birds such as Puku, Kafue Lechwe, Duiker, Reedbuck, common Tessebe, and bushbuck.
We also got to see some birds like African fish eagle, storks, guneafowl, etc. but, we didn’t manage to see any big game. On the way, Jos car tyre got ripped with a twig and we had to change the tyre. Here I got the first taste of fly bite which pain will remain for the next few days. Couldn’t see which fly it was, but it was a big one. Just before sunset we reached the beautiful Mozhi bush camp built on the banks of river Lufupa. The cottages were beautiful with completely bush style bathrooms. We were told not to walk around alone after dark even inside the camp as there were Hippos in the river and they come out after sunset to graze. We need to call the guides to come from the room or go to the room. And when we came to the reception area and restaurant, built on a platform just above the river, for real there were 3 hippos in the river besides us.
Then we knew they were not joking with us and we had to be careful. Here was our first brush with Mozi beer, the best locally brewed beer. By then the team had arrived for dinner and the briefing by Tom for the next day’s activities. As usual, the drinking went till late and to our horror we saw the hippos getting out of the river for their grazing. The helpful staff dropped each one of us to our cottages with their powerful torch lights showing the way.
Day 3. 9th November. Mozhi bush camp to Deo-volente. The sound of the hippos near the cottage woke me up many times. It felt like the hippos were just behind our cottage. It was supposed to be an early start today to catch up on some game which we missed out last evening. We all were ready in the dining for breakfast with our cars packed. The order for eggs took a long time to come and we were almost delayed by an hour. Even today would be a packed lunch for us which we got from the mozhi camp. Hoping to see some game, the convoy began rolling. We were moving in the opposite direction today to exit from the Kabanga gate. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any new game which we hadn’t seen.
But we loved driving in the sandy and dusty tracks giving us a pure feel of offroading. Finally we exited the Kafue national park with little disappointment. Just when we were about to reach the main road, we met the mechanics who were looking for us to repair Jos’s car. While the mechanics were looking at the car, others filled air in their tires. A small group of children, who were collecting some wild fruits, curiously came towards us. Jos opened one box of stationery and the contents were distributed among the children. The smile on their faces was worth a million bucks.
The red mud roads got dustier as we moved forward. Some places we had to just stop driving and wait for the dust to clear as the visibility would dip to zero. We picked up some big mushrooms sold by the villagers on the way.
Before reaching the town of Kasempa, we decided to stop by the roadside for lunch break. The drink of Gin and tonic went well with packed lunch and we were in Kasempa town for re-fueling. The roads from Kasempa to Deo Volente were very good asphalt roads and without much fuss we reached Deo Volente farm resort before sunset. We were given a nice cocktail shot of Amrula and vodka, topped with chocolate powder, which really felt good.
Deo Volente is a farm resort which also substitutes as a store, Bar and restaurant for the miners in the nearby copper mine. The chalets are of decent size and quite comfortable. Dinner was around the pool and they had cooked some really nice beef steaks. They were courteous enough to cook us the mushrooms we had bought on the way. I also bought a South African gin called controversy and a case of Budweiser beer for our journey. During dinner it was decided that whoever lines up behind the leads car first, will drive behind the lead for the rest of the day.
Day 4. 10th November. Deo volente – Source of Zambezi – Mwinilunga. Early morning at 5.00 AM, Mittal and I went and parked our cars behind the leads car. Since Eric and Cedric were the first ones to have packed and ready in the car to roll out, the place behind the lead car was given to them, followed by Mittal and me. We had hit the road before 6am and the weather was perfect for an early morning drive with windows down and the crisp air caressing our faces. The roads were not bad and we were covering good distance. The convoy stopped by a bridge above a beautiful crystal clear river for breakfast. We had some excellent sandwiches brought from Deo volente for breakfast along with boiled eggs and juice packs.
By 10 we had reached Mwinilunga, a town in the north western province of Zambia close to the borders of Congo and Angola. During a brief stop at the town, Mittal bought some semi ripe local mangoes. Once we exited he town, we were back on dirt roads leading towards the source of the mighty river Zambezi. Even though it was a dirt road, it was wide and smooth and spewed a lot of red dust. After about half an hour’s drive on this road, tragedy struck. On a long turn I saw a big cloud of dust on the road. As we approached closer and the dust cleared, I saw one our Hilux pickup had rolled turtle and landed on the roof. I just screamed in the radio for Tom and Venky that there was an accident, jumped out of the car and went to inspect it. It was Nomad 3 with Mittal and Deepak in it. Called out to them and they said they were safe. Couldn’t open the door on the driver’s side as it had jammed. John by then had opened the passenger side of the door and we could see Deepak and Mittal hanging upside down from the seat belts. Mittal managed to remove Deepak’s belt and we managed to get him out of the car. Mittal too came out crawling and we were relieved to see them unhurt. Knowing Mittal and Deepak, they made it look cool and were all smiles. They even took pics standing in front of the rolled pickup. Next thing was the recovery process to get the pickup back on wheels. Since Tom’s car was equipped with a winch, we decided to fix the winch at the rear of the vehicle and fixed a snatch belt in the front attached to my vehicle. Within minutes the vehicle was back on the wheels. The damage to the vehicle was as expected and not worthy to continue the journey. We salvaged some loose belongings and put them in our cars. Tom decided to tow back the car to town to see if anything could be done. In the mean time we decided to proceed towards the source of Zambezi with Mittal and Deepak hopping into different cars and Venky leading the convoy. We were told to take a right turn near a board after around half an hour’s drive. Even after driving for 45 minutes and not finding the board and right turn, we knew we were lost. The convoy took a U turn and after some time managed to see the board and turn, towards the Source of the Zambezi river. We could see on our navigation devices that we were driving along the border with Congo. Finally here we were at the source of Zambezi River. We parked our vehicles and along with the local guide we started walking towards the source. The first stop was at the National monument where the details of river Zambezi were penned down.
After a few pics, we walked downhill on a wooden path and saw some water flowing. It’s difficult to believe that this small trickling stream of water turns into the mighty Zambezi River. Walking Further down another 300 meters, crossing a suspended wooden bridge, we reached the actual spot called as the source of Zambezi River. It was a mere stagnant puddle of water. All the guys were disappointed after all the hype of reaching the source of the Zambezi River. I knew that all mighty rivers begin with a small spring and this was not the 1st river source I was visiting. As there was nothing much to see, we decided to return to our vehicles after clicking some pictures at the source. For lunch we ate the delicious packed Chicken rolls from Deo Volente washed down with some chilled Budweiser beer. It was time we left the place as we had to attend a program at the local school in Mwinilunga to which we were donating school desks and stationery. By the time we reached the school, Tom and Shanon had towed the pickup to the lodge where we were staying and back at the school. It looked like all the villagers had gathered at the school to welcome us. They were singing and dancing in a big group and all were in sync.
They had put up a nice Dias for us and were all gracefully welcomed. Some of the village tribal chiefs were also present. The teacher there gave a good welcome speech and presented the facts of the school there. The little school children, the church choir group and the villagers all performed for us and they were very happy. In fact as a token of respect for our help to the school we were presented with 2 baskets full of pineapples. Oh, I forgot to mention earlier that Mwinilunga is called the land of the pineapples.
And true to its name, the pine apples were so delicious and we had a lot of them to eat. After the function we handed over all the things we had brought from Dubai and bought from our contribution to the school office in the presence of the villagers and every box we gave was received with a thunderous applause from them. With great satisfaction and feeling proud of our contribution to these less fortunate people, the convoy rolled towards our jungle lodge named Wina Wa Nzambi Lodge on top of a small hill. It was a beautiful private property but only drawback was they didn’t provide food there. The view from the deck was mesmerizing and we got to witness the beautiful sunset.
All the things were removed from Nomad 3 as it was not drive worthy and would be carried away on a recovery truck. The Police also came and inspected the vehicle and issued a report for insurance purpose. It was a leisurely evening and I found some time to download my pics and videos from the camera to the laptop to free up some memory. AS we had the lodge to our self it was like a small party. We all made merry singing and dancing consuming the different spread of spirits. Tom had arranged some local food from the town and it was quite delicious. I enjoyed the local delicacies and in whole it was nice fun filled evening.
Day 5. 11th November. Mwinilunga to Kabompo open camping. It was supposed to be an early start as we had to reach the camping site before sunset. But the local people told Tom that it is not a 10 hour drive but will reach within 4 to 5 hours. So it was decided it would be a relaxed 9am start and we had that extra hours sleep. By the time we loaded our cars and ready to move it was 10am. Now we were one car short as Nomad 3 was taken by recovery and it would take time to get a backup car. So Shepherd turned into Nomad 3 and was given to Mittal and Deepak and Venky and Charles were sharing other vehicles. When we reached the petrol station at Mwinilunga, we came to know that the town was out of stock of diesel. All our cars were equipped with double tanks whereas the shepherd had a single tank. So it was necessary that shepherd be refueled. Tom went into town to look for diesel while we were waiting at the petrol station where we again loaded our ice boxes with beer and cider. We had lost some precious time and finally by noon the convoy began moving on the dirt road towards our destination. Again at the check post we lost another half an hour as all drivers had to enter the driving license details along with the car details. The roads were very poorly maintained and you could see huge crevices in the road created by the flowing rain water which hampered our speed. We stopped for our lunch break and were eating the snacks from the goody bag we had. Again we were attacked by large swarm of flies but luckily didn’t get bitten. On the way we were passing these remote villages which made us think how difficult life was here. We had hardly seen any vehicles plying on this road and were wondering about transport and how people got their things. We were enjoying the bad roads as if we were on an off road track. As we had lost considerable amount of time and there was still a lot of distance to over to reach the intended campsite, Tom said we should look for a suitable camping spot before sunset and settle down. Hence we were fully equipped for camping and we knew we were camping tonight; it didn’t bother us but got us excited. Charles came to our rescue by flying his drone and Tom through the bird’s eye view selected a nice spot on the edge of the forest not very far from the road. All vehicles were parked in a nice semi-circle so that we could have the bonfire in the middle. The village chief made sure we got enough firewood for the bonfire.
While Tom was lighting up the bonfire, we set up our rooftop tents for the first time. It was quite easy to erect the tents, was a difficult task to get the covers off. I helped others who were struggling to get their tents up.
We were given the liberty to cook our own food as required than to be cooked in the community kitchen. Since all vehicles were fully equipped for cooking, we got the supplies from the vehicles and began cooking as we had no proper lunch in the afternoon and were hungry.
Nomads 3 and 6 clubbed together and made some delicious omelets with pan-toasted bread. We also got to taste some spicy chicken and beef prepared by the Mallu Boyz. Later in the night, Tom made some fantastic BBQ while we were all enjoying our drinks around the bonfire.
A couple of guys needed help getting into the roof top tent after downing some drinks and it was fun. (What happens on the trip, remains on the trip as everything can’t be revealed). Overall it was a fantastic night while we enjoyed cooking, eating, drinking and sleeping in the rooftop tents in the middle of nowhere under the brightly lit skies.
Day 6. 12th November. Open camping ground to Lukulu. After a good night’s sleep in the rooftop tents, the next challenge was to poop in the in the open in the jungle. A hot cup of coffee helped in building up the pressure. Soon I disappeared in the midst of the trees, found a suitable place, did my job and was back in the camp. John and Sara helped with the cleaning of the vessels we had used last night. Before packing up we had a cereal with milk breakfast which was good enough during camping. Folding the roof top tents was easy, but getting the covers on and zipping it was lot more difficult and messed up my clothes. We were all ready for departure once the camp area was cleaned and made sure no waste was left behind. We were sweeping the convoy today as Venky was in our car. We had hardly driven for a couple of hours, the shepherd car now nomad 3 started with some problems and wouldn’t move beyond a certain speed. When we were just exiting from the dirt road and entering the tarmac road at Manyinga, the car came to a halt and Tom was called back. Tom tried cleaning the air filter and more than a kilo of dust came out of the filter. We thought this was the problem and why the vehicle was not moving. But to our surprise, the condition of the vehicle remained same. It still wouldn’t move more than 60kmh. so we drove to Kabompo town to find a mechanic and to refuel all the cars. To our luck, diesel was out of stock and there were no spare parts available for an Isuzu Dmax in Kabompo. So we had to drive back to Manyinga to refuel and find a mechanic. Fuel was available at Manyinga, but there was no respite for shepherd. Couldn’t find a mechanic and spare parts here too. We all cleaned the air filters of our respective vehicles and removed dust in kilos from the air filter. Back on the road again, we crossed Kabompo town and took a detour at Chilikita again on a dirt track towards the Kabompo pontoon crossing at Watopa. Half way itself, the shepherd gave up and came to a standstill. It refused to even start this time. Tom was summoned again and the rest of the cars were asked to go and park at the pontoon crossing. Tom opened up the fuel filter and to our shock it was fully clogged with sand and dust. It was suspected that it might have come from the fuel procured outside at Mwinilunga. An attempt to get fuel out of the vehicle to clean the filter failed. So instead of wasting time, we towed the shepherd up to the pontoon crossing and tom tried to clean the filter, but the vehicle wouldn’t bulge. Meanwhile, the other vehicles crossed the river and assembled just outside the village on the roadside.
It was a different experience crossing the river on a motorized pontoon. The slip ways to the pontoon were poorly maintained and we had to use our 4 wheel drives to get back to the road from the pontoon as it was quite steep. While waiting for Tom on the other side of the river, Eric opened up his kitchen in the pickup and made some delicious pasta for lunch. The chilled beer from the icebox helped too. As shepherd refused to start, it was towed on to the pontoon and mad to cross the river. Again because of the unexpected delay there were change in plans and instead of camping in the open, it was decided to stay at a hotel in Lukulu town. Don’t know how, but they managed to get us all rooms there. Tom and Shanon went ahead of us towing the shepherd to Lukulu. So after lunch the convoy began rolling. We could see Kasava plantations (we call it tapioca) on both side of the roads which is the main staple of the villagers here. On the road side we saw some villagers carving instruments from wood. We stopped by and had a look. John spoke to them in their language and asked if could get some kasava. They invited to visit their house and we could get some fresh kasava unearthed from the ground. The people in that village were so happy and welcomed us and showed us around their houses.
Some of the English speaking ladies were thrilled by our presence and wanted pictures with us to which we readily obliged. They showed us how kasava was removed from beneath the ground and gave us plenty of it. The Mallu boys were excited at the thought of cooking the kasava with some beef curry. Finally before sunset we reached Hotel Zango at Lukulu town for an unscheduled stop. The rooms were comfortable and a hot water bath completely refreshed us. We occupied the tables under a mango tree for our dinner. We were surprised to see Indian food served on the table for us. It was good fun again with all of us at the table. Tom said the mechanics would arrive in the night to rectify the problem of the shepherd.
Day 7. 13th November. Lukulu to Liuwa Plains National park. It was decided that once the mechanics set right the shepherd, we would move in the morning. The mechanics arrived in the morning and immediately began their work while we had our breakfast and packed our cars. Not one day we could leave on time. Some or the other hindrance would delay us. When the mechanics couldn’t sort out the problem, they decided to handover their pajero that they had come in so that we could continue on our expedition. Once all required things were shifted from the pickup to the Pajero, the convoy began rolling. Today we had to cross the mighty Zambezi River by pontoon. This was a small pontoon which could carry only 2 vehicles and didn’t look very well equipped.
Silting on the river bank never helped either and the pontoon would struggle to move and would have to be manually guided out of the sandy bank into the deep water for the propellers to work. This consumed a lot of time and it was same for every trip. Our luck ran out again and when our last 2 vehicles were on the pontoon and were just moving away from the bank, they ran out of diesel. Now we were really stuck and Venky being stuck on the pontoon began saying that this trip is jinxed and some evil eye must have cast a spell on this convoy. While we were waiting on the other side of the river, we didn’t waste time and filled our flasks with Gin and Tonic. As it was noon Tom decided to find a shaded area and prepare lunch. Can you believe this! The whole town of Lukulu had run out of diesel and we had 2 vehicles stuck on the pontoon in the river. Luckily the mechanics that had come from the city to take care of the shepherd were carrying some diesel and came to our rescue. Tom asked them to come to the pontoon and they gave 5 liters of diesel so that our vehicles could cross to the other side of the river. By the time they could cross the river, our lunch was ready. We had a big spread of salads, ham, salami, cheese, boiled eggs, pickles and bread. We met a Dutch couple who were on a 3 month long road trip in Africa. Their vehicle was more superiorly equipped than us and they proudly showcased their wares to us. Finally we were back on track after lunch and the convoy moved and we decided not to waste time with stops as we had to reach the camp. The park manager who is a friend of Tom had stationed 2 rangers in the camp to accompany us on the drives for the next 2 days. Our Bad luck continued and before Tom could realize we were heading in the wrong direction, we were way out of the route we were supposed to be. By the time the convoy turned into the right direction, Sunset was fast approaching and we had to find a camping spot. We all parked near a small pond where the grass was above 3 feet high and set up camp.
We had to use the machete to clear the grass for us to make a sitting area. In no time the tents were up and all camping tables and chairs were out. Even the cooking equipment was arranged. For starters I made bacon sautéed with BBQ seasoning powder and Ajesh and Jos made a spicy Indian style beef sausage curry. The Cassava which usually cooks in 15 to 20 minutes didn’t cook for 1 hour being on high flame. It absolutely didn’t soften and was not edible at all. We had music playing and were also singing to the dismay of the nearby villagers. They began shouting at us from far and we stopped our music and prepared to go to bed. To my horror found out that the car key was missing from my pocket. There was no way we were going to find it if I had dropped it somewhere in the waist high grass. Couldn’t even close the car windows and had to keep it open in the night with all our valuables exposed in the car. Now we were short of 2 cars with tents and we had to accommodate Venky, Charles, Deepak and Mittal. Ashlyn and Ajesh snuggled into one tent and gave one tent to Deepak and Mittal. Jos and John got into one and gave one tent to Venky and Charles. This group had bonded so well that everyone would be happily helping each other. I hardly could sleep that night knowing that I had lost the car key during a time where nothing was going right for us on this jinxed expedition. To add on to it, there was huge storm that struck the area. It was a heavy down pour at around 3am accompanied with heavy winds, lightning and thunder. Fortunately the tents were of excellent quality and not a drop of rain got through. I was awake all the time just waiting for sunrise.
Day 8. 14th November. Liuwa plains National park. The heavens had pity on us and the rains had stopped. So before all were awake, I wanted one major task over, taking a dump. There were no trees here to hide. So all I could do was find a place in the tall grass, unseen to others and completed my task. When there was sufficient light the task of searching for the key began. All our chairs, shoes and everything that was out were wet from the storm. Finally Mittal found the key in the drawer cabinet in the storage area. I then realized that while we parked, I must have left the keys in the drawer when I got the machete out to cut the grass. What a relief it was. I was fully energized now and helped everyone pack the things and fold their tents. Finally we were all ready and the crackling of the radios meant we were back on track again.
Since Venky was in our vehicle, asked him to get the coordinates of Sibica lodge from Tom. Hurray, it worked and the navigator was showing us the way to Sibica lodge. Tom said he was surprised to see so many villages within the national park. On the way, Tom was communicating with the villagers to make sure that we were on the right track.
After lunch at the monastery restaurant, we reached the base camp parking from where we had to walk up 1 km to the monument. In the excitement of reaching the monument, we forgot about the freezing temperature and the added wind chill and just kept walking.
All along the way we were sighting birds but the animals were still elusive. Finally after a couple of hours of driving through forests, grass lands and villages, we saw a lone wildebeest and we knew we were close to the migration. During that stop, requested Venky to drive our vehicle and Ram and I hopped on to the back of Tom’s vehicle, which had the best seats for animal viewing and photography. Within a couple of kilometers we saw big herds of Wildebeest and there were everywhere.
Along the way, we saw lots of Zebra, different type of antelopes and numerous birds. Ram knew the name of some, and the rest we would ask Tom and Shanon. The bird book, given to us in the goody bag was very helpful. Finally we were doing what we had come for. We enjoyed watching the animals and taking pictures in their best possible habitat. By noon we had reached Sibica camp. It was beautiful camp of 4 cottages and we all had to share the rooms which we didn’t mind at all. We were even ready to sleep in the roof top tents (which Cedric and Eric did). Once we had moved our entire luggage to the cottage and put all the wet bags and things to dry, we all gathered in the common cooking area and helped Shanon prepare lunch.
Two rangers had been waiting for us at the camp from the previous day to take us around the park and track the big cats. They were more than happy to pose for pictures with us. After a quick lunch we were again back on the game drive in the park armed with both the rangers. Again we saw the same animals and birds we had seen in the morning. Even the rangers were not able to track where the big game was. For a change we got to see the elusive and majestic Secretary bird.
After unsuccessfully driving for 3 hours while returning to the camp we got to see a small herd of wild buffalos happily posing for the pictures.
Back in the camp, we showered in the muddy water and were back in party mode around the bonfire. The aroma from the Tom’s BBQ kept our tummy yearning.
The jinx was not over yet. While returning to our cottage, a branch of a tree hit the roof top tent and got dismantled from one side of the roof rack. As it was pitch dark, we didn’t do anything and left the assessment for the next day morning.
Day 9. 15th Nov. Liuwa National park to Sesheke.
It had begun raining in the morning by the time we were awake. It was time to leave the park today morning, but not before trying for the last time to see the big cats. The damage to the roof top tent was not big and Tom helped secure the tent to the roof rack with a nylon rope. The only satisfaction was we didn’t have the use the tents anymore as we would be staying lodges and hotels. After packing our vehicles and a light breakfast we were back on the track in pursuit of the elusive lions and leopards. Even after a 2 hour drive in wet weather, we didn’t get to see any of the animals that we hadn’t seen. Cursing our luck, we reached the park office, bought some souvenirs and bid good bye to the disappointed rangers on the way out of the park.
On the way realized that my DGI osmo was missing from the car. Cursing my luck, informed an already frustrated Venky about it, just to hear some loud expletives. More than losing the camera, I feared losing all the footage of all the previous days. Finally we were back in civilization and the mobiles came back to life. Distracted by the mobile, Jose got his vehicle stuck in soft sand which we recovered manually. Also an excited dog ran straight under my car, but escaped death. I had to flee from the spot as some villagers saw the dog go under the car and tried to stop me. Traversing through some villages we reached the Luanginga river crossing. The pontoon used for the river crossing is manually operated unlike the other motorized pontoons. A strong thick rope is tied to a strong support on both sides of the river bank. Once 2 vehicles are loaded on the pontoon, 3 men pull on the rope till the pontoon reaches to the other side of the river. Once we all gathered on the other side of the river, to our dismay found out that the Swiss guys in Nomad 5 had a problem with the gear. The 4 wheel low gear was stuck and not disengaging. We wasted a couple of hours by the road side as Tom tried swapping the gear from another car. Finally they were able to drive the car, but at a low speed. It was beautiful road recently built by the Chinese up to Mongu with an excellent curved bridge. We reached Mongu without any further incident by noon. We stopped by the Bartose mall where we restocked our depleted bar with Gin, beer and tonic water. Lunch was at the Hungry Lion, a substitute for KFC in Africa. Tom said that they were better than KFC to which I beg to differ after having their fried chicken, burger and fries. After lunch we began our drive towards Sesheke. As Nomad 5 couldn’t drive above 80Km/h, I decided to drive behind them and asked the convoy to move on. On the way we heard that the convoy had taken the wrong road and were returning back. They over took us during our cigarette break on the way. Finally when we reached the Kubula river lodge, we were surprised to see the convoy just reaching before us. It was beautiful lodge with the cottages built along the bank of the mighty Zambezi River. A cultural program had been arranged for us. As we had reached late, we didn’t get enough time to freshen up and assembled around the bonfire for the cultural program. The local troupe danced elegantly to the live African beats. Later on we all ended up on the dance floor dancing to their tunes and beats. The night was well spent with the new South African Gin and Toms BBQ.
Day 10. 16th November Sesheke to Livingstone.
It was the last day of driving this beautiful and reliable machine which never troubled me during the full expedition. When we were initially allotted the Isuzu, was really disappointed that I didn’t get a Toyota. Even spoke to Venky about it. At the end of the expedition I was thankful to Venky for giving me this Isuzu pick up. Deepak had to reach Livingstone by noon as he had to take a PCR test since he was leaving back on the 17th morning. So Mittal and Deepak departed early morning and Cedric and Eric followed them due to the speed limitation of their vehicle. After a light cereal breakfast and packed lunch for the way, we bid good bye to the beautiful Kubula river lodge and began our final journey. We knew that the roads very bad and the journey would be time consuming, but looking at the initial state of the road, we thought that someone had misguided us. The first half an hour road was as smooth as butter. Then came the dreaded stretch of bad roads which we had to endure for the next 80Kms. At some places there was absolutely no roads at all. Some potholes were almost 2 feet deep and a full car could fit into it. The road was really testing every driver’s patience and sanity. We stopped at a nice shaded place to have our packed lunch and last batch of beer. Once the bad stretch of road was over, on the way to Livingstone lays the only Quadra point in the world where 4 countries (Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana) meet at one single point. We wanted to visit that point, but were wrongly guided and reached the Zambia border entry point where they asked us for t Passport, Visa and PCR test results to enter Zambia. Thankfully Tom was with us and he explained the situation to the border guards and we were let go to proceed towards Livingstone. Our stay to night was at the beautiful Victoria Falls water front resort on the bank of river Zambezi. To my surprise, when I opened the cottage balcony door, there was a pond which had a grown Hippo and small crocodile staring at me. We were warned not to wander outside without security escort after sunset as the Hippo’s come out of the pond for grazing and could attack. Venky had organized a sun downer cruise on the river with cocktails and followed by dinner at the riverside restaurant. After a rough 9 days on the road, cruising on the river with a glass in the hand felt really good.
We got to see Hippos, Crocodiles and the elusive elephants which had come by the river for a drink. The sunset presented a beautiful back ground for pictures.
Ashlyn’s birthday was celebrated on the cruise a week in advance and the cake surprised Ashlyn. After a smooth 1 and half hours of cruising we had dinner at the restaurant and decided to sample the night life of Livingstone. We were taken to a pub like place where the DJ was playing his loud African beats. It seems there is only one night club in Livingstone and it is open only on the weekend. The place felt dead except for the music and we returned back to our resort.
Day 11. 17th November. Livingstone.
After a grueling 9 days of drivi6ng and camping, today will remain as a very memorable day in my life. The day was planned with adventurous activities and I would do something that was on my wish list for the last 25 years. The Victoria Falls walking tour was on the house organized by Venky and anything other than that we had to do it on our own. Before breakfast, we bid adieu to Deepak who was leaving because of some commitments. The bus was waiting for us at the hotel entrance. It was a short ride to the falls. The moment the bus door opened, we could hear the roaring sound of the waterfalls plunging to the ground. As at any attraction, the place was surrounded by handicraft and souvenir shops with sales persons trying to entice us. All this while, we had seen the beautiful water fall on TV and now we would be standing right in front of it. The bus driver doubled in as our guide and we began our walk to the view point of the fall. It was so majestic to watch. Scottish missionary David Livingstone identified the falls in 1855, providing the English colonial name of Victoria Falls after Queen Victoria. It is interesting to know that the 2 countries Zambia and Zimbabwe share the water falls and both have national parks and tourism infrastructure at the site. While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, the Victoria falls are classified the largest, based on the combined width of 1700metres and height of 110 meters, resulting in the world’s largest sheet of falling water.
Since we were visiting in the dry season, the falls was not in its full glory as seen on TV. But, with the amount of water that was falling, it was still a sight to watch. In the dry season majority of the water flows on the Zimbabwean half. It’s a photographer’s paradise and we too clicked a lot of pictures at every given opportunity. The sight of the tall Victoria Bridge brought me shivers as we would be on it in the afternoon.
On our return we, visited the souvenir shops but did not buy anything as everything was overpriced, but we surely bought some chilled beers. Back at the hotel, as we had free time we assembled in the bar to try some of the best available cocktails.
I was very conscious about drinking and eating as we were headed for some death defying stunts in the noon. After a light snack, our taxi driver Peter was ready to pick us up. Only Ashlyn and Ajesh were joining me on this adventure and Jose and John were there to cheer us. We had selected the big air combo where we would be doing the Zip line, Bridge swing and the Bungee jump. As the bridge belongs to both Zimbabwe and Zambia, We have to deposit our passports on the Zambian immigration check points and get passes to enter the bridge which didn’t take long as Peter handled it efficiently. We walked down the road and reached the adventure office where we had to register and sign waiver forms which was quite scary. That’s the risk we have to take in adventure sport. We have to waive off any liability or responsibility of the adventure company in case any mishaps occur. The best part is Ashlyn had to lie about his age in the waiver form as the age limit was 6o years. Ashlyn even though is above 60 (but looks around 50), filled in the age as 59 and they didn’t even suspect it. We were given a small briefing and taken to wear the harness for the first activity which the flying fox was known to us Zip line. We walked on top of the canyon till we reached the launching pad of the flying fox. The view was scintillating and we could see the river 110 meters below and a full view of the Victoria Bridge. The line was fastened from the top of the canyon directly to the end of the bridge on the Zimbabwe side. Ajesh volunteered to be the 1st on the zip line. It was quite fast and caught good speed as it moved. Since I had done the world’s longest and fastest zip line in UAE, this was a piece of cake for me, but thoroughly enjoyed the canyon views.
The fear was overcome and I was enjoying every second I was hanging down there. Yes, I did it, the toughest challenge which I would doubt myself whether I could do it. Said and done, words don’t do justice to this life changing experience. To do the retrieval, a guy comes down the rope, hooks me unto him, and helps get my head up from the hanging by the legs position. Again I am asked questions by the guy to make sure that I am in my senses before being pulled up. When I was pulled up and walked on the bridge to the platform, was surprised to see that Ajesh was not wearing the harness and Ashlyn was getting ready. Then I learned that Ajesh had aborted the jump at the last minute after standing on the jumping pad. He said that the scene of the boulders and flowing river terrified him and more of all it was a towel that was wrapped around the ankles had to be trusted. After giving him a pep talk that it was fine and safe he agreed to give it a shot. In the meantime Ashlyn, without a fuss did the jump and came up in one piece. I was thinking that Ajesh would confidently do the jump and Ashlyn would be terrified and might back out. Here they reversed the roles and proved me wrong. Ajesh made up his mind and got strapped up. With a loud roar he jumped and was thrilled by the time he was back on the platform. Jose and John were there for cheering us.
The last adventure activity for the day was the Victoria Falls bridge swing. It is from the same platform, but with a different set of harness. Here the harness is attached to a rope and the rope is attached to the middle of a cable that runs across the full width of the gorge secured on both sides. Again I was the first to do it. The fear had gone now and it was just the thrill of a different experience. Once I was all set and attached to the rope, stood on the platform, heard a small briefing and jumped off the platform on a countdown.
How crazy Is that, you jump off and free fall for about 80meters straight towards the rocks and river below, then as the rope becomes tight you will start to arc and thankfully swing away from the river you were hurtling towards fractions of a seconds ago. Once you start swinging the smile reappears on the face and you start enjoying it taking in the sight of the Batoka gorge and the mighty Zambezi river until you get pulled up to the Victoria falls bridge.
You can’t compare bungee jumping with the bridge swing. Both of them have their own thrills. You really need guts to do the bungee jump, but the bridge jump even though looks easy, can wrack your nerves. I was so happy to have accomplished these fetes which seemed impossible at one time. Probably the weight loss of around 20 kgs over the past year gave me a boost of confidence. Back in the adventure office, we celebrated this adventure with some chilled beer while watching the videos which they had captured. On a payment of 75dollars they transferred all the videos and pictures of the day’s activities by mail to us. Peter, our driver was ready to pick us up. Walked across the bridge, collected our passports from the immigration office and drove towards the hotel with all smiles discussing our great feat. Back at the hotel, tried to download the videos and pictures from the link, but the Wi-Fi was lousy and it was taking for ever to download the files. As there was nothing much to do till night, sat with the laptop waiting for the download to complete. Once downloaded, I proudly showed the video to all friends bragging about what they missed. Venky had booked tables for us at the lone Indian restaurant Golden Leaf in Livingstone.
The full gang was present including Tom and Shanon except for Deepak. As we all ordered food and drinks, Tom and Shanon had something to say. They had made notes, good and bad, that took place over the last 9 days. For every good deed there was a gift as appreciation and for every bad deed there was a fine which was you had to down a shot of Amrula. I got fined for frightening the tribal children in the national park by holding my monopod and camera like a gun and pointing at them. Everyone got a chance to speak about their experience on this expedition. Venky got enough of feedback but the fact that the team had enjoyed this expedition to the fullest was of some consolation to him. Once we were back in the room, spent a long time speaking to Mittal on various subjects until we realized it was 2.00AM.
Day 12, 18th November. Livingstone to Lusaka.
Even though it was a day of travel, we still had some adventure left. Our flight to Lusaka was in the afternoon and we were flying exclusively on private chartered flight. So didn’t have to reach the airport early. We 5 of us had booked for a morning micro light flight over the Victoria Falls. While Ram, Ashlyn and Ajesh got to fly, I and Ojha were left high and dry as the pilot had to abandon the flying as the winds had picked up and the micro light plane couldn’t handle that wind. Luckily had met Chris, a helicopter pilot at the bar the previous evening. He had given me his card and told to contact him in case we wanted to do a helicopter tour. Since I had his card in my pocket, I called him and he readily agreed to take me and Ojha for a ride. In fact, he came and picked us up from the micro light flight place. While we paid for the ride and signed the waivers, Chris got the chopper ready and we were ready to fly. I got in to the front seat along with the pilot while Ojha hopped into the back seat and we took off. The ride was smooth over the green landscape of Livingstone until we reached the gorge.
The adrenaline pumped in as the chopper dived into the narrow gorge. Chris, being an expert pilot was maneuvering the chopper like a toy. At times we were just 2 feet above the water and leaning at 45 degrees while he was navigating his way through this splendid gorge. The speed and the splendid views of the gorge were scintillating. We got the opportunity to create some fantastic memories. Once out of the gorge, we directly headed over the Victoria Falls. The sheer beauty of this magnificent falls can’t be explained in words when you see it from air. The kilometer wide falls can be fully viewed in one frame while you are flying over it. Chris was kind enough to take us twice around the falls and we headed back to the helipad. Missing the micro light flight felt like a blessing in disguise. We not only got to see the Victoria Falls from the air, we got to experience the beautiful ride through the gorge too. We had to rush back to the hotel as we had all booked to swim at the devils pool right on top of the Victoria Falls. We just had time to change and there the shuttle was.
The Devils pool is a naturally formed pool of calm water right on the edge on top of the Victoria Falls. The pool is separated from the raging white water just inches away by a narrow strip of rock. It’s also known as the devils armchair and has been carved through thousands of years of water erosion. It is, without a doubt, one of the most spectacular places to experience on the planet. The pool is on the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls. To get to the pool, we need to take a boat trip from upstream to Livingstone Island and from there we wade across to the rocky outcrop which houses the pool.
Our trip to Livingstone Island started on the banks of the Zambezi River. Here we met the guides and got an introduction of what to expect and listened to a safety talk. Once we signed the documents of waiver, we were ready for the boat ride to the island clad with safety jackets. The captain of the boat maneuvers the boat in the choppy waters knowing where the unseen rocks are and makes this boat ride an experience in itself. When we reached the island, the friendly staff welcomed us with a traditional Maheu energy drink which is made from Maize meal. From there, the guide led us to the very edge of the falls on the west end of the island where David Livingstone first witnessed this natural wonder. The view from here was simply amazing. Since the weather was right, the rainbows were magnificent and added even more beauty to this spectacular view. On the east side of the island overlooking the horse shoe, there is a plaque erected marking 150 years since Livingstone first discovered the island at Victoria Falls.
After spending some time looking around, we made way with the guides to the river to take a swim in the Devils pool. The guide explained how we would get to the pool, which involves a short upstream swim across part of the Zambezi River where current is much slower than the main flow.
We the swimmers were taken by one guide and not so confident swimmers were guided by another guide wading along the safety rope. Even though the currents are not so strong during this part of the year, you need to be a good swimmer to cross this tricky path. Knowing that we are in the middle of a national wildlife reserve, the guides look out for crocodiles and Hippos before letting us in to the river. The swim across the river to the devils pools is one experience itself which pumps adrenaline into us. Once at the Devil’s pool, there is a rock ledge that stops swimmers from being thrown over the edge of the Victoria Falls. It’s this same ledge that actually houses the pool itself at the top of the falls. While it is safe to swim, those who are not sensible about their safety may end up risking their own lives and maybe even the lives of others. This is not a place to be reckless. I was the first to jump into the pool and swim to the ledge where the guide helped me to sit on the ledge. It was so much fun to see the guys nervously enter the pool to reach the ledge. The noise of the falls is so loud, that you have to scream at each other to hear.
Sleeping on the ledge and looking down the falls is one experience that I will never forget in my life. We had to swim the same way back to reach the island where we were provided towels to dry ourselves and were served a delicious meal before getting on to the boat.
Once back at the hotel, we took our hand bags and were ready for checkout. (As there was a luggage restriction on this charter flight, we had send all our heavy luggage by car the previous day itself by road).
It was a small plane and the 1 hour flight to Lusaka was uneventful with all of us in a joyous mood after a fun filled adventurous trip. As the direct flights to Dubai are on alternative days, we got to spend one extra night at Lusaka, back at the same beautiful resort. Venky had arranged for our PCR test at the resort itself so that we didn’t have to go out hunting for it. While the Mallu boys went with their newly found mallu friend to spend the night, we chilled at the resort having beer and dinner at the cosy microbrewery. After dinner again I and Mittal spent lot of time talking in the room.
Day 13, 19th November. Lusaka to Dubai.
The flight to Dubai was in the evening. But due to the rapid test requirement in Dubai, we had to reach the airport 4t o 5 hours earlier. So after a lazy breakfast at the resort and packing up our bags, we were ready to visit the cultural village in Lusaka city. Since Mittal’s friend Manish was coming to pick him up, Mittal arranged with Manish to take Ajesh and me to the city. Manish who owns a supermarket chain in Lusaka, was courteous enough to take us to the cultural village and also bought us some chilled beer from one of his store. At the cultural village we managed to finish off all the Zambian currency we had buying hand crafted souvenirs. Manish was forcing us to stay for lunch, but we had to leave because we had to check out from our rooms and take the hotel shuttle to the airport. Manish arranged a cab for us and paid for it too. It was such a pleasure to meet him. Bidding good bye to Mittal and Manish, on the way to the resort, at a check post, the cops pulled us over saying the passengers were not wearing seat belts. The cab driver said that he would have to pay something and move on. But unfortunately the cabby had run out of cash as he had refuelled the cab and we had exhausted all Zambian currency buying souvenirs. So we had to bribe in dollars and it cost us 20$ to get our way around the cops. Back at the resort, we checked out of the rooms, had a quick bite and were ready to be shuttled to the airport.
It was yet again an end of an epic expedition where I had many firsts in my life. After spending 10 days and nights together and having long conversations during the drives, Ram and I had bonded much more than on our previous expedition. Even though there were so many hiccups during this expedition, we enjoyed each and every day in this scintillating beautiful African country. Venky, very gracefully received all the verbal bashings we gave him for all the mishaps (most of them out of his control) during this expedition. The few memorable moments which will never be forgotten are the vehicle rollover, breakdown of another vehicle, Pontoon running out of fuel, losing our way and camping in the middle of the national park, briefly losing my vehicle key, the storm in the night when we were camping in our roof top tents, no show of any big game, the cultural show by the locals and not to forget the Bungee jumping, Bridge swing, Helicopter ride, the Victoria Falls and swim in the devil’s pool.
It would be injustice if I don’t mention Charles here. The professional film maker is always joyous and mingles with everybody in the convoy with his humour and the Hindi lessons we give him every night. The end result he produces with his video and pictures are mesmerising as always. Planning has already begun for the next expedition for the same group, but don’t know when and where. Will see you again when on the next expedition leaving with this quote, “The destination doesn’t matter, but what matters most is the people who you travel with and the journey”.
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