20250123 Seabourn Sojourn Grand Africa Cruise Day 59/96 - Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Zambezi River

Grand Africa Cruise Trip Day 59/96 - South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe - Three Countries, One Day

We started in South Africa, landed in Zambia, and stayed in Zimbabwe. Three countries in one day, including country #98 and country #99 on our way to 100 countries.

We were up early for our 6:30 breakfast and 7:30 departure. Except...everyone was there at 7:30 except our guide. This is becoming a theme as our guide has kept us waiting for him three times so far. Some of the guests are getting fed up. Still, we departed our hotel and returned to Tambo airport for our flight to Zambia.

Farewell to 54 On Bath

While this was an affluent area, fences, barbed wire, electrified fences, and cameras were everywhere

South Africa was interesting as there was definite Western influence like McDonald's and KFC

We arrived at the airport, checked in and checked our bags, did our exit immigration from South Africa, and headed for our gate.

A life-sized, beaded Nelson Mandela

We had to board a bus at our gate and be driven to our waiting Airlink Embraer E190.

Old school boarding from the tarmac

We liked Airlink's sunbird logo

Not much in northern South Africa

Our first glimpse of the Zambezi River

The river forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe

Zambia was called Northern Rhodesia before independence

Zimbabwe was called Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia, and Zimbabwe Rhodesia before becoming Zimbabwe

Arlona spotted the spray from Victoria Falls in the distance

We landed, collected our luggage, cleared Zambia immigration, and picked up our Zimbabwe visas before heading to our waiting bus.

Kenneth Kaunda statue - he was Zambia's first president

Kenneth Kaunda International Airport - you can see his statue on the left

The one Zambia flag we saw wasn't cooperating

Some of the colonial construction that still exists

A dinner train

It doesn't go anywhere - just up and down a rail run serving dinner as it moves

Arriving at Zambia's exit immigration office where we had to get our exit stamps on our passports

Baboons roam freely here, and there were several hanging out by the immigration office

This female was "in season", hence the red hindquarters

We continued through a brief "no man's land" between the Zambian and Zimbabwean border immigration offices.

Leaving Zambia

Crossing the Victoria Falls Bridge and getting our first look at the falls

We will tour the falls tomorrow

We stopped on the Zimbabwe side to clear immigration and get our passports stamped again

The Zimbabwe flag was much more cooperative

Entering the Victoria Falls area

Arriving at our home for the next two days, Stanley & Livingstone Boutique Hotel

The 17 rooms are separate from the main lodge

Each of the out-buildings has two guest rooms

Stone paths lead you to your room

The room was huge with a king bed and a separate TV area - the bed had netting that they pulled around during turn down service

There was a work table with power built-in

We got a nice, personal (but with "Garry" misspelled) note at the foot of our bed

The TV area

Another personal note and bottle of champagne

Our deck

The view was great - keep reading for the wildlife photos

A huge bathroom

Toilet, claw-footed tub

Dual sink

Walk-in shower with rain head

Citronella Splash mosquito repellent

Fresh fruit

Fresh flowers

Let's call the room...nice. OK, exceptionally nice.

We stepped out back and were amazed at the wildlife. Baboons were everywhere.

This tree was perhaps 50 feet from our room

A little farther away, we spotted a large group of impalas.

Arlona walked around the area, snapping photos of flowers and insects on the property.

A hummingbird moth and butterfly in the same photo

After a little rest, it was time to meet the group and go on our Zambezi River sundown cruise. A bus picked us up and drove us to the departure point on the river.

We thought this was our boat, but we had to walk through this one to get to ours

Heading out on the Zambezi River

Our group on the boat - they fed us snacks, including crocodile, and had an open bar

Enjoying a Zambezi on the Zambezi

We navigated slowly taking in the wildlife sights.

Heron

Glossy ibis

Our first hippos

Egret

Juvenile crocodile

Anhinga

A huge termite mound

White-crowned lapwing (also called a plover)

More hippos

Sandpiper

More hippos

Check out those chompers

Dove

African openbill

Egyptian goose with an admirer

Egyptian geese

Creating the next generation of baboons

Another lapwing or plover

More African openbills

Our final hippos decided to put on a show

The plan was to catch the sunset over the Zambezi. Mother Nature had other plans as a thunderstorm rolled in with strong winds and driving rain. Still, we got a pretty good show with the sun and rain coming in.

You can see the rain coming down in the distance

The sky was on fire to the west and black with incoming rain and lightning to the east

We docked as the rain started coming down heavily. They had umbrellas for us to use to get back to the van. 

Our ride back was paused for a few minutes as a huge herd of cape buffalo decided that it was their time to monopolize the road, in the rain

When we arrived back at the hotel, we skipped dinner and returned to our room. The snacks they served on the boat were filling enough that neither of us wanted to stay in the lodge for dinner.

There were a few frustrations today, mainly in poor communication from our guide and his seeming lack of preparation for our tours. Still, it was a great day. We decided to make it an early evening as we will depart tomorrow morning at 6:30 for a game drive. Tomorrow will likely be another photo-heavy post.