Our African Adventure

Living in Missoula, Montana means you have to accept the fate of traveling for at least half a day before making it to your final destination. It is a small price to pay to live in a town surrounded by mountains, flowing rivers and fresh air. Let's get real - a half a day to make it to Zambia? No. It took me a full 30 hours to make it to my final destination. On the morning of Saturday, September 27th I began my adventure. The first leg of the trip was easy, a quick two hour flight to Denver. Here, I met up with my Dad who agreed to take this adventure with me. I am not sure he knew what he was getting himself into, but I was happy to have the company.

From there, we hopped a plane to New York City. Conveniently, my sister lives in the City so we decided to break up the 30 hours and spend the night in the big apple. It is always such a shock traveling from small town Missoula to New York City. People are everywhere, the noise is so loud it feels like it is penetrating your body, the lights are so bright you need sunglasses at night, and the taxi drivers make you so stick to your stomach that you can hardly hold down the delicious street pretzel. Though we were only in New York for a brief 14 hours, we were able to catch a show, wander through Times Square, and spend time with my sister who I hadn't seen in far too many months.

The next morning we were up at 6 AM and at the airport waiting in line by 7 AM. This is where the trip truly began - a 15 hour flight from JFK to Johannesburg. We got lucky and somehow got the bulkhead seats on the South African Airway flight. I hunkered down, kicked my shoes off, and turned on the TV. I watched a couple of movies, read an entire book, and slept. My dad, on the other hand, believes in staying awake the entire time he travels. It is his way to prevent Jet Lag. I don't agree with him. We landed in Johannesburg and he confessed to watching 8 movies.

Upon landing at the OR Tambo International airport I felt grubby. I wanted a shower, or at least some fresh air, but we had another 3 hour flight to Livingstone. We wandered the airport for our two hour layover and finally made our way to the gate. I did not see any planes outside, but lines of busses. Instead of walking directly onto the plane, you board a bus which takes you to the plane. It was nice stepping outside, as I had been breathing airport air for the past 18 hours. Finally, we were en route Livingstone, the land of Victoria Falls and the mighty Zambezi!

After greeting our driver at the Livingstone Airport, my dad and I stepped out into the 100 degree heat of Zambia. Excited to jump start the day, we headed off to our lodge - The Stanley Safari Lodge. It is located about 10 minutes outside of the town of Livingstone, closer to the falls. Our host, Peter, greeted us with cold drinks as we arrived to the beautifully crafted lodge. With open walls, thatched roofs, and wooden rhinos decorating the lodge I realized where I was - AFRICA!

We decided that we wanted to dive right into the different activities Livingstone offered. I had read about Devil's pool prior to arriving and knew that it was the first bucket list item I wanted to cross off. Swimming in the upper Zambezi also sounded mighty refreshing after the long day of travel. With this in mind, we headed to Victoria Falls! From our hotel room we could see the spray coming up from the falls, I could only imagine what it would be like being right above them. To get to Devil's pool you start at the David Livingstone Hotel. You take a five minute boat ride to Livingstone Island. After a tour of the Island (this is where Dr. Livingstone first saw the falls) we stripped down to our bathing suits and got ready to swim above the falls. Hearing the roar of the falls sent shivers down my spine - remember it is 100 degrees out. We were about to swim right above these 300 foot water falls. I plunge myself into the river and all fears are gone. All I can think is I am swimming in the Zambezi, how can this be real?! When we arrive to the edge of the falls, the guides get a bit more serious - just kidding - they do a back flip into Devil's Pool. After their fun tricks, which show how experienced they are, the invite us to the edge. The water rushes by me and launches itself three hundred feet below. People from the Zimbabwe side of the falls are waving and taking pictures. My dad and I looked over the edge to as far as they would allow us and grinned ear to ear.

After the thrill of Devil's pool was over we went back to Livingstone Island and experienced the first of many delicious meals. As the sun began to set we were directed back to the small boats that would take us back to the lodge. Watching the sunset over the Zambezi was a sight I could never get sick of, which is good because I had plenty of more sunsets ahead of me.

The next morning started bright and early to avoid the heat of the day. Though we swam above the falls we did not get to see the vastness of the falls, so we decided to hire a guide for the morning. We spent a couple of hours wandering the paths of the Zambian side of the falls, snapping pictures, getting sprayed, and learning about the history of the area. A crazy fact that I learned is that Victoria Falls has been carving its way through the rock since they have existed. They are currently in their 8th position, but the water is working its way to a 9th path.

Though the Zambian side was full of rainbows and shear rock faces, we heard the Zimbabwe side has much more water. Our guide took us to the Zambia/Zimbabwe border and we got our visas stamped. As the guide could not come with us, we began the journey into Zimbabwe on our own.

The path to the falls was straight forward. Walk down the road for about a half mile and the entrance to the park would be on your right. This half mile was the hottest journey of the entire trip. It was at least 100 degrees and the sun was blazing as we trekked across the black pavement. It was totally worth it.

As we entered the park, I felt the spray of the falls without being able to see the actual waterfall. We followed the pathway around the Zimbabwe side of the falls and I was in awe every way I looked. There was so.much.water. Remember, this is low season for Victoria Falls so I can only imagine returning at high water. We were able to look out at Devil's Pool, where we sat just one day before. It was crazy to see how close we were to the edge.

We agreed to meet our guide at the border at 2:00 PM and with a little less than an hour to kill I decided to take a leap of faith. Literally. The two countries are divided by a bridge, and right in the middle of the bridge is a big, 300 foot bungee jump. What better way to pass an hour then to huck yourself off of a 300 foot bridge in between Zambia and Zimbabwe? Let me mention that this bungee jump broke *AH* a couple years back, though the lady did survive and was not harmed. My dad decided to stay back and document his daughter - if only I could have read his mind while I took my last step off the bridge. Bungee jumping down into the Batoka gorge, with the rapid number 2 of the Zambezi right below me was one of the most beautiful moments I have experienced.

With ruffled hair and blood pumped full of adrenaline we made our way back to the lodge for some delicious lunch and a dip in the infinity pool. As we had a pretty jam packed morning, we decided to take the evening to explore the town of Livingstone and the David Livingstone Museum. One of my favorite parts about traveling is learning about the history of the location. My dad, on the other hand, loved the museum because it described the famous saying "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

Today was our last full day at Victoria Falls and we wanted to make it count. Once again we woke up with the sun rise to beat the heat of the day. This was ecspesially important today because we were going to be with animals, and animals (like me) do not enjoy being active in the heat.

We were off to the Makuni Big 5, a conservation company aimed to breed and release animals into professionally managed wildlife reserves all around Zambia. At Makuni Big 5 we had arranged to walk with lions, pet cheetahs, and ride elephants. To be honest with you, I was not so sure I would enjoy this. It sounded fake. Who gets to walk with lions?

When we arrived, we were greeted by very professional guides who explained the day to us. We began with the lions. Two huge lions, one male and one female (brother and sister), made their way to my dad and I. Personally, I am very wary around big animals. Being from Wyoming, I grew up being surrounded by bears, moose, bison, and more. You would think I should be used to being around big game. I am not. I am terrified of large animals. As the lions came up to us, I stepped back. These cats were magnificent - so calm, yet fearsome.

Up next were the cheetahs, which exhibited the same personalities as the lions. One of the cheetahs was a two year old female. She is brought to different schools around the area to provide environmental education and to raise awairness about conservation efforts and poaching. I flew all the way from Montana to see these incredible animals. It is quite a thought that people who live right near these wildlife reserves have never seen a cheetah, and do not know of the incredible efforts that are being made to save these animals.

One of the highlights of this day was that our guide was late picking us up. Normally, this would leave me a bit frustrated, however as we were waiting in the lounge a guide came up to me and asked if I wanted to see the lion cubs. YES. We made our way through the volunteer housing (Makuni big 5 has a great volunteer program) and found a large enclosure. The gate to the enclosure was opened and as we entered two 8-week old cubs fumbeled outside of this little log play house. I could not stop screeching. These two cats were the CUTEST little animals I had ever seen.

After this tour, we said goodbye to the Stanley Safari Lodge and made our way to the David Livingstone Hotel. We were supposed to meet up with our raft group, but had not set a time or a place. Conveniently, right as we were checking in I saw dirt-ridden people holding dry bags. It was fate - we had found the people who we were about to spend the next five days with. To start the greetings off, we were told that we would meet on the Lady Livingstone at 6:00 PM for drinks and snacks. The Lady Livingstone is a cruise ship that takes you on a relaxing venture through the upper Zambezi. Did I mention it had an open bar? After sitting down with our new river family to discuss the next 5 days I could harldy sit still. The part of the trip I had been looking forward to most was just about to begin!

After enjoying a beautiful dinner - where I tried crocodile - we made our way to our rooms to pack for the river trip. Really, all we needed were bathing suits so it was pretty simple getting ready. I could hardly sleep that night, knowing the next 5 days we would be rafting the mighty Zambezi!

First, before meeting up with the river group, my dad and I fit in one more early EARLY morning tour. We decided to do a walking tour with Rhino's. We knew that we were not going to be able to see Rhinos in Botswana, so we took our only chance to see them..at 4 AM. We went to the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, located about 20 minutes outside of Livingstone, and spent the morning with five amazing creatures.


We got back to the hotel just in time to meet up with the group. After a quick breakfast, we were on our way to the put in of the Zambezi! We got out of the vehicle at the entrance to the falls. After picking out our gear, we stumbled down to the bottom of the Batoka Gorge. While we clumsily made our way down the path, the porters ran, in flip flops, carrying pounds of gear. It was pretty amazing to watch these porter haul our boats, food, and more down this steep path. The porters are very important to the multi-day scene, as they are whitewater guides in training. For a very small cost, they are able and eager to help. Whitewater guiding is a sought after job in Zambia, as it pays well and has a good schedule. Because of this, porters are encouraged to work, whether they are carrying your raft or just your life jacket.

We arrived at the rafts in time for the safety speech delivered by our lead guide, Diego. Most of the speech focused on flipping and swimming, as both are highly likely to occur on this river. I tried to listen, but all I could do was look at Rapid 1. There was so much water pushing up against the river-left wall, that I could hardly imagine getting a boat cleanly across. I could see it now..carnage on the first rapid. To restore my faith in the river gods, Diego handed out Nyaminyami necklaces to everyone. Nyaminyami is the Zambezi Snake Spirit, who is believed to protect people and give them sustenance in difficult times. With the newly acquired piece of jewelry hanging around my neck, I was ready to rock.

We charged across rapid 1. With an awesome high-side, we made it across just fine. I was all antsy to get paddling, but first we had lunch. This was no ordinary lunch, but a fancy spread located right underneath Victoria Falls. While lunch was being prepared, I wandered off to check out the minus rapids, which are located just underneath the falls. These rapids are not runnable by rafts and only a few (crazy) kayakers have successfully made it down this stretch of river. Looking out over the 75,000ish CFS swirling and churning below me,  I touched my Nyaminyami and screamed in excitement. I was surrounded by my favorite things...a raging river, a cushy raft, rainbows on rainbows, and great people.  We hadn't even started running the river, but I wondered to myself, could life get any better?



 

We set off after a delicious lunch under the falls to run rapids 2 - 22. It was insane. Honestly, words nor pictures can describe how HUGE the Zambezi was. After Rapid 1, came an easy wave train called Rapid 2. We were feeling confident, and then we hit Rapid 3. Dumptruck. I guess we were a bit over-confident. The Zambezi wanted to give us a warm reminder that she is in charge. Really, the only reason we all decided to swim was because we heard that the crocodiles like to hang out in between Rapid 3 and 4...

After our first inaugural swim, we ran clean lines for the rest of the trip. Okay..we did have a couple of swims here and there, but nothing major.  The second boat did not have the same fate as we did. Rapid 5 is the biggest rapid on the 1- 22 stretch. I have no idea how boats make it through. Water is literally everywhere. Diego, being the badass that he is, got us through rapid 5 with a great line. We turned around just in time to watch the second boat flip. There were two safety kayakers and a safety raft with us which allowed the clean up to be super fast and safe. *Random fact is that one of the safety kayakers and I graduated from college together - small world!* Another 4 rapids and one portage later, we came to rapid 10. Our boat had a clean line. Once again, we turned around and saw the black bottom of the second boat. Another flip! The Zambezi is already exciting, but to have the added adrenaline of watching your friends flip makes the Zambezi that much better. As we paddled through the Batoka gorge, the sun reflecting off of the canyon walls, I was on cloud 9. We come up on rapid 18, a big ole wave, and plundered right through it. Boat number 2 was not so lucky. The third flip of the day! This one had a bit more consequence because the oar snapped in half. Let me point out that Boat 2 had a stern mount, and we were on a paddle raft. The oars used for the stern mount were this thick, wooden oars. Not the fancy kind we see on the rivers here, but they look like they were literally chiseled out of a tree and then put on the boat. They were heavy as hell, but got the job done.

After an epic day one, we got to camp and set up shop. My dad and I decided to sleep outside because, well why not? I would not pass up an opportunity to sleep under the Zambian stars and tents are over rated anyways. Once we laid out our tarps, we went down to the river's edge with a Gin and Tonic in hand. As I soaked my feet in the warm Zambezi water, I realized how lucky I was. Not only because I was wading in the Zambezi, but because I had 4 more days of Zambezi loving ahead of me.

The next four days were filled with whitewater facials, hearty laughs, and starry sky's. As we paddled our way down river, I was made aware of a serious issue that the Batoka Gorge faces. The D word. DAM. The Zambia and Zimbabwe government are moving forward with plans to build a Batoka Gorge Dam not far downstream from Victoria Falls. This would completely wipe out the whitewater section that I was so fortunate to paddle. By building a dam, the tourism industry surrounding Victoria Falls will severely drop. I knew that I was paddling in a special place, but what I did not realize is that not many more people are going to be able to paddle this river.

My experience down in the Batoka gorge is one I will remember for the rest of my life. The Zambezi is probably the biggest river I will run, yet for how HUGE it is, it's extremely forgiving. Though swims and flips happen often, you are swimming in warm water. The river is high volume so you don't have to worry about getting pinned or siphoned out. The Nyaminyami was surely watching over me for 5 days, and hopefully she continues to protect that amazing stretch of water.

Our goodbye to the Zambezi was a fashionable one. A helicopeter picked us up and flew us out to our lodge. This was my first time in a helicopter, and the others in the group compared my smile to a child in a candy store. The chopper flew us right over Victoria Falls, and the views were spectacular.

Me and Diego (the most incredible guide)

Looking out over the Zambezi with a G and T in hand - nothing better!

As we parted ways with our newly formed river family, I couldn't help but feel sad. The Zambezi river is no longer a place that I can have hopes of running again because of the dam. I am lucky enough to have had the opportunity to spend 5 days on the river, I just hope I can spend another 5 more.

After spending our last evening looking out over the Zambezi River, we woke ready to head to Botswana. The logistics of getting to our lodge in Botswana included van, boat, and plane. I was a bit nervous about everything connecting smoothly, but it all worked out! We spent a two hours driving to the Chobe River, where we were met by a small boat to take us to Botswana. The boat driver pointed out that as we were crossing the river we were looking at Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. Pretty cool!

After a quick ride from the "dock" we found ourselves at a very small airport. This was our first bush plane experience. A man who looked to be about twenty hopped in the front and prepped us for flight. As the tiny plane flew down the runway, we were soon soaring in African sky headed to our first camp - Savuti Safari Lodge.

We arrived, hot and sweaty, and were greeted with cold washcloths and cool drinks. The management briefed us on our next couple of days and showed us our beautiful room. Right outside the tent door were elephants. Probably 50. Our camp was located right next to the Savuti Channel. This channel fluctuates in water levels without reason and unpredictably. When there is water in it, animals are attracted to the area. Luckily, there was water in the channel during our stay. For the next two days we explored Chobe with an incredible guide and wonderful people!

After our two days spent in Chobe it was time to move back to the water. It was no class 5 water like the Zambezi, rather we went to the relaxing Okavango Delta! We took a small hopper plane to the edge of the Okavango Delta - a reserve called the Moremi Game Reserve. We met our guides at the airstrip and we made our way to my favorite lodge on the entire trip - Camp Xakanaxa. This camp was beautifully crafted, with intricate wood carvings surrounding the property. There were two pools, one of which was an infinity pool that went right up to the edge of the Delta. With a gin and tonic in hand, I spent the afternoon lounging at the pool. My experience at that moment was the purest definition of vacation.

We went for an afternoon Game Drive and explored the surroundings. Our guide was top of the line! Very educated and passionate about the Moremi Game Reserve. We ran into another car, a family on a self-drive, and they passed us saying there were no lions in the direction we were headed. Our guide acknowledged this, but continued to persevere in that direction anyways. Tucked behind a tree a little ways down, our guide spotted two paws. It was an amazing spot!

The landscape of the Moremi Game Reserve can almost be compared to a Dr. Suess book. The way the dead trees spiked out of the ground gave the park an almost cartoon-ish feel. The pictures below do no justice to the bizarre environment within Moremi!

Our second day in the park started off with another game drive. It was a quiet morning, only a couple of gazelle here and there. Right before we turned in for lunch we got a call over the radio: leopard spotting! We rushed to the area where the leopard was. All of a sudden it scampered up a tree with a warthog in tow. After a couple of minutes another leopard appeared out of nowhere. Our guide informed us the second leopard was the mother of the one who was in the tree. The mother hopped up the tree and pulled the warthog away from her daughter. The interaction between the two leopards was magical. Once again, the pictures do no justice!

After a relaxing lunch spent by the pool, we decided to change up our afternoon excursion. Rather than going on a safari, we decided to take a boat ride. We glided through the maze of the delta and found ourselves in an open area. All of a sudden we heard strange bubbling noises...Hippo's! At first, the water was calm, then out of no where 15 hippo's popped their heads up. It was eerie, not being able to see the large animals below until they emerged. I tried to guess how many were below us, but could not come up with an answer!

The next morning we said goodbye to my favorite lodge, and took a small hopper plane to our last (but not least) stop of the trip.

 

As we arrived at our last camp, Xugana Island Lodge, I could not believe that we were nearing the end of our trip. Time flew by! Xugana Island lodge is a beautifully located lodge, right in the middle of the Okavango Delta. The only way you can get to the lodge is by boat, as it is situated perfectlyon an island.

We hopped off the plane and were greeted by our guides who led us to the boat that was going to take us to our final resting place. As we zig-zagged through the papyrus plants that lined the water, I became lost in the beauty of Botswana. Botswana is one of the purest places I have been to. The people are so proud of their home country, the land is well preserved, the animals protected. We glided into camp just in time for lunch (I swear I ate better on this trip than I ever have before)! Our afternoon activity was a makoro ride. The Makoro is a type of canoe that is used along the Delta. They are traditionally made by digging out the trunk of a large tree. They are propelled by "polling" through the water.

As we made our way through the delta on the Markoro, the air was filled with croaking. I asked my guide to point out a frog, as I could not find any. All of a sudden he stopped and pointed to a reed that was maybe 20 feet away. The tiniest frog that I have ever seen was resting on th reed, camouflaged. I have absolutely no idea how our guide spotted the frog, it was amazing.

We went back to camp after our Makoro ride and turned in for the night, excited about the day ahead. Little did we know, the next day was going to be filled with excitement. We started our morning off with a walking safari. A couple we had met at the previous camp traveled with us to Xugana, and they were questioning the safety of the walking safari. Our guide assured us we would not see any predators, and he was correct - for the most part. The walking tour lasted around two hours, covering quite some ground. We saw giraffes, an elephant, and many antelope. As we were ending the walking tour our guide received a message over the radio. There were eight Lions on the runway. Our guide rushed us into the boat as we took off for the runway. When we made it, the two people who manage the runway said they ran off in a different direction, but that they were still close. We took off on foot, as there are no safari cars at this lodge (remember, it is an island)! My heart was racing - we were on foot trying to find EIGHT lions. Our guide spotted them about a quarter of a mile ahead of us. The two guys who manage the runway have a small pickup truck that they use. Our guide ushered all six of us into the back of the pick up truck, as he quickly drove towards the lions. We were flying through the brush, bump after bump. I was thinking to myself, this is what Africa is all about. We got to the spot where the lions were and we were speechless. Eight female lions (with their cubs) were casually strolling through the grass.

After the morning we had, I was ready to take a breather. Nope! My dad and I decided to go fishing. My dad (who is a vegan) did not catch one fish. He blamed it on the fact that he was vegan and the fish knew he wouldn't eat them anyways. Me on the other hand, was a fish catching machine! Well, not really, but I caught a few.

For our afternoon excursion, we decided to go on a river safari. This was similar to the one we did at the last camp, but way more hippo's and a much more epic sunset!

I cannot begin to explain how thankful I am for this trip to Africa. We covered so much territory, so some amazing views, paddled some epic whitewater and overall had a wonderful time. Thank you Adventure Life!