Africa – Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Hi, Mom.

We made it to Africa! Departing from Mumbai, we flew through Ethiopia to the Victoria Falls airport in Zimbabwe. Then after a brief car ride we hopped on a boat to be transferred down the Zambezi River to our first safari lodge. And the adventures began soon thereafter.

The beauty of the river and long-views to the horizon under open sky were beyond invigorating, having spent recent days in one of the most densely populated cities in the world. And on the boat ride we had our first sightings of African wildlife. We passed by hippos, discretely emerged in the water, only the tops of their heads breaking the surface. Somehow, their mass below the water’s surface, palpable. And to Dan’s delight, we saw some crocodiles along the shoreline.

The next morning we headed to the falls. Victoria Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the world. The site is referenced as “the smoke that thunders” and as soon as you experience it, you know why. The immense power of the falls produces a mist so thick that it creates a visible cloud. From a distance, it looks like smoke rising.

Sunrise over the Zambezi River, the “smoke” of Victoria Falls visible in the distance (right).

As you get closer to the falls you begin to hear the thundering power of this mass of water as it rushes over the drop; it is not only audible, but you can feel it in your chest.

We knew we would get wet from the mist when we were at the closest point of observation. But we were beyond wet. We were absolutely drenched. It was like a downpour of rain, to the point that it filled our shoes with water, leaving us to walk with “squish, squish, squish” reminders at every step for the rest of the morning. And we did so with glee.

A couple of days later, I returned to the falls to walk the bridge that stretches over the river, connecting Zimbabwe with Zambia. From the bridge I had another vantage point from which to view the falls. But my primary motivation was the novelty of being able to stand with one foot in each country, and then cross over into Zambia. As brief as my time in Zambia was, it was great to get a better understanding of life in the area and talk to locals along the way.

But back to our first day. Following our visit to the falls we had our first African game drive, and wow! I’m not sure what I expected going in, but I did not expect Africa to grip me the way it did—from moment one.

With our safari guide, we headed out to explore Zambezi National Park. Combined with Victoria Falls National Park, the area is around 140,000 acres of protected wildlife habitat. And it is stunning, in so many ways. In fact, if there were an experiential dictionary, one couldn’t go wrong by utilizing this place to convey the full meaning of the word: stunning.

Nearly immediately, a deep sense of comfort washed over me. Not yet able to break down what I was feeling, I simply took a deep breath in appreciation and smiled. I wanted to take it all in. You could say, “Africa had me at hello.”

Following are some videos and images that show the highlights of our animal sightings while in Zimbabwe.

An elephant parade.

Ensuring safe passage for the baby.

An aggressive young male (chased us a bit when we drove away).

While at this lodge we did a total of five safari excursions. Through a combination of water safari and land drives we had so many great sightings, including: wart hogs, hyenas, mongoose, baboons, zebras, wild boars, elephants, giraffes, impalas, crocodiles, hippos, monkeys, wildebeests, countless birds that I couldn’t identify and other animals I am surely forgetting. It was amazing. And I was surprised by how close we were to so many of the animals. Again, stunning!