This week’s travel dream: The thunder of Victoria Falls
Locals call Victoria Falls, where Zambia's Zambezi River makes a 300-foot drop, "the Smoke That Thunders."
The lion may stand above all other animals, but the true king of the African jungle is water, said Peter Mandel in The Philadelphia Inquirer. I see this firsthand in Livingstone, a historic colonial city in Zambia where my wife and I are staying. Our lodge is near Africa’s fourth-largest river, the wide Zambezi, which gives life to the astounding creatures here, quenching “the thirst of hippos, elephants, and squadrons of exotic birds before exploding into spray for the 300-foot drop at Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe border.” Locals call the falls Mosi-oa-Tunya—“the Smoke That Thunders.” But the rainy season has barely begun when we arrive; the falls are elegant, their thunder still to come.
Elephant herds are commonly seen along nearby riverbanks, and we hire a guide to help us find more wondrous animals in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. We spot “a few shy zebras and, eventually, a herd of sand-colored giraffes” before our car passes some huts that appear to have been systematically demolished. Our guide, who’s a bit of a mumbler, pins the blame on some of the great beasts we’ve come to see. “People stayed here, and the elephants became angry,” he says. He seems embarrassed to have to explain that the pachyderms encountered human inhabitants engaging in sex and didn’t approve.
Later, under a sky turning brown at the horizon, my wife and I are paddled upriver by a second guide. As our dugout canoe pushes against the current, “crocodiles slink around near the banks,” and “every log or rock we pass looks like it might be ready to bite.” A crash of thunder sounds as we step ashore near Mushekwa village, “a cluster of thatched-roofed huts where locals keep to traditional ways.” Edith, a village elder, gives us a tour, pointing out trees used for medicines. Suddenly, there’s a “spattering and then a waterfall of rain,” dissolving the village’s red-clay paths into “blood-colored rivulets of mud.” Amid this display of nature’s fierce power, singing can be heard between thunderclaps. Edith claps her hands, smiles, and says, “When it is wet, Mushekwa is glad.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
At the Royal Chundu lodge near Victoria Falls (www.royalchundu.com), doubles start at $390 a night per person.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Assisted dying: will the law change?
Talking Point Historic legislation likely to pass but critics warn it must include safeguards against abuse
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: October 12, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: October 12, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published