The total Solar Eclipse of June 21st. 2001 passed across Central Southern Africa. Zambia was a favoured country to visit, being politically stable, and with the capital city Lusaka about 30 miles south of the centre line, well within the path of totality. See the Eclipse page for further details and photographs.

Just a reminder - many thumbnail photos linked to enlargements show the size of the enlargement in Kb. So when a page is loading and you see Kb sizes in blank frames, don't panic! - these are not the sizes of the thumbnails. Nevertheless there are numerous thumbnails sized between 10 Kb to 15 Kb on each page, so please be patient while they load.

NOTE When I set up these pages in 2001, Broadband was practically unheard of, so I kept the main images relatively small at 640 x 480 pixels or smaller to speed up download times. Now there is no problem in that respect. I still have the original 1600 x 1200 photographs (yes only a 2 MP sensor in my Olympus camera - how things have moved on!) I am writing this during the November 2020 coronavirus England lock down, so will spend some time replacing the web site photographs with larger (but not too large) versions, probably 1200 x 900 pixels for most of the photographs. Watch this space!

All photographs Copyright © Peter Vasey 2001, and may not be reproduced without permission. You can email me at the following:

I was able to travel with a party organised by Noongallas Tours, and while the Eclipse itself was a wonderful experience, this was my first visit to Africa, and there was much to see and do while there. We met some interesting people and saw how some of the Zambian people live. Pictures here.

We were based at Eureka Farm Camp Site - a working farm - but although it was only four miles outside Lusaka, there were wild animals around, zebras roaming through the camp site, and Waterbuck and Puku (a type of Impala) seen very close by where food was put out for them. Photos here.

 Prior to the eclipse, we travelled South to Livingstone on the border with Zimbabwe, staying at the Maramba River camp site. The main reason for this trip was to visit Victoria Falls. Many activities were available, the helicopter flight over the falls an absolute must. I also went on a river cruise on the Zambezi above the falls. Photos here.

An unexpected bonus was a visit to the local game park, which contains the only Rhinos left in Zambia, five in all. Photos here.

Although many of the party left for home the day after the eclipse, some of us were on a later flight, and arranged a trip to South Luangwa National Park, about 300 miles north east of Lusaka. Rather than spend a day each way in a coach we elected to fly from Lusaka to the local airport, Mfuwe. A very pleasant flight with Zambia Skyways in a small plane. This is Zambia's premier National Park, and we were fortunate to obtain flights and accommodation at such short notice. We stayed at The Wildlife Camp, across the Luangwa River from the park itself, but deep in the Bush. Indeed we had to be very careful if we left our tents during the night, since Hippo and Elephant passed through the camp. I didn't need a second warning - previously at the Eclipse site we met a Spaniard who had been attacked by a hippo two days earlier in the grounds of his hotel at Kariba. His hands were badly gashed, and he needed 12 stitches to repair major damage to his calf muscle. He was lucky to be alive! Photos of the camp here.

The camp ran organised game drives in the park, both evening and morning. Very well managed, and from our open vehicle with staggered seats we had an excellent view. We had two evening and two morning drives, and a wide variety of wildlife was seen. Photos here.

Many thanks to John and Kay Line, family and friends who made this trip possible. (How did I get in the second picture??)