We bid farewell to our lavish mansion at the Waterberg Windhoek, grateful that the alarm had not gone off in the night. Flight day, which means that the electronics need to be moved to the carry-ons and the liquids to the checked bags.
It all takes longer than expected so just a continental breakfast for us this morning. But thankfully our guide Ewald is up early and transfers everything into the Land Cruiser for one last ride:
We pass a huge line of cars heading into the city, grateful that we’re headed the other way. Ewald does struggle a bit with the sun in his eyes, but mostly it’s smooth sailing. He drops us off at the airport and we say our goodbyes, leaving him with a healthy tip to thank him for his hard work.
We reach the Windhoek airport to discover that our Airlink flight is actually a codeshare with Fly Namibia, and that check-in won’t start for another 15 minutes. Ah, well – the perils of being overly prepared.
We check our bags, only to discover that we’re over our limits again – off to the bag office, where we pay roughly US$12 for the overage. It takes a while as their system initially says that we owe them a whopping US$30 instead. I’m briefly tempted to just pay the higher total, but we have nowhere else to be so we wait until they input the total manually.
No line up for security – unlike our debacle in Cape Town – so we clear through quickly. My massage ball is confiscated for reasons I don’t entirely understand, but otherwise no issues. According to the security screeners no balls of any kind are allowed – but since they don’t seem to notice a pool splash ball and small foam globe we’re not entirely sure where the issue lies.
Off to the gate. I attempt to buy Zimbabwean dollars from either of the money exchange places, but without success. You’d think they’d carry it, given that they have regular flight between Windhoek and Victoria Falls. We decide instead to tip in British pounds, as it’s one of the few currencies we have left in smallish denominations. We double check, and it is still listed as an acceptable currency in Zimbabwe along with US dollars, Austarlian dollars, Yen, Euros and South African Rand, among others.
There’s enough time for a coffee and a pretzel – and a bit of downtime – before boarding is called. It’s quick walk to the airplane, where we’re informed that we’re going to have to gate-check our bags as the overhead compartments aren’t large enough to accommodate them.
The issue is that we have electronics in our bags. A lot of electronics. Amd removing them will take ages. So instead they suggest we put our carry-on suitcases under the seat in front of us. They fit – barely – but it’s a quiet flight so I ask instead if I can shove them under some of the empty seats. The flight attendant kindly agrees.
Farewell, Windhoek!
It was a whirlwind trip, but we are already planning our return – with a minimum of three nights per destination.
Our flight to Zimbabwe is just 90 minutes long, but we still get coffee and breakfast:
The bun has cold eggs on it, of which I am not a fan. But the cheese and crackers are good, as is the chocolate pudding dessert – which tastes more like a big lump of icing.
Hello, Victoria Falls!
We land in Zimbabwe and brace ourselves for a painful visa process. They have recently introduced an online form which we completed before arrival, but we’re still expecting it to be slow going. Especially because you need to fill out one declaration form per person but the online version only offered us the opportunity to do it for one person plus dependents.
An airport staff member hands us a paper form and insists we fill it out – despite having completed the online version. I’m not having it, so I simply ignore the staff member and speak to a customs agent to confirm. They are able to pull up our online eVisa and we are through the gate 15 minutes later (and US$300 poorer).
Seriously, though, it was a quick and easy process – way faster than arriving in Windhoek. Our bags have already come off the baggage carousel by the time we clear through, and we head outside to find two vehicles waiting for us.
Following our usual mantra on transfers, we had booked with a local tour company after failing to receive a reply from the A’Zambezi River Lodge. Well, it looks like A’Zambezi sent someone anyway. We explain the situation, and the second driver just shrugs. Our shuttle was expensive – US$120 for a 30 minute drive – but there’s nothing worse than panicking when a driver fails to show. And at least we won’t be paying for two shuttles.
Our driver from Wild Horizons takes us to our bus – which is actually a full-sized bus, just for us. We won’t have any trouble finding a seat, I suppose…
30 minutes on the road, and we arrive at A’Zambezi:
There’s not a lot in the mid-range price point in Victoria Falls, but this seems to be the best option. It’s roughly US$220 per room and they are still riverfront and have a pool.
The rooms aren’t ready yet so we head off to lunch.
The kids have chicken fingers:
While I have a chicken burger:
And my wife has the roast beef sandwich (not pictured).
The kitchen is a bit slow – it takes a half hour to prepare our food – but the end result is tasty.
The kids want to go for a swim, but it’s pouring rain – and thundering. Here’s hoping it clear up, as we’re scheduled for a river cruise tonight.
We text both the company and our booking agent – Megan at Maplanga Africa Group – to see if the tour is still running. Megan soon confirms that they will let us know if they decide to cancel.
Off to the rooms for naps / homework. The rooms are nothing fancy, but clean and functional:
The power goes out mid-nap, which causes us to wonder whether we really should be out in the middle of a large river filled with crocodiles during a thunderstorm.
We head down to the lobby to wait for our driver, and we’re still not sure:
But the company hasn’t cancelled – and the forecast is showing that the storm will end shortly after 4 pm – so we decide to go ahead with it.
Pure Africa shows up right on time, and takes us to the jetty – where we’re greeted by the welcoming committee:
We board their flagship vessel – the Zambezi Explorer – on their signature deck.
This means that we get a smaller space with a better vantage point, premium drinks, and some delicious light snacks. They also have a dinner option, but we figured we’d eat dinner at the hotel.
The drinks list is extensive, and the only added charges are for truly premium beverages – think Veuve Clicquot and 15 year old Scotch.
We start with sparkling wine:
And then I move on to a tequila sunrise:
And they soon bring out some tasty snacks, including sushi (not pictured), chicken skewers:
And sliders:
The forecast proves correct, and the rain clears shortly after we board. Our daughter is already missing game drives, so she’s glued to the railing looking for wildlife. She spots a crocodile immediately after boarding – sadly, I miss it.
But I am enjoying the beautiful scenery:
And we get to see the back of Victoria Falls as we set off:
We head away from Zimbabwe and into Zambia – if only briefly.
My daughter spots a hippo or two:
And some baboons:
Vervet monkeys:
And impala:
Plus some birds:
We don’t really get a sunset, but we enjoy the moody sky:
Night soon falls, and our cruise comes to an end.
It was short-and-sweet, but we really enjoyed it. Highly recommended, particularly for those who are only in the area for a short period.
Back to the hotel shortly before 7 pm, and off for dinner. There are a lot of tour groups staying at A’Zambezi, so we’re quick to get the order in before the rush. We manage it, but only just.
I have the chicken schnitzel:
While my wife has the pumpkin soup:
It again takes about 30 minutes for our dinners to arrive, plus about another 20 minutes for our son to get his ice cream.
The restaurant seems understaffed, but at least the food is fairly good.
Off to bed – we’re off to see Victoria Falls early tomorrow, and then we begin our 24-hour-plus travel day as we return home.