from our Rothschild Safaris Itinerary
Livingstone
TYPICAL DAY IN LIVINGSTONE
Time in the Livingstone area is what you make it. Most visitors want at least a guided tour of the famous falls, either on the ground or from above, or both! Then, you may choose to pump yourself full of adrenaline on some of the many activities available like the gorge swing, zip lining, or rafting. Or perhaps the more mellow activities are more your style things like sunset cruises, a steam-train dinner experience, or a traditional high tea? Relaxing in your unique accommodation is always an option for you, too! No matter what you choose to do (or not do), your time in the Livingstone area is sure to be memorable and perfectly tailored to you.
LIVINGSTONE ISLAND BREEZER
Departure time to be advised by management
Please meet in the reception area of your accommodation
Recommended attire casual clothing, hat, sun protection
Activity inclusions - transfer to/from starting point, guides, entrance fees, food & beverages
Special notes - Tour operates dependent on water levels. Cruises depart at 7:30 AM, 9:30 AM and 10:30 AM. Tour duration approximately 1.5 hours.
When 19th century explorer David Livingstone traveled down the Zambezi River in November 1855 with the local Tonga tribesmen, he camped for several days on an island to explore his 'discovery,' the Victoria Falls, and its surrounds. Now you can follow in his footsteps and explore the aptly named Livingstone Island, located in the middle of the Zambezi River and is perched on the very lip of the Falls on the Zambian side. Cruise down the Zambezi in search of crocodiles, hippos, and other wildlife along the riverbanks. Birds are plentiful and gorgeous.
Land on Livingstone Island where you will enjoy a light breakfast (coffee, tea, bacon or egg rolls, and biscuits) along with a traditional "Maheu" drink right in the middle of the Falls, whilst surrounded by the stunning views which makes for an unforgettable and breathtaking experience not to be missed. Following your tour, return to your lodge for the remainder of your day to spend as you wish.
**Swimming in the Devil's Pool is optional (bring your bathing suit, a change of clothes and shoes that can get wet. Towels are provided), subject to timing on the excursion and water levels - only possible during low water which is usually mid-August to mid-January.
SIMONGA VILLAGE VISIT
Today you will visit Simonga village to experience life as it really is in rural Africa. A short drive takes you to a local village where you will be shown all aspects of African village life. Visits allow you to spend quality time in the environment of these traditional African settlements, meeting local residents and visiting children at their school. There are very few people who don't come away from the experience feeling enriched by the time spent there.
MARAMBA & MUKUNI VILLAGE MARKETS
The Maramba and Mukuni markets are visited daily by hundreds of locals from Livingstone and surrounding areas. They come to buy everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to chitenge, the bright patterned fabric characteristic of Southern and East African fashion. A guide will escort you through the marketplace and will be there to help when buying from vendors if required.
After breakfast, Kevin and I fished off the dock with the guide. Using casting rods, we were fishing for tiger fish. Fishing for about an hour, neither of us caught anything.
After starting to pack, I went to the fitness center. I did a 30 minute upper body Peleton strength workout and then walked 40 minutes and 2.4 miles on the treadmill.
Getting cleaned up, the staff said that they had a surprise location for us for lunch. We met the group at 1:30 pm. It turned out that we were having lunch in the middle of the lodge's garden. The chef described it as farm to table. The five of us walked through the garden and picked a number of vegetables and herbs for the meal.
The chef then prepared the meal right there. The meal included a fennel soup followed by chicken, beef, salad and cauliflower rice with vegetables. It was very good. It turned out to be a very lazy, late lunch.
After lunch, I scrambled to get my blog updated for Wednesday. I have never gotten more than a day behind updating the blog on this trip, but I still feel like I am spending too much time working on it. I have got to figure a better strategy that uses templates for the blog entries when we are traveling.
The plan for the late afternoon was a sunset cruise. We spent a little more than an hour crusing up the Zambezi River. We got a chance to see hippos and crocodiles. All of the boats from the lodge stopped on an island across the river from the lodge. We had a cocktail and watched the sun go down.
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When we got back from the cruise, we rushed to get ready for dinner. The second surprise of the day was that they were serving us dinner on a dock in river. We had watched a couple have dinner out there on the prevous night.
It was an interesting experience. The bugs weren't too bad. I had soup starter and a pork main.
Given it was the last night of the trip, Sharon and I had a drink with Donna and Kevin in the bar. Tom crashed. We ended up talking to a travel agent. Born in Switzerland, she has lived and worked in Africa over the last twenty years. Over the course of the trip, I had a number of conversations with an assortment of people about visiting Africa. I need to pull together a blog entry that summarizes the discussions.
Sharon and I crashed just after 10 pm.
A footnote. I finished reading this blog entry abroad the British Airways flight from Johannesburg to London somewhere over the Congo...
Looks and sounds as though it was a wonderful one-in-a-lifetime trip!
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