Zambezi River Cruise

The Zambezi river that begins its journey as an insignificant little spring in the corner of north-west Zambia (close to the border where Zambia, Angola and DRC meet), accumulates the bulk of its headwater drainage in Angola before re-entering Zambia and flowing south substantially enlarged by the entry of various tributaries.  For 500 kms it serves as the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe thundering over the Victoria Falls through the narrow Bakota Gorge.  

The bottom of the falls and the downstream sections of the river are the domain of white water rafting, kayaking and other adrenalin inducing activities.  To enjoy the river's more placid side, one can take a cruise upstream, above the falls. The best times are either early in the morning or at sunset. Both offer wildlife viewing opportunities. We wanted to take advantage of the morning light on the river and besides, the birds would be most active at this time. So we elected to leave at dawn. 


The unique value of cruising through the section of the river near Vic Falls is that it is less developed in terms of human settlement. Areas along it’s banks enjoy protected status, the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park on the Zambia side and the Zambezi National Park on the Zimbabwe side.  From the open flat-bottomed boat, it is easy to spot animals as they come down to the river for a drink.  When the boat cruises close to the shore (not always possible since the river is quite shallow in a lot of places), it increases chances of spotting birds busy feeding along the shores.  


While our boatman was less than an expert on bird-life, he had a little bird book that we put to good use.  We spotted and identified a number of species that included several types of Kingfishers and Bee-eaters. Darters, Cormorants, Egrets, Thick-knees, Yellow-wattled lapwings kept us occupied for a long time. The favorite species of the day was the White-fronted Bee-eater which we saw in large numbers and some at very close quarters. Herds of elephants ambled down to the water and went about their morning business. We spotted a few species of antelopes and warthogs too.

We hugged the Zimbabwe shores on our way out and came back staying close to the Zambian shores. Looking downstream we could see the mist rising several meters into the air where the river makes its grand but non-fatal deep dive. Gliding for a few hours on the calm waters of the Zambezi in the quiet hours of the morning is an experience not to be missed if you ever visit Vic Falls.

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