Lower Zambezi National Park - from puppies to mud

 After our lovely day at Mosi-oa-Tunya, we officially started our safari adventure with Jenny and Andrew. Pete was nearly finished with his antibiotics, but his knee was still warm and swollen. After a couple of last minute email exchanges with his PA, we felt comfortable heading off into the bush knowing we wouldn't be more than a day away from a hospital in Lusaka if things turned pear shaped. 

And so we left from Livingstone, heading east to Mvuu Lodge just outside Lower Zambezi National Park. This was the first of 18 days the four of us would be spending in J&A's 70 series Land Cruiser, which amounts to about a 30 square foot space (that might be generous) for most of our waking hours. Our trip is the longest amount of time anyone has travelled with J&A in their vehicle, but we were not too worried. We have been training for this event since 2013 when we hired a 34 foot sailboat for seven days in Croatia and then again in 2016 when we hired a 36 foot canal boat for ten days in southern France. We travel well together, particularly in small spaces. 

Mvuu Lodge was about 350 miles away, but Pete and I soon learned that it takes much more time to cover long distances in Zambia than in the U.S. Much to J&A's surprise, the roads on this part of our journey were beautiful and relatively free from traffic, but you still have to stop at toll booths and police check points, and slow down for villages and the gazillion goats and cows crossing the road, and pull off the road at opportune moments to pee in the bushes and/or switch drivers. Along with a quick roadside stop for lunch and a bit of provisioning in Chirundu, the trip took us about 10 hours. We knew we were signing ourselves up for some long transit days based on the ambitious (and fabulous) itinerary Andrew created for us, but the hours seem to go by much more quickly when you are traveling someplace new and are engaged by all the things happening along the way compared to a well-traveled route. 

When we arrived at Mvuu (hippo in Nyanja, one of the 72 languages spoken in Zambia) and found our beautiful campsite perched above the Lower Zambezi River. There was plenty of flat ground for the truck with the rooftop tent and our ground tent. We also had our own ablutions block (toilet, shower, sink), complete with hot water, and a waterfront area with table, chairs, and fire ring. After setting up our tent, we headed to the waterfront area to get a closer look at the river and the wildlife hanging out on the grassy expanse next to the river. We immediately noticed the humungous 14-foot long crocodile hauled out on the grass enjoying the afternoon sun. Shortly thereafter, a male elephant sauntered out from the trees and began eating vegetation from the edge of the river. Meanwhile, we could hear hippos wheeze honking in the distance, the occasional baboon scuffle, and the high-pitched cry of the white-crowned lapwing. What a way to end our day! Our camp attendant, Stanley, came over to make sure we were settling in well and that we were aware of the dangers the wild animals posed. He pointed at the crocodile and said quietly to me, "Do you see that crocodile over there? My wife was killed by one while washing dishes in the river in 2018." Then he said to the group, "Watch the elephants because a tourist was killed by one in this campsite in 2017." Well, that was an effective warning! Welcome to Zambia! 

one of the reasons swimming in the river or
standing next to it is not the best idea

my excellent observation skills tell me this is a male

our waterfront area

We had four nights at Mvuu, so our plan for the first day at Lower Zambezi was to visit the Chongwe Waterfall and then drive around in the game management area (GMA), the area surrounding the national park. We wanted to be back at camp by early afternoon so we could do a boat trip down the river, so it didn't make a lot of sense to pay the entrance fee to go into the park for just a short time. J&A had spent time in the GMA on a previous trip and were rewarded with a lot of animal sightings, so the plan seemed good to us. We had also been driving in the GMA for about an hour to get to our lodge the day before and we had seen lots of animals, including elephant and various ungulates. 

After a mostly uneventful first night in our tent (we found a scorpion in the shower and Pete swears the hippos were munching the grass just outside out tent in the night), we got a somewhat leisurely start from camp and soon found ourselves at a very dry waterfall. It was still a lovely area, though, so we did a bit of exploring before the sun drove us back to the truck. As we were driving away from the falls, we met a guide vehicle and stopped to chat. As self drivers, talking with the guides is often a good way to get intel on any interesting sightings. This guide had some great news to share. There was a large pack of wild (painted) dog inside the park. After he gave us directions to the location, we thanked him and drove off, considering our next move. It was about 10 am, so we had plenty of time to get into the park and find the dogs, but entering the park comes with a stiff fee of $135 per day. After some discussion, we decided seeing the dogs, which are often quite elusive and one of the most endangered animals in all of Africa, was worth the extra expense. This was a bit easier for me and Pete to decide because we were on vacation and would be returning to work in three weeks. J&A, on the other hand, had taken a year off from their jobs, so expenses needed to be considered a bit more carefully. 

The directions the guide had given us were excellent, even if they sounded a bit fuzzy at the moment (essentially, drive on the road for awhile and turn left at a big termite mound before the first bridge and the dogs will be on your left 50 m from the road). Sure enough, we drove right to a pack of about 18 adult dogs mostly lounging under the trees, sleeping off their previous night of hunting. The guide told us this is one of the biggest packs of painted dog in Zambia. Others told us that the pack has developed some interesting hunting behaviors because it is so big. The minimum pack size is around six for effective hunting and most are around 12-15 individuals. 

The dogs are beautiful. Each individual has a unique pattern of black, tan, and white color patches, with giant Mickey Mouse ears completing the ensemble. After watching the adults mostly lay around, we saw a bit of activity behind us so decided to investigate. About 40 meters from the adults was a giant pile of painted dog puppies! They were in such a cuddle puddle that counting them was challenging, but we estimated there were about 16 puppies, bringing the total of the entire pack to 32. We guessed the pups were 3-4 months old based on their size. It was quite clear why they were in a separate area from the adults...they couldn't stop moving. At least one was always doing something, usually walking or rolling over the other pups. While the pup bodies were small, their ears looked full grown, giving them an adorable and absolutely ridiculous look all at the same time. 

adult dogs lounging under the trees

pile of puppies!

those ears!

After a couple hours of watching the dogs, Andrew and Pete lobbied hard to explore a bit of the park since we had paid to be in there. It was also past lunch time and getting out of the car to get some proper food was out of the question. Rest assured, nobody was starving. Jenny made sure the snack box was well stocked each day. The thermometer was climbing too, and a bit of time with the air conditioner would not be terrible. The daytime temperature hovered around 105 degrees every day and cooled off to a slightly less roasting 90 degrees at night. 

We wound our way across the plains and towards the river where we expected to find more animals. The landscape is quite bleak on the plains in the dry season with very little vegetation. We saw a few zebra on the plain and came across a group of impala and waterbuck near the waters edge. We were definitely in the heat of the day and things were pretty quiet, animal-wise, so we took one last look at the painted dogs and then started making our way out of the park.

fires seemed to be burning across much of the
country, most set intentionally to clear brush

As we crossed into the GMA, we saw a pair of elephant followed shortly by a leopard in the bushes right next to the road. It stayed crouched for a few seconds and then casually walked away from us. A bit further down the road we came to our first water crossing of the trip where the main road into the park crosses a small river. We hadn't done the crossing in the morning because we drove into the park from another direction, but the crossing was the most direct way back to camp. Standard practice for all water crossings is for someone to get out and walk it to check depth and substrate. After a quick scan for crocodiles and hippos, Pete and Jenny volunteered to walk the crossing. All was well, so away we went through the water with no issues.  

At this point, we had already had a spectacular day, but we were not done yet. About an hour after arriving back at camp, we got into a small boat and headed down the Lower Zambezi for another safari of sorts. We more than doubled the counts on our animal and bird lists, with hippos, crocodiles, elephants, many shore birds, and a carmine bee-eater colony built into the steep bank of the river. We even got to see elephants swimming across the river. It was interesting to see how they kept the young ones in the middle of the pack, presumably to keep them save from crocodiles as they crossed. 

slightly annoyed hippo (mvuu)

saddle-billed stork

carmine bee-eater nests in the river bank

yes, they eat bees (and other insects)

Day 2:

Our first day was going to be hard to beat, so we headed into the park early to cover as much ground as possible. Because camp is about 45 minutes away from the park entrance, we planned to be out for the full day. Usually safari outings occur in the early morning and late afternoon when the animals tend to be most active, but we didn't want to drive back and forth twice. Our second day took us much farther into the park. We stuck to the tracks that were closest to the water, knowing the animals were unlikely to stray too far from that important resource. We were rewarded with so many elephant, impala, and waterbuck as we drove through a variety of woodland, plain, and riparian habitats. The animals were quite skittish, most running away from us before we got close. The elephants often gave us a good stare before either walking off, giving us a few warning ear flaps and trumpets, or resuming eating. The animals could be skittish for two reasons. The most likely is because of poachers, particularly the elephants. There are not many rangers assigned to the park and it is quite large. Second, with Covid, the number of cars moving through the park has been quite low, so it is possible the animals have lost some comfort with vehicles in that time.  

kudu

lovely riparian and woodland habitats

buffalo in the water hyacinth

As we crossed a particularly expansive plain, we took the opportunity to get out of the truck to stretch our legs and look closely at some baobab trees. The baobab trees were just starting to flower and put out new leaves in anticipation of the rainy season. Baobabs are easily recognizable by their swollen trunks. Their ability to store water in their trunks is a key adaptation that allows them to survive in Africa and other arid areas, but it also makes them difficult to age. They don't necessarily grow a ring every year like most other trees and multiple stems often fuse together. Scientists have to use radiocarbon dating to age the trees, which is much more expensive than dendrochronology. Scientists have recently found that trees live over 2,000 years, but many have been dying in the last decade. A recent study suggests the deaths may be caused by dehydration and excessive heat. Others speculate disease may be affecting the trees. Either way, climate change likely has a role to play in the death of these iconic trees.

baobab bloom

Our travels through the park also gave us glimpses of some of our favorite animals, namely warthogs and Cape buffalo. Buffalo are not the most charismatic of animals, but they are formidable. 

Pete's all-time favorite animal

lunch along the river - thank goodness for the awning!

white-fronted bee-eater

As we came to our water crossing to exit the park on the second day, a herd of elephants was at the waters edge drinking. This group was not concerned about us at all and proceeded from drinking to mud bathing to dirt showering. We couldn't cross the river until they were finished because they were right next to the road. It was an entertaining slow down, at least. 

 

mud bath time (aka elephant air conditioning and sunscreen)

arriving back at camp just in time for sunset

Day 3:

After an eventful couple of days, we had a slow day in camp. Andrew and Pete tackled some Land Cruiser projects, and we made good use of the pool in the heat of the day after getting temporarily displaced from our campsite as an elephant strolled through camp. 

electrical fun

elephant in camp (note our tent on the far right of the photo)

Day 4:

Knowing this would be a long day, we left Mvuu a bit before 6 am. We arrived at the park gate and were paying our fees when a couple drove up to do the same. Until this point, we had seen very few people in the park. It is one of the lesser visited parks in Zambia, and probably made all the more so by Covid. As we talked with the couple, it became clear very quickly that our political and social viewpoints were quite different so we did a lot of nodding to get through the conversation. We also learned that the couple had roughly the same itinerary as us for the day, which was to do some game viewing and then exit the park via the east road. This is not the route most people take out of the park and was the first of multiple adventure roads Andrew wanted to try. The posts about the road on the overlander forum Andrew reads were not terribly recent, so knowing a Zambian was planning to take the road was somewhat comforting. Even with a similar itinerary, we did not expect to see the couple again, which was fine given some of the particularly off-putting remarks. 

We headed into the park and quickly drove through the areas we had covered the previous two days. As we got further into the park, the scenery became even more beautiful. We stopped at a particularly picturesque spot and noticed some vultures circling quite low in the sky nearby. We drove in that direction and Andrew scanned the landscape with the binoculars and spotted a male lion about a 100 yards away. As we approached, we saw the buffalo he had recently taken down and the object of the vultures curiosity. The lion had made the kill quite recently based on his distended stomach. He really wanted to sleep off his meal, but he did not want to let the vultures take over his buffalo. We watched the lion-vulture dance for quite awhile, much to our amusement. The vultures would find a nearby perch and then fly to the ground quite far from the carcass. Then they would slowly hop closer and closer until the lion had had enough and he would charge the vultures, sending them flying away. Repeat. 

very full-bellied lion

the lion vulture standoff

We eventually needed to move on if we were going to get to our destination before dark, so we carried on and soon came to a small stream crossing. Pete was driving and hesitated as we approached. There were recent tire tracks but it looked quite muddy. It was a pretty short crossing, about 1.5 times the length of the Land Cruiser, so we didn't get out and walk it. Andrew gave Pete the thumbs up so Pete got a running start and summarily got completely sucked into a quagmire up to the rear axle. No amount of rocking back and forth was going to get us out, so other tools were going to have to be employed. Digging, Maxtrax, high lift jack, sticks...we were using all the tools at our disposal. Did I mention it was 105 degrees? And that the mud was shin deep and sticky and slippery at the same time? After about forty minutes of trying to get ourselves out, the couple from the gate miraculously came around the corner and offered to pull us out. Swallowing our pride and relieved at the offer of help, we agreed that pulling us out from the front would likely be easier than trying to pull us out from the back. While they found another way to cross the little stream, we kept digging and trying to get ourselves out. After what seemed like a very long 20 minutes, our rescuers came around from the other direction and pulled us out of the mud hole in one go. I am confident we would have eventually gotten out, but we would have been there for many more hours and one of us probably would have ended up with heat exhaustion.     

photo by Andrew (note the elephants in the background -
fortunately they were not at all interested in us)

freed from the mud pit

We thanked our rescuers profusely, cleaned the mud off ourselves as best we could, rehydrated, and made a beeline for the road that would take us out of the park. It was after 2 pm and driving after dark is generally not advisable, so we started looking for potential campsites along the road. Much of the drive was through rocky and forested habitats, which are not great for camping. We did see some good potential campsites while we were still within the park, but you are not supposed to camp there and we thought we would need to go through a gate and check out with the rangers. Unfortunately, there wasn't a gate and we didn't find any suitable places for camping once we left the park. This meant we had to drive in the dark for about an hour to get to a designated campsite. Not ideal, but we made it in one piece. Sixteen hours after we started our day, we drove into Bridge Camp, washed all the mud off, made a quick dinner, and collapsed into our tents. 

 

Next up: bush camping, South Luangwa National Park, and another adventure road