The animals greeted us for one last sunrise safari on the Chobe River. No two mornings are the same in the wild! We noticed scratches on the body of a large hippo, and Felix indicated that this was likely from the propeller from a boat. On our return journey to the lodge, we caught sight of a lone giraffe skittishly drinking water while keeping an eye out for predators – this was unusual to see only one giraffe by itself on an open plain. Across from the lodge’s boat dock, a croc was gliding along in the water stalking an impala that was walking along the riverbank, just waiting for one small misstep. And, we saw our first waterbucks with their distinctive feature of a white ring around their backsides (it looks like they sat down on a freshly painted toilet seat – ha, ha). Having the opportunity to observe so much wildlife in their natural habitat was very meaningful for us. We enjoy watching various nature shows on weekend mornings, so to see animals in the wild like this was special. While we were really hoping to see the big cats, we’ll just have to return and explore a different part of Africa on another trip!
With our safari completed, it was time to start the more active part of the trip. But, first, we had to retrace our steps and cross multiple borders to get back to Zimbabwe: Exit Namibia, Enter Botswana, Exit Botswana, Enter Zimbabwe. All of the passport stamps from this trip made us happy that we opted for the 52-page passport book instead of the standard 28-page during our last renewal! Unfortunately, the border crossing into Zim took much longer than expected, largely due to inefficient procedures by the staff to provide the KAZA visa. This particular visa allows unlimited entries into Zimbabwe and Zambia for 30 days. Kurt and I had obtained one when we first landed at Vic Falls airport (on the guidance from our travel group), but we unknowingly voided it when we transferred into Namibia later that day. Since most of our group had flown into Kasane, Botswana, this was their first entrance into Zim, so they were purchasing the KAZA visa for the first time. Regardless, it took a LONG time to get our whole group across the border with the necessary documents. Pack your patience in Africa!
Reunited with Diego after leaving Namibia!
Needless to say, we were hungry for lunch by the time that we arrived at The Lookout Cafe in the early afternoon. This is a very popular spot given its prime location in Vic Falls overlooking the Zambezi River. It is also the base for several of the Wild Horizons adrenaline activities. We met our local organizer, Hippo, and Diego’s nephew, Italo, who had just arrived from Peru.
We got our first glimpse of the mighty Zambezi River, with rapid #4 below us around the bend. This got me super excited, and I couldn’t wait to get down there in a raft, but that would have to wait a few more days.
The bravest of the brave in our group (including 79-year-old, Ralph!) chose to do the gorge swing after lunch. We watched as, one by one, they jumped from a platform on the edge of a sheer 120m cliff and did a free fall for about 70m straight towards the rocks and river below. No, thank you.
Afterwards, we took a short game drive into Zambezi NP to our campsite. Along the way, we saw “the big tree,” a 1,000-year-old Baobab. It was refreshing to see Italo’s excitement at his first sightings of African wildlife, while the rest of us were already accustomed to seeing the various animals by that point.
We arrived at our riverside camp compound for the next two nights and found that our tents were already ready and waiting for us. This was much more of a “glamping” set up than I was expecting! I was grateful for the single beds/cots with real bedding, a toilet that flushed (after manually putting river water from a bucket into the tank), chef-prepared meals, and local beer/wine/cocktails (our group was partial to gin and tonics). There was even a system set up to shower, although we didn’t use it during our brief stay. Again, we can never forget where we are in our surroundings, and we were instructed not to go down to the riverbank (due to hippos and crocs) and to stay with a partner when venturing around the campsite in the dark (such as going to the toilet). Time to get a good night’s sleep because we meet the upper Zambezi in kayaks tomorrow!
