Day 10 – The Victoria Falls, I presume?

That great discovery of Dr. Livingstone is for this afternoon. This morning we first do something very special.

We have breakfast at 8 am in the form of a buffet and are ready by 10 am as the car will pick us up ... for a lion walk.

We do this walk in a kind of sanctuary where one has started a breeding program for lions with the aim of eventually returning these lions into the wild in order to prevent the declining of lion populations in Africa even further. This is done in three steps. First, the lions born in captivity through the breeding program remain protected and fed. One takes these animals for walks in the bush to let them develop their instincts. In the next stage, the animals are unleashed in a fenced an protected habitat  with enough wild animals, where they are no longer fed and must hunt to eat. They are put here into a pride. The cubs born in this pride are the ones that eventually will be released into the wild in the final phase. This project is entirely funded privately by donations and walks that they organize. This morning we do this walk. We walk with the lions from the first phase. Brother and sister are about 22 months old and will be relocated within four months to the second stage. They are still taking a nap when we arrive. It's already warm and lions do not like heat. After all, they have a small heart and small lungs and therefore work better in the cool hours. Before the lions take us on a walk, we first have our picture taken with the while we are petting the animal. That is only allowed on their back in the tail area. The head and ears can not be touched under any circumstances. We are approaching the lions from behind and talk to them. That way they are more at ease. Lions see their supervisor as their mother and the dominant one compared to themselves. Therefore, during the walk, at the moment we lose our dominance, it can sometimes be dangerous.

We each take turns walking with the lions. After a short walk with me, they decide to drink in a pond. A little further we have our pictures  taken again with them. It is still weird to pet them.

A male lion lives for about 15 years, a female slightly longer, the same as in humans. Apart from man , they have only one real enemy which is believe it or not, the hyena. The hyenas in group can even kill several lions at once. The lion itself can kill all other animals except big elephants. They kill to eat, but also for pleasure.

In the afternoon follows  the highlight of the program of today.

David Livingstone said: ‘No other views in England can surpass the beauty of this’. He was talking about what the locals called Mosi-oa-Tunya (literally translated: the smoke that thunders), better known as the Victoria Falls.

It was on November 17, 1855 when Dr. Livingstone saw the falls as the first white man. That happened when he went downstream on the Zambezi river in a canoe and saw a mysterious cloud hanging over the landscape in the distance. He had  another 10 km to go, but was nevertheless surprised by Africa's largest waterfall. He could just in time secure his canoe on a small island in the middle of the Zambezi. Because he was so impressed with this natural phenomenon, he named the falls after Queen Victoria. The waterfalls are impressive. Over a total length of 1700 m the Zambezi plunges into a deep gorge of 108 m. The water comes from the highlands of Angola and  various rivers that flow later into the Zambezi. It takes about 6 months for the water from Angola to plunge in the gorge. Since the falls are not fed by spring water but rainwater, the amount of water varies per season. At this time, about 9200 m3 per second is moved. In November this is only 320 m3. We hear and see the falls already in the distance. The roar is deafening. The vapor which extends above the falls is incredible. This can rise up to 50 m high. Our visit is scheduled for the afternoon because a rainbow develops over the raging foaming water. Over the length of the falls, several viewpoints are made. But beware, the "thundering smoke" makes us soaking wet at times so it is difficult to take pictures. Due to the  rain curtain, the falls are not always visible . At this time the falls are  most imposing.

They have become the symbol of the entire African continent and one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

To finish off the story of the day, we are embarking on a two-hour cruise on the Zambezi River which forms the border with Zambia. The Zambezi is after the Nile, Congo River and Niger the fourth longest river in Africa. On board the boat, we are spoiled with drinks and snacks while in the water the hippo’s are performing for us, both on Zimbabwean side, as well as along the Zambian side. Livingstone called the Zambezi 'God's Highway to the Indian Ocean'. Today God has created a memorable end to the day when the sun sheds her light with her last efforts of the day on the mighty Zambezi.