Zambia….What’s it like?
It’s big for starters, about three times the size of the UK, but with a quarter of the UK’s population. However, the population is forecast to triple by 2050 (that’s thirty years from now!); clearly there are big challenges ahead for this country where the average salary is £118/month or around £4/day (this would be a lot less in the outlying areas).
Zambia’s main export is copper. So, aside from the Victoria Falls area, tourist infrastructure is not prevalent. Unlike the UK, it is landlocked and bordered by eight other countries: Namibia, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
We have arrived at the start of the rainy season. December is a mix of sunshine and rain, but January and February will see the heavy rain kick in. The rainfall in this period is about 3 times the UK’s. Much of Zambia becomes inaccessible in these months (there being few tarmac roads) and our options will be limited. We will be in the UK for February, leaving Big Bertha to get wet in Lusaka.
Prices are very reasonable here, including the all important fuel cost (£0.77 per litre), although park entry fees are expensive, typically 80 USD/day.
So instead of viewing animals, we will instead focus on the many water falls Zambia has to offer, which will be bolstered by the summer rainfall.
Highlights so far:
Ngonye Falls
Our first set of falls and hopefully sets the standard for the many more we will be visiting in Zambia.
Source of the Zambezi
We drove to the far north-western corner of Zambia, a 700km return journey, to visit the source of the Zambezi River. A small spring, transforming into a wide river that meanders 2,574km across Africa, before emptying into the Indian Ocean.
We stayed on Peter and Lynn Fisher’s estate adjacent to the source. Peter is a fifth generation Zambian with a very interesting family history. In fact the source of the Zambezi wouldn’t be in Zambia were it not for the insistence of Peter’s forefathers at the time the borders were being agreed.
Peter is the only ‘white’ Zambian chieftain – how cool is that? We spent a morning drinking coffee and listening to his incredible story.
Christmas and NYE at the Kansanshi Hotel
We arrived in Solwezi, a mining town, and had some trouble finding somewhere to rest up. We were so lucky to randomly ask a hotel if we could spend a night in its carpark. That night turned into 11 nights at the Kansanshi Hotel!
The owners, a British/Zambian couple, took us under their wing and we spent a fabulous Christmas / NYE break in their care. Nothing was a problem! A big thank you to David and Veronica for being the consummate hosts.
Chimfunshi
After leaving the Kansanshi, we headed to Chimfunshi, the largest Chimpanzee sanctuary in the world. It was great fun and we’ve written a post about Chimfunshi.
Here are some miscellaneous photos from the west of Zambia.
Welcome to Zambia at last.
Sorry we failed to meet up in Lusaka but your ‘diverting delay’ sounds great fun.
We are now home with many memories.
(check out the NP fees unless your US$80 per day is a typo.) Or Big Bertha was included.
Yes – a shame that we missed you, but maybe we will catch up with you on another of your trips?
Typically, the NP fees are US$ 20-30 pp and US$15 for a vehicle (though we have been told that Bertha might be charged more, as she’s a big girl!). For Liuwa Plains (not visited because of access, rather than cost!), it was US$ 75 for the three of us for a day visit, add another US$ 30 if we wanted to camp overnight inside the park (which as it’s so large, we would have done). Have you found some good cheapy NPs, then – or are you getting local rates!? 😉
Ah. Your $80 was for the three of you. BB will cost $30 I think.
No route to cheaper I am afraid. Kafue and South Luangwa were $25 pp for us. 8 days x 4 pax a nice round $800. But as we had the ‘activity’ as apart of the Camp package we got vehicle and driver ‘free’ as well as night drives which private vehicles cannot do.
With the sightings we got it was worth every cent.
Looking forward to reading more.
Christmas and New Year looked fun! I see Francine is extending her dance moves. Glad you had a bit of luxury too.
Can’t believe it’s been over a year now into your adventures. Love travelling with you through your photos and blogs. I’m learning so much about Africa that you don’t see in the nature documentaries. Keep it up and don’t doubt that you’re doing the right thing. If I won the lottery I’d be travelling the world too.
Hi Ania, thank you so much for your kind words. We are really enjoying ourselves.