Zambia: Batwatching 101
The bats are sometimes caught by vultures and other big raptors around their densely populated colonies, but they have few natural enemies.
The world’s biggest mammal migration isn’t the throng of wildebeest that thud across the Serengeti every year. Instead, you’ll have to venture into a remote corner of Zambia to witness this spectacle. And they’re not hoofed mammals either, they’re winged.
Into the forest
At first it sounds like the sharp clatter of millions of finches. But then, as we park and walk closer,
the noise starts getting more nuanced, louder and weirder. Now it sounds like thousands of feet trampling on squeakin plastic toys. We enter the mushitu a type of forest found on the banks of the Musola River in Zambia’s Kasanka National Park where the bats sleep during the day. Mushitu forest is characterised by massive tree species such as red mahogany and waterberry, but of these giants only skeletons remain here. Over the years, the combined weight of millions of straw-coloured fruit bats (one can weigh up to 700 g) has stripped them down to only their strongest branches.
Flying sausage dogs
The first bats become visible. They’re huge, the size of a hihuahua, with a wingspan just short of a metre. Their noses are longer than a chihuahua’s, though more like a dachshund’s. Yup,
what we’re seeing here are thousands of flying sausage dogs! It’s five o’clock in the afternoon and the bats are getting restless. Every now and then a squadron noisily loosens itself from a roost to fly a crabby arc or two before settling down again.
Block your ears
Our guide, Webby Mwewa, leads us closer to the river bank. We pass several viewing platforms, slosh through ankle-deep water and then follow the trail deeper into the forest. Eventually we reach the end of the trail and the last of the viewing platforms. Rebecca follows Webby up the ladder and I make up the rear. When I slowly stand up on the small platform the noise around me is deafening. And I can’t believe what I see. We are in the heart of the colony. Tens of thousands of bats swirl around us. Hitchcock could’ve made a good movie out if this!
Batwatching 101
The best time to go: Kasanka’s fruit bats are only there from mid-October to mid-December. The rainy season reaches its height in January and February, so the roads could get problematic then.
Cost: Entry into Kasanka costs R53 per person per day and R116 per vehicle per day. There are no credit card facilities, so try to book and pay in advance. Take enough cash for the whole trip (make sure you have US dollars in small denominations). You’ll need Zambian kwacha to pay for fuel, and kwacha is king at small shops.
Accommodation: Camping at Pontoon (two large sites) and Kabwe (one big stand, suitable for several vehicles) in Kasanka costs R76 per person per night. Self-catering in the chalets at Wasa (10 rondavels – pictured above) and Luwombwa costs R354 per person per night, and all-inclusive packages are available.
Meals: An excellent dinner at Wasa or Luwombwa (picture below) costs R104, but you must book well in advance. If you selfcater, you simply hand your food to the lodge’s chef, who will prepare the meal for you.
Activities: A guided walk is essential if you want to appreciate all Kasanka has to offer. It costs R177 (per group) to hire an armed scout for half a day. Bat visits cost R232 per person – expensive, but if you’ve come this far to see bats, you should do it properly! The boat ride at Luwombwa (photo at top of page) is also a must and at R370 per small group it’s good value.
Note: Prices will go up in 2010 but by no more than 10 %. These rand prices were converted from
the dollar and kwacha prices, and were correct at the time of going to print. Use only as a guide.
Contact: www.kasanka.com; trust@kasanka.com
The nuts and bolts
How to get there: Most South Africans will probably drive there (budget 7 hours for the 500 km from Lusaka to Kasanka), but both SAA and Zambian Airways have daily flights to Lusaka. We flew up and hired a 4x4. Chartered flights can go all the way to Kasanka too.
Road conditions: The Great North Road is in good condition from Lusaka to Serenje. Between Serenje and Mpika there are lots of potholes, some large enough to disappear into, so drive slowly if you want to avoid serious car trouble. The park’s roads are good.
Fuel: When we visited, fuel was easy to come by in Lusaka, Kabwe, Kapiri Mposhi, Serenje and Mpika. A litre of diesel cost R9,60 at the time of our visit (December 2009).
Malaria: The mozzies here have necks thicker than your wrists, so take the pills along. There are also tsetse flies, but you don’t need your yellow fever papers.
Visa: South Africans don’t need one, but remember your passport.
Guides and maps: Buy Hupe’s Zambia Road Map if you see it. We bought it for R100 at Kasanka. Get Bradt’s 2008 Zambia country guide (R360) from your bookshop before you go. It’s worth every cent.
Go! says: Pack gumboots if you’re going to view the bats, because it’s very muddy next to the river. A light rain jacket is compulsory in summer, and take Struik’s Birds of Africa, as you’ll be slightly outside our sub-region.
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