Page 17 - Dainfern Precinct Living Issue 11_2023
P. 17
Travel
Initiative
Initiative
we avoided the long queue waiting to around the lodge included Collared Palm
enter and Vusa escorted us through the Thrush, Tropical Boubou, Meve’s Starling,
barrier gate. The first lookout point is Red-billed Quelea and numerous
close to Devil’s Cataract, where one can Waxbills.
look down the length of the falls until
the spray obscures the view. A rainbow The river cruises continued to offer great
formed across the gorge making an bird sightings, some of which included
ideal photo setting, while the nearby the Western banded Snake-Eagle,
statue of David Livingstone stared Dickinson’s Kestrel, African Finfoot,
impassively onto the falls. A Schalow’s Hooded Vulture, Malachite and Half-
Turaco was seen in the canopy of the collared Kingfisher. Twice we observed
surrounding trees, as well as Long-billed elephants swimming with trunks above
Crombec and Jameson’s Firefinch. There the water like periscopes, as they crossed
Bradfield's Hornbill are a number of lookout points offering from the Zimbabwe side to the Zambian
superb views of the various sections side of the river. On one of the evening
of the falls and at some, the spray river cruises we enjoyed the company
threatened to drench us, so a quick of a group of American tourists who
photo and then a hasty withdrawal was had been to Rwanda to see the gorillas.
needed. They graciously invited us to join them at
dinner that evening and we chatted long
A boardwalk at the Old Drift Lodge into the night.
connects the chalets to the main lounge
and dining area, and as the lodge is Victoria Falls attracts visitors from all
completely unfenced, residents require over the world and we heard many
an armed escort at night to go to and different languages being spoken. We
from the dining area. We heard spotted found the local people extremely friendly
hyena howling very close to the chalet and helpful, and certainly the staff at the
Collard Palm Thrush at night and elephant spoor was in lodge did all they could to make our stay
very enjoyable.
evidence some mornings. Birds seen
Finfoot
Old Drift Lodge, Victoria Falls
Half-collared Kingfisher
Schalow's Turaco View at Devil's Cataract
DPL issue 10 2023 13
16 DPL issue 11 2023 DPL issue 11 2023
DPL issue 2 2023 717
