Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mishembe Bay $$$
( contact via Thorn Tree Safaris 0214-221615;
www.thorntreesafaris.com
; full board
per person US$150)
Another beachside option is Mishembe Bay. Run by Thorn Tree Sa-
faris, which is based in Kasama, this rustic lodge has reed chalets set on wooden platforms
overlooking the bay. The price includes tasty meals baked in their bush oven. Booking
ahead is essential and transfers (ZMW500 return) are available from Mpulungu, which is
a half-hour boat ride away.
LODGE
Nsumbu National Park
0214
Hugging the southern shores of Lake Tanganyika, little visited
Nsumbu National Park
(admission US$10; 6am-6pm)
is a beautiful 2020 sq km of hilly grassland and escarp-
ment, interrupted by rivers and wetlands. Back in the 1970s, this was one of the leading
national parks in Africa with the largest density of rhino on the continent, and Kasaba Bay
was like the St Tropez of Zambia, with the jetset flying in from South Africa and beyond.
Like other remote parks in Zambia, Nsumbu was virtually abandoned in the 1980s and
1990s and poaching seriously depleted wildlife stocks here; however, conditions have im-
proved over the past decade. Poaching has come under control, and animal numbers have
increased, in part thanks to a buffer zone created by two Game Management Areas that
adjoin the park.
Herds of elephants and buffaloes are seen here once again, often coming to the lake to
drink. There are also plenty of antelope, including roans and sable antelopes, waterbucks
and sitatungas. All of these animals attract predators and these days lions and hyenas can
often be heard at night. In the lake itself are hippos as well as some of the largest cro-
codiles in Africa. For anglers, Lake Tanganyika offers top-class sport: Nile perch, tiger-
fish and
nkupi
(yellow belly) are plentiful, while golden perch and giant tiger-fish are all
found in the waters.
There is decent birdwatching here, too, with some 300 species recorded, including red
bishop and Pel's fishing owl.
