VICTORIA FALLS, ZAMBIA

Welcoming committee at The Zambezi Sun.
These young men had beautiful singing voices and gorgeous smiles!

Our turn!

Reception

African sculptures throughout the grounds.

A sunset cruise on … THE AFRICAN QUEEN!

Sundowners, what else!?

Cute kids! I fall in love with them all!

The sun setting on the Zambezi River.

And what a spectacular sunset it was!

Boys at play on segways!

Ryan's turn...

and Dad's!
 (Aron had a turn, too, but not me! I was too scared!)

Wildlife wandered through the gardens of the hotel!

Boys posing for crazy shots! You have to be careful and not go too close to the animals.
Do you think  my boys were minding my instructions??!!

A local selling his wares and passing time.

My bucketlist  wish for us all… a helicopter ride.

A first for them,

and me, but not Mr. O! He's been in helicopters before.

Over the famous VICTORIA FALLS. It is a world heritage listing. One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. We were slightly disappointed that the falls were not "gushing" with water, but the government had damed a portion for hydro-electricity and, the wet season was just about to start! Mind you, when we went up in the helicopter, we were not disappointed at all!

The bridge over the Zambezi River linking Zambia to Zimbabwe.
People bungee jump from the middle of the bridge. Can you see it?
Not me!!

Ryan climbing a stature of Doctor Stanley Livingstone, who discovered the falls .
(Can you read the sign "DO NOT CLIMB"?
"RYAN!!! GET DOWN FROM THERE!!!"

Going for a walk across the top of the falls.This is only possible at this time of the season.

AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!! Our boys tricked us!
 We thought we were going for a walk. They actually sat in
 a rock pool beside the very edge of the falls. Mr. O and I did not like this part!
"Come back!" we kept calling to them.

Aron posing.

Ryan posing.

Liam posing.

Us posing.

What magical experiences for us as a family!
We had multiple "pinch me moments" in Zambia
and photos to prove it!

Victoria Falls

NEXT STOP, SWAZILAND!

We stayed at PHOPHONYANE FALLS in traditional Swazi cottages.

After unloading our gear (again!), we went on a hike to see the falls.
Very pretty, but we could not swim in the water as there are parasites that can make you sick.

Following the trail. Can you see the trail marker?

Father and youngest son.
But wait! What's that creature stalking in the background??

Enjoying the valley view of Swaziland after our hike.

The owner had an orphaned BUSH BABY. She was having to
 give it a bottle every couple of hours.
Isn't it cute? It is a nocturnal animal, so it did not like
 being shown to us in  the daytime!

An interesting exhibit in the Cultural display at the Swaziland Museum.

TRAVELLING NORTH TO OLIFANTS

The entrance to Olifants Camp. The gates are locked at night.
Only SANParks Rangers can go out at night on safaris.
Electric fences surround the perimeter, keeping guests in the camp and animals out!

The kudu with its impressive horns. Every turn denotes
 approximately three years growth.

Giraffes everywhere! They are so funny to watch.
They have very long tongues, long dark eyelashes and comical faces.
A group of giraffes are called "a journey or a tower of giraffes".

Every zebra has a different pattern of black and white stripes.
They are beautiful. The babies are adorable.

We went out on a late night safari with the rangers and we spotted a leopard!
He was sleek, muscular and had the most gorgeous coat.
Leopards have "rosettes", not spots.

And as we were leaving the park, we saw our lions!! Four!!
Two big males and two lionesses. We watched them for quite a while (and so did some others.
There actually was a traffic jam in the bush!)
They were stalking impala.

They crossed directly in front of our vehicle! We were so excited.
The lions were oblivious to us.

Ryan took this photo. Now isn't that the image of Africa?
We were so excited and felt so blessed to have seen all of the "BIG 5" and more.
I call these "pinch me moments".

WALKING WITH RHINOS SAFARI

We surprised our sons on the night before, giving them all a "Save the Rhino" bead bracelet ,

a red rhino horn for their car/s and a  "Walking With Rhinos Safari" cap!

This was their first adventure in true safari style. 

Our gear loaded up, we locked our car and got into the safari jeep.
Off we headed to the camp.
The boys had no idea what was planned!

Plains Camp. 

Safari Tents

In true African style. 

"I say, old chap…see anything?"

"Badger. What is it chap?"

Camping in the African bush veld 

Happy parents!

The lads relaxing.

The view from the pool and tents.

Our first safari during our stay. A sunset trek.

With sundowners, of course!

Ranger Mark and Tracker 

Afternoon hike in search of wildlife.

Our afternoon trek had us finish at the treehouse camp.

Another braai with sundowners.
Life is good.

Rhinos, dead ahead!

Two! We had to stay "down wind"of them. At one stage the five
 of us were standing on top of a termite hill! The rhinos were that close to us!

It is a wonderful experience to be in a safari jeep driving through Kruger Park.

The experience goes to a whole new level when you are on foot, walking in the bush, and spotting the African wildlife just metres away from you! You can smell, as well as hear the animals up close and personal. The rangers and trackers are unbelievably gifted in their jobs. They have incredibly keen eyes and a wealth of knowledge.  This was an experience of a lifetime!

WALKING WITH RHINOS SAFARIS