The welcome at the airport at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, was perfect – greeted by the unique singing timbre and dancing of the local musicians. The Kingdom Hotel, with its artful African architecture, would be our base camp for the next 12 days. We started with a meet and greet dinner that evening, where some familiar faces from earlier trips met the new. As the evening progressed, with a couple of milestone birthdays celebrated, there was a sense of eager anticipation to spot the ‘big five’, enjoy the culture and make memories that ignited the spirit of camaraderie and family. Each was given a T-shirt with ZimBotZam [her name for the tour] highlighted on its front. The dinner was awesome, the service and friendly atmosphere near contagious. The next morning, after being surprised by some alligators and wild boar just outside our window, we took our first bus ride, to Hwange Safari lodge, with its own huge waterhole that attracted many species of wildlife. That evening we took the first of the many game drives, where we got to sight several animals, but the highlight was the large herd of elephants that came to drink from the waterhole. As we stood and took in this sight, another herd approached from the opposite side. Caught in between, we stood still, wary of their temperament, till they passed us and reached the waterhole. A very tense yet exhilarating moment to be remembered. The next morning another safari in the biting cold also turned out to be a wow moment. We saw a pride of 16 lions crossing our road, flanked by two majestic males. It seemed surreal as sighting even one is a rarity. Cameras clicked while videos rolled and the kings of the forest moved on into the bush, the big male guarding the rear regarding us with majestic disdain! Our lunch tasted better after such an appetising encounter. We had another evening safari to see more of the deer, impalas, kudus, giraffes and mainly to catch a glimpse of the more nocturnal residents. The following day on the way back to Vic Falls we stopped at a ‘painted dog’ conservatory to see this rare breed of wild dogs that possess unique hunting and feeding skills that help them survive and coexist, even among the stronger, wilder animals. We then went on to take an exclusive cruise on the Zambezi River, catching sight of hippos and other wildlife on its banks. The sunset was amazing, spilling its orange hues onto the water, with the darkening stillness and silence of dusk adding to the mystery of the exotic moment. We sat around a long table, and were treated to a delightful three-course dinner served with five-star fanfare! We even got to An African Adventure Shoba Subrahmanyam shares her experience of accompanying a party of 17 personalities, from Canada, India, the UK, Australia and Dubai, on a memorable trip to Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia. lifestyletravel 124 November 2018 www.bahrainthismonth.com
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