On Tuesday 8/18, I travelled across the Zambia/Zimbabwe border to view Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side. The process of going through immigration involves a stop on one side and then the other side upon return. Waiting in line are trucks to have their goods inspected and citizens who are carrying abnormally large loads over their bicycles! My guide tells me these goods are not available in all countries so people bring them across the border by bike, with oranges being a frequent commodity.
Upon clearing Customs we enter the rainforest are of the park to take in 16 different views of the Falls; all beautiful. Just past the Main Falls the mists become quite heavy saturating my eyes. face, hair, and clothes so that I can hardly see through my glasses. A two mile walk is good exercise!
Along the way my guide asks me what are wages in the U.S.? I explain about $15 in California and $10 elsewhere. He asks if that is for a day of work? I reply that is an hourly wage and he is astounded! The average income in Zimbabwe is $200/month. He is 70 years old and continues to work because he cannot afford to do otherwise; bread costs $1 per loaf. Most people work 7 days a week to survive... Americans are so fortunate!
Later that afternoon I enjoyed a helicopter flight over the Falls! Upon arrival we were greeted with a man enthusiastically playing the xylophone, just as we were with the sunset cruise. I was joined by an Asian family of Dad, Mom, and very active little girl. A fun trip with amazing views of Victoria Falls!
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.