LIVING WATERS OF THE ZAMBEZI


Day 1: Victoria Falls & Livingstone Island Lunch
Arrive in Livingstone, Zambia and be met by your trip leader at the airport. Immediately, you’ll begin an experience of a lifetime that few are lucky enough to have. We’ll visit the Victoria Falls and unwind after a long flight, exploring this World Heritage Area. Called Mosi-oa-Tunya-“the smoke that thunders” , the falls appear on the horizon like a huge brush fire. The Falls are at their most spectacular in June – August - a single sheet of falling water 1 mile wide disappearing into a chasm in the earth’s surface. After a good
look around Victoria Falls, we will board our waiting boat to be taken out to Livingstone Island – the island in the middle of the Falls. Here we will have a gourmet three course “Welcome Lunch” right on the edge of the falls, without a doubt the most spectacular lunch site on the planet. After lunch we will take a dip in the river to cool off in the Devil’s Armchair. This is a safe swimming pool, right on the edge of the falls where you can watch the water rushing over the edge and into the Batoka Gorge. A boat will then take us 3 miles upstream giving us the chance to see wildlife on the banks and in the water, enroute to our accommodation on the banks of the Zambezi River.
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Day 2: Zambezi River
On Sunday we’ll have the opportunity to discover what “Serious Fun” is really all about. Livingstone is the “adventure capital” of Africa and has numerous activities available, such as rafting, riversurfing, bungi, abseiling, flights, jet boats etc. You have the option to do any of these activities, however we recommend you experience our own contribution to the adventure capital - Serious Fun started the first river surfing operation here in 1996 and the guides know Zambezi whitewater intimately. The water below the falls roars to life providing the best rafting and river surfing trip in the world. We are able to tailor the trip to the group and give everyone an experience of Zambezi whitewater at their level- mild to wild! After an exhilarating day on the river overnight back at our accommodation on the bank of the Upper Zambezi River.
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Day 3: Songwe Point Village, Boat Cruise & Mosi oa Tunya National Park
Today we leave civilization as we know it and experience luxury in a different way. As we travel through the villages to the Batoka gorge it is as though we travel back in time. The lifestyle of the people here has changed little over the millennia. We will arrive at a breathtaking site overlooking the Zambezi gorge and surrounded by vast areas of protected land, known as Songwe Point Village. Modeled after a “real” village but with modern conveniences, we will spend the next 2 days with our village hosts experiencing the African way of life. The day will be spent exploring this amazing environment and learning about village life. In the afternoon, we’ll go on a game drive into the Mosi oa Tunya National Park to look for the last remaining white rhino in Zambia, followed by a relaxing boat cruise on the Zambezi River. A traditional meal is followed by the songs of our hosts as we pass the evening beside the fire under the stars of the African sky.
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Day 4: Songe Point Village & Lampasa Palace
After breakfast beside the gorge we travel by oxcart to a small museum created by our hosts to display the pre-history of this area’s people and the geological history of the Victoria Falls. Our next stop is Mukuni Village. Over 700 years old and steeped in tradition, the villagers welcome the opportunity to show visitors the legacy of the land and its people. We will witness true village life and learn the ancient customs and beliefs of these people still living as their ancestors did hundreds of years before. We will see the Chief’s Lampasa Palace, the Royal Graveyard and the ancient Royal Drums, and stand under the tree where David Livingstone first met the local Chief. After Lunch we enjoy the views of the Victoria Falls from the Zambian side of the river. In the evening return to Songwe Point. Relax in a bath in one of the bath huts overlooking the whitewater rapids far below in the Batoka gorge or enjoy a drink at the boma.
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Day 5 – 10: Kafue National Park Mobile & Walking Safari
Today we embark on a classic African experience – a mobile safari into Kafue National Park. Kafue is Zambia's oldest and largest park, covering 22,400km² which is roughly the size of Wales or Massachusetts. The park has remained underdeveloped and despite poaching, the park is still a raw and diverse slice of African wilderness with excellent game viewing, bird watching and fishing opportunities. The Kafue river and its tributaries dominate the park, so with the seasonal flooding of the Busanga Plains there is plenty of grass to sustain large herds of plains animals. Kafue is known for it’s abundance of game, with areas of the park renowned for sightings of leopard and cheetah. We will gradually move through the park from South to North, exploring the changing landscapes, and moving North up the Kafue River. There will be plenty of opportunities for walking in the park, as this is the ultimate way to experience the African bush. Each night we will arrive at our luxury tented camp to relax and rejuvenate for the following day. On the final day we will leave the park and drive into Lusaka, Zambia’s capital city.
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Day 11: Lower Zambezi
This morning we will leave Lusaka and head for the Lower Zambezi. After a two hour drive, we will arrive at the confluence of the Kafue and Zambezi Rivers to be met by a waiting boat for a trip down the Zambezi River to Kayila Lodge. The lodge is situated on a private 10,000 acre wildlife sanctuary which stretches back from the river to the impressive range of hills forming the Zambezi escarpment. The afternoon can be spent relaxing in the plunge pool over looking the river, or activities such as a game drive, walks or fishing are available.
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Day 12: Canoeing Safari, Lower Zambezi National Park
A relaxed morning at the lodge: a refreshing dip in the pool, bird watching in the gardens, and a delicious homemade breakfast to start the day. The Lower Zambezi Valley has attracted explorers from the earliest of times. They all challenged the might of the Zambezi by boat, so it is perhaps fitting that we should too. Relaxed paddling in canoes along with the current provides the ultimate game viewing experience. Elephants, hippos, and crocodiles are a common site and there is no better way to see them then by canoe. In the afternoon we arrive at our second camp, Mwambashi. This is a very remote camp and is surrounded by a wildlife population of hippo, buffalo, waterbuck, lion, leopard, hyena, impala, zebra and numerous species of birds. Here we’ll spend the next 3 nights situated beside the river under a canopy of magnificent African Ebony and Tamarind Trees.
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Day 13: Canoeing Safari, Lower Zambezi National Park
Today we’ll board our canoes at Mwambashi and put in for a full-day safari downriver, heading deep into the untouched areas of the Lower Zambezi National Park. Wildlife spotting opportunities abound as we travel the main stem and then divert off into the maze of side channels. We’ll have a picnic lunch in the bush or on an island in the middle of the river. Around 4pm in the afternoon, we will be met on the river bank by waiting safari vehicles for a game drive back to Mwambashi Camp.
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Day 14: Lower Zambezi National Park
Friday will be spent enjoying the heart of the Lower Zambezi National Park. Mwambashi is ideally situated to explore the most remote parts of the park. Serious naturalists and conservation-minded guests will be interested in the scientific project to study the African Wild Dog that is currently underway at Mwambashi. Although recognized as an endangered species, the area boasts a healthy population of these unique animals.
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Day 15: Lower Zambezi National Park to Lusaka
An early morning walking safari will be followed by a relaxed breakfast at Mwambashi Camp. Then a game drive through the park to the airstrip and our waiting plane which will take us back to Lusaka International Airport and your flights home.
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LIVING WATERS OF THE ZAMBEZI
Land price: NZ$8,550
Single Supplement $600

GROUP SIZE:
Minimum 6 / Maximum 12

COST INCLUDES:
All activities, meals, accommodations, and transport (including flight from Lower Zambezi to Lusaka) mentioned in the itinerary, and guide.

DOES NOT INCLUDE:
Flights before or after the trip, optional activities not mentioned in the itinerary, alcoholic beverages, visa fees, or departure taxes.

FLIGHTS:
The trip starts in Livingstone and ends at the Lusaka International Airport in Zambia. Please make certain your flight arrangements include a connection to Livingstone.

DATES:
4 - 18 September, 2004
20 September - 4 October, 2004