More pot-holed-pot-holed roads on the way to Kafue National Park. But very much worth it!

It’s hard to describe the pot holes on the many roads we’ve encountered so far. It’s not one or two, here and there. It is giant craters scattered across all lanes and shoulders so it is impossible to weave your way around them. You drive one side on the road, the other on the gravel shoulder. You drive a whole new path along the shoulder, sometimes a new makeshift road. You drive no faster than 10 km/hr. IT DRIVES YOU NUTS!

We arrived in Kafue on August 8th to an amazing campsite in a magical location. Mayukuyuku Bush Camp.

Our camp site was located on the banks of the Kafue River with a panoramic view across and around the winding river.

We spent most of our days sitting and watching. Hippos would congregate on the opposite shore to bathe in the warm sun. Crocodiles would be nearby doing the same and the occasional single or group of elephants would wander down to the river bank for a drink or a snack.

Large and small crocs would drift by in the current and the occasional Bushbuck and of course the pesky monkeys would wander by within feet of our location.

We had originally planned on spending two days at our first stop, Mayukuyuku Bush Camp, and then move on to another camp, McBrides, but when we found out how far and long the drive would be to McBrides and even more so how much we loved where we were, we decided to stay four days and stay put. Fortunately our site was available for the extra two days. We were very happy campers.

The Camp Attendant, Pizon, was amazing.  He would come by every morning and do our dishes. Yes, do our dishes, and in the late afternoon would show up with a wheelbarrow full of wood and start our fire. Every day he offered to do our laundry and on the third day we acquiesced and he returned a few hours later with fresh clean laundry.

This was certainly something we really haven’t experienced before and probably never will again. He was always happy and if we said ” thank you”, he said thank you in return. What a guy!

On our arrival we were told of a dead hippo that was stuck in some rocks and rapids upstream from the camp. The next day we did a short hike and in the distance we could see, and smell the bloated body of this has been hippo.

The next day it broke loose from the rocks and drifted down towards our site and presented us with the most amazing crocodile feeding frenzy you could ever expect to see. True National Geographic stuff.

I’m the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer and loved every minute of burning my fingers and daintily slicing vegies etc. with our serrated knife.

We were told by a couple of South African campers that an elephant had swam across the river and walked straight into their campsite. We were hoping this would happen when we were there and on the 3rd morning at about 5:45am I heard a loud crunch in the bushes beside our truck. I looked out through the screen and saw two large tusks and then a beautiful large elephant pass right beside us. Joyce pulled out her iPhone and caught these two pics before it ambled off into the next camp site and into the bushes. This is what makes memories in Africa!

The hippos in the area were abundant and we happened to look over a grassy area on the banks of the river. Every evening just after dusk the Hippos would become very vocal and slowly make their way to land to feed.

We just happened to be overlooking one of the areas where they would pop in for a bite and on our second evening we were treated to several that came ashore and grazed within 20 metres of where we sat watching.

On our 3rd night we watched under the almost full moon close to a dozen wander up onto the land but they were just a bit to the side of our viewpoint but watching the dark figures snort and splash as they made landfall under the moonlight was spectacular.

We reluctantly departed Kafue on the August 12th and made our way to a small lodge/campsite just out side of Lusaka. Below is a typical bathroom break scene.