African View tours and Safari’s run ADV bike tours in Zambia that are pretty damn cool!
We joined them from Lusaka to Livingstone… Here’s the story -and there’s a link to the long-ish vid that we compiled at the bottom of this lot…
A couple of months ago we received a call: Hey guys, how would you like to come and ride adventure bikes through Zambia? It took about a split second to decide that this was a far better plan than hanging out in GP, so we sorted dates and flights and hit the skies for Lusaka…
Fly?
Well yes. We were not going to ride our own bikes you see, there’s an outfit in Lusaka called Africa View Tours and Safari’s who take care of it all for you. They have a small fleet of Honda 600 Trans Alp motorcycles as well as a few smaller 250cc machines.
Why take your bike, when you can ride theirs?
Made sense to us – so off we went. The cost of a flight is less than what you’d spend on fuel and wear and tear – and the flight is quick – just less than two hours, so if you are on a tight schedule, it all makes even more sense.
Lusaka airport is thoroughly modern and the Africa view guys were there there to collect us – so we didn’t need to negotiate the wet streets of the city. Yup, we were concerned – flying in, all we saw was mud and puddles, Lusaka’s rain arrived really early in 2025 and we were bracing for a somewhat soggy adventure.
We were whisked off to the company headquarters where the bikes were waiting for us – in great condition and shod in brand new Dunlop Mission rubber. The sky was ominous but it wasn’t raining.
Good news.
We met Giacomo, the man with the vision to get this lot sorted. Originally from Italy, he came to SA on holiday, fell in love with Africa, travelled all over the show and decided to settle in Zambia. His love of all things adventure is infectious. He’s written a book on Zambian traditions and travelled the place flat, so he knows people and lots of stuff.
Most of his business comes from Europe, but after meeting us, he’s decided that South Africans are lekker, so now, SA riders are invited.
Over an excellent pizza (of course!) at the local restaurant, he outlined the plans for the week and we hopped on and took off for the first leg of our almost 1000 KM ride through to Livingstone.
The outskirts of Lusaka are just like every African city – you need to keep your wits about you – trucks, pedestrians, bicycles, little Chinese bikes… It’s brilliant!
The route was all tar, liberally interspersed with sections of potholes, so you need to stay sharp. Rolling hills and mountain passes were the order of the afternoon, including a glorious ride through a Baobab dotted mountain pass towards the Kafue river. It was a seriously lekker start to the trip. The weather played along – no rain but overcast and humid which meant a few stops along the trail for an ice cold Coke… every time we stopped, the kids came out to see the bikes and take selfies. Super friendly, in fact, all of the people that we met on our travels were incredibly decent.
We turned off onto a sandy road to follow the Kafue River through Chirundu to a lodge at the confluence with the mighty Zambezi. We were scheduled to ride to Elephant Crossing Safari Bushcamp, but Giacomo warned that with all the mud caused by the rain and the late hour that it was a bad idea to ride all the way.
We left the bikes at Nsofu Lodge for the night and took a boat downstream to Elephant crossing.
Never been to the Zambezi? Do yourself a favour, it is GLORIOUS!
Elephant Crossing Safari Bushcamp? Well it’s magic. Private Luxury tents in the sand on the banks of the river complete with “Donkey” powered en suite bathrooms. Solar power (More on that) a roaring fire in the lapa and a sumptuous dinner under the African skies.
Is there anything better?
Well, yes – the multitudes of Hippo’s grunting away as they forage all around the camp, Lions roaring off in the distance and the trumpet of an elephant and your eyelids grow heavy and you doze off. This is something quite special.
Elephant crossing is sited on it’s own little delta. It’s absolutely more than Glamping. A true gem.
On Day 2, you are awoken early by the tap on the door and a flask of hot water so that you can fortify yourself for the day with a cuppa.
Sitting watching the African sunrise with hippo’s frolicking about…. You get the idea.
After a hearty breakfast, we re-loaded the boat and floated back upstream past crocs, hippo’s and even a small herd of Ellies. Have we used the word glorious? Oh well.
The sun was shining, birds were singing… What could be better?
Nsofu lodge – also spectacular with a big friendly restaurant and pub area, a swimming pool and air conditioned chalets right on the river. Yes, you’ll love it.
Nsofu is a great spot! Luxury cabins on the river. Swimming pool, restaurant and a chill area complete with Starlink.
The plan was to take off for a game drive, however, the park was flooded and vehicle access was not a thing. We all decided to jump on the bikes and head out to explore the area with a visit to a local school that Africa View supports and where the Leonardo di Caprio Foundation has installed a massive solar power system. That was a funny story, some American guy arrived and told the principal that when he was young he almost drowned when a big ship sank. The principal had no clue who he was. Great to see stars making meaningful contributions.
The sandy roads outside Nsofu are gorgeous, the kind of riding we all love and those little Trans Alps sang the song of our people so happily. We took a sho’t left and went deep into the bush to get back to Elephant Crossing so that Giacomo could check the route for another group that was coming through.
The call to take the boat the night before was a good one. We wrestled along through some seriously muddy sections. It was great!
The afternoon was spent loafing around camp with a sunset cruise down the river.
Perfect.
Day 3 dawned and we took a trundle along to the Kiambi Lodge for a morning drift down the river in canoes.
The advice given: “It’s never happened, but if a hippo charges you or knocks the canoe over, try not to panic. We’ll pick you up in the motorboat.”
Umm. Ok, sounds easy enough. Fortunately the drift was uneventful, with lots of crocs and hippos spotted, but they left us alone.
Interestingly, we saw no fishermen.
At the moment, in Zambia, there is a ban on all fishing in the river. Drought and floods have depleted the fish population and the government has decreed that the river needs time to recover every year from mid December until early March.
Cool huh?
After lunch, we hopped onto the bikes and pointed them towards Kariba. On our way out, we stopped off to visit a 150 million year old petrified forest. We still aren’t sure why it was so terrified, but it was seriously interesting and well worth the stop.
It was ridiculously hot, the roads are good, the traffic was sparse and the winding road that headed into Siavonga for our overnight at The Lake Kariba Inn was lots of fun to ride.
Lake Kariba Inn came as a surprise. It’s nestled above a cove with a perfect view of the dam, especially at night when you see the lights from all of the fishing vessels. The rooms are top-notch, the restaurant on point – and, especially after a hot day in the saddle you’ll love the pools, supertubes, cold beverages and great food.
Day 4, after a great breakfast, our journey continued with a visit to the Dam Wall. You have to leave your passport and explain that you are coming back, and for a small fee, you can ride across to Zimbabwe to take in the views. It really was a couple of hours well spent.
The visit to Kariba’s dam wall was cool. Officially opened in 1960, it provides power, fisheries, and tourism.
We pointed the bikes back in the direction of Livingstone and Giacomo led us to what was arguably some of the best riding of our trip. A small windy road, surrounded by mountains liberally interspersed with potholes that took us deep into the middle of – well nowhere.
Thats the beauty of this country, wide open spaces, african bushveld and miles of literally not seeing another soul. It’s a cool place for sure. We stopped in the shade of a giant Baobab to take five when we noticed that one of the bikes had punctured the rear.
No problem, our fearless backup driver Kabulo appeared just over the horizon and arrived with a new tube and all the tools necessary to do the transplant. He even had a spare bike on the back just in case…
Well organised for sure. And all of the local villagers gathered around just to watch proceedings. It must be a conversation piece for at least the next month or two.
Our ride continued up a wet, muddy trail that climbed up, much like the valley of a thousand hills up, up until we hit the main road onwards towards Livingstone.
We arrived quite late at Kozo hotel, our overnight in Choma, a railway city with not much to see. We did appreciate the great lodge and good food before we collapsed in a heap.
It had been another perfect day.
Day 5 started rainy with a marathon stage of good tar.
Those little 600 Honda’s comfortably ate up the miles as the weather cleared and we headed through the farmlands and bushveld towards Livingstone and the mighty Victoria falls. Any day on a bike is great and it didn’t take long to get to our lodge on the Maramba River.
Maramba River Lodge is top notch with beautiful chalets nestled in the forests. A swimming pool, kids playgrounds… every amenity that your little heart might desire.
It’s a seriously cool spot and the beers are cold and well priced.
Giacomo had a treat in store for us that afternoon. He took us for a ride to the very top of the Batoka Gorge, to a spot where we could see “The Smoke That Thunders” in the far distance. What a beautiful part of the world. What a great ride.
The perfect way to round out yet another tough day in Africa.
Day 6 started with a visit to the shopping centre in Livingstone.
We were impressed, it’s as good as anything SA has on offer with kind of everything you need. Cool place!
We then rode the short distance to visit Victoria Falls.
Take everything you’ve heard and times it by two and a bit! Even though the falls are not at full force at this time of the year, they are magnificent.
Having a guy like Giacomo along is an added bonus because he has such a rich knowledge about the history, geology and general goings on in the area. He’ll tell you about how a Frenchman was employed by Cecil John Rhodes to build the border bridge.
He’ll tell you about Dr Livingstone, the first white guy to see Vic Falls, the geology and flora in the area… all in an Italian accent.
His enthusiasm for Zambia is infectious and we know exactly why he runs tours.
Wander across the road and there’s a restaurant and a Curio market so that you can buy that keepsake.
Our plan was to visit another spot just out of town, but our luck finally ran out as a deluge left us huddling under a little afdak in town.
It was mad, we were soaked to the bone in a matter of seconds…. Luckily not too far from the lodge so we made a dash for it and got home to dry off and sit it out.
The rain fell late into the evening so it turned into a loafy afternoon.
On our last day the rain stopped. We hung all of our wet gear in the trees around our chalets and were treated to a breakfast cruise down the Maramba river and back onto the Zambezi. It was the perfect way to round out what had been a great adventure. Good friends surrounded by wild bushveld. We spotted bushbucks, hippo, crocodiles, monitor lizards and more varieties of birdliife that we know how to name.
This really is a beautiful part of the world and we strongly recommend that you go and see it all some time.
What, where, when?
- We flew to Lusaka, Africa View Tours And Safari’s took care of the rest.
- They can tailor make a package to suit your needs and timeframe.
- They sort your bikes, fuel, accommodation,backup and meals. (And it’s all top-notch).
- You pay your bar bills – they accept cards. The Rand is worth a bit more than the Kwacha.
- We went in December, they reckon that the best time to do this is from April to mid- November, but we have no complaints.
- Pack light. We took way too much along. Helmet, one pair of boots, one lightweight riding suit. Shorts, tee shirts, jocks, sox and a pair of plakkies will do. Take a long sleeve shirt with for the time on the river.
- Pack mozzy spray, sunblock, a good hat and your cozzy.
- Pack a Hydrapack.
- Ride, boat, fish, smile and take lots of pics.
- On this trip, from Livingstone, we were transferred into Zim and we flew out from Vic Falls Airport.
- Max around 10 riders.
- They also have enclosed 4×4 vehicles, so if you have a friend who’d like to tag along…
- You can use your own bike to join them, just arrange all of that in advance…
Website: African View Tours And Safaris
Look them up. Book a trip! A great bunch of peeps for sure.
