Ashleigh Whaley
Camping and Fishing in the Wilds of Africa, Chewore, Zimbabwe.
Spring is the time of year for our annual camping and fishing trip in the wilds of Africa at Chewore Campsite along the Zambezi River.
Serious Planning.
This is always a major expedition, which takes weeks of planning and organisation. To make matters more difficult, we live in a third world country, where the currency has collapsed.
Sourcing all the food for the trip is an undertaking of its own, as it is actually cheaper to import food than to purchase it locally.
Long, Slow Journey.
Once we had packed all our gear and checked vehicles and trailers, we set off for the two day drive to the campsite, -and the grand expedition had begun!
Slow tyre punctures, due to the badly pot holed roads, are always the first issue that needs to be addressed. These were repaired and after five long hours on the road, we arrived at an old run down motel in Makuti, which used to be a wonderful destination in times gone by.
The rooms were clean and adequate and we all slept well, thanks to the security guard we employed, to watch over our vehicles and trailers during the night.
Chewore Camp Site.
The second day’s drive was a long five hours of bumping slowly along very rough dirt roads. Thankfully, the children drove the last 60km, so us parents could enjoy a rest.
At last, it was truly an amazing feeling, driving into camp and seeing the beautiful Zambezi River before us, with various African antelope roaming quietly amongst the Acacia trees.
Setting up camp was fun, but always very hard work. However, it is so rewarding, once completed. As this was to be our home for the next ten nights, we made the effort to be very organised and comfortable.
It was not long, before the elephants walked through camp looking for fallen Acacia pods. With a new baby, at foot, one mother elephant was particularly grumpy, so we quickly learnt to stay well out of her way!
Tiger Fishing.
The thrill of catching tiger fish is what brings us back to the river each year!
The boats are launched, fishing rods assembled and lunches packed, before we set off to catch the small bait fish we require, before we start drifting for tiger fish.
The excitement as a tiger fish is hooked, followed by the fight to eventually land the fish on the boat, for it then to be quickly weighed and thrown back, is hard to describe. It’s a huge adrenaline rush for everyone on board!
Awesome Family Time.
It’s is so amazing being out on the Zambezi River each day, spending time together as a family, whilst enjoying the outdoors. There are never any mobile phones or devices allowed, to distract us from enjoying quality family time together.
Fishing Banter.
We all love the camp banter at the end of each day, as each boat load of fishermen and women love to share their daily fishing experiences!
It doesn’t matter whether you are young or old, everyone chats together, with much fun banter taking place and eruptions of laughter. The children always love to listen and learn from the more experienced fishermen and to share in all their jokes.
Boat Dramas.
Our boat’s starter motor broke on day two, leaving us stranded up river for most of the day. There was no panicking, just an earnest family discussion, as to how we should address out predicament. We eventually decided to tie up to the bank, eat our lunch and wait for other boats to come passed.
By the early afternoon we thankfully found reinforcements, and were safely towed back to camp. Of course, whilst being towed, the rods were out drifting for tiger fish.
Camp Life.
With a broken boat we spent a day in camp. As we are so used to daily dramas in our lives, this did not perturb us. We enjoyed a wonderful relaxing day swimming, fishing off the bank and resting.
The Chewore river bank is alive with thousands of stunning Carmen Bee Eater birds, which are a joy to sit and observe.
Boating the Zambezi River.
We made a plan to hire a boat for the next day, whilst we waited for our driver to return from Harare, with our new starter motor. It was not long before the boat was fixed and so off we went again.
Navigating the Zambezi River takes skill, as one always has to keep a look out for shallow sand bars, just under the water. The river is always changing, so each year the deep channels are moving. This is an added challenge, but the situation is thankfully lessened by modern GPS technology.
We often spend ten hours a day on the water fishing, so it is always a long, hot day.
Bream Fishing.
Bream fishing proved to be harder than previous years. However, by mid week, friends had managed to locate a lovely bream pond, amongst the reed islands. Happily, we eventually had a delicious bream supper.
Wild Africa.
Early one morning a lion roared on the flood plane below camp, which caused Murray John to leap out of his bed and dive into his sister’s bed. This situation caused much hilarity!
High Winds and Elephants.
We had a few nights of howling winds which was challenging and required tents having to be rescued during the night! This certainly added drama to our whole camping adventure.
The winds caused vast amounts of Acacia pods to fall off the trees into camp, causing an influx of elephants, all arriving to hoover up the pods. The elephants usually arrived at 4pm and stayed till late at night.
Subsequently, our evenings became quite humorous, as we all moved very cautiously around the camp, with eyes on stalks! Often one of us was holed up in the bathroom, waiting patiently for the elephants to pass.
This year we experienced a number of elephant mock charges and at one stage we thought our tent would be flattened, as the mother elephant started to attack it with her trunk! Thankfully, she soon gave up, turned away and walked off..
Soul Food.
Whether in camp or out on the water, just being in nature, listening to the birds and watching elephants and hippos go about their daily lives, is just so very good for the soul.
Tiger Fish Champion.
The ten days of camping and fishing passed by in a blur… Murray John, was the Tiger Fish champion, with his impressive fish weighing in at 4.8kgs.
Amazing Adventure.
I would say that camping at Chewore is an amazing adventure, especially for those who are active and love the outdoors. I would not say that it’s a particularly relaxing holiday, but the memories we have created each year are priceless.
If you are fit, love adventure and enjoy the challenge of ‘making a plan’, Chewore Camp will never disappoint you.
“You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your Hands.” Psalm 92:4
Till next year and another adventure. God bless..
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