Victoria Falls

The guide said that it is very rare that you sight a Southern Ground Hornbill and we were very fortunate to see one on our long drive through the Delta.

Another Hornbill was the Trumpeter Hornbill which was sitting motionless in the rainforest near the Victoria Falls.

Speaking of birds, we saw this Green Woodhoopoe in the same rainforest.

Being at the Falls was a different experience and when you see the constant spray, you realise how the greenery thrives all around it.

The sheer volume over the height of the falls is so great that before getting anywhere near the ground, the water is buffeted by the strong rising winds and turned into mist. If you stand here for more than a minute, you are sure to get fully drenched.
Never knew that white water rafting takes place deep down in those ravines.

Made a short video on the Victoria Falls which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

Elephant Sands

This is one of those places where you get to see as many elephants as you want, in all shapes and sizes.

If you are staying overnight in one of the tents then it is all the more exciting as the flow of traffic (of elephants) is more in the night.

We drove down from Francistown to Elephant sands. One of the observations I made during our overnight stay is that they move very silently. They may be standing right next to you and you will not be aware of them.

From the videos you may get the impression that they are docile and tame. The fact is that once they know that you are not a threat to them (or their family), they won't harm you. I like the way they come bounding down to the waterhole when they sight the water.

Even after reaching the waterhole they don’t start drinking right away. They first splash themselves with water, cool themselves down a bit and then slowly take small sips of water. I saw two of them drinking alternatively in a synchronized fashion.

At times there are skirmishes among themselves and the Tuskers like to exercise their might and leadership. On the way to the Elephant Sands, our vehicle got bogged down. We knew that pushing it won't help but still we gave it a try. Finally got it towed by another vehicle which was passing by.

Birds too hover around the waterhole and they take turns in quenching their thirst.

saw somee Pied crows:

I saw an odd looking bird along with the Myna. It looked like a juvenile vulture but later when I got it identified I learned that it was a molting Myna.

It is a different experience to spend the night in one of those tents hearing the occasional trumpeting sound at regular intervals. The next morning I saw some ostriches grazing not far from our tent.

Going through the short video will give you a better idea of the place and our experience over there.