2023-08-13: Canoes and Victoria Falls

It was an early morning today. We woke up at 6:00am, got dressed, and headed for breakfast. The breakfast restaurant at the hotel opened at 6:30am so that’s when we got there. We had a quick breakfast and were at the hotel reception for 7:00am to meet our shuttle driver. It was canoe day!

Our driver took us to the Zambezi Nature Sanctuary. Our driver handed us off to our canoe guides at the park entrance. t was still pretty chilly out and we had only dressed in our swimsuits so we were feeling the temperature. We loaded into their safari jeep and continued into the park. They took us on a bit of a game drive on our way to the canoe launch point. They had seen a lion snacking on an impala earlier in the day so they tried to find it again, but were unsuccessful unfortunately. We did see some warthogs, vervet monkeys, baboons, and some impala. We eventually arrived at the canoe launch site.

When we arrived, they sat us at a table and told us breakfast would be out shortly. We didn’t realize this excursion included breakfast or we wouldn’t have eaten at the hotel. We all had a little bit more to eat but Patrick was quite happy to have a second breakfast. He is definitely a teenage boy… Once breakfast was finished we used the toilet facilities quickly, which was just a toilet with a bucket of water to flush it with. Then it was a quick discussion on safety and the plan before loading the canoes into the water. I’m not sure I’d call them canoes though. They were more like inflatable dinghy’s. Amanda paired up with Patrick and Darrell was with Michael.

We spent the next two and a half hours floating down the Zambezi River. The river is the fourth longest in Africa and is very wide. We stopped about an hour and a half though to stretch our legs for about 15 minutes before continuing on again. The guides made sure to keep us a safe distance from the animals along the river. We did see several hippos and crocodiles along the way. Hippos are very territorial so we had to keep a good distance from them. We also saw some zebras, impala, and various birds. The guides kept us in fairly calm waters but we did have to traverse a few rapids which the boys really liked.

When we reached our pick up point, there was another guide to help load up the canoes. While they loaded the canoes, they gave us a drink and a chicken wrap for lunch. We admired the view of the river while we ate. Once lunch was done and the canoes were loaded, we hopped in the jeep and they took us back to our hotel. We saw a few more animals along the way back. A zebra was in the middle of the road at one point. And we saw a purple roller for the first time which Amanda loved.

We had about an hour and a half until our next tour. There was a market nearby with possible souvenirs. This would be our only chance to check it out, so after quick rinse in the shower, we headed out in search of the market. It took us about 5 minutes to find it. It was a building with 13 different “shops” in it. Each shop owner urging you come take a look at their goods. We wandered through all 13 shops and the boys each found a couple of items they wanted. Patrick did a decent job of bartering with the shop owners for the couple of items he picked up. Michael wasn’t so good, but he walked away happy. With a couple of souvenirs in hand, we walked back to the hotel.

We now had about 30 minutes until our next pickup. We got ourselves re-packed for the afternoon excursion to Victoria Falls. Before we knew it, it was time to go meet our guide at the hotel reception area. At 3:00pm we met our guide. He loaded us into a bus for about 20 people, but we were the only ones onboard. He drove us to the Victoria Falls Waterfall parking lot. We got out of the bus and walked to the entrance gate. We had to wait for a couple of minutes while our guide filled out the paperwork to get us inside, then we entered the park.

First he showed us a couple of informational posters explaining that the Zambezi river was the 4th largest in Africa, how these falls compare to others around the world including Niagra Falls, and a map showing where we’ll be going. There are 16 different viewpoints along the waterfalls. We walked to each one and had a chance to take some photos. We ran across a bushbuck grazing in the bushes. The size of the waterfalls is amazing. The amount of water pouring over the top is staggering. And their only at a mid-level right now! The water level is actually dropping at the moment until November. Then it starts to rise again. High water levels are March through July. The Falls are actually on the Zambia side of the border, but the views are from the Zimbabwe side for the most part. We spent a couple of hours admiring the waterfalls from the various viewpoints and taking a look at the Victoria Falls bridge before returning to the bus. Our guide drove us back to the hotel and dropped us off.

After saying goodbye to our guide, we returned the hotel room where the boys quickly got changed into their bathing suits. They had 30 minutes until the pool closed and they weren’t about to waste a single minute of it. At 6:00pm we returned to the our room. We relaxed for an hour and then headed to the Stanley’s Terrace dining room for some dinner. The boys both had burgers. Darrell and Amanda ordered the chicken and mushroom pie. It was amazing! It’s a cool experience having dinner on the terrace while listening to the rumble of Victoria Falls in the distance.

After dinner, we returned to our room. Tomorrow is another travel day so we got everything packed up and then headed to bed.