Through hilly terrain, we go to the Lower Zambezi National Park, we do not want to get in, but spend a few days on the banks of the Zambezi. First we have to leave Lusaka.
We are perfectly located on the banks of the Kafue river at the camp site Gwaabi.
Lower Zambezi National Park – campsite
It is not the Zambezi, but the Kafue which is also very nice. A few miles from here it flows into the Zambezi river.
Under storm clouds, we prepare dinner. Hopefully we can make it before the rain. We get to know a couple from Lusaka, which invites us to a spontaneous boat ride. They live in Lusaka, but they come from Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. They have their boat lying here and come here often on the weekend.
We go the Kafue downstream passing the ferry until we finally turn off on the Zambezi. Tara is on the boat as well, she obviously enjoys the cool breeze. The Zambezi River is a border river and forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
It rises in the east of Zambia and is essentially formed by the rivers Kolomo, Matetsi and Kwai, which discharge into the Lake Kariba, and from Lake Kariba, the river is called Zambezi. It flows through Zambia and Mozambique where it flows into the Indian Ocean.
We pass a group of hippos and pass quite close to the shore to Zimbabwe, where I am amazed that there are no border controls or water police, patrolling the frontier.
And again we come across a group of Hippos. We drive slowly closer, not too close, that could be dangerous. We make a rest at a sand bank in the middle of the Zambezi. We walk around alert of possible crocodiles, but Tara wanted to get out as well, for her sandy beach and water is pure pleasure.
After a few hours we return to the campsite. It was a great boat trip, dinner is prepared now. We do not sit for five minutes a snake suddenly falls from the tree, in front of our feet.
It has a lizard in its mouth, apparently it fell from a tree while hunting. We do not know which kind of snake it is. The head shape does, however, point out that it is venomenous. In any case we were lucky because it has already made prey.
It is obviously irritated by our presence, but begins to devour its prey. It looks quite interesting as the lizard continually moves through its body.
Lower Zambezi National Park we will never forget this great place.