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| Luano Valley View | Luano Valley Road |
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| Lunsenfwa River Camp 1 (4 km from Chomba) | Lunsenfwa River Camp 3 (south of Mafungo) |
Wonder Gorge a.k.a. Bell Point
The Luano Valley
SIAVONGA GPS 16 32.371S 028 42.545E 520m 15.30 4.2.04
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| View of Lake Kariba | Kariba Dam wall |
Map of the town:
The small town of Siavonga came about in the 1950s when the Kariba Dam was being built. Nestled on the upper sections of several hills - those that remained when the waters of the Zambezi rose - and strung out along the lake shore, this former settlement of builders developed over time into a quiet holiday resort. Swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, birding or just lazing in the sun is visitors' favoured activities. Outings can include a trip to a croc farm or a ride on a Kapenta-rig, a walk on the dam-wall or a visit of the gorges below the Dam. At the time of writing (Feb 04), drives to neighbouring Zimbabwe's Kariba Town on the other side of the dam were not recommended (expensive and hasslesome) but maybe things political in Zimbabwe will change soon. One thing every visitor to Siavonga MUST do is eat the wonderfully fresh lake-fish (mainly tilapia bream) that is offered by all hotels and lodges.
Where to stay:
On the lake shore:
Lake Kariba Inns (owner/manager Pat Townsend) fax/tel.
Lusaka 252518/253768; Siavonga tel. 511290, 511249, 511269; or cell 097-796958
35 rooms (VIP and ordinary) in nice gardens with good views, aircon, cable TV,
pool, restaurant, conference facilities.
VIP: B&B K233,945 single, K177,073 pp/double (US$1=K4,800 as of Feb 04);
Ordinary: B&B K177,073 single, K146,440 pp/double. Lunch/Dinner K40,000.
Comment: this hotel is without doubt the best of all available options and good
value for money. The food is good (especially their cakes), the staff attentive,
and the manageress personally interested in guests' welfare. It's often full of
convention participants, so better book ahead.
Lake Safari Lodge (formerly Zambezi Lodge - owner
Morris Diamond ) tel 511148, 511220
26 rooms (11 'ordinary' - K130,000/K200,000 sgle/dble, 4 'executive' -
K170,000/K220,000 s/db, 11 'deluxe' - K200,000/K250,000 s/db, + 4 more under
construction), TV, fans, pool, beach, restaurant (lunch/dinner K50,000).
Comment: this lodge breeds its own bream and has the freshest fish on offer. The
old 'ordinary' rooms are a bit dingy; the 'executive' ok, and the 'deluxe' very
nice. All have beach access and nice views over the lake.
Zefa Guesthouse (owner/manager Fred Hapunda, ex-MP of
the area) tel. 511228
18
rooms: luxury (w/Jacuzzi) K300,000 dble, ordinary K240,000 dble. aircon, cable
TV.
Comment: this unsignposted lodge is still under construction but takes guests.
To get there, take the turnoff to Manchinchi Bay/Eagles Rest, go past the
Manchinchi turnoff and turn right just before reaching Eagles Rest. Located on
an inlet (no view of the lake) and originally Mr Hapunda's private home, this
lodge is being expanded to accommodate tourists and conference 'overspills'. The
restaurant is still under construction, the only place in this lodge that will
have a 'somewhat' view.
Manchinchi Bay Lodge (Mrs Mwiinga
- ownership disputed) 30 rooms, only partly functional, pool, beach, restaurant.
Rates for DBB: $70/K203,000 sgle; $55/K189,000 pp/sharing; sgle room
$60/K168,000; twin $50/K155,000 pp/sharing. Lunch/dinner (IF ingredients
available) K40,000. For B&B $55, $35, $40 and $35 respectively.
Comment: this used to be a great hotel but due to ownership disputes it has been
allowed to go to seed. In a pinch it's still an ok place to stay at, especially
as self-catering is allowed. It has a nice location and pleasant layout, but the
pool is algae-green and the grounds a bit overgrown.
Leisure Bay Motel (owner: Garden House Hotels) tel. 511135, 511136. 20 rooms, TV, beach, restaurant. K140,000 sgle, K180,000 dble B&B
Eagles Rest Chalets
(owner/manager Ian Kennedy) tel. 511168 or Lusaka 231936, <eagles@zamnet.zm>
18 rooms (12 functional. 6 under renovation), fans, camping, restaurant, beach.
K148,000 pp/day B&B (sometimes cheaper specials are to be had, enquire
before going); camping K31,000 pp/day
Comment: built in the 60s this is the oldest hotel in Siavonga. Alas, it's
vastly overpriced for the modest facilities on offer. Some of the rooms are
4-bed family rooms (2 beds for parents plus bunk-beds for kids), equipped for
self-catering with fridge and 2-plate cooker (rental). The campground is
beautifully located and nicely maintained.
In town:
Kariba North Bank Guesthouse (owner ZESCO NorthBank
Project) tel. 511197, fax 511207, e-mail
<karno@zamnet.zm>
9 rooms, pool, aircon, DSTv, restaurant. K244,000 dbl, K308,000 presidential
suite, B&B, lunch/dinner K25,000.
Comment: a rather nice guesthouse, located high on a hill overlooking town and
lake. It used to cater to ZESCO and GRZ staff only, but last year was opened to
the general public. It now serves civil servants and business people, and
handles conference overspill. Ms Mziba, the manager, tries to please but is
often not there. The 'presidential suite' of which there are two, are
stuffy-plushy affairs with heavy drapes and heart-shaped beds. Truly amazing!
The kitchen's output is rather modest, offering typical government-guesthouse
fare (chicken/beef/fish with rice/nsima/chips).
Zaninge Guesthouse (owner Deya Saka) tel. 511086 - K40,000 - said to be ok
Chimutuzi Guesthouse (owner Carlton Inns) tel. 5111381 - near football field - difficult/rocky access
Mutende Guesthouse (owner JJ Lowe) tel. 511075 - hard-to-find, not signposted, next to Chimutuzi
Lake View Guesthouse (owner Siavonga Council) - 511102, 511168 - like all council guesthouses useable in a pinch
Out of town:
Sandy Beach
Safari Lodge (owner/manager Hermann & Emily Striedl)tel. 097-769100
Hermann, 097-754505 Emily, in Lusaka: 232936 (Karen); e-mail <sandybeach@zamtel.zm>
GPS: 16 29.240S
028 39.874E
turnoff at GPS: 16 24.290S
028 43.763E 574m
- 11km on sandy road.
12 rooms, fan, ensuite shower, restaurant, water sports, camping. K140,000 sgle,
K180,000 dble, K220,000 triple; camping K30,000.
Comment: Sandy Beach - which indeed has a big long sandy beach - is good for
restful stays (chalets are plain but adequate) or just day-outings (day-visitor
charge K10,000). Beach activities include boat-cruises or fishing trips. Boat
trips include: banana-boat outings (K50,000/hr for 5), lunch- or sundowner
cruise (K450,000 - 2-3 hrs, 15 pax max), sailing (K20,000/hr, experience
necessary).
Tamarind Camp (owner Sobek Canoeing Co.), turnoff at
GPS: 16 24.290S 028 43.763E
- 14km to camp on rough road - closed in rainy season; pre-booking only.
Comment: This is an upmarket tented camp, a base for canoeing safaris and trips
to Lower Zambezi National Park. Ask your travel agent for current rates.
Getting organized:
Shopping: Chizindikila Supermarket & Restaurant,
Granny's Treasury Bakery - modest but ok for basic commodities - plus two
markets in downtown Siavonga for fresh produce.
Fuel: the BP station
at the turnoff to Siavonga town, on the main Lusaka-Kariba Dam road, is the only
fuel source in town.
Banks: Standard Chartered Bank, National Commercial Bank
What to see and what to do:
Croc farms: Kaliolio (owner Peter Ihmann) on
Mutinangala Rd.; and Sumbu (owner Keith Jordan- also has big croc farm in
Sinazeze) past Lake Kariba Inns - not signposted (the old signposts lead to a
croc and ostrich farm that is defunct), no charges. At Kaliolio, foreman Wilson
Kalokwa most ably leads visitors around ('appreciation' appreciated); at Sumbu
only the old/breeding crocs can be viewed; delicate youngsters (crocs are
amazingly susceptible to disease) are out of bounds. No guide (though a worker
might come running), no charge.
Lake/sundowner cruises - K130,000/hr (offered by Eagles
Rest, Lake Kariba Inns, Lake Safari Lodge). Houseboats (Lake Kariba Inns/L.
Harvesters) rental K1.3 million/day)
Dam visits: If you leave your ID at the Zambian border
post you are allowed to drive the 2km down to the dam wall and enjoy an
east/west view of lake and gorges, huge spillgates, and Zam and Zim's power
stations. There is a parking lot for leaving the car. The dam wall is for
walking only. Cars are not allowed to stop on the wall.
Getting there and away: no regular buses but
there's a several-times-daily minibus service from/to Lusaka and Chirundu border
On the 65km way to Siavonga:
Lusitu town + mission hospital: 16 08.050S
028 44.329E
Centre of the resettled Tonga people who were displaced by the rising dam
waters, a prime example of erosion and overgrazing. Reeds and rushes are used to
make baskets to be sold along the road, also quartzes (amethyst cast-offs) and
green-traffic-light glass can be found here. Less pleasant is the wildlife
that's also up for sale: turtles (live and as shell), duiker-babies (barely
alive), birds (parrots, small finches), snakes (live or as skin), etc. Let's
just hope that no reader will buy any wild life, dead or alive, on the roadside!
Ngombe Ilede - "Where the cow lies down" -
National Monument of Stone-Age Site, AD 700-1000 - well signposted.
Turnoff 13km after Lusaka-Chirund Rd turnoff (GPS: 16 07.948S
028 44.290E1023m), then it's another 14km on sandy road. Keep right at
church, go straight towards the 3 baobabs on rise, then use the right track to
reach the site … where NOTHING can be seen. All finds like pottery shards,
glass- and gold-beads, and copper-crosses have disappeared (some are in the
Livingstone Museum). And even the plaque denoting the Monument has disappeared
and only a misshapen baobab that, with fantasy, can be imagined to have the
shape of a lying-down cow. In short, don't bother.
Chirundu Fossil Forest - another neglected National Monument - this not of archaeological interest but of natural-history value. Approx. 150 million years old, these fossilized tree trunks, up to 2-3 m in length, are scattered over a wide area of sparse Middle and Late Stone Age industries, indicating that people sometimes made use of fossil wood for making stone implements.
THE TRAP
By Heather Chalcraft (the Lowdown, Jan 2004)
According to legend, the name of Kariba should be 'kariwa - the trap' for long ago there was a lake behind the hills which broke through and this violent torrent tore out the gorge, and when the water subsided it left behind a massive stone slab, the kariwa, until it collapsed.
The real trapping of the river took place on 2 December 1958, when the peaceful course that the Zambezi had run for centuries stopped it in its stride. This was the day on which the gap in the wall was closed.
Less than 100 years ago, the Kariba Gorge was considered an obstacle to river navigation for in those 26km the river ran fast. In 1912, a District Commissioner visiting from Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) reported the potential dam site that could irrigate the Zambezi Valley. Ten years later, it was suggested as a source of hydroelectric power but, as in 1912, there was no money available for this. In 1937 it was realized that the potential of Zambia's copper mines could not be realized without cheap electrical power but even then nothing happened. On in 1946 was a Central African Council established and in 1951 they recommended Kariba as a suitable site for the construction of a dam.
This was the start of one of the controversies, for a similar scheme had already been suggested on the Kafue River. The experts all backed Kariba as it was the bigger of the schemes, but this did not satisfy the population north of the Zambezi for they were very attached to the Kafue scheme. When the final announcement was made in March 1955 that the dam was to be built at Kariba there was outrage north of the Zambezi where politicians called it the Great Betrayal (yes, the same as Ian Smith's book).
But there was no time to dilly-dally; the pressure was on as by 1960 the Zambian copper mines would find themselves in dire straits regarding the supply of power if the dam was not completed.
The building of the dame was an outstanding engineering feat - a great river which could in the space of a few hours become a raging torrent had to be tamed; the site was remote with no roads leading to or from it, the gorge in which they had to work was narrow and the temperatures and humidity were high.
Finance for the dam from from a variety of sources, including the World Bank, Colonial Development Corporation, the British South Africa Company and the Rhodesian Federal Government, a total of UKP80 million.
The closing date for tenders was 17 April 1956 and one tender arrived in Salisbury (now Harare) with only ten minutes to spare - the aircraft with the courier from Italy had been delayed due to a technical fault. Three months later, on 17 July, the contracts were announced. But before that there was rumour about who had been awarded which contract. The next controversy arose when the announcements were made - the main contract for the construction of the dam and south-bank power station had been awarded to an Italian firm - Impresit South Africa - at a value of UKP 25,278,000. Another Italian-controlled firm, Rhodesia Power Lines, was awarded the contract for the transmission lines, at a value of UKP 9,935,000. The British companies that had tendered for the job were outraged.
One of the earliest contracts awarded was for the construction of Kariba township, where those involved in the construction of the dam would live for the duration. This contract was awarded to Costains. Original estimates were that construction of the township would take two years, but this was cut down by a third. Work went on for 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, with temperatures sitting at 43 deg. C at 10 p.m. and 32 deg C at 5 a.m. Fitters took to carrying tools in buckets of water to prevent them becoming too hot. In one week, houses to the value of
UKP 300,000 were handed over. Houses from foundations to door locks were being completed at the rate of three houses every two days. A bank was built from start to finish in nine days.
In November 1956, the first skip of concrete, two tons of it, was poured. This was only the first of nearly 3 million tons used in the wall - enough to pave a road from Zambia to Russia. On 22 June 1959 the last skip of concrete was released on the curve of the wall by Federal Prime Minister, Sir Roy Welensky - ten months ahead of schedule despite the floods of 1957 and 1958 when the Zambezi did its best to fight man's intentions.
Meanwhile virgin bush was being cleared to the north for the transmission lines - a job which was started in 1955 and was to take four years. The trees, which would be covered with water, were being pulled down and work was commencing on the south bank power station. For those who worked at Kariba, they needed no references or testimonials - they only had to say "I worked at Kariba" and the job was theirs.
But there were human tragedies too - a number of people lost their lives during the construction of the dam; some are still buried within the wall. Eight of Chief Chipepo's people who were forcefully being moved to higher ground were killed during violent clashes with the police. And the human tragedies continue for those displaced people …
(Note: there is a vast body of literature on this topic; cf
Colson & Scudder 'Kariba Studies')
THE FOOD OF THE PAINTED WOMEN
By Heather Chalcraft (the Lowdown, Jan. 2004)
Kapenta (Limnothrissa miodon) fishing is an important commercial enterprise on Lake Kariba, giving a living to a significant number of people around the lake. It first came to the towns and cities of Zambia from Lake Tanganyika, although as early as 1860 the explorer Richard Burton had described the use of circular nets lowered from a canoe to catch fish attracted by the light of an mbaula (wood-fired brazier). Today, kapenta rigs have enormous lights on the surface and are fitted with the same circular nets, although they are much larger, and the lights are lowered into the water. The lights attract the fish and when there are sufficient numbers, the net is lifted to the surface with the catch. Kapenta fishing is an important economic activity on Lake Tanganyika (where it is known as dagaa) and on Lake Kariba, where it has superseded breams in terms of commercial viability.
The possibility of introducing kapenta into Lake Kariba was considered as early as 1956, although the first experimental attempts began in February 1952. Under the supervision of Dr George Coulter, Senior Fisheries Officer in the then Northern Rhodesia, a brood of sardine fry of the genus Limnothrissa was netted near Mpulungu and placed into two galvanized iron transport tanks. They all died within five hours. It was deided that this was probably due to mechanical injury, so a method was used whereby the fry were caught in a large polythene net and placed in polythene bags. This resulted in a higher survival rate, although mortality was still high. However, some individual fry had survived and were growing beyond the maximum transportation size. Thus a trial run to Kariba was attempted. On the morning of 25th February 1953, 350 fry were caught and transferred to polythene bags which were then stored in insulated metal containers. These were transported by road to Abercorn (now Mbala) airport, by air to Kariba airport and by road to the lake shore.
At Kariba, 7 1/2 hours after capture, 45% of the fry had survived. Half of these were introduced immediately to a lakeside storage dam where they all died within a few minutes, possibly because of a different in water temperatures. The next day only 14 of the original 350 were still alive. These were placed in a keep-net in the lake where they lived and grew for more than three months until a storm wrecked the net and the fry escaped into the lake. Albeit accidentally, the first introduction of sardines to Lake Kariba had taken place.
But it was still not known whether they would find conditions suitable for breeding, and also which of the two species involved would be the better. Investigations were carried out and by September 1966 it was decided that Limnothrissa miodon, the larger, less specialized species would be the one. Limnothrissa miodon was known to grow to 17cm in Lake Tanganyika and did not require such deep water for laying its eggs as the other species. Further experiments on the catching, handling, keeping and transportation of the sardines was also undertaken and a trial flight involving 12,000 sardine fry was made to Sinazongwe in December 1966. About 50% of the fry survived.
Between July and November 1967, approx. 250,000 sardine fry were released into Lake Kariba from Lake Tanganyika. This involved 26 airlifts. In August and September 1968, a second series of flights took place and over 120,000 sardines were released.
In Lake Tanganyika the fry were first located in the shallows and then herded with hoop-nets into a funnel and then into plastic containers. When sufficient numbers had been caught they were transported to Mbala and then flows to the Fisheries Training Camp at Sinazongwe, where they were loaded into a twin-hulled boat and set free in the lake. Thereafter it was a matter of wait-and-see, but hopes of success were high.
At Sinazongwe, in late 1969, some fish of varying sizes were caught and identified as kapenta. This suggested that not only had they survived but they had also bred in their new environment. The first attempts to catch the kapenta were made in October 1969 using banana boats, lights and scoop, and lift nets. These atches were not spectacular but large numbers of fish could be seen under the lights, and by the end of that year some had been caught 64km east of Sinazongwe.
Since the declaration of UDI (Ian Smith's Unilateral Declaration of Independence) in 1965, communication between the Zambian and Rhodesian (Zimbabwean) sides of Kariba had been virtually non-existent and Rhodesian biologists were unaware of the introduction of kapenta into Kariba. In June 1969 they found a strange fish inside the stomach of a tiger fish, caught in the Sanyati Basin, 210km west of Sinazongwe. On closer examination it was found to be a kapenta. This was followed by numerous other instances where kapenta had become a tiger fish's meal.
Although the numbers were by no means large, they were enough to say that the introduction had been a successful exercise, and examinations of the stomachs of tiger fish showed that 70% of their food was now made up of kapenta. The Kariba kapenta grew much smaller than the Tanganyika ones, reaching sexual maturity before a length of 5cm and rarely reaching beyond 6cm of length.
Commercial fishing of kapenta started on the Rhodesian side in 1976 and on the Zambian side in 1980/81, after Zimbabwe's independence. At night one can see the flickering lights across the dark waters of Lake Kariba. These are the fishing rigs at work. Catches are seasonal and during the summer months the kapenta moves inshore, to protected bays, where they breed. Commercial catches rise again after March when the adults return to open waters. However, if the rain has been poor, there is less food for them, which means poor harvests for fisher folk (and for the fish and birds which feed on them).
But it is not only man, fish and birds that are out to get this Silver Gold. These hardy little fish are sucked into the turbines and spewed into the stilling pool below the dam. They survive, only to fall prey to the hundreds of tern and kingfishers that are waiting for their dazed emergence at the dam's tailrace. Survivors have even made the 220km journey through a river, devoid of plankton and infested with predators, to establish new shoals in Lake Cahora Bassa in Mozambique.
Because kapenta is easy and quick to prepare, an idle woman can leave the beer hall just a few minutes before her husband comes home and still have a plate of tasty fish ready for him. For the same reason it was the preferred food of working women - especially the commercial sex-working ones - hence the name "food of the painted women" (ka-penta = paint, get it?).
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Swanning
Around Sinazongwe The Kholisa I may be the Star of Sinazongwe, but it is not the only star; there are others – Chete Island and Chikanka Island. But if you want a quiet weekend with no excitement, then you could consider The Clubhouse or The Guesthouse, also on the shores of the Lake. The Clubhouse caters for backpackers and currently has two double rooms and a dormitory which sleeps six although Paola, one of the owners explained that more accommodation is being added. All the buildings have been constructed in the traditional way – pole and dagga with thatched roofs and decorated with natural ‘paints’. The kitchen is equipped with an electric stove, fridge and freezer as it is all self-catering. Whilst I was there, they were doing the finishing touches to the swimming pool and the bar which has a spectacular view over the Lake – at least 200 degrees. Rates are The Clubhouse are US$ 15 for a private room, US$ 6 for a dormitory or US$ 3 for camping. The Guesthouse is a little more upmarket and caters for families and those with a larger budget. At the moment they have two houses, but as these are in fairly close proximity to each other, they come as a unit. The larger of the houses consists of a lounge (complete with DSTv) and dining area, a fully equipped kitchen, a bathroom with separate toilet and three bedrooms; two doubles and one twin. The other house has a kitchen, bathroom and three bedrooms, sleeping six. Rates are US$ 80 on week days and US$ 140 on weekends and public holidays for both houses. In the very near future, they will be adding another house although this one can be booked separately from the two which are currently in use. All three houses share a swimming pool which is partially shared by some enormous trees. The entire area is also lawned, making it cool during the hot months. The fridges in the houses will be stocked prior to your arrival and on leaving, you pay for what you have used and these drinks are very reasonably priced. Or you can bring your own. Spirits are also available although these are sold by the bottle. Or if you would prefer, you can wander up to the bar at the Clubhouse and have a drink there. Available is a cook who can do basic meals and also staff who will clean the houses, make beds etc. If your plan is to spend your time there indulging in a bit of fishing, they have facilities to launch your boat or you can hire a boat from them. If you tire of fishing (or if you want to send the kids and women off in the other direction), they offer tours of the croc farm (US$5), game walks on Maaze Island (US$ 20 including transfer by boat). Also available in the very near future will be sunset cruises, makoro trips and a visit to a kapenta rig at night. Or you can take a night away from the mainland and camp on one of the islands (US$ 25 including transport and dinner). The islands are either Maaze Island or Mashapi Island which are both privately owned and have recently been stocked with game (ironical isn’t it that forty years ago, Operation Noah was removing the game from the islands and now we are returning it.) Already there are numerous types of antelope, zebra, monkeys and baboons and of course the elephants who have made their own way over. There are also plans to add some buffalo. To get to either The Clubhouse of The Guesthouse, take the Maamba turnoff at Batoka, go past the Sinazongwe turnoff for about thirty kilometres where (about two kilometres before Maamba) you will find a good dirt road to the left with a sign post saying Maaze Holdings/Zongwe Farming. Follow this road (and the signposts) for about thirty kilometres until you reach Siansowa. For
bookings, email Lwiimbo Lwa Zambezi Safaris Ltd at 2MAAZE@bushmail.net
Take
a look at the website of the Houseboat Company <wwww.housboatcompany.com>.
For booking or information about 'Kholisa I' |