14.South Luangwa National Park, Zambia - 11 September to 22 September 2009

We left Livingstone and the Victoria Falls on Friday 11 September and headed north-east on the road to Lusaka, capital of Zambia. After a long day's drive, we camped at Eureka Camp with expansive lawn and shady trees just 12km south of the city.

The next morning we ventured into the city, busy and bustling and hectic, but just on the other side was Manda Hill Shopping Centre, which is quite a large complex with a huge variety of shops, including a great bookshop and a really interesting coffee shop with walls and ceiling decorated with African curios and interesting artwork. They also serve great coffee, and we were able to buy some good ground coffee to take with us.

We then set off on the road to Luangwa South National Park and camped at Bridge Camp, where the bar and restaurant looks across the Luangwa River to Mozambique. We chatted to a New Zealand couple who are living and working in Lilongwe, Malawi for 6 months and often go to Luangwa South NP on weekends, which they love. Also,a South African couple now living in Lusaka and travelling to Malawi.

Next morning we crossed the huge bridge across the Luangwa River and drove towards Chipata, near the Malawian border. The drive through Zambia was so interesting, the landscape ranging from mountainous, to more undulating and flat with richer soil and more agriculture. Villages scattered everywhere along the way, and the road through the towns always lined with abandoned-looking cement shops, some still trading, others derelict and markets out in front selling clothing and food, and especially great looking tomatoes. And always many, many people walking, women with various loads on their heads, including water, baskets of produce, firewood, always dressed in beautiful colourful fabrics. And pushbikes everywhere as well, often loaded up with firewood, or charcoal or bags of mealie. Sometimes the loads so huge they can hardly steady them, and sometimes carrying up to 3 people, one a child.

We stopped briefly in Chipata, another busy, jostling place, and then drove on to Croc Valley Camp, well named as during our stay we saw numerous crocodiles, some massive. Once two local villagers were poling a dug-out boat right past where we had seen a huge croc ten minutes earlier. We were quite fearful for them, especially when they got out of their boat and walked along with their fishing nets! But shortly after, back in their boat, they drifted past a mob of hippos without any trouble. Mind you the locals have a great deal of respect for the wild life, more so than many of the tourists who go way too close.

Croc Valley Camp is a fabulous place just outside the national park, and once again we had a river bank campsite with a panoramic view of the Luangwa River. The reduced flow due to the dry season lends itself to wonderful birdlife, and great hippo and elephant viewing. The wildlife can cross the river, so anything can walk through the camp at any time, and the elephants do regularly, both day and night. The grass is continually watered and they love the green pick, as do the hippos at night. On our first night we had a hippo munching and grazing right at the back of our camper, and an elephant passing between where we sleep and a tree not two metres away. It was so exciting, and continued for the whole of our stay.

We met a wonderful couple from South Africa whose company we really enjoyed. They had worked in the UK for a number of years, and then in Australia for two years. In NSW they bought a Toyota Landcruiser Troopie and in July 2008 shipped it to Korea, from where they drove across Russia, and down through Europe and Africa. They were nearly at the end of their journey which would end in South Africa. They gave us some great tips and campsites further north, for which we were very grateful. What a surprise to see another NSW registered vehicle in the camp when we arrived!

We also met a great fellow from the UK who had ridden his bike across Europe and south through Africa. He shared some great travel tips as well. We've also met a number of German couples who regularly travel through Africa in their campers.

One day we drove to Mfuwe International Airport which was a great drive through the Luangwa Valley. The soil is rich, black and the vegetation tropical and dotted with palm trees, banana and mango trees and many little villages along the way. On the way back we stopped at Tribal Textiles where a team of local artists design and hand paint cotton fabric and sew it into a huge variety of items such as tablecloths, bed throws, cushion covers, handbags and things for children. This rural enterprise generates a large amount of local employment, and the fabrics are just beautiful. We were taken on a tour through the workshop, and they also sell other local crafts.

After Croc Valley, we headed back to Chipata, and the border into Malawi, after staying at Mama-Rula's campsite.