Meandering 500 miles through the lower Rift Valley in eastern Zambia, the Luangwa is the most intact river system on the African continent. Those tiny dots in the water are hippos.
Comprising 3,500 square miles in eastern Zambia, South Luangwa National Park is Zambia's finest wildlife sanctuary, and one of the most unspoiled areas in all of Africa. Home to over 60 animal and 400 bird species, and bordered on the east by a Game Management Area-where limited hunting is allowed, to discourage poaching elsewhere-the park follows the southwestern flow of the Luangwa River, the most intact river system in Africa (no dams, commercial agriculture, and so on) and a major tributary of the Zambezi.
The park is located at the southern tip of the Great Rift Valley of east Africa-the "Cradle of Mankind," where so many remains of early hominids have been unearthed-and includes within its boundaries a diversity of ecosystems ranging from grassy high savannah and semi-arid woodlands, to dense broadleaf forests of ebony and mahogany, to alluvial floodplains and oxbow lagoons around the Luangwa, where much of the wildlife can be found. During our two-plus days in the park, we logged close to 250 miles on the new JK and Unlimited-which doesn't sound like much until you consider that virtually all of our miles were driven off-pavement.
Accidents will happen. Luckily, despite blown beads and some crumpled sheetmetal, the JK was soon righted and ran flawlessly, sans doors, for the rest of the trip.
As the photos illustrate, we were treated to an awesome panoply of trail rides-high-speed dirt, demanding boulder-crawls and off-camber V-notches, steep hillclimbs, sandy dry washes, a couple of grille-deep stream crossings ... just about everything but deep mud. (We went during the summer dry season, when temperatures are mild and river levels are low.) In all, the degree of 'wheeling difficulty we encountered was as demanding as anything we've ever seen inflicted upon a fleet of stock vehicles, and kudos to DaimlerChrysler for having the confidence in its products to invite such potential abuse on them.
The waterways of South Luangwa are teeming with crocodiles. Travelers are advised to bring sturdy footwear.
How much abuse? Simply put, the Wranglers took a beating. Even in the hands of experienced 'wheelers, nearly every test Jeep evidenced bashed bumpers, bent license plates, ripped fender flares, frayed soft tops, dented rock sliders, and scratches everywhere by the end of our test (but not a single sidewall failure-props to BFGoodrich). One member of our party-who shall remain nameless since he bribed us later with plenty of Tusker lagers-slid a JK off a slab of slickrock during a hillclimb and rolled it hard, side-over-side, on our first day. Using winchpower and straps, our party righted the Jeep-and it fired right up on our first attempt. We had to remove the doors-they wouldn't open and shut anymore-and there was barely a straight body panel on it, but otherwise the JK ran like a champ. Which pretty much sums up the trail prowess of the new Wrangler-it may not have much low-end torque, it's bigger and heavier, and it's harder to see the trail, but with a stout chassis, flexy suspension, solid axles, and low-low gears, it's still All Jeep where it really counts. And that, to us, is a very good thing indeed.
Owned and operated by Robin Pope Safaris, the Nkwali Camp boasts the "best bar in the Valley." The thatched-roof lounge, on the banks of the Luangwa, is built around a giant old ebony tree.
We're not sure we'd recommend it-not without a bush guide and a .375 Magnum-but if you want to 'wheel Zambia in the footsteps of FW editors, you can find 4x4s for hire. With offices in the capital of Lusaka, Around About Cars (+ 27-21-422-4022, www.aroundaboutcars.com) rents an assortment of diesel Land Rovers that can be fully equipped with tents, spare fuel and water, parts, and recovery gear for extended trips into the veldt. A number of South African companies, including Drive South Africa (+ 27-21-423-1912, www.drivesouthafrica.za) and Bushtrackers Africa (+ 27-11-465-5700) can rent you a Rover, Toyota HiLux, or Mitsu Pajero, but you'll pay a surcharge to drive one out of the country.
If you're looking for more intimate trekking-deep in the bush, on foot, escorted by armed guides and surrounded by giant critters-Robin Pope Safaris (+ 26-06-246-090, www.robinpopesafaris.net) offers Zambia tour packages ranging from relaxing game drives to arduous 10-day fly-camping safaris, with meals and lodging included. We spent two nights at a couple of Pope's campsites, and were treated to a bush hike by one of their knowledgeable guides, and all we can say is, they run a first-class operation (not counting the hippo that tried to sneak into Holman's cabin).
Last but not least, if you wanna 'wheel with some skilled hands who know the local landscape-and you've got a big-enough budget-check out the Wildtrackers (www.herriard.demon.co.uk), a group of independent consultants who organize backcountry vehicle expeditions for groups large and small in some of the remotest spots on the planet. Members of the 'Trackers were our trail bosses in Zambia. Most of them had extensive military and/or Camel Trophy experience in their backgrounds, and take it from us, these guys are hard-core-and they've got the tsetse-fly bites to prove it.