Africa & India 2006: 6 - Train - Victoria Falls to Harare, Zimbabwe

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

This morning's wake up call was a bit different. We had a pretty good night as we travelled the 171 km from Dete Station to Victoria Falls but this morning there was a terrible crashing and screeching outside at about 6:30 AM. It turned out to be baboons fighting over a garbage can! We have been warned to keep the shutters up when not in the compartment, as baboons may climb in and raise havoc. It is quite common to see them walking under the carriages.

The station at Victoria Falls is ideally situated, adjoining the property of the classic 1915 Victoria Falls Hotel and a park. We watched warthogs playing in the park while having breakfast. Just past the park is a big new hotel, where the official government money change office is. In the other direction is a complex with the Air Zimbabwe office and a little further the centre of town.

At 8:30 AM we boarded the buses for the short ride to the Zambian border, where customs were cleared after paying a $US 10 visa charge. Open vehicles from a tour company were waiting. We were driven the short distance to the famous railway and car bridge across the Zambezi river, built between 1903 and 1905, which we walked across. The centre of the bridge offers a great introductory view of the falls, and the opportunity to try one of the highest bungee jumps in the world - 111 meters (364 feet)..

At Victoria Falls Park we were issued raincoats to protect us from the spray before exploring the various trails When viewing the towering wall of water from lookouts directly in front of the falls the spray is like a heavy tropical rainstorm! The sensation of watching the river rush over the edge and disappear while sitting on rocks right beside the rushing water is difficult to describe!

In the city of Livingstone we visited the excellent natural history museum, which has an entire room dedicated to David Livingston, the first white man to see the falls in November 1855. It was one of the few museums where we could have used more time. A walk through a maze of tarp cover stalls making up a large market was next. The size of the section selling fish was surprising, but being downwind of it was not a good idea. Most basic commodities were available in the market, which spread over most of a city block. We purchased some corn meal for Boniface, the fellow Shongololo hires to wash the train for them. He said he had none of this staple food at home.

The difference in comparison with Zimbabwe is striking. A shopping centre and hotels were being built, more tourists were visible and apparently many hotels were full. This side of the river was always the poor sister to the Zimbabwean side, but that appears to be changing.

The next destination was a hotel on the Zambezi River where we boarded a fairly large, double decked riverboat. This optional tour was not included in the train package, but it proved well worthwhile. Drinks from the bar on board were included, as were appetizers and a buffet lunch. While cruising we had a good look at a number of hippos and come crocodiles as we circumnavigated a large island in the river,

On the way back to the train we stopped at the edge of the canyon downstream from the falls, where the river was visible at the bottom of a very deep gorge. The anchor cables of the river swing are here. For a fee, a person can be strapped into a harness and swing out from the far cliff, eventually to be lowered to a landing area far below. The climb back up out of the canyon would be enough to discourage me!

Zambia, which was the British colony of Northern Rhodesia from 1924 until independence in 1964, has a population of 11,262,000. 99% are Black Africans and 1% European. It covers an area of 752,614 sq. km, making it slightly larger than Texas USA or slightly smaller than Turkey. 11,890 sq. km. is water. The landlocked country ranges in altitude from 3,000 to 7,000 feet (914 to 2,135 meters).

As with much of sub-Sahara Africa AIDS is a big problem. The 2003 survey showed 920,000 Zambians living with AIDS, and that 89,000 died from the disease. Life expectancy has been reduced to 39 years. The literacy rate for people over 15 years old is 81%. Most people speak English.

Zambia has been a beneficiary of the exodus of whites from Zimbabwe. Last year, for the first time in history, it began to export food products. These exports were led by maize, the staple diet in this part of Africa.

Tonight we dined out. Leaving the train at 7 PM we were driven to the Elephant Walk Hotel where dinner was served. This would normally have been an outdoor meal on the banks of the Zambezi, but it was moved inside due to rain. There were three live performances of traditional dancing accompanied by marimba music and drums during dinner. The food was good, however the single selection of white and of red Zimbabwean wine was not. We did a good job of disposing of it anyhow. The hotel had been closed due to lack of guests, but staff had been called in to put on the dinner and show for us.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

An 8 AM departure found us on our way to Chobe National Park in Botswana. On the 70 mile drive to the border we pass one other vehicle on the road, although coming back it must have been rush hour, as we saw three times that number. The $US 2.00 per litre gas price, and its scarcity, are keeping traffic to a minimum. Apparently to purchase gas it is necessary first to buy a coupon at the bank, and then present it at the pump. Cash sales are not allowed. There were loads of baboons on the road, and we spotted giraffe a couple of times.

Again, border formalities were straightforward. A safari company with open vehicles picked us up on the Botswana side in converted 4 X 4 Nissan pickup trucks. We immediately headed off on a drive into the park where a number of animals were spotted, including hippos out of the water. This park is teeming with wildlife, and sightings of various antelope species, giraffes, hippos and other animals were frequent. One elephant crossed the road right behind our stopped vehicle. Simon was pleased with the bird life, adding some of the 460 species in the park to his list of sightings. Chobe National Park covers about 11,000 sq. km. and is home to the largest concentration of elephants in the world - around 40,000 of them.

The only drawback is that some of the guide/drivers are extremely discourteous in their effort to extract larger tips from their passengers. Several times when we were stopped to photograph wild life another vehicle would pull up alongside and stop, completely blocking the view. When lions were spotted one particularly aggressive driver crashed into the bush and parked across the front of another vehicle cutting off those who were videoing the lions, in spite of a regulation against leaving the road. He must have almost run over the big cats! I wrote down the license number of the very discourteous driver, but could not find anyone to report him to. Both Brenda and Marilynn gave him hell when he was parked within hearing range.

Back at the lodge a good buffet lunch had been organized, so after a beer or so we filled our plates. We had just settled in at an outdoor table overlooking the Chobe River when a downpour began, so we retreated to the inside dining room. Lunch was cut a bit short as we were called to board a riverboat for a cruise on the Chobe River. An open bar on board provided complementary drinks. The boat was comfortable and spacious, giving lots of room to move about and to take photos.

We were not underway for long when three elephants were spotted coming down to the river. The boat nosed into shore beside them, affording unlimited opportunities for close-up photography as the great beasts shot trunk loads of water into their mouths, or sprayed it over their backs to cool off. One waded out into the water and lay down, paying no attention to our close proximity.

Later in the day a herd of a dozen adults and three baby elephants came down to the river, and once again our captain moved in close to them. The youngest was only one month old, and could walk right under his mother with no problem at all. Again the photo opportunities were unbelievable - we had difficulty believing that all this was happening right in front of our eyes!

We came very close to a number of hippos. The area was alive with them, and again some amazing photos would remind people of this experience. One hippo came up under the boat, hitting it with a crash. Not the place to be in a canoe! The crocodile population also presented several photo opportunities. It was a very high, happy group that returned to the lodge to board buses back to our vehicles!

Botswana was called Bechuanaland when it was a British protectorate from 1885 until independence in 1966. The British, who annexed it to prevent German expansion from Namibia and keep open the north sound trade route, did not develop it. Due to 40 years of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies and significant foreign capital investment, one of the most dynamic economies in Africa developed. Two thirds of the country is covered by the Kalahari Desert. Botswana is the largest producer of diamonds in the world, and good conservation policies have created a growing tourism industry. There were a number of tourists in the park and at the lodge when we were there.

The landlocked country covers 600,370 sq. km., making it 10% bigger than France or slightly smaller than Texas, USA. Only 0.65% of its land is arable. The population of 1,640,000 is 93% Black African. The 2003 AIDS survey estimated 350,000 people living with the disease and a death toll to date of 33,000. This has reduced life expectancy in Botswana to 34 years. The official language is English, although 78% of the population speak the local Setswana language.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Today we travelled the short distance to the entrance to Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side. On the way we stopped to see a 20-meter circumference, 30-meter high baobab tree that is estimated to be 1,200 to 1,500 years old. We rented raincoats from one of the very aggressive stands, where the wisdom of having purchased Zimbabwe dollars was evident. Raincoats were 150,000 Zimbabwe dollars each, about $US 1.50, however the price in $US was $3 each.

The park entrance fee of $US 20 was included in the trip price. To enter the park it was necessary to present passports so the Zimbabwe visa could be checked. Once inside we were free to look at the many monkeys, and to explore the paved pathways leading to various viewpoints facing the falls.

The local inhabitants called the falls Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning "the smoke that thunders". The 3,540 km (1,675 mile) long Zambezi River plunges between 230 & 355 feet (70 & 108 meters) into the gorge below the falls. This is the largest single "curtain" of falling water in the world, being 1,708 meters (5,602 ft) wide. It is twice the height of Niagara Falls, and 1 ½ times as wide. The "curtain" averages one meter deep. The spray plume can rise 500 meters (1,640 ft) in the air. In full flood over 550 million litres of water per minute cascade over the brink - that is four times the annual water consumption of Johannesburg each minute.

Shongololo ran shuttle buses back to the train, so by 11 AM we were back and started packing for our afternoon departure. The eight of us in our group walked to the classic Victoria Falls Hotel for a delicious farewell lunch on the patio. Marilynn and I returned to the train after lunch to pay the bill and continue our preparations to depart. After saying goodbye to new and old friends, Andrew, the soon to be ex-train manager, was good enough to drive us to the airport personally for our flight.

We paid the $US 5 domestic airport tax, confirmed our flight from Blantyre, Malawai to Johannesburg at the South African Airlines counter and headed for the waiting area. Procedures were straightforward, no identification was required, the airport is clean and quite efficient, and the plane was running on time for the 1 ½ hour flight. The twin turboprop aircraft was a Chinese built MA 60. The locals don't like it, as the Boeing 737 used to fly the route in half the time, however with the embargos Zimbabwe is forced to buy where it can. Bag snacks and complementary drinks were served on the flight and the aircraft was clean and seemed well maintained. The first language for announcements on board was the local language, with English second.

On arrival at Harare Airport we checked that Air Malawi was actually going to fly tomorrow, and found that our departure was still scheduled. With the help of some parking lot attendants we located a taxi for the $US 20 drive to the Sheraton Hotel. The drive told us that taxis face the same restrictions and costs as private vehicles for fuel, and we noticed that few buses are running due to the shortage of diesel. The city of 3.5 million people had lights in some areas only, as electricity is available on a rotating basis due to insufficient supply.

The taxi driver was much more forthcoming than I would have expected in a police state. Like others, he was truly angry at the "city cleaning" operations of the government in bulldozing down shacks. He showed us one large, overgrown area that he said had housed over a thousand people, and now sat empty. He added that in spite of local and international protest, the program is still going on, as the government are afraid these people from other parts of the country could become a threat to him. The idea of the program, according to the driver, is to make these people homeless so they will return to their villages. In today's paper it said 110 lots had been given to "qualified" people whose homes were bulldozed, however they must come up with the money to build a house to standards dictated by the government.

The driver also said he is barely able to survive now, but that as little as five years ago he made a good living. He confirmed that in Harare there are virtually no tourists arriving. When I looked down from our 12th floor room to the Sheraton parking area this was more or less confirmed - there were three cars and one bus in the huge lot. The hotel has been well maintained, and check in was efficient. After a drink and sandwich in the bar we headed up to bed.

For anyone wanting to get a good feel for Southern Africa I'd highly recommend Shongololo Express as the way to do it. This would be termed soft adventure travel, in that everyone is well looked after from the point of view of what you eat and drink and safety concerns, yet the unexpected is always happening. The train management are continually coping with problems such as engines not showing up on time, problems with railways, weather, lodge closures and government regulation changes. Because of that, the initial itinerary is unlikely to be followed to the letter. There were a number of changes in ours, often for the better.

I would highly recommend that the trip be purchased with tours included. People who bought the bare bones package spent a lot of time sitting around on the train instead of enjoying and learning about the areas they were visiting. It is less expensive to purchase the package than to do it tour by tour.

My allergies raised hell on this trip, as it is pollen season. Open windows while the train was in motion and game drives in open vehicles compounded the problem, but others on the train did not seem as badly affected. Mosquitoes were not a problem in spite of it being rainy season. Malarial mosquitoes are nocturnal, and we were seldom outside at night, but even though I am "mosquito candy", and am usually attacked first, in 17 days I had only one mosquito bite and never did use the repellent I brought along with me.

The compartments can be very hot, as it is necessary to keep the shutters up when away to prevent theft. The four upper vent windows can be left open for ventilation, and outside windows can be left open allowing air though the louvers in the screened shutters. Windows can be kept shut to keep out pollen, rain and noise if travelling emerald class, where the rooms are air-conditioned. There is also considerably more space in these cars.

Everyone I spoke with on board thoroughly enjoyed the trip and considered it good value. There were no complaints about food, service or the quality of tours. For more information or to book this amazing trip get in touch with Deborah at Wild Africa Ventures Inc. - deborah@wildafricanventures.com , USA telephone 818-353-9500, fax 818-353-8530.