Victoria Falls Trip

We know we are a bit behind in our blog posts, so we thought we should catch you up on our trip to Vic Falls which was a couple weeks ago! We had an amazing time on holiday at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe with our team. We really were able to see & do some awesome things and relax. 

From Rundu, we drove through the Caprizi strip in Namibia and into Botswana. The majority of our drive through Botswana was through Chobe Game Park which has the largest population of elephants in all of Africa. And guess what... we were able to stop and watch many elephants from the road and keep a lookout for ones crossing the road! Seeing elephants in their natural habitat is definitely an experience to be had. They are so huge that it is hard not to be awestruck. After passing through Botswana, we crossed into Zimbabwe where along the road we were actually able to see two lions! This is truly amazing, since lions are very hard to see in nature and also while driving 80 kph. :) By far, it was the highlight of our drive! (Although, since it was dark we couldn't get any pictures... sorry to dissapoint!)

While in Zim, we stayed in an awesome backpackers hostel named Victoria Falls Backpackers. We'd suggest this place to anyone going. All 7 of us stayed in The Attic which was literally an attic of a thatch roof building. It was awesome to all bunk together and giggle into the wee hours of the night while each laying in our mosquito-netted twin beds! :) I felt like I was in college again.

 Our first full day at Vic Falls, we decided to all go to the bridge that connects ZIM to Zambia to watch the bungi jumpers. I'm sure you can guess what happened next. :) Yup, Mark went bungi jumping and conquered the 3^rdhighest bungi in the world! He was exhilerated and I was a nervous wreck. It was awesome to see... I definitely married adventure! 

BUNGI!!

Loving our day at Vic Falls

 The same day we also went to see the falls. The park throughout Vic Falls was breathtaking. Walking through the park seems like you are walking through a rainforrest (a great change from the dessert of Rundu!) You can get views of the falls from every angle... even walking up to the edge of the canyon to see the falls. The falls themselves are phenomenal and almost unimaginable. It is a place we felt so fortunate to see. And by the time you are done, you are soaked from the mist of the falls...

The beauty of Vic Falls

At The Boma

 That night we all went to a resturaunt called The Boma. The Boma is a themed resturaunt which features traditional African clothing, food, and entertainment. It was an awesome night! We got to eat wharthog, croccodile, water buffalo, & impala. (Best by far is wharthog!) We danced and played drums and even got our faces painted. It was by far the best dinner experience we've ever had and it was fun to share it with our friends.

Us with our trainer Steven and our Elephant Masuwe!

The next day Mark and I went on an interactive elephant safari experience. This is secretly what I wanted to do all along, and it was nice to get away with Mark for a few hours to experience something new together. During the safari we rode on our elephant, named Masuwe, with her trainer for about an hour. Of course I took most of that hour to get all sorts of elephant facts from the trainer. For example, did you know that elephants get 6 sets of teeth throughout their life and a female elephant is pregnant for 22 months!?! It was so fun to ride an elephant, and the funniest part was feeling the rumble of its fart underneath you. Definitely memorable. :) Afterwards, we were able spend some time with Masuwe and feed her. Elephants are truly amazing creatures.

Adam, Hannah, Jules, Mark, Laura, McKenzie, & David

 That night we had a chance to go to a lodge and go swimming (thanks Adam and Hannah!) Getting a chance to swim in Africa is a major treat and we loved every minute of it. We ate an awesome buffet, and even had a chance to take our Christmas photo! Overall, it was sweet vacation... and gave us lots of time to relax and have some fun. We were so thankful for the opportunity, and will never forget it! It was also one of our last nights with Adam and Hannah before they returned home to Canada. Guys, you are very missed and we hope you had a great 1^st Christmas as husband and wife!