Wonder falls
Grab the lion’s share of stunning scenery, wild adventures and close encounters on safari in Zambia
The Smoke That Thunders... the majestic Victoria Falls in Africa. Yet today it’s the Mist That Whimpers. But, do you know what? It really doesn’t matter.
I’d arrived in Zambia in October, a month before the rainy season, and was told the falls would be, in a word, dry.
But any worries were forgotten from the very first glimpse. The small falls and its 350ft drop, flowing around almost-horizontal trees that somehow survived the usual 300,000 gallons of water a second. Still magnificent.
In fact, I can’t help feeling the dry falls could even be better. Yes, the deafening roar is absent but the sheer scale seems so much more evident without the water and spray that encompasses it the rest of the year.
As well as walking alongside the falls, you can see them from the air by helicopter – complete with return trip over the Zambezi river with elephants clearly visible, grazing their way across the lush green islands that emerge from the river during dry season.
This is undeniably Africa. And with Africa comes wildlife – and lots of it.
I’d expected perhaps a far-away spotting of one or two of the Big Five – lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard. Maybe, if I was lucky, an up-close look at a few buffaloes.
What I found in just six days in Zambia were more incredible experiences of wild animals than I could ever have imagined. Hundreds of elephants, herds of buffalo crossing the river to escape a predator, yawning hippo pods at every turn, lions lazing in the morning sun and leopards stalking silently through the night.
The only thing missing were rhinos but you can go on a walking safari to see them in the Mosi-oa-tunya National Park near Livingstone.
The park – the local name for the falls and of Mosi, the national beer – was the location of my first night’s stay. The River Club, a small but beautiful collection of luxury tented lodges in the heart of the national park.
Set on the very edge of the river you can watch hippos from your balcony as monkeys swing through the trees.
A sunset boat cruise, dodging hippos and spotting dozens of birds as the enormous sun turns the river and sky a beautiful red, is a must.
For those after a traditional hotel, the David Livingstone Safari Lodge is just a few miles away and a good base to settle in before heading to the wilder Lower Zambezi area.
I took a couple of very short internal flights to reach it. One on a six-seater plane so small I sat in the co-pilot seat.
After landing at Jeki Airstrip (more of a dirt patch – we flew over first to check nothing had gone for a snooze in the middle of it) Lawrence, our guide for the next two days, picked us up in a safari truck.
Faced with the choice of a game drive or going to freshen up, we overwhelmingly voted for animals.
And boy did we get them. Thousands of impala – small antelope – skittered everywhere, herds of elephants, including babies, wandered yards away and buffaloes glared at us as we rumbled by.
At our home for the night, Anabezi Camp, we were taken to our tents.
Tents might be a bit of a misnomer. They’re canvas on the outside but come with a huge bed, sofa, bath and private deck overlooking the river.
Not to mention the outside shower. Everyone should try a starlight shower once in their lives – but remember to check for visitors. Our group had a spider and a snake try to join them.
That’s the other thing about Zambia
in October. It’s hot. Very, very hot. Temperatures hit 400C in the day and barely feel lower at night.
You have a fan above your bed but forget air-conditioning – you are in a tent! Still, it turns out there’s something better – a latenight dip in your own private plunge pool on the deck.
Leaning on the edge of the pool, looking out over the Zambezi, Mosi in hand and listening to the sounds of the night’s wildlife as you cool down, is breathtaking.
But the sounds of the bush are not always so calming. Nothing like a 3am wake-up call from a snorting and bellowing hippo with only a bit of canvas between you.
BABOONS
Not that I was in any real danger. The tents are stilted and the whole camp is raised up on boardwalks.
You’re safe to walk around in the day, looking down on the baboons running below and warthogs munching by your front door.
But at night, guests are escorted by staff with a torch to look out for anything that might mistake you for a snack.
Apparently the odd leopard does like to laze on the boardwalk.
I was lucky enough to see those elusive creatures up close. On a night drive we followed as a mother and cub walked down to a watering hole.
At 5am the next morning, we jumped out of bed at the prospect of seeing more.
In minutes, Lawrence saw leopards relaxing in a tree – a mum and two cubs, the smallest staring into my camera, posing for his close-up.
I’d have come home happy if I hadn’t clapped eyes on a single other animal. But in the Lower Zambezi there’s zero chance of that.
A quick trip along the river took us to Sausage Tree Camp and more spectacular tents overlooking the water. Another beautiful plunge pool, decking, huge bed, sofa and a bathroom bigger than my flat. And while you could sometimes forget the lack of fences at Anabezi, there’s no chance at Sausage Tree.
With warnings of not getting too close to the animals still ringing in my ears, I opened my door to see five elephant and a calf 50ft away.
Tip-toeing past them (while cursing my noisy flip-flops) was incredible and terrifying.
Still, as heart-pounding moments go, it was a close second to my canoe trip down the Zambezi. Canoeing down a hippo and crocinfested river seemed, frankly, lunacy.
But having been told it was one of the best excursions, I pushed off into the river in a convoy of four canoes, all the while remembering the only thing I really knew about hippos... they kill more people than any other animal in Africa.
And they’re huge. Really huge. But our guides expertly manoeuvred us around the pods, honking loudly as we glided past.
I’d never seen a lion in the wild and at Anabezi I watched as two lapped from the river before walking past our truck – so close I could have reached down and touched its mane. Sensibly, I didn’t.
Just a few hours later, on a game drive from Sausage Tree, we saw a different pride resting under a tree after running from a herd of
elephants protecting their calves. The closest we came to the king of the jungle was as we stopped for a break and our guide went to check behind a tree, clapping to alert any animals nearby before we used the facilities ( forget about toilets when you are in the park – behind a tree is the best you get). We were about to jump off the truck when suddenly he said: “Stop, don’t get out,” before scampering back himself. And it turned out to be a good job that we’d stayed put, because there, at the base of the tree, was an injured lion staring back at us.
Even meals come with a twist on safari. Lunch in the Zambezi, anyone? Surely not with those crocs and hippos?
But, on a sandbank in the middle of the river near Sausage Tree, with elephants and hippos just a few yards away, that’s exactly what we did.
Words somehow seem inadequate to describe Zambia – magnificent, wonderful, marvellous, spectacular, breathtaking. Unbelievable.