Wake up at 3a.m. to catch a series of flights.
Chicago to Atlanta 2 hrs
Atlanta to Johannesburg 17 hrs
Johannesburg to Harare 2 hrs

Africa... a land of magic on the other side of the earth.

ZIMBABWE

Hwange Nat’l Park

Flew Air Zimbabwe to Hwange and upon arrival was to be transfered to Kanondo Tree Camp. Since the elections were to be held the weekend of June 24th/25th, and Zimbabwe president Mugabe has advocated the killing of white farmers in order to steal land, tourists have cancelled their trips to Zimbabawe which left most camps short of guests. Since I would have been the only guest at Kanondo I transfered to Sikumi Tree Lodge which holds 12 people maximum in 6 beautiful tree houses overlooking a water hole. At Sikumi I was met by Anthony, camp supervisor, and his little dog Winston. The dinning area overlooked a waterhole and as I was eating I watched saddlebilled storks coming in for a landing nearby, elephants walking past and impala playing. Hwange National Park has its water pumped in so the animals do not migrate and are plentiful year round. My guide Livingston and I set out for an evening game drive which was to prove fruitful with plenty of impala, sable, elephant and baboon. Later that evening after it turned dark, we could hear buffalo running , we parked on a bridge and with a spot light we located the reason for their anxiety.... 2 lionesses on the hunt. Fortunately for the buffalo but unfortunately for the lionesses the buffalo managed to evade the lionesses. The next day Livingston and I set out on both day and evening game drives. The Hwange National Park requires all vehicles exit by 6 p.m. but this evening forshadowed what seemed to dominate this trip. On the way out of the Hwange, Livingston sighted a leopard hiding behind the park sign. Since we were the only vehicle in the area, we were able to get close to the leopard without stressing it. The leopard played peek a boo with us peeking out and around the sign and then walked across the tar road and sat upon a rock seemingly posing for pictures exhaulting its beauty. Leopards are the most elusive of the big cats and most visitors to Africa come and go without seeing a leopard. Spotting one is like striking gold. Having this one litterally sitting and posing on the rock was extraordinary. Matusdona National Park During the morning game drive my new guide Lionel and I spent enchanting moments on foot watching elephants foraging for food and shaking trees to loosen pods which would then fall to the ground. Next I transfered to Hwange airport for a flight to Lake Kariba. Because of the elections many officials and journalists were arriving, the flight was overbooked by one person. Luckily I was not the one chosen to stay behind till the next day but I was definitely worried since I was a single traveler. After arriving at Kariba I transfered by charter boat to Matusadona. The crossing took an hour and we arrived at camp in complete darkness. The guide at Matusadona was Steve, a John Tesh look a like. The next morning we went for a game walk and followed male lion spore but the lion kept one step ahead of us the whole morning. Later that afternoon a British couple arrived and we went on a drive where we started off with a leopard sighting. With the leopard pretty far in the distance I was able to zoom in with my big lens and capture some shots. Later that evening, we came upon a male lion who had just killed an impala and was set to have dinner. There were scavengers around the kill so the male lion had to keep chasing them away. Finally he picked up the impala in his mouth and walked toward our vehicle for a few yards and then disappeared into the bush. This was quite exciting since we weren’t too far away from the lion. The next day was spent on game walks following lion, leopard, and mum and baby rhino tracks but with no luck. Lunch, which consisted of shish kabab, was prepared out in the bush. I am always amazed at the meals the cooks are able to prepare in the bush. After lunch we rested with an afternoon nap during the heat of the day. Evenings were spent around camp fires listening to lions roaring and looking at the stars. I spotted the Southern Cross which I had only been able to read about till now. VICTORIA FALLS The trip back across Lake Kariba the next morning was quite wild. The winds had picked up and the boat was crashing into the waves at top speed. After the crashes lifted me out of my seat a few times I was thinking of my camera equipment and if everything would survive the Kariba crossing. Arrived at Victoria Falls and spent a night at a lodge with a proper bed and shower. Vic Falls is known as the “Smoke That Thunders”. One thing you get at the falls is W E T ! A rain poncho and umbrella are critical gear for enjoying Vic Falls. There is a statue of David Livingston who was the first white man to see Victoria Falls and it was he who named it after his sovereign... Queen Victoria. I had arranged a guided tour of the Falls and also attended an African Spectacular Show. The native costumes and dances performed by tribe members were fascinating ! Some walked on stilts and a “crocodile” chose me as his meal. © 2000 Vicki Milaitis