Safari vibes at Chaminuka Game Reserve (Part 1)

You probably have big issues if you don’t enjoy discounts. Almost every one of us enjoy freebies. I enjoyed a good package of a game drive, boat cruise and buffet lunch at Chaminuka lodge which is the same place you find the game reserve in the town of Lusaka, Zambia. I have pushed my luck in things like lotto, competitions and what not…..I suck! I am proud to say though that the trip was at a discounted price and off I went to enjoy this package. When you visit Zambia, do consider doing this tour, it is worth it. The place is known for giving discounts on some packages and this particular deal was for teachers on Teachers Day.

If the truth be told, I was kinda getting tired of having this place on my bucket list, I was so happy when I checked it and it was worth the while.I was not just day dreaming about it long before it happened….nah!It kind of just was a boom! I have to do this today kind of thing.

DISTANCE AND LOCATION

I was not mobile or driving because I was in Lusaka for just a few days. When you arrive in the capital city of Zambia, Lusaka at the airport, you are basically an hour away from the place. You could even get on the metered cabs from the airport provided you download the app called Yango or Ulendo using a Zambian sim card or better still, ask one of those nice people at the airport to book it for you on their phone. Both is good. After close to an hours drive from the airport, you will find this sign post welcoming you to one of our most beautiful havens of game life.

WHAT WAS IN THE PACKAGE?

The animals!

One thing is for sure, I wanted to spend a night at the lodge in the game reserve but their rooms were more on the pricey side and because this trip was not planned for, I was doing a day trip and that’s it! Because I got there by 9 o’clock, I just waited an hour for the game drive guests from the lodge to fill up the vehicle we were using. So I was not alone on this drive. Little Miss Solo traveller was not going solo. The game drive vehicle was full and off we went.

The first animals I saw were the cheetahs which were actually caged because they are used for an interaction tour and because that wasn’t part of the package, I could not ( with a tear from my left eye) enjoy this beastly interaction. I just interacted with them with a wire barrier in between.Even though I desired to interact with them, I heard they were also on observation of some sort.I also was not in the mood to say the ‘ let them not shred me to pieces’ kind of prayers.

We then spotted some elephants with a man and I thought we could have close interaction with them as I am very sure they are also used in an interaction tour but we were only allowed to view them from the vehicle. The same thing was true for the caged lions that I heard roaring .

I am ashamed to say but this was my first time to see ostriches! My desire was to see them run because I hear they could win in the Olympics. In this game drive, you will catch a glimpse of the above mentioned animals.

The animal I have struggled to spot in most of my game drive tours is the giraffe.

I am not sure about the population of giraffes in Zambia but I know for sure I have missed it on my past game drive adventures. My time came. I had my chance to view giraffes up close! I have never seen such peaceful looking creatures and my dream is to be licked on my face by a baby giraffe in Kenya!!!!!

November 28, 2022 3

Hiking through the trails near Victoria falls

It’s time I headed south of my country Zambia.The south of the country is known for touristic spots the most popular of them being the Victoria falls. When you visit Zambia, try to at least sound one with us by calling it Mosi- oa -Tunya falls which literally means “the smoke that thunders.”

I have been to this part of the country like a zillion times, but every time felt like a new experience. There are many cool experiences one could enjoy there like helicopter rides over the falls to enjoy that awesome view, bungee jumping or zip lining but I have at times just enjoyed taking hikes in the tiny trails found there.

BUT WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT?

The weather patterns in Zambia are something like from November to April, we experience lots of heat (well, Africa is always blazing) but it’s pretty much ten times hotter than you are imagining at this moment! With this kind of heat, comes lots of rains. The beauty about hiking at this time is that you receive a bath from the heavens which you will most likely need should the heat and the thirst be unbearable due to high levels of heat.

THOSE VIEWS

The view of the falls during this season is to die for! You can’t visit Zambia let’s say all the way from Europe only to find a falls that resembles a desert! I mean there is Namibia and Botswana for that.The other seasons aren’t exactly the wisest of times to visit this place because the water levels would be too low but it’s worth experiencing for yourselves.

WHAT DO YOU NEED FOR THIS HIKE ?

Assuming I have already inspired you to pack your bags and give this place a shot, start imagining seeing the best of views as you approach the deep crack in the earth they call Victoria falls! It’s amazing!As you head to the entrance, do all that is necessary like payments of about 30 to 40 dollars and do carry some sunscreen or a rain coat ( for that rainy day) but as for rain coats, it is needed all the time you have to pass through a certain part of the falls as there is lots of splashing that will definitely get you drenched.

LOSING THOSE CALORIES

Depending on your pace, who you are with and all, the hike could take a good two to three hours if you have to be very near the falls area.Be ready to lose a bit of those calories because it’s quite a distance. I would advise you to carry food so you replace those calories but there will be one risk in doing so……. You aren’t all alone in that trail.You have company. This company is usually bad company that is after what you are eating or enjoying.Monkeys.

MINGLE WITH MONKEYS

Just a confession here, I find a reason to still be a tourist in my country and this one time I was doing the same with friends. It turned out we became the tourist attraction because we attracted lots of monkeys as we were hiking or hoping to hike sipping on some fanta and eating fruits. it was the dumbest move ever because we got spotted by monkeys and the one lesson I learned was a monkey can open your fanta or water bottle and drink the contents, then throw away the container when done. I couldn’t believe my fanta bottle was taken by a notorious creature. We started seeing camera flashes from all directions.Not cool!

THOSE SOUVENIRS

It’s usually expected to bring a piece of evidence of the place you visited. You will find all sorts of beautifully hand made African pieces of work. My advice to you is don’t fall for the first price that is quoted. Negotiate with the sellers..As a tourist, they see or sense one is not from Zambian soil, it is almost a reflex action to hike the price of a product. All these products are found near the entrance to the falls.

SWIM IN THE DEVIL’S POOL

Are you that daring person willing to take the risk of swimming close to this crack in the earth? Thrill seekers , risk lovers this is your place. Many have taken pictures doing this great stunt. Am not quite sure why I have never attempted to do it!

November 13, 2022 13

Two Day Camp and Hike in Kafue

The goal of this hike and campout was to build endurance and so the guide only helped carry our tents in his car and the really heavy stuff otherwise all those personals like our bags, food, drinks, and all were for us to carry. I can’t stress enough but this load caused a lot of energy from me to be sucked dry. I thought the challenge was just taking that hike carrying nothing but boy was I wrong.

I am not sure what expert campers carry for food, snacks, drinks, and all but this is not glamping and my sleeping disorder of having ‘earlier nights’ really tried my patience. I am not gonna stay up late cooking up a storm! On our menu which the instructor had us make were 2 minute noodles, canned beans, and vegetables. Mother nature did supply us with some mushrooms. We picked some fresh ones and added them to our meal. What a treat it was!

THE HIKE DISTANCE

DAY ONE

The starting point was set for us. Maps were given to us as well. The guide had given us a mini training on how geography works. (Geography was not exactly my favorite subject in school…..so) but if I could understand the map so can you.

We studied it. We also had never been down this trail but the guide had been and he wasn’t supposed to spill all the beans about where we headed.

Off we went down this endless trail and frankly speaking, it was refreshing. We told stories and all until we stopped for water, rest to take a leak, or to allow rest for our bodies since they protested against tiredness. We covered both flat and hilly places, stony and watery places. The good news is we managed to cover half the required number of kilometers for the day.

The target was to use this one route that was like 10 kilometers to the camping grounds. We started at about 9 o’clock to 5 pm and found the guide had prepared our camping spot, pitched the tents already and all that was left was to tell some night stories and call it quits for the day ….. and we did!

HIKE DAY TWO

I woke up to music from the birds and the ground was wet from the night showers and I hoped to hike on dry ground. We didn’t need continental or English breakfast but we did stuff ourselves with some bread, beans, juice, and the remainder of the previous night’s meal. It was perfect to start another day of a 10-kilometer hike.

At this point, I was done enjoying nature. I just wanted OUT!! I picked up my tired pieces with the help of my team and we walked through that trail. The second hike had more hilly and stony land. Very uncomfortable. My teammates developed blisters on their feet but their drive to want to finish the 10 kilometers fueled mine. Fast forward, we made it!

THE HIGHS AND LOWS

The high of this hike and camp was how I got a certificate to be a Duke of Edinburgh Award and Adventurous journey leader. I also enjoyed nature and being away from the usual.

The low was that at one spot which happened to be a picture taking place because of the beautiful scenery, we were stopped from taking pics because it was believed to be a shrine, and taking pictures would upset the spirits. Can you imagine!?

November 5, 2022 5

Lunch at Radisson Blu Hotel review

I really get bored being in one place for too long.I don’t know who suffers from this condition but it’s depressing to have a monotonous life.

The same feeling applies to food and views.Sometimes I am okay having my traditional Zambian staple food which is called ‘nshima’ but I wouldn’t want to give my mouth a bore by having it continuously the way I see it get eaten here.

Having a mother that was a hotelier,was literally married to food and fussy about food presentation, those things kind of rubbed on to me.

I feel eating out refreshes your soul.Leave your fridge, stove, pots, pans alone and head straight to a place all that can be done for you PERFECTLY.

No one wants to visit a four or five star hotel and come back loaded heavily with disappointments.We all expect perfection or something close to it!

I had already listed lunch and the target upscale hotel in mind was Radisson Blu hotel.

I may never be sure whether Radisson Blu is a four or five star hotel but the bottom line is it is an upscale hotel where only the best should be good enough.

Being in Lusaka at that time, I took a cab and off I went only to be so well received by a guard at the main gate and the other enterance.No one wants a grumpy waiter, guard or whatever.

I chose to have my lunch at the pool side.I found just few people outside, nothing that could interfere with my looking like a weirdo taking selfish selfies or asking employees to take photos of me for me…..coast was clear, just enough noise.

LET’S ORDER!

I ordered pork spareribs and mashed potatoes. I love potatoes! This was definitely going to go well with a cocktail. And it did! There is a lot of tantalizing that goes on from order time, to eating time and since I was not in the mood to go through that agony, I found something to keep me busy.Viewing!

I went round the hotel enjoying site seeing.When you seek meals in an upscale hotel, even the decor and vibe of the place are a biggie!

I went round and I must say the decor fits well in the theme of the hotel.The hotel has some lovely decor and interesting art work that clients with an eye of art would fancy.My honest opinion is they should not let the same decor up for too long.There should be some changes every now and then .

EATING TIME!

One of things to use to rate a good restaurant as far as I am concerned is length of time of the order. It shows how efficient the staff is.Of course other things come into play like the number of clients. Judging from the length of time it took to prepare the food to it’s mouth watering taste, one may think it took forever to prepare it.

The chef took a good 30 to 40 minutes which I think is the average waiting time for the kind of meal I ordered.Besides, I even inconvenienced the chef by changing my order slightly eating into preparation time.

The first thing I noticed when I saw the food was the generous portions. I have dined out with a 25 dollars I spent on the meal but left with my stomach protesting it didn’t get enough. I was not only stuffed but satisfied.The former has to do with quantity and the latter, quality. My general rating food wise was 9 out of 10!

FINAL RATING

The location of the place is perfect if you want an urban, boutique, close to everything kind of location which was a 9 out of 10.

The staff were super helpful and friendly and this is treatment they gave not for show but if it was fake, I am glad it looked real! That was a 9 out of 10.

I however didn’t appreciate what appeared to be a mini bar right next to the pool which I believe is for those enjoying the pool.I wasn’t there to swim but my eyes told me that place needed a touch up, ASAP before more critiques spot it.

My unbiased rating is a genuine 8.9 out of 10.Experiences differ.Mine was awesome!

October 18, 2022 2

Namib Desert tours

Namib Desert is a vast cold coastal desert in Southern Africa.It has some of the biggest sand dunes in the world! It could be the oldest desert in the world and contains some of the world’s driest regions.

Visiting Namibia was a delight. it was amazing. My target was to visit Windhoek, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. I first imagined myself having fun at the sand dunes before it actually just BANG!!! Happened. With no appointment whatsoever, I got to a place called Desert Explorers in Swakopmund.This place has lots of tours one could enjoy.

I was up for going quad biking on these big sand dunes! The place is found near Nathaniel Maxuilili road and I didn’t have to spend on transport because it was quite close to where I lodged.

The company other than doing quad bike tours also has camel rides, dolphin cruises, sky diving, sand boarding, kayaking, paragliding, go-karting etc. This place usually operates from 8am to 6pm every day of the week.

I wanted to boost my adrenaline levels and the quad bikes were just that perfect thing I needed. Their quad biking tours always have to be with at least four bikers and this is where solo travelling either gets interesting because you get to meet people or this is where it sucks because you kind of want your space….it depends.

I was the only female in that tour.The tour guide was of course lively and interesting and about the bucks, it’s about 50 dollars for a 2 hours biking session. All protective gear was given and the wonderful thing is that we have the image of deserts always being unbearably hot, but this tour is close to the coast and was cool or maybe it was because of the time of the year I had travelled.

Am not sure what you would like to do for that adrenaline boost when you are in this part of Africa but do pay this place a visit, it will be worth the while.

October 11, 2022 1

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October 5, 2022 0

Day trip to Nsobe campsite

Every time one thinks of a campsite, it has to include spending a night there and though that is the main reason for a campsite, a day trip to a campsite can be so much fun too.

Depending on the campsite location, you could end up having lots to see in terms of nature and just enjoying an outdoor experience. That thought crossed my mind. I didn’t want to camp out, I just wanted to be up close and personal with nature.

I hired some transport, had some company and we bought what was necessary for a day trip in the outskirts. What sort of food can I recommend for such a trip?

1) Roasted chicken

2)Drinks and water period

We aren’t camping out so that should do.

We got there. We finally saw Nsobe campsite in Ndola city of Zambia. The campsite is perfect for fishing for those who love to do so. I didn’t go for that.

The one-hour road trip was filled with upbeat music, stories to tell, and anticipation of seeing giraffes! I knew I was gonna love this trip!

My quest to find giraffes may not have been a success as I heard that the campsite just had about six to seven of them and they were probably in hiding but I spotted zebras, which was a good alternative.

Nsobe camp site or game reserve has in it some caged reptiles and my favorite was a python snake at the snake spot.

I just learned you could mingle with them because their bite is not venomous.

For that reason, I did have a show time with them. I did mingle with the tiny snakes too and the funny thing is how even in pictures, it would take an eagle’s eye to see that was a snake I was holding.

Believe you me…. that’s a snake not a shoe lace

If camping is your thing and you happen to be in Zambia, do give this place a try. As the day came to an end, I appreciated the beauty of sunsets in this place.

October 4, 2022 4

The lion interaction tour

At one point or the other, we all want to appear in control of things and interacting with lions is the perfect platform to appear martial.Ever thought of an escapade like this one?I would recommend trying it out in the southern part of a country called Zambia, in Africa.

A company called Mukuni Big 5 is home to let’s just say ….friendly lions.You never really wanna trust a lion is tamed now…do you?Chances are that you may end up being shred to pieces.On the other hand, you may end up giving yourself a badge of honor for interacting with them.

What are my discovered advantages of these acts or stunts of bravery?

1) Discovering the beast is actually a beauty

When one watches some animal documentaries that focus on predators like lions hunting, you can’t help but think negatively even about the tamed ones.But when you do this tour, you actually realize these animals have a side to them that is beautiful and experiencing that first hand does something to you.It gives you confidence and changes your image of these beasts.

2) Injecting confidence in your system

Like mentioned earlier, this experience injects confidence in you.If I have to be honest with myself and others,I just wanted the badge of honor but being the lions was the most uncomfortable one hour of my life and I actually gave up 30 minutes into the tour that I was gonna die with fear.The cuddly looking beasts gave me a fright.

3) Inspire others to try the stunt

All it takes to do certain things is see others do it.I am writing this because at one point, I was Inspired to try it by others,whether it was my friends or the tour guides that Inspired me.

The tour starts with you making a payment and signing papers that you are 18 years old and above.No under age please….. though I have heard one or two stories about teens who still wanna try it ( don’t know if that’s advisable)

You are at liberty to pick which animal you intend to interact with.Scared to go wilding? Then try the less ferocious creatures like the elephants which are also found there …….or just watch them through the fence…All in all, do try this place.

September 21, 2022 3

Maun Lodge Review 📍🇧🇼 Botswana

Every traveller has different needs when it comes to lodging.Depending on budget, length of stay and one’s personality, some places will do the trick while others would not. My stay was short yet it involved crossing a border (Zambia). Though Botswana is a neighbouring country, I was going there for the first time as a solo traveller.

Booking

I reserved a room on booking.com and the payment was done when I arrived at the premises.I was supposed to be in the chalets but because I am enjoying genius level 2 on booking.com, I did attract a discount and a room upgrade.Instead of being in the chalets, I enjoyed the double room.

Location

https://maunlodge.com .Maun Lodge is located in Maun town in Botswana. A town where most tourists frequent. It is a town on the Thamalakane river and is the jumping off point for the Okavango Delta which is a habitat for vast wildlife.

The closeness to a water body adds serenity to the place

Airport pickup

Few times I have been adventurous enough to jump on a taxi from the airport to where am lodged but sometimes you skip that adventurous self and try the safest way which is to be picked up by your hosts.Nothing is completely safe but you just have peace of mind knowing your hosts are taking care of your transport to the lodge and the good part is it was a free service.The driver and the welcoming team had smiling faces which was a plus!

Room Service

The environment of the lodge was welcoming and there was thorough cleaning done by the staff.The sink, shower, toilet were sparkling clean and they did offer those extras.The room had a safe and television with a number of channels though I wished for more channels

Work out time!

I was impressed that the lodge did carter for the active bodies like mine.I of course didn’t use all the machines.The treadmill is my fav!

Food?

Most food I had ordered was well prepared and presented and you had the option in the restaurant to enjoy it indoors or outdoors.

On the whole this lodge offered more than I expected and on a scale of 1 to 10, it was an 8.I would recommend it !

September 13, 2022 0

Ahh…so that’s the Old Fort of Zanzibar

The older it gets,the more touristic value it seems to have

The Old Fort of Zanzibar is a beautiful historical feature found in Stone Town, Zanzibar.This feature also goes by the name The Arab Fort.If you ask me….this old fine piece of work is actually a ‘ tourist puller’.One of the much talked about touristic places in Zanzibar.

This feature was built by Omari Arabs in 1699.It was used as a prison.It is now used for film festivals though in the 20th century it was used as a depot.This piece of touristic work is now being used as a centre for cultural activities like curio shops.

On the left are curio shops ….sorry not clear 😜

The Fort is essentially a square of high brown walls with merlons,protecting an inner courtyard.In the courtyard there are some remnants of earlier buildings including those of a Portuguese church and another Omani fortification.

This place is now used for entertainment like live dance and music shows held mostly in the afternoons and evenings.

This group was here for what appeared to be workouts 🤔

September 4, 2022 6