:: Far Beyond Zebra ::: Zambia: African Queen Cruise

Compared to all the other crazy antics the Von Hagens and I got up to in Zambia, when you toss a sunset cruise into the mix... well.... it doesn't seem to quite cut it.

And yet, it is one of the things I loved most about the trip.

Last spring, I took an English Honours seminar course that touched upon African travel literature. It opened my eyes to many things, but one of the most poignant images that it carved in my memory was that of the "African River".

Regardless of the exact country of origin, rivers on this continent have been exalted in African writing. The ability of authors to capture the ethereal, expansive, and intimidating nature of these seemingly endless stretches of water never fails to kick-start my imagination.

I hail from Manitoba, where lakes are a dime a dozen and rivers are never more than a hop, skip, and a jump away. I've been captivated by the awe-inspiring power of a Canadian lake my whole life, which is perhaps why African river imagery always tickled my fancy. I wanted to see with my own eyes how it compares.

The Zambezi is a good place to start.

The Zambezi River is the 4th largest river in all of Africa (running through 6 different countries!), and feeds into the Indian Ocean. It is, of course, the river that fuels Victoria Falls.

You can see the Zambezi River drawn in blue. Livingstone is the city that I flew into while in Zambia.

After a leisurely day lounging by the pool at the hotel, we packed up and headed off for our sunset cruise.

We pulled up to the river's edge around 4pm and headed over to the dock. We were greeted by a talented group of musicians playing a massive xylophone!

Note Kern's Birkenstocks in the reflection ;)

Great music to kick off the relaxing evening

The boat itself was lovely and aptly named the African Queen.

We climbed aboard and chose our seats on the top deck for the best view!

Excidedtly awaiting the cruise to begin!

We set off and enjoyed nearly 3 hours of cruising time. We got to see an amazing amount of wildlife: birds, hippos (my fav!), and even a few crocs!

This boat ride took place on my first full day in Zambia and it was great to begin the trip with something so relaxing and beautiful. The water was like glass and seeped into the reeds and tree roots that lined the wide-set riverbanks. It felt so good to feel the cool evening air on your face and drink in the exotic beauty that the Zambezi offers in spades.

Aaron and his camera/tripod: they were never far apart!

Hopefully these photos help to visually express the amazing grandeur of this river to you. Eventually, I plan on enlarging these photos and framing them in my home.

HIPPOS! We were lucky enough to see a few of them play, fight, and emerge from the water!

MWHA!

As we snacked on mini burgers, veggies, and other bits & bites, we watched the sun go down and toasted to an amazing trip (which eventually came 100% true!).