Shearwater Explorers village
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
26-28 December
…but you can’t make them drink.
Today (Saturday), we visited Through the Eyes of an Elephant. They have nine rescued elephants, and we were able to feed them, touch them, and then lead them down to a watering hole. The elephants, however, had absolutely no interest in doing anything with, in, or even near the water.
Sarah was not impressed. We had previously visited the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi, where the goal is to rehabilitate orphaned baby elephants and eventually return them to the wild. In contrast, the aim here is to give a small number of rescued elephants their “best life” on an enormous private reserve. Victoria loved the experience because she was able to get up close and personal with her favorite animal. I mostly skated a thin line, agreeing with whoever I happened to be talking to at the moment. I can see both perspectives: returning elephants to the wild is great but allowing them to remain in something far larger than any zoo, with no predators isn’t that bad either. It did feel a bit like a circus though, geared solely to make money… and look after the elephants.
On Friday, Sarah, Vic, and I enjoyed a jug of Pimm’s at the Victoria Falls Hotel—a grand old colonial-era place, complete with staff in formal uniforms, some even wearing pith helmets. On Saturday, we made our final visit to Victoria Falls, this time from the Zimbabwean side.
We took a cruise on the Zambezi, followed by a closing dinner on the banks of the river Saturday night. Then, on Sunday, five of us head to Cape Town to continue the tour, while the rest return home via Johannesburg.
It’s sad to end the safari portion of our trip. Mama G was an excellent trip leader, and the camp staff were universally outstanding. One of the camps could use a bit of TLC, but all the game drives were great. We were also extremely lucky with the weather, with significant rain only hampering a few activities.
It’s hard to compare this set of safaris with our previous trips to Tanzania and Kenya, largely because of differences unrelated to the safaris themselves. In Tanzania and Kenya, we were traveling with our family (except Chloe and Steph!), rather than with a tour group. It was also the entire family’s first safari, which added an extra layer of excitement. I didn’t just enjoy the experience: I enjoyed watching the kids live it, too.
I have the feeling that we spent more time watching animal behavior in Tanzania and Kenya, rather than ticking animals off a list: elephants playing in a mud hole, jackals fighting vultures over a kill, two newborn hippos with their mothers, cheetah cubs playing, and a cheetah mother teaching her cubs how to hunt. I accept some of the blame for the checklist mindset this time around. My large zoom lens opened up a whole new world of birds to photograph, and there are a gazillion birds just waiting to be ticked off list: apologies & thanks to those who persevered through all the bird pics.
We’re now in CapeTown. Vic stays until 1 January, while Sarah and I stay until 8 January. I won’t post as frequently while we’re here .
