When I wrapped up the first instalment of the Five Rivers Safari it was at the end of November on the hot, dusty plains of Kwando Lebala in the far north of Botswana. My return, to pick up my tour of the nine camps participating in the safari, put me in the familiar surroundings of Livingstone in Zambia, but with a huge difference — rain, and lots of it, had transformed this often oppressively hot and dry region into a lush and verdant wonderland.
Welcome to the green season, and the long-awaited, life-bringing deluges this part of the world had needed for so long.
Songwe Village was to be my first port of call on this second half of my Five Rivers Safari, which I resumed with Nationwide from Johannesburg International to Livingstone.
It was sunny when I landed in Livingstone and a week or so of rains earlier in January meant that the nearby Victoria Falls were almost at peak flow, filling the air with their thrilling mist that gives them their local name — Mosi o Tunya, the smoke that thunders.
I was met by Songwe manager Dorothy Shinga and guide-cum-driver Munkombwe and began the journey to Songwe Point, about 14km out of town. However, it is a long haul of 45-minutes due to the rough road. Once off the main tar road, it is a spot of major bundu bashing over rock and through mud to get to the village. But it’s more than worth the trek.
As we pulled into Songwe the sun was steadily being overtaken by steely grey clouds, with the huge thunderheads forming on the horizon a sign of things to come.
Like the Lebala, Kwara and Lagoon camps, Songwe is part of the Kwando Safaris family. But it is very different to its stablemates.
Songwe offers participants in the Five Rivers Safari a chance to get down and cultural. Accommodation in the village is in traditional huts, simply but comfortably furnished and with the added luxury of en suite toilets and showers. The bathrooms have no windows but low walls at the sink and shower afford stunning views of the gorge and the stretch of the Zambezi between rapids 10 and 13, well known to white-water rafters.
In typical Kwando style the marriage of tradition, comfort and convenience is seamless and works perfectly. Basins in the bathroom are large enamel bowls with a single, cold tap. In the early morning a large iron kettle is placed outside the door of the hut for freshening up purposes. The showers are basic, with hot and cold water and all the intricacies are there, but in a low-key, traditional way. The mirror is framed in recycled Fanta cans and enamelware is everywhere, from the mugs for your toothbrush to the rubbish bin.
The beds are made from rustic poles and the linen is a mix of pure cotton sheets and locally woven textile throws with the compulsory mosquito net — an absolute must in this malaria-ridden region.
The huts are arranged in a traditional village formation around a central area where livestock roam freely. On each side are two additional huts that house double showers and huge Victorian-style baths. One set of these bathroom facilities faces sunrise over the gorge, the other sunset. The baths are slightly raised to afford marvellous views as you relax and soak with a glass of something ever so slightly refined from the makeshift bar in the central living area.
This is housed in its own, open hut to one side of the kitchen hut at the end of the village, close to the edge of the gorge. Here you relax on plump cushions on a built-in bench around the perimeter of the hut, which has a small fire pit at its centre. Meals are taken here, eaten off your lap or, on occasion, at a makeshift but perfectly functional table.
The idea, and it works marvellously, is to get you to relax and experience what it’s like to be part of a proper, working village.
During a stay at Songwe guests get the chance to experience a traditional village dinner, eaten seated on a cushion on the floor using your fingers as cutlery. Shinga, who runs Songwe with her husband Emanuel, explained that some guests are squeamish when it comes to eating in such an alfresco manner and that forks and knives are optional. Not for me. I dived in with both hands making short shrift of the delicious shuma (pap), beef and chicken stews and assorted veggies such as spinach and pumpkin.
After-dinner entertainment comes in the form of some impromptu drumming and marimba playing, singing and dancing.
Guests are invited to join in with their own favourite songs, but somehow my rendition of Hotel California seemed out of place in this divine and oh-so relaxed setting.
Activities at Songwe are equally relaxed, with guests learning about the cultural heritage of the local Mukuni tribe, which has lived in this area since the 13th century, having migrated from northern Cameroon.
The village of Songwe itself is part of the greater Mukuni village and is home to about 1 500 people. Guests can visit the village where there are several curio stalls offering a range of arts and crafts made by the villagers.
Songwe Village is heavily involved in community development with the villagers, using tourism to inject much-needed resources into the communities via the Mukuni Environmental, Cultural and Economic Development Trust with the assistance of guests who participate in cultural activities, tours and buy curios from the stalls.
After the tour of Mukuni it was off to the Livingstone Museum to learn more about the area. Livingstone is very proud of its namesake, the inimitable Dr David, and he naturally features heavily in the exhibits.
Also on display are exhibits illustrating the geographical, geological, anthropological and biological histories of the region and the recent political history of Zambia. It is a small museum, and desperately in need of funding, but it is a start and an indication of the pride the local community has in its roots.
Then it was off on a sundowner cruise on the river with Safari par Excellence, which, at $60 a person is not bad value for money, including as it does tasty snacks and all drinks during the three-hour cruise.
On the morning of my departure the weather decided to mess with my itinerary, preventing my transfer by air charter.
The inclement weather played havoc across the region, causing airports to close and is a good illustration of how travelling in this part of the world is never cast in stone. Flexibility is an absolute must. As is patience. But in a smooth and impressively professional manner alternative arrangements were made for a road transfer to Kasane, about 70km away, from where I would fly to Lianshulu Lodge in the east Caprivi area of Namibia.
It is a strange part of the world, where international borders abound. One minute you are in Zambia, a short boat trip across the confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers and you are in Botswana, and before you can say Jack Robinson, you’re in Namibia. There, on the horizon, is Angola and in the other direction is Zimbabwe.
So began a curious series of immigration posts and 20-minute transits that have made my passport rather full and interesting. Four countries in one day is not unusual here.
The flight from Kasane to Lianshulu with Profile Safaris was smooth and thankfully interesting enough to make the 50-minute journey pass quickly. Pilot Gerd Niehaus pointed out the Chobe and Zambezi flood plains and the temporary fields and grazing, which in a few short weeks would be under water.
Lianshulu Lodge, located in the eastern Caprivi on the Namibian side of the Kwando river, is situated in a small, 800ha private concession in the Mudumu National Park, which covers about 800km2. Owing to the general inaccessibility of the river, Lianshulu has exclusive use of the meandering waterways and lagoons, while other vehicles are rarely encountered on nature drives in the park, conveying a powerful sense of remoteness.
Indeed, the only other camp in the park, Bush Lodge, is part of Lianshulu.
The lodges are owner-run by Ralph Meyer-Rust and his partner, Sharon Theron. Meyer-Rust co-owns the lodge with Jonathan Gibson, who is also CEO of local tour operation Desert and Delta Safaris, and Peter Koep, of legendary status in the Namibian legal profession. Bush Lodge managers, Beverley and Flavien Daguise, also lend a hand, making sure that guests’ needs are well catered for.
Lianshulu is a Lozi name meaning “the place of spring hares”. The lodge consists of 11 private rooms nestled on the edge of a lagoon that is part of the Kwando river system. All have views of the water and the ubiquitous hippo population, which provides all-day entertainment accompanied by a cacophony of grunts.
The rooms are luxuriously appointed and are in the process of being transformed into veritable palaces with lots of cool tiles, enormous bathrooms and living space for Africa.
Sumptuous meals are taken in the main complex with its huge deck overlooking the Lianshulu lagoon and, yes, more of those marvellous hippos. In the dry season elephants compete for the water, giving game buffs some exhilarating encounters with the wild. There is also a marvellously shady pool area that was a major drawcard in the often humid conditions.
Activities include the nature walks, river safaris and game drives, which make up an integral part of each day, and are interspersed with impromptu bush brunches served alfresco on islands in the river. Daily itineraries are tailor-made to suit guests with Meyer-Rust at pains to make the point that life at Lianshulu is geared towards slowing down and absorbing the natural beauty of the area.
At this time of year, with everything so wet, the game is more dispersed but the hues and colours of green Africa more than make up for the lack of action. And the birding is out of this world. I was quickly adding new ticks to my checklist with lesser jacana, lesser moorhen and African finfoot among the endemic species I spotted.
In addition to hosting and entertaining guests with some rivetting fireside stories, Meyer-Rust is also something of an expert on the area, having worked as a guide and expedition leader for more than 20 years. He is a fount of knowledge on the area’s biodiversity, political history and geographical composition. My guide, Peter Damson, a Zimbabwean from Kariba, was also extremely well-informed and knowledgeable.
Lianshulu is heavily involved in community development in the area, most notably with the original creation of the Kwando thatching industry and the inception of Lizauli village where, for a fee of R25, guests can experience the culture and traditions of the local people, including a consultation with a dancing medicine man.
The area around Lianshulu is rich in natural history as well. The Mudumu is home to a broad range of species, from the Big Four (there are, sadly, no rhino in this part of the world) in season to herds of impala and zebra.
I took the option of a nature walk with Damson, checking out the smaller and sometimes more interesting details of fauna and flora that only walking brings you into contact with.
I also had the opportunity to experience the intricacies of a cross-border transfer along the river, with guests coming in from Kwando Lagoon camp’s airstrip, an hour by boat upriver, going through the formalities of leaving Botswana and entering Namibia under a makeshift riverside immigration post run by the Botswana Defence Force. It all runs smoothly, in spite of being hundreds of kilometres away from “civilisation” and goes a long way to making the Five Rivers Safari one of the best ways to visit several different countries on one trip.
On my second afternoon at Lianshulu I was beginning to get the feeling that the weather was following me. The heavens literally opened just as I was about to depart on a sunset river safari and put paid to any birdwatching ideas I may have had.
From Lianshulu it was a quick road trip down the trans-Caprivi highway and back into the dense bush to Susuwe Island Lodge.
Along with Impalila Island Lodge — my final destination — Susuwe is part of Islands in Africa Safaris, a Bryanston-based company whose major shareholders are Mike and Sue Rothbletz. Islands in Africa, as its name suggests, specialises in small, exclusive lodges on river islands.
Located on Birre Island on a peaceful stretch of the Kwando known as Carmine Corner, the lodge is surrounded by the Bwabwata National Park.
The contrast between its neighbours is stark. Encompassing vast flood plains and Kalahari woodlands, the thick loam of Lianshulu is gone, replaced by the distinctive white sand of the Kalahari basin whose dunes form the base for some of the elevated lookout points that made the area so important for the military.
Running the show at Susuwe is Bruce Lawson, who is literally a legend of the Southern African bush, having walked from the Cape to Cairo and led overland birding safaris for many years. Birds are his speciality, which is no surprise when you learn that his dad is the Lawson of Lawson’s Birding Safaris.
Time spent with Bruce Lawson on the activities at Susuwe is invaluable as you tap into his incredible wealth of knowledge and experience. During my stay I spotted the rare Arnot’s chat and some beautifully colourful violet-eared waxbills. Indeed, this is the area for rare avians, with pygmy geese also putting in several appearances.
Susuwe is a small lodge, with six beautiful suites positioned to enjoy views over the Kwando to the flood plains. Built in a blend of wood, thatch and reed, each suite is spacious, offering some of the best of life’s little luxuries, such as hairdryers and private plunge pools overlooking the river.
There is something special about relaxing in a plunge pool, Bloody Mary in hand, and gazing into the wilds of Africa — especially when blue waxbills and brown firefinches are pecking at a feeder full of millet not a metre away from you and swamp boubous are catching dragonflies in front of your very nose.
Elephants are no strangers to the area, as Susuwe annually witnesses huge migrations of breeding herds, with often as many as 1 000 animals observed at Horseshoe, an oxbow on the river a short drive from the lodge.
Susuwe is involved with the local Mayuni conservancy group in a joint venture partnership. This progressive approach to interaction between lodge guests and local tribal trusts has been of huge benefit to the community and to sustaining conservation in the area.
And so to the last outpost on this marathon trip — Impalila Island Lodge. Another 50-minute flight with Profile Safaris took me almost back to Kasane, landing at Impalila’s airstrip from where transfer is made via a short drive and longer, very impressive boat trip through the Kasai Channel, which links the Chobe and Zambezi rivers.
Impalila Island Lodge is located in an unusual position on the borders of four neighbouring countries. At the very tip of the eastern Caprivi it is situated on Namibian soil, but across the Zambezi is Zambia, and next to it Zimbabwe and Botswana, which borders the Chobe.
Built on the tip of Impalila Island at a place called Kamavozu — the place of baobabs — the lodge overlooks a section of the Zambezi known as the Mambova Rapids.
Fittingly, a huge baobab dominates the entrance to the lodge. It’s one of three in the area, with the other at the rear of the main complex and a massive, 2 000-year-old specimen a short walk away.
Owner-manager Simon Parker runs Impalila with the help of his partner, Rénee te Roller. Parker has been at Impalila since its inception, nine years ago. He is an expert on the area and has become a hero to the locals, often helping them in times of need. As he points out, no lodge of this kind can function without the cooperation of the local residents and there is a huge responsibility attached to a venture of this kind.
Parker regularly ferries the island police officers who, curiously, do not have their own boat, and has on more than one occasion used his boats as ambulances for seriously injured villagers, some the victims of crocodile attacks.
Impalila is a beautiful place and is very private, with the nearest major human structure Island in Africa’s new venture, Ntwala Island Lodge, still to be completed on a neighbouring island.
Eight en suite chalets are positioned along the rapids, enveloped in dense rainforest with private decks positioned to best enjoy the swirling waters that pass almost beneath them. The sound of rushing water is everywhere and lulls you to sleep each night under the safety of your mosquito net in huge, king-sized beds.
The suites are cozy and comfortable, built in wood, thatch and reed with plump wing-back chairs and ottomans the perfect place to sit and listen to the sounds of this water-bound wonderland.
The majority of activities at Impalila revolve around water. Game viewing is done by boat through the Kasai Channel to the Chobe National Park. It is a wonderful journey into Africa and offers some great views of Chobe’s famed elephants and even big cats who target the wide river banks and the antelope they attract.
Guide Albert Muyoba has sharp eyes and spotted some excellent things for me to photograph, including a young bull elephant and two of the biggest water monitors I have ever seen.
Then there is fishing, and guide Haydn Willens who is ever-willing to share his passion for the piscine.
He must be a good teacher because I soon posed for pics with my very first tiger, a mere tiddler at 1,5kg but nonetheless a fighter that took no small amount of wrestling to reel in. All fish are caught and released again, so there was no remorse at my newfound skill.
Like the rest of the lodges on the Five Rivers Safari, Impalila is tip top when it comes to service. Especially when it comes to matters culinary with student chef Charl Kleu, who hails from Centurion near Pretoria, literally cooking up a storm.
My journey home from Impalila was again indicative of the curious position of the island. By boat to the other side of the island where Namibia has a small border post.
Checking out of Namibia it is off by boat to Kasane and a riverside immigration office where you check in to Botswana.
From there it’s a 20-minute journey by road to Kazungula where you check out of Botswana, nip across the river by boat or ferry and check into Zambia for the 40-minute road trip to Livingstone airport, where you finally check out of Zambia and on to the Nationwide flight home.
Phew! It’s an interesting, if not exhausting, series of ins and outs. Blink and you’ll miss an entire country.
My overall impression on finally coming to the end of my journey is that I have found some of the most wonderful places in Africa, and all of them literally on my doorstep. Our immediate neighbours are not so far away and more than worthy of a visit.
Everyone I encountered on the way was friendly, and passionately patriotic. And they all want to see more of us. The Five Rivers Safari will certainly see to that.
The lowdown
All of the lodges reviewed are part of the Five Rivers Safari specials currently available to South African residents. You can pick and choose from the nine participating lodges and camps and assemble a trip to suit both budget and areas of interest from and to Maun or Kasane, depending on the camps chosen. The camps reviewed here are accessed via Kasane.
Packages to Impalila Island Lodge start at R4 056 a person, sharing, for a four-day fly-in package from Kasane. Four days at either Susuwe Island Lodge or Lianshulu cost R7 320 a person, sharing, again flying in from and to Kasane.
Alternatively you can opt for a seven-day package with two nights at Impalila, one night each at Susuwe and Lianshulu, and two nights at either Kwando Lagoon or Kwando Lebala for R11 196 a person, sharing, flying from and to Kasane.
Two nights each at Impalila and Susuwe Island Lodges is available for R8 912 a person, sharing, and two nights at Songwe Village can be added on to any of the above for R3 000 a person, sharing, for packages starting and ending in Kasane.
The rates are available for South African residents only and are valid until March 31 2004. They are available through Safari Plans, a branch of Welcome Tourism Services, one of South Africa’s top tourism companies.
Rates include return flights from Kasane or Maun (depending on which lodges or camps are chosen), all transfers between the airstrip and camp or lodge, all activities, meals and drinks (excluding premium brands) and, of course, accommodation. Scheduled flights to Kasane are not included in the rate but can be arranged on request as can longer or shorter stays and different combinations. Contact Safari Plans for more details and to make a reservation on (011) 328 8140 or visit www.safariplans.co.za.
Sharon van Wyk’s Five Rivers Safari was courtesy of Safari Plans, a branch of Welcome Tourism Services. She was hosted by all of the camps and lodges reviewed and her scheduled flights were provided by Nationwide Airlines and Air Botswana. Charter flights were courtesy of Profile Safaris, Moremi Air and Mack Air