We had a lazy start to the day, sitting peacefully around the camp fire, sipping our condensed milk coffee; then we heard the sound of hooves. Seven or eight horses came into the camp and started grazing in the forest around us. Two of the nosy creatures wondered across and started sniffing around our table and camp equipment, we indulged their curiosity until one picked up our straw mat (used to wipe our feet on before climbing up the ladder into our bedroom) and started eating it. The mat was retrieved and Graeme clapped his hands, letting the horse know he had gone too far, the creature slowly turned around, farted and wondered off. Much as I love my job, with mornings like these, I could happily retire and become Mrs Livingstone.
The Great North was not so great today; the thousands of heavy trucks and tankers, from all over Africa, that travel this road daily, have taken their toll and we are constantly dodging potholes.
260km NE from Mutinondo, deep in the northern Zambian wilderness, we drove through to Shiwa Ng’andu. This is a grand country estate and we felt like we had been transported back to England in the early 1900’s.
On the Shiwa Ng’andu estate, 20 km further along the dirt road, we arrived at Kapishya Hot Springs. The camp site is stunning and we pitched our tent about 3m from a stream with gently flowing rapids. We have been warned not to swim in this river because of crocs but when you have hot springs to soak in – who needs a cold river. The lodge itself is quaint with the most beautiful gardens, decks, a pool and great birding.
The springs are a short walk from our camp site. The setting is marvellous, a turquoise steaming lagoon of hot bath water, surrounded by thick palms. These are the first natural springs I have come across that don’t smell of sulphur. The springs are fed by 3 cold springs which permeate 6-7km underground, to be superheated and then forced back to the surface – loosing 10 deg cel every km, ending up at the surface at 40 deg cel.
We had a peaceful afternoon relaxing and chatting to Mark, the grandson of eccentric British aristocrat Stewart Gore-Brown, who established the estate and built the house.
We had the most stunning evening, sitting by the camp fire, sipping red wine and watching the stream flowing past. This is Gray at his absolute happiest. After dinner we went for paddle in the hot springs. At night the steam rises off the water and we floated in the hot water in the moonlight with water bubbling up underneath us.
Kapishya Lodge
One happy Panda
Soaking in the springs
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