2geonomads

Thursday 12th October
Vic Falls to Hwange National Park
A nice, relaxing start to the day with the usual superb breakfast and it’s always good to enjoy the spectacular view over the Gorge in the early morning light.
Having almost given up hope of seeing the Verreaux’s eagles as we are due to leave the Lodge this morning these superb birds finally put in an appearance on branches high up on the walls of the Zambezi Gorge. Gorges Lodge owner Chris’s fascination, if not obsession , for these birds now makes more sense.

By mid-morning it’s time for us, together with Jeff and Terri, to set off on the long road journey to Dete, to the southeast of Victoria Falls where we will board the Elephant Express railcar which will take us to Bomani Safari Lodge situated in a remote, unspoilt corner of the south-eastern Hwange National Park.
It comes as a very pleasant surprise to have as our driver the very personable Matt who first brought us to Gorges Lodge two days earlier. Once again he is full of information as we make our way on the now familiar 11 kms back to the main road. Although one is ever-mindful of the daily hardships faced by the local population one can’t help admiring the industry of the villagers we encounter. Against overwhelming odds they seemingly remain optimistic that life will take a turn for the better in due course.
Arriving at the road junction we on this occasion turn left away from Victoria Falls and head east towards Hwange, stopping after about 90 minutes to take a break. The pit stop is to say the least rather basic but the splendid Royal Poinciana tree across the road brightens up the scene.
Continuing on our journey we come across many more scenes of Zimbabweans going about their daily lives, including schoolchildren who seem to walk very long distances to and from their place of learning and mothers, with children in tow, balancing on their head the most incredible loads. Little wonder that they all have the most perfect deportment.

Gail manages to take a photo from our vehicle to prove that against all the odds enterprise is still very much alive and this is personified by a I.Ndlovu who owns a restaurant, butchery and a bottle shop in one small roadside shopping strip. To complete this ‘one stop shopping’ scene there is also Gloria’s offering ‘ Baking so good no one can resist’ and PTA Investments.

Our 3 hour road trip comes to an end at the small community of Dete where we board the railcar of the Elephant Express which will take us to Bomani Lodge, situated on the Ngamo Plain.
There is a fairly lengthy delay in our departure as we need to wait for a goods train carrying coal to pass through the station from the opposite direction. Once again the local inhabitants, including many children, keep us entertained as they wander across the tracks for a closer view of the railcar and the motley band of travellers onboard.

Eventually underway we are soon served with a very tasty meal and judging by one of the photos of Terri and myself a good time is had by all.

An elephant sign trackside reminds us of our location as does a very heavily-laden ute waiting for us to pass through.

Our next stop is at Cecil’s Tree which is in memory of the famous male lion which was killed in July 2015 by Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist who had paid $50,000, and two guides initially using a crossbow and later a gun.
Reports at the time that they had lured the lion out of the National Park sanctuary were subsequently challenged. Regardless this killing created a furore and drop in   the much-needed tourist trade.                                   .
Those delightful creatures, baboons put in an appearance at a trackside water tank but thankfully they remain seated most of the time, sparing us the less than wholesale sight of their very red rear ends!
Approaching the halfway point of our rail journey at Kennedy we encounter a small herd of wildebeest crossing the track in front of us and shortly afterwards the railcar slows down to walking pace as we travel along a stretch of track which is clearly rather buckled. The need for some caution soon becomes clear when we are told that only one week earlier a train carrying oil had come off the track( without rolling over). Many of the problems have been as a result of inferior Chinese steel being used although this has been rectified by higher grade British steel as a reinforcement.

Over the remainder of the rail journey we are treated to the full gamut of African wildlife including elephants crossing the track and sightings of a grey hornbill, African crane, wildebeest, and the rarely seen sable antelope.

Another superb African sunset marks the end of our rail journey and vehicles are on hand to transport us to Bomani Lodge.     
We are delighted to find that the lodge is in a true bush camp setting with an outdoor camp fire. The individual tents are, however, of the same high standard as Okavango and Moremi and the staff are as usual very creative with their elephant design towels awaiting us on the beds.

The day ends with everyone seated around the camp fire ( we have now been joined by two more Americans and a group of Italians) and receiving a briefing from the camp manager before enjoying an excellent dinner in the nearby lounge. Having all guests seated at one long table makes for a very convivial get-together before we are escorted to our tents for the night, following the safety measures of previous camps.
Can’t wait to experience the Zimbabwean bush and wildlife at closer quarters tomorrow.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret

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Wednesday 11th October 2017
Victoria Falls
We had been forewarned that October is the hottest month in this part of Africa and certainly we awake to highest temperatures than previously experienced on this trip. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful morning to enjoy the magnificent view from the breakfast room out over the Zambezi Gorge.

We have enjoyed some fine food so far on our journey but the breakfast served up here is of the highest standard and a perfect way to start the day on which we will tick off one of THE destinations on our Bucket List, Victoria Falls. Apart from visiting one of the Natural Wonders of the World we are also keen to compare them with Niagara in Ontario and especially Iguazu in South America.
It’s a pleasant change to be able take our time at the Lodge but shortly after 10 am our driver, Richman, arrives to take Jeff, Terri, Gail and myself on the 23 kms drive to the Falls.
Along the way Richman, in line with all previous guides/drivers is very forthcoming with information on Zimbabwean life, and does not in any way try to avoid discussion on the many hardships faced by the population. Even during this short drive we see ample evidence that a country which was once the food basket of much of Africa is now something more akin to a ‘ basket case’ and this is certainly in no way the fault of the people who, in spite of the difficulties, seem to be incredibly industrious.

On arrival at the Falls Richman gives us a brief talk on the area and then leaves us to spend a couple of hours on a self-guided walking tour along the rim.
Our first view of the Falls does not disappoint as we arrive at Devil’s Cataract and we are amazed to see one very brave local fishing in the water above the Falls before the river drops to the bottom of the gorge, hopefully minus the aforementioned angler!
Further along the path we come across the statue of the famous Scottish explorer Dr David Livingstone who was reportedly greeted by Sir Henry Morton Stanley with the immortal words” Dr Livingstone I presume” although this may have been a fabrication. What is indisputable is that Stanley did find Livingstone near Lake Tanganyika on 10th November 1871.

No words of mine can do justice to these magnificent Falls and I will therefore, let the many photographs tell the story.
It should be borne in mind that we have arrived at Victoria in the low season
and some sections of the Falls are either completely dry or with low water flow.
Having said that the Falls at High Water may be more spectacular but on the down side the spray can often make it very difficult to view or photograph them.
Each season has its advantages and disadvantages but it remains a magnificent sight all the year round.

 

Images show statistics for the world’s greatest waterfalls and Victoria Falls at the end of the winter dry season and after the summer wet season

How do Victoria  Falls compare with Niagara and Iguazu?
As you will see from the comparable statistics taken from the display board at the entrance to the Falls Victoria is the highest, Iguazu the widest and Niagara has the greatest volume.
However , these stats do not really tell the full story and Gail and I still feel that when one visits Iguazu one feels PART of the Falls rather than looking over at the Falls as in the case of Victoria. Apologies to all our Canadian and American friends but in spite of its impressive volume Niagara has become something of a Disneyland compared with the other two.

We arrive back at our rendezvous point with Richman a little later than planned but he seems totally unperturbed by it all.
By now we are all feeling a bit peckish and so it’s off to The Three Monkeys, a nearby restaurant, for lunch.

Next door to our lunch venue is located a Snake Park ( one of Gail’s favourites !) and a delightful young man, Divine, takes us on a walking tour past the various cages containing some of this land’s most venomous snakes including the feared Green Mamba and provides some comprehensive information on the various species.

Before leaving the area we are given a little time to check out a local market with numerous vendors all selling much the same items. Given the parlous state of Zimbabwe’s economy it comes as no surprise that we are continually hassled as we walk past the stalls and Gail and I spend some time talking to little guy called Bongo and his friend Trust both of whom are VERY keen for us to buy something.
I explain to Bongo that we have been unable to obtain any small denominations of US$ but we will come back to see them when we return to Vic Falls in a few day’s time. He gives me a gift of a 20 Billion Dollar note as an enticement to come back and he explains that this actually was the currency at the height of the hyperinflation. They currently use US$.
We leave with Bongo giving me a look that says ” I know you won’t be back”  but I  am determined to prove him wrong.
On this very busy day we are now heading off for an evening cruise on the Zambezi River, stopping for a short time on the way to the jetty to view The Big Tree, aged between 1000 and 1500 years.

The River Cruise is all that we could have wished for with plenty to drink and eat and some bird and hippo sightings along the way.

However, the grand finale comes in the form of two elephants who swim across the river from the Zimbabwean side to Zambia even the crew on board seem impressed by this apparently infrequent event.

Back at Gorges Lodge  we enjoy a fine BBQ with the rest of the lodge guests and meet up with a family from Canada who earlier in the day had gone white water kayaking ( grade 5!) and had had a truly memorable day in spite of finding themselves in the water of the rapids on more than one occasion. Oh to be young again!
Off to bed after a very busy but incredibly rewarding day here at Vic Falls.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret.

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