Victoria Falls

On October 28, 2017October 28, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn ZambiaLeave a comment

Victoria Falls is the number one must see if you come to Zambia. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Entering the park on the Zambian side is about 7 kwacha for locals and about $10-20 for foreigners. There are curio shops, and little cafés right inside the entrance. As you’re walking through the park there are three trails… well four really. One goes up by the river before the falls, depending on the time of year is how far this trail goes. The main trail goes right in front of the falls, during high season you get SOAKED. Do not bring phones or electronics on this path, my friend lost his new iphone this way. They also sell rain coats and other bags to wear to stay dry but I think its such an amazing experience to just get soaked by the falls and to feel the mist hitting you. But I realize that experience is not for everyone. This path also leads to a bridge right in front of the falls, walk slowly as it is slippery when wet. It leads to an island/mountain/hill where you can get views of the Zimbabwe side of the falls, and the walkways on the Zimbabwe side. The second trail is more of a hike. It goes straight down into the first gorge to what is called the boiling point. From the bottom you can see where all the water from the falls comes together to push through a small opening. Seeing the strength of the water is truly incredible. Hiking this trail takes about 40 minutes each way. Bring water, and take breaks if needed. The third trail goes along the back of the gorge for more of a distance view of the falls. You also get a nice view of the bridge here, the one the first trail goes over, as well as the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Beware, we got to the end of the trail and there were men reaching through the fence trying to sell us bracelets, and to get us to come on a tour, it was a little creepy, so we just walked away. Another warning, on the boiling pot trail, and the last trail I discussed there are a lot of monkeys (baboons? Some sort of primate). They are known for steaking things from tourists, they’re definitely not afraid of people. DO NOT bring shop rite bags on the trail! The monkeys know that they contain food and they will be stolen from you. Hold on to your passport and wallet well when on this trail. The trails here are also not like those in America where there is a guard rail to keep you from falling off the edge of a cliff. You will fall off if you get to close to the edge and slip. I was trying to get a picture near the edge and slipped on the loose gravel and realized how easily I could have slid farther. Be careful and use common sense. The falls are highest in March-June, and lowest in October-January. High or low it is still incredible to see, it’s one of the 7 natural wonders of the earth and the pride of Zambia.

Chaminuka Cheese Tasting

On October 16, 2017October 16, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn Uncategorized, Zambia2 Comments

I never realized how many types of cheese there were! They were so good and served with one or two glasses of wine in a cool looking “cheese cave”. All of it is processed right on the compound. I’d say if you are a foodie, especially with cheese, I highly recommend Chaminuka Cheese tasting. This activity was about a half hour long, and located on Chaminuka Lodge property.

Chaminuka Game Drive

On October 7, 2017October 7, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn ZambiaLeave a comment

We went on an afrternoon game drive with them. It was nice, about an hour. We saw a number of different deer and antelope, and giraffes. We heard another group saw elephants but ours didn’t. Those in the group with me weren’t all that impressed with the enclosures the big cats were kept in. They had lions and cheetahs. We were told they had dozens (hundreds?) of acres to roam, but all we saw were them in a small area. We may have come at a bad time though when they were moved into smaller enclosures for a good reason I don’t know. I’d say if you’re already at Chaminuka for something else than go for it, but I wouldn’t come to Chaminuka specifically for the game drive, there are better parks.

Visit their site for more details: www.chaminuka.com

Lilayi Elephant Nursery

On October 4, 2017October 4, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn ZambiaLeave a comment

I’m gonna preface this by saying I did not do the game drive, or see any of the animals, besides the babies in the nursery. I simply went to see the baby elephants. They are SO cute and if you love elephants I would recommend going to see them and spending the afternoon just watching them. That being said, if you have seen elephants before and are not totally “in love” with them, maybe see what else Lilaya has to offer. The part where you see the baby elephants is just a small enclosure that you climb up into a tree house like structure to watch them. They’re very cute, and I’m glad I saw it, but it was an excursion that was given to me for free, I’m not sure I would have gone there on my own otherwise. It’s a little bit of a drive outside of main Lusaka.

Paintball Mania

On October 1, 2017October 1, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn Zambia2 Comments

So I’m not a huge fan of paintball in general, but I’d still recommend this to anyone with some time to spare looking for something different to do around Lusaka, especially if you’ve got a cool group of friends. Its relatively inexpensive and its fun for you and your friends to go, dress in ridiculous jumpsuits, make teams, and run around an shoot each other. I went with a group of grown women and traded off sessions with a bunch of small boys there for a birthday party. Everyone had a great time. The price is basically 1kwa per paintball. You start with 100. So 100kwa to start (~$10)

Check out the website here for more specifics!

Dutch Market

On September 30, 2017September 30, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn ZambiaLeave a comment

Located in Kabulonga by Kabulonga boys, at the Dutch Reformed Church, and happens the last Saturday of every month. The entrance fee is between 5-10kwa (~50 cents – $1). I love this market because it has very different things than all the other cultural markets around Zambia. Xpats and Zambians come in from all over Zambia to sell their things and advertise their business. There is great food and drink here from all different cultures and cute hipster things like handmade soaps, jewelry, and candles. If you’re in the area when this is going on I highly recommend going.

**I regret to inform you the photo above is not mine. I unfortunately don’t have any photos from Lusaka that are worthy of sharing. I got this image off of google, if it is yours let me know and I’ll take it down or give you credit.

Sunday Market

On September 29, 2017September 29, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn ZambiaLeave a comment

Sunday Market is the perfect place to buy all those overpriced touristy gifts for friends and family back home who can say, “oh my niece brought me this mask back from Zambia for me.” Little does she know that mask is actually a ceremonial fertility mask from Ethiopia or something equally not related to Zambian culture. Its perfect for knick knacks and stuff you can convince yourself you need. I love Sunday market. It’s fun to wander around. It has gotten a lot smaller since they’ve moved it because of the construction at Arcades mall, but you can still get everything you want. It’s now in the fields across from the Protea Hotel at Arcades Mall until they finish construction. My advice? BARGAIN. If you are a foreigner, they will usually tell you about double the price. Don’t feel bad for arguing your way down a bit. If you can speak any of the local language it helps a lot.

Eastern – South Luangwa Park

On September 13, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn ZambiaLeave a comment

South Luangwa National Park was my first safari I’ve ever been on. We got a Peace Corps discount and stayed at Croc Valley in the dorms. It was a real nice place. The rooves were thatched, and it had a cool insaka (thatched shelter) you can hang out in. The lodge was right on the river, and you can hear the hippos at night. We got in late but the place had food ready for us in anticipation of our arrival. The food was so good! Three courses! Definitely more than we were picturing. The next morning we woke early and did a morning game drive. We saw elephants, giraffes, zebras, hyenas, and hippos. In our evening game drive we saw the same, and even spotted a leopard! It got so close to our car. I felt a little uncomfortable though because there were about 5 cars following the leopard around with high beams on all trying to get a look. The leopard seemed a little scared. All in all though I recommend Croc Valley. South Luangwa is a beautiful park FILLED with animals.

Lake Tanganyika

On September 11, 2017September 11, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn ZambiaLeave a comment

I don’t have too much useful things to say about Lake Tanganyika. It’s easy enough to hitch to Mpulungu, the town that lays next to the lake. Or you can take a bus, but we started by the side of the Kasama-Mbala Road. They dropped us at the turnoff, one road goes to Mbala, the other to Mpulungu. That wasn’t too hard to find another hitch the rest of the way to Mpulungu. It’s a nice town. I heard the fish market was pretty big but I didn’t see it. I took a b-line to an ice cream place. We stayed at a lodge I will talk about in the lodges section of Zambia, that was right across from the lake and a bar. We went to the lake-side bar to hang out and get dinner. It had beautiful views, although you cant swim because there’s crocs. We ended up staying at an school run by the Dutch across the lake called Eventure, because they knew some friends of ours. It’s a really cool place, not a place for vacation though. They had volunteers working there that seemed busy and I felt like we were just mooching off their space. I would check out Luke’s beach if you’re looking for a place to go. I’ve never been there but I’ve had a lot of friends who have, and I know Luke. It’s a nice quiet place on the water where you can set up tents, bring your own food to cook because I’m not sure if they sell food there. And I understand it’s a nice hike down to the water. So maybe not for someone looking for a nice, fancy, lake, vacation, but good for backpackers looking for an adventure and experience and somewhere to swim and hang out on a beach.

Chishimba Falls

On September 10, 2017September 10, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn ZambiaLeave a comment

If you’re in Kasama I would definitely try to reserve a day for a day trip, or even a camping overnight trip to Chishimba falls. It’s not too expensive to get in, maybe $10 for non residents, I’m not quite positive as I got in for 8kwa on a work permit. There’s three falls. When you first enter is the smallest fall, there is a picnic area, a swimming area, people selling curios, and a place to order food and beers. You can also bring food and charcoal and use the grills. Then there’s a short hike to the upper falls and a little longer hike to the main lower falls. The lower falls are a beautiful site no matter the time of year. During dry season you can swim at the top of the falls (at your own risk) but I wouldn’t recommend swimming there during rain season, you’ll get swept off the edge and there’s no coming back. The falls are tall and you can stand at the edge and see for miles into the valley. If you’re interested in camping I don’t think its more than $20 for non residents. Bring your own tents and sleeping bags. There is an insaka/shelteroverlooking the lower falls on the edge of the cliff, try to snag that spot if you can. Its unbelievable falling asleep under the galaxies and hearing the roar of the fall all night. The only thing is the bathroom is back at the entrance near the bar so try to go before it gets dark, and hold it til light in the morning. It’s safe, but not fun to hike all the way back in the dark, and its not nice to go number 2 in a public space. Really the only way to get to the falls is with a taxi which is a bummer. So if you can try to find other people to share it with. I guess you can try hitching, you’ll be able to find a ride out of town easy enough, but finding someone going from the turn off to the falls might take a while, and it would be a long walk.

Cheetah Travels

Category: Zambia