A very long back-track drive, another camping pit-stop then on to the Royal Zambezi Lodge

We departed Zikomo Camp on the 18th and had to backtrack more than 600 km to get to just outside Lower Zambezi National Park.

We had originally planned to stop again in Petauke, where we had made a pit stop on the way to South Luangwa National Park. But after leaving fairly early and making very good time, we reached Petauke by 1:00 pm. There wasn’t much to do there, so we decided to keep going and stop at Pioneer Camp outside Lusaka, where we had stayed previously on our way to South Luangwa.

We arrived just at sunset after about a nine-hour drive. It was worth it because, had we stopped in Petauke, we don’t know how long the drive to the Royal Zambezi would have been the next day—probably about 11 hours.

Departing at around 8:30 am on the 19th, we arrived at the Royal Zambezi Lodge at around 2:00 pm. Finally, a little pampering for three days!

We were treated royally at the Royal Zambezi Lodge, and we had an excellent view from our deck!

Below are some pics of the Royal Zambezi Lodge. Almost two years to the day earlier, we had canoed past the lodge on our four-day, 72 km paddling journey. We thought it would be nice to return someday and try out the lodge. We’re glad we did.

On the second day of our stay, we did an afternoon drive through the protected reserve area surrounding the lodge. The area is administered by local communities and supported by RZL (Royal Zambezi Lodge) and local NGOs. There has been a fairly severe drought in the area, and the animals are having a difficult time foraging for food. Unfortunately, some human intervention has been required, including the scattering of large hay bales, salt licks and watering holes maintained by borehole pumps. It seems to be helping, as the elephants didn’t display the same level of hunger—no protruding ribs and thigh bones—as was evident in the national park. Hopefully, normal rains will return in October.

On our third day, we did an early morning drive into Lower Zambezi National Park. We didn’t have any luck spotting lions or leopards during our stay at the Royal, but the drives, scenery and wildlife were spectacular nonetheless.

The lodge was everything we hoped it would be: comfortable accommodation, excellent meals with plenty of choice, and superb staff who went out of their way to ensure we had an enjoyable and memorable stay. We had two very nice surprises on our second and third nights.

On the second evening, Joyce and I were enjoying sundowners at the bar, talking with Prosper, the bartender, and a couple of American visitors. We had made our dinner choices—we both went for the chicken cordon bleu—and were getting ready to move over to our “table for two” when we were told not to go there because they had a surprise for us. Looking at each other, we wondered what was in store.

They led us to the dining area and then pointed toward the wooden walkway leading to the boat docks on the river. Out in the middle of the walkway, on an expanded platform, was a candlelit table for two, far removed from a large American contingent sitting down to eat. Exquisite privacy, in a spot where only hours earlier an elephant had spent some time munching on the floodplain grasses. The stars were in full bloom, and the evening was perfect.

Our second surprise came the next evening. Again, we were having our sundowners at the bar when we realized we hadn’t put in our dinner request. Hoping we weren’t too late, we asked if we could see the menu. “No,” we were told. “Grab your drinks and follow us to the safari truck.”

A little late for a safari, but we followed and were met by Vincent, who had been our exclusive safari driver for the two drives we had done. We hopped into the truck and off we went for what turned out to be a five-minute drive. We assumed we must be going to the Royal airstrip, where perhaps tables had been set up, as we didn’t think there was much else around. But after a short drive, we could see a very large bonfire in the distance and a crowd of people milling about.

There were lanterns and torches surrounding the area, and we were on the banks of the Zambezi River. Tables were set, the bar was fully stocked, and we walked into a beautiful scene straight out of an old African movie. There was one other British couple staying at the lodge, along with us, the lodge managers, Vincent, an NGO representative and several others associated with the lodge and the protected area.

There was impala stew, chicken curry, nshima, rice, vegetables, etc., all described to us by the lodge’s head chef. Wow! We were made to feel at home and very welcome. We’re not sure if this is a standard routine, but we had great conversations throughout our stay with the staff and management and were, as always, friendly and polite (Canadian, eh?), so maybe this helped us snag what we thought was a very nice gesture—and something we will not forget.

Our hats are off to everyone at the lodge for giving us such a memorable experience. A big thank you to everyone at the Royal Zambezi Lodge!

We hit the sheets late—about 10:30, which is late for us on this journey—awoke later than planned and a little fogged by the wine, then departed for the long journey back toward Lusaka and onward to Zimbabwe to experience the World Heritage Site of Mana Pools National Park. We knew we would miss the comfy bed, but we were looking forward to camping again in the African wilds.