Lowes Travels

This is part 2 of 2 installments detailing our African Countries adventures. If you missed the first one click here.

After four days cruising on the Chobe River it was time to cross borders again, this being the day with the most crossings and passport stamps. First we exited Namibia, then entered Botswana, then exited Botswana and finally entered Zimbabwe by bus. All of this within only a couple of hours!

Victoria Falls

Our next destination was located in Zimbabwe – Victoria Falls, a bucket list item to be ticked off on this trip. It is located on the border separating Zambia and Zimbabwe. We stayed at the 5-star luxury Victoria Falls Hotel in the small town of Victoria Falls, a major tourist hub named after one of the world’s largest waterfalls. We couldn’t wait to experience the thunderous roaring water in person at Victoria Falls National Park!

There are two ways to enjoy the spectacular falls – on foot and from the air. They can be viewed from two different countries, Zambia at one end and Zimbabwe at the other.

Our first close-up viewing was from Zambia while dining aboard a vintage steam train on an excursion. Then on the Zimbabwe side we were soaked by the heavy mist as we walked through the park. We loved every minute of it!

Victoria Falls is famous not only for its staggering beauty but also for its impressive scale. It is the “highest, widest sheet of continually falling water on earth” according to the display there, “one and a half times wider than Niagara Falls and twice as high”. We can confirm that it’s huge enough to create its own weather in the area around it!

While it was exciting to be up close enough to get soaked by the falls, it was also amazing to view them from above:

Next, a thrill-seeking tourist decided to take a plunge to get his adrenaline flowing by jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge, some 419′ above the river:

Watch the video below to see how crazy he was.

Yep, I think he’s crazy but he said it was exhilarating fun! While bungee jumping was another tick off his bucket list, mine was experiencing and viewing awe-inspiring Victoria Falls.

Only at Victoria Falls International Airport … a send-off by a group of dancers:

Back to Johannesburg, South Africa

We were flown back to Johannesburg and booked into the Fairlawns Boutique Hotel once again. A different suite this time, but it was just as charming as the one a week earlier:

While here we took a tour of Johannesburg and learned of its rich history from colonialism to apartheid, and finally to democracy. Our guide gave us an in-depth look at Soweto’s unique neighborhoods, the center of the uprising against the apartheid state. We walked in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela, visiting the Mandela House located on Vilakazi Street. The tour ended with a delicious African lunch at the presidential home of Mandela during his presidency (now a boutique hotel) .

Kruger National Park

After a couple of nights in Johannesburg we were once again flying to a new destination, Greater Kruger National Park located in northeast South Africa. It was interesting that in this part of the world Airlink Airline provides a sandwich and a drink even for very short 1-hour flights, not just pretzels or nuts! But I digress:

Upon arrival, we were instantly greeted with smiles at the luxurious Tintswalo Safari Lodge, and as if on queue an elephant strolled in to welcome us!

This is a wonderful game lodge with each spacious suite offering a plunge pool, a well-stocked fridge and panoramic views of the wild. The service, food and attention to detail were over the top.

The lodge organized twice-daily game drives during our 3-day stay. The first one was early in the morning and the second late in the evening. Unlike our previous game drives in Kenya and Tanzania, these were conducted in an open, 4-wheel drive vehicle which we thought offered a perfect way to explore the private game reserve and wildlife sightings:

On several game drives we were treated with coffee breaks, cocktails or breakfast in the bush which really enhanced our safari experience. This operation was top-notch!

Birding was also excellent at the park, although I was clearly the most ambitious birdie lover in the group 😉

The game drives got very exciting whenever our guide received a radio call from other guides reporting an animal sighting. Then the chase was on as we drove at high speeds across the bush. We were amazed when our game tracker seemed unfazed as lions sniffed at his legs as they walked by. Watch this video to the end to see how 8 female lions passed right by him:

We had never seen a Chameleon before, but the game tracker’s trained eye spotted one on a tree as it glowed a green color in the dark:

One night on the way back to the lodge our guide was surprised to see this pride of lions strolling right down the road. Look at how they simply glanced up at Steve:

And here are some of the notable wildlife sighted on our game drives. The drives were long because the reserve is huge, and they usually ran for at least 2-3 hours twice a day. Seeing the magnificent animals in their natural habitat was a defining experience for us, but once again the elusive Leopard was a no-show and remains on our bucket list 🙁

Our time here flew by, and before we knew it we had to pack up and fly back to Johannesburg, then catch our final flights home to Wickenburg. Our Tintswalo Safari experience topped off a wonderful trip to South Africa.

The entire 14-day trip from beginning to end was filled with adventure – Steve’s bungee jump and our exhilarating animal encounters. We experienced the raw beauty of the South African wilderness, reconnecting with nature and creating lasting memories.

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Next Up: Postcards from Asia