Breezes is a basic lodge with camping sites and a few “chalets” located on the bank of the Zambezi River. It has a nice pool overlooking the river with an adjacent little bar with very affordable beer and a small selection of food. It is also the starting point for canoeing trips. We knew about this place because seven years ago we departed here on a great 3 1/2 day, 72 km adventure down the river.
We decided to do this overnight pit stop because the drive from Lusake to Chirundu takes about three hours and the border crossing into Zimbabwe from previous experience can take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 hours.
We would be heading to Mana Pools NP which all said and done could potentially add another 3+ hours so unless we departed Lusaka at sunrise there was a good chance we wouldn’t make it to our final camping site in Mana until close to sunset which is not what we wanted.
It would also seriously reduce the stress level at the border if it took a long time to cross.
The views across the river at Breezes were beautiful, especially at sunrise and we were treated by evening and early morning elephant visits. Spectacular!
We departed early morning on the 25th of July and made our way to the Chirundu border crossing hoping it wouldn’t take us the possible three hours to cross into Zimbabwe.