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