After our trip to The Zambesi Gorge we decided that a few more little bits of work needed doing to the tank! At mid-day. We were able to get away and head for Lake Kariba and the dam. So far all the roads we have travelled in Zambia have been fairly good - the tar roads, that is, dirt tracks have been a different matter. Eagle's Rest at Siavonga, on the lake edge, proved a very nice , quite resting place. It had the convenience of a bar, restaurant and hippos that wandered around the campsite at night. Liz got quite a shock when she popped out to visit the loo just before going to bed! A signpost promised us crocs too, but we didn't see any sign of them.

Lake Kariba is HUGE.

There are lots of statistics, but, to be honest, the numbers are so big that we got even more confused. Largest lake in Africa, man-made, and one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. Lots and lots of water. At the dam there are two power stations, one each for Zambia and Zimbabwi. All seems to work well, although several people have said that it works better on the Zambian side.

Our next target was the Lower Zambezi National Park. Getting there didn't look to be too much of a challenge! 80kms, even if it should turn out to be all dirt couldn't be that difficult. Suffice it to say that we were very glad to get to the park gates. FOR A COUPLE OF MOMENTS. Our truck was too big to be allowed into the park, they said. No there was no camping available near the park (Lonely Planet said the was - LP had it wrong.). There used to be a couple of campsites on the rive banks but they have long since packed up and gone. I imagine because few people ever go there. Fortunately, Conservation Lower Zambezi have a place just by the river and close to the Park entrance. The very nice English girl who runs the place was kind enough to let us spend the night in their car park. She also invited us to join her and some friends who were sitting around a camp fire on the river bank drinking coffee and listening to the lions on the Zimbabwe side of the river. Very pleasant! CLZ is an NGO involved in environmental education and anti-poaching support in the area.

In the morning we turned around and drove the horrible dirt track again. Just before we arrive at the tar road we came across a riverside lodge (not the Zambezi but still a nice river) and decided to spend a couple of nights in their campground, eat in their restaurant and relax on the terrace overlooking the river. That took care of the week-end and enabled us to watch some more Super 15 rugby.