Monday 18th July - Safari & Victoria Falls

 Livingstone seems like a different world to the villages around Lusaka. It is far more built up and it relies heavily on tourism.
Today, we were tourists! We had to be up and ready for 6am to board the bus that would take us to the Safari. It was absolutely freezing! Probably around 3 or 4 degrees. When the Sun is up it reaches up to 30 degrees, but when it sets, the thermals have to come out.
Most of us were inappropriately dressed for the activity; flip flops, t-shirts etc. so we were already freezing when we arrived. We sat on an open truck so when it moved, we were hit by the cruelest wind chill.
When we were able to lift our heads we saw Impala, Zebra and Warthog but we were all speechless when the truck had to stop as our path had been blocked by a huge elephant. To be so close to such an animal was frightening but incredible. Our guide told us that it may 'mock' charge but to not be afraid. Easier said than done!

We also managed to see hippos, giraffe and a crocodile. A cold but wonderful start to the day.

Once we managed to thaw out we headed towards the Victoria Falls. We were told not to worry too much about waterproofs as everything would get soaked. We did our best to dress up accordingly to keep everything dry, but they were right! We were drenched within minutes. Luckily, the Sun was up and it became warmer so it didn't matter too much.

It is very hard to explain the sight of the Falls. They are absolutely mind blowing and many of us were rooted to the spot, just staring at the most awesome sight (and getting soaked too!). The sound, the power of the water crashing all around us justified why it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was sight we will never forget.

After catching our breathe, we stood in the car park to dry off wait for our ride back to 'Fawlty Towers'. A couple of us had a snack or a drink, not realising that the local Baboons were also hungry and thirsty. The moment George took a banana out of his bag, a huge baboon ran towards him and grabbed it. He then sat right in front of us whilst he ate it and taunted George about missing out on his Brunch.

We returned to our accommodation where we enjoyed a bit of free time before the Team were treated to a Zambian meal at a local restaurant. On the menu was chicken, potatoes, curry and...crocodile, which everyone seemed to enjoy. School Dinner will never be the same again!


Tomorrow we will experience a different view of the Victoria Falls, from the air in a helicopter.

Please click on the link below to view all the photos from Monday 18th July
All the photos from Monday 18th July