Imbabala Zimbabwe Safari Lodge/Chobe National Park--Septebmer 13-16

Victoria Falls Airport: The airport was small and essentially outdoors. All the buildings were open air buildings. We climbed the stairs off the plane and followed the crowd across the runway to the customs building. We found our bags and lined up in the queue where our passports were checked and we lined up for Visas. There were several lines ... single entry, double entry, and Kaza visa. We lined up in the Kaza line for multiple day entry, good for 30 days, into Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana. In line, we met the Brothers and their Dad and started our first conversations. The line moved pretty quickly. We had our shot records, and my doctor's letter exempting me from Yellow Fever re-vaccination, but it was never checked. $55 per person later, we were officially in Zimbabwe. We found the rest of our travelers in the next room/building ... also open air ... bar. Most of us were there, except a few people arriving on another flight about an hour later, so we began learning and practicing names and chatting it up.  We found our group included 2 Veterinarians, an ER doctor, a Trauma Surgeon, a couple of San Diego's Finest including one canine officer, 2 couples from San Diego, a couple from Tulsa. It was such a diverse group. When the rest of the group arrived, we loaded luggage aboard the bus and headed to Imbabala Safari Lodge. The drive took close to an hour and I was already awestruck and felt I could be "complete" if the journey ended there. On the side of the road we saw monkeys and baboons playing and elephants just out for a stroll. I was mesmerized by the trees. The leaves were off, but they had such intricate and delicate, almost lace-like, branch patterns.

 Imbabala Safari Lodge: We turned down a dirt road marked only by a large stone into the lodge. We could have disappeared and no one would have known. Then the space opened up and we could see the guest houses and main lodge. We were met by John and Sarah and greeted with juice and cocktails. We were directed to our "tents" and our luggage had already been placed. Our "camp" was the height of luxury. The thatched roof was wider than my hand. There was a stocked coffee/tea station with cookies. The bed was a lovely 4-poster with mosquito netting and oh, so, comfortable. Behind the bed was a dressing area and the lovely bathroom with great products. If the ceiling fan wasn't enough, the "tent" was air conditioned. Who could ask for more? Well, how about the free laundry? Oh ... yes, there is more ... a view of the Zambezi. A few other perks ... laundry!! Yes, we were able to have fresh, clean, folded clothes as we moved to our next adventure. They also have a spa, but we were too busy taking in everything else to choose a massage.

View from our "tent"

 After a bit of time for freshening up after travel, we met for high tea and a pontoon boat ride for champagne and our first African sunset. We saw, and heard, our first hippopotomi, elephants, an African fish eagle, cormorant, and egrets. Again, I felt "complete."

 We were met on land with our first dinner. We discovered there was another vegetarian on the trip and a girl who was lactose intolerant, so we knew our plant-based diet would be satisfying. We weren't wrong ... cauliflower soup, vegetable curry. YUM!! We had fruit for desert as I salivated over the chocolate souffle. A highlight of dinner, was great company, and a herd of impala that joined us every night near the table. After dinner, we gathered by the fire, relaxed and chatted, and enjoyed the night sounds of Africa ... burping hippos included. We learned that our guide has spent 3 1/2 years of his youth living/traveling/kayaking through Africa. Lorenzo is one of the owners of Bio Bio Expeditions. Marc was planning to join us, but had a back strain from a previous trip and stayed in California. I had been looking forward to meeting him after our many phone conversations.

 Then it was time for our first African sleep. Our beds had been made and mosquito netting was down. Hippo burps became musical sounding. Or were they farts? Sometime in the night, I heard crunching sounds outside the tent. I shined my flashlight out the door and saw eyes ... lots and lots of eyes ... looking back. The Impala heard had moved through the camp and were taking up residence outside our tent. Did I tell you the camp was open and the wildlife are free to roam in and about? The next morning, we has a stretch and woke up to a fire, hot tea, and breakfast. We loved the potatoes, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, and grilled onions.

The lodge has it's own land and we had 2 game drives that day. We had the most friendly, attentive guide, Richard, who had amazing eyes and could spot the tiniest movement and direct us to a tiny bird or animal. His knowledge of birds was unsurpassable ... and there are lots of birds. The trucks were open jeeps with stadium rise bench seats so everyone had a great view. The roads, well, bumpy, but that's to be expected. We saw 2 varieties of bee-eaters, lilac crested rollers, egrets, blue crested guinea birds (a lot of them), a black chested stake eagle, several varieties of owls, vultures, and some tall birds that I can't remember them all. My friend, Pam, is a birder and I think she would have been in heaven.

As for animals, we saw lots of impala, water buck, warthogs, baboon, jervet monkeys, giraffe, kudu, an African jackal, banded mongoose, African jackrabbit, huge termite mounds, and really interesting march of African soldier ants. At one point, we were watching the elephant herd and  a big male raised his trunk, flapped his ears, and trumpeted before walking our way. We moved on.

And, the plant-life ... the trees I am mesmerized by are Umbrella Accacia trees. we also saw fragrant woolly copper, and the famous Boabab tree. The Boabab is so very useful ... elephants love the trunks, but humans eat the leaves like spinach, use the bark to make rope, the insides of the branches for cream of tartar, and the nuts can be roasted or made into bowls. Pretty versatile. Midway through each drive, we stopped for beverages and stretching opportunities.

Lunch was couscous and bean salad. After lunch, we enjoyed some siesta in the hammock, and listened to the hippos, before the second drive of the day.

 On our afternoon drive, we stopped to see a border  ferry at the tip of Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. This point is where the Chobe River meets the Zambezi. We continued to see lots of amazing wildlife.

 Dinner was stuffed butternut squash. The Musician went to an evening game drive and saw a ganet cat and fruit bats, and a few other small nocturnal animals. I was too tired. 

Chobe National Park: The next morning, it was up and at 'em again. After breakfast, we hopped in our jeeps and headed to Botswana. The lodge borders Botswana, but this time we were on the other side of the fence ... well, after customs. It's a process ... we had to stop at customs to leave Zimbabwe, and walk across to Botswana, stepping into some gross pan of liquid to ensure we didn't track anything from the other country, and then our visas were checked again. No one looked at our vaccine records.

 We were then met in other jeeps for the remainder of the day. There were monkeys and baboons and warthogs roaming by the border. We started out on a river game drive on the Chobe River before lunch at Chobe Safari Lodge. Lunch was a buffet and there were many options for us plant eaters. The afternoon game drive was on land. In Chobe we saw hundreds of elephants including babies taking mud baths, thousands of impala, lots of hippos, water buck, cape buffalo, and giraffes. At one point, you could actually see so many different animals in one wide-sweeping view of the river banks. We saw several varieties of antelope, including a rare sable antelope that is endangered and can only be found in Chobe. Of course we saw our share of monkeys and baboons. We missed it, but the other truck saw a few zebra.  On the water, we also saw monitors and crocodiles. There were so many birds that I couldn't keep track of them all. we did see a fish eagle catch and fly away with a fish, and the biggest heron in the world, the Goliath heron.

As we left Chobe and Botswana, we had the reverse trip at customs ...  multiple Visa/Passport checks, walk across to get in another truck, step in the solution ... Once back at camp, we had dinner and I decided to go on the night drive. But, before dinner, the coolest thing happened ... ELEPHANTS WALKED THROUGH THE CAMP!!! They were close enough you could almost touch them. I was mesmerized, and maybe a little afraid because they are huge!!! I just watched and didn't take pictures because I didn't want to risk spoiling the moment. There were also lots of monkeys playing in the trees in the camp today. The Musician decided not to go along because he didn't see a lot the night before. So, wrapped in blankets, I headed out with our guide Richard and a few other travelers. We had a great night. Bush hare, white tailed mongoose, a tiny baby kudu. We learned that elephants do NOT like lights. But, the highlights ... we watched a Lioness for about 20 minutes. We did call back to the lodge and The Musician and a few others hopped in a truck and came out to see her, too. She was moving on about the time they arrived. As they headed back to camp, we continued on and saw a male lion and a pair of Hyena. The sightings were brief, and it was dark, so it was not great for photos, but the predators do not care about us and the hyenas are almost sinister ... Baboons seem like bullies, but hyenas seem like gangsters. Walking in the camp at night, we had to have a guide with us ... with a gun, because ... you know, wild animals.

The next morning, before breakfast, we headed out for an early morning drive. While we waited for the drive, we talked to other travelers and security guards. That howling and growling last night? Lion in the camp. OMIGOD!!! On our morning drive, we encountered the pair of lions, together this time. And when I say together, I mean "together" ... over and over and over. And they make noise. If you catch my drift. We saw a pregnant jackal and a non-pregnant jackal. We encountered several giraffes, even witnessed a little scuffle. When they swing their necks and hit each other with their heads, it's earth shattering. I don't know how they survive even one blow. We saw kudu, impala, warthogs, and elephants. Yes, it sounds like we've seen a lot of them, but I continued to take pictures, because I cannot get enough. I have to soak it in for a lifetime. We continued to see amazing birdlife, but a really cool image was a single tree that contained a pair of tawny eagle, vultures, and a black eagle. Super cool. Of course, as with every drive, we had a nice mid-drive break, but this time with hot tea. Hot beverages are surprisingly necessary during the cool nights and cool mornings. Another fun sighting ... remember, we're on the Botswana border? Apparently there are border jumpers and we saw ...on the other side of the fence... Botswana military detaining a few people who had maybe tried to cross the border. Yikes. Back at camp, there was a fragrant woolly copper tree full of sleeping fruit bats. You could see their tiny little eyes if you looked close. 

 After breakfast, it was time to head out for our next set of adventures.