South Luangwa National Park is our next destination. In pouring rain in the morning we drive from Dezda Pottery to the capital of Malawi, Lilongwe, and from there on to the border of Zambia. Malawi has given us much, we are looking forward to Zambia.
We have come through the border well, but had to wait for the official veterinarian, who did not come, so they just checked our yellow fever vaccination.
In Chipata, the border town, we go to the campsite. It is not bad, we can rest in the shade and plan our trip to the South Luangwa National Park.
Although there are only a little over 100 kilometers, you need an entire day.
The condition of the road changes from good to sometimes miserable, but nicely landscaped.
To our great surprise far from any civilization, there are occasionally villages. And the surprise is even greater when we encounter tarmac a few kilometers outside the Luangwa National Park. We accommodate in the Croc Valley Lodge, on the banks of the Luangwa river.
And be warned immediately. We must give all vegetarian food to the bar, because an elephant visits the lodge occasionally and turns cars on their roofs when the elephant smell fruits or vegetables in the car and cannot get it. We leave everything at the bar, but are not scared, because we have found a great place with even better views.
We sit right on the banks of the river and enjoy the evening beauty of the landscape. In the trees, the monkeys are cursing, they are not excited by our arrival.
The Luangwa is one of the most pristine rivers in Africa. Steep, barely accessible mountain slopes of the mighty Muchinga Escarpment protect the valley. The river meanders and is constantly changing its course. Each year, it eats further into the sandy river bank. Several lodges have been over the years washed away by the rushing river.
The park is accessible all year round, but many lodges are open only during the dry season from May to October.
The fauna is very diverse. Impala, waterbuck, zebra, kudu and many other species of antelope can be seen here.
About 400 bird species are represented here.
We enjoy the atmosphere here, we like the South Luangwa and we decide to stay a little longer in this area. With a good glass of wine in front of a magnificent natural background we will finish off the busy day.