It’s Sunday, we must be in Zambia!

Day15, Sun, Jan 29, 2017

After an incredible day and a-half in the Chobe National Park and Chobe River we left amazed. It’s approx. 18km to the Botswana/Zambia border.

Start Location: Chobe Safari Lodge, Kasane, Botswana

End Location: Livingstone, Zambia (Victoria Falls)

Distance: 83 km (52 miles)

Hotel/Pension: Protea Hotel Livingstone, Livingstone, Zambia

Money Conversion: Botswana: $1 USD = P10.47 or

I did not mention, but everyone has been taking Malaria pills for 2 weeks now. The mosquitos are active. I’m using insect repellant on all exposed areas and most hotels have an aerosol spray in each room used daily. Many of the hotels in Namibia and Botswana have netting over the beds.

Today is the Botswana/Zambia border-crossing day. Even though we have plenty of gas, we top off, purchase water and snacks (to use up the last of our Botswana money).

Gas is P7.62 per liter ($0.72 USD)

For the past week, the weather has been nightly showers and during the day overcast and occasional sprinkles.

This border has a reputation for long delays. At the Botswana border Helge decided he would handle the crossing in bulk. He takes all the passports and Carnet de Passages.

Immigration – Passport visa stamped and exit paper turned in. Customs – Carnet de Passage exit for South Africa, Namibia & Botswana.

Once cleared of Botswana, we take a little ferry over to Zambia and work our way up through a huge line of freight tractor/trailers to the immigration/customs.

Auto ferry across the river to Zambia.

The Honda CB500XA is at home in this environment ... hot, rain, dirt and patchwork roads.

The total Zambia side took a little over an hour. For us riders it was relax and wait.

This is a 180° photo. Botswana on the left (river, ferry) and Zambia on the right.

Joe H gathers up the passports. He helped Helge by keeping the many border hanger-on-ers from getting in the way.

Tom B chilling'.

We get to Livingstone, Zambia around 1PM. Check into the Protea Hotel Livingstone.

Needing Zambia $bucks, Harrison, Debbie, Gary and I make ATM run and head to Victoria Falls. I’ve been to Niagara Falls and Iguasu Falls, Brazil and was eager to see this legendary falls. We were warned to get rain gear at the entrance of the falls. Just how wet could it be?????

First glimpse of Victoria Falls!

Debbie and Harrison C putting on the rental rain gear.

How wet can it be? It was like standing under a shower.

This is the view from the Zambia side looking left.

Zambia side looking right.

Gary S, Harrison, Debbie and I mostly dry.

Zambia side footbridge.

The heavy rains we rode through the past week is showing it's strength here at Victoria Falls.

Victoria Falls Bridge. Connects Zambia with Zimbabwe. Tomorrow we'll cross into Zimbabwe to see the falls from that side.

Zimbabwe

Day16, Mon, Jan 30, 2017

Yesterday we got drenched on the Zambia side of Victoria Falls. The volume of water was very high so the plumage drenched a huge area.

Start Location: Livingstone, Zambia (Victoria Falls)

End Location: Livingstone, Zambia (Victoria Falls)

Distance: 0 km (52 miles)

Hotel/Pension: Protea Hotel Livingstone, Livingstone, Zambia

Money Conversion: Zambian Kwacha: $1 USD = ZMW9.90 or

ZMW 1 = $0.101 USD

Up early to cross over into Zimbabwe to see the Victoria Falls from that side. Debbie, Harrison and I take a 15-minute taxi ride to the Victoria Falls Bridge.

The border is in the middle of the bridge.

The border is in the middle of the Victoria Falls Bridge.

At the Zambia customs we easily pass with only a passport and our Zambia visa, then a 2-km walk across the bridge to the Zimbabwe customs where we pay $30 USD for a Zimbabwe visa.

From the custom office it was another 500 m to the entrance of the Victoria Falls Park entrance.

Once again, there was so much water coming over the falls, the mist from the high plumage hid the view of the fall at most view points.

The mist from the heavy falls was blocking most of view of the falls.

The pathway along the edge of the falls.

The statue commemorating Dr Livingstone in Zimbabwe.

PHOTOS: If you want to see the photo’s full-size, click the photo, it isolates to a new page and click it once again. Use browser’s “back” to return to blog.

CURRENT LOCATION: Upper right corner is my Delorme inReach Explorer satellite tracks provided by SPOTwalla. When activated, it provides a real time track of my travels.

The top item, “1 Cape to Cairo” opens to a close up of my location. To zoom out for a view of the entire route, select the second banner tab “Cape to Cairo 2017” for zoom options. Select “Adjustments” enables the viewer to select more days of the tracks.

The tracks are archived back to my arrival Cape Town, South Africa, January 13, 2017.

GlobeRiders has it’s own BLOG “Cape to Cairo LiveJournal!” There is a complete description of the excursion, rider bios, updates of the ride, and an active satellite location link.

Thomas Key

February 7, 2017 at 6:30 am · Reply

If I remember correctly Lynette and I stayed in The Victoria Falls Hotel to celebrate our 2nd anniversary in 1972. One night stand as we were poor Peace Corps volunteers. Please keep the reports coming Bro.