African road trip - Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia!

We finally landed in Livingstone, which is just a stone's throw away from Victoria Falls. We decided to start our trip here for two reasons. Victoria Falls and Zambezi River. 

Victoria Falls is considered to be one of the world's largest waterfalls due to its width of 1,700 metres. Before our flight, I was a bit sceptical, wondering if it's worth to even bother going there since we planned our trip in the dry season. How silly of me! It was totally worth it and if you're in that neck of the woods, it's not to be missed. You can hear it and feel it before you can even see it. You are almost immersed in the waterfall the second you enter the park gate. So if you've got a camera, remember to bring a dry bag ;) You can book a guided tour or just buy a regular ticket and go for a walk by yourself. There are 20+ view points you can visit. It's a very pleasant though quite a wet walk and the views are absolutely amazing! 

The second reason we came here was Zambezi River. When planning a trip, a few months back, one of our friends came up with an idea of white water rafting. I got pretty excited since I've always been a fan of 'water activities'. Oh man and what a water activity it was. I'm not sure if any of us knew what exactly white water rafting on Zambezi River looks like. For sure, none of us knew that the Zambezi is a Class-V river. Oh yeah, you guessed, there are 5 classes ;) Soooo...let me just sum it up quickly. The experience is truly unforgettable though you should be smarter than us and prepare yourself for what you're getting into. 

10 things to remember before deciding to do white water rafting on Zambezi:

1)  A good travel insurance that covers class V white water rafting is a must.

2) You kinda have to be committed to this 'water activity' as the whole thing lasts almost 7 hours so if you think it's a nightmare, you'll be living that nightmare for quite some time.

3) DO NOT do it if you're scared of water (d'oh) but if you're an adrenaline junkie, you'll love it.

4) You must bring waterproof sunscreen, a high one! SPF 50 or higher as both, sun and water, have no mercy here.

5) I recommend long sleeves and longer shorts (covering your thighs) as additional protection from the sun.

6) You need good walking shoes as Zambezi River is located in a steep-sided gorge. 

7) Let's face it, you should be fit. To row in a crazy river but also to get in and out of the gorge. It is steep and very hot and you will have to climb back after 6 hours of rowing like a maniac in the water. Just keep that in mind.

8) You will most likely end up in the river. At least one time, probably more than that. Be mentally prepared for it. I mean it. There are 21 rapids. Not all of them are equally crazy but they are pretty bloody insane. 

9) There are crocodiles in Zambezi River though locals say they are not a danger. And that's what I chose to believe too. Just saying, that's something you should probably know. 

10) Oh and don't forget to have fun! I know I made it sound like a nightmare that you have to pay for but it was fun and I don't regret doing it. I just think you should be aware of what you're doing before you sign up for it. Unlike us ;)

We chose to do rafting with Wild Horizons and I can recommend them, everything was great! The training before was very good too (even though at the time of training we were still in a YOLO mood as we didn't really know what we signed up for ;))

https://www.wildhorizons.co.za/

Almost forgot. You can also try bungee jumping at the same place. Thankfully I have a terrible fear of heights and chose NOT to do it ;-)

Chobe National Park is famous for its abundance of elephants. Over 120 000 thousands of elephants live in the park. That's the highest density in all of Africa! And boy have we seen a lot of them there. But Chobe is not just about the elephants, we have also seen zebras, giraffes, lions, wildebeests, crocodiles, hippos, kudus, impalas, baboons and many more. And that's all on a self-drive safari. 

The park is enormous and if you have time, I recommend spending two days there as the wildlife is truly amazing. Especially if you are hoping to see cheetahs, leopards or white rhinos. You might need more than one day of luck to spot those gems. 

Moremi Game Reserve protects the central and eastern areas of the Okavango Delta. It is referred to as  a 'Garden of Eden' and it's not an exaggeration. The reserve covers an abundance of beautiful landscapes, savannah, floodplains, lagoons, dense forests and rivers. It's a paradise for bird lovers and there are over 500 species in the area. And last but not least, with a bit of luck, you will spot The Big Five here. 

Not to mention that lodging is an adventure in itself. Open camps will leave you with memories you will cherish forever. Like the ones we have from the first night. We were sitting by the fire, sipping G&T's when we saw something moving about 5 metres from us. We weren't sure whether it was a hyena or an elephant but I have never climbed a ladder so fast in my entire life. Once safely in a tent at the roof of our car, we noticed three female lions walking between the chairs we were sat on just 30 seconds ago. They liked our camp and decided to 'hang' around for another two hours. Needles to say, we didn't leave our tents till the morning ;)  

You could easily spend 10 days exploring Okavango Delta but we only had three so decided to make the most of it. Apart from self driven safaris, we decided to take a flight over Okavango Delta with Kavango Air. You take a flight from Maun Airport. It takes approx 75 minutes and I can highly recommend it. The views from up above are stunning! But keep in mind that the planes are really small and you can get a little bit sick...still, worth the risk if you ask me. 

https://aircharterguide.com/Operator_Info/KAVANGO+AIR/96840/MAUN/66176

Another interesting thing to do here is the famous Mokoro River Safari. Mokoro is a type of canoe commonly used in the Okavango Delta. That type of excursion allows you to explore the delta from a completely different perspective. I highly recommend it to all bird lovers! 

Not really a visit here as that's where we said goodbye to our first African trip and caught our flight back home :)