dear all - wordpress.com...dear all my header is from the kafue river near kaingu lodge. here is the...
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Dear All
My header is from the Kafue River near Kaingu Lodge. Here is the last part of my story from that trip:
Kafue Trip Part ‘n’ (I have forgotten where we are)
We had spent the night at Mukambi Lodge and were on our way to Kaingu Lodge along the new Spinal Road on
the west of the Kafue River. Stupidly we took the first turning after the Hook Bridge and ended up bumping
across and black cotton soil floodplain which didn’t do much for my kidneys.
When we finally arrived at Chunga Scout Camp it was a ‘village’ and we didn’t know where to go to pay fees.
Why, oh why, can’t we do signposts???
Eventually we found an office and sat for a while as the
receipts were written out. Then I realised I had lost a sock. I
had washed my socks that morning and hung them on the car
window to dry – one was missing. Very sad.
We then had to find the road out of Chunga Scout Camp and
after taking a couple of wrong turnings we found the new
spinal road which was splendid. It is such a pleasure to drive
on a smooth road in a park. It doesn’t have to be as top-notch
as this one, just a road which doesn’t rattle the bits off the car
and irritate the occupants of it.
Kaingu Lodge is on the
opposite side of the river
so arrangements have to
be made to be picked up
and taken by boat
downriver to the lodge.
We had done this and
were met at the river’s
edge by Kali. (To arrange
the pick-up is easy to
Kaingu – just send an
email).
Climbing into the boat
with our bags and taking to the river, I had the surprise of my life. The river is full of boulders. I am so used the
wide meandering expanse of the Kafue River that this was a bit of a shocker. The water tumbled over rocks,
rippled between them and got stuck in backwaters. It was magic and oh so beautiful. The boat was carefully
guided through the river between the rocks. At one point we noticed a bottle in the river – this was a marker to
show a rock under the water’s surface. Kali said it was not a river for a novice driver. After about 10-15 minutes
we arrived at Kaingu.
We were met by Julie. Julie’s partner,
Gil, had gone to get the shopping. As
you can imagine going shopping for a
lodge in the middle of Kafue National
Park is fraught with difficulties. The
shopping for Kaingu is ordered by
email to company in Lusaka. There the
shopping is done; then it is packed in a
truck and driven to Hook Bridge. Gil
was off to meet the truck. A while
later the shopping arrived by boat and
boxes of stuff, cool drinks, cabbages
and lettuces were carried to the kitchens. What a nightmare.
That afternoon and evening we sat on the deck overlooking all those rocks and the Kafue River, chatting with Julie
and Gil and a couple from the campsite. This
couple lived normally on a yacht but, on arriving
in Cape Town, had bought a fully-equipped 4x4
and had been touring southern Africa for many
months. As you can imagine they had plenty of
stories to tell.
In the morning we went on a bit of a drive
through Mumbwa GMA along the river. We
came to Puku Pan which looked as if it needed a
bit of TLC. Maybe now the spinal road is there it
will bring more guests for the lodge and they can
find the funds to do a bit of sprucing up.
We then went cruise along the river through all those
boulders and enjoyed the sights. The birdlife was great
with lots of rocks being favourite bird spots evidenced by
the white poo. The animals decided not to pose for me
that day, except, of course the hippos and crocodiles.
The heat of the day was spent being lazy and then
in the afternoon some of us went for a walk up a
hill. It was a lovely spot with views over miles of
Africa. Can’t beat it. We are so lucky to live in
such a place. We sat for a while and watched the sun go down and then Gil, who had wisely brought a vehicle,
chauffeured us all back to the lodge. Another perfect day in the African bush.
So, Kaingu has some beautiful chalets and a campsite with everything you could want. Arriving on the Itezhi-Tezhi
Road is not fun because of the road, but now that the spinal road is useable, just send them an email and they will
pick you and your bags up on the other side of the river. There are plans, I think, to put at least a campsite on
that side which will be a great boost for us all.
The following morning we were back
across the river and into the car to
take the spinal road to the lake, round
the corner to Ngoma and then on to
Nanzhila Plains Safari Lodge. We saw
‘notalot’, of course, although there
was a bit around the lake – hippo,
puku, waterbuck. One tip about the
spinal road is that there are some
fairly extreme dips – fords for when
the seasonal rivers flow. Speed is not
advised, so keep to the 40 kph.
This road is supposed to be all-season
road. I was told, though, that when
some of the rivers come down in
spate, they can cover the small bridges
and that one truck, during the
construction phase, was toppled over.
So, again, take the road in the rains
but take care and also, it is better to
travel with other vehicles, not alone.
While driving along the road from
Ngoma to Nanzhila there were a few elephants and one small one trumpeted, obviously very frightened at seeing
the vehicle. He ran helter-skelter towards us and then, still trumpeting, crossed the road in front of us and
disappeared into the trees. I felt so sad for him. He had obviously witnessed ‘death from vehicle’.
We stayed at Nanzhila for two nights because it is one of my favourite spots. And then, after R&R there, we
headed home. It had been a marvelous trip and I learned so much and met some very interesting people.
By the way, my son, Peter, has just done the trip from Mukambi, down the spinal road, through Nanzhila Plains
and then to Livingstone in one day. It was a long day but do-able. The other irritating thing is that he saw heaps
of wildlife including lion!
Road Toll Fees
From Zambia Weekly
Phase 1 of the national road tolling programme will start on 1 November, tolling classes II, III, IV, V and VI (see
table).
These vehicles will be required to pay toll at Zambia’s 17 ports of entry (clockwise from Chirundu, Kariba,
Livingstone, Kazungula, Katima Mulilo, Chavuma, Jimbe, Kasumbalesa, Tshisenda, Mokambo, Sakania, Chembe,
Nakonde, Lundazi, Mwami (Chipata), Chanida and Luangwa, although some of these are unlikely to see many
vehicles, and at eight weighbridges (Kafue, Kapiri Mposhi, Kafulafuta, Solwezi, Mpika, Mwami (Chipata),
Livingstone and Kazungula).
Mposhi, Kafulafuta, Solwezi, Mpika, Mwami (Chipata), Livingstone and Kazungula).
The Road Development Agency has not specified when phase 2, which will include light vehicles (class I) will
commence. Presumably the second phase will take off once the construction of 18 new toll gates has been
completed (see box). By then motorists will be required to pay toll whenever they venture onto the Great North
Road and the Great East Road.
Selected tolling points:
Lusaka going North
Katuba (outside Kabwe), ZNS Kabwe, Kapiri Mposhi, Kafulafuta, Mwanawasa Stadium (Ndola), Kamfinsa
(Kitwe), Ganerton (Kitwe), Chingola, Solwezi turnoff (Chingola), Solwezi, Konkola, Mpika, Mwenzo
Lusaka going South
Shimabala (Kafue), Turnpike (between Lusaka and Mazabuka), Chirundu, Nega-Nega turnoff (outside
Mazabuka), Kapinga, Choma, Livingstone, Kazungula, Sesheke
Lusaka going East
Chongwe, Luangwa, Chipata
Toll fees are to be paid at each and every toll site – and that can add up, especially considering that toll is being
applied to roads with no alternative route from A to B (which is the custom in most of the world).
Vehicles exempt from paying tolls include the president’s and vice-president’s motorcades, military vehicles,
authorised emergency vehicles and road contractors.
Zambia Airport selects SITA to modernize airport operations
From Travel Daily News
LIVINGSTONE, ZAMBIA – SITA is transforming Zambia’s Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport in a multi-
million dollar deal to automate all airport operations and provide world-class service to the country’s growing
tourism market. Under the new agreement, SITA will modernize the airport’s passenger processing, network
infrastructure and security management solutions and serve as the master systems integrator to ensure all new
solutions work together seamlessly.
Prince Chintimbwe, Director Airport Services for National Airports Corporation Limited (NACL), the company that
manages the airport, said: “Zambia’s tourism industry is experiencing year-on-year growth of 10 percent, and our
airports are absolutely critical in providing a good first impression. SITA has been instrumental in helping us build
and integrate our new airport operations solutions, with a focus on improving customer service. And they’ve
done it in record time.”
During the first three months of the project, SITA delivered its AirportConnect Open passenger processing
platform, which all airlines can use. The company also provided its new AirportVision flight information display
system throughout the airport
and a new public address
system to keep passengers
well informed throughout their
journeys. The airport
showcased the new technology
during the recent UN World
Tourism Organization’s
General Assembly, which
Livingstone hosted.
During the next phase of the
project, SITA will implement an
integrated system throughout
the airport. This will include a
Local Area Network, WiFi,
Internet Protocol TV, Closed
Circuit TV and fire alarm
systems, in collaboration with
third-party network and
security suppliers.
Paul Murphy, SITA Vice President, Sub Sahara Africa, Bahrain, UAE & Kuwait, said: “By the end of this
transformation project, Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport will become an intelligent airport.
Management will be able to share real-time information with all airport stakeholders, which will improve
operational efficiency and facilitate superior service throughout the airport. We’re working closely with the
airport against an ambitious timescale to completely modernize and integrate all airport operations.”
SITA’s AirportConnect Open enables airports, airlines and their handling agents to access their respective IT
applications in real time on shared equipment. It also allows any airline to use any agent desk, gate position or
self-service kiosk for passenger check-in and bag drop. This helps save airlines money because they can share
applications and equipment, while also helping airports to optimize real estate and improve operational
efficiency.
More than 300 airlines use SITA's AirportConnect Open to process millions of passengers every day in more than
360 airports around the world.
The transformation project at Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport is part of the NACL’s airport
infrastructure development master plan, which covers four of the country’s airports. This is the first airport to be
upgraded, and the project is expected to be completed by early 2014.
Kasanka National Park
July- Sept 2013
PREPARATIONS FOR BAT SEASON
In the coming weeks Kasanka will once again see the arrival of our biggest attraction from the equatorial forests
of Central Africa. It took some time, but some large poles were sourced to replace the ladder up the Fibwe
Sitatunga Hide, preparing it for the scores of guests who will be visiting this year.
The BBC-hide is being renovated to allow our visitors excellent views of the Bat Forest and its inhabitants during
our famous dawn and dusk Bat Experiences. For the budget conscious the public viewpoint will once again be
freely accessible, and an intern studying Wildlife Management in the Netherlands present to monitor access to
the Bat Forest and share information with our guests. Three additional private hides are once again being built
down-wind from the forest on the banks of the Musola Stream – a great location for those looking to get close-up
shots of the Bats.
ZIMBABWE Friends of Hwange
The Trustees of Friends of Hwange Trust, and indeed Friends all over the world, are very sad about the recent
cyanide poisoning of the elephants and other animals and birds in Hwange National Park. It is however very
encouraging to see that the authorities have responded in a manner befitting of such a despicable atrocity and
are leaving no stone unturned to get to the bottom of it. They are also doing their best to make sure all the
culprits are identified and dealt with accordingly as well as ensuring that this type of thing never happens again.
It is heartening to see the outrage from people all over the World and even more so that many Zimbabweans are
truly shocked and motivated to help. Unfortunately there are many unsubstantiated and exaggerated reports
going around which are causing alarm and despondency and do nothing to improve the situation. They only make
it worse as potential visitors may get discouraged and make alternative plans thus reducing income into the Park
and the Country as a whole. As you can imagine it is difficult to ascertain the full extent of animals killed but
recent reports believe the number to be in region of about 100 elephants confirmed dead and possibly more.
Sadly a number of other animals and birds have also perished including many vultures which is an ecological
disaster.
The good news is that not only are the authorities taking this very seriously but they have been successful in
apprehending and convicting a number of the poachers. Jail sentences are very severe and are in the region of 15
years. Heavy fines are also being applied. Even more encouraging is the fact that certain middlemen and corrupt
officials are being named and brought to book. Information is being accumulated leading higher up the chain to
the “dealers” behind the illegal trade. Further good news is that the Minister has set up a Trust of non-political
persons to look into the management of the Park and it's requirements. A number of new vehicles have been
deployed which will help considerably.
The efforts by the Government are not confined to Hwange National Park as anti-poaching activities are
increasing throughout the country. A major breakthrough, and even more rewarding, is that the legal system is
supporting the drive and handing out penalties that should discourage would be poachers and dealers to engage
in this trade. This support from the judiciary is essential and sets and example to the rest of Africa. Recently a
poacher caught with a pangolin received a sentence of 9 years!
An additional solution that may help, still to be discussed with the authorities, could be to appoint private people
working in the area as “Honorary Wardens” which would give them the authority to apprehend and apply the
law. Another is to allow “volunteers” to set up base close to the Park boundaries thereby increasing a presence in
the area.
In the meantime the Friends of Hwange work goes on within the Park ensuring as many boreholes as possible are
working and providing water into the pans. It is very hot and dry at the moment and game viewing is excellent as
the ground cover is sparse and the animals are concentrated around the waterholes. We look forward to the rains
which will hopefully give us all time to regroup and plan for the next year. Our vehicle needs much maintenance
and repair as it is now falling apart after all the hard work this dry season. The rains will provide much needed
water and give us the opportunity to service and recondition engines and pumps and replace borehole pipes
some of which are more than 50 years old. The tractor will get busy repairing erosion around the troughs and
fixing the roads. …
OTHER STUFF
Partial Eclipse of the Sun on 3 November around 4pm
I am sorry but this has been a short one because I am travelling on Saturday and won’t be back for a few days. I
am off on a trip and will tell you all about it when I get back.
Have a good week
Gill