This episode is fairly dull, it tells the story of us travelling on a major trunk road for a couple of days. Maybe if you want to read a bit about travel days in Zambia then it’s for you.
Otherwise the last blog is great, read that one instead.
Near Chisamba
Next morning we met with the owner of Fringilla Farm and Butchery. A man Jacqui and Clare had known as teenagers when they lived in Chisamba. Fringilla used to be the site of raucous New Year’s Eve parties, and still is.
We stocked up on steak, boerewors and biltong, and hit the road.
Kabwe is the fourth largest city in Zambia, and is home to a big brand new shoprite and mall. The perfect place to stock up, because now we have 13 nights on the road without the possibility of a big shop.
The T2 (great north road) is a major trunk road heading, surprisingly, north all the way to Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. The port seems to be a major supply point for all of Zambia, huge fuel tankers and other lorries flow constantly.
At Kapiri Mposhi the road splits, ahead the road continues into the Copperbelt, we turned right to head north towards Tanzania. From here on the road got worse. Huge lorries hurtle towards us around every bend, and the road surface isn’t exactly perfect. Huge car killing crater-like potholes are scattered intermittently along the carriageway, just when you think you’re in the clear there’s another set. In many places the carriageway narrows and the sides of the tarmac have broken away leaving steep cliffs of either side of the road. It feels like you’re playing chicken, treading the tightrope, with every tanker.
We reached Fika lodge a couple of hours after sunset and vowing to never again travel on the T2 at night.
Wildlife:
N/A
Distance: 211km
Cumulative Distance: 5,053km
T2 – the Great North Road
Today we saw four overturned lorries. The incidents were all fairly new, and didn’t look particularly survivable. The aggressive nature of the driving on the road made it clear to us why such accidents appeared so frequently.
The road after Serenje was particularly bad, and after what felt like several near misses we made it to the turn for Mutinondo Wilderness.
Wildlife:
N/A
Distance: 311km
Cumulative Distance: 5,364km
Mutinondo Wilderness
Mutinondo Wilderness is a favourite place for overlanders travelling to the north of Zambia, and it’s easy to see why. The landscape is dotted with large granite inselbergs which are generally quick and easy to climb. From the summits there are spectacular views across the plateau and the other nearby granite whalebacks. In between the rocks a babbling stream flows through picturesque miombo woodland. Birdlife is abundant and varied, and there are lots of pretty butterflies. There’s a few small waterfalls to visit, and a small lake where it’s possible to canoe, all very lovely.
Here in Mutinondo is one of the few places in Zambia it’s safe to walk unguided. There’s little to no dangerous game around, even if the new managers told us about recent visits by lions, this isn’t a wildlife destination.
It’s a beautiful place, the sunrises and sunsets are stunning, and the feeling of isolation is complete. We are not the type to sit still, we got bored by the lack of action, so two nights here was more than enough to recharge.
Wildlife:
N/A
Distance: 0km
Cumulative Distance: 5,364km
Small Holiday Big Dream 
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