Leaving Africa and returning home

We woke at 4:30 when a pod of hippos in the nearby Zambezi River were vocalizing. This would be the last morning that we would hear the hippos, so we didn’t mind the early wake-up call. We showered and finished packing for the drive to Jeki airstrip then to Lusaka to get a commercial flight to Johannesburg followed by a grueling 16 hour flight to Atlanta and a two-hour flight to Lexington. We organized the tips for Clement, our guide, Ashsefu, the valet ,and the other Potato Bush Camp staff. Because he had been so special on our evening of fishing, we also gave Lazarus a tip to show our appreciation.

Breakfast area at Potato Bush Camp

The valet came to our tent with tea at 7:00 and we went to the breakfast area at 7:30 putting our bags outside the tent before we left. Mary and Cindy had sunny side up eggs, while Mark and I had omelets with ham and cheese. There were also muffins and breads as well as several fruits and cereals including porridge.

We said our goodbyes to the staff as we left on our last day in Africa. Clement took us along the Zambezi River to the landing where we loaded into a Land Cruiser. The couple from Ottawa met us there since we would be on the same flights as far as Johannesburg.

Cape buffalo herd near Jeki Airstrip

The jeep trip to Jeki airstrip was only about 10 minutes, but we took a brief detour to see a herd of over 200 Cape buffalo grazing with a few zebras and impala. A few elephants browsed in the distance. The six of us boarded a six seat airplane not counting the pilot and copilot’s seats. There was no copilot on this brief 30 minute flight to Lusaka, Zambia’s capital city. Although much larger than the aircraft that we flew into Jeki on Cindy, and the female from Ottawa were still very nervous.

Our flight to Lusaka, Zambia

Representatives from Green Safaris shepherded us through the Lusaka airport and to security and passport control. We were fortunate to get through before a large group of high schoolers on a school trip arrived. We had a little over 2 hours until our flight to Jo-burg, as it is called, so we walked through the international terminal, visited the duty free shops and went with Cindy to buy a gift for her granddaughter.

The flight boarded on time at 2:30 and departed soon thereafter. We were seated across the aisle from Mark and Cindy and were pleased to have bulkhead seats with plenty of legroom. The flight to Jo-burg was easy. A nice snack was served around 3 pm which was welcome since we had breakfast at 7:30. We landed in Jo-burg around 4:30 and began making our way through the process of entering South Africa again. Going through customs was easy as was picking up our bags. We had only checked our bags to Johannesburg which we learned may have been a mistake.

While we were in line, a rumor circulated that our flight to Atlanta would be diverted to Puerto Rico to get airline staff. We later heard that the flight would be cancelled. Since we were early, the flight wasn’t posted on the departure board yet and there was nothing on the Delta app. There was an additional checkpoint at our gate involving checking our carry-on bags for powder. Everyone on our flight had to allow their bags to be hand inspected.

We met with Mark and Cindy and found a Mug and Bean restaurant that had available seating. We and had a very good meal at an affordable price, which surprised us for airport food. The service was a little slow; we think that our server was new. When we got to the gate we noticed that about a third of the passengers were wearing camouflage. We learned that June is a very popular time for big game hunting in Central Africa.

Our flight was posted to Atlanta on time and with no scheduled layover in Puerto Rico. The flight appeared full, but we boarded early with our Comfort Class seating. Mark and Cindy were one row in front of us in Premium Class. Our seat mate was a young woman who had been hunting with her father and sister in South Africa. She had killed a kudu with 50 inch horns, a large hartebeest and a huge warthog. Her father killed a zebra and giraffe and her sister killed a wildebeest. Her father said that the hunt was far less expensive than big game hunts in North America.

As expected, the flight attendants fed us dinner at midnight. We had chicken with rice which was okay, but we only ate a little of it. We read, watched movies and tried to sleep. We only got about 2 hours of sleep during the 16-hour flight.

Landing in Atlanta was smooth, but we had a 30-minute wait for a gate. We had a message from Delta that our flight to Lexington was cancelled. Once we deplaned, we went to customs only to find that the Global Entry kiosks we not functioning for passengers on our flight. The airport staff then put us at the end of the line for regular entry. This is the second time that Global Entry slowed us down in Atlanta. We later learned that TSA had learned that our flight was canceled and removed access to the Global Entry kiosks for that flight. We were concerned that TSA was getting flight information through social media. 

Once we got through customs, we had to get our flight to Lexington rescheduled before we could go through security. Mark and Cindy went through, but we waited in a lengthy line to see a Delta representative. When we got in the line there were four associates working. However, they were soon moved to another area leaving one staffer to deal with the long line. It was well over two hours by the time we were able to get to the help desk. Mary was on the Delta app the whole time waiting for assistance through the app. Once we made it to customer service we were put on a flight to Lexington that was only two hours later than our original flight. We were given standby status rather than assigned seats. Although we had paid for upgraded seats, we would be happy with any seat for the 90-minute flight.

We got through security easily then met Mark and Cindy for lunch. The food court area was packed so there was no room in any sit-down restaurant. Mark and Cindy bought pizza slices, and we got McDonalds. The service at our McDonald’s was terrible: the young man at the register was rude to everyone, and the food was slow and cold. We joked that the staff in African airports was friendlier, and more people spoke English than in the Atlanta airport.

At our gate we saw that we were numbers 22 and 23 awaiting seat assignments for the flight to Lexington. We saw another Delta representative who said that we were highly likely to get a seat on the flight and that another flight to Lexington was scheduled later in the evening.

Once standby passengers were assigned seats, we were pleased that were were in our upgraded seats for the short flight to Lexington. The flight was only a little late for departure since a passenger was concerned that bags had been misdirected. Our seat mate on the flight was expressing his frustration with a few minutes of delay by huffing and puffing, stamping his feet and just being annoying.

Like prior flights, we read during the short hop to Lexington. Our checked bags made it quickly to the carousel, and we met Ian outside who took us home and helped us with our bags.

It was the trip of a lifetime, but it is great to be home. We have a lot of laundry to do and weeds to clear from the gardens. The neighbor, Sam, kept the yard mowed, but we needed to mow the field and around the trees. We kept the thermostat set to 80 degrees in the house while we were gone, but we took it down a few degrees now that we are home.

We will miss a lot of things about Africa. Having meals custom prepared for us was nice. Having wine and mixed drinks brought to us, tea delivered to our rooms when we woke were great. The biggest thrill was going to the places that Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom visited. We saw the African Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant. rhinoceros and Cape buffalo) and the African Ugly Five (hyena, vulture, wildebeest, marabou stork and warthog). We saw only two of the African tiny five (buffalo weaver and antlion).

Given the cost and time involved, it is unlikely that we will return to Botswana and Zambia. However, we will hold the memories of our time in Central Africa forever.

Lower Zambezi National Park

We were awake when we our valet, Ashsefu, came to the tent to wake us and deliver our breakfast beverages of choice. The camp chef made each of us omelets to order along with toast and muffins. As we ate, we talked with Ross from Ottawa about his fly fishing for tigerfish. He had no success in any of his flyfishing attempted on the Zambezi River. We also wished Phil from Santa Fe well as he prepared to leave for another camp.

Clement, Francis and Mary at a huge hollow baobab tree

For our game drive in Lower Zambezi National Park, Francis, a National Park ranger, met us at the lodge. The four of us along with Clement, Francis and Alex, got into the truck for a walking safari in the national park. Francis was armed with a .375 high powered rifle for our protection. We also learned that Alex was a National Park ranger prior to becoming a safari guide.

Cape buffalo skull

After driving into the park for 30 minutes, we left the truck and walked through the national park. Clement, Alex and Francis pointed out tracks of hippos, elephants, lions, baboons, impalas, water bucks and hyenas. We spotted a small group of zebras and a large herd of Cape buffalos. There are lots of impalas and baboons with a fair number of elephants. We stopped at an especially old baobab tree that was hollow inside. The tree had gained significant damage from elephants.

Clement showed us difference in dry wood termites, fungus eating termites and harvester termites. The many termite mounds found throughout Central Africa are fungus termites that join saliva and soil to make the mound. They bring sections of leaves into the mounds to grow a fungus that is eaten by the termites.

Elephants crossing the Lower Zambezi River

After returning to the truck, we had tea while we talked with Clement, Alex and Francis. We took the 30 minute drive back to camp and had about an hour before we were to leave for a shore lunch at a nearby landing. The guides talked with us about the Arab slave traders who came to the area obtaining people to be sold to Europeans. They also talked to us about how the tribes dealt with each other and warfare over land. They told us that when Zambia gained independence from Great Britain in 1964, they made a concerted effort to focus loyalties to the country rather than individual tribes. They also told us how villages were displaced when the dams were built on the Zambezi River. We found several artifacts including an abandoned grinding stone and some pot shards.

Shore lunch on the Zambezi River

During the short boat ride to lunch, we saw three male elephants crossing the Zambezi River which was quite a sight. As we neared the landing, we saw that lunch appeared to be quite elegant. The meal was being prepared by the kitchen staff from Sausage Tree Camp at a scenic spot on the river. They had our table set up with the usual white tablecloth and napkins.

Mary, Steve, Mark & Cindy at an elegant shore lunch

The cooks had prepared beef and chicken skewers, a three-bean salad, couscous and a garden salad. Dessert was a lemon tart. As usual, everything was delicious. They had a good selection of wines as well as gin and tonic using local Zambian gin. After lunch and drinks, Clement brought us back to the camp where we had a couple of hours to relax, nap, read and record in the journal. I took a brief nap in the hammock while I listened to Lexington’s oldies country station. We saw an African sand snake just off the boardwalk leading to our tent.

Mark relaxing at the tent before high tea

We went to the lodge for high tea at 3 pm then met Clement for our evening game drive. Joining us was Leonard, a young apprentice guide, who was very pleasant and helpful. We drove over some very rough roads to the eastern side of the National Park where we looked for African wild dogs.

Wild dog pack in Lower Zambezi National Park

Along the drive we saw many elephants making their way to the mountains. There were impalas, baboons, water bucks and guineafowl. Clement told us that he had heard of a wild dog sighting and suggested that we head that way and not pause to view more common game.

Wild dogs watching an impala herd

We bumped over the deeply rutted sandy roads to where 15 adult wild dogs were resting in the shade. It appeared that the dogs were still full from a kill earlier in the day. We had heard that the dogs were the most efficient predators in central Africa killing a very high percentage of game that they pursue. Clement said that the dogs killed their prey in the most brutal fashion. Lions, leopards, cheetahs and other cats kill by biting at the neck resulting in a quick death. However, the African wild dogs bite the abdomen to disembowel the prey. They begin feeding the prey animal while it is still alive.

After watching the dogs lounging in the shade for about 30 minutes, we decided to drive about a kilometer away to have a sundown drink of gin and tonic. Once we got the drinks poured, the dogs started in pursuit of a herd of impala. They didn’t run far but watched the impala. We suspected that they were still full from their earlier meal and didn’t really need to make a kill.

We noticed that one of the dogs had an injury and appeared to be in poor health. The other dogs licked the injured dog’s wounds and urinated on the injured dog. Clement said that the other dogs would care for injured pack mates and bring food following a kill.

When we saw that dogs were unlikely to go after the impala, we started back toward camp. By then it was nearly 7 pm and in midwinter in the southern hemisphere, it was dark. As Clement drove, Leonard used a powerful light to scan for animals. He took care to not shine the light in the eyes of possible prey animals since they might become temporarily blinded and would be easy prey.

As we drove, we passed several groups of elephants sometimes waiting for them to get off the jeep trail so we could pass. We saw a young elephant ahead on the left side of the trail and the mother on the right side. We knew that could be trouble, so we waited until the baby crossed the road and joined the mother. Once the two were reunited we started along the road. The young elephant trumpeted as we passed then in response the mother elephant trumpeted and began to pursue our vehicle. We wasted no time in leaving the area.

As we were nearing camp, we saw that an elephant had placed a large branch over the jeep trail, making it impassable. Mother elephants often break branches from trees, allowing young elephants to browse. We were unable to move the large branch since it would be dangerous to exit the vehicle when the elephants maybe nearby. In addition, there may be lions or other predators in the area.

Clement backed the truck to a point where he could turn it, so we backtracked to take a longer trail back to camp arriving at 7:30.

The couple from Ottawa was at dinner as was a foursome from New York City. They had been to Tongabezi Lodge not far from where we had been in Sindabezi Island Lodge. They were very pleasant and looking forward to their African adventures.

Dinner was a variety of curry. Mine was chicken curry while Mary had chickpea curry. Both meals had rice on the side and mixed vegetables. We all had pinot grigio with the meal. Our valet escorted us back to the room.

When we arrived at the room we saw that the valet had arranged leaves on the floor of the text wishing us safe travels back home. The tub was filled with bubbles and candles were arranged in the sleeping area and bathroom. As we fell asleep we heard the call of an unknown African night bird.

Fishing in the Lower Zambezi River

Large crocodile across from Sweet Potato Camp

When our valet, Ashsefu, came to wake us at 5:30 we were already awake and dressed. We went to breakfast and enjoyed the eggs made to order. Mary had a breakfast wrap, and I had a ham, cheese and mushroom omelet. We got in the truck with Clement at 6:30 am to drive around Lower Zambezi National Park. This 1,600 square mile national park was established in 1983 as a game reserve to be protected from mass tourism and to allow native game to thrive.

Our safari vehicle at Potato Bush Camp

We saw several birds that we hadn’t seen including the trumpeter hornbill, goliath heron and crested guineafowl. There were a number of water bucks, kudus and warthogs. A troop of baboons, that certainly had over 100 animals, included many mothers with babies clinging to their backs. Impalas frequently travel with baboon troops to better look out for predators to the benefit of both.

Waterbuck

Waterholes in the area are drying up at this time of year, but the Zambezi River is near. One remaining water hole had four crocodiles basking in the sun as wading birds walked among them. One crocodile was half submerged and had its mouth open exposing the bright yellow flap preventing water from entering.

We followed some lion tracks for a while then started looking for a leopard but had no success with either. We stopped for a tea break and gave Clement our lunch order from a menu. We then drove back to the camp arriving by 10:30.

Cindy & Mark relaxing at the tent

We changed clothes at out tents since the day had warmed since we left this morning. We walked back to the lodge at 11:30 for lunch. Mark had a large burger, Cindy ordered a salad with grilled chicken, Mary had an open-faced roast beef sandwich, and I had a chicken schnitzel. Dessert was chocolate mousse.

We went back to the tents where we read, napped and wrote in the journal until Mark and I were scheduled to go fishing in the lower Zambezi.

Mark with a 10# tigerfish

Mark and I met Lazarus at 4 pm and went out on the Lower Zambezi River to try to catch some fish. We were hoping for a tigerfish but with the lack of success on our two previous fishing trips, we would be happy to get a bite from any kind of fish. Mary and Cindy stayed at the lodge and played cribbage.

On the way to selected fishing spots, we passed several large pods of hippos. We also saw a few Cape buffalo and crocodiles along the banks. Once at a spot, Lazarus either tied off to a limb or embedded the lower unit of the motor into a sand bar to anchor the boat. We used cut-bait on a large stainless steel hook on a steel leader and rigged with a slice of fish. The reels were loaded with a strong braided fishing line.

Steve with an electric catfish

We stopped in several spots, allowing the current to take the bait and hook downstream. We had no luck at the first two places we tried. However, at the third spot, Lazarus hooked a fish then handed the rod to Mark. The fish fought well and even went airborne once before Lazarus was able to net the large tigerfish. The nearly 10-pound tigerfish had a mouthful of sharp teeth that meshed together for a bite that could be dangerous. From looking at the teeth, it was obvious how the fish earned the name tigerfish. We weighed and photographed the fish before releasing the tiger fish back into the Zambezi River.

A few minutes later I felt some bumps on my line and assumed that I had drifted into a branch on the river bottom. However, when I retrieved the line, I saw that I had hooked a catfish. The fish was olive in color and was covered with darker spots giving it a leopard-like appearance. When Lazarus came to net the fish, his eyes widened and he said that it was an electric catfish. These fish are capable of producing several hundred volts of electricity and can easily knock an adult out. The catfish uses the shock to capture prey as well as to avoid predators. Lazarus told us that he was knocked out by one of these fish as a youth.

Once on the boat Lazarus used needle nosed pliers to remove the hook from the deeply hooked catfish. He was careful to use rubber handled pliers and to not touch the fish with his hands.

Relaxing at the tent

We returned to the dock a little after 6 pm so we could shower, watch a horticulture Wednesday webinar and prepare for our short night game drive. The webinars would be inaccessible outside of the US, but we used the VPN to connect through Atlanta with no problem.

Clement picked us up in the Safari truck at 7 pm and drove away from the camp. Along the way, we saw a genet running along the ground. This cat-like mammal is related more to the mongoose than to cats.

As we drove along, we spotted lights and a fire. Clement told us that he needed to check on the people since camping is prohibited in Lower Zambia National Park. As we approached we saw that it was a setup for an outdoor dinner where we would join Sausage Tree Camp for the meal. It was a nice surprise.

We sat around the fire with a group of Belgians who were staying at Sausage Tree. We enjoyed drinks and conversation until the soup was brought to us. The split pea soup with curry was quite good. After soup bowls were collected, we had chicken, beef, lentils and salad from the buffet. Dessert was a tasty macron with chocolate filling.

We left the dinner around 8:30 and saw two more genets on the way back to Potato Bush Camp. We turned in as soon as we were escorted to our tents.

Arriving at Potato Bush Camp

The sunrise over the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe was beautiful with the sliver of a moon above the horizon. We dressed and started packing for our flight to Potato Bush Camp. We needed to have our bags outside by 10 am to depart at 10:20. We sorted out tips for our guide, Phixon, our valet, Memory, and the staff as a whole.

Hippo pod in the Zambezi River

We met Mark and Cindy for breakfast at 7 am. Mark and Cindy had eggs Benedict while Mary and I had ham, cheese and mushroom omelets. As usual, there was a nice selection of breads, cheeses and fruits. We saw the two campers from France leaving for their morning activity as we went to breakfast. We were happy to learn that the security alert that came through from Chase Bank last night was fraudulent but needed no action. Cindy called Chase directly and was told that they would take care of the issue.

Nile monitor

We had almost two hours after we finished breakfast to do our language lessons, shower and get our bags out for collection. The outdoor shower is very nice. It is brisk early in the day but is a nice wake-up. The valet, Memory, was available to draw a bath for us but we had neither the time nor inclination for a bath while we were here. Mary and I took a walk around the island to see the other “chalets” as the tents were called. We saw several Nile monitors basking in the morning sun. The 3-4-foot-long lizards slid into the water as we approached.

Steve sleeping in the co-pilot's seat

As with the other camps we visited, we enjoyed the time at Sindabeze Island Lodge. The staff was very friendly and eager to help. It is a much smaller camp accommodating less than half the guests than any of the other camps. We liked that the activities were selected by us and that we had the activity exclusively to ourselves. We had excellent travel mates at the other camps, but the smaller, more intimate nature of Sindabezi was nice. We also liked that we could choose mealtimes as well as the menu. With some exception, meals were plated three course meals prepared by an expert chef.

Cindy is not happy about the small aircraft

At 10:20 we met at the dock to make our way to the airport at Livingstone. The staff of Sindabeze Island Lodge gathered to see us off. After the short boat ride to cross the Zambezi River, Phixon drove us to the airport where were were ushered through security by Green Safaris personnel. After a short wait, we were escorted out to our plane, a small Beechcraft airplane with three seats, not counting the pilot and copilot. Cindy was very apprehensive about the flight but took a seat in the rear near the luggage. Mark and Mary were in the center, and I was in the copilot’s seat. The pilot, a Green Safaris employee, was very friendly and gave us a smooth 90 minute flight to Jeki airstrip on the lower Zambezi. Like many of the airstrips in Botswana, this was a small unpaved bush airstrip, but it does have a small unstaffed terminal building.

Pod of hippos crossing the Zambezi River

Green Safaris staff loaded our bags into a Safari truck, and Lazarus drove us to the boat dock on the Zambezi River. Along the way, he pointed out interesting plants, animals and cultural features. Lazarus loaded us and our bags into a small boat and took us upstream to the Potato Bush Camp. Along the way we saw hundreds of hippos in the water as well as some Cape buffalo and impalas. We knew that this would be the place to see hippos.

Our tent at Potato Bush Camp

When we arrived at Potato Bush Camp, we were greeted by the staff and given an orientation. The procedures are much the same as Sindabezi since they are both owned by Green Safaris. This camp has only four tents including ours which is a double tent with a large sitting area between the two bedrooms. We unpacked and went to the lodge at 4:30 for a sunset river cruise. There was a large male elephant in the area outside of our tent. The animal seemed pretty docile, but we gave him a wide berth.

Bee-eater

Lazarus took us upstream on the Zambezi River where we saw dozens of hippo pods, each with up to 25 hippos. On a small island there was a Cape buffalo and several warthogs. Mark and Cindy spotted several interesting birds along the riverbank. We stopped at a spot in the river with a good view of the sunset. We had a gin and tonic as we watched the sun go down. We have really come to enjoy the local African gins like the Iconic African Gin mixed with Fitch and Leedes Indian Tonic.

When we returned from the cruise, we sat by the fire with a couple from Australia, a couple from Ottawa and a man from Santa Fe. We chatted about prior travel as well as planned future travel. When we were ready for dinner, the elephant was blocking our way from the fire pit to the dining area. After about 30 minutes, the elephant moved away, and we made it across to get to dinner.

Elephant walking through camp

The entrée was a choice of lamb shank, soup or salmon. Mine was baked salmon which was very good. Most people’s choice of dessert was chocolate pie, but I went for the cheese tray which was very good.

It was after 9 pm when we finished dinner, so we were escorted back to our tent. We would be awakened at 5:30 am tomorrow for our first game drive in Zambia.

Rhino walk

We slept well but awoke before 5 am. We did a few things in the room and moved our wet shoes out to the deck to dry. All our shoes were soaked after the visit to Victoria Falls.

Cindy & Mary with two rhinos

We walked out to the common area for breakfast and enjoyed the winter sunrise. The breakfast choice for Mark, Cindy and I was omelettes of varying types. Mary had maize porridge. We gathered our things for the walk into Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park to see the rhinos. The rhino walk was a part of our African trip that we are really looking forward to.

Mother and daughter rhinos

The National Park was about a 30 minute drive from the camp. Once in the park we saw the site where missionaries in the early 1900s attempted to establish the town of Livingstone. However, everyone in the group died of malaria. Their graves remain in the park. After the failure of the site, the town was established at the present site of Livingstone in the 1920s.

Ernest, a National Park ranger

There are nine white rhinos in the park as well as a population of elephants, hippos, Cape buffalo, zebras, warthogs and impala. We were led by Ernest, a National Park ranger who was armed with an AK 47 mostly to defend against elephants. There are no big cats in the park since the road going near the park transports a lot of local people walking or cycling.

The first rhinos that came upon were a mother daughter pair. The young rhino was about two years old and would soon be weaned from her mother. They were lying in the sun when we arrived, so we approached them downwind and were able to get very close. We continued walking through the park and saw five rhinos including one juvenile and one large male. We were also able get closer by walking quietly toward them from downwind.

Adult rhinoceros

The rhinos and other animals in the National Park are protected by a staff of well trained and heavily armed rangers. The nine rhinos in the park have not had incidents of poaching, but on several occasions elephants that were wounded by poachers in nearby Zimbabwe arrive in the park. Those wounded elephants are very dangerous and have been known to attack people in the park. All of the rhinos at Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park are white rhinos, so named because of a mispronunciation of “wide rhinos” because their mouths are wide and blunt, well adapted for eating grasses and sedges in the savanna. Black rhinos have a more pointed snout and browse on trees and shrubs in other parts of Africa. The terms “black” and “white” have nothing to do with the color of the animal. White rhinos are listed as near threatened while black rhinos are considered critically endangered.

Mary, Cindy, Steve & Mark with rhino herd

Phixon and Ernest told us that rhinos have poor vision and that we should walk single file about a meter apart so the rhinos would see us as a single large animal that is not familiar to them and, therefore, not a threat. By walking downwind, they would be less likely to be alarmed by our scent. After taking a lot of photos, we got back to the Land Cruiser with Phixon and drove to the city of Livingstone.

Livingstone markets

Livingstone is a bustling city with a population of 134,000 and many well preserved buildings from the 1920s. Phixon drove us through the market district where each area is designated by what is being sold in the booth. Sweet potatoes are sold in one area followed by nuts then fruits. The market continued to areas for clothing, electronics, appliances and just about anything that the residents of Livingstone might need. Phixon said that his wife likes to shop at the market so she can negotiate for items unlike at the modern stores. Phixon drove us around Livingstone and showed us some of the city’s landmarks mostly going back to Zambia’s colonial past in the 1920s.

We stopped at the Livingstone Museum where we spent about an hour looking at Zambia’s history going back to prehistoric time. The museum has displays on the prehistory of the area including fossil finds of hominids that have guided archeologists in studying the development of humans. A large diorama shows daily life for a Zambian family before the arrival of Europeans. There are a number of artifacts surrounding Dr. David Livingstone and his missions to Central Africa.

Lunch along the Zambezi River

After leaving the museum, we returned to the boat launch. The boat  brought us to camp where we changed clothes for lunch. We had only a few minutes at camp until we were taken to another island for an outdoor lunch. Chef Paul’s team had prepared roast chicken in a curry sauce with pumpkin and garden salad. Dessert was a mixed fruit plate. The staff was dressed in traditional Zambian colors as they prepared and served the meal. We enjoyed the lunch before boating back to the camp to have a break. On the boat trip back to Sindabezi Island, we saw a large hippopotamus on the bank ready to jump into the Zambezi River.

Mark & Cindy's tent at Sindabezi Island Camp

After a brief break back at the camp, we met Phixon at 4:30 for a boat ride and fishing. We went up river then cast Mepps spinners along the reeds hoping to catch a tiger fish. We saw several local fishermen in mokoros using cast nets in the reed beds. Luck wasn’t with us and neither Mark, Phixon nor I had a bite.

We returned to camp at 6:30 and had about an hour until we met at the campfire with appetizers before dinner. The starter was lentil soup with ginger. We were escorted to our tables where we had excellent filet minion cooked medium rare. Mashed potatoes and streamed vegetables were on the side. Dessert was a stewed pear in caramel sauce.

Sunset on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe

As we were preparing to leave the table, Chef Paul, Chiyeso, Memory, Jacob, Phixon, Gift, Sylvester, Precious and other camp staff came out to sing and dance to celebrate Mark and Cindy’s 44th anniversary. They brought a chocolate cake along to celebrate. We gave half of the cake to two French visitors at a nearby table.

As we were finishing dinner, Mark had an alert that his credit card may have been used for fraudulent purchases and transfers. They were making telephone calls to financial institutions to straighten out the mess.

We went to the tent, made our calls and updated the journal before turning in. We have a 10:20 am departure time for Potato Bush Camp tomorrow. We enjoyed this camp just as much as the other three that we visited this month, although the pace was much more relaxed than at Xakanaxa and Savute.

Victoria Falls

At 4 am we heard a hippo that sounded very nearby. We didn’t go out of the deck to check but knew that it was close. When we went outside at 6 am we saw hippo tracks under the deck and along the side of our tent. It was obvious the Horace the hippo had visited.

Zambezi River with Victoria Falls in the distance

We went to breakfast at 7 am and learned that we could have the continental breakfast or we could order a plated meal. We all decided on the plated breakfast, Cindy and I had eggs Benedict while Mary and Mark had the pancake tower. We all enjoyed the meal.

At 8:30 we met Chiyeso at the boat ramp who took us to the mainland where we met Phixon, who will be our guide for the rest of our time here at Sindibezi Island Lodge. We got into one of the Bushtracks vans to go to Victoria Falls.

Our tent at Sindabezi Island Camp

As we drove toward Victoria Falls, we saw many people walking along the road. Some were wearing western clothing while others were dressed in traditional African attire. Some women were carrying baskets on their heads; others were pushing wheeled carts. The predominant traffic was men on bicycles with heavy and bulky loads. Agricultural products like sweet potatoes and corn are twice as expensive in Zimbabwe as they are in Zambia. The opposite is true for products like cooking oil and detergent being more expensive in Zambia. Merchants will haul their crops to Zimbabwe to sell then make the return trip with products from Zimbabwe to sell in Zambia.

Victoria Falls

At the falls, Phixon took care of our admission then gave us rain stickers since the spray from the falls can be like rain. We walked along the edges of the canyon and photographed the rainbows in the spray. We laughed as the baboons along the path alternately groomed each other and squabbled. As we walked across the Knife Edge Bridge, the spray was like a torrent of rain. The narrow bridge would be a interesting crossing at any time but with the torrent of water from the spray of Victoria Falls, it was an adventure. Although we were wearing slickers, we were soaked. The strong wind blowing in the canyon drove the water into us all. While walking, we met a nice young couple from Nashville. Once across the bridge, we had pleasant conversation as we walked around the rim of the falls.

Victoria Falls

We walked over to the dock where we would take a boat to Livingstone Island. The island is named for Dr. David Livingstone who was the first European to see Victoria Falls. Dr. Livingstone was a missionary in Africa bringing Christianity to the natives. He lived on the island from 1850 until he died of malaria in 1873. His legacy appears to continue to flourish since Zambia is almost 96% Christian, many of who attend church regularly.

Mary & Steve at Victoria Falls

The small boats have two well maintained outboard motors since we were only slightly upstream from the falls. A gentleman from Guatemala joined us of the boat. He was in Zambia for a conference of Rotarians. He was very pleasant, and we were happy to have him join us. We were issued slickers again as well as large towels. It made us feel easier that the small boats had two motors since a powerless boat would be dashed over the 355 foot drop of Victoria Falls.

Omega, a Green Safaris guide at Victoria Falls, walked us through the mud to the point where people pay to be hung over the falls. The way it works is that you lie down in the water as it is pouring over the falls as two strong young men hold you by the ankles. We took several group and individual photos of the falls and the rainbows in the mist. The Guatemalan gentleman decided that he would do it, so he changed into bathing trunks and walked to the fall’s edge. He was smiling the who time but later reported that he was terrified. We sat in folding chairs while being pelted by the wind and spray. The couple we met from Nashville also hung over the falls’ edge.

Mark & Cindy at Victoria Falls

At 1 pm we walked to the dining tent where we had lunch with several other groups. The tent was very loud with people talking across the room and several languages being spoken. The meal was very good with tomato coconut soup and a main course of chicken on a polenta cake and vegetables on the side. Dessert was a poppyseed muffin with vanilla ice cream.

We walked back to the registration area where we did a survey and prepared for the trip back to Sindabezi Island Lodge. We were wet and tired so a shower and clean clothes sounded good.

The outdoor shower was fine. There was plenty of hot water, so we washed our soggy muddy shoes. We walked around the island some and had a drink in the pavilion as Mary read Chef Paul’s cookbook. The book collected recipes from the chefs in all the camps owned by Green Safaris. I got in the hammock for a while while I updated the trip journal.

We made our way out to the fire pit for a chat. It was just the four of us at the time. A nice young couple from London came by and joined us by the fire. They were honeymooning on their safari. We enjoyed talking with them.  We had enjoyed the Okavango Gin in Botswana, but we were treated to a Zambian gin here at Sindabezi.  Iconic African Gin, like the Botswanan Okavango Gin, isn't overpowering with botanicals but mixes well with the Fitch and Leedes Indian Tonic for an excellent G & T.

Baboons at Victoria Falls

The appetizer of butternut squash with ginger was outstanding and served as we sat around the fire. Several of us had gin and tonic or wine brought to the fire for us. We were called to our tables where we were served pan fried bream fillets along with a vegetable mix. Dessert was a lemon tart. We enjoyed everything.

We turned in right after dinner since we had an early departure for the rhino walk on Monday.

First day of winter - Arriving at Sindabezi Island Camp

A flock of roosting guineafowl outside out tent woke us at 4:30 so we finished packing for our departure from Botswana. We went to the lodge for our breakfast then met Conrad for a short morning game drive. Since our flight was after 11 am, we had several options for the morning but we opted to go out one more time for a game drive.

Mary on a white sand dune in Chobe

We drove through a part of the area that we hadn’t visited then through the Savute Channel looking at herds of impala, flocks of guineafowl, families of spurfowl and the occasional Steinbok. In the past, the Savute channel has had water in the stream. However, shifting tectonic plates and a general drying in the area has caused the streambed to be dry for a number of years. We took a stretch break for tea and the usual small cakes called rusks. Another truck from our camp stopped by so we visited with Markus and Hanna from Stuttgart before continuing on.

Zebra and impala grazing

Conrad drove to the top of a dune composed of very fine powdery sand. From there we could see several young warthogs, impalas, giraffes and some wildebeest. Conrad was looking at the other side of the dune and spotted a lion. We got binoculars and confirmed that two lions were resting in the shade of a tree. We saw a lot of tracks in the sand from everything from lions to beetles.

At Savute Airstrip

At 10:30 we transferred to another Land Cruiser and said our goodbyes to John, Jane and Conrad. We drove the the airstrip and chuckled again at the sign marking “Terminal 5, Gate 3” even though there was no terminal, only a gravel airstrip cut into the bush.

The 12-seat Cessna aircraft was full including a passenger in the copilot’s seat. The pilot for the 30-minute flight was the most professional of any that we have in the bush. His takeoff and landing were very smooth. We realized that this was the first time that we had seen a paved airstrip or road since we left Maun on June 13.

When we landed in Kasane, Botswana we were picked up by a “G Man”, a contracted driver who took us into Zambia. We disinfected our shoes at the border then went to a health check before going to immigration and customs. Everyone at border control was very helpful and the process of getting our visas was completed in just a few minutes.

Mary at the landing for Sindabezi

Our bags were transferred to our Zambian driver who drove us for about an hour to our next camp. As he drove, he gave us a brief history of Zambia, an overview of the culture and some information on places of interest that we may visit for the week that we are in the country.

Chiyeso (pronounced Chea-so), the manager of Sindabezi Island Camp, met us at the dock and took us to the island where we would stay for the next few days. The island is in the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe. This camp and our final camp, Potato Bush Camp, are operated by Green Safaris who have eight camps in Zambia and one in Malawi. Unlike previous camps with 12 tents, Sindabezi has only five tents, all of which were occupied at the time we arrived. These tents were not as modern as at Xugana or Savuli but were clean and comfortable. Like all the other camps, this camp operates completely on solar power and filters all drinking water. The daily routine here is set by each group of visitors. There is a long list of options from which we can choose.

Cindy at the tent on the Zambezi River

Unlike the Botswana camps, lunch and dinner are from a menu chosen earlier and served plated rather than buffet. Our tent overlooks the Zambezi River and has a bed with mosquito netting, a soaker tub, an outdoor shower and a hammock by the river. We think this camp will be ideal for our group. The island had lots of seating and places to relax. As Mary and Cindy met with our valet, Memory, to explore options for the coming days, Mark and I walked around the island. We saw several Nile monitors, some of which were large. The camp’s mascot is a hippo that was born on the island. Horace the Hippo still makes frequent visits to the camp, mostly at night. Robert, a camper from Johannesburg, advised us that a morning at Victoria Falls then a visit to the town of Livingstone would be time well spent.

Breakfast area at Sindabezi Island Camp

Although we had a small lunch on the flight, we had lunch provided in the camp. Mary and I had pork medallions with a mixed greens salad. The dessert was chocolate zucchini cake. For the afternoon, we chose to do a boat cruise on the Zambezi.

We went to the dock at 4:30 to meet our guide. Since Mark and Cindy were interested in birds, he took mostly to spots where they could see bee eaters, waterfowl and songbirds. We also saw several hippos in the river as well as waterbucks and impalas on the Zimbabwe side of the river.

Sundown on the Zambezi River

About 6 pm we were met at a point where camp staff had set up a mobile bar and seats for viewing the sunset on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe. We watched the sun go down and hippos swimming in the river.

We crossed the river back to the camp in Zambia where we changed for dinner. As we walked toward the campfire, I tripped on the edging around one of the plantings and took a hard fall. I dusted off and found seats at the campfire for us. We sat around the campfire where we were served leek soup as an appetizer. We chatted with Robert and his wife from Johannesburg, two friends from England and a young couple from Arkansas.

Sindabezi Island Camp staff places visitors at tables around the common areas of the camp. Wine, beer and drinks were offered before, during and after dinner. Mark and I had roast chicken on a bed of rice while Mary and Cindy had risotto. Dessert was a small cake with vanilla ice cream. Everything was well prepared and served elegantly. Mary and Cindy especially appreciated being able to preselect from a menu for meals rather than eating from a buffet.

After dinner we returned to our tent and prepared for bed.