CroisiEurope took us between South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe on a land and water safari along the Zambezi and Chobe rivers, ending with a cruise on Lake Kariba aboard the African Dream and a helicopter flight over Victoria Falls. An unforgettable experience.
Our journey begins in Johannesburg, the economic capital of South Africa. There was no time to linger in this city, which saw 43 years (1948-1991) of struggle against racial segregation. We visit the shocking Apartheid Museum . The images and testimonies are so poignant that you won't come away unscathed. The struggle of Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) and the coloured population is described in great detail. We then move on to Soweto, with its population of some 5 million, a symbolic area of the anti-apartheid struggle, and Mandela's house, now a museum.
After a night in a nice hotel in the business district, a small plane takes us from Johannesburg to Kasane in Bostwana, where our safari begins.
In the Caprivi strip
Kasane is known as the gateway to the Caprivi Strip, a narrow stretch of Namibian land that runs between Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. A boat is waiting to take us to the Cascades Safari Lodge on Impalila Island, at the eastern tip of Namibia, where the waters of the Zambezi meet those of the Chobe River.
A tributary of the Zambezi, the Chobe River meanders gently across the plain. This journey already offers us a great glimpse of wildlife. Its banks are covered with wet meadows, papyrus and reed beds where crocodiles and numerous birds hide. A few anhingas, long-necked water birds, dry their wings in the sun. A group of hippos growl as we pass. Only their tiny ears, nostrils and eyes are visible, like tiny periscopes. Motionless in the water, a good-sized crocodile lazes around waiting for possible prey, while others sleep with one eye on the bank. The last living link with the dinosaurs, these reptiles hunt mainly at night, feeding on fish but not disdaining a buffalo or goat that gets a little too close to the river, much to the annoyance of the farmers.
Just before you reach Impalila Island, you can hear the roar of the rapids that punctuate the Zambezi. The island is surrounded by the Zambezi River, the Chobe River and the Kasai Canal. Another two minutes on a branch of the river and we're at Cascades Safari Lodge, where we'll be staying for three nights. This is Namibian soil and the Chobe National Park, where the safaris take place, is in Bostwana.
An exceptional concentration of animals
Every day, we cross borders to reach this reserve of almost 12,000 km², set between Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Arriving in Botswana, we board large open 4x4 vehicles. The morning is entirely devoted to discovering the wildlife. Visit Chobe National Park is the 3rd largest in the country (10,878 km²), after the cross-border one of Kgalagadi (38,000 km²) and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (5,235,474 ha). Bostwana devotes more than 30 % of its territory to nature conservation and protects the world's largest population of African elephants, with some 130,000 animals. The government banned trophy hunting in 2014, but lifted the restrictions in 2019 under pressure from indigenous communities, given the rapid increase in the number of animals and the damage they cause. The country now allows this hunt with strict quotas. Around 300 licences are issued each year, generating around 3 million dollars in revenue. Hunting is prohibited in national parks, but the animals cannot be prevented from moving from one place to another...
Yet there are few sights as magnificent as a herd of elephants wandering peacefully through the wild or splashing in the river. The group is always led by the matriarch. She knows the waterholes that don't dry up during periods of drought and the places where food is plentiful. As adults, these pachyderms can eat between 150 and 300 kg of grass every day. However, they are not lowland animals and prefer forested areas that offer shade and coolness. At a bend in the track, we come across a baby elephant lying asleep between its mother and another female, each facing in the opposite direction to keep an eye out for predators.
The secrets of the savannah
Our guide does his utmost to show us as many animals as possible. The drivers radio each other for information. There are lions dozing in the shade of a tree, buffalo or leopards, fish eagles in the treetops and intrepid monkeys trying to steal our food as soon as we take a coffee break.
Everywhere you look, you see the graceful impala, the staple diet of many predators. The females live in herds on the savannah, chaperoned by a single male who has had to fight hard for this unearned status. These antelopes clean each other's necks and heads, a rare example of mutual cooperation among non-predatory mammals.
In the afternoon, we set off on a safari in a small boat. These flat-bottomed tenders allow us to get as close as possible to the riverbanks to observe the wildlife. As we got closer to the river, a few leaping impala came into view. Large herds follow one another, always watched over by a dominant male who jealously guards his harem. This is also the larder of the lions, the most ruthless of predators, who try to advance lying down for a feast that often fails. The monkeys have spotted them and sounded the alarm in a language that all the animals of the savannah understand.
Then we discover kudu, Burchell's zebra, elephants frolicking in the river, hippos and giraffes.
In addition to their long necks, which enable them to eat what other species disdain, giraffes have a prehensile tongue 45 cm long, which enables them to grasp acacia leaves without injuring themselves with their long spines. Although they can run fast (56 km/h), they are still vulnerable to attack by lionesses, especially giraffes. It is when they drink by spreading their front legs that they are most in danger.
Walk in the village of Kamavosu
The next day is devoted to discovering the island of Impalila and its inhabitants. There are around 2,500 people living here from farming, fishing and tourism. Lennon, a native, is our guide. He has invited women from the Subiya ethnic group, originally from South Africa, to give us a demonstration of dance and song to welcome us. They have put on their festive dresses, made up of several pleated petticoats that undulate as their hips sway. They are supposed to recall the colourful dress of the peacock, we are told. We also watch a demonstration of corn pounding by a young man in the group. It's not that easy!
Namibia. Women in the village of Kamavosu pounding maize. © B. Postel.
The villagers are better off since CroisiEurope moved to the island. The company's lodges have been built on land belonging to the village of Kamavosu. In exchange, CroisiEurope, which owns and manages the lodges, provides running water and electricity to all the houses. The company is keen to involve local people in its development. Waiters, chambermaids, guides and cooks are recruited and trained locally. We were there 6 years ago and we can see that the standard of living has improved. A road has even been built.
Back at the lodge, a wood-fired barbecue has been prepared for lunch: on the menu are grilled lamb, beef and impala, accompanied by grilled vegetables. A delicious meal. The afternoon is free: siesta, swimming in our private pools or fishing with our guide. At the end of the day, our guides invite us to an aperitif on an open bank of the river to admire the sunset. The clouds stretch their bluish grey into shades of pink and orange, then the sky blazes until the sun sets.
The next day, after a final water safari, we set off for Kasane airfield. A Cessna is waiting on the tarmac to take us to Kariba in Zimbabwe.
Immersion on Lake Kariba
Lake Kariba is a vast artificial lake covering 5,400 km², shared by Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is 220 km long and up to 40 km wide, and between 10 m and 70 m deep depending on rainfall. The lake was not spared from drought in 2024, and from the air you can see hundreds of outcropping islets and the dry, lacy banks.
This reservoir owes its existence to the construction, between 1955 and 1959, of a hydraulic dam on the Zambezi River, which flows through it before breaking into the Victoria Falls. This impressive work of art, designed by French engineer René Coyne, supplied electricity to Zimbabwe and Zambia. The rising waters forced the evacuation of villages and killed off many animal species in the valley, despite an incredible " operation Noé " which saved almost 6,000 trapped animals.
We return to our boat,African Dream, where we will be spending three nights. She is moored on the edge of Spurwing Island, the English name for the Gambian goose. We are warmly welcomed by Captain Leonard Litiba and his crew. This luxurious eight-cabin vessel is ideal for cruising the lake in comfort and safety. Each day, we change spot to discover different facets of this immense wildlife reserve.
Morning and evening, we set off on a three-hour water safari. The shores of the lake are a cool haven for mammals, crocodiles and countless birds: ibises, hornbills, rollers, herons, Egyptian geese, cormorants, fish eagles and more. This permanent water reserve is a guarantee of survival for the animals.
A few metres from us, an elephant fans itself while grazing on one of Lake Kariba's islets. © B. Postel.
Hippo paradise
In Lake Kariba, there are many marshy areas where hippos live in herds. During the day, they sleep in the water, coming out only at sunset to graze on the grass along the banks. When it's not too hot, they can be seen wandering softly around their territory, watched over by the oxpeckers who rid them of their parasites.
Our days pass slowly to the rhythm of excursions by tender and 4×4 observation of the fauna of Matusadona Park (1,400 km²), on the south-eastern shore of the lake. The trails are lined with mopane trees, which are essential to the local communities and used in construction and traditional medicine to treat stomach upsets.
Mopanes, the petrified ghosts of Kariba
Le mopane (Colophospermum mopane) or mopani in Shona (a language spoken by the Bantu people of Zimbabwe meaning butterfly), owes its name to the shape of its leaves.
Thousands of these trees have been flooded by the lake. They have petrified over time, creating an enchanting picture of ghostly silhouettes that we never tire of admiring at sunset.
Our journey to the southern hemisphere is drawing to a close. We're heading back to Victoria Falls in the same Cessna that took us to Kariba, after a quick visit to the impressive dam.
This arch dam, 128 metres high and with a crest length of 617 m, is one of the largest in the world. Its level is now historically low due to climate change and the many dams built on the Zambezi. Last year, the level of the reservoir made it impossible to operate the Kariba North Bank power station, which is operated by Zambia. This led to numerous power cuts in both countries.
Discover Victoria Falls on foot and from the air
Victoria Falls is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. © B. Postel.
Before you reach the falls, you can hear them rumbling. It was in 1856 that the Scotsman David Livingstone (1813-1873) discovered them alongside the Makololo tribe. He was one of the first to navigate the Zambezi ("great river" in the Tongan language), although its valley had been discovered ten years earlier by the Portuguese Silva Porto (1817-1890). As a good missionary, the explorer called it "God's way". He imagined it would become a navigable waterway, enabling trade and bringing missionaries to these remote territories. But this was without taking into account the rapids, whirlpools and waterfalls that the natives called the "God's Highway" Mosi-oa-tunya or "There's smoke making a noise over there". They had never been near the place. But the intrepid Livingstone went further and discovered the Great Cataract of the Zambezi in 1856, which he named Victoria in homage to his sovereign.
The statue of David Livingstone at Victoria Falls, erected in 1954, was created by British sculptor Sir William Reid Dick. This bronze work stands on the Zimbabwean side of the Falls, on the west bank, opposite Devil's Cataract. Livingstone was the first European to discover these falls. Although this statue is located in Zimbabwe, attempts have been made to move it to the Zambian side. In 2004, the Zambian government expressed the wish to move it to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Livingstone's discovery of the falls. However, these attempts failed due to local resistance and the firm stance of Zimbabwe, which considers the statue a symbol of its heritage. Another Livingstone statue was erected in Livingstone, Zambia, in 2005.
You can visit the falls by taking a footpath along the 1.8km-long, 108m-high fault. Mackintoshes are a must, as vast clouds of spray form above the falls, creating an atmosphere of constant mist. The river, with a flow rate of up to 500 million litres per minute, has carved volcanic gorges along fault lines created by tectonic movements several million years ago. From a helicopter, these natural wonders reveal the full power of nature. It's a fascinating sight that we're delighted to have been able to admire.
Getting there
Keen to offer guests the best possible service in this little-visited part of Africa, Alsace-based CroisiEurope has built two lodges on Impalila Island in Namibia.
CroisiEurope has also had its own boats built in Zimbabwe: the RV African Dream in 2018 and the RV Zimbabwean Dream in 2020 to sail on the confidential Lake Kariba between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Each ship, is a 5-anchor class boat with just 16 passengers in 8 spacious 18 m² cabins with panoramic windows, two of which have a small private balcony. They are 33 metres long, 8 metres wide and have a draught of 78 cm. On the upper deck, a restaurant and panoramic lounge allow you to enjoy the surrounding wildlife and nature. A large terrace with a small swimming pool and a solarium area are located on the outside deck. Eight crew members take good care of passengers.
Highlights of this safari cruise : an original approach between land and water (on flat-bottomed dinghies), a well-thought-out rhythm, flawless organisation, charming accommodation, top-quality meals and French-speaking guides. Departures all year round, except in January. The best months to go: March to January.
https://www.croisieurope.com/bateau/african-dream
Text and photos: Brigitte Postel unless otherwise stated
