TRAVEL: BOAT RIDES

ZAMBEZI RIVER BOAT RIDES
The Zambezi is one of the most famous rivers in Africa and the world, and it breaks out into one of mother nature’s great wonders, the Victoria Falls. Naturally, tour operators in the area offer boat rides and cruises on the river.

There are several tour operators and the cruises are normally organized from the down town offices of tour operators in Livingstone on the Zambian side of the falls, or at the Victoria Falls town on the Zimbabwean side of the falls. Your hotel or lodge should also be able to organize tour tickets for you, if not they’ll tell you where to find the best tour operator.

The river cruises normally commence at 16:00 pm local time and the ride starts with a tour of the lower river which offers the most serene scenery with green grass and dense dark green trees on the banks of the river. As the sun begins to set, the color of the sky becomes pink, orange and yellow and you begin to spot the wildlife.

The first sightings of wildlife are hippos. The cruise includes going past the hippo pool where you spot hippos bathing in the water. Cameras are allowed on board so you can take some great pictures. As the cruise continues, you see more animals that come to the banks of the mighty Zambezi river to quench their thirst after a long hot day.

Elephants, antelope and zebras are some of the animals that can be spotted on the banks of the river on the cruise. Sightings of crocodiles in the grass lying on the banks of the river can also be spotted. The cruise continues to the point where you can see the smoke from the Victoria Falls and you can see the falls in the distance.
This is where the cruise boat turns around and heads back to the shore. As the boat turns round, the sun begins to descend faster and watching the sunset while sipping on a cool beverage is both relaxing and enjoyable. The moon begins to come up and by the time you get back to shore, the moon is nice and bright in the distance.

A cruise that allows you to see wildlife in abudance and boasts a spectacular sunset, definately a must see if you visit the Victoria Falls.