Zambia is a country of incredible beauty, tiny villages, huts, chickens, naughty donkeys, children, wildlife, game reserves and really bad roads! On our way to the hot springs, we marvelled at the spectacular scenery all around us. Small mountains popped up, with hills covered in thick vegetation. We passed numerous rural schools, with children playing outside, who stopped to wave at us as we drove past, big smiles on their faces. The river flowed past us, and then we turned into a driveway, surrounded by stunning trees, and we were there! We had seen pictures of Kapishya Hot Springs in the guide book, but we didn’t know too much about it. Mark Harvey strolled out to greet us, and we admired his garden which is quite remarkable. Mark has green fingers, and has imported plants from all over the world, a lot of which are used in the lodge’s delicious meals.
We set off to the camping area, and put up our tents in one of the designated areas, right by the river. It didn’t take us long to get set up, and then we hastened into our costumes, excited to explore. We followed a path through the forest, stopping to look for birds along the way, and then we arrived at the springs, and both Jan and I gasped in happiness. The springs are completely natural and sulphur free. White, silver sand, is covered by turquoise water, with tiny bubbles bursting at the surface, from where the water rises up from the ground. The area is surrounded by beautiful trees, and we were lucky enough to spot a Ross’s Turaco hopping from branch to branch. There are a number of big rocks to perch on, and a cooler pool lies below the spring for you to jump into when the heat gets too much. I put a toe in to test the water, and shivered with delight at the deliciously hot water lapping against my foot. I plunged in, and within seconds was completely submerged, eyes closed, in total bliss, as I experienced the best bath I’ve ever had. I must have stayed there for hours, floating happily, watching the clouds sail past, as time stood still. I discovered that if you push your feet into the sand, they never reach the bottom, and you can feel the bubbles rising up giving you the perfect massage.
Eventually I was dragged out of the pool for a drink, and we wandered through Mark’s gorgeous garden to the lodge, right on the edge of the river. The lodge is lovely, and we got our drinks and then sat outside, watching the river, and playing with Mark’s adorable new puppy which I was very tempted to kidnap! As soon as I finished my drink I tore myself away from the puppy and bolted back to the spring, and within seconds was sitting on a rock, feet being tickled by bubbles, clutching the sand and then letting it trickle through my fingers as I daydreamed about how I could wangle a way to stay there forever.
The next day we visited Chusa Falls, which are made up from three steps, each three or four metres high. The water thundered by, and we took a narrow, steep path to the viewing point, which was well worth the climb. The falls are stunning, and the scenery around them is also beautiful, with many trees and different botanical species, supporting an abundance of birds and wildlife.
We went for lunch at the lodge and were introduced to ‘Long John Silver,’ Mark’s nickname for one of his very posh guests, who insisted we view his trailer. Well, this was indeed quite a trailer! It had absolutely everything, including the kitchen sink, a cabinet for crystal glasses, a massive double bed on top of the specially extended Landrover, an enormous fridge/freezer, and a tent which folded itself out at the push of a button. We were all a bit gobsmacked really- this was camping at a new level! Then he whipped out his camera, and it was very hard to keep a straight face… the lens was so long, the camera had to be fixed to a rifle, so when you pull the trigger it takes the shot, and it’s so heavy its owner could hardly lift it, let alone use it! At this point I think we all had the same thought in mind, and no one caught anyone else’s eye as it would have been fatal, and poor Long John (but perhaps not) Silver would have been terribly disgruntled about our lack of respect for his pride and joy.
Mark has an amazing sense of humour, and if you visit Kapishya, do yourself a favour and spend some time chatting to him, hearing all his stories about the lodge and the springs. One evening he had us all crying with laughter as he described an incident involving ‘Green peace hippies’, a feral house cat, and a very unfortunately timed and abrupt ending to said cat. He also had a young couple staying with him, and the girl asked him how he monitors what people get up to in the Spring. With full knowledge that the young couple had had a midnight swim the night before, Mark grinned wickedly and then told the girl with a dead straight face that he had cameras set up monitoring the springs 24/7. The poor lady turned beetroot red and said in a faltering voice, ‘um you mean there are cameras on 24/7?’ ‘Why yes,’ replied Mark, at which point the girl looked like she was about to cry, and Mark could no longer keep a straight face and put her out of her misery. A certain president also visited Mark with his rather voluptuous first lady, and in the middle of the introductions, the feral house cat launched an attack on the poor woman, viciously latching on and sending her running wildly around the garden trying to beat it off, with all her body guards laughing themselves silly as they watched the epic battle.
We also visited the legendary Shiwa Ngandu, or Africa House, built by Stewart Gore-Brown. The enormous stately house is open to visitors and is also a family home. The grounds are beautiful and the house has most of its original furnishings – I almost cried when I saw the library – it is absolutely magnificent with an enormous collection of books. Legend has it that a tribe travelling from the Congo to Zambia stumbled across a dead crocodile which they thought was a wonderful omen. The word for crocodile is Ng’andu, and so they called themselves Bena Ng’andu – the people of the royal crocodile. The lake was then called Ishiba Ng’andu, the lake of the royal crocodile. Gore- Brown bought 10 000 acres of land from the local tribe for two shillings an acre. He returned after the war and trained local people and used indigenous materials to build the house and farm, cottages, school, chapel, hospital, post office and later, an airstrip. It is a beautiful place, and as soon as you enter it you can feel its history.
Kayaking down the river proved to be quite a daunting task for us, due to a lack of communication skills and lack of skills in general. However, I think that if you are not completely stupid with boats, as we clearly are, it is a lovely way to explore the surroundings, and it’s quite fun navigating through the small rapids along the way. Back at the springs, I lay back and listened to the bird calls, toes sinking into the soft sand, in a blissful state of relaxation. Mel had made us a divine lunch, and with a full tummy, I was just about as happy as could be!
Do yourself a favour and go to the springs. You won’t regret it. It is honestly one of the most spectacular places I’ve been to, and Mark’s hosting skills and stories, and Mel’s cooking are two very important reasons to visit. We also visited Buffalo Camp, Mark’s other camp, which was an amazing experience as well.
Contact Shiwa Safaris
Tel 211-229-261/211-229-261, www.shiwasafaris.com
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