Trip to Sioma

Over the Easter weekend we decided to take advantage of the 4-day long weekend and make a trip out to the Western Province of Zambia, to an area called Sioma. With us we had 3 other volunteers who came along for the adventure!

Sioma is located in the south-west corner of Zambia and remains very much untouched, lacking good roads and infrastructure and as a result is rarely visited by tourists. To get to Sioma you really do need a 4x4 as even in the dry season it is possible to become bogged in the sand; in wet season the going can be very tough and explains the lack of a tourism industry. This is a shame given how pretty the area is, especially along the Zambezi River.

"Ruth": Ready for our adventure

Our trip out to Sioma was actually ok. We found the road to be much better than expected although we were travelling in “Ruth” with her new suspension. We also found that work has begun on building a new road there, although this is still years away from completion.

New road being built by the Chinese next to the Zambezi River
on the way to Sioma.

Untouched: Typical village along the road side on the way to Sioma

We stayed at Sioma Camp, a site based on the edge of the Zambezi River. They have chalets and a campsite; being volunteers we opted for the more economical of the two and camped. Unfortunately, as anyone who knows me, I’m not the most seasoned of campers, however the site was actually very comfortable and even had hot water for showers! I was also relieved not to come across any snakes, as I’d been dreading coming across the infamous Black Mumba.

Sioma Camp

Our campsite with Mike and my tent in the middle

 We came fairly well equipped, however still managed to forget a few key items, such as a saucepan and pot for cooking. The staff at the camp were very kind however and lent us a tea pot for boiling hot water as well as chairs and a table to eat at. We were able to improvise a bit too using foil to create a frying pan for eggs and cooking pasta in the tea pot, which worked surprisingly well.

Mike preparing to cook dinner on the campfire

Improvisation: Cooking eggs on tin foil when there is no pan

Waiting for the water to boil

Sioma Camp was just what we all needed, very relaxed with beautiful views of the river and a restaurant/ bar where we could sit and read or enjoy a few quiet drinks while looking out onto the river.

The view from the Sioma Camp restaurant/ bar, looking out
onto the Zambezi River

Enjoying a quiet drink and company

One of the main reasons we wanted to head out to Sioma was to see Ngonye Falls, about 10kms north of our camp. The falls were seen by David Livingstone about 2 years before he saw Victoria Falls, Livingstone commenting, “the scenery was the loveliest I had seen”.

The entrance to Ngonye Falls: Where they tried to charge us
more than the cost of seeing Victoria Falls

Unfortunately we probably didn’t pick the best time of the year to go and see them with the Zambezi River very high following the wet season and the falls resembling more of a very large rapid (they are only 25 metres high when the water is low). Nonetheless, the “rapid” was still pretty amazing and the speed of the water in the Zambezi incredible. You definitely would not want to find yourself floating in the river.

Whirlpools and strong currents in the Zambezi River

Rough waters

We viewed the falls from both land and on the water. From land we couldn’t see much of the falls (even though they tried to charge us $5 each, local price to see them; it costs about $1.50 local price for Victoria Falls to put things into perspective. Needless to say that’s not what we gave them). On the water the falls were amazing and we were able to drive right up to them. It was a pleasant trip moving up the Zambezi on a lovely sunny morning with a beautiful view of the banks of the river and again, we were in awe of the speed of the river and the whirlpools that developed in the water.

View of the banks of the Zambezi River on the way to Ngonye Falls.
Very Africa!

Mokoro on the Zambezi River. This would be tough work.

Ngonye Falls: One large rapid following wet season

Mike and I with Ngonye Falls just behind us

More rapids on the Zambezi River

 Sioma was a lovely weekend away and reminded me again that I was in Africa, which is sometimes easy to forget when you live in Livingstone. Great spot on the river with excellent company!

Our group (L-R): Marjolijn, Elspeth, Phyl, Mike and myself