Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, and a gorgeous sunset over Namibia

January 5 - 13, 2017

Where the Chobe River intersects with the Zambezi River in Southern Africa, there is a confluence of four countries: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia.  Here you will also find a wealth of natural treasures, from the incredible Victoria falls shared by Zambia and Zimbabwe, to animals galore in Chobe National Park in Botswana near the border to Namibia.

Dennis and I arrived to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe on the afternoon of January 5th.  The town is a tourist-centered area within walking distance of the falls.  As soon as we were settled into the N1 Hotel in town (recommended for budget travelers), we set off for afternoon high tea at the Victoria Falls Hotel.  The hotel was built in 1904, and the decor has not changed since.  Walking in to the hotel feels as if you have stepped back in time to colonial Rhodesia, the British territory encompassing present day Zambia and Zimbabwe and the eponym of the imperialist Cecil Rhodes, whose dream was to build a "Cape to Cairo" railway linking northern and southern Africa.  Part of this ambition included construction of the Victoria Falls bridge, which Rhodes instructed to be built "across the Zambezi where the trains, as they pass, will catch the spray of the Falls."  The colonial era loses its charm after reading books such as "King Leopold's Ghost" by Adam Hochschild, which details the extreme abuses and exploitation of the natives by the "explorers" and their royal benefactors.  As a modern day tourist, however, the hotel offers magnificent views of the bridge and the mist created from the thundering falls as it rises up above the gorge.  


January 6th was an adventurous day, starting with Dennis jumping off of solid ground for a 70 meter / 230 foot freefall during a gorge swing over the roaring Zambezi river.  I was very "happy" (read: petrified) to watch and snap photos on the side; no additional adrenaline rush needed.  The adventure activities take place near the Look-Out Cafe, situated high above the gorge.  After a relaxing lunch and reading amongst the green, we set off across the border to Zambia for the next exploit - swimming in Devil's Pool!

The short drive over the border brought us to the Royal Livingstone Hotel, a luxurious venue where former U.S. presidents have stayed during trips to Zambia.  A boat took us from the launch to Livingstone Island, where the famous missionary explorer David Livingstone first saw the falls. Once the group was dressed up in swimming gear, we braved the waters of the Zambezi to reach a natural pool situated atop the falls before the water plunges down 100 meters.  Fun fact that we discovered once in the pool: there are small fish that reside in the pool and like to bite your toes.  While the waters are moving past you over the edge of the pool, I found myself kicking just enough to keep the little fish bites at bay while simultaneously ensuring I would not propel myself over the edge.  Absolutely exhilarating experience.  Our swim back to the island included a magnificent view of the sky bursting with clouds from the humidity.  Dennis and I lingered in the waters for a bit longer to enjoy the serenity and astounding beauty.  On the island we enjoyed high tea yet again, except instead of tea we were served the refreshing Pimm's Cup drink while chatting with our fellow swimmers, hailing from the U.S., U.K., and Mexico.  

We were able to explore the full length of the falls the next day, first touring the Zimbabwe side of the rapids with a knowledgeable guide and lovely couple from the U.K., refueling with lunch and a Pimm's Cup at the Victoria Falls Hotel, then walking over to Zambia to marvel at the falls from the Knife's Edge buttress.  The falls span 1,708 meters, or over one mile in length and a vertical drop of 80 meters at the western Devil's Cataract to 108 meters at the center.  Spectacular.

That evening we cruised the Zambezi on a boat tour, enjoying the breeze on the warm day.  On board we met a lovely couple from Moscow whom Dennis impressed with his Russian, and the conversation later including more English for my sake all while admiring the birds, hippos, and crocodiles gracing the waterway.  That evening we enjoyed a gamey twist on Spanish faire at Lola's Tapas & Bar, with dishes including zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, impala, and, of course, sangria to wash it all down.  

On Sunday, January 8th we drove for an hour to cross the border into Botswana and on to the town of Kasane, located just outside Chobe National Park.  Of note, this day would have been my dad's 57th birthday.  I don't think he would have ever imagined that one day I would be crossing borders and traversing southern Africa on his birthday.  After tucking in to the Old House, a cute B&B on the Chobe waterfront, we enjoyed a boat tour on the river that divides Botswana from Namibia, watching hippos seemingly wearing grass skirts grazing and herds of elephants migrating to their much loved water.  A good way to celebrate the day.


Monday morning was an early start to explore Chobe National Park.  Before we even reached the gates we were greeted by a herd of elephants, with two juveniles testing each others' strength.  Once in the park, all the vehicles took off in one direction.  We followed suit and soon were viewing a leopard lounging in the trees immediately in front of us.  An amazing and lucky find!  

Throughout the day we saw several large troops of baboons, with the male calling out from the treetops to the rest of the troop below.  Being on a day-long drive through the park, when the animals took shelter in the shade from the heat of the day, we were able to admire the colorful flora and fauna of the lush green park, including the African bee eater bird, three lionesses, a family of warthogs, a giraffe in its awkward bend to the ground for water, as well as two young male giraffes fighting to test their power and might.  In the later afternoon we again encountered one of the lionesses we spotted earlier calling out to her hidden away cubs, letting them know that she was returning to the den.  We didn't find the cubs, but while in pursuit of the lioness we noticed a tree branch off in the distance with some oddly shaped branches, only to discover through the binoculars that it was in fact a leopard fast asleep in the trees!

Sleeping leopards aside, the highlight for me was in the evening hours when we encountered one of the largest herds of elephants we had ever seen - we were surrounded by 56 elephants scattered throughout the hillside.  With so many elephants it is incredible to experience the social dynamics of the species.  From the low grumble used to communicate to each other, the young ones playing, fighting, or even mock charging the vehicle, and to nature's drive to move itself forward with two bulls in estrus competing for the young female also in estrus.  Of note, Botswana is known for its enormous elephant population, with 130,000 elephants estimated in the country of 2 million, or 1 elephant per 15 people.  

That evening back at our B&B, the sky flashed a brilliant red, pink, amber, and variations of blue sky as the sun set across the Chobe River and over Namibia on the horizon.  A perfect end to the day. 

January 10th we were off to Maun, with just a short flight from Kasane.  Maun is the main jumping off point for exploring the Okavango Delta, marshlands teaming with beautiful water lilies in the waterways and herds of animals grazing on the surrounding lands.  That evening we checked into The Old Bridge Backpackers, with a bar-at-the-end-of-the-world feel. Our accomodations for the next few days consisited of a perma-tent located just off of the small river, complete with an open-air private bathroom offering an unobstructed view of the stars in the sky.  In the common area, with the sand underfoot and the pool table always lively, there was a chicken and two resident cats, one of which decided to make Dennis his new best friend.

Mother nature decided to show us what rainy season in Botswana really means by dumping significant amounts of rain overnight, continuing into the morning.  Despite the downpour, we decided to stick with our original plan of cruising the delta in a mokoro, a shallow dugout canoe, with a guide working to propel us along the shallow water using a ngashi pole.  We floated along, cold and wet, for an hour before the rain stopped and the sky slowly opened up to reveal its blue.  

Along the route, we pulled up on land and hiked on foot to see beautiful herds of impala, wildebeest, and zebra grazing so close in the grass.  To see the animals on foot with nothing between you and them is a very raw experience.  When animals were not in our immediate surroundings, our guide was pointing out the plants and their traditional medicinal uses, as well as burrow holes made by anteaters and later taken over by other wildlife.


Back at the camp we had a lively sunset dinner conversation with a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana in the 1970s, who regaled us with stories of the area from his service, the incredible changes that had taken place, the people that he had worked with (and when we did a google search, many of whom are now top in their scientific fields!), and crazy adventures he had throughout Africa, including Uganda. 

The following morning we were again up before the sun to join a young German couple on extended holiday for a trek to the Moremi Game Reserve located in the midst of the delta.  After a gorgeous sunrise, the morning again threatened rain but we were fortunate once more that the clouds cleared, revealing the incredible blue sky.  In the park the rainy season showed its effects, with several large water holes full of mud taking up the entire road.  Thank goodness for 4-wheel drive!  On the way in we were informed of one group that had self-navigated through the roads, only to become stuck in the middle of the park and needing to spend the night in the car as no one was available to tow them out.  Yikes!

Fortunately thanks to our guide, Master (known as a master tracker), we navigated the roads just fine and found ourselves on the open plains of the grasslands.  While roaming the green landscape, we spotted a lone lioness in the distance.  When she arose to move, we tracked her until she led us to three more lionesses lounging under the brush.  What a find!  We were feeling so lucky to be able to track and find so many lions, when they suddenly all began to get up and walk slowly in a single file line through the grass.  We were certain they were on the hunt for food, and that one unlucky antelope in the distance was going to be brunch.  After a few minutes of tracking, however, we began to hear the same low grumble that we had heard in Chobe - they were calling their cubs!  Within a minute, 13 cubs came bounding out of the brush to greet the lionesses.  We sat and watched them for what felt like hours as they bonded, played, breastfed, and eventually found shade in the brush.  

With that, it was time to find a lunch spot.  We drove a little ways away from the lions, to plant ourselves right in front of a pond filled with hippos.  Definitely much safer, right?!  Hippos are known to be very territorial, despite their massive size move very quickly on land, and are the greatest animal threat to humans after malaria-carrying mosquitoes.  Awesome.  Throughout the lunch several hippos showed us that we were in their territory by opening their mouths in a giant yawn, revealing their massive teeth and powerful jaws that can snap you in half.  

The rest of the afternoon we found many variations of antelope as well as troops of baboons in the thick brush.  We also encountered a large military truck that was on its way to tow the stuck vehicle we had heard about earlier, only to become trapped in the mud itself due to the massive rains.  Double yikes!


As we drove out of the park, more and more animals seemingly appeared, including a turtle making its way across the road to more water, several bull elephants, and towers of giraffes migrating in the cooler evening hours.  We arrived back at camp just after sunset to enjoy one last meal under the stars.  

On January 13th we began our long 14 hour trek from Botswana to Rwanda, to bring us closer to our home in Uganda!

Recommendations for Travelers:
-We suggest our itinerary in reverse:  Arrive in Maun, explore the Okavango River Delta, and you can even do a longer camping trip, migrating up the delta and into Chobe National Park.  From Chobe, take a day trip over to Zimbabwe and Zambia to see the falls, and return the same day.  

-If spending multiple days near Victoria Falls, purchase the Kaza Visa, which allows multiple entries across the Zimbabwe and Zambia border.  The website states it is available in multiple countries, however other travelers told us the Kaza Visa was not available in Zambia.  We purchased ours on arrival to the Vic Falls Airport in Zimbabwe.


-According to the guide books, a great time to travel to this area is July or August.  It is the dry season in Botswana, meaning animals flock to the central Chobe River, thus increasing sight seeing of animals, but it is not so dry as to become too hot like in September and October.  It is also the time when the waters of Victoria Falls are full yet not so much so that they are obscured by their self-made mist.

-Zimbabwe has some significant economic instability, with the country undergoing massive inflation of its local currency to the point that the currency was eliminated and replaced with the US Dollar in 2008.  Because of this, everyone who had their money in the bank (instead of in a house, cows, or goats) lost all of their savings.  You will find many MANY men on the streets of Vic Falls (and Livingstone in Zambia, we were told) very aggressively hawking souvenirs starting with statuettes and progressing to selling you millions or billions in the now-defunct local currency.  Be forewarned that you will be confronted on the streets several times and by people that it will take saying no to a good 7 times before they will give up the pursuit.

-Skip the boat ride in Zambia - Chobe has loads more to offer.

-All-day game drives are long, with not many animals seen between 10am and 5pm.  Consider staying a few days to enjoy a few morning drives, reading in the afternoon, then heading out for sunset drives; it's a better way to enjoy the wildlife.  That being said, you never know what you will find at any time of day!

-Swim in Devil's Pool!  Absolutely amazing experience