Robin's Adventures

African Safari
African Adventures 2011

Our African Safari was an adventure like nothing we have ever experienced before. Something new, exciting, and unpredictable waited around every corner. Observing animals in their natural habitat was amazingly compelling and each creature had its own story to tell. Please enjoy our story through the photos and videos that follow.

Getting to our first destination, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, was no easy task. We flew 5 1/2 hours from Los Angeles to New York. After a layover there, we flew for 15 1/2 hours to Johannesburg. After a brief layover there, we boarded a South African Airways flight to Victoria Falls. That flight was about 2 hours long. If you count only air time (not layovers) it took about 23 hours to get to our first destination.

We stayed at the Victoria Falls Hotel.

Sunrise over Victoria Falls was beautiful. We could see the mist rising from the falls and hear the rushing water thundering in the distance.

Breakfast al fresco. Then off to see the falls on a guided nature walk.

Mosi-oa-Tunya, the original name for Victoria Falls, means "smoke that thunders." The name is very appropriate because the falls were surrounded by a thick mist that could be seen at the falls as well as from a great distance away. Large amounts of water cascade over the edge of a deep chasm.

We followed a trail on the top of the opposite wall of the chasm. It was an interesting perspective looking down from the top of the falls. The falls were so large that it took us about an hour to walk from one end to the other. Along the way, the views were spectacular.

We enjoyed a delightful boat ride on the Zambezi River. There were lots of animals and birds along the shore and in the water.

There were lots of hippos in the water putting on a show just for us.

Check out the baby crocodile.

The elephants also proved to be quite entertaining. They decided to swim across the river right next to our boat. They were so close that we could almost reach out and touch them. Love the way they use their trunk as a snorkel when they swim!