Day 1: JHB To Woodlands Stop-over Outside Francistown (707Km)

We can hardly believe that the time has finally arrived to embark on our journey. Excitement fills the air, and adventure awaits us. We rendezvous with Anton and Melody at our shop in Randburg. Our vehicles are fully loaded, and we are eager to hit the road. After years of dreaming and months of preparation, the moment has arrived.

At 10:30, we pick up our son from school right after he completes his last exam, and we make our way towards the Martins Drift border post. Our destination for the night is Woodlands Stopover, just outside of Francistown. It’s going to be a long day, and we anticipate arriving at Woodlands after nightfall. Melody has thoughtfully pre-cooked a delicious beef curry, and we make a quick stop to grab some fresh white bread.

Tonight’s menu features “Bunny Chow” Durban-style. We cross the border relatively swiftly and continue our journey towards Francistown. Finally, around 19:30, we arrive at Woodlands, and to our surprise, the evening air is quite chilly. We purchase some firewood at the reception, and while we set up our camp, Melody warms up the curry. We enjoy an incredible dinner around our very first campfire of the trip, followed by refreshing warm showers before retiring to bed.

Day 2: Woodlands to Peregrines Bush Camp Livingstone (571Km)

After enjoying some coffee and rusks, we resumed our journey towards Nata and Kasane. As we made our way to Nata, we regrettably missed one of the speed limit signs cleverly hidden behind a tree, and we were pulled over for speeding. Following a brief negotiation, we paid the reduced fine and continued on our way, still wearing smiles on our faces. We hope that this will be the first and last time such an incident occurs.

Today, we are facing the dreaded Kazungula border crossing. We filled up with diesel in Kasane and headed for the border post. The last time we crossed this border was back in 2006 when we had to rely on a ferry. As we drive across the bridge spanning the Zambezi River, I can’t help but recall the absolute nightmare we endured during our last vehicle entry into Zambia – chaos, corruption, and utter disorganization. Africa is not for the faint-hearted. It was an incredibly stressful experience, to say the least.

However, we hold out hope that things have changed. The Botswana/Zambia border has undergone a transformation into a modern shared border post. The old containers and buildings from the past have been replaced by a gleaming new structure. We navigate through all the red tape, acquire third-party insurance, and present our police clearance certificates to the authorities, all in order to secure our TIPs (temporary import permits). The vehicles undergo inspection, and we pay the required US$ bridge and toll fees, despite a delay of 3 hours due to a power failure and staff taking their lunch breaks.

We arrive at Peregrines Lodge late in the afternoon and decide to have dinner at the restaurant, which is perched on the edge of a beautiful kloof overlooking the Zambezi River below. We enjoy a somewhat pricey meal as we watch the sun set in the distance. Afterward, we drive to our campsite and set up our campsite in the darkness. Despite our best efforts to get the paraffin showers working, we eventually give up and opt for an early bedtime.

Day 3: Peregrines Bush Camp to Fringilla Farm (just outside Lusaka) (554Km)

We woke up early after a restless night’s sleep, disturbed by the sounds of someone moving about our campsite. It wasn’t until morning that we realized we had an unexpected ‘security guard’ who had been patrolling our camp throughout the night.

No one had informed us about this arrangement, but we had to get going. At 8 am, we left and made a quick stop in Livingston to pick up SIM cards from Airtel before continuing our journey toward Lusaka.

The road ahead was congested with heavy traffic, mostly consisting of large trucks carrying goods. We navigated through Lusaka’s CBD traffic in the late afternoon, and fortunately, it being a Sunday, it wasn’t too chaotic until we reached just outside the city. There, we found ourselves in a seemingly endless line of bumper-to-bumper trucks – we later learned this was the notorious 10-mile truck queue.

Desperate to make progress, we followed smaller vehicles that ventured off the road, weaving between local shops and puddles of mud and water to bypass some of the queue. Our hopes were short-lived as we were eventually forced back onto the main road, with no more side routes to explore.

Upon joining the Great North Road, we encountered yet another traffic jam. Inch by inch, we crept forward, only to discover that the congestion was caused by a police checkpoint a few kilometers before Frangilla Farm. Exhausted but determined, we finally reached Fringilla Farm at 6 pm.

Our timing was perfect as we were able to purchase some of the famous Frangilla wors at their shop. We quickly set up camp and, after a long and nerve-wracking day of traffic, finally found relaxation around the fire. Our dinner featured fillet steak with garlic sauce, Frangilla wors, and braai broodjies.

Day 4: Lusaka to Kasanka National Park and the Bat migration (469Km)

We woke up early and, after packing up our camp, made a brief stop at the Fringilla butchery just before 7 am. We stocked up on some Boerewors and then hit the road. Our plan was to avoid the traffic. As we joined the Great North Road, we encountered a considerable number of trucks transporting copper from the copper belt in the north. These trucks were so heavy that they had created massive indentations in the road.

At 10 am, we discovered a lovely spot and decided to pull over for a coffee break and a quick on-the-go breakfast. Our menu included rusks, muesli, and the convenience of “Oats So Easy.”

We followed the T2 in the direction of Mpika and encountered many children and people selling giant mushrooms on the side of the road. Some of these mushrooms resembled umbrellas, and we couldn’t believe their size. According to Google, these mushrooms are the world’s largest edible mushrooms, with caps capable of growing up to 90 cm. A single one of these mushrooms can feed a family for days.

Another amazing thing we realized is that you don’t need to stock up on fresh produce, as there are fantastic organic fruits and vegetables available on every corner and in every town near the truck stops.

After navigating through hectic traffic, we finally turned off the bustling T2 and made our way towards Kasanka National Park. It felt surreal to be on a road devoid of traffic and trucks. Upon arriving at the Kasanka National Park entrance gate, the girls headed to the office to handle the administrative tasks while we found ourselves surrounded by children from the local village across the road. They were selling musuka fruit to passing trucks and tourists like us. This is the same fruit that attracts the 10 million fruit bats that migrate to this area during this time of the year.

We entered the park and drove through a beautiful forest. Although we didn’t spot any animals, the beauty of nature more than compensated for it. We followed the trail to the reception area to obtain our pre-booked camping permits. Upon arriving at our campsite, we discovered it was already occupied.

We arrived at our campsite and organized some firewood. We couldn’t set up camp just yet, as our plan was to take a drive to the forest later and wait for the sun to set, allowing us to witness the millions of bats emerging. I have to admit it sounded a bit creepy. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and the idea of seeing millions of bats seemed a bit unsettling.

Feeling a bit unsure, I decided to do a search on my overlander GPS to find a viewing point for the bats. We embarked on a drive through a muddy track until the GPS indicated that we had reached our destination. We followed wooden walkways until we reached the water, and at that point, we decided to turn around.

I searched for another point on my GPS, and we set off through deep mud and water until the tracks came to an end. I parked at a suitable spot where we could turn around in the mud. However, Anton decided to venture further, reaching a point where the tracks terminated, leaving no space to turn around.

Across a swamp on the other side, we spotted a tall steel structure with a viewing platform. We embarked on a muddy walk, losing our flip-flops (plakkies) along the way.

When we reached the structure, my initial thoughts were, “I’m not going up there.” However, after some contemplation and encouragement, we, even those of us afraid of heights, decided to brave the high structure’s stairs. We ascended until we reached the platform, and what a view it offered.

The climb up had been the easy part. The real challenge dawned on us: how were we going to get down? It turned out that the platform was part of a paid guided tour and not open to DIY enthusiasts like us. However, we were already there, and to our surprise, we received the full guided experience free of charge. We stood in anticipation, eagerly waiting for the sun to set and the bats to emerge. The experience felt almost like a scene from a Batman movie.

Suddenly, the sun vanished behind the horizon, and we witnessed a breathtaking sight – millions of bats emerging from the trees in the forest. It was a sight beyond words, a moment that defied description.

These bats migrate from the rainforests in the Congo to the forests of Kasanka to feast on the Musuka fruit, which appears after the first rainfall, and they stay here from October to December. These magnificent creatures have a wingspan of almost a meter, making them a truly awe-inspiring sight.

We descended the stairs safely and hoped that Anton’s vehicle would navigate its way out without getting stuck. With limited daylight remaining, he engaged low range reverse and fortunately managed to reach the point where I had parked and turn around. What a relief!

We retraced our path along the muddy track and arrived at our campsite just before darkness descended.

Our campsite was nestled in the forest beneath towering trees, where the sounds of birds and monkeys echoed through the tree canopies. We gathered around the fire, surrounded by fireflies dancing in the night.

For tonight’s meal, we indulged in chicken kebabs marinated in a blend of yogurt and chili.

Day 4: Kasanka to Kapisha Hot Springs (353Km)

We reluctantly departed from Kasanka via the forest track, and although it didn’t offer many wildlife sightings, it was an unforgettable experience. Our next destination would be Kapishya Hot Springs, where we planned to stay for two nights. After five days on the road, we were eagerly anticipating some relaxation before tackling our longest day of the trip when we would cross the Taduma border into Tanzania.

As we joined the T2, any peace and quiet we had enjoyed in Kasanka vanished when we encountered heavy traffic. Zambian roads proved to be treacherous. Truck drivers showed no mercy for passenger vehicles or overlanders like us. If there was a pothole on their side of the road, they would abruptly swerve into our lane at full speed. It was just chaotic.

We had numerous close calls, and we quickly realized that some of these drivers were ruthless. We had to exercise extreme caution on these hazardous roads. The road conditions were deplorable, and they were so narrow that two vehicles could barely squeeze past each other. It was no surprise that there were so many accidents on these routes. If you thought we had bad roads with a few potholes, you hadn’t seen anything yet. Some potholes were the size of swimming pools, and the roads had deteriorated to the point where there were escape routes with massive dongas that were better to traverse than the tarred roads.

After hours of white-knuckle driving, we finally reached the Kapishya signpost near a village. We stocked up on fresh produce and then turned off towards the Kapishya Hot Springs. What a day it had been! We passed through the park entrance and noticed a lake in the distance. There, we observed wildlife and cattle alongside old buildings that appeared to have some German influence.

At last, we arrived at Kapishya Hot Springs, our well-deserved oasis for the next two days. We spent our time lounging in the hot springs and pool, relishing two evenings watching beautiful sunsets beside the Mansa River. Kapisha did not disappoint; it’s a truly wonderful but remote destination. We will certainly visit it again when we return to Zambia in the future.

We cleaned and reorganized our vehicles, preparing them for the next leg of our journey. Tanzania, here we come!