Tuesday 10th October
Camp Moremi to Victoria Falls.
On this our last morning at Camp Moremi Grass is taking us out on a drive to see if he can come up with any more surprises. First on the early morning roll call is a crested barbet followed soon after by the ubiquitous Impala.
We next come across some of Gail’s favourite animals, the giraffe , having an early morning snack as they make their elegant way through the bush and a very pleasant change arrives in the form of a family of vervet monkeys. Certainly a case of the beauty and the the beast after the bare rear ends of the baboon.
It’s then on to the impressive, if ugly, Ground Hornbill before the ‘piece de resistance’ for this last day at Moremi, a magnificent lioness sitting in the shade of another safari vehicle carrying a small group of tourists.
We park ourselves a few metres away and we are soon on still and movie cameras to capture this magical moment. Gail and I bemoan the fact that the lioness is in the shade and is bewildered as to how the other driver and the female photographer could be so stupid to park in such a way. However, the ‘offending’ vehicle soon moves off leaving the lioness in the sunlight.
What happens next has us all in stitches as the lioness moves into the shade of our vehicle to avoid the early morning heat! Suitably chastened by OUR stupidity we spend a long period of time observing this glorious animal from the safety of the Land Cruiser. As you will see from one of the photographs it is nevertheless very unnerving when a lioness fixes her gaze on you, although hopefully she was thinking that I wouldn’t even make a worthwhile entree!
Some zebras and helmeted guinea fowl complete the morning tour and then it’s back to camp for brunch before heading off to the airstrip.
On arrival at the airstrip the ever-vigilant Grass spots a herd of elephants about to cross the runway and with the impending arrival of our aircraft he is keen to make sure that they do not double back. Initially all seems to be going fine until unexpectedly one elephant does double back, crosses the airstrip and is about to be followed by a second male. The plane is now on its final approach and Grass, alert to the danger, starts to rev up his vehicle to discourage this move.
This certainly does the trick but as the aircraft lands the bull elephant is clearly VERY annoyed at being prevented from joining his mate and is well and truly on the warpath. The photos do not do justice to the extent of his fury and Grass quickly takes us back to where our plane awaits with the bull crossing the strip in high dudgeon, with much trumpeting, stamping of feet and ears flapping. An awesome and unnerving sight.
The flight to Kasane in a 12 seater aircraft takes us first to the Savute Safari Camp, another highly recommended camp, where we drop off some passengers and pick up others. Good aerial shots of the countryside and the Zambezi River.
On arrival at Kasane we are met by a representative of Imvelo Safaris and then undertake a road trip of over 90 minutes which takes via the Kazungula Border into Zimbabwe and then on to Victoria Falls. We had been forewarned of delays at this border but these did not eventuate and the efficient, very friendly and at times jocular Zimbabwe immigration officials were a delight.
Our driver Matt from the border to Gorges Lodge overlooking the Zambezi River is likewise very personable, knowledgeable and ever-willing to provide information on the scenery and sights along the way.
As an illustration of this Matt explains that during his drive from Vic Falls to meet us he had witnessed the aftermath of a buffalo kill by four lions. He now sets about trying to find the location of what will no doubt by now be a half-eaten carcass. On arrival at the spot only one lion remains in the bush and pays little heed to us but by following the tracks made by the lions to drag the buffalo some considerable distance we duly find the carcass.
While we are filming the lion a second car pulls up in front of us and the driver GETS OUT to take what has the potential to be his last footage. Matt stares in disbelief at the risk that this guy is taking. As we have learned from previous trips to Africa viewing the animals from within the confines of a vehicle is perfectly safe but the dynamics change very quickly if someone is foolhardy enough to step outside the vehicle.
Eventually we turn off the main road for an 11 Kilometre drive on an unsealed road to our lodge which will be our home for the next two nights.
We soon see ample evidence of the parlous state of the Zimbabwean economy and the hardship faced by the population in a country with unemployment running at over 90 %! Matt provides us with a real insight into Zimbabwean life as we pass numerous villages and their inhabitants on our way to the lodge.
The reviews on Gorges Lodge had all been very positive and the hype is more than justified. Situated on the rim of the Zambezi River Gorge over 200 metres above the river and several kilometres downstream from Victoria Falls the lodge offers spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.
The individual lodges are beautifully appointed and just a short walk along the rim to the bar, lounge and the dining room.
We are soon introduced to Chris Esterhuizen and his partner Debbie Smith who manage the lodge which is part of the Imvelo group. Chris is larger than life in every way and is quite a raconteur with a seemingly endless stream of stories about life in this part of the world. He is something of an expert on Verreaux’s Eagles which may be viewed on a clear day along the walls of the Zambezi River Gorge. Unfortunately, on this late afternoon due to the lack of wind and thermals they are nowhere to be seen but we still have the next day to to try again.
We are invited to drinks and nibbles down on a balcony overlooking the river and it’s here that we meet Jeff and Terri from Denver, Colorado, with whom we seem to strike up an instant rapport. Jeff is a radiologist so Gail and he have something in common, but obviously not the salary!
Before dinner we are entertained by dances and singing by a Zulu group which has a more authentic and less staged feel than similar performances which we had seen in the Masai Mara some years earlier.
To finish the day a fine dinner is served in the dining room and we broach with Jeff and Terri the subject of the next day’s visit to Victoria Falls. Debbie has advised us that a vehicle will made available to each couple but the four of us may travel together if we wish to. Any fears that Gail and I might have had about imposing ourselves on our new-found friends are soon allayed when we all seem to agree that we will gain more from the experience if we spend much of the next day together.
On that harmonious note Gail and I head off to bed after what has been for us another very enjoyable and rewarding day. ( I almost wrote ” we all head off to bed ” but then realised that this would be taking togetherness a bit too far!
Cheers
The Obese Ferret
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