When we visited Zimbabwe a few years ago it was in the African Spring, and it was a very dry Spring that year. In fact, Cape Town had a serious water shortage. It wasn’t the best time to see Victoria Falls, but we went and had a good time.
After talking to Jess and Doris about visiting Africa we wanted them to see the Falls, and we’re so glad that we went back.
We were advised to pack in duffel bags and our luggage was limited to 44 pounds including carry ons, so we knew the flights would be on small aircraft. This time we flew from Skukuza Airport, South Africa to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, South Africa and on to Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport, Livingstone, Zambia. Remember, this is Covid time and we needed a Covid test to get into South Africa and another one to enter Zambia and Zimbabwe. Doris was in a hurry and showed an expired Covid test and they said ok and welcomed her in!
Bob and Jess were eager to board the plane and start another part of our adventure. Of course Bob had a lot of questions for the pilot.
Our next pilot, on an even smaller plane, had to answer more of Bob’s questions.
Bob, Doris, and Jess found this map in the airport and tried to figure out where we were, where we are, and where we’ll be going, without any luck I might add! We reached a sign with the name of our lodge and finally, after traveling a lot of very bumpy dirt roads, we reached our destination in Zimbabwe - Old Drift Lodge.
This is our tent! It was air conditioned, had indoor plumbing, a mini bar, a jar of cookies, a private plunge pool and a beautiful view of the Zambezi River. We did have to use the netting around the bed at night, and when the maids came in the evening they sprayed for mosquitoes.
More pictures of our tent. Yes, that’s an outdoor bathtub on the left, and we also had an outdoor shower. Simone, our travel agent, told the lodge that Bob just had a birthday which they noted with seeds, and the third picture is another view of the Zambezi from our tent. Old Drift Lodge is NOTHING like Azambezi River Lodge. Trust me!
On our first cruise on the Zambezi we saw hippos!
Yes, another beautiful African sunset.
On our first trip to Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls was very dry so we were anxious to see it again. Our guide, Jeremiah, pointed out this beautiful tree on our way to the Falls, and of course, we saw more baboons.
Beautiful Victoria Falls!
The Falls roared and everything was lush and green this time.
Our guide gave us raincoats and umbrellas and we were very glad for them. He proudly pointed out the statue of Dr. Stanley Livingstone. In 1855, Livingstone discovered a spectacular waterfall which he named 'Victoria Falls'. He reached the mouth of the Zambezi on the Indian Ocean in May 1856, becoming the first European to cross the width of southern Africa. Everything, including the zinnias along the path, was beautiful. If you watch this video of the falls you can see how wet it is. It felt like it was raining but it was mist from the Falls.
The Victoria Falls Bridge, which was constructed in 1904, was prefabricated in England by the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company before being shipped to the port city of Beira in Mozambique, and then transported on the newly constructed railway to the Victoria Falls. It took just 14 months to construct and was completed in 1905. Today they only allow one truck to drive across the bridge at a time because the bridge is much older. I asked why they don’t build a new bridge and our guide reminded me that this is a third world country and all the money goes right into the officials’ pockets.
Here we have a little more of Old Drift Lodge including their common area and dining area. To get back to our tents we walked down these boardwalks, and again we were reminded not to walk alone in the dark. We had to call for escorts, who were always armed because of the animals which come out after dark.
One day we had lunch at The Lookout Cafe, in Livingstone, where we had a view looking up the Zambezi towards the Falls.
Bob, Jess, and I all had ostrich kabobs, but Doris wasn’t feeling as brave and chose a chicken salad sandwich. No, the ostrich didn’t taste like chicken, it tasted like beef and was delicious!
On this game drive we saw giraffes. Beautiful giraffes!
This time Jeremiah, our excellent guide from Old Drift Lodge, set up our sundowner along the Zambezi River.
Bob, Doris, and I took some time to shop at this market in Livingstone which was packed with interesting items offered for sale by these talented women. We also saw a “clever” way to take a tractor from point to point!
We loved Old Drift Lodge, and our guide, Jeremiah, made sure that we saw a lot of animals, but it was time to push on. We had our Covid tests ready for Botswana and, after relaxing in Kasane International Airport, we were ready to board another small plane and head off for another adventure, this time in Botswana.
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