Namibia, by Theodor Sverkén Sjögren, May 2010
Going to Namibia is easy, even with some kids in the back of the car. Here are some hints on what you should do during your stay.
Going there,
1. Air Namib is easy to book on Internet. We took a flight from Lusaka to Joburg, and then from Joburg to Windhoek. Leaving Zambia in the afternoon and entering Namibia late evening.
2. Car rental is also easy, and necessary if you don't prefer to drive all the way from Lusaka (it is possible though). The distanses are long, but roads are in very good condition (South African standard).
Staying there,
1. Search Internet for lodges and guest houses, we found several nice ones even over a hectic week as Easter. Use Namibia Reservations.
2. Most places have similar service level as places in South Africa.
3. Prices are also equivalent to the southern neighbour.
4. Medi Clinic is the best if you need to see a doctor, clinics available in all major towns.
Things to do,
When you are planning your trip to Namibia, use Internet or buy the Bradt guide. We did both. And here are some things that could be recommended,
1. Desert; when travelling Namibia you must take the opportunity to climb some dunes and walk a desert, could be done in the Namib desert or similar. Close to Swakopmund there are several dunes, e.g. Dune 7. Driving to or flying over the famous Sousosvlei is also strongly recommended. We also took a guided tour through the desert nearby Swakop. Desert Tours was the company, and the guide you should require is mr Tommy. The kids touched a snake and fed a kameleont.
2. Coastline; if living in Zambia you might be interested in seeing the sea, eat some good seafood or just have a smell of some 10 000 furry seals in the colony at Cape Cross. Driving along the coastline is a magnificent thing to do.
For reaching Skeleton Coast up north you might need a 4x4 or you just fly in there. From Walvies Bay, just south of Swakopmund, there are lots of activities you can do, such as bird watching (pelicans, flamingos, etc), seal watching, etc.
3. Safari; the Etosha National Park is famous for its pan and the oryx must be the country's most famous antelope. We spotted ostrich, giraffe, black and blue wilderbeast, impala, springbok, zebra, jackal and lion.
Unfortunately it was wet season, but in the dry season there are also plenty of elefant, buffalos, etc. If you don't want to travel up north to the Etosha NP, you could instead visit any of the game farms closer to Windhoek. We did Okapuka Ranch, where we spotted jackal, blesbok, oryx, wilderbeast, warthog, kudu and rhino.
If you have the opportunity, we strongly recommend you take the opportunity to see Namibia.
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Malawi, by Bodil Sörensen, March 2010
A small country but with a lot to offer. Zambia’s eastern neighbour. One of the poorest countries in the world. Only half the size of Sweden but with 13 million inhabitants. A big variety in nature and landscape. One of our best vacations.
In March 2009 we flew with Kenya Airways into Lilongwe. It is just one hour very comfortable flight from Lusaka or some two days bumpy drive! From Lilongwe we had arranged with a rental car and soon we went through the hilly, green landscape towards Cape McClear at the southern part of the lake. We arrived to Danforth Yachting three hours later. Greeted by the two big dogs barking but turned out to be the most mellow kind of dogs. The nice couple, Howard and Michelle Massey-Hicks, who bought this place some ten years ago showed us to our room.
The first thing we did was to go down to the one gazebo where you have your breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon coffee. We turned two chairs around so that they faced the beach and the lake, had some coffee and watch our kids play in the sand. This is how it continued. Such a relaxed atmosphere.
Danforth Yachting is not only about relaxation, good food and drinks. They can also offer you all kinds of water sports such as scuba diving, snorkelling, hobie cat sailing, kayaking, waterskiing etc. You can also spend some days or weeks cruising the lake on board ‘Mufasa’, their big catamaran.
After breakfast one day we went out on the lake to do some snorkelling. We spent a day in a nice and sheltered lagoon on one of the islands visible from the mainland. We were provided with all snorkelling gear and we brought some left over bread to feed the huge amount of different species of fish found in the lake. Not only the kids were fascinated! In between all snorkelling we had a nice lunch which the chef prepared for us on board the boat. On our way back to shore we had a good view watching the eagles from on top of the roof of the boat.
Four days at Danforth was not enough but we had to move on. We went straight south from the lake to Zomba. We stayed at Ku Chawe Inn, placed literally on the rim of the Zomba Plateau. The air was cooler at this level, the vegetation was more lush and green but still you could see a lot of baboons climbing the pine trees. From the hotel you had a great view overlooking the mountainous landscape. You could even see as far south as to Mount Mulanje, said to be the second highest mountain in Africa.
After a nice dinner we went back to our room where the hotel staff had already lit the fire in the stove. We put more logs on and soon fell asleep thinking of Malawi how diversified as a country. The next morning we took of hiking the mountain. With kids we actually drove our car on the mountain and made a few stops hiking the sorrounding areas. The mountain is full of waterfalls, lakes, hilly climbs, nice forests and always breathtaking views.
The last part of our vacation we stayed in Blantyre. We spent one day going even more south down to Mount Mulanje. The mountain arose impressively in the distance and this day with clouds flowing down the sides. As far as you could see in the surrounding rolling landscape beneath, there were huge plantations of tea and coffee and sometimes tobacco hung out to dry. We parked our car and went for a walk to one of the many waterfalls. If you have more time you can hike the mountain for a few days and walk from cabin to cabin.
The day after we left Blantyre to catch the flight back to Lusaka from Lilongwe. On our way we stopped for lunch in Dedza at Dedza Pottery. They make some nice pottery from white clay but with a variety of nice glazing.
We spent some ten days in Malawi but could easily have spent a lot more. Malawi is definitely on the list of our top three vacations.
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Shiwa N'Gandu - a piece of Zambian history
Travelling Story by Theodor Sverkén Sjögren, February 22, 2010
After reading Africa House by Christina Lamb (see under Book Reviews) my family decided to fill up the Nissan Patrol and go the 750 kilometers up north. To fill up happened to be a very good decision since there are only two petrol stations on the way, and these are easy to miss, especially if you have a couple of kids playing in the back of your car.
It should not be any problems going the whole distance in one day, but the longer you wait until going on this holiday, the longer the trip will take, due to the escalating number of pot holes (Important note: in 2009 the amount and size of the holes were still okey, not as the 2009 status of the Livingstone road). My family decided to stop over (one night in each direction) at Forest Inn, in between Kapiri Mposhi and Mpika. A nice place, but with no activities or anything else to spend the time on apart from having your dinner, sleeping and leaving the place just after your breakfast.
From the main road there is a good sign indicating where to turn for Shiwa N'Gandu, and soon this old British estate house shows up in front of you. You can choose to spend your nights at the Africa House, but if you have a smaller budget then stay at Kapisha Hotsprings Lodge, some 20 kilometers further in on the estate. The lodge is run by Mark Harvey, the grandson of Sir Stewart Gore-Brown, who built the estate house in the 20s and 30s. Africa House itself is run by Mark's brother.
Sir Gore-Brown was a weird man with a weird dream. He wanted so much to have his own British estate house, but since he could not afford building or buying it in England, he decided to build it in Africa, funded with money from his beloved aunt.
This man was living for love, and married the daughter of his first love called Lorna. Losing his temper was apperently another common habit, but something people in the area had to accept since he was the biggest employer in northern Rhodesia at the time building the estate house.
For more information about Africa House and Sir Gore-Brown you can either read the book mentioned above, or visit the house, or, like we did, combine these two holiday activities.
At Kapisha Hotsprings Lodge there is (of course) a hot spring in which we started every morning. Starting off the day in 40 degree water is not too bad, actually. A river is alos running just a couple of meters down the chalets. If you are a true explorer you can even go camping here. Other activities include game drives, hunting, boat trips, horseback riding, and of course a visit to the Africa House. But the evenings you should definitely spend at the lodge because of the delicious food and, not to forget, Mark Harvey's stories about his family and the house. That is not only exciting, but also a piece of Zambia's history.
We spent three nights at Kapisha Hotsprings, which was enough. When leaving we could not resist buying some of the products made at the lodge, such as jam, marmelade, chutney and pickles. The strawberry jam was well appreciated on the pancakes the following weekend.
On our way back to Lusaka we bought some nice handmade baskets at the petrol station in Serenje. The packed lunch we got at Cims restaurant in Mpika.
If you are spending some more nights on your holiday, or prefer not staying at Forest Inn, you could also go to Mutinundo Wilderness Area on the way up to Shiwa N'Gandu, but that's for another explorer to tell us more about, in another part of this blog.
