Exploring Southern Africa’s Serene Waterways by Boat

The Thrill of a Safari Lake Cruise in Southern Africa

As I stood at the edge of the boat, gazing out at the Zambezi River, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe and wonder. The sun beat down on my skin, and the air was thick with the sounds of chirping birds and chattering hippos. Our guide, Tracy Otchoumou, urged me to keep looking, promising that we would see some incredible sights.

And then, suddenly, I spotted it – a 13-foot Nile crocodile slithering into the fast waters of the Zambezi. Its beady eyes watched me with a lazy, passive gaze, as if evaluating its prey. But I didn’t feel afraid; instead, I felt a sense of excitement and curiosity.

Encountering Wildlife on the Water

As we continued our safari lake cruise, we encountered an incredible array of wildlife. We saw giraffes grazing on acacia trees, young baboons play-fighting, and a crafty jackal following impalas. But it was when we set out on water that I got to see a different side of Africa. The dry season had painted the landscape with a desolate brush, but it was also alive and thriving.

I was mesmerized by a herd of elephants bathing, drinking, and frolicking around in the mud. An older female gently guided a youngster through the art of mud baths at elephant spa. Observing their daily rituals felt more special than just watching them graze or lazily stomp across the land.

Life on Board the African Dream

The boat sailed on, and we continued to cross paths with crocodiles, elephants again, water buffalos, and more bird species than I could count. It was just the hippos that continued to evade me throughout my time in Botswana. But life on board the African Dream was just as thrilling.

This eight-cabin luxury ship would be my home for half of the trip, sailing Lake Kariba on the Zimbabwe-Zambia border. Unhurried days were spent heading out on land and water safaris, docking at a new location each night. Following lectures on history and local life, conversations flowed long into the night, when we were treated to French-inspired three-course meals – a nod to the company’s roots.

Lessons of the Land

The next day, I found myself dreaming of my plush king-size bed on board the African Dream as we bounced through the backroads of Matusadona National Park. But our guide and driver for the day, Mathew Gotora, brought the car to an abrupt stop. He got out of the vehicle and slowly walked towards a clearing in complete silence.

Mathew followed some animal tracks before looking up to the sky, inspecting the position of the sun and what appeared to be the direction of the wind. “He looks like he knows what he’s doing,” I whispered as he quietly set off towards a row of trees. Mathew returned with a handful of leaves and some seeds in his palms that got distributed among us.

“We break the shell, get the seed out, and smell it,” he said. The group followed his instructions, inhaling a curious mix of cedar and aniseed. “The mopane tree is a very smart tree,” Mathew continued while we all sniffed at the seeds. “It can close its leaves to conserve water during dry spells and each tree can communicate with others through the roots.”

A Unique Habitat

As I set out for the last sunset tender ride, it finally clicked how seemingly disconnected and singular lessons about the lake and its flora and fauna had slowly knitted together a picture of this unique habitat. The setting sun painted the sky in strokes of blush pink to the east while vivid oranges and blazing reds set the surface of the lake on fire to the west.

And that’s when I saw them – a bloat of hippos stirring from their daily slumber. I watched a couple of them spread their jaws wide in a satisfying yawn. Upon the boat drifting closer, the ritual now all too familiar to me began – nostrils flare, ears twitch, and heads disappear beneath the surface one by one.

There was just a single hippo left, its bloated form glistening in the evening sun. My eyes traced the scabs and cuts on its side, most likely from crocodile attacks and fighting with other hippos. I drank in every detail while I could – it was the first one I’d seen for more than a few seconds. And to my surprise, it watched me back.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden glow over the lake, I knew that this safari lake cruise would be an experience I would never forget. The thrill of encountering wildlife on the water, the lessons learned from the land, and the unique habitat of Lake Kariba had all come together to create an unforgettable adventure in southern Africa.