Kafue- South to North

Roelof · #1 10-05-12, 09:42 PM

Hi we are 4 vehicles from Pretoria planning to do Kafue in our off-road caravans during school holidays in June......just a few questions
1 With the expensive park fees we want to go to the south and then travel up north but try to stay just outside the park boundaries and only go in on days we decide - this is due to the expensive park and camping fees.........does anybody know if there is actually a route like this

?
2 Is it worthwhile camping in the Northern part seeing that you can not do game drives in your own vehicle due to the wetlands

?
3. Any other suggestions of parks we should rather go to which is not that far

?
4. If we go via Botswana ( should be cheaper than going via ZIM) how quick is the ferry at Kasane to cross into ZAM.....is is advisable to use as border post

Appreciate any feedback .

witklipbank · #2 10-05-12, 10:09 PM

Roelof

Die expert is MikeAG

Ek weet dat Kaingu en Mukambi is buite die park - Jy kan egter nie die boonste deel doen nie , buite om buite om te ry en te bushcamp daar bo buite die noordelike hek.

As jy bietjie gaan kyk oor die Forum trip na Zambia by die laaste post sal jy sien Mike het 'n kaart geplaas met die roete wat ons gaan volg. Kyk gerus daarna.

MikeAG · #3 10-05-12, 10:41 PM

Expensive park fees? It is now $10pppd for SA citizens, plus $15 for the car. I don't know if you get Go Compare in SA, but, go compare!! Check how that looks alongside Bots, Nam or Zim.

Which June are you planning to go? Have a look at the Zambia Forum Trip thread for loads of info, and plenty other info is spread throughout the Zambia forum. Then give me a shout with any particular questions.

Mike

Roelof · #4 30-05-12, 08:50 PM

Elize baie dankie vir die terugvoer.....ja ons sien uit en is maar versigtig optimisties dat ons wel diere sal sien......die toestande van die paaie of spore sal seker maar bepaal hoe ons sal vorder.

Roelof · #5 30-05-12, 08:53 PM

Mike....you are right - I did not know about the new reduced fees and certainly welcome it! Question - can you reach Rapids camp site from Nanzhilla easily in a day?? Question - can you then reach Mayukuyuku from Rapids camp site in a day??

MikeAG · #6 30-05-12, 09:50 PM

I don't know the Rapids site. Where is it?

Mike

IanG · #7 31-05-12, 06:05 AM

Spook · #8 31-05-12, 07:38 AM

Mike, Kaingu has 2 sites on the river that they call Rapids 1 and Rapids 2. I'll see if I can find a pic that I can post.

MikeAG · #9 31-05-12, 08:24 AM

I know Tina, but I have never heard that place called anything other than Kaingu before.

Mike

Tony Weaver · #10 31-05-12, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roelof

Mike....you are right - I did not know about the new reduced fees and certainly welcome it! Question - can you reach Rapids camp site from Nanzhilla easily in a day?? Question - can you then reach Mayukuyuku from Rapids camp site in a day??

Hi Roelof, yes you can reach Kaingu/Rapids from Nanzhila in a day, but it is quite a long drive. But be aware that you can't, as far as I know, take caravans down to Kaingu as the road is narrow and twisty and the bush is quite dense. This may have changed, but I would email Tom Heineken, who owns Kaingu, to check if you can get caravans down there.
The Kafue fees are, as Mike says, very reasonable. The problem is that there is now no camping in the north of the park because Wilderness Safaris have shut down the campsite at Lufupa. So your options for camping are Nanzhila, Kaingu, Mukambi, McBrides, Mayukuyuku and that's about it, I may have missed out one or two.

Tony Weaver · #11 31-05-12, 04:20 PM

Sorry, didn't see the other question - Kaingu to Mayukuyuku is a couple of hours, they are quite close to each other, about 160km, 40km of which is on tar. If you need to camp between Nanzhila and Kaingu, New Kalala on Lake Itezhi Tezhi is a pleasant spot with lovely lake views and cold beers.

IanG · #12 31-05-12, 05:31 PM

Fyi, no camping at Mukambi till next year

Roelof · #13 01-06-12, 04:29 PM

Mike
I have just spoken to a German tourist who travels Africa for about 3 - 4 months every year and he said we should rather do Lower Zambesi NP ......reasons is that there are NO animals in the southern Kafue area and that the Elephants further north are very aggressive towards vehicles (probably due to poaching) - he said they got charged by them almost every time and is is very bad in the Norhern areas (north of the tarr road) - they actually had a 100m charge and then the Elephant got his tusks through the fornt of the landy and pushed the vehicle into the bush and then walked away.......I would really like to know if Kafue would be worth the while in travel time and costs from Pretoria for 13 days and back or should we opt for Lower Zambesi which does not involve a lot of travelling BUT with beautiful scenery and lots of animals

mfuwefarmer · #14 01-06-12, 04:56 PM

Yes, the elephants are agressive and we have previously issued warnings, but more so in the far south. I have not had a problem with one in the North although there is one bull I know off that is short tempered.

Best is to always have a safe distance and keep in mind these are not circus annimals and nor are they Kruger NP annimals!

Poaching is a reality in Zambia and not fiction!

Both Mukambi & McBrides have reasonable populations of animals

I still battle to recommned Lower Zambezi becuase Mana is accross the river and with so much more to offer in terms of wildlife.

Tony Weaver · #15 02-06-12, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roelof

Mike
I have just spoken to a German tourist who travels Africa for about 3 - 4 months every year and he said we should rather do Lower Zambesi NP ......reasons is that there are NO animals in the southern Kafue area and that the Elephants further north are very aggressive towards vehicles (probably due to poaching) - he said they got charged by them almost every time and is is very bad in the Norhern areas (north of the tarr road) - they actually had a 100m charge and then the Elephant got his tusks through the fornt of the landy and pushed the vehicle into the bush and then walked away.......I would really like to know if Kafue would be worth the while in travel time and costs from Pretoria for 13 days and back or should we opt for Lower Zambesi which does not involve a lot of travelling BUT with beautiful scenery and lots of animals

We saw plenty of game in the Nanzhila area four years ago, I don't know if things have changed since then. The birding in the south is superb, and the scenery is really pretty along the rivers and dambos. For me, the Kafue is one of the most beautiful places in Africa, and the river is absolutely gorgeous, seeing game is a bonus, and not the main reason for being there.
Lower Zambezi doesn't compare. There's really only one road in and out, couple of side tracks, limited access to the river, and lots of jesse bush. Game levels are OK, but nothing to rave about - Mana is the better option.