Victoria's Voyage

We turned off the main road onto a dirt track, then a smaller dirt track, listening to the clattering scrapes of bare tree branches against the truck’s mental frame and canvas roof covering. We started our day with a tour of a local village, about as rural as it gets…

Upon arrival, we were met with a few donkeys and goats, before passing through a crude fence housing a number of round huts built from wooden poles, mud and grasses. Tales tell that the reason for building rounded structures was to deter the spirits, who look for corners to hide in. A more grounded theory is very similar, except instead of spirits it wards off snakes that could pose dangers to the room’s inhabitants.

We were guided by son of the village, Samuel, who taught us a lot about how they all live our there, like how the division of labour between men and women is equal, with each being responsible for certain duties. They are also polygamous, and the leader’s two wives both hold equal standing to each other too. The wives have their own houses, but the rest of the males of the village share one hut, while the females all sleep in the kitchen.

The kitchen is an interesting place in itself. It is situated near the gate to welcome visitors to the village. It is a spiritual place too. The kitchen is where the women give birth and where the dead lay for a night whilst awaiting burial, making it the first and last place a person will go. The hut of the spiritual healer was also interesting. Our group crammed ourselves in. Surrounded by shelves and shelves housing various random containers filled with a variety of herbs and medicines. The spiritual healer helps all, rich or poor, even if they can offer nothing in return. He explained that while he can teach anyone the correct herbs to use, the mother chose him, and so there are things only he is capable of.

14 people live in this particular village alongside a lot of animals including donkeys, goats, pigeons, cats and dogs, but it is welcome to visitors as well. Still despite their small scale and limited amenities, it was fun to see a flat screen TV in place, and kids with their iPhones.

Next on the cards was a simple sunset cruise down the Zambezi river, and wow was this cruise beautiful. I will never not love a sunset, but gliding over the African waters accompanied by basking hippos and a complimentary bar as the sun bid us goodnight was particularly special. Our sailor too loves a sunset, explaining that a sunset provides him hope for the future, as no matter what, it will always rise again.

Ending the night was the Boma Dinner and Drum show, where I sampled an array of local meats including buffalo, kudu and even a particular worm that warranted a certificate for swallowing. There was also a lot of drumming on our part, as we were given our own African drums to play along once we’d eaten. All good feelings, the party continued on the bus back to the lodge, before we parted ways to retire to our rooms for yet another early start.

My last day in Zimbabwe began with an early morning walking safari, designed to appreciate the smaller animals, plants and other details bypassed on the bigger safaris. What we got however, was better. Ambling down the dirt road tracks in our truck, the cool morning breeze blew through me with the slow rising of the sun, which tinted the sky above a gorgeous shade of pink.

During the drive we encountered a herd of elephants, an encounter which changed the entire course of the excursion. When we eventually did hop out of the vehicle and out into the wilderness, our guide immediately pointed out fresh elephant tracks on the ground with the back end of his rifle. Ordered into a single file line, we began to walk in the direction of the tracks, one step at a time, taking care to not snap any twigs or kick any rocks along the way. We weaved through the sandy dirt, surrounded by broken trees without their leaves. Some branches scratched against us as we slipped through smaller trails, and more prints appeared before us.

Then, the elephants themselves. We continued to follow their tracks, slowly and as silently as we could. All was going well until suddenly, a curious baby turned, heading right in our direction. Naturally, the adults moved to follow. There they were, beginning their charge in our direction. They started slow but soon began to pick up speed, which is when our guide finally stepped in, creating a wall between us and shouting out and stomping his gun in an attempt to scare them off

It worked. The elephants all soon retreated and we lived to see another day.

Being so up close and personal with the elephants is indescribable, even more enchanting than from the comfort of a safari vehicle. The sound of our beating hearts was the only accompaniment to the cracking of branches in the otherwise complete silence of the bush.

All that was left to do after the walking safari was a revisit to Victoria Falls – this time by air. Boarding my first ever helicopter, the engine roared to life. The spinning blades deafening even beyond the ear protectors. Not a moment later, the ground began to shrink beneath us as we climbed higher and higher into the air. We flew right over the falls, admiring the sheer majesty of the natural wonder. We also passed over the bridge I had ziplined across, a weaving gorge and part of the Zambezi park I’d earlier walked through. Animal-wise, I sadly didn’t see a lot, but it was an experience to tick off the list all the same and the morning’s viewings certainly made up for it.

Though I have only explored a small part of Zimbabwe, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, and was ready to see what my next and last stop of Botswana might bring.