Tuesday, July 23, 2013 – from Kafue, Zambia to Hwange, Zimbabwe

NEEDS PICS

At a quick breakfast at the campfire we saw the beautiful full moon reflected in the Kafue River. We drove to the Lufupa airstrip and pilot Donald Kawara flew us south from Lufupa to Livingstone. We passed a huge hydroelectric dam and many many farms. From Livingstone’s airport we drove in a bus to the Zambia-Zimbabwe border and to the old bridge over the Zambizi River, which is jointly run by Zimbabwe and Zambia. We got off the bus and walked across on the old bridge. There was a distant view of the spume from the falls, and a great view in the other direction of the deep gorge. An unbelievable zip line crosses the gorge. And they do terrifying bungee jumps from the bridge.

Then we drove to the Victoria Falls airport and flew to the Makololo camp in the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. We were met at the airstrip by our guides, Dickson Dube and Douglas, who drove us to the Makololo camp. One the way we saw Zambezi teak which has a long tap root and can only grow in the Kalahari desert. They are bitter with tannin, so the elephants don’t eat them. We saw on the way elephants, kudus, a steenbok, and Kalahari Apple-Leaf Rain Trees eaten by the elephants.

We will be visiting the school and village of in our Day In The Life adventure. Abi told us that the chief in a Zimbabwe village must be from the royal family, but can be any of the children depending on the decision of the village elders.

Cos is our host at the Makalolo Camp, with Cynthia as a manager in training. All the cabins are off a fairly high boardwalk. The gates on the boardwalk are to keep the hyenas out. The main lodge has a little swimming pool, which you have to share with the elephants that come to drink the clear water. We were told not to sit on our veranda chairs at night, not to use the outdoor showers at night, and not to leave any food in our camp cabins. The camp has elephants, hyenas, kudus, and steenbok. Arthur and I are at cabin #7, the “honeymoon” cabin, which sports and outdoor bathtub spa as well as an indoor shower.
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