Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park
From Port Elizabeth to Jo’burg to Livingstone in Zambia we flew. We were in search of the falls that Dr. David Livingstone (of “Dr. Livingstone, I presume”) described when he found it in 1855. The natives knew it was there all the time and called it Mosi-oa-Tunya which means “the smoke that thunders” but Livingstone renamed it for Queen Victoria. Livingstone is widely revered here as he was a dedicated preacher against slavery.
From Livingstone we went out into the bush to Thorntree Lodge. It is a small lodge right beside the seasonal high water mark of the great Zambezi River. Each accommodation was a spacious “hut” with a conical thatched roof. There are nine huts that sleep two each. They do not accept small children we think because of the quiet ambiance and the fact that they are right on the river banks with crocs and hippos around. Our “hut” had the requisite white bed spread with fresh flowers and mosquito netting draped around it so that it could be pulled down when your room was prepared for the night. They would slip into the room during dinner, pull down the netting and light a mosquito repellent coil. It also had an outdoor shower and an indoor Jacuzzi tub and the whole of our “hut” was shaded by large trees with a “monkey” fruit tree on one side. The fruit looked like a small green orange outside which had orange colored interior and was segmented like other citrus. The Vervet monkeys were mad about the fruit. They frequently jumped onto the roof after harvesting the fruit and would sit on top eating it. While sitting on the veranda we could sit facing the great Zambezi River, which was less than three yards from us. As it was the end of the rainy season the river was full to overflowing in some places but huts did not appear to have been flooded so they have the maximum water height gauged correctly. Besides monkeys there were hippos in the area since one walked out of the river near one of the other “huts” and another time one swam by the lodge as other guests were waiting for dinner. Hippos are rather bad tempered and so running into one on the path would be an experience to be avoided. The staff asked guests not to walk on the paths alone at night because of the hippos and maybe snakes (?). In the morning there were elephants eating small trees in the area around the outdoor pool. They were not wild but from the elephant stables (footnote 1) near our lodge. The food was good, the wine South African and all was right with the world!
From Port Elizabeth to Jo’burg to Livingstone in Zambia we flew. We were in search of the falls that Dr. David Livingstone (of “Dr. Livingstone, I presume”) described when he found it in 1855. The natives knew it was there all the time and called it Mosi-oa-Tunya which means “the smoke that thunders” but Livingstone renamed it for Queen Victoria. Livingstone is widely revered here as he was a dedicated preacher against slavery.
From Livingstone we went out into the bush to Thorntree Lodge. It is a small lodge right beside the seasonal high water mark of the great Zambezi River. Each accommodation was a spacious “hut” with a conical thatched roof. There are nine huts that sleep two each. They do not accept small children we think because of the quiet ambiance and the fact that they are right on the river banks with crocs and hippos around. Our “hut” had the requisite white bed spread with fresh flowers and mosquito netting draped around it so that it could be pulled down when your room was prepared for the night. They would slip into the room during dinner, pull down the netting and light a mosquito repellent coil. It also had an outdoor shower and an indoor Jacuzzi tub and the whole of our “hut” was shaded by large trees with a “monkey” fruit tree on one side. The fruit looked like a small green orange outside which had orange colored interior and was segmented like other citrus. The Vervet monkeys were mad about the fruit. They frequently jumped onto the roof after harvesting the fruit and would sit on top eating it. While sitting on the veranda we could sit facing the great Zambezi River, which was less than three yards from us. As it was the end of the rainy season the river was full to overflowing in some places but huts did not appear to have been flooded so they have the maximum water height gauged correctly. Besides monkeys there were hippos in the area since one walked out of the river near one of the other “huts” and another time one swam by the lodge as other guests were waiting for dinner. Hippos are rather bad tempered and so running into one on the path would be an experience to be avoided. The staff asked guests not to walk on the paths alone at night because of the hippos and maybe snakes (?). In the morning there were elephants eating small trees in the area around the outdoor pool. They were not wild but from the elephant stables (footnote 1) near our lodge. The food was good, the wine South African and all was right with the world!
So we started our adventures the first day by going on a cruise up the 
Zambezi complete with cocktails and snacks and who should we meet? Four charming people staying at our lodge from Minnesota! There were only about 14 people there and 6 of us were from MN. In fact they were from Brainard. We saw hippos, Impalas, Cattle Egrets, a type of Bee Eater nesting in the river bank and a Hamerkop (another large bird) who’s very large nest we saw near the 
lodge. They take shiny objects and put them in the interior of the nest. And for evening entertainment while on board we had rain and a thunder storm with appropriate fireworks.
The next day we went on a game drive where we saw all there was to see…that is to say white rhinos, giraffes, hippos, zebra, warthogs, impala, a marabou stork and a Southern Ground Hornbill, which are about the size of a turkey with a red head and they make a raucous squawk. Then we went on to Victoria Falls for a tour there. We had briefly seen the falls and the narrow canyon it falls into as we were coming in for a landing in Livingstone. This time of year it is hard to view the falls from
ground level in front of the falls because of the volume of water crashing down which makes a cloud of heavy mist…like rain falling. We walked around viewing the falls from points further back where we were able to get some reasonable pictures but the path on the other side of the gorge was so wet and misty that you could hardly see any thing or dare take your camera out for a picture. For the walk near the falls, you can rent rain coats, shoes and camera bags on the way up to the walkway across from the falls. Bruce and I wanted to feel what it would have been like for early viewers of one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I can tell you straight away that it was VERY wet. The wind swirled the droplets around so all sides were drenched! It was like a very heavy rain storm. The view, however, was magnificent from all the different vantage points. 
The drop is 330 feet and it is approximately 1 mile across. The noise is thunderous and the cloud of water rises above the terrain so that it can be seen from miles around. It was amazing and humbling. We worried that we shouldn't go when it was so full but it is far more spectacular now then in October when it is only flowing over one side near Zimbabwe. Now that would have been disappointing.
Zambezi complete with cocktails and snacks and who should we meet? Four charming people staying at our lodge from Minnesota! There were only about 14 people there and 6 of us were from MN. In fact they were from Brainard. We saw hippos, Impalas, Cattle Egrets, a type of Bee Eater nesting in the river bank and a Hamerkop (another large bird) who’s very large nest we saw near the 
lodge. They take shiny objects and put them in the interior of the nest. And for evening entertainment while on board we had rain and a thunder storm with appropriate fireworks.The next day we went on a game drive where we saw all there was to see…that is to say white rhinos, giraffes, hippos, zebra, warthogs, impala, a marabou stork and a Southern Ground Hornbill, which are about the size of a turkey with a red head and they make a raucous squawk. Then we went on to Victoria Falls for a tour there. We had briefly seen the falls and the narrow canyon it falls into as we were coming in for a landing in Livingstone. This time of year it is hard to view the falls from
ground level in front of the falls because of the volume of water crashing down which makes a cloud of heavy mist…like rain falling. We walked around viewing the falls from points further back where we were able to get some reasonable pictures but the path on the other side of the gorge was so wet and misty that you could hardly see any thing or dare take your camera out for a picture. For the walk near the falls, you can rent rain coats, shoes and camera bags on the way up to the walkway across from the falls. Bruce and I wanted to feel what it would have been like for early viewers of one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I can tell you straight away that it was VERY wet. The wind swirled the droplets around so all sides were drenched! It was like a very heavy rain storm. The view, however, was magnificent from all the different vantage points. 
The drop is 330 feet and it is approximately 1 mile across. The noise is thunderous and the cloud of water rises above the terrain so that it can be seen from miles around. It was amazing and humbling. We worried that we shouldn't go when it was so full but it is far more spectacular now then in October when it is only flowing over one side near Zimbabwe. Now that would have been disappointing.
The next day was our adrenalin day…remembering that I can get an adrenalin rush from looking out of a second story window…this does not have to be a lot! [This picture is of the bridge where they bungee jump from below the falls.] Bruce and I went back to the waterfront above the falls where he took an ultra light flight over the falls and canyon. It was cloudy and they were lowering so he was 
the last one to go up that morning. He found it great fun and I am sure generated some adrenalin. [Yes that is him in the back seat.]Then we toured a village which like some townships had no electricity, out houses on the perimeter of the village and 3 bore holes for water which were donated by an NGO. The family compounds were tidy. Several of them were making a frothy beer called chibuku or “shake-shake.” The lad 
from the village that gave the tour noted that it was brewed in a large cooking pot with the grayish mash fermenting away as it sits there. The one we saw had not been going long enough since it was not yet bubbling…”two days more”, he said. He noted that few of the visitors to the village try the brew as there was no top on it and it did not look appetizing (read: looks vile). I do not have a picture of the brew and am only showing the cooking area under the eves of the hut.
from the village that gave the tour noted that it was brewed in a large cooking pot with the grayish mash fermenting away as it sits there. The one we saw had not been going long enough since it was not yet bubbling…”two days more”, he said. He noted that few of the visitors to the village try the brew as there was no top on it and it did not look appetizing (read: looks vile). I do not have a picture of the brew and am only showing the cooking area under the eves of the hut.Now it was time for my adventure. I chose to ride an elephant…remember the elephants around the pool? There were 7 of them of which 
one was a baby and took only the trainer on his back. The full grown ones took two to three people. They had a nice elephant saddle on them which is good, as some folks from SA warned us off doing this because if you ride it bare-back you encounter the considerable sharp vertebra of the creature. The elephants plus riders went out on a walk and one thing I noticed right a way is that giraffes look different when you look across at them rather than up at them. Also the African elephant has a trunk with two tips one top and bottom at the end which pinch together thus allowing them to pick up things that are small. His feet are very soft and they don’t make much noise when going through the bush. They eat 
something like 100 lbs of foliage a day. It was great fun and we will enclose some pictures from our adventures on the blog.
one was a baby and took only the trainer on his back. The full grown ones took two to three people. They had a nice elephant saddle on them which is good, as some folks from SA warned us off doing this because if you ride it bare-back you encounter the considerable sharp vertebra of the creature. The elephants plus riders went out on a walk and one thing I noticed right a way is that giraffes look different when you look across at them rather than up at them. Also the African elephant has a trunk with two tips one top and bottom at the end which pinch together thus allowing them to pick up things that are small. His feet are very soft and they don’t make much noise when going through the bush. They eat 
something like 100 lbs of foliage a day. It was great fun and we will enclose some pictures from our adventures on the blog.Now we were off to Botswana where we will stay on the Chobe River, which eventually runs into the Zambezi, and see what Chobe National Park has to offer. Between game drives at 6 AM and boat tours at 3:30 in the afternoon we saw all there was to see except a hyena. A cobra, probably a spitting cobra, was 
swimming across the river. (There was very high water and the island across from us was underwater and he was probably escaping). We saw loads of impala [They are in the picture on the left. They are one of the most common animals in the park], kudos, pukus and other antelopes as well as zebras, baboons, wildebeests, giraffe, crocodile, water monitor and mongoose. We saw four of the big five: lions, panthers, elephants, cape buffalo but no rhinos in 
Chobe. We did see them in Zambia where they are guarded by an armed guard but allowed to roam within the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. They had had 5 rhinos there but through misfortune lost 3 of them. We met some interesting folks from Britain and ended up having several meals with them. They may even come to visit.
swimming across the river. (There was very high water and the island across from us was underwater and he was probably escaping). We saw loads of impala [They are in the picture on the left. They are one of the most common animals in the park], kudos, pukus and other antelopes as well as zebras, baboons, wildebeests, giraffe, crocodile, water monitor and mongoose. We saw four of the big five: lions, panthers, elephants, cape buffalo but no rhinos in 
Chobe. We did see them in Zambia where they are guarded by an armed guard but allowed to roam within the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. They had had 5 rhinos there but through misfortune lost 3 of them. We met some interesting folks from Britain and ended up having several meals with them. They may even come to visit.I forgot to mention that in order to cross the Zambezi River between 
Zambia and Botswana you must take a ferry, if you are a truck…there were as many as 15 trucks trying to get across from either side. The ferry can take one at a time. It takes about 20 minutes for the ferry to cross. Some times it can take up to two or three days for a truck to get across. We, however, did not have to cross that way. The company that moved us 
around, Bushtracks of Africa, dropped us off at the river and a nice fishing boat with an outboard motor took us across where their guys picked us up on the other side and drove us to the Chobe Marina Lodge, which is located on the banks of the Chobe River.
Zambia and Botswana you must take a ferry, if you are a truck…there were as many as 15 trucks trying to get across from either side. The ferry can take one at a time. It takes about 20 minutes for the ferry to cross. Some times it can take up to two or three days for a truck to get across. We, however, did not have to cross that way. The company that moved us 
around, Bushtracks of Africa, dropped us off at the river and a nice fishing boat with an outboard motor took us across where their guys picked us up on the other side and drove us to the Chobe Marina Lodge, which is located on the banks of the Chobe River.Here is a note that travelers to this area should know about before arriving. I say this because it does not show up in the guide books and the group arranging this trip were not aware either. It is a bit of a scam on Zambia’s part. We paid a fee for a visa when we entered Zambia. This was done through the lodge before our arrival. We were listed in a notebook that this was covered before entering otherwise you had to come up with the money in dollars, euros, pounds, or rands to enter the country. It is not a security check but rather a way to get money from the tourist. There is also a airport tax payable on leaving which fortunately was handled through the lodge or the travel agent. I am not sure. It is the payment of $100 apiece for Americans (90 pounds for Brits and $25 pp for other nationalities) to cross Zambia from Botswana or wherever to get to the airport. The problem, besides the unevenness of the fee, is the lack of information about it. We found out that we would need to pay $100 from the guide when we crossed from Zambia into Botswana. If we stayed in Zambia for another night it would be the $25 fee again. We converted some of our rand into dollars in Chobe but as it turned out we could have used rands so we lost a little money on that exchange. Because of all the fees we were a bit short of cash and were a bit concerned before we finally got out of the country.
It was a beautiful trip and I don’t begrudge them the money since Zambia is so poor but it would be nice to know in advance that you would have these additional charges. Who knows if we will ever get back to the banks of the Zambezi again!
Footnote 1 - Hey wouldn’t you like to clean that stable?! Norma wanted me to move this comment away from the wine and pleasant scene being painted in the paragraph. In fact she sort of raised a stink about it. BE
It was a beautiful trip and I don’t begrudge them the money since Zambia is so poor but it would be nice to know in advance that you would have these additional charges. Who knows if we will ever get back to the banks of the Zambezi again!
Footnote 1 - Hey wouldn’t you like to clean that stable?! Norma wanted me to move this comment away from the wine and pleasant scene being painted in the paragraph. In fact she sort of raised a stink about it. BE
We have more pictures to share but I will put them into another post.
