Drive Times

Hi all,
well here I am in Livingstone have driven from Malawi (Salima) via Lilongwe and crossed into Zambia via Chipata, camped up at Yellow Chicken campsite 5 Km past the border, nice place, recommended.

Advice, yellow fever vaccination is now required for Zambia for UK citizens.

Next day travelled on towards Lusarka and stayed at Bridge Camp over the Liwange River, again recommended, nice chalets but not great for camping (dusty corrugated camnping area).

Next day through Lusarka and 10 Km south to Eureka campsite, excellent lovely place , chalets bar, pool , lovely..

Unfortunately Lusarka (not a big city ) was shut as it was Sunday, all banks BDC`s close at 12:30 on Sundays, bahhh..

Monday drove down to Livingstone where we are currently camped up at The Zambezi Waterfront complex, excellent, pool, bar,(guess you can see my choices by now) and grassy camping loverly..

Boy its hot and dry in Southern Af at the moment, anyway gotta go theres a bungee rope with my name on it.

Bye all..

Phil

moderator
PS scuse my speelling.

Just gotta tel ya..
I did the bungee from the bridge at Vic falls (twice) you get a free jump if you purchase the video and beleive me twice is enough.

But.. theres something else.. "gorge swing" in one of the old dry gorges they have put a wire across and you can step off the gorge and swing out, I`ve done a lot of crazy things but this one had me actually hesitating to jump, you freefall for about 20 - 30 meters down the cliff face and then swing out across the gorge, one guy wrote this "what a mind fuk" and got it completely right if you get the chance go along and have a look, its off the road to the Zim border.

Phil J

I'm planning to drive through that region in August. I was hoping you help me. I need to know how much time on the road it took you from Malawi to Livingstone (ignoring stoppages).
My actual route planned route is sorta Jo'burg - Coast of Mozambique - Lake Malawi - Zambia (Luanga) - Vic Falls - Etosha - Windhoek - Cape Town

Okay, this is travel times only, in a 4x4 (at a medium cruise speed).

Left the Malawi/Zambian border at Chipata at around 09:00, arrived at Bridge Camp (just passed Kacholola) over the Luangwa River at around 17:00 minus 2 hours for stops. Reasonable tar road in places but big potholes on the first 100km.

Left Bridge Camp around 09:00 arrived Lusaka 12:30 no stops. Reasonable tar road.

Left Lusaka at around 08:00 arrived Livingstone at 16:00 minus 1 hour for stops. Good tar road.

Left Livingstone at 08:00 crossed border into Zimbabwe cut across to Botswana border at Kasane through Botswana to Ngoma Bridge border with Namibia into Namibia and onto Kongola at the beggining of the Caprivi strip, arrived at around 17:00.

Started off across the Caprivi at 09:00 with the convoy, takes 2-3 hrs, good tar road, arrived at Divundu 12:00.

Left Divundu for Rundu at 09:00 arrived Rundu 13:00.

Left Rundu 09:00 via Gtrootfontein arrived Tsumeb at 15:00 (had the best municipal campsite on the whole trip, real nice).

Spent the next 5 days in the Etosha.

I carried on across to Swakopmund (about 6 hrs drive from Okaukuejo) and then across the desert to Windhoek (about 6 hrs drive) and then down to Keetmashoop (8 hrs) minus 1 hr stop.

Going at a good pace you could do all this in probably 8 days, 10 is more realistic, took me about 24 days with stops in Zambia and Namibia.

My route then went via Uppington (SA) around Lesotho onto Peitermaritzburg up through Swaziland into and through the Kruger over Beit Bridge (watch out for documentation touts here as they try to hide the signs that tell you not to use touts by standing in front of them, hehe, we did the documentation ourselves and it was easy) and on to Harare then via Tete in Mozambique then onto Blantyre in Malawi.

Hope that helps, if you need any more info post it here and I`ll try and help.

Phil J
moderator

Hi Phil

What is the road condition between Harare, Tete and Blantyre. Are they tarmac?

I am on the bicycle and trying to cycle from Tanzania to Cape town in a quickest way possible. I have a dilemma to go via Zambia, Botswana or Go all the way down along the lake Malawi and then Blantyre, Tete, Harare and then Botswana.

Appreciate your help.

How about Blantyre to Harare? Is it Tarmac as well?

I heard some horror stories of Mozambique-Zimbabwe border crossing.

In Malawi the road running along Lake Malawi onto Blantyre is all tarmac - few potholes here and there....