Note: This is the third and final post for our trip to Africa.  See earlier posts for information on Cape Town and Kruger National Park.  Victoria Falls was the final stop of our trip.

Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.  You can access the falls from either Livingstone, Zambia or Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.  We stayed on the Zambia side, at the Royal Livingstone Hotel on the Zambezi River.  This was the final stop of our Africa trip with our teenage children and another family.

Getting through customs in Zambia took a LONG time and was frustrating, but fortunately our travel agent had warned us of that, and our driver was still waiting for us when we finally got through.  After dropping our bags at the hotel we headed out for a sunset cruise on the African Queen on the Zambezi River.  This was like a real life version of Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise ride.  (Hmm, looks like I got better pictures of the African Princess, which is very similar to the African Queen and was leaving at the same time.)

We relaxed on deck while being served cocktails and snacks.  Part of the cruise went along the river’s edge, where we saw alligator and hippos.  The sunset was spectacular.

 

The next morning we set off on an elephant back safari.  This was one of the highlights of our trip to Africa.  We started at the elephant camp with some general information about elephants and impacts on their population in the world.  Then we split off with the guides and elephants.   As we walked, our guide told us about the elephants and their behaviors.

 

We were all giddy from the elephant encounter and headed back to the hotel to relax for a bit before our afternoon tour.  Some chose to hang out or rest in their rooms but most of the adults sat by the pool, which overlooks the Zambezi River.

One of the unique things about the Royal Livingstone Hotel is that there are zebra and giraffe wandering the property.

Now for the original reason we came to Victoria Falls…the Falls!  The water levels vary throughout the year depending on whether you are during rainy season (late November to early April) or during dry season.  The higher water levels during rainy season make the falls larger and more spectacular, but the spray and mist in the air make it hard to see at that time.  Our visit during July was an ideal time as water levels were still high enough to be impressive but not so high that the visibility was bad.  (Note: Unlike in Kruger Park, I did get bitten by mosquitos in Zambia even though it was dry season, so was glad we were all taking anti-malaria medicine.)

We visited the falls with a guide who talked to us about the history and geology of the area and led us through the trails offering multiple viewpoints.  He also loaned us rain ponchos which we definitely needed.

Even with the ponchos on we still got wet, especially our feet and legs.  Wear waterproof shoes and bare legs or pants that will dry quickly.  The falls are magnificent and worth getting soaked for.

The hotel has a deck overlooking the Zambezi River and you could see the spray from the falls from there.  This is where we spent our last evening in Africa, enjoying another stunning sunset and looking back over all the adventures we’d had in the past two weeks.

 

We had so many wonderful and memorable experiences, in Zambia and also in Cape Town and the safari.  I flew home very grateful for the experience and getting to share it with family and friends.