Botswana and Zambia (February 2010)
Day 11:
We got to sleep in a bit this morning, and we drove off to see Victoria Falls. It's about a 30 minute drive from the camp. Before reaching the observation area, we stopped by the river to view the Falls from upstream. This is "The Smoke that Thunders"
The plume that was formed by the falls was impressive even though it blends in with the clouds in this photo. We continued on to the observation area, and spent about an hour hiking in the area.
It was "raining" hard, not just misting, and it was impossible to keep the camera dry even though we all had a plastic cover. We needed an underwater camera housing! I don't remember getting this wet when I was at Niagara Falls. Later in the day one of my cameras - Lumix GH1 - stopped working, which I suspect was caused by exposure to water.
We, also, had a good view of the Victoria Falls Bridge, where a platform for bungee jumping is located. After viewing the Falls, most members did serious shopping at the shops along the parking lot. For the most part I don't do any shopping because souvenirs tend to turn into just "stuff" after a short while.
Since most of us were scheduled to view the Falls from a helicopter, we drove over to the heliport for a spectacular but short (15 min.) flight.
On the way back to the camp, we stopped by a craft gallery in Livingstone and did more window-shopping.
After lunch, one other brave (crazy?) guy from the group and I went back to the Falls for bungee jumping. This was something I had wanted to try for a long time. The jumping platform is right at the midpoint of the Victoria Falls Bridge which is located in the no-man's land between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
I went first. In addition to the two connections to the bungee cord at the ankles, there was an additional one to the body harness as a safety measure. It's a 360ft (111m) plunge, but no fear, no hesitation!
There he flies!
Nice form, eh?
We got to sleep in a bit this morning, and we drove off to see Victoria Falls. It's about a 30 minute drive from the camp. Before reaching the observation area, we stopped by the river to view the Falls from upstream. This is "The Smoke that Thunders"
The plume that was formed by the falls was impressive even though it blends in with the clouds in this photo. We continued on to the observation area, and spent about an hour hiking in the area.
It was "raining" hard, not just misting, and it was impossible to keep the camera dry even though we all had a plastic cover. We needed an underwater camera housing! I don't remember getting this wet when I was at Niagara Falls. Later in the day one of my cameras - Lumix GH1 - stopped working, which I suspect was caused by exposure to water.
We, also, had a good view of the Victoria Falls Bridge, where a platform for bungee jumping is located. After viewing the Falls, most members did serious shopping at the shops along the parking lot. For the most part I don't do any shopping because souvenirs tend to turn into just "stuff" after a short while.
Since most of us were scheduled to view the Falls from a helicopter, we drove over to the heliport for a spectacular but short (15 min.) flight.
On the way back to the camp, we stopped by a craft gallery in Livingstone and did more window-shopping.
After lunch, one other brave (crazy?) guy from the group and I went back to the Falls for bungee jumping. This was something I had wanted to try for a long time. The jumping platform is right at the midpoint of the Victoria Falls Bridge which is located in the no-man's land between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
I went first. In addition to the two connections to the bungee cord at the ankles, there was an additional one to the body harness as a safety measure. It's a 360ft (111m) plunge, but no fear, no hesitation!
There he flies!
Nice form, eh?
The free fall was too short, but after the end of the fall I bounced up and down, hanging up-side-down, for a long time.
We both survived the jump, and went back to the office to cough up more cash to purchase a video and photos that prove that we are crazy!
Here is a photo of the Falls viewed from the Victoria Falls Bridge. Since the bridge is in no man's land between Zambia and Zimbabwe, most of the casual tourists would not have an opportunity to enjoy this view.
In the evening we all went on our final game drive in the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, looking for a white rhino. With the help of a kind park ranger, we were able to observe one no more than 20 ft away!
The dinner at the camp - the last one in Africa on this trip - with the main course pre-selected from a large menu by each guest in advance was delicious.
Day 12:
While the rest of the group took it easy this morning (before leaving for JNB), my bungee-jumping buddy and I went to visit the Livingstone Island, accompanied by a guide. The guide handed us over to another set of guides at some ritzy hotel on the river, and the new handlers took us to the island on a power boat. The purpose of the visit was to stand at the edge of the Falls and take in the views, just as David Livingstone had done in 1885.
The guide and the staff on the island were superb, and I thoroughly enjoyed the visit. We had a nice breakfast on the island and returned to the camp to prepare for a flight back to Johannesburg.
From Livingstone International, we took a British Airways flight (2+ hours) to JNB and had a very long stopover there. We then took an overnight flight back to Atlanta.
Day 13:
We arrived at ATL at about 7 a.m. next morning only to find snow and ice on the ground and a mass confusion at the airport. What a mess the Delta Airlines had managed to make. Their crisis management failed them.
We all said fond farewell to one another, and proceeded to separate gates/terminals. Despite the mess at the airport, we all made it back to respective home airports relatively unscathed.
It was a great adventure, and all the tour members got along nicely and had a wonderful time together. Here is a group shot taken at Victoria Falls:
Please visit the Photo Galleries and Video Galleries for more photos and videos from this trip as well as from other trips.
Here is a photo of the Falls viewed from the Victoria Falls Bridge. Since the bridge is in no man's land between Zambia and Zimbabwe, most of the casual tourists would not have an opportunity to enjoy this view.
In the evening we all went on our final game drive in the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, looking for a white rhino. With the help of a kind park ranger, we were able to observe one no more than 20 ft away!
The dinner at the camp - the last one in Africa on this trip - with the main course pre-selected from a large menu by each guest in advance was delicious.
Day 12:
While the rest of the group took it easy this morning (before leaving for JNB), my bungee-jumping buddy and I went to visit the Livingstone Island, accompanied by a guide. The guide handed us over to another set of guides at some ritzy hotel on the river, and the new handlers took us to the island on a power boat. The purpose of the visit was to stand at the edge of the Falls and take in the views, just as David Livingstone had done in 1885.
The guide and the staff on the island were superb, and I thoroughly enjoyed the visit. We had a nice breakfast on the island and returned to the camp to prepare for a flight back to Johannesburg.
From Livingstone International, we took a British Airways flight (2+ hours) to JNB and had a very long stopover there. We then took an overnight flight back to Atlanta.
Day 13:
We arrived at ATL at about 7 a.m. next morning only to find snow and ice on the ground and a mass confusion at the airport. What a mess the Delta Airlines had managed to make. Their crisis management failed them.
We all said fond farewell to one another, and proceeded to separate gates/terminals. Despite the mess at the airport, we all made it back to respective home airports relatively unscathed.
It was a great adventure, and all the tour members got along nicely and had a wonderful time together. Here is a group shot taken at Victoria Falls:
I have created Google Maps with GPS tracks that show the places we visited, and each map has several photos attached. Please take a look:
Game Drives around Kalahari Plains Camp and Deception Valley (Central Kalahari)
Game Drives around Chitabe Camp
(Okavango Delta)Game Drives and Mokoro Rides around Xigera Camp (Okavango Delta)
Activities around Toka Leya Camp and Victoria Falls (Zambia)
Please visit the Photo Galleries and Video Galleries for more photos and videos from this trip as well as from other trips.
