It’s the end of the dry season in northwest Zimbabwe, and the plug has been pulled from the Zambezi River. An El Nino-induced drought has drained Africa’s fourth largest river, exposing tussocky islands and basalt reefs, braiding it into churning channels. Spray smashes across the bow of our speedboat as we shoot the rapids, heading upstream from the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Victoria Falls, where the mighty river seeps across an ancient volcanic plateau before plunging 100m into Batoka Gorge, creating the largest curtain of falling water on Earth. Local tribes know it as Mosi-oa-Tunya, the smoke that thunders.
We’re on the river less than 30 minutes after getting our passports stamped at Victoria Falls Airport, the first action-packed hour of an eight-night Zimbabwean itinerary designed by the Classic Safari Company. We haven’t even had time to dig out our binoculars before our driver Wellington spots an elephant on an island, guiding the boat so close we can almost touch its tusks. The engine roars and we’re thrown back in our seats, dodging clusters of semi-submerged hippos and passing giant crocodiles lying motionless on the riverbank. Impalas stand passively alongside a herd of handsome kudu – a tawny, spiral-horned antelope with delicate white stripes that appear hand-painted. The gangly frames of Marabou storks glide overhead, their enormous wingspan threatening to eclipse the sun. A pied kingfisher goes spear fishing with its dagger-like beak, while African fish eagles survey the scene from perches on skeletal trees. After 30 thrilling minutes Wellington kills the throttle, nudges the boat into a sandbank, and we finally exhale.
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