Africa: Travel Day & Day 1 (Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe)

Africa: Travel Day & Day 1

They call it an adventure for a reason, right? We had no shortage of twists and turns to start our trip.

En route to Chicago, I get a notice that the AM flight to Toronto has been cancelled. A few hours later, we’re rebooked on a direct flight from CHI > ADD @ 10:15AM with :30 to connect in ADD. (Shoutout to Air Canada/Ethiopian Airlines for the auto-rebook and minimal hassle!)

We arrived at the airport and were told we’d have to check our luggage because it was over the 7 pound international flight limit. Fortunately, they worked with us since we had such a short connection, but I would love to understand why an extra pound in the overhead compartment is so much different than that same pound underneath the plane. Anyone in aviation…feel free to educate me.

Alas! We made it on the flight, had our own rows to curl up in and before we knew it…landed in ADD. Christen gave me the best advice: don’t look at the clock. It worked!

Our flight to VFA was smooth sailing until it wasn’t and a very turbulent and windy landing left my with some sea legs and motion sickness…which I didn’t even know I could get at this point in life.

BUT, the most important part. It’s officially day 1 in Africa.

Checked in to our rooms at the Explorer's Village Lodge, about 20 minutes from the Zimbabwe airport; this place is beautiful and far bigger than it looks from the road. Open air seating, gardens, a double-layered pool. Not to mention, the incredibly kind staff and a perfect little mosquito net unveiling and turndown service while we were out.

After a little body-recentering, headed out for Victoria Falls National Park. Jokes on me for not knowing that this is 1 of the 7 wonders of the world, but now I completely understand why. Holy beautiful!

Located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls is part of the greater Zambezi River and it comes in at a strong 1700+ meters wide.

Stopped on the way back for a bite (no, we didn't eat the monkey pictured below; he just greeted us) and a cold beverage at a highly-reccomended spot from a friend back home, The River Brewing Company, and then all cozied up on the gorgeous pool terrace to meet our guide and the rest of our tour group. New Zealand, Switzerland, London, Canada, Germany, US…and I feel like I’m missing one. Needless to say, we have a very diverse group for the next 10 days and I'm looking forward to getting to know their stories a bit more over campfires under the African stars.

Our guide, Chris, is from Zimbabwe and while reviewing our itinerary, even dropped that he’s going to cook for us one night in the bush. His advice at the end will stick with me this week: “you all come from developed countries, we are a developing country. To get the most out of this week, be flexible; don’t compare what you’re used to to what you’re experiencing.”

I opted out of dinner with the group for an early night in (CST +7hours) to reset for what lies ahead. 10:30AM departure to Botswana and our sunset river cruise on the Chobe.

All for now.