Ngonye Falls

24th July is our wedding anniversary so this weekend we headed off to celebrate three years of married life. Once again, we went exploring and stayed somewhere we hadn’t been before.

If you cross the border into Zambia at Katima you have two choices. If you turn right you cross the Zambezi on the very snazzy bridge and drive downstream to Livingstone & Victoria Falls on a brand new tarred road. We’ve been down this way a couple of times now so this time we decided to go the other way. Turning left means that you don’t get to cross the river and the tarmac stops after about 1km! But, as the lodges up this way claim, “The real Zambia starts here!”

On Friday evening we drove the 50km upstream to Mutemwa Lodge. This took 1 hour 30 minutes. Although this sounds painfully slow, it’s actually really good fun. Fighting your way through thick sand, up and down steep pot holed slopes while trying to choose the right gear, high range or low range, two or four wheel drive. And all the time you can just look to your right for some spectacular views of the Zambezi. Once at Mutemwa we set up camp and cooked a delicious curry listening to the hippos doing their thing.

Early Saturday morning we headed even further upstream. We drove 70km to Maziba Bay in 2 hours 30 minutes. Maziba Bay is a disused lodge in a fantastic location. Just 8km downstream from Ngonye Falls, the lodge is situated on the banks of the Zambezi. Doesn’t sound that amazing? Check out the huge white sandy beaches and think again. If it wasn’t for the crocs in the river, this place would seriously compete with Seychelles. The lodge actually burnt down a few years ago and has been slowly rotting away. Mutemwa Lodge have recently taken it over and are in the process of renovating it to reopen. So in the meantime, you can camp there and not much more! We had the place to ourselves and we’re able enjoy a romantic candlelight braai in the middle of this vast beach by the Zambezi.

As already mentioned, Ngonye (or Sioma) Falls are the main attraction in the area. We drove up there with 2 giudes from the Lodge and they took us by canoe to an island where you could get very close indeed to these spectacular falls. Although they are nowhere near the height of Victoria Falls, Ngonye is still very impressive and all the more remarkable for the lack of tourists.

If you’re ever in the area with a 4x4 and a bit of time, take a trip off the beaten track to Ngonye.