The Best Vacation Ever (Part 3)

The wonderful vacation in Africa didn't stop after the safari. The next stop after Botswana was to Victoria Falls for two nights at the Royal Livingstone on the Zambian side of the Falls. The hotel itself was beautiful in a colonial opulent sort of way. If you've ever been to the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, you'll know what I mean. Staff were friendly and the food was good. But surrounding the hotel, just immediately outside the front gates, you were confronted by a sense of pervasive poverty. Sad in some ways.

The Falls themselves however were beautiful from every angle. You get very wet so you should dress appropriately and bring a rain coat from the hotel. Wrap your camera in a clear plastic bag to keep it from getting wet from the spray. The microlight flight was amazing and well-worth the money I think. The whitewater rafting also looked really good but there wasn't enough time in two days to do so many things. There were also other options for things to do which you could book from the hotel travel desk - short daytrips to the game reserve, river boat rides to watch the sunset, elephant back safaris and a trip to a game reserve to walk with lions. Plenty of things to do for even three or four days if you wanted to stay that long.

Here are some of the highlights:

Victoria Falls









Royal Livingstone





Outside the Royal Livingstone in the Zambian handicraft market



Taking a long walk from the Zambian side to the Zimbabwean side was also an interesting experience, although probably not one to repeat. The view of the Falls was equally impressive, but the highlight was probably the walk itself. Getting asked by the customs officer for a tip, or being followed all the way by someone asking for money, you could sense the desperation. One more tip if you feel in a bargaining mood. At the market selling handicrafts, the price of the bookends on sale started at 10 dollars. At the Zambian side it was 40 dollars. After bargaining the price down to 5 dollars and buying quite a few as a result, as I turned to leave, the tout shouted out running after me and offering as many more as I wanted for 1 dollar each.

Probably the highlight of the time at Vic Falls was the lunar rainbow. A full rainbow at night! Apparently Victoria Falls is one of the few places on earth that you could catch a nice full rainbow regularly during the full moon. It was cold and dark to wait in the park, so dress warmly and bring a torch or some some of light (your phone perhaps). Also, make sure you bring a tripod if you want to take pictures, otherwise there is no way to catch anything.

The next final stop of the trip was Cape Town in South Africa for four nights. Cape Town is a delightful place to spend a few days because of the numerous day trips you could do. The Cape Winelands were marvellous and so was the trip to Cape Point. Self-drives were common. A package tour was somewhat more convenient although it required quite a bit of sitting in the bus.

Within Cape Town, you could probably fill up two days of things to do if you pack it in - going up to Table Mountain and having a look at the town. Tours to see penguins, sharks and whales also run regularly. The food was excellent and good value all around Cape Town. Staying at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, you would be pretty close to everything. It was a very nice hotel as you can tell from the pictures.

View of Table Mountain from the hotel room window at the Victoria and Alfred



Table Mountain views





Mount Nelson (a nice place for high tea!)





Cape Winelands tour stops









Cape Point tour stops







Hope everyone enjoyed the pics and tips! And stay tuned for more updates!