Sausage Tree Camp

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Geo: -15.3982, 28.2937

Reluctant to leave once again we set off on the next part of our journey after three days at Kasane. After a short drive we were at the river crossing ready to board a small boat to the opposite side which was Zambia. On the other side of the fence was Zimbabwe and just across the river further downsteam was Namibia. This was the main freight route north through Zambia and onward up to the Congo. There were trucks queued for miles down the road waiting to board the ferry, corssing the river one at a time. Just inside the Zambian border was a chaotic mix of truck drivers, tourists, tour buses and hundreds of locals trying to sell wooden and beaded souvenirs from Zimbabwe as well as now disused and useless trillion dollar Zimbabwean notes. Although this was the Africa I had been expecting all along I was glad when the formalities were finally over with and we had our Zambian visas and were on the road to Livingstone and Victoria Falls. Our hotel near the falls was a short drive from Livingstone and just inside the National Park, which gave us unlimited access to the falls. After the intimacy of the small lodges our one hundred plus room hotel seem very impersonal although the staff went out of their way to be friendly, helpful and courteous. The grounds and gardens were home to a handful of zebras and giraffe as well as plenty of baboons and monkey. The monkeys were biggest worry. Sneaking fruit and other tasty snacks from the outdoor buffets or toast from diner's plates or stuffing their mouths with sugar satchels from tables or climbing into guest rooms in the blink of an eye through balcony windows.

The falls were a few minutes walk from our room. We took in the views of the falls from the various tracks and vantage points. The falls were in full flood with huge amounts of water flowing swiftly to the cliff edge and cascading spectacularly to the river below. The dense spray from the impact towered hundreds of metres above the cliffs and all the way across the gorge making it difficult to view the full expanse of the falls. However what we could see was awesome, and the sound was like thunder.

We waited until the following day to walk across the footbridge at the centre of the falls. We needed to walk this section without cameras or anything that couldn't get wet as the spray was so intense. We declined the option of a hired raincoat which in hindsight might have been a good idea and traversed the thirty metres or so to the other side and were instantly soaked to the skin. Instead of a light spray that we had expected the water bore down on us like a fire hose, and it was icy cold. From the other side of the footbridge we could see clearly to the gorge and river below and across the bridge to Zimbabwe. We then had to cross back again and received another soaking. It was a chilly and long walk back to our room in wet clothes which were instantly shed. The sun shining in through the glass doors of our room was welcome warmth and we lay on our bed soaking up the rays and recovering from our ordeal.

We found a wonderful spot by the river where they served sundowners from the bar and you could sit on the sundeck and watch the sun sink down into the hills of Zimbabwe. Being only a short distance from the edge of the falls we could watch the spray reaching up towards the sky and turn a slight pink as the sun disappeared. We spent a couple of pleasant evenings here with a glass of sparkling in hand. The tunes from the flautist were a very apt accompaniment in such a serene setting.

From the windows of our light plane on the flight from Livingstone to Lusaka we could see the mist rising above the falls for just a few minutes before we headed northeast towards Lusaka. After a quick stopover in the capital we boarded another plane bound for Jeki airstrip. The short flight took us over scenic mountain ranges and into a large river valley flanked by tall escarpments on either side. We had reached the Lower Zambezi. During the drive to our camp located within the National Park we passed large herds of impala swapping favours with groups of baboons and a variety of other wildlife. We passed through open grassy plains dotted with boabs and fan palm which spanned out to the escarpments in the distance. At times we passed through dense thickets of acacia and gallery forest which lead down to muddy river crossings, the waters upstream thick with hyacinth. The undulating landscape and lush vegetation was a welcome change after so much desert.

Our camp looked out over the picturesque Zambezi River with views to the escarpments in the distance. The river attracted elephants and monitor lizards and a variety of birds and was filled with crocs and hippos so there was always something to watch while having a meal or a drink. Most times when we looked from our veranda spanning the front of our room there was a croc or a hippo on the opposite bank or an elephant walking casually past to reach some tasty vegetation close by. By day and through the night we constantly heard the grunts of hippos as they soaked in the river. Something a simple as having a shower was a magical experience, sharing the open air bathroom with birds, butterflies, frogs, dragonflies and looking up into the large shady trees.

In the cool of the mornings we went canoeing or walking. Canoeing down the channel was pleasantly quiet and serene but also involved a certain amount of tactics, making sure not to get between the hippos and the deep water. Walking across the plains we were able to more closely appreciate the beauty of this place while learning about the relationships between the land and the vegetation and the animals and how each benefited the other. In the afternoons and evenings we took boat trips down the river counting the many crocs as we went or on game drives and night drives through the valley to find some of the more elusive wildlife. We finally sighted our first lions on a night drive and continued to see them each day after that, always with the sight and smell of fresh kill assaulting the senses. We were privileged to see a large pack of rare wild dogs and watched as they assembled quickly as a pack to hunt down an impala or a warthog. We had definitely left the best until last. It was such a memorable experience being in such a beautiful place while at the same time living each day so profoundly relaxed, comfortable and pampered.

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