Fun things to do in Luapula Province

The main source of income for Zambians in this part of the country derives from fishing in Lake Mweru. With both the Luapula and Kalungwishi Rivers feeding into it, the shallow waters of the lake have historically been able to support a great deal of small-scale fishing by villagers located around it's shores.

Here, I'm on the lake shore at Nchelenge with a couple of the Canadian volunteers who actually worked in Luapula Province. On this occasion, we were only out for a day trip but I returned about 2 months later to actually go on a fishery patrol of the lake on a government boat.

The construction of a paved road to Lake Mweru in 1987 led to a greater influx of people and it is now reported that the shoreline is so packed with village houses that it is difficult to get close to the lake.

March, 1974 saw me back in Luapula Province for a 3rd time as a Canadian friend and I finished off a circular trip (see my 'Northern Province' page) to the vast off-the-beaten-path northeast region of Zambia.

Since my travelling companion was new to the country, my old fisheries officer buddy in Nchelenge arranged for a day-trip on Lake Mweru for us! It was good to see Sebastian again as a 'banana boat' was prepared for launch on our excursion!

This trip was mostly around the mouth of the Luapula River where the fishing concentration was greatest. We saw several dug-out canoes ('mokoros') used by the locals for fishing these rich waters (see my Local Customs tip for a pic). Even the long 'banana boats' are used for this activity, to a lesser extent.

The 350-mile (560-km) Luapula River drains the Lake Bangweulu wetlands area, one of the largest in the world. The high rainfall in this part of Zambia assures a steady flow of water and the lower elevations along it's course are condusive to the growth of more 'tropical' palm trees.

All of the water carried to Lake Mweru by the Luapula River empties out at the north end of the lake, flowing onward via more rivers into the Congo and eventually joining the mighty Congo River for it's final destination in the Atlantic Ocean.

Located south and east of Lake Mweru, and up on the high ground of the escarpment, Kawambwa was a typical friendly Zambian village when I visited the area. In addition to these traditional huts, the village has the usual medley of required stores and bars! In fact, my hosts took me out to one of the local bars one evening and we had a fantastic time. With an old record player churning out African-beat tunes and the beer flowing while people danced, it was a great experience! I still have a few of those old records, with their unique beat and instrumentation, on hand in case I want to bring back the memories!

The Bemba people of this area are very friendly and are more than willing to be helpful. I found the same to be true of the students in my classes at the Zambia Institute of Technology in Luanshya. Zambians in general are a friendly bunch!

Since Lake Mweru is shared with the Congo (Zaire in those days), another task of 'Ikana' was to show the Zambian flag to fishing boats registered in the Congo. If they were found on the Zambian side of the lake, they were fair game to be checked out to make sure that they were obeying the required fishing rules.

It was a bit funny to see the reaction of some of the many small dug-out canoes that were used for fishing when they saw us bearing down on them. Frantic paddling and various things going over the side before we got there! Just trying to keep them 'honest'.

This Congolese fishing boat was simply stationary, with little sign of life. It had spent the night anchored out on the lake like we had.

One of the tasks that the fisheries patrol boat carried out was to monitor the various species of fish in Lake Mweru. To do this, various government-owned nets were set up at strategic locations.

Here, the 'Ikana' has anchored at one of these locations while Tom's two Zambian assistants, Fred and Sebastian, pull in the nets to see what has been caught. In the background is the tender that 'Ikana' towed along between it's two catamaran pontoons.

The four of us had a great old night out on the 'Ikana', talking about life and watching the sun set over the lake. It was one of those moments when I thought to myself, this is really different!!

In July, 1973 I was back at Nchelenge again for another go at Lake Mweru. This time, after finishing a trip to the 'closed' Lusenga Plain National Park (see my Off The Beaten Path tips), my Canadian volunteer buddy Tom took me on an overnight fishery patrol on the lake.

Here, the Zambian government fisheries boat 'Ikana' is at anchor at the mouth of the Luapula River as we prepare to depart. This catamaran was quite roomy, sleeping four of us below decks and also equipped with a nice galley where we could cook our meals. Wow, it was fun having contacts like this!

After parking our cars at the foot of the main Ntumbachushi Falls, we walked up a small footpath at the side of the falls to reach the upper stretch of the Ng'ona River.

Along this stretch is a smaller waterfall and several deep pools that are suitable for swimming. We spent a great afternoon here enjoying the sun and water along with a few Lion Lager and Castle beers!

The photo shows me wading in this part of the river.