South Africa 2017 - Final Thoughts

Wow! Wonderful. That hotel looks like something out of a movie! Very cool! Looking forward to you actually seeing the Falls! :)

Sayhello
 
I"m so glad you're posting about the VF part of your trip too! Now I want to do ABD and VF...
 
What an amazing shot of the hippos going into the water! It is very rare to see them on land.

We had a close encounter with a hippo just off our cabin deck (within 3-4 feet of me when I noticed it) in Zambia - it was very scary - so much so that I didn't even snap a picture, we just turned and ran back into our cabin and called the desk for an escort to breakfast!

I miss being in Africa. It is an experience we will re-live (hopefully) every summer from now on.

Don't you love passport control there? We had our visa "expedited" because I had US cash to pay the fee. It took MUCH longer for those using a credit card.

I agree with you about the airport being a bit disconcerting at first. It had a very different feel than both Johannesburg and Cape Town.


Zimbabwe passport control didn't even take credit cards. It was a bit intimidating. I probably felt the same way years ago when it was my first trip overseas to the UK. Lots of questions circling about my head - did I fill out the Visa form right, am I in the right line, do I have the right solo parent paperwork, are my bags going to make it from notorious Jo'burg, is there actually going to be a driver to meet us, what's Zimbabwe going to be like - a country of ~85% unemployment? I think mostly it was coming off the comfortable feeling of the ABD safety net. But it ended up being no big deal. Just some brief anxiety.


Seeing your pictures of the Victoria Falls Hotel brings back such great memories!!

I'm curious what it was like when you went. I'm sure it's significantly more touristy now which is not a bad thing yet. They've created quite a hospitality industry with lots of hotels and restaurants. It's still very 3rd world, but it has these pockets of a reasonably healthy tourist economy. VF Hotel was full. Bars and restaurants at the hotel were usually busy. I got this awesome book on the history of the hotel. I haven't made it to the end where they discuss the hotel after the year 2000, but I'm curious how everything was like when you went.

Oh I love the hotel decor. Adventurer's Club decor is right up my alley. I'm so glad you are posting about your post trip since it will likely be exactly what I wind up doing when we do visit VF after our South Africa ABD down the line. Awesome pictures as always!

It's wishful thinking, but it would be cool if ABD would add Vic Falls as some optional add on or just extend the SA trip. It really should be a must do.

"Yet, there's more!" More wonderful pictures. Eagerly waiting for more. Thanks.

More to come.. hopefully very soon!

Wow! Wonderful. That hotel looks like something out of a movie! Very cool! Looking forward to you actually seeing the Falls! :)

Sayhello

The Falls were the next day so... I'm hoping to get those pictures up soon.

I"m so glad you're posting about the VF part of your trip too! Now I want to do ABD and VF...

Yeah, you have to. It's so worth it!
 
I'm curious what it was like when you went. I'm sure it's significantly more touristy now which is not a bad thing yet. They've created quite a hospitality industry with lots of hotels and restaurants. It's still very 3rd world, but it has these pockets of a reasonably healthy tourist economy. VF Hotel was full. Bars and restaurants at the hotel were usually busy. I got this awesome book on the history of the hotel. I haven't made it to the end where they discuss the hotel after the year 2000, but I'm curious how everything was like when you went.

Judging from your pictures, the hotel looks very similar now to the way it looked in 2001. I can't really remember how crowded the hotel was, but my recollection is not all that crowded. 2001 was right around the time the farming disputes were becoming an issue, but we never felt unsafe. I agree it was strange to see the portraits of Mugabe everywhere.
 


Judging from your pictures, the hotel looks very similar now to the way it looked in 2001. I can't really remember how crowded the hotel was, but my recollection is not all that crowded. 2001 was right around the time the farming disputes were becoming an issue, but we never felt unsafe. I agree it was strange to see the portraits of Mugabe everywhere.

I finally got to the Yrs 2002-2015 in my book on the history of the hotel. Sounds like everything hit the fan in 2002 and declined until about 2008 because of what was going on in the country. Things got so bad their fence was stollen for the metal, and they had a problem with large animals on the lawn which didn't help their declining guest attendance. In 2008 inflation started getting so bad they had to change the prices on the menus hourly. They staff's pay became worthless. They didn't officially stop using the Zim $ until 2015 when $1 US = $35,000,000,000,000,000 Zim.. That's 35 quadrillion dollars.

Hopefully another TR update in the next day or so.
 
I finally got to the Yrs 2002-2015 in my book on the history of the hotel. Sounds like everything hit the fan in 2002 and declined until about 2008 because of what was going on in the country. Things got so bad their fence was stollen for the metal, and they had a problem with large animals on the lawn which didn't help their declining guest attendance. In 2008 inflation started getting so bad they had to change the prices on the menus hourly. They staff's pay became worthless. They didn't officially stop using the Zim $ until 2015 when $1 US = $35,000,000,000,000,000 Zim.. That's 35 quadrillion dollars.
:scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1::scared1:

Sayhello
 
Post Day 2 Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Part 1



The next morning we walked down to the Jungle Junction for breakfast. It was named after an airline mail service that started in London and made stops in Africa down to Cape Town. Jungle Junction at the hotel is an open air restaurant that serves breakfast and offers a dinner show at night. Breakfast was lovely and the view over the countryside was beautiful. The plan was to walk down to the Falls this morning, have lunch at the Lookout Cafe, and take a helicopter flight.



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VF Hotel has a walkway that connects the hotel to the Falls… sort of. It’s not private so there are men that stand out there waiting to sell you whatever they can carry. When we walked out the hotel gate onto the path there was actually a guard hired by the hotel that offered to walk us to the Falls. He introduced himself and explained that he was hired by the hotel to accompany guests. He was armed with a slingshot to ward off any unwelcome animals. Thankfully we saw none other than the occasional warthog which is fine. The men selling their goods were kind but persistent. 4 or 5 firm and polite no’s and they got the message. You reach a road which you cross. It happens to be the road that leads to the bridge to go to Zambia. Across the street is the entrance to the falls.



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Victoria Falls is now a National Park. We purchased our entrance tickets. They accept CC’s. From there, there is a shop and some basic historical information. We walked on a path for another 10 minutes or so and reached the Falls. There are yellow rain coats for rent as seen in the picture below, but in August they weren’t necessary.



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It was absolutely amazing. When we first saw it, I was honestly taken by surprise. I did not expect it to be that remarkable, that powerful or beautiful. It is absolutely worth the trip to Zimbabwe (or Zambia). We spent about an hour walking along the paths and lookout stations. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. But one thing that was concerning to me that I couldn’t find a lot of info on was the water levels of the Falls. So, there’s Wet Season in the Spring and Dry Season in the Fall. When we went in early August it felt perfect to us. There were areas of the Falls you could not see because the water was so strong. I imagine in the Spring it would be so incredibly strong you wouldn’t be able to see anything on the ground. On the other hand, the locals call it “The Smoke that Thunders.” Apparently as loud as it is now, it’s deafening in the Spring. Not that I’ve seen it any other time of year, but I would say August was very good.



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After the Falls we went back to the hotel for a bit and explored the grounds.



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Post Day 2 Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Part 2



Afterwards, we headed over to the Lookout Cafe for lunch. It basically overlooks the gorge. It was very good. Highly recommend it. I got some type of meat kebab. I can’t remember exactly. I enjoyed it though. We were to wait at the restaurant for our pickup for the helicopter ride. Gavin and I watched some older kids do the zip line and Gavin started to want to do it. Signup was actually at the restaurant (both run by Wild Horizons). I told him to go over and ask the cost and if they had availability before our pickup. Sure enough they had an opening. Now this is not your run of the mill zip line which we’ve done many times. This is THE longest zip line in THE WORLD. You basically go straight down into the gorge. I was nervous to say the least. In fact this is the first time where Gavin had to convince me to do something rather than the other way around. But I did it. Holy smokes it was FAST and CRAZY. I loved it. I’d probably even do it again. But it was easily the most thrilling activity I’ve ever signed up for.



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After the Zip Line we headed off for the helicopter. That was a lot of fun as well. We did the extended flight that goes over the Falls and on through the gorge and over to see the wildlife. I’d say it’s a must do. It’s great to see the Zambezi River and Vic Falls from above.



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That night we went to the Jungle Junction at the hotel for the dinner show. I enjoyed it. There’s actually another dinner show that’s worth looking into, Boma. It’s at the lodge the Animal Kingdom Lodge is based on which would have been cool to see. For any WDW fans, you can see the connection. The dinner show is Boma (same as the WDW AKL restaurant). AKL’s bar is called the Victoria Falls Lounge. Cool stuff. Back to Jungle Junction. I enjoyed it. Not quite as commercial as Boma. As with everything at this hotel, the service was remarkable. Several of them knew my name and chatted for awhile. I loved it. Not as much as the Livingstone Room. If you only ate at one place at the hotel, that should be it. But it was very nice.



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Tomorrow, Botswana…
 
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WOW!! Your photos are just amazing! What an incredible place! Sounds like you did it right! I still can't believe you did that Zip Line! I'm not sure I'd've had the nerve! :)

Sayhello
 
I love this report! Thank you so much for doing it, and I'm already looking forward to your China trip report. If I ever do this trip, I will definitely be contacting you for your post trip information. I'd love to replicate!
 
Once again, your pictures are bringing back great memories. Totally agree that a helicopter ride over the Falls is a must. I think it would be hard to get a true sense of the vast length/scale of the Falls without seeing them from above. Can't wait to share this experience with my kids at some point.
 
Dd REALLY REALLY wanted to do the zip line, but after hearing about the bungee cord snapping (on the bridge over the gorge) on the AU tourist a few years ago I decided there was no way I was going to do it. Now if I hadn't heard about the broken cord (and watched the YouTube video) I probably would've gone for it! Luckily the girl was a very strong swimmer and she was able to get out of the water (albeit a few miles down the river) to safety. I am not sure how many people would've survived that.

Love your pictures! Great TR.
 
I often thought of Zambia would be safer and more stable but sounds like you felt ok in Zimbabwe and going thru their airport.
 
WOW!! Your photos are just amazing! What an incredible place! Sounds like you did it right! I still can't believe you did that Zip Line! I'm not sure I'd've had the nerve! :)

Sayhello

It was amazing, but I was very nervous!

@Cousin Orville, I said it before and will say it again, thanks for letting me live vicariously through your experiences. Your pictures are fantastic! The zip line looks awesome!

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it!

I love this report! Thank you so much for doing it, and I'm already looking forward to your China trip report. If I ever do this trip, I will definitely be contacting you for your post trip information. I'd love to replicate!

I am on a mad dash to finish this TR. I'm literally in the airport now waiting for our flight to Hong Kong!

P.S. I looked back through the posts but I could have missed it ... how many adventurers were on your ABD?

I can't remember. I think in the low 30s.

Once again, your pictures are bringing back great memories. Totally agree that a helicopter ride over the Falls is a must. I think it would be hard to get a true sense of the vast length/scale of the Falls without seeing them from above. Can't wait to share this experience with my kids at some point.

We loved it. It really does complete the experience of Victoria Falls. It's so big along with the Zambezi. You really have to see it from above.

Dd REALLY REALLY wanted to do the zip line, but after hearing about the bungee cord snapping (on the bridge over the gorge) on the AU tourist a few years ago I decided there was no way I was going to do it. Now if I hadn't heard about the broken cord (and watched the YouTube video) I probably would've gone for it! Luckily the girl was a very strong swimmer and she was able to get out of the water (albeit a few miles down the river) to safety. I am not sure how many people would've survived that.

Love your pictures! Great TR.

Uhhhhhhhh. I am glad I did not know that ahead of time! I'm glad I did the zip line. But now that box is now checked... I'll stick with more run of the mill zip lines. There was no way I was going to do the bungee jump anyway. The zip line was really pushing it for me.

I often thought of Zambia would be safer and more stable but sounds like you felt ok in Zimbabwe and going thru their airport.

It's very touristy. Famous last words, but I think it's safe at this point in Vic Falls for tourists. The view seemed arguably better from the Zimbabwe side this time of year. But the next time I go, I'll check out the Zambian side. You can easily cross. We just didn't have enough time.
 
A forewarning - lots of photos ahead. It was just easier to include a bunch than try to edit down my favorites. And without further ado:





Post Day 3 Botswana

Part 1/4



The morning was beautiful with the mist hovering over the Falls. We had to wake up early for our big day today.



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We booked a full day tour into Botswana to Chobe National Park. It takes about a couple of hours to get there from Vic Falls. You do cross a border so passports are a must. Picture in your mind what passport control looks like on a remote African border. A long, very slowly moving line. Outside on a dirt path.



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Once we crossed the border we saw trucks stretching out for miles. They were waiting to cross the Zambian border on ferry. They can wait up to 2 weeks to cross. Geographically it’s interesting as it’s the only place in the world where 4 countries come together at a point. Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. From the border it was another 20 min or so to the Chobe River Lodge where we would spend the morning on a safari boat.



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The boat ride was fascinating. It was completely different from what we saw in South Africa. Both were unique experiences and both were worth doing. If you want to see elephants though, this is THE place to be. It’s one of the highest concentrations of elephants on the planet. It was amazing seeing all the hippos, elephants, crocs, birds etc all together in one ecosystem. It was everything I was hoping Botswana would be.



The first “new” animal we saw was a mongoose. Back at Kapama we got a book with all the local animals and they were all given stars 1-5 depending how rare they were. Gavin of course really wanted to find the 5 stars. One of those was a mongoose, so he was very excited.



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There was such a variety on the river. This guy looked just like a bald eagle, but I’m pretty sure it had a different name.



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This next bird was called a snake bird because it looks like a snake when floating in the water.



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Post Day 3 Botswana

Part 2/4





First time seeing crocs on the trip.



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Hippos! I love my hippos…. and more cape buffalos.



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This bird is interesting. It creates a dark dome over the ground which encourages fish to gather. Instant meal.



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And the highlight of the river cruise - the elephants.



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On the other side of the river is Namibia. That’s a resort on the Namibian side.



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After the river cruise we had a buffet lunch. It was ok.



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Post Day 3 Botswana

Part 3/4





After lunch we went on a land safari. Unlike Kapama, the fact that the reserve is by the Chobe River attracts large amounts of animals all at once. It’s pretty incredible.



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There was a pair of lions who had their eyes on the warthogs. One was an older more experienced lioness. The other, a younger less experienced lion. It was fascinating watching them hunt.



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Here’s the female stalking the unsuspecting warthogs. Warthogs are pretty dumb. No clue how he couldn’t see the lioness.



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He finally spots the lioness and freezes…



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The male lion behind the warthog started running too soon and scared off the warthog. The lion looked disappointed. The lioness looked bored.



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After the drama of the lions played out, on the other side of the jeep a heard of elephants suddenly appears and heads to the river.



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And back on the other side of the jeep…



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Post Day 3 Botswana

Part 4/4



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And that was it… Sorry for the crazy amount of pics. Congrats to those who made it this far. We headed back out of Botswana. Along the way we saw some more elephants along the side the road and a cool Baobab Tree.



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We made it back finally. The last 30 minutes, the van suddenly sounded this continuous beep… as if there was a problem with the engine or the van was out of gas. Man.. did not want to break down on the side of the road. Thankfully we made it back just fine. It was a long day. I earned a pre dinner cocktail - the Dr. Livingstone, I Presume.



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A final dinner at the Livingstone Room.



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Crepe Suzette for dessert. It was very good.



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TTFN
 

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