Ready to spend a little time on a boat?
cruising the Zambezi?
We never have the opportunity to spend time on the water so this was quite a treat.
One little boat
filled with crocodiles
and hippos.
We went out 3 times and one day the winds got pretty feisty. Not a place you want to capsize and the whitecaps, known as white horses, were kicking up their heels. The new friends we met, who had also lost their luggage were on the river a few days before we were and they actually experienced engine trouble while on the river. They said they had to improvise with a fishing pole and a flip flop for a makeshift paddle. LOL. And don't ask me why there aren't oars in the boat to begin with.
I will admit that I was quite taken by the hippos:
They were everywhere:
And they were so cute:
and that cuteness is deceiving because when they are on land, they are HUGE and incredibly dangerous:
We often just floated by them and watched them lounging in the water. The river wasn't very deep in those places because they are standing on the bottom, but in other places, it was deeper than I wanted to know. That was the case when we passed through "The Gates" where the river narrowed and ran between 2 mountains - Zimbabwe on the left and Zambia on the right.
We saw a bushbuck and a waterbuck from the boat and pulled up to the bank to track them a couple of times, but we were right on the border of Mozambique and couldn't follow them.
Anyone up for a trip in a dugout canoe?
Mozambique was on the other side of the river at this point and of course we saw a monster Kudu on that side one afternoon:
Gorgeous! These are the Red Cliffs :
When I saw one photo on the computer screen, I cropped it and realized I had captured a pair of rare black eagles in flight:
Such a beautiful place! We even baited a couple of fishing hooks and threw our lines in the water in hopes of catching a Tiger fish or two, but no such luck.
It was incredible to experience some time on the river
and top it off with an African sunset on the Zambezi
9 comments:
I love all the photos you took from the river. That Kudu is an impressive animal. I love how you captured his alert stance.
I'm loving my armchair excursion in Africa through your photos and thoughts. Truly a once in a life time experience! So glad you could make it happen!
I have so loved your pictures and diary of your journey. It's a place I will never see in real life so thanks for sharing!
I am truly enjoying your adventures! I don't believe I have ever seen a picture of a hippo out of the water...
Stunning pictures. I've loved every post and picture! The scenery is more gorgeous than any movie I've ever seen.
I had an encounter with a hippo when I was a child, about 5 years old and I lived in Memphis. My mom and grand mother took me to the zoo. At the hippo enclosure the hippos were close to the fence holding their mouths wide open for people to throw peanuts in. I spotted a nickle at the side of a front tooth of one beast, the bars were wide enough for me to slip through and I proudly retrieved the nickle! People started screaming and I couldn't understand why until years later. I wanted the nickle, figured out the timing and got it. Mom never let me forget the incident. I don't think people knew how dangerous they were and certainly never thought a small girl would get that close.
Great pics, and am glad your boat didn't stall out or you would still be there...LOL
Love reading of your adventures. It's not a trip we'll ever get to make, so thanks for sharing!
I've been up to my neck in Fall doings and just now have seen all your African posts. Thank you so much for sharing! I love being able to see places through other's eyes and experiences. Thank you.
That was incredible!! The Hippos!!! The Eagles - oh my!! I love all your photos!!! I am not sure I would want to leave without an oar though - thats funny!
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