Day 16: Zikomo to Kapishya Hot Springs.

Day 16: Zikomo to Kapishya Hot Springs.

The plan was simple. Just follow the route which we could see on one of our maps through various villages, transit through North Luangwa National Park and on to Kapishya.

Not quite. I suppose on every trip there is one day that tests you, your vehicle and your patience to the limit. This was our day. Travelling in Africa in general, and Zambia in particular, throws up challenges when you least expect them.

Initially the route was simple, through the park to the exit gate along a fair road of two spoor track. The GPS and map were in agreement so all was well. We should have known that when the map shows a dotted line it is difficult. The road soon deteriorated into a single lane track with high grass on both sides at times. Onwards we went, setting course for the respective villages as we went along. Some challenging river crossings thrown in for good measure, but the vehicles pulled through okay.

The villages are small consisting of a few mud huts, some crops grown for local consumption and not much else. Poverty at the extreme end. The people are friendly, however. At one place we came to a halt with a Cruiser with a puncture. We had to wait as there was no way around. The Cruiser was transporting a single lady on her safari. In chatting to her she seemed to know the area well and advised us that our plan for the day was a bit ambitious. She told of a community campsite at the Luangwa River at the entrance to the North Luangwa National Park. I stored the information in my mind.

We came to another small village where a critical turn had to be made. It went bad as Conny and Chantal missed it and continued in the wrong direction. Initially, panic set in with me. This was serious. I immediately turned and gave chase. Amazing what the Landcruiser can do when you open the throttle a bit. However, I soon came to a myriad of roads and it was impossible to guess which they had taken. I turned and retraced my steps and the local villagers assured me they had taken the right road and were ahead of me. A few minutes later a South African car, towing an anchor (off road caravan), coming in the opposite direction, assured me they had passed them ahead. For the next few hours, it was not very pleasant with the stress. The roads were just tracks, at some time just a single pathway to put your wheels, the other wheels in the bush. Culverts were washed away and had to be bypassed using all the offroad capability of the Cruiser. All along I stopped every bicycle and was assured they were ahead.

At 16h00 I arrived at the community campsite, realising that our target of Kapishya was a bridge too far. Communication with Conny and Chantal was non existent as we were on MTN and it was a Zamtel area. I immediately discussed the situation with Triber, the camp attendant. Then the amazing bush network came alive. He phoned around and word soon came back from a village where they had been spotted. Locals put them onto the right road, but time was running out. Pitch darkness falls fast and is at about 17H50. They were still 3.5 hours away and it was 16h30.

The Nsefu Exit, and no more pics for the day as we were very busy!

The messages came in on their progress. At a village they picked up a local who wanted a lift to a spot about 20km from the camp. He guided them, in the dark, to the local airstrip. Triber and I backtracked and brought them into camp at about 20h00.

Full credit to both of them. They realised they were on the wrong road, corrected themselves and stayed calm. Used local knowledge from the very helpful people and arrived safely. So, what about the messages that I got that they were ahead of me. We worked out that the lady on safari was the decoy that confused all.

The campsite we stayed in is situated on the banks of the Luangwa River near the entrance to the North Luangwa Reserve. We were given full use of the bathroom facilities of one of the permanent tents. We managed to have a good night.