Day 11 - 24 May 2016 Bridge Camp, Luangwa River to Wildlife Camp, South Luangwa

Day's trip schedule

Luangwa -> Petauke -> Katete -> Chipata -> Chisengu -> Mfuwe -> Wildlife Camp

Distance & time taken

460 km
5 1/2 hrs

Accommodation

The Wildlife Camp, Mfuwe, South Luangwa (www.wildlifezambia.com)
+/-6km from the village of Mfuwe on the banks of the Luangwa river

Trip Notes

Chalets at the Bridge Camp

This morning we were awoken just after 6 by our furry friends (vervet monkeys & yellow baboons). First through the campsite were the monkeys but they pressed on down to the river as soon as the baboons arrived. This kept us & the lodge staff busy for a while ensuring they didn't damage or make off with anything. The Bridge Camp looks OK in daylight but, in my view, the campsite is in need of attention - levelling & demarcation.

We had set up camp the previous evening with the main opening of the tent facing the Luangwa river & which allowed us a pleasant view of our surroundings in the morning.  We could see the Mozambican fishermen setting out in their makoros for their daily catch. We had a really hot shower in the rustic ablutions, made a light breakfast & bid our Australian mates goodbye. I then took a quick stroll up the hill to the lodge reception & was treated to really awesome view over the Luangwa river. As Bridge Camp is close to the Lower Zambezi National Park, I chatted to the owner around his insights & travel options into the park. It appears that everything happens on the western side of the park & the best way to get there is via Lusaka & Chirundu - travelling from this side would take a lot longer & would be a lot riskier.

We finished packing & set off for South Luangwa. We were on the road by 09h00 & headed back up onto the T4 to Chipata. Within 10 minutes of turning right onto the T4, we entered our first police checkpoint of the day at the Luangwa Bridge. The main reason for this checkpoint is to ensure that no more than 1 vehicle at a time crosses the bridge - probably a maintenance thing on the suspension bridge.

Suspension bridge over the Luangwa River

When we drove this route 2 years ago, this section proved to pretty challenging with potholes but we were pleasantly surprised how quickly the road had been resurfaced under the guidance of the Chinese. The road seemed to be holding together pretty well under the wheels of the articulated trucks travelling between Lusaka & Malawi. Again, we were treated to a number of police checkpoints along the route but they proved no more than a hinderance to our progress.  There are also many villages leading up to Chipata which slowed the progress down somewhat & then we got the surprise every now-and-again of speedbumps so big, that would destroy most vehicles under-carriages at 30kph.  The challenge was that they weren't identifiable through either signage or paint on the road surface.

Just before you enter Chipata, you take a left turn towards the north & then drive for about 120km on decent tar to Mfuwe village.  This took a lot longer than I anticipated due to the number of schools next to the road resulting in reduced speed & the challenging speedbumps.  Just past the Mfuwe village is the turning to The Wildlife Camp.  There are numerous camping options around South Luangwa National Park but after our experience at The Wildlife Camp 2 years ago, we decided to stick with what we knew.  We never really experienced the park then as my neck injury restricted what we did so it was now time to really discover the park.

Ang appreciating the view across the Luangwa river after we arrived at the Wildlife Camp

We arrived at the reception just after 2, booked for 3 nights & at the same time, booked for a game drive safari the following afternoon - this is a must as the last time we were blessed with 2 separate sightings of leopard.  When we went to select our site, we were pleasantly surprised that the campsite we occupied last time was vacant again - campsite # 8.  This site is on the bank overlooking the river but is also fortunate to have shade during the middle of the day - even though it is winter, it gets pretty warm during the day.

Campsite #8 at The Wildlife Camp outside South
Luangwa National Park

We set up camp, made some lunch & settled down to relax for the balance of the afternoon.  I set up the hammock under the lapa & caught up with my trip notes while sucking down an ice cold Tafel lager.  Ang retired to the tent for a while but didn't last too long as it was a bit warm up there.  When we got mobile again, we introduced ourselves to our neighbours on the right as those on the left had left for an afternoon game drive.

Robert & Laura Malone are resident in Austin, Texas & have been travelling out to South Luangwa for the best part of the last decade.  They are retired teachers & spend as much of their time (as their budget allows) travelling to Africa, Europe & South America.  They spend 4 weeks in South Luangwa & then head off to Kruger Park for 10 days before returning home.  They have a blogspot which they keep updated with their travels.

I made bread dough in the afternoon & we made a loaf as well as some roosterkoeke that we had with the chicken & wors that we braaied.  This was all washed down by a few G&T's while the sun set over the Luangwa river.

Sunset over the Luangwa River - view from our campsite

Costs for the day

Accommodation	Wildlife Camp	US$20,00
Wood	Wildlife Camp	US$5,00