Welcome to the Serengeti Trip series of blog posts! This series of posts covers the planning, packing and progress of a massive 70-day trip through 6 African countries early in 2011. The trip started on 20 January 2011 in Pretoria, South Africa, and is heading north through Botswana, Zambia and Tanzania to the legendary Serengeti National Park! From there the guys will head back south through Malawi, another part of Zambia and Zimbabwe… These blog posts are syndicated from the Official Trip Website.
One of the things I have been dreading most is the condition of Zambia’s roads. We’ve heard so many conflicting stories, but one thing has always been for sure – there would be potholes! When we first entered Zambia three days ago we were surprised to find a stunning tar road between Livingstone and Lusaka similar to the best ones in South Africa:
- The wonderful tar road between Livingstone and Lusaka
The road stayed in a good condition north of Lusaka and it was only north of Serenje where we started to see the odd pothole, but nothing serious. Finally, north of Mpika, it all went pear-shaped! These aren’t potholes – they’re craters! Some stretch right across the road, forcing you to drive on the side, which is often just as dangerous. It was slow going for most of the afternoon, but I must admit – we had fun!
- Some of the smaller potholes north of Mpika
- JI standing in one of the big daddies!
Fortunately we got through them all safely. We were supposed to visit friends Claire and Ed in North Luangwa, but unfortunately they were held up in Lusaka with aeroplane problems, so we decided to push on to Kapisha Hot Springs where we find ourselves tonight. We’ve only seen a little bit of it in daylight, but we liked it so much that we’ve decided to stay for two nights! Here’s a quick preview of where JI and I will be spending an hour or two after (or maybe even during) supper:
- JI next to the Kapisha Hot Springs – 40 degrees celsius all year round
Okay, that’s it for tonight – I have to go make my magical mince recipe! JI has already made the pap! 
Night night
Villiers
Highlight of the day:
Villiers: The road into Kapisha Hot Springs
JI: The hot water I’ll be enjoying in a short while!
Lowlight of the day:
Villiers and JI: Not being able to visit North Luangwa. Next time!
