DR. LIVINGSTONE'S FINAL JOURNEY, in Zambia

Dr. David Livingstone was one of the most famous explorers ever to roam the African Continent. His travels in Africa started in the early 1840’s to 1873 when he died near the village of Chitambo in Zambia.

I have become a modern day explorer here in Africa, I often travel as basic and as traditional as possible, and so it was a true honor for me to participate in this magnificent Expedition. This trip was dedicated to Dr. Livingstone and his passion for the people of Africa, a passion I share with Dr. Livingstone.

The retrace of Dr. Livingstone’s final journey was lead by Mark Harvey. Mark is a third generation Zambian and has had the pleasure to host Livingstone’s great-grandson. The area of Zambia where Mark resides has a fair amount of Livingstone history, so between the info from Dr. Livingstone’s relative, Marks keen knowledge of the history in this area and the Livingstone journals, we embarked on our journey.

We started at the tiny village of Mbati and began our journey in a southerly direction. Over the next sixteen days most of our travel would be via canoe and on foot as they did some 130 years ago. The first two days were spent mostly on the water as we flowed south on the Chambesi River. It was very relaxing as we moved at a nice slow pace, wondering what Livingstone may have been talking about as they traveled the same waters.

As we made our way navigating the Chambesi, Mark said it was time to get off the river and set off on foot, so we did. We came to the small village of Samata as Livingstone and his fellow travelers did. We spent a bit of time talking Livingstone history with some of the village elders. Then it was time to do some serious walking, three long days worth! We crossed several dried out flood plains which were very flat, this made the walking fairly easy, however the terrain became much more difficult the third day as the plain was wet, it was like walking in mud for 20 Kilometers. Towards the end of the day we arrived at our destination, the village of Kabinga. We spent the next day meeting the people of Kabinga, we also had the privilege of visiting with Chief Kabinga at his home in the village. He is the great grandson of the chief that was there when Livingstone arrived at Kabinga. From the village we had to cross a pretty wide river, so the locals from the village took us across in their boats. Once across the river we set off on foot again, this day we would walk 23 kilometers on our way to the Munikashi River. Upon arrival at the Munikashi, we crossed the river by local boat on our way to the Kopa Mission where we spent the evening.
 
Our next stop is the Katubala area. Here we met some locals that agreed to accompany and guide us through the next two days. This area was more heavily vegetated than any area we had traveled so far. This made the navigating through the bush more difficult, so we were thankful to the locals for joining our journey. As I listened to Mark and the locals talking in their language, which is called Bemba, I overheard them speak of THE fig tree, so I asked what was that all about? Mark told me that incase any of the party was to get separated that we would meet at THE fig tree, it was some 40 Kilometers away from our current location. Only in remote Africa could one experience such a landmark. We were to cover this distance in two days and we did, figuring on walking about 20 kilometers per day. We did our 20 k’s the first day, however the second day the route was not in a straight line we much later found out and it turned into a grueling 38 Kilometer day. We now found ourselves in the correct place on the shores of the Lumbatwa River. Upon arrival at the shores of the Lumbatwa, I did not see any locals with their small boats. This is how we had crossed all of the rivers we had encountered up until now. So I said to Mark, how do we cross this river with no boats? He started to laugh and I looked at him and said no way! He replied, you got it! We were to cross this one on foot wading through the water hoping that we saw no crocodiles or any other unfriendly creatures. It took us about 20 minutes to cross and for me this was the most difficult part of our journey. That night was a real thrill for all of us as we spent the night at a tented camp that was sometimes used by overland Safari Operators. It was not very luxurious, but after all of our difficult travel and camping every night, it felt like I was at a Hilton Hotel, even if it was for only one night.

In my writing about my travels, I enjoy sharing with you some of the people we meet along the way. I did mention that a few guys from the last village, located some 60 Kilometers away from our current position, and accompanied us as our guides through the thick bush. As we said goodbye to them the next morning they headed back towards home, on foot of course. We had paid them what we would consider a nominal amount of money. I ask one of the guys, what will you do with the money? He informed me that he would use it to purchase a new tracksuit. This may not seem unusual at all, however he would have to walk 35 Kilometers in one direction to get to the village where he could make his purchase. He would then have to walk two more days to get back to his own village. As I waved goodbye to him, I never forgot how hardy these guys were!

We now were coming towards the end of our expedition. After another couple of days of long walks we arrived at the Lulimala River. This time the boats were present so we did not have to wade across the river. I could now start to really feel the excitement inside of me, as we were only about 40 Kilometers from the Livingstone Memorial near the village of Chitambo. It would take us two days to reach the memorial. That day was an easy walk; we met some wonderful people, as we were getting closer to areas with more villages than we had seen before.

I woke up the last morning in preparation for what could possibly be one of my most exciting days of travel ever for me. One has to keep in mind that I personally have been to several Livingstone historic sites throughout Eastern and Southern Africa, for me, this one could be the ultimate of all of the Livingstone sites. This day we covered about 16 Kilometers as we made our way to the memorial. As we approached the monument, an elderly man who looked like he could have been there with Livingstone, warmly greeted us. He was a wonderful gentleman who quietly led us to the monument. As I approached the monument, I could feel warmth I had not often felt. It was truly a special place and I was experiencing a real special feeling. The old man spent quite a bit of time sharing the local Livingstone folklore with us. I sat there for quite sometime starring at the monument wondering, what was it like here 130 years ago.

After a bit of time we had a visit from Chief Chitambo who made his way over to see us. He is the great grand nephew of the chief that was here when Livingstone died. Chief Chitambo was a very well educated articulate man in his 40’s. We spent the next day and a half in the area, a good portion of this time the chief spent with us. In addition to the chief being a warm wonderful person, I think he liked the fact that he had some outside visitors to share his stories with.  

This was the end of our amazing journey. People often ask me, what was your favorite of the expeditions you have done? My reply is, they are all so different that they all hold a special place in my heart, however because of my respect and reverence for Dr. Livingstone and his fellow travelers, this one rates high on my list!