Touch the Wild

Day-to-day update on our Safari alongside the Zambezi River

Sunday Day 1...
Now, after months of planning and attention to detail, the time has come to go on our Safari. After final packing in the early morning, three Land Cruisers with Engelbrecht Trailers and one Kitchen Caravan left Pretoria. We were stocked with about 15 extra motorcycle tyres, tool cases, petrol cans and food supplies for 30 days. On board the vehicles were a total of 345l freezers, food cases, bedding etc. As we left the N1 North, Jan Staal du Toit greeted Pretoria with a 2km wheelie. Four hours later we were at Martinsdrift border post where everything went smoothly and in a short time we were in Botswana. Everyone were excited around the campfire, the reality were with us, we are on our way to the source of the Zambezi. There are still 29 days of the expedition left.

Monday Day 2...
After a well deserved rest at the luxury Kwanokeng Lodge we left at dawn for Francistown. The sudden cold surprised the bikers. After a fuel fill up and a quick breakfast we visited the markets and bought some cow bells to hang on the bikes and vehicles. This was to confuse officials and for elephant corridors. We then left for Nata further north. Outside Nata Jan struggled to keep his bike on two wheels with another wheelie and left a meter long black line where the front wheel hit the tar. A few Elephants were seen on our way to Kasane. Andre vd Heever was quite relieved when we met up with the 3 guys from Namibia. Now Jan had 5 more bikers to deal with. After reorganising the luggage we had lots of fun at the Chaotic Kazanula Border post. Christo damaged the wheel of one of the trucks so badly, it had to be replaced, and that was with the trailer. A customs officer which he knew made it possible for a quick border crossing. We arrived at our destination, Livingston Safari Lodge and set up camp where a delicious dinner was prepared by Elsabé and Marionette while everyone relaxed around the campfire.

Tuesday Day 3...
After an unusually cold night we left Livingstone Safari Lodge at 8am. Just outside Livingstone we endured a very bad tar road with plenty potholes. The guys on the bikes enjoyed themselves so much that Martin & Gunther got a speeding fine of 100 000 Kwatchas. Elsabé also got a fine of $10.00 in Pemba for not having the white reflectors on the front of her cruiser....Now this is Africa and we are having fun in. 10 Km before Lusaka, at 16h00 we arrived at Edura campsite. After everybody had a hot shower and a delicious meal followed by a marshmallow dessert, we relaxed around the campfire. Tomorrow we will see the last bit of tar road for a long time.

Wednesday Day 4...
It is quite cold in Zambia and Robbie went to buy blankets at Manda Hill in Lusaka. A local tried to grab a bag from Gunthers bike without success. We went through a lot of roadblocks on our way o Kitwe, but all the cowbells attached to the bikes and vehicles generated a lot of smiles. We arrived safely at the beautiful Riverane Farm and was given a warm welcome by owners Craig and Nicky Wright. We had pork chops with home made bread and mielies for dinner and it was very comforting for the hungry bikers. We all settled in the very homely chalets. All vehicles, equipment and trailers were still in good working order, except for the 1200W inverter that we bought from Mega World 4X4 that blew.

Thursday Day 5...
We departed early morning from Riverane Farm to fill up fuel for the last time in Chingola, We got into trouble for taking pictures of the Copper Mines. Christo had to do some serious negotiating and had to speak nicely to get us out of trouble. They eventually let us go. It took us 6 hours to travel the 200Km of bad tar road from Solwezi to Mwinillunga. On the way Christo accidentally ran over a chicken and left the locals with their hands on their heads. No time to stop to pay the Fine. At Mwinillungawe we made last phone calls. We traveled down a 40 Km gravel road and eventually arrived at the Zambezi source at sunset. Everyone is excited and after 2600km our expedition has started officially.

Friday Day 6...
After yet another delicious breakfast we all strolled down to take a look at the origin of the Zambezi. We walked through a rain forest and came to a huge tree root from which underneath the Zambezi originates. This were definitely one of the big moments.... We were entertained by the "Zambezi band" playing traditional music. The water from the origin was tested and found to contain impurities of 001 ppm (parts per million) .Bottled water tested 027 ppm!! We filled a bottle with water that will be emptied at the mouth of the Zambezi in Mozamique. After that we left for the first man made bridge where the Zambezi is half a meter deep and 2 meters wide. This is where the fun started.
Jan Staal crossed without a problem and left a "mark" for everyone to follow. While Ronald was waiting at the bottom Martin came down too quickly and drove into him and fell down. Ronald went second and stalled his bike on the uphill, but made it after a light push from Jan. Martin crossed the bridge cautiously but got his rear wheel caught between two boards and fell down again. He scaled the uphill standing up from then on. Gunther was next and also slipped into the water from the bridge. He decided to spin up the hill and covered Elsabé in a wave of mud. Jan's motivational speech for the rest of the crew consisted of: "Ride that thing!!" Next was Andre, slipping on the bridge and too went into the water. While helping him across the bridge, his bike slipped again and knocked Ronald into the water yet again. Slipping and sliding up the hill the bike threw him off and he falls yet again. Everything is wet and slippery and we had to help him up the hill. Last to go was the small bottle of poison, Eckhard. He went up the hill effortless with a wheelie and we all had to duck.
The logistics team turned around and took pictures at the Congo beacon and drove in the direction of the Kaleni Mission.

The motorcycle team followed the river in the direction of Kaleni. They follow footpaths and were forced to drive along the Zambezi by the GPS

It was very technical driving, with trees, narrow footpaths and two marshes to contend with. Often they had to drag one another over wooden beams and help each other over smaller rivers that ran into the Zambezi. This requires a lot of strength and after doing 11Km in two hours, they decided to find a more suitable route.
We met each other at the Hydro Electric Scheme and camped next to the Zambezi, where the first rapids start. Marionette and Robbie conquered the Rapids on their bums while the rest took a bath in the river. Christo, Ronald and Jan slept on the rocks between the rapids.

Saturday Day 7...
We broke up camp and departed in the direction of Angola. A cyclist rode into Christo's trailer and carries on as if nothing happened. It was a big day at the Hydro with the Official opening and the president was on his way, and we missed him....

We crossed the Zambezi for the second time and the Bikers for the third. At this stage we have crossed 5 rivers running into the Zambezi

At the Zambian Borderpost we were received very friendly, on the other hand the Angolan officials were very disappointed that we had Visas. Fortunately for them, Mano, Christo's assistant, didn't have one and we had to pay $50.00, that together with the Portuguese Bibles gave reason for us to be delayed by half an hour.

We followed a path for 350km of which the first 100km took 6 hours. At an Immigration control post, we lost another half an hour. Fortunately the communication is bad and with a whole lot of hand signs, we carry on. Till now we have been greeted by Friendly waves and whistles by the locals. The route that we took today was any 4x4 enthusiasts dream. It was a dusty road with lots of holes. For Elsabé, driving one of the Cruisers, it was like Peak-Hour traffic in Jo'burg, easy! We stopped at 16h20 en erected a proper bush camp in the middle of nowhere. Jan took the chance to do light repairs to his bike. We made a huge fire and after a delicious plate of Beef Stroganoff by the cooking team, the evening was complete Andre is wondering if his Ridgeback has arrived back home.

Sunday Day 8...
It was nice to camp in Angola the first night. After an oats breakfast we drove in the direction of Nana Canundu. We drove through the most beautiful forests, open savannahs and marsh areas. We have distributed a lot of the 700 Portuguese bibles that we brought with, in the villages. The people were very grateful, even though we were not sure how many can read, they understood that they were getting bibles. We got to man made pole bridges and the bikes had no problem crossing. We decided that crossing the bridges with the vehicles would be too risky and took on the relatively deep rivers next to the bridges. We made it without any serious problems. We crossed another two wooden bridges without event until Robbie's vehicle busted it's wheel through the base of the bridge and landed on a spar, but the power of the 4.5l Cruiser had enough power to pulled it through. Everybody helped to rebuild the bridge, and Elsabé got through without a problem. Just after one we arrived at a suspect looking wooden raft that will take us to the other side of the Zambezi, that is 60m wide at this stage, to the small town of Cazombo. It is here where we realized that this was going to take very long as the raft is pulled by hand over the river. Only one vehicle without trailer can go over at a time. Just after 5 all the vehicles, trailers and bikes were on the other side. The bikes created quite a stir in the small town. All the locals were singing and whistling and it is quite obvious that they have never seen white tourists. And then it happened...just outside town we got stopped by the immigration officials. Many questions were asked and by the use of hand signals we figured out that we were wanted at the immigration office. All our passports were checked and were told that the SA passport holders could continue, but the Namibians had to go back on the route that they came. They refused to return our passports. There was this Portuguese immigration official, that we figured out to be the Chief, that tried to intimidate us with his boisterous voice and mafia jacket. We didn't let that phase as and we stood as one man. Phone calls to SA and Namibia with the satellite phone and our determination not to break up the group had them on the back foot. We were offered to sleep at the immigration office and we accepted immediately. We quickly crammed all the vehicles, trailers and bikes into the cramped area. We decided to enjoy ourselves and had a few cold Angolan beers. We had noodles and mince for dinner. We were stared at in amazement by the Angolans. At 19h45 our passports were returned to us and we insisted on armed guards for the night. After the guards arrived the sleeping bags were taken out and the men finally got to rest.

We didn't know who irritated each other the most......

Monday day 9...
At 5h50 Christo rang his cowbell to wake up all the guys, including the "chief"! We were ready to roll in half an hour and like one man decided to take the shortest, quickest route back to Zambia. Once again we drove through the most beautiful forests, rocky edges, and 4x4 routes and then it happened again, Andre lost his passport! We turned around and after a while we realise that it's a waste of time and petrol. We turn back in the direction of the border post and decided to take on and overcome our problems as they come. We experience lovely 30 degree Celsius summers days.

At the small Angolan borer post we made it look like Kazangula! We keep Andre one side and a mixture of the ladies with us walk up and down like chickens, a couple of Portuguese Bibles further and we smuggled Andre out of Angola. An Expedition like this will not be possible without the Camaraderie and determination as a unit. We caught the officials at the Zambian border post at exactly closing time. The senior official has already left and a junior official wrote all our names down and told us that we have to go back all the way to Mwinilunga for the stamps in our passports. We decided there and then that we will "accidentally" take a wrong turn into Manyinga as fuel were low. We'll find an immigration office somewhere and report that we are in the country. It is with a spring in our step that we left the border post. But 5Km's later one of the guys loses control of his bike in the thick sand and takes a tumble. He flies 8m through the air and his bike came to rest upside down. With help from above and the neck brace he didn't get hurt. He kicks the bike over to make it stall. We load the bike on the back of a trailer. A few kilometers later we arrive at our campsite in the middle of the forest where we had a few cold ones and a giant fire. After a short while the damaged bike was repaired and after dinner the days events were recalled.

Tuesday day 10...
We left our bush camp with 6 motorcycles and 3 Landcruisers. We drove 30km along a 4x4 route and finally came to a "Highway" to the town of Manyinga. For the first time in days we reach 80Km/h. With our change of route we are a half day behind. We reach the town of Zambezi at 15h00 and report to immigration. After another hot day we ad to stay over in the little town of Zambezi with our passports in immigrations possession. We met a white Afrikaans guy, Mark Hilhorst at immigration and he invites us to stay the night in the backyard of him and his wife, Lorna's property that borders the Zambezi river. Once again we are very thankful, at least we don't have to spend the night in the immigration grounds. Tonight will be a highlight for the cooking team as Christo will be cooking "Panda Boppie" another day in Africa awaits us tomorrow………..

Wednesday day 10...
We woke up next to the Zambezi, no rush, immigration has our passports. After a few phone calls to the consulate in Lusaka, the attitude of the officials change once again and we have to endure a school-kid-scolding, where we have to say sorry and shake our heads in unison. We finally leave Zambezi at about 10am. We had to change our route once again and decide that we might have to change the name of the expedition to: "The journey to immigration offices, flooded bridges and no roads." At 12pm we crossed the Kabompo river by ferry and drove west in the direction of the Zambezi. At Lukula we refueled from cans at a price of R20.00 per liter. We follow a narrow sand road and 20km's later we load a bike. It wont be till tonight where we realize that we lost a rucksack in the process. We reach the Barotse plains. It is here where we realise that today will be troublesome. Two of the Cruisers made it through the mud, but the third got stuck. Some of the bikers forged ahead to see what the route was like, but return after a while to tell us that we wont make it through there. We turned back and another Cruiser got stuck. We winched it out. It's too late and we set up camp in the floodplains. Christo, Robbie and Eckhard in a Cruiser and Ronald and Martin on their bikes decide to find another route. After just a few kilometers, Christo's team lost the bikes and they got stuck in a swamp. After wrestling, rowing and pushing and everybody covered in mud they called for help on 2 way radio. Jan and Andre went to help and the Cruiser is "snatched" out. On their way back anther 2 Cruisers got stuck. After a long battle they finally reached camp at sunset, but were worried about Martin and Ronald that aren't back yet. After dinner a search team was sent out but returned without any luck.

Ronald and Martin were gone..... We hope that the guys are safe somewhere. Around the campfire the rescue mission is discussed...........

Thursday day11...
At half past five all were up and around the fire each with a cup of coffee, plans were finalised. When the satellite phone rang just after six, we all stared at each other in amazement. Elsabé ran to answer, Ross Pritchard from Capricorn Satellite SA, told us that Ronald and Martin made contact with him and confirmed that they are both safe and in Mongu. Christo phones Ronald to confirm and the relief was visible on all faces. We quickly pack and turn back on our route, yet again. We couldn't believe our luck when we discovered the rucksack full of valuables that was lost yesterday, still lying untouched in the road. It is with smiles on our faces that we took the 400km detour to Mongu where we refueled. We saw that the time is not on our side and pushed through to Senanga where we had to catch the ferry at Kalangola. We stopped 10minutes before closing time, at least luck is on our side. For the first time we drove at night and reach Touch the Wild campsite at Sioma at 21h00. Camp was set up on the beach where a huge campfire burned and some of the guys opt to sleep outside under the million star hotel.

Friday day 12...
Today was the first day of rest since we started and Elsabé was up first to take on the Tigerfish while the rest slowly got up. After breakfast all went to Sioma falls with the vehicles. Everyone was fascinated by the impressive falls. We went to the main falls from the island with Makorros. Jan, Gunter , Martin and Ronald couldn't wait to relax in the splash pool. Andre was very excited about his first Tiger catch. AT 15h00 we got back to camp where the vehicles and trailers are repacked. Tonight was the last night for the Namibians. At 20h00 we heard the call of Elephants close by. Robby made a delicious sheep neck potjie. After dinner we relaxed around the campfire where we were entertained by Christo's singing.

Saturday day 13...
We get up early and Christo notices that one of the trailers had a collapsed suspension and decided to leave it at Sioma. We said goodbye to the Namibians. Andre's problems were solved when a temporary passport was in SA and to be flown to Livingstone. Gustav Oschman joins us in Kasane. Tonight is our last night with Elsabé, and decided to spoil ourselves and go out for dinner.

Sunday day 14...
We got up late and after repairs and maintenance was performed on the bikes and vehicles, we refueled and restocked. We got news from Andre, he had a new passport and will join us at Victoria Falls. We have our last evening with Elsabé around the campfire and this iron woman will surely be missed from here... Robbie and his daughters also left back to SA.

Monday day 15...
We were up early and prepared for our early morning boat ride on the Chobe river. We saw plenty Buffalo, Red Lechwes and other wildlife, At one stage we were taking pictures of what seems to be a placid Hippo, Suddenly he decided to storm our boat, which was standing against the bank, with an open mouth. The guy at the helm took off with speed and we just enjoyed the moment. All back on the motorbikes and with only one vehicle we got through the Zimbabwean border without any problem. Now we were in Zimbabwe with some "extra" fuel. Lunch was at the Victoria falls. We have traveled from the origin to one of the seven wonders of the world.....The tar road from Vic Falls to Binga were in excellent condition. Beautiful mountain passes made the journey short. "Planet" Baobab was discovered here. Hundreds of them...

Tuesday day 16...
We all rose lazily and watched the Capenta boats came in. After some Coffee and home made rusks, we packed up and moved in the direction of town Kariba on a dirt road. We travel through hills and mountains, and got a lot of Elephant corridors in Mashona land that proves how untouched this part of Zimbabwe still is. Only two vehicles were seen on the route. We reach a "Tsetse-fly traffic control gate" and couldn't figure out how the Tsetse-fly and the traffic control gate fit together. A man came out with a tattered net, waving it as he walks around the vehicles and trailers. Christo enquires if he caught anything and he replies: "No, you didn't bring any". He made our day! Proceed further and came over a mountain where Kariba lays outstretched before us. All drivers had to shown driving skills all the way down the steep mountain in 4-wheel drive. Many dry riverbeds were crossed and went through a wilderness area with many Elephants. Reach the town of Kariba by sunset.

Wednesday day 17...
A leisure wake up with Lake Kariba on our doorstep everybody slept badly as a result of the mosquitoes. A visit to the town of Kariba and all went to witness the 128m high dam wall. With all the viewpoints, it was a highlight of the day. No fuel was available in Kariba. Christo and Ronald went to Zambia and refueled while the rest waited at the border post. We left the town of Kariba at 13h00 and traveled over beautiful mountain passes. An accident scene where a truck and four cars were lied on top of each other where they missed the road, showed that the pass were dangerous. They didn't want to allow the motorcycles into Mana Pools and we had to turn back on the Karoi road and make a left to Mwani where we set up a bush camp. Yet another wonderful day in Africa comes to an end.

Thursday day 18...
Got up early again and drove in the direction of Mozambique. On a deserted mountain pass Gustav lost the plastic windshield on his bike. Once again we were reminded that the locals in this area of Zimbabwe had not seen tourists in ages. We drove through farm areas where once were profiting tobacco farms, now there are only ruins. Our height above sea level was 1120m. We descended down the mountain on a narrow tar road, of which all the corners and contours were built the wrong way round. This together with the hairpin bends, made all the bikers dig deep in their skills to make it safe to the bottom. The vehicle made it to the bottom with red hot and stinking brake shoes. Height above see level went down to 625m. Got to a crossing in the middle of nowhere where we bought some "room temperature cokes" sugarcane and mielies. Jan entertained the crowd with a long wheelie. It is time to find a camping spot, and coming around a corner, Christo almost had an accident with an ox wagon. The drivers caught such a fright that they jumped off. Not far from there we set up a bush camp. New tires and air filters are fitted to the Bikes. For dinner, Christo made us real “Zimbabwe Chips” and everybody stuffs themselves. All lied on their sleeping rolls, and chat each other to sleep.

Friday day 19...
A pleasant summers morning greeted us. We packed and took on the last 80km stretch to the Mozambique border where we were greeted warmly by the Mozambiquan officials and it doesn't take long for us to went through. An ice cold Coke under a tree waited for us....This is Africa. A sand road took us to
Cahorra Basa dam. The road got worse and the going was slow. . Andre and Gustaf gave us a big fright when they crossed a Drift at speed and almost rode into each other. A local man fell off his bike when Jan passed him, probably the first time that he saw a motorbike in his life. Ronald had the privilege to saw this. He stopped at a village to buy Coke, but when he pulled off, his bike hooked onto a power cable and almost dragged the one village's power grid to the next. We drove all the way around Cahorra and stopped at Ugezi Tiger Lodge at 5 on the shore of the dam, where we were warmly welcomed by Andre and Bets Labusgane. The scenery is fantastic and we decided to stay for 2 nights. It is the first time in weeks that we slept on beds.

Saturday day 20...
The morning got spent lazily, clothes were washed and this afternoon we are going out on the dam to catch some Tiger fish. Tomorrow you will hear about the big ones that got away.

Sunday day 21...
So, the big ones got away...We left Ugezi early and drove to the dam wall. The Portuguese guards didn't understand us and we push on past thousands of Baobabs in the direction of Tete where we crossed the Zambezi via a huge bridge. 60km past Tete we turned east, taking a shortcut to Caia. The 250km of bush path kept us entertained for 8 hours...Even here tourists haven't been seen for years. At sunset we reached the Dona Ana train bridge and it was a privilege to cross the longest bridge in Africa. Crossed the Zambezi for the 8th time. Set up camp just outside Caia.

Monday day 22...
Everyone had a bad nights sleep due to the mosquitoes, maybe we should start using tents. From Caia we followed a smooth dirt road to Marumue. It's a dead end. Jan's party met a white lady at the airstrip. She introduces us to her husband, Joe. They told us that the road ends halfway to the river mouth. At their restaurant we had Steak and Chips for lunch and plans were made to reach the mouth. It's only 90km, we just HAVE to get there. Joe and Anita invited us to sleep over at their place and we gladly accepted the invitation. Our plans to reach the Zambezi mouth tomorrow, is in place....

Tuesday day 23...
Yesterday Christo and Joe booked a wooden boat to take us to the mouth of the Zambezi. They christened it: "The Rose of the Zambezi". No one knew what to expect and when we arrived there at 06h00, everyone stared skeptically at the boat with its branch and canvas roof with a Janmar diesel outboard motor. After everyone got on board and the cool boxes were loaded, the crank was turned, the anchor raised and we left Marromeu with sheepish smiles. With 5 crew on board, the owner acted as the guy to point out direction, the translator, the skipper, a dieselman and waterman. The Dieselman was in charge of speed, a little button he used for faster and slower, the waterman had the duty of scooping water out of the river and pouring it in the engine once every minute to keep it cool. After a few kilometers Andre decide to raise the expedition flag on a thick bamboo stem. At 15 km per hour, we are on our way to the mouth. Everyone made themselves as comfortable as possible and some of the guys did some target shooting with their katties. AT 12h30 we reach the river mouth. After 6900km and 23 days, it's an anti-climax to look at the waves on the ocean.... We decided to rename the expedition to: "A mighty Journey". At 13h00 we left the mouth and traveled upstream at 7km per hour. It is with a spectacular sunset and full moon that we greeted the Zambezi for the last time. Cold and tired, We reached Marromue at 00h30

Wednesday day 23...
We took on the route south and visited the grave of David Livingstone's wife, Mary Moffat. It was an "emotional" moment for Ronald.... From there we gone through our last beautiful forest. We traveled on a tarred road in the direction of Vilankulos and often had to dodge the "wild" drivers of Mozambique. We spent the night in Vilankulos.

Thursday day 24...
From Vilankulos we traveled down the coast, passing thousands of coconut trees and plantation on our way. The nice roads are very nice, the bad roads are very bad, when you hit a pothole you know all about it. AT this stage nice roads are ugly and ugly roads pretty... Fortunately all the vehicles made it. We are still dodging the local drivers, We are sure they bought their licenses. After traveled 700km, we camp at Xai Xai.

Friday day 25...
After an uneventful day we finally reach Pretoria at 17H00.

As a team we have conquered Africa the hard way ....

ZAMBEZI - JOURNEY OF A MIGHTY RIVER

This is a journey alongside a river of thousands of kilometres, through four countries. It is an odyssey that leaves one awe-struck, humbled and, above all, anxious for the future of the savage and beautiful river. The Zambezi overflows with anecdotes and amusing, interesting stories……..

High in the heart of Central Africa’s savannas is the place where the Zambezi is born. It is not a place of mountains, grey dripping mists or hanging moss, nor is it home to dramatic scenery or wild white foam-filled rivers tearing at the earth. It is a region of pervasive, gentle beauty, as if such a nurturing base is a necessary counterpart to the violence, tumult and tempestuous passage the river will encounter as it carries, bit by bit, its own life-giving continent to the sea.
At the source, there is no impression of height, for one stand upon an ancient and much eroded upland area. What mountains may once have been, are rendered into gently rounded shoulders of rock and earth, clothed in a patterned shawl of tree and grass.

The road in northern Zambia follows the watershed through an endless succession of beautiful meadows interspersed with stand of tall forest. The meadows are natural and swathes of towering grass reflect not only the fertility of the region but the high and frequent rainfall.
Just off a shoulder of rising ground, in an area of open woodland, a trail of dark green riverine forest leads up-slope to a tiny valley. Shaped like the hollow of a cupped palm, its brown bracken sides slip beneath the canopy of green to become the permanently wet forest floor. Here, the roots travel over ground, fearing suffocation below, supporting the bodies of last years leaves and linking one to another in a tangled network, anchored by the buttressed bulk of a forest giant.

Beneath the roots and between the ochre, red and yellowing leaves, the gurgle of funning water sounds, leading the listener to the heart of the amphitheatre and the silence of small stilled pools which reflect the sky, the trees, reeds, ferns and the listener’s face. This is the beginning.

From its source, at the very north-western tip of Zambia, the Zambezi first travels north before turning west, past the foot of Kalene Hill.

History does not appear to have discovered yet who was the first European at the source of the Zambezi. The chances are, however, that it would have been one of the 19 century missionaries, for they travelled extensively in the part of Africa and they came not from the south, but from the west.

One of these missionaries, Fred Arnot, had been inspired as a young man by the vision and explorations of Dr David Livingstone. Fred had first been to Africa in 1871 and had spent seven years here. In 1888 he returned to England to gather recruits and within six months was back in Angola with a wife and a brother-in-law, Dr Walter Fisher. (Christo en ek het Dr Fisher se agter, agter en ek dink nog ‘n agter kleinseun, Pete Fisher, verlede jaar ontmoet. Ons het by hom oorgeslaap, en ek wens ek kon al die stories onthou wat hy ons vertel het. Ons het nou verby sy plek gery van die source oppad na Angola.). Together Arnot and Fisher experienced the challenge, the tragedy and the humour of an Africa still new to European eyes.
Transport was a never-ending problem. Fisher himself sensibly took a bicycle to central Africa and pedalled many thousands of kilometres along the bush paths of eastern Angola. A combination of pioneering spirit and events beyond his control took Fisher progressively eastwards across Angola towards the Zambezi. His station of Kavungu and Kasombo, now in the Angolan war-zone, were both on the banks of the Zambezi. Kalunda, which he established in 1904, was even further east. It was from the Zambezi, during a period of leave he took in 1903, that Walter Fisher walked east, not west, for home, and on his way to England joined a small group of hairy people to complete a crossing of Africa on foot.

Living among the tribesmen of the Upper Zambezi was not an occupation for the squeamish, for their ways were very different from those to which the missionaries were used. Eventually, continued eastward migration brought Fisher at last to Kalene Hill in 1906, just 30km from the Zambezi’s source. Here Walter Fisher built his hospital which still serves the people of the region. (Ons het ook verlede jaar die Kaleni Hill’s missionery dorp besoek. Daar is ‘n skool, met verskeie sendelinge van regoor die wereld wat daar bly. Dit is so amazing om die bou van die Hydro te gesien het, en die eindresultaat hierdie jaar. Charles Ray, wat nog steeds daar is, het die inisiatief begin, en sy familie is al van die middel 60’s af daar. Charles het julle ekspedisie met ‘n valkoog op die internet dopgehou, en ek het gereeld ‘n mail van hom afgekry as die updates nie vinnig genoeg deurgekom het nie. Julle het ‘n nefie van hom daar ontmoet, Dan, wat julle deur die Hydro gevat het).

The river now crosses into Angola, heading towards the Atlantic. Shortly, however, it turns south and, by now a substantial river, re-enters Zambia at Chavuma about 400km from its origins.
In western Zambia the river passes through an area once known as Barotseland but that is now simply part of Western Province. This region of the country is relatively flat and is distinguished by its covering of Kalahari sands which, in places may be as deep as 50m. The sands of the Kalahari are Aeolian in origin and, for this reason, the grains are rounded. Wind-blown for millennia, they are a remnant of a once vast desert and although the area is by no means a desert today, they remain extensive in their distribution.

It is in the shallow valleys and floodplains of Barotseland that the Zambezi annually inundates huge tract of land. On these floodplains and on the islands within them, the Lose people established their kingdom and live to this day, maintaining their tribal integrity and their colourful tribal ceremonies.

Nowhere in its sinuous course across the face of Africa, neither at the source not at the subdued merging with the sea, is there to be found, along the entire length of the Zambezi River, a region quite as beautiful as Barotseland in western Zambia. Nor is it surprising that here among the Lose people, one encounters some of the warmest and most friendly of riverside people. This is partly to do with their beautiful home and partly with their history, but it owes more to their sense of pride in belonging to the “superfamily”, which is their tribe. In response to the tangible sense of ceremony and history in Barotseland, it is perhaps fitting that it should be on these remarkable floodplains that there survives, among the Lose, one of Africa’s most colourful indigenous tribal ceremonies – the Kuomboka.

Simply put, Kuomboka is the annual ceremonial departure of the Lose king and his people from the flooded plains to the dry mainland. It symbolizes the king’s leadership and the loyalty of his people and recognizes the dominating role of the annual flood in the life of the Lose. The move is by boat, with royalty travelling in splendid barges and with the inhabitants, forbidden to leave before the king, following in numerous smaller vessels. The forthcoming departure is announced to the people by the call of royal drums.

Only men may paddle the barges and those in the principal vessels wear distinctive regalia. The Litunga’s barge, the giant Nalikwanda painted with broad black and white stripes, is propelled by 120 paddlers of whom only those who are indunas may stand in the front half, in front of the royal passenger.

Kuomboka ends when Nalikwanda touches the shore at Limulunga, a short distance north of Mongu.

The floodplains of Barotseland is a clearly defined margin and so one cannot be precise about their extent. Generally, however, flooding takes place with in a region some 250km in length and 80 – 100km in width. That flooding occurs at all is due entirely to the unusual geography of the region. It is across this plain that the Zambezi flows and would, long since, have incised a deep valley, were it not for the chance placement of numerous basalt dykes across its path.
These dykes serve as barriers through which the river can but slowly cut and so they prevent the formation of a deep valley. Each of course, forms a rapid or waterfall. Some of these are beautiful, particularly the largest, known as Nonie or Soma Falls. The falls are the first of the breached dykes and they mark the southern end of the floodplains. As such, they are the key to the entire floodplain ecosystem. As this point is lowered by the headword erosion of the river, so, in time the floodplains will become less extensive. From here onwards, although navigable, the river is much more broken and there are 24 sets of rapids between Nonie and Katima Mulilo.
Nonie varies with the time of year at which it is viewed. In the wet, apart from the noise and the spray, it is more awesome than striking, for it is totally engulfed in the deluge of water that passes over it. In the dry season, it is different. Then the cataract above and below can be seen, and particularly the beautiful half-moon shaped cascade of water that drops 23m into a short but ferocious gorge. The Zambezi has not yet cut far enough into Ngonye’s basalt to create a deep upstream valley. In the absence of such a valley, vigorous annual floodwaters quickly overflow the river’s banks and vast areas of Barotseland are swiftly inundated.

Nonie Falls mark the point at which the river encounters dykes of basalt which have slowed the downward cutting of its channel, creating the waterfall and, beyond it, a series of rapids that extends for 120km to Katima Mulilo. At that point the river, tracing a great ‘S’ shape, turns to the east, approaching Victoria Falls.

Apart from the basalt dykes that have barred its way, the Zambezi thus far has flowed through an immensity of sand. At Kazangula, about 240km from Nonie Falls, it passes over a table-like formation of basalt that extends in total for nearly 200km. Through the last 130km of this basalt the Zambezi has cut deeply down in a wild but beautiful gorge. At Victoria Falls the process is still under way.

Victoria Falls – Where Angels Gaze – are said to be the widest curtain of falling water in the world. The distance from one side to the other is 1 690m and the average drop is 92m. There is a dramatic change in the flow of water between December and March, for in those three months the river rises from the lowest to its highest level. When the water is high is normally not the best time to visit the falls. They are impressive and beautiful still, it is true, but there is so much spray it is difficult to appreciate them fully.

Beyond the Batoka Gorge, marked by the entry of the Deka River and a transition from basalt to sandstone, begins a section of the river known as the Gwembe Trough. In the Gwembe server faulting created a valley that offers, with its steep and blue-hazed distant walls, outstanding scenery.

The downstream end of the trough is marked by the distinctive narrowing of Kariba Gorge. Here it was, in 1958, that the famous dam wall was thrown across the river’s path to create the lake of the same name. The gorge is interesting in that there are three more like it along the river’s length and all four have in common a most unusual feature: they each cut directly through an area of elevated and ancient geology far older than the river and demand, therefore, an explanation of how such an unlikely thing could come about.

Lake Kariba’s total shoreline is 2 164km long. The mass of the water in Kariba has, since the survey work in 1958, been calculated and it stands at the colossal figure of 160 000 million tonnes. At the time, it was the greatest load that humankind had ever placed on the surface of the earth. Extending for 74km, the Makuti road is a magnificently scenic drive, taking one from the high edge of Zimbabwe’s central plateau at 1 168m to the humid heat of Kariba 600m below.

The first suggestion that a dam should be built at the gorge appears to have been made in 1912 but many years were to pass and a great many surveys carried out before there was any prospect of the dream becoming reality. Not until June 1955 was the first contract awarded for various preliminary tasks. One of the early ones, once the problem of access had been overcome, was to provide accommodation and all the resources necessary to sustain a population which, at its peak, would number 8 500 people. This meant building an entire township: the present settlement of Kariba was constructed as a result. Work on the town started on 14 March 1956 and was virtually completed 18months later, by September 1957. The main civil contractor began work in August 1956 and the first skip of concrete for the wall was poured on 6 November 1956, 17 months after the original work had started. However one measures it, whether in terms of human achievement, engineering skills, planning or logistical support, it was a mighty achievement.

The wall had been plugged on 2 December 1958 and Lake Kariba began to fill. Initially, in the south bank station, there were six 111MW generators and the first electricity was generated in December 1959. Improved technology has made it possible to increase the efficiency of the existing turbines and by 1990 each of these reached 125MW. Since Kariba was opened, the north bank power station has also been brought on stream with four turbines, each of 150 MW generating capacity. In 1990 the total output of Kariba stood at 1 350MW.

Downstream from Kariba Gorge the Zambezi continues northwards for a short distance before curving to the east and the final run down through Mozambique to the coast. Here it enters its most spectacular valley. Known as the Zambezi Valley, it is the most easily recognized of the so-called rift valley features, for on both north and south sides of the river, the flat alluvial valley floor ends abruptly in steep mountain slopes that rise spectacularly to cooler summits above. Within this valley is the second of the unusual gorges – Mupata.

Between the great gorge after Kariba in the west and the narrows of Mupata in the east lies the Zambezi Valley, hemmed in on north and south by the towering walls of the ancient rift. Within this area, divided between Zambia and Zimbabwe by the river itself, the rhino have their home in the 12 000km² of uninhabited bush on the Zimbabwean side.

The Zambezi has been steadily removing the sandstone that once filled the present valley to its brim. The process is far advanced but there still remain great thicknesses of sandstone.

Impediments to this removal exist in the form of great bars of rock that traverse the valley in several places. In exactly the same way as in Barotseland, these rock bars slow erosion so that the great rift which is the Zambezi Valley, custodian of alluvia past and present, has a markedly flat floor. These flat and low-lying so-called floodplains give Mana Pools its special character.
One of 13 World Heritage Sites, Mana Pools is an area of deep alluvial soils some 80km² in extent. It is graced with tall spreading trees and open park-like vistas with views across the Zambezi to Zambia and the mountainous north wall of the valley. The beautiful and unique nature of Mana is believed by many to depend upon its adaptation to a flood regime. Before the construction of Kariba dam, the Zambezi came down in periodic floods which inundated Mana, leaving new deposits of rich sediments and thoroughly soaking the soils. As the river subsided, so pools of floodwater remained behind in old, abandoned drainage channels, giving Mana Pools its name.

Flowing east now, the Zambezi passes the junction with the Luangwa coming in from Zambia and the north. Today the pace of the Zambezi slackens at this point because the impoundment at Cahora Bassa affects the river as far upstream as Zumbo. Underneath the water of this dam lies the gorge that defeated David Livingstone and caused him and others much heartache.
Even when the sun shines there is something sinister about the gorge at Cahora Bassa. It is not just the silence. It is the sheer, terrifying immensity of it. A tight curve of concrete has been fitted snugly across it and a great silver lake stretches back to the Luangwe River.

Great slabs of grey drop almost vertically into the narrow riverbed which itself is a jumble of tumbled boulders. On the shoulders of grey above, a patchwork or rock and tree, defying gravity, stitches the mountainside together and holds it back from the abyss below. The river zigzags round the base of ridges that, scarred, plummet from the heights. Deep blue-black shadows throw themselves across the water as soon as the sun has passed.

Cahora Bassa was never seen by its planners as just a dam. It was to be the key to a development scheme of unparalleled proportions. While generating revenue and earning foreign currency, it would lead to the construction of subsidiary dams, canals, perhaps a river navigation system and the irrigation of hundreds of thousands of hectares of agricultural land. Of course it depended upon South Africa, the only possible market in the early stages for such large quantities of electricity, but even she would have benefited since the power was intended to be the cheapest in the world.

With a wall 160m high, Cahora Bassa is 32m deeper than Kariba. Although about the same length, the lake is roughly half Kariba’s volume. Nevertheless, the head of water and nearly 20 years of improvements in the technology of electricity generation make it a far more powerful generating station. Although there is provision for a north bank power station, only the south bank at Cahora Bassa has been developed: there are five 415MW generators capable of producing a maximum of 2 075MW.

At Cahora Bassa an astronomical sum was spent with the intention of generating huge quantities of cheap electricity. In 1988 it was producing 10MW a day, the smallest amount possible, which served to light the towns of Songo, on the heights above the dam, and Tete, some 130km away. Those two towns now share the most expensive power plant in the world!
Past this point and downstream to the Mozambique town of Tete, the river has lost much of its power and magnificence. Tamed by two major dams, it flows but sluggishly on. It is dwarfed as it passes through the final gorge of Lupata, beneath towering cliffs of basalt. Escaping, it continues to the south-east before being joined on the north bank by the Shire River which draws water from Lake Malawi. Together the combined rivers flow into the sea at a great delta, set about with shifting sands and shallow entrances, ignored now by all but the smallest boats..

The end is indecisive for the river does not enter the sea as one, but as many. It divides and its divisions divide again into a maze of distributaries, large and small, so that the characters of sea and river are sometimes hard to separate. With tides reaching 40 or 50km inland, it is difficult to discern where sea begins and river ends.

As the Zambezi approaches the sea, the woodlands of Mozambique’s vast coastal plain, which have followed the river faithfully, seem suddenly to halt as if a line, invisible to us, were drawn through the sandy soil at their feet. The great grasslands of the delta have begun. Threading through the grasslands in distinct belts, where the soils are suitable, are stands of Borassus palms. They dominate the skyline like guardians of the lesser palms that cluster in their slender shadow. The delta turns into a patchwork mantle of matching greens, securely stitched in crazy patterns with a double line of dark green riverine trees.

At last the ocean is reached and here the grass gives way to mud, salt and the mangrove army that vigorously defends the shore.

After a journey of thousands of kilometres, from the misted plateaux on the spine of Africa, over the ancient planed surfaces of the inner continent, down spectacular steps, through deep valleys and narrow gorges, out onto the coastal plain, the Zambezi, at last, slides silently into the sea, its epic over.

Savage, wild, gentle, beautiful, frightening and endlessly interesting; the Zambezi is all of these things…………………………..

My personal experience and comments concerning the routes, countries, sceneries and local people on this 28 day adventure.

ZAMBIA
It took us 5 hard days of driving from Pretoria to reach the source of the Zambezi. Luckily I know a customs official at Kazangula border post which makes one do all the paper work in no time. Otherwise you will queue and it might take you 2 hours to enter the country. The Zambian roads “kept” us busy. Some stages good tar and some bad with potholes. Before and after each little town one gets speed humps, and big ones too. To fast, and your vehicle and trailer are air borne. Then police roadblocks everywhere. Most of them are friendly and they don’t bother you. Always be polite and friendly with them.

The cow bells attached to the vehicles and motorbikes caused confusion amongst officials. They haven’t seen something like this before and when they see it, they forgot their mission…The motorbike riders, all with the same motorbikes and dressed with the same rider gear together with the 3 Landcruisers also caused confusion. I think they thought we were on some kind of operational mission. Here and there I ended up in trouble, but with a warm hello, negotiations and sorry I didn’t know attitude we were able to proceed. On the whole journey, we never ever paid a bribe. The locals in the North Western part of Zambia were very friendly, and we got cheered for 45 km’s.

The source will always remain a high to me. I can take days to explain. One simply has to be there to understand…. Our mission was to follow the river 80%, but we realized that it will be impossible from the 1 part as we left the source. Too much small rivers and swamp areas.
It was the official opening of the Hydro electrical scheme at Kalene, which now gives power to the town of Kalene and the clinic. We were invited to join the opening by my friends Charles and Dan Rae. The President of Zambia was on his way but time was against us and we had to leave.

ANGOLA
When we entered the small border post at Jimbe, we soon realized that there haven’t been tourists for ages, in fact, years. The locals were friendly as well. I don’t know if it were of nature or the fact that they haven’t seen white people, never the less, it was thumbs up the whole way. It was somewhat difficult to communicate with them as they only speak Portuguese. We reached stages where we thought towns have to be, just to realize that we were actually outside of town already.

We could make out that it wasn’t possible to take the planned route. Bridges and pontoons were destroyed, so we took detours, and reached a point where we once again were forwarded by locals. This meant that we had to deal with a 250km detour, and we decided to show some GUTS and take the shortest route. The motorbikes crossed the man made suspicious bridges somewhat effortless, but vehicles and drivers had to use all their skills passing thru rivers and over the bridges.

The rest of the 2 track route was magnificent. Beautiful forests, open savannahs with palm trees, rocky areas and more forests, and the known that no other tourist vehicles, but most of all, no motorbike, have travelled here made this part of Angola special.

At a town called Cazombo is where everything happened. First, the hand pulled suspicious pontoon. It took us 5 hours to cross. All the shouting, whistling and waving locals as we were driving thru town, and then the experience with immigration which no one will ever forget…..I think, the reason for showing us the shortest route out of the country, were diamond mines.
Another unforgettable time was how we smuggled the guy who lost his passport out of the country. We won’t forget Angola….

Back into Zambia
We reentered Zambia without any passports (one missing) that were stamped, and this made that I really felt the African Experience…. At the town Zambezi, well, us and immigration again, the hospitality of Mark Hilhorst and his wife and R 20 a litre for fuel. Where we got stuck with the vehicles in the swamps and Martin and Ronald gone lost, and how we made rescue plans. On our 400km turn back the expression on Andre’s face when I gave his back pack, witch he lost with pretty much valuables the day before, back to him.

The Source, Barotse floodplains, Lozi people, Sioma Ngonye Falls and the Zambezi makes me love Zambia.

Zimbabwe
Well Zima…. We didn’t experience any problems in the Northern part of Zimbabwe, in fact, once of the beaten track, you wouldn’t realize you are there. It’s just that there are no supplies such as fuel, food etc. We once again took 4x4 routes where tourists don’t go. The mountain passes and wilderness area in Mashona Land West, “planet baobab”, the Makuti area and eventually Lake Kariba with its 128m high dam wall.

From Kariba more mountain passes, then the hidden tracks to Mashona Land Central and all of a sudden the highlands. Here life goes on.

Zimbabwe is a beautiful country….

Mozambique
We entered at a small border post and stayed on a 2 track dirt road all the way on the southern side of Cahorra Basa dam. Here again, no tourists for ages. By now, I knew why I did this expedition, and I am sure that my companions felt the same. The sunset cruise on Cahorra was a high. I took my best photo ever that afternoon.

In Tete province things started to get “busy” More people, cars, bicycles and towns got to me. Then a 250km, 8 hour hidden bush track made it a bit better. Another moment was when we crossed the Zambezi on the 3.6 km Dona Ana train bridge at sunset.

It was an anti climax when we saw the waves in the ocean. Everybody agreed that the last 95 km to the mouth on the wooden vessel was a true African experience…There and back in a record 18 hours….

Vehicles and equipment
We had 3 Toyota Land Cruisers and 6 BMW HP 2 motorbikes. It is good to go on a expedition like this with the same vehicles/motorbikes as parts, rims/tires, spares, etc. will be the same and fits to one another. Space is limited. Two Land Cruisers and 3 BMW motorbikes, did half the trip (not because they broke down) One more motorbike joined for the 2 part. I must admit that I showed some guts to take on the 2 part with only one vehicle. Road conditions thru out the expedition were bad, but I knew I could trust on the reliability of Toyota. Only 2 flat tires.
I was also very much surprised by the performance of the BMW motorbikes. All of them made it back, and I would recommend it surely.

Make sure to take quality general camping equipment such as fridge/freezers etc. on a long expedition like this.

We have crossed the Zambezi River 10 times on its entire length. Before we departed I initially estimated the distance from Pretoria back to Pretoria on +_ 9000km. Total distance was 8995km. I was 5km out!!!!

Experts in 4 x 4 expiditions ....