Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is Landlocked, it borders its most powerful neighbour, South Africa, to the south, and Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique to the west, north, and east. It has a population of about 16.1 million. Since the Zimbabwe dollar (ZWD) was demonetarised in April 2009, there is no official currency in Zimbabwe. The main currency being used is the United States dollar (USD). This was largely due to an unstable political situation and the land reform policy that the government embarked on. Harare is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe.
Flag of Zimbabwe
There was a lot of unrest in Zimbabwe and we were not sure if we should visit. But a few days before we arrived Robert Mugabe was ousted from 30 years in power, so things had calmed down, we stayed in Victoria Falls as this was close to both activities we wanted to pursue, white water rafting down the Zambezi river and a visit to Victoria Falls.
The people here seemed more desperate than in Uganda. The persistence in the locals selling us souvenirs and people begging was worse than we had seen in Uganda or Tanzania. It was very sad to see the local people queueing up every morning outside the Bank for hours, to see how much of their money the Banks would give them.
Beautiful Trees in Victoria Falls
The local Boar family that lived in the bushes next door to our apartment.
White water rafting down the Zambezi river in Africa was lots of fun, I was a bit apprehensive at first as several of the rapids are graded 5. The company Shearwater were very professional, and safety was their number one priority, this helped me feel more comfortable, the team really looked after us. Just be aware that the trek down to the Zambezi river and back up is tough, so make sure to stay hydrated.
Rapid number 6 is called the Devils toilet bowl and we got flushed
Our fantastic Shearwater Team and other team rafters
We had another great day at Victoria Falls, they are very impressive, but I still think the Iguazu falls are the best falls I have ever seen. You can walk to the falls from the town, it has several different viewing points, which is great for photo.
We had a beautiful meal at the Lookout Café, the food, service and view of Bakota Gorge was wonderful. They also provided a free bus service back to your accommodation at night time.
Great Place to visit.
Zambia
Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, neighbouring the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The capital city is Lusaka and the population is around 17 million
Flag of Zambia
We took a Taxi across the border from Zimbabwe to Zambia, Livingstone. It is amazing the difference in both countries and yet they are only about 20 Kilometres apart. Their currency is stable the Kwacha, the standard of living seems must better and we did not see as much poverty and very little begging.
I think the people of Zambia are hopeful and excited about the Governments launch of its 7th National Development Plan, 2017–2021. The theme “Accelerating Development Efforts Towards Vision 2030 Without Leaving Anyone Behind,” the President is Edgar Lungu he was re-elected in 2016 for another 5 years.
We stayed in Livingston which it is a bit of a tourist hub, the town itself is located on the banks of the Zambezi River 10 kilometres upstream from Victoria Falls. It has several good restaurants and coffee shops. Down through the centre of town is lined with Mango trees it was fun to watch the local kids trying to get the mangos off the trees.
Kids trying to get Mango’s off the trees
We enjoyed the Victoria falls from Zambia, just as much as from the Zimbabwe side . They are both different, beautiful and equally worthwhile. Things to think about the Zimbabwe side has political issues, there are more viewing points and the town is more convenient. Meanwhile, the Zambia side can be more expensive (especially regarding the recent Visa fees) and had fewer viewpoints. Plus, the town of Livingstone is 11kms away, therefore you will have to catch a blue Taxi.
There is an impress steam train the Royal Livingstone Express. You can do a Dinner trip aboard the Livingstone Express a fine dining experience and a sight-seeing journey. Complete with a smart dress code, passengers have a classy adventure to the Victoria Falls Bridge to watch the gorgeous African sunset and marvel at the sight of the waterfall, before heading back along the newly refurbished Mulobezi railway line to Livingstone town. We did not do the dinner trip as it was quite expensive, but we did do a tour of the train and meet the train driver. What a character he is. He reminded me of the actor from the green mile movie Michael Clarke Duncan. It is a beautiful train and people that have taken the trip seem to love it. So, if money is no object this would be a nice experience.
South Africa
South Africa, is the southernmost country in Africa. It has 2,798 kilometres of coastline South Atlantic and Indian Oceans its neighbouring countries Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland. South Africa is the largest country in Southern Africa and the 25th-largest country in the world by land area, with close to 56 million people, is the world’s 24th-most populous nation. The capital of South Africa is Cap town.
Flag of South Africa
We flew into Johannesburg, stayed overnight and next morning were picked up at our hotel for a four-day safari in Kruger National Park. The company we went with was Wild Wings Safari they are extremely professional. The trip from Johannesburg to Kruger took about, 4 and half hours. We picked up two other couples on the way. It was amazing to finally get to Kruger National Park, it was a place I had seen several times on TV and it was very exciting to be here. Our accommodation was basic but clean and comfortable.
Kruger National Park
Our guide Nicky was exceptionally knowledgeable about the park, game animals, birds, she was not only our guide she was also our driver, chef (and a very good one) she was very efficient and yet answered our endless questions with great enthusiasm. She seemed to know all the best places to see the different animals, we managed to see the Big 7 which include lions, elephants, buffalos, rhinos, leopards these are the Big 5 and the additional two that make up the Big 7 are cheetahs and wild dogs. I have never seen any of these animals in the wild before, so it was spectacular. It was great to see groups of Giraffes, elephants and even Lions together. On our last day the only animal we had not seen was the Leopard, we had half an hour left in the park when next one just walked out onto the road in front of us, we were absolutely delighted. That’s the thing about the wild you never know what you are going to see.
The entire trip was wonderful we did not have to think about anything other than showing up and enjoy the sights. I would Definitely recommend Wild Wings Safari and if you are lucky enough to get Nicky as your guide you will truly have an amazing trip.
Nicky dropped us back to our hotel in Johannesburg and the next day we flew to Cape town. The city is famous for its harbour and for such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. It has some beautiful beaches but one thing that no one had mentioned was the wild winds that can stir up at any time blowing up to 60km/h. You cannot sit on the beach or swim in the water when the winds are this wild, the 3 weeks we stayed here we only had one day that the wind did not blow.
Table Mountain
Beaches in Cape Town
Cape Town Harbour
We spent a day visiting wineries in the Franschhoek Valley area, Franschhoek is a small town in the Western Cape Province and one of the oldest towns of the Republic of South Africa, we had a great day visiting several wineries, hoping on and off the wine tram, the wine and food on this trip was very good. It is a great day out.
The wine Tram plus wineries
Of course we could not leave Cape Town without visiting Robben island were Nelson Mandela was incarcerated and spent 27 years of his life in a tiny cell of 5 square metres. It is actually a nice island but very cold, it was very interesting, the guide we had, had once spent time in this prison.
Robben island
The cell of Nelson Mandela
The prison
South Africa to me in no longer just about the animals, it has beautiful villages, wineries, mountains, beaches, restaurants, the people are a very diverse group and live in a very multicultural society. As in most African countries there seems to be political unrest with the current government and because of this the South African rand has lost value in recent months plus Cape Town is very close to running out of water and the locals are very concerned. You can feel the tension in the air. I felt that the people seemed more aggressive than in other African countries. I really hope things settle down as it really is an amazing place.