We’re crossing into Zambia on the famous Zambezi Bridge. There are several counters to pass. The procedures are somehow confusing but one thing is clear: on every counter I’d be asked for $$$. Visa fees, carbon tax, insurance, road toll…

There is nothing about Livingstone town to keep us for few days but we do enjoy the cozy Faulty Towers Camp and relax. It’s a long ride from Livingstone to Siavonga, our next stop.

chicken as fresh as it could be

meet jamie an OZ biker

Told by other travelers about a very nice camp run by a German named Herrmann, we keep on searching for it; even nobody seems to know this place. 2 hours later, we give up and are ready to pitch the tent in the overpriced Eagles Rest Camp but, incidentally, one man seems to know Herrmann and the Sandy Beach. It is located about 20km west of Siavonga along a sandy track and directly on the shores of the lake Kariba.
Awesome place and awesome people, definitely worth the searching.
Herrmann’s roots are in Munich and even 35 Years away from home, he still speaks with a strong Bavarian accent. Pretty soon we have the feeling we’re belonging to the family!
Besides us there is only 1 more guest at the camp, a 69yrs old German lady. She is traveling with her Mercedes Unimog truck alone through Africa for almost a Year now. Respect! We should meet Ellen later again.

at the cobra restaurant

For decades the track leading from Chipata to the South Luangwa NP was in a desolate state and a test for any shock absorbing system. Luckily Zambian Government decided to upgrade it. At the moment of writing the first 30km from chipata are all tarred, so are the last 20km before reaching the park. That leaves approx. 70km which are still gravel but the new road is being constructed in a fast paste. Where it took at least half a day to drive this 130km, we were able to reach South Luangwa NP in 2.5 hrs easily.

elephants crossing the luangwa river

We’re not allowed into the park on our bike for a very good reason. Apparently there are lots of lions in the park (and how we hope to see them!). The Elephants are not less dangerous as we quickly find out. They roam around the Crock Valley Camp at night, missing our tent only by centimeters. I wake up in the middle of the night due to the grazing sound close to my head accompanied by vibrations. The lamps throwing a silhouette of the huge animal on our tents wall, making our experience even more tense. Jane loves it! A couple of minutes later the elephants are moving on, leaving us both scared and excited, behind. Next morning we should find out that there were 5 elephants close to our tent, some of them only inches away… Some of our neighbors followed the spectacle from a safe distance of their roof tent.
Not much time left for us for sleeping as we have booked an early morning safari.
We’re following a bumpy track along the Luangwa River spotting some Elephants as our guide receives a call. Apparently some of the guides found LIONS and we are about to see them soon. Wow, we both hope that the Pride has not left by now.

lion king

lionesse in the south luangwa NP