Business Traveller (Middle East)
THUNDER AND THRILLS
A trip to Victoria Falls provides excitement and inspirational views in abundance, writes Kate Whitehead
Kate Whitehead soaks up the mesmerising views at Zambia’s Victoria Falls
is Livingstone, named after the Scottish explorer. The fact that the town has kept its name while all the other old British names were replaced once Zambia gained independence in 1964 is testament to the respect Zambians have for Livingstone. He not only put the Victoria Falls on the world map – naming it after his queen – but also led a crusade against slavery.
The town itself is an interesting place to visit. Founded in 1905, a safe distance from the swampy, mosquito-infested banks of the Zambezi, it became the capital of Northern Rhodesia in 1911. With the capital moving to Lusaka in 1935, it has managed to retain much of its colonial character. The main road is lined with the original buildings – many with delightful art-deco features.
Just off the main drag is Livingstone Museum, the oldest and largest museum in the country. You could easily spend a day here – there are several wings covering natural and human history, archaeology and ethnography. The David Livingstone section is well worth some time and has plenty of Dr Livingstone memorabilia, from original letters to maps and personal effects. Also worth a closer look is the section on the “Dark Arts”. It’s a rather spooky if not downright sinister collection of witchcraft curiosities, from cursed dolls to potion pots. There’s even a snakeskin belt that allegedly enabled a sorcerer to get close to a man’s wife while he lay sleeping next to them. Bizarre stuff.
If you want to leave off the tourist trail and get a local perspective on life in Zambia, take a stroll through Maramba market. It’s a very local affair, so probably best not to parade expensive camera equipment or other luxury goods around, but is otherwise very safe to visit. In fact, Zambia is one of the safest nations in Africa according to the World Economic Forum.
You can buy almost anything at Maramba market; as well as fresh fish, meat, vegetables, cooking oil and clothing, there are stalls selling car parts, bikes, beds… and plenty of second-hand items. For those of us used to squeaky clean Western supermarkets the flies buzzing over the fresh food might come as a shock, as will the bucket of dried Mopane worms, a delicacy in Africa and high in protein.
There’s no missing the Chinese influence in the country – a growing force for more than a decade. In 2004, Zambia secured a $28.8 million World Bank loan to diversify its economy, and tourism was highlighted as a key sector. Tenders were put out to resurface Livingstone’s main roads, install street lighting to increase safety, and improve the drainage system so the town wouldn’t flood during the rainy season when tourist arrivals peak, the visitors drawn to the thundering falls. Most of the tenders for contracts were won by Chinese companies – in part because of their reputation for delivering on time, and because they are favoured politically. So strong is Chinese influence in the country that Zambia’s most popular national newspaper, The Post, publishes two pages in Chinese every day.
Not everyone is happy about the Chinese influence. As we drive to the River Club, my lodgings for the night, my Zambian driver shares that many are worried about China’s rapidly growing influence. “They [re]built Livingstone and now they are trying to buy the whole country,” he says.
He’s equally dismissive of Chinese workmanship, pointing to tar that has bubbled up and dried at the side of the road. Apparently the Chinese hadn’t taken account of the seriously hot African summer and the new road began melting within three months of being laid.
We drive through Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, passing the odd hippo munching on grass – the dry season is coming to an end and the first rains have given rise to new growth by the side of the road. The River Club is on a high bank overlooking the Zambezi River. The main building, a renovated 1940s farmhouse, is surrounded by manicured lawns – there’s even a croquet circuit marked out on the grass. It’s like stepping back in time. Guests are accommodated in ten chalets, each with a four-poster bed and its own plunge pool. Instead of a wall, the front of the chalets are faced off with mesh so that you look directly out onto the river. It’s like a fourposter bed version of “glamping” – but with your own bath, shower and toilet.
The River Club’s owner Peter Jones is one of the few lodge owners who still regularly join guests for dinner. Born and raised in Zambia, he’s a history buff and has plenty of stories to share about the area. He has also used funds raised from the property to help improve the lives of locals in the neighbouring village (from where a number of his staff come), including building a couple of wells so that the women no longer need risk the crocodiles by going to the river to fetch water.“It’s important to give back to the community – everyone’s lives in Africa should improve, not just the lucky few,” he says.
Like many of Livingstone’s luxury lodges, the River Club lays on a sunset cruise for guests. We sip on our gin and tonics and watch the wildlife as it comes down to the river – there are elephants, hippos, crocodiles and a whole family of baboons. After an action-packed day it’s a great way to unwind.
Later that night, with a full lodge dinner and a couple of drinks inside me, I’m drifting into a peaceful sleep when I’m startled awake by a loud grunting noise. I sit up in my four-poster and stare into the darkness; it comes again, a deep guttural sound that reverberates in my chest. It’s a moment before I realise it’s a hippo wallowing in the river just beyond my chalet… my last adrenaline kick of the day. Jacada Travel designs luxury private tours for guests, jacadatravel.com