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This is still DAY 6 (17 June) and we are off on our last game drive at MalaMala Camp. Mike posing with the rifle which he always took with us on our game drives. Fortunately he never had to use it. Our first sighting was of a herd of elephants on the move.

I really like the elephants, and I’m glad to see that their numbers are increasing. Killing one of these magnificent animals simply for their ivory tusks seems so criminal. I’m glad that poaching has become such a dangerous occupation.

Next we came upon these two old bull Cape Buffalos moseying down the road in no particular hurry. According to Mike, old bulls like this will often pair off together and not stay with the herd. These two were apparently heading for the water hole further on for a drink.

There’s no way I would drink from that water hole. These guys really looked old and like they just didn’t care anymore.

We took some farewell photos, because tomorrow we would be flying to Livingstone (Victoria Falls), and our game drive companions had another day to spend here at MalaMala.

Dinner that night was delicious as they all were. The staff in the kitchen did a fantastic job. We will miss this place I’m sure.

In the morning after breakfast Mike presented us with these certificates. We were not expecting that, and it was a nice touch. We’re told that not many clients have Wild Dog listed on their certificates. We were very fortunate.

This is now DAY 7 (18 June) and we were driven to the Mpumalanga Airport for our 11:35 AM flight on South African Airways to Livingstone (Zambia) and Victoria Falls. We were staying at the Royal Livingstone Hotel, and what a magnificent hotel it was.

Our room was huge, with a huge balcony for enjoying the view of the Zambezi River.

Our first activity here was a Sunset River Safari on the Zambezi River. Everyone was boarding the River Princess, but we were directed to a much smaller boat that held only 8 passengers, and we were its only passengers. These two gentlemen were our Captain and First Mate (a.k.a. Bar Tender) on this rather speedy river boat. When the captain put the throttle at maximum we sped across the water as if we were in some sort of boat race. It was pretty exciting to say the least.

From the bar they offered us cocktails, and we opted for Gin and Tonics. Our guides seemed pretty knowledgeable as they slowly cruised the river banks looking for game.

There were lots of birds. And we saw more than one crocodile sleeping on the river bank. There was a woodpecker, and lots of beautiful little birds with red under their beaks. They made their nests by boring a hole in the river bank.

This was some kind of antelope, and we saw several hippopotamus lurking in the water with nothing but their eyes and ears showing. We cruised the river banks for maybe 45 minutes, then they headed for a spot on shore, and tied the boat up to a tree. We went ashore and they brought out a container of delicious food for a lunch.

There was enough food for 10 people, but there was only the two of us. We felt a little embarrassed for being their only customers on this trip. We barely but a dent in the food trays. It was all very delicious. They even had little cushions to make the tree stumps we sat on more comfortable.

We finished eating as the sun was setting behind a huge bank of clouds, and they sped us across the river, coming quite close to the falls, and dropped us off at the dock of the Royal Livingstone Hotel. We made a reservation for dinner at the hotel restaurant for 7:30, which gave us time to shower and change. A martini before dinner of course is normal for us on vacation.

This is now DAY 8 (19 June) and we were to be picked up at 7:00 AM (Yikes!) for a Lion and Rhino Safari. At this hour they were not yet serving breakfast, but they did have coffee or tea and pastries available in an adjoining lounge. Then we waited a short time in the lobby for our guide to arrive.

We were driven in an open Land Cruiser, and at this early hour it was rather brisk, so the ponchos were a welcome protection from the wind and the cold. The lion enclosure was a program aimed at reintroducing captive bred lions back into the wild. The pride numbered 12 in all, consisting of 6 adults and 6 youngsters.

We were in their territory and they watched us carefully, and we didn’t make a move or a sound. At first there was only one old male that was visible. Then we heard lion noises coming from the thick vegetation, and suddenly another one would appear out of the grass. They were just the right color to make them almost invisible when they lay still in the grass.

They would wander onto the scene and greet each other, then lay down and stretch out for a nap. It was wonderful to be in their midst and just observe them just being lions. The second Land Cruiser had one of the scientists on the team working with this pride and she could name each one. She quietly give us a little history about them, as she spoke in a hushed voice. It was otherwise so very quiet.

There must have been some carrion near by because of the number of vultures in this tree, apparently waiting their turn at the carcass. The lions got very close to us, and as long as we didn’t move, or stick our arms out of the vehicle, they just thought that we were one big animal which they didn’t feel threatened by.

Desmond, our guide in Cape Town told us of an incident where a woman stuck her arms out of the vehicle to get her camera closer to the lion she was photographing. The lion made a lunge and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the vehicle. The guide at the scene said there was nothing they could have done to save her. She was killed by that lion. A sad story, but it does bring home the point that you must obey the instructions your guide gives you on safari.

Our next activity was to walk with a white rhinoceros. The guide here, and there were two of them, both carried a rifle. We were instructed to walk in single file. It was a short walk to where we found a mother rhino and her baby.

We didn’t exactly go up to them and give them a scratch behind their ears. In the last two frames you can see roughly how close we did get to them. The mother was huge. I can’t imagine giving birth to something with a horn on its nose.

We left the rhinos, and on our way back to the Royal Livingstone our guide took us through some country that was teaming with animals. There were lots of baboons, and this giraffe was busy munching on the tender leaves in the tops of the trees. Man, that seems like a pretty boring diet.

The zebra was grazing, as was the impala just above his head in the background. This group of monkeys was full of antics as they navigated the tree with ease and agility.

Back at the hotel, the sun was about to set, so we made our way to the bar at the river’s edge for a cocktail, and to watch the sun set on the river. To look at us you wouldn’t think we had just visited a pride of lions and walked with a mother and baby rhino.

It took forever for us to get a couple of manhattans. We couldn’t get the waiters attention, so I ended up going to the bar tender and ordering directly from him. I’m not known for my patience.

The Royal Livingstone is very close to the falls. You can see the mist rising from the falls in frame 2 above. It was a beautiful evening, and this was the perfect ending to a perfect day. Next up will be our bungee jump, so stay tuned.

The delay in getting this part finished is due to the fact that we experienced a major electrical storm on Sunday, and we were without electricity for the next 3 days. It was restored at around 5 PM on Wednesday.