Victoria Falls to The Chobe River and Beyond!

At the risk of turning this blog into a travel site, I feel as though I must begin with some local news before continuing with our African Adventure. Feel fee to skip ahead to the Elephants. My first announcement, however, is no minor development. -- I have officially packed up the thermal underwear for the season! -- Yes, I know, spring can be a fickle mistress. For example the East Coast of the US has been absolutely battered this winter, but here in the Duchy we had quite a mild winter. We are now we are in full bloom! Considering it was nasty until June last year (as I recall), this is cause for great celebration!

The fine weather also made my first official outing with the Luxembourg Explorer Scouts a real treat. Rather than battling the low clouds and torrential mist, we had two days of full sunshine and no one got lost…terribly. We leaders let loose three groups of teenaged Explorers and then pursued them in chase vehicles. Not exactly what I would call a backpacking excursion, but the kids got some real world experience reading maps and navigating the wilds of the Grand Duchy's north country. Camping here can be rather refined…heck, the second night our campground had a proper bar with Guinness on draught!!!

Roughing it - Luxembourg style

The kids did tent out…ya know for the experience.

Ah, my charges. Really sweet kids growing up in Luxembourg. Lucky little so-and-so's

OK. Okay. Alright….on to the elephants!

As I mentioned previously, the Victoria Falls Hotel is a throw-back to the times of pith helmets and jodhpurs. While she may be showing a bit of her age, she stands tall and still carries herself with the grace of The Dowager Countess of Grantham. In many ways the grand old hotel was the perfect doorway to pass into the unspoiled wilderness of the African backcountry. At VFH one really gets a sense of how things operated in the gilded age of British colonialism…probably because they make the staff wear uniforms straight out of a Michael Caine period piece.

A random collection of photos from around the Victoria Falls Hotel. 

Of course we just has to partake in the HIgh Tea on the veranda! I had coffee, though.

We even took a sundowner cruise on the Zambezi River…and totally got Bro'd by the other American on the boat (but that's a story for offline).

Before we depart the Grand Dame of Zimbabwe I'll share with you one last look at the stunning waterfalls that have beguiled travelers since time immemorial.

From Victoria Falls we were driven 60 kilometers to the Botswana border, and then transferred to a 'jeep' for another 45 minute drive into the Chobe National Park. This is where the real safari stuff begins! We stayed at the only game lodge officially operated within the park boundaries…funny enough it is called the Chobe Game Lodge, and it's located on the banks of the Chobe River just across from the flood plains in Namibia. So, from our posh digs along along the Indian Ocean to the refined colonial resort along the Zambezi river we now found ourselves in an upscale lodge in the middle of the Botswana bush surrounded by stunning landscapes and wild animals. Seriously, there was an electrified fence around the property to keep out the large game at night. This little piece of info will become more important later, so make a mental note ;0

The Chobe River 

To leave Zimbabwe you simply go through this pink house...

…and viola! You are in Botswana.  At least this border crossing was free of charge :)

Once in Botswana we travelled farther inland until we came to the National Park. From there is was a bumpy ride to the Lodge along sandy tracks. This is where we saw our first of many elephants! Chobe is home to approximately half of Botswana's estimated 88,000 pachyderms, and after a few 'game drives' (literally driving around the bush in open sided safari vehicles) we certainly believe this statistic. The guy that drove us from the border said not to worry about wildlife sighting. I think his exact words were, "You'll be sick of elephants by the time you leave." While the grandeur of the large game never became boring, I could certainly see how, if you lived in the area, elephants (and Impalas even more so) would become as ubiquitous as the gray squirrels back in Alexandria. Thankfully these guys aren't thuggy…'cause they're quite large, and would do a number on your window sills if they decided to build a nest. We did stir up one youngster by inadvertently driving between him and his herd, and he gave us quite the trumpet to show his displeasure. He even kicked a rock at the jeep! Who knew they could do that?!

Elephants, as you know, live in matriarchal herds with young males less than 14 years old. As they mature the adolescent boys scamper off to a somewhat solitary lifestyle. The females will naturally split the herd when resources become scarce. For this reason, most herds in a geographical area are more or less related, and often the males will come back to pay friendly visits to see their sisters and mums. Needless to say both Jeni and I are completely enamored with these colossuses (yep, I had to look that word up). 

Check out this little guy after his mud bath. Too cute!

Obviously the draw to any safari is the wildlife, and the sheer diversity of animals and the beauty of the African wilderness can't be overstated. From our base camp at the Lodge we were able to explore the bush and the river with our most capable guide, RB. She was incredible and knew exactly where to take us on land or water to see the abundance of flora and fauna Chobe had to offer. Once again we were spoiled rotten. The food at the lodge was excellent. After they realized we were vegetarians, there were always great options for us,  and don't get me started on the abundance of fresh fruits!

Our unit was the one downstairs on the left side.

Dinner by lamp light in the main hall of the lodge!

The viewing deck as seen from the river.

Now, what follows is my attempt to pare down the photos from the rest of our safari in Chobe. Please bear with me... 

Of course there were loads of baboons...

…and Warthogs...

…and huge herds of Impalas.

This is what an Impala looks like up close.

Don't forget the Hippos...

…and Giraffes...

…some Water Buffalo (which are apparently a rare treat to see)...

…and this massive male Kudu. 

I did mention Baboons, right?

Well that's about all for now, but check back in a few days because I haven't gotten to the myriad of other beasts including lions, dazzling birds, oh, and our Elephant Walk in the Okavango Delta! I'll leave you for now with one more landscape of Beautiful Botswana!

Ok, maybe two :)