Fishing Down the Zambezi from Chirundu to Kanyemba, Zimbabwe

 

 Our home for the next six days.

Blog by David Coughlan

Our Brothers’ Fishing Trip this year became a different and much-anticipated venture – a six day trip from Chirundu down the Zambezi River to Kanyemba on a fishing pontoon/houseboat journey operated by River God Adventures. Brothers David, Tim and Mart were joined by Rich for a what for each of them proved to be a journey of a lifetime.

Our team.

The great difference on this trip was that every day was different and every night was spent in a quite remote and magical location, accessible only by boat and safe only with the presence of a professional hunter.

Our hosts Guy and Bruce.

One of the highlights of the trip was the eight kilometre walk down Chikwenya Island. On previous trips we had stopped for lunch on the island. But we never knew of the natural wonderland that lay beyond the shore.

Chikwenya Island is a paradise for game…

 We surprised this hippo, and ourselves, as he was hidden beneath the bank…

We were able to get close to these elephant…

And to these buffalo…

On the night before full moon, we camped on an island in the middle of the river. 

Looking upstream, we watched the sun set.

And looking down river we watched the moon rise.

We shared the island with a number of residents including this elephant 

which continued to dine while we did.

Having a professional hunter with us meant that no game, however big or small, could move on either side of the river without being spotted. Guy kept pointing out animals, quite invisible to the rest of us, as soon as they blinked an eye or took a breath.

One bonus of his expertise was his sighting of a group of lionesses which Guy walked us up to.

We camped on this sandbank at the entrance to the Mupata gorge…

…and on another sandbank at the eastern end of the gorge.

Although it was a fishing trip, we did not have too much success, despite having lines in the water at every opportunity. But everyone had some success.

My Catch

Once through The Gate, we passed the Red Cliffs in the face of an incredibly strong upstream wind; the strongly flowing Zambezi River was being driven upstream by the wind and navigating this stretch of the river was an exciting couple of hours.

Our last night was spent in the comparative luxury of Sawa-Sawa Lodge near the confluence of the Luangwa and Zambezi rivers, with a Zambian village across the river and the mountains of Mozambique visible just downstream.

The following morning, Guy drove us to the Chipota airstrip where our plane soon arrived

to take us back to Harare…..

David Coughlan

Elizabeth Coughlan

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Day 2

Me at the Victoria Falls

“Scenes so wonderful must have been gazed upon by Angels in their flight”, so said David Livingstone in 1855, when he first set eyes on the awesome spectacle he named the Victoria Falls. To the indigenous Tonga people it is Mosi-oa-Tunya—"The Smoke That Thunders".

Barbs and Mart by the Livingstone Memorial

On this, our second day, we visited the falls themselves. Twice as high as the Niagara Falls, and more than twice the width of the Horseshoe Falls, its only rival is Iguazu Falls on the border between Argentina and Brazil.

The Devil’s Cataract

Our visit came at the end of the dry season, and just before the rainy season, so the flow was not at its maximum, but it was still impressive. At least we stayed dry, and weren't showered on by the spray that increases with the flow of the Zambezi.

David and Barbs admiring the Rainbow Falls

After the rains, this cliff is covered with water. On this day it was a mere trickle.

The Devil’s Pool; I don’t think I’d like this photographer’s job!

When the river level is low, a rock pool forms on Livingstone Island on the Zambian side. Here, adventurous tourists like to sit in the pool close to the edge of the precipice. It is not as safe as they like to think, as a number of people have lost their footing and tumbled over the edge.

Our next activity was the Gorge Swing by the Lookout Café, managed by Wild Horizons. For this you stand on a platform on the edge of a sheer 120m cliff, and jump off to freefall, for about 70m, straight towards the rocks and river below. Then the rope becomes taut, and you swing backwards and forwards across the gorge, before being winched up to the platform again.

Our group getting harnessed up, ready for the Gorge Swing

Amy and Richard, ready to swing in tandem across the gorge

Professional videographer, Victor Jackson, waiting to take footage of the swing

Off they go! …and they can take home a copy of Victor’s video as proof

I actually did the gorge swing in tandem with Mart. But I am determined to go solo next time. It may seem foolhardy, but it is an exhilarating experience.

After our adrenalin rush at the swing, we needed to rest for a while, so we headed over to the Victoria Falls Hotel for a leisurely lunch on the Stanley Terrace.

The Victoria Hotel; one of the oldest hotels in Africa

Wonderful lunch in beautiful surroundings

Sundowners at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

This was our busiest day. Our next engagement was sundowners at the Vic Falls Safari Lodge, watching the game come down to drink, as the sun set, followed by dinner at the Jungle Junction part of the Victoria Falls Hotel complex.

African dancers at the Jungle Junction

Evening dinner at the Jungle Junction is an unforgettable experience. Apart from the delicious all-you-can-eat buffet, you are entertained throughout dinner, by dancers epitomising the spirit of Africa.

Finally, we staggered back to our lodgings, ready to fall into a peaceful sleep, and gear ourselves up for the next day of our adventure.

Elizabeth Coughlan

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Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Day 1

Barbs and David chilling in Bayete Guest Lodge

The road from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls seemed interminable, stretching far into the distance, with dense bush either side, and only the occasional African village to break up the monotony. Every bridge we crossed showed a dry river bed, where the locals were digging holes to look for water to fill their containers.

Finally we arrived at the falls where we were to stay at the Bayete Guest Lodge.

Bayete Guest Lodge, a great place to relax after a day of activities

We managed to pack so much into our short stay there, and we had so much fun. That first day we had lunch at the Lookout Cafe, with its amazing view of the second and third gorges, and the bridge that crosses from Zimbabwe to Zambia.

The Lookout Café, Victoria Falls

The stunning view from the Lookout Café

(The wires are for the Gorge Swing and Zip Line)

The Lookout Café is 120 metres above the Zambezi River, overhanging the giant Batoka Gorge, just down from the iconic Victoria Falls Bridge.

That evening we went on a sunset cruise along the Zambezi River. What a wonderful way to spend an evening!

As we approached the boat, we came across these Warthogs.

They have such short necks; they need to kneel to eat.

A typical booze cruise boat, although ours was 3 decks high.

We began with cocktails and canapes, as we gently cruised along, 

watching the sun set slowly over the beautiful landscape.

A glorious light beamed across the land, as the sun began to set…

…until everything was bathed in a warm glow

We stayed on the boat for dinner. The food was excellent, and so was the service. For anyone visiting the Victoria Falls, a sunset cruise is a must, and a great way to get up close to game coming down to the river to drink. I would happily do this again and again.

Elizabeth Coughlan

Tiger Fishing on the Zambezi, Zimbabwe

The brothers: from the left, Paddy David, Martin, Terry, and in front, Tim.

While I was visiting Jane and family in South Africa, David was fishing on the Zambezi with his brothers. This is an annual event, where they get together to enjoy each others' company in this unique environment; spending their days on the river, and their nights at the luxury Chikwenya Safari Lodge, on the edge of the World Heritage Mana Pools.

Each day, after an early 6am breakfast, they headed for the boat...

...and readied themselves for the day ahead

One day, Tim caught a huge tiger fish...

...but on another day, he wasn't so lucky

Here is one David caught

As their boat drifted on the current, they saw game, 

like this herd of elephant on the bank...

...and some fairly close, when they came to the river to drink...

...or even closer, when this hippo galloped by!

The long days often took their toll...

...but they arrived back, as the sun was setting...

...and enjoyed a hearty meal at the end of each happy day.

Images by David Coughlan

by Elizabeth Coughlan