Last day in Victoria Falls

Day 4: Sunday, 18^th December 2011: Victoria Falls

We had one more day in Victoria Falls but woke up not knowing exactly how we were going to spend it. However, shortly after breakfast, it was decided.

We were going to do an elephant back safari!

Luckily we managed to get a booking for later that afternoon (it is best to organise your activities they day before as they do tend to get fully booked).

With a few hours to pass before our safari, we took a walk into town. In town we found a big notice board that had an artistic illustration of Victoria Falls and its main attractions depicted on it. There was something called the Big Tree that did not look like it was too far away to walk to and so we headed in that direction.

As mentioned before, one cannot walk through Victoria Falls without been escorted by the tourist police and soon enough Pilani introduced himself to us and told us he’ll take us to the Big Tree via the short cut.

En route to the Big Tree with Pilani.

 
We followed him along the railway line, across the line and through the bush. Along the way he told us about his job and how he was to protect the tourists from being harassed by the hawkers as well as protecting them from the wild animals in the bush. If we were confronted by an animal he would know how to act and would be able to get us out of danger.

My natural question was to ask him what kind of animals would we find in the bush and after a while I realised I should have left my curiosity in peace. Not only was it possible we could meet lions or hyenas but we should be very careful of the buffalo which was the most dangerous due to their un-predictive nature. Hmmm, not the sort of warnings you want to hear when you walking through the bush.

However, I must admit that the only encounter we had was with a bright orange beetle that crawled out the ground. Pilani told us that they usually crawl out of the holes in the ground just before it rains; which it actually did later that afternoon.

We soon reached the Big Tree which is a baobab tree that is estimated to be about 1 500 years old. It could possible even be older than that but historical evidence detailing the tree only dates as far back as 1 500 years.

The Big Tree - Baobab (adansonia digitata).

Hundreds of years ago the tree was a trading post where people from Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana came together to trade goods.

The locals believe that if you want a big child you have to crush the bark of the tree and wash the baby with it. However, not his or her head, otherwise you’ll have a baby with a big head. They also eat the leaves of the baobab and crush the flower to use as a powder to flavour food.

As you stand beneath the tree, the branches cascade in a wide protective umbrella over you. It is beautiful and remarkable that a tree can grow so old, enchanting many generations from the past as well as into the future.

The Big Tree is 23 metres tall and the girth is 18 metres.

Pilani escorted us back to town where we wished each other well and said our goodbyes. At first I was irritable that we had to be escorted. It felt like it took some of my freedom away but it is actually an eye opening experience and a glimpse into the real world around you, connecting personally with the people and the country you are visiting.

We were all incredibly excited but also a little apprehensive about our elephant back safari. When we arrived we had a brief induction and were greeted by our ‘safari vehicles’ for the afternoon and the guides who would be riding with us.


Ready and waiting for an elephant back safari.

There was no more time to be apprehensive as we were ready to board. The elephants were lead into a gully from where we had to step off the platform and climb onto the elephant. 


All aboard.

And then we were off, plodding along through the bush. All along the way our guide told us interesting facts and stories about the elephants.


Through the bush on elephant back.

We were lead across rivers.  


Leading us safely across the river.

And when our elephant got the munchies we had a quick pit stop so he could tear off some leaves from the trees and pop them into this mouth. 

A quick pit stop on the way.

It was an incredible experience walking through the bush on an elephant. I felt privileged to have the chance to be in the wild, not as an intruder but as if one belongs there. You had the chance to view the landscape around you from the perspective of an animal whose natural habitat is the bush and one can’t help but look around in wonder.


On top of the world.

Our last river crossing was more exciting as it was a little deeper than the last. As the elephants lead us across we had to raise our legs high up so as not to get wet. 

Back to base camp.

To thank our trusted escorts for the splendid afternoon we had a chance to feed them sugary pellets of molasses and all good things an elephant likes. Of course I freaked out but after a while I realised it was not that bad but an elephant’s trunk is truly like a vacuum cleaner. You drop the pellets into his trunk, he pops them into his mouth and before you have grabbed the next handful of pellets, his trunk is already sniffing around, looking for more.

Ella had a great time interacting with our elephant as elephants are her favourite animal and she was simply blown away by the experience.

A treat for our elephants.

Mom and dad’s poor little elephant had a quarter of his trunk bitten off when he was a young calf and so they had to pop the pellets straight into his mouth. A little too frightening for me but they enjoyed it.

After all our excitement and an unforgettable few days in Victoria Falls we ended our holiday with a traditional supper experience at The Boma.

The Boma experience.

Our introduction to an authentic Zimbabwean meal begun with a drink of African beer; all I am going to say is thank goodness for hops and barley! But before we began our meal our hands were traditional bathed in warm water and then we could sample the local mielies and roasted beans and peanuts. What followed was a feast of all sorts of meats including crocodile, warthog and buffalo accompanied by traditional prepared vegetables, modern salads and decadent desserts.

Traditional Shona Foods.

During the evening we were entertained by traditional dancers, singers and drummers. Even the audience had a chance to partake in a drum session which provided many laughs.

The Boma drum session.

 

We had more laughs when mom decided to braid her hair and go home looking African as she said. As the saying goes, when in Rome... or this case Zimbabwe. 

Mama Giuditta.

Sadly, as all good things must come to an end, our wonderful holiday in Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park, visiting our neighbours came to its end. However, now that we know our neighbours, we can always go visit again.