South African Adventure - Day 17

After spending 12 spectacular days and 11 nights trekking across 4 countries in southern Africa, our journey on board the Shongololo Express was coming to an end.  Our train was chugging slowly into Victoria Falls as we finished breakfast in the dining car and said our goodbyes to the serving staff.  We returned to our cabin and finished packing our bags as the train came to a stop at the station.  We tipped our wonderfully attentive hostess Merica, who told us our bags would be delivered to our hotel, and we made our way to the exit at the end of our car.  Once on the platform, the staff gathered to provide a final send off.

Even though we were leaving the train for the final time, there was still one full day of excursions in Victoria Falls as part of our Shongololo package.  We disembarked the train at 10:00am onto a sun-drenched platform where we boarded our bus and were driven the short distance from the train station to the entrance of Victoria Falls.  A heavy mist above the large grove of trees between the park gate and the gorge muted the brilliance of the sun filled sky.   While it is known internationally as Victoria Falls, the traditional name given to the park is Mosi-Oa-Tunya which translates to “The Smoke Which Thunders”. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and truly one of the natural wonders of the world.

We walked the entire length of the falls on the Zimbabwe side of the Zambezi River.  The narrow path that follows along the gorge is bordered by rainforest sustained by the mist and consisting of a variety of thick, lush trees and undergrowth including mahogany, ebony, ivory palm and date palm. There are dozens of viewing areas of the falls that lead from the path with very low wooden guardrails.  Some of the viewing sites are large open areas with no guardrails and tourists stand perilously close to the edge to get that perfect selfie.  ​

Across the gorge on the Zambian side, is Devil’s Pool, a natural infinity pool that spills into the gorge. A group of people were sitting in the pool right at the edge of the gorge.  ​

​The walk back along the rainforest path was extremely humid as the noon sun was beating down through the mist.  We were drenched by the time we reached the park entrance where we decided to eat at the only restaurant within the park gates (appropriately named Rainforest Cafe).  We managed to find the only table that was available in the outdoor, open restaurant that is covered by a domed thatched roof.   As we ate, a couple of infant baboons watching from a nearby tree would scamper down and snatch scraps of food that had been left at an unattended table.   

After a leisurely lunch, we exited the park and walked across the street to a small parking area where we were picked up for our afternoon excursion - a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls.  The helipad was a ten-minute drive from the downtown area and at a higher elevation than the town itself. We checked in and after a quick video orientation, we walked out and climbed into our helicopter.  ​

I managed to get the passenger seat beside the pilot and had an unobstructed view.  The ride lasted just over 12 minutes and we made several passes over the falls and town as well as the surrounding area.  The views of the gorge and falls from this vantage were spectacular!

Following the helicopter ride we were driven a short distance out of town to a boat launch at the edge of the river for our last excursion as part of our Shongololo Express package - a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River.  Because we had done the optional helicopter ride, we had arrived at the boat launch before the rest of our group.  The crew of our double decker tour boat were just finishing the preparations in anticipation of our group, and invited us aboard.  We were offered drinks from the bar and found a table along the railing on the upper deck.  We enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the river as we sipped our drinks and waited for our group.  ​

Our group arrived and unloaded from the bus, as traditional dancers and singers welcomed them aboard.  The boat was loaded and we pulled away from the shoreline to begin our cruise while the crew served us more drinks and light snacks. We sailed leisurely alongside the shoreline that was lined with trees on either side.  After about 20 minutes, we spotted hippos bobbing in the water between us and shore.  A little further along several elephants made their way down the embankment and into the water to swim to the opposite shore.

​Over the next half hour we were mesmerized by the spectacular colours as the sun slid from the sky and slipped into the Zambezi River.   This was the perfect end to our incredible and unforgettable Shongololo train adventure.

Following the cruise, we were taken to the Rainbow Falls Hotel where we checked in and settled into our modern and tastefully decorated room.

We decided to go for a walk to a local variety store, but when we asked the concierge for directions we were advised that it was not wise to walk around at night.  This seemed odd to us since we had earlier been advised that there was very little crime in Victoria Falls, especially with respect to tourists.  It turned out that it wasn’t crime we needed to be concerned about, but rather wildlife.  Victoria Falls is inside Zambezi National Park and wildlife, particularly elephants and lions, are often crossing through the town at night.  The IT manager for the hotel offered to escort us to the variety store which was about a ten-minute walk from the hotel.  
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It was nearly 9:00pm when we got back to the hotel and we went directly to the restaurant to eat a late dinner before retiring for the night.  The meal was buffet style and while there were various options, it was a bit of a letdown after the wonderful dining that we had enjoyed on the Shongololo Express. Nevertheless, we were still exhilarated from our sunset cruise and we were looking forward to spending the next day in Botswana.