Mutinondo

By Toast Coetzer

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To Mutinondo Wilderness
For the last part of our trip through Zambia (see “Bat explosion!” in Go #45, March 2010) we head for the Mutinondo Wilderness which is on the Muchinga escarpment. First though, we’ve got another tough road to negotiate. From Shoebill Camp we drive through the Lavushi-Manda National Park, one of Zambia’s neglected national parks where there’s absolutely nothing going on.

Along the Great North Road
The road gets better as we approach the Great North Road (the tar road which heads north from Lusaka) where we first turn north to Mpika as we have a flat tyre to fix. Mpika is bliss after more than a week in the bush – we head straight for a café to get an ice-cold drink, freshly baked rolls and cake. We’d heard that the best workshop in town can be found at the Roman Catholic Church, so we head there to get our tyre fixed under the watchful gaze of a framed picture of the Pope.

Arrival at the campsite
That done, we turn back south to Mutinondo (just 25 km east of the Great North Road). The campsite is amazing – easily the best we’ve encountered on our trip – and clearly built by people who know what campers want. The long drops are roomy enough to have a family photo taken in there, the donkey system provides hot showers and there’s a pile of wood at the ready next to the braai area.

Splash about
Mutinondo, a private reserve, is mountainous, with large granite domes dotting the landscape. Owners Lari and Mike Merret show us around. At the foot of the koppie on which the main camp is built a safe (no crocs or hippos) river provides ample pools for a cool-down. You can see they love this area and that they’d like to share it with people able to appreciate it.

Watch you step
There are several trails to explore and Rebecca and I head out to climb the nearest granite dome, Kite Rock. It’s a steep climb and you’d better have non-slip shoes. The view is ample reward though and we sit at the top for a while. We spot a klipspringer, which makes an absolute mockery of our bipedal efforts as it bounds up the rock with cartoon-like ease.

A bed with a view
After a relaxing swim it’s time to head back to the camp. Tonight we sleep in one of the chalets, which blend beautifully into the surrounds. The chalets don’t have a facade – the entire front of the building is open, so your beds look straight onto the view.

A good meal and good company
After a great meal in the company of Mike and Lari we head to bed. When it gets light in the morning, the view slowly assembles itself in my field of vision (over my toes). What a beautiful place this is.

We'll be back
Today, sadly, it’s time to head back down to Lusaka to catch the plane home. But Mutinondo will see us again, that’s for sure. It’s just the place to linger on a long road trip, say from Cape Town to Dar es Salaam...

What does it cost? You walk unguided at Mutinondo, so short hikes are free.
Accommodation. Camp for R64 pppn or stay in a chalet for R950 for two people per night (breakfast and dinner included).
Meals. You can book meals in advance.

Contact: Mutinondo Wilderness: www.mutinondozambia.com; 2MWL@bushmail.net

* Note: Prices will go up some time in 2010, but not by more than 10%. Consult their websites for the latest prices.

Read the related articles:  Batwatching 101 and Zambia's verdant North (via Livingstone's resting place to Bengweulu)

Published 4 March 2010

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