Creature Comforts
Experiences intimate luxury in livingstone and extravagance at the palace of the sun city. A wild trip in every way
There is something about great rivers, and there is something particularly special about the Zambezi. Wide, life-giving, embracing but also ferocious and imperious in that manner of sweeping all before it. It is impossible to know—or love—a river such as this too well. And certainly not on the basis of a two-day acquaintance. But then, as lovers everywhere know, it depends on the two days.
Oddly, what I found most impressive was the fact that the Zambezi, which traverses a distance of 3,540km, and crosses seven countries to empty into the Indian Ocean, is only the fourth-longest river in Africa. It duly takes its place after the Nile, the Zaire and the Niger—a little comparative study that brought home to me, firsthand, the magnitude of this land. I had read of colonial travellers’ term for the vast swathes of this continent. MMBA, they had called it, in part awe, part rueful frustration—Miles and Miles of Bloody Africa. I could see it now.
Our headquarters in Livingstone, Zambia, was the Royal Livingstone, a hotel located at a particularly well-appointed spot on the banks, with a view of the Zambezi just before it hurtles down a chasm to form the magnificent Victoria Falls. The hotel’s lobby is designed to make the most of this vantage: you walk in and gaze not upon the room (which is tasteful) but through the other archway, which frames the blue-grey expanse of the water. Everywhere, in the dining areas, the charming rooms with their open verandas, the architecture employs an intelligent, pitch-perfect permeability between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Our very first item on the sightseeing list was, naturally, the Victoria Falls, ‘the largest sheet of falling water’ on the planet. Actually we’d been seeing it for miles. On the flight in, the flight attendant’s plummy tones had directed us to look out of our windows to the mist rising off “Vic Falls”. Then, as we drove from the airport, with the river a constant presence on our right, we pulled up to see a soaring froth in the distance and a brilliant rainbow caught in its snare. From the hotel’s deck, again, in the distance, the spray. It was, without question, the centrepiece.
We moved closer now and the sound of cascading water deafened us. Mosi-oa-tunya, the Makololo people call it: ‘the smoke that thunders’. It does indeed. As we approached the eastern cataract, Francis, our guide, pointed into the water. A black rotund sleekness surfaced slowly—a young hippo marooned by the swirling currents, not strong enough to wade to the other side, clinging to the less turbulent shallows by the reeds. He could be there for days, we were told.
We donned raingear, protected our cameras and lenses in plastic covers and started walking to the other side of the fissure. And around a corner, our first frontal view of the waterfall. Through shrubbery at first and then, as we picked our way along the edge of the gorge, getting wetter and wetter from the needle spray, the whole amazing expanse. It is a breathtaking sight, one neither our cameras nor our exclamations could do justice to. Let’s put it this way: it’s bigger than us.
We went the next morning on a quintessential African activity—a game drive. The Mosi-o-tunya National Park is a small one (66 sq km) but it gave us a full morning’s sightings. How astonishing it is to set out to see fauna in Africa—there is no lurking, hiding; no strained glimpses through shaded shrubbery…they’re all out there, in the open, crossing your path with impunity. So we saw herds of impala, bushbuck antelope, wildebeest, zebra posing this way and that. A southern red-billed hornbill honoured us with multiple sightings, a warthog ambled our way and we encountered a large troop of baboons. I brought my binoculars out to get a good look at a saddle-billed stork and the strange Hamerkop bird. We came then to a denuded tree on which perched an appropriately sinister gathering: a venue of white-backed vultures. We pulled up again at another point—majestic elephants, a small herd of five, would have right of way.
We didn’t see any big cats but I was delighted with my first sighting of a giraffe. What a strange-looking animal it is. Put together like an assortment of other creatures and that bizarre neck with a touch of fur all the way down! Our specimen nibbled placidly at the upper leaves, his marbled skin pattern catching the light beautifully. Just like they said on TV.
Next, I had a choice of activities. The first, to go by boat to Livingstone Island, to the spot where the explorer David Livingstone first discovered the Falls in 1855. I was tempted but I opted for the other item on offer: to jump off the Victoria Falls Bridge.
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I didn’t—couldn’t—soar outwards like I was advised to. Instead I fell with a scream like dead weight. I went first, the body followed, the stomach joined us several minutes later. It was truly beautiful… suspended upside down, being tossed up and down in the ravine, twirling around to see a fully circular rainbow from the spray.
Yet another view of the Falls was afforded to me the next day, when I went up in a microlight. It’s a vehicle too flimsy to be taken seriously but miraculously, it worked. There I was, insulated like an astronaut against the morning chill, looking down this way and that. What seemed like grey boulders were strewn about abundantly—elephants! A vein of silver-blue picked out the Zambezi’s course and soon we were motoring—inevitably—towards the Falls. The small plane tilted into the spray, which rises on average to about half a kilometre in the air. The cataracts sprawled across more than a kilometre and a half, thundering down over a hundred metres. I saw the bridge I had leaped off the previous day and marvelled anew at my own daring.
It was a good way to say goodbye, and now South Africa beckoned. Rather, more specifically, Sun City. A three-hour, cramping drive from Johannesburg deposited us at the entrance of the Palace of the Lost City, which is an experience that is at once dazzling and bemusing. Opulence meets quirkiness in this wild Xanadu-like hotel—sweeping halls, tiled mosaic on the floor, ceiling… Spires, domes, columns, sculptures, tapestries, genuine animal skin upholstery—everything at once.
Sun City is a huge hit with Indian travellers who have made their presence felt, one way or the other. And we very nearly added to it. Bart, a game-tracker at the Pilanesberg Game Reserve, was scheduled to meet us at 3pm. But we’d had a rough day, worsened by a small accident on the Segway and, consequently, it was an hour later that we trooped to the game vehicle. Our guide was furious. After informing us that punctuality was a trait much prized in South Africa, he laid down the Indian tourist-specific rules: “This vehicle stops when I want it to, moves when I decide. So don’t ‘chalo, chalo’ me. There is no ‘chalo, chalo.’” Oh dear!
But the afternoon improved. Sighting a lioness in the distance as we had only just entered the park set the seal: it was going to be a good day. The Pilanesberg reserve is set in the crater of a long extinct volcano: plains fringed by mountains. The habitat is a transition between the Kalahari and the Lowveld, and so benefits from an overlap of species. To the eye, it was a vivid, dramatic panorama that changed moods every twenty minutes as the afternoon went by.
In the distance, we spied a bulky grey figure snoozing. White rhinoceros. Two impressive horns, small floppy ears and over 3,500kg of mostly muscle. Antelopes we saw an abundance of: the smallish Steenbok and the handsome Kudu. Bart thawed towards us—clearly, tourists as lucky as we appeared to be couldn’t be that bad.
The light had started to slant when suddenly he stepped on the brakes with an excited yelp and pointed. A leopard high up in a tree, resting delicately and yet quite comfortably on a mass of foliage. We found the spot with the best view and settled, willing to wait as long as the leopard did. The lone tree and the panther silhouetted against the gathering dusk—it was a moment of unbelievable rightness. A few minutes later, the cat tired of his perch and clambered down, carefully negotiating his way, clasping the trunk as he backed on to the ground. And then with a last look at us, he leapt across a small stream and melted away into the tall grass.
Elated with our encounter, we headed back to the gates. And stopped again. A brown hyena minced along the side of the road, glassy eyes staring back at our searchlights. It crossed the road and we saw it gone before we set off again. A little further, a traffic jam. Game vehicles had stopped in the middle of the road and a hushed silence—one that indicates a sighting of no ordinary significance—prevailed. Soon the object of their attention became apparent to us. By the road, three lionesses at play. Caught in a pool of cross-lighting from the various game vehicles, the sisters ambled, swiped, nuzzled and gambolled. After five minutes, or perhaps ten, they walked slowly away till the darkness enveloped them. Now it seemed indeed that a visit to Africa was complete.
The Information
Zambia
Where to stay
The Royal Livingstone Hotel (from $631 doubles; suninternational.com) is a gracious resort on the banks of the Zambezi in Livingstone. Zebras roam free at dusk and there are resident giraffes as well. The rooms are luxurious, come with a butler’s services and offer splendid views. Another establishment from Sun chain is the Zambezi Sun (from $296 doubles) which is even closer to the Falls. Note: Rates at these hotels fluctuate considerably depending on season, so do check the website for current tariffs or contact 011-49505050/info@suninternational.in.
Where to eat & drink
Where to eat & drink
For an elegant sit-down meal, you couldn’t do better than the Royal Livingstone Dining Room. For a lighter al fresco lunch overlooking the river, head to the Lounge. We skipped lunch to indulge in their ‘traditional’ high tea ($22) and, with chocolate éclairs, fruit tarts and pastries. The Sundeck bar is also an excellent spot from which to watch the river go by.
What to see & do
Most activities in Livingstone—from airport transfers to more adventurous land and water activities—can be booked through Bushtracks Africa, who handle everything with the utmost competence. See gotothevictoriafalls.com.
- Victoria Falls—‘the largest sheet of falling water’ on the planet—heads the sightseeing list. Be sure to arm yourself with raingear and umbrellas, which the hotels provide. Entry: $15 per visit (guests of Sun International enjoy free, unlimited access); 6am–6pm.
- The Victoria Falls Bridge has several attractions. For thrill seekers, the Big Air Experience ($155)—bungee, swing and slide—is the thing to do. The 111m bungee jump ($120; 10am–4pm) is among the world's most scenic jumps. Seevictoriafallsbungee.com.
- Livingstone’s Adventure has helicopter and microlight rides that give an amazing perspective of the Victoria Falls ($140/15min for microlight, $145/15min for helicopter;livingstonesadventure.com).
- A trip to Livingstone Island (from $70), where the Falls were first seen by David Livingstone. Wade into Devil’s Pool if you dare: a smallish area on the lip of the Falls, where it is safe (somewhat!) because a rock wall bulwarks the pool. Or take the soothingSunset Cruise ($60) on the Zambezi (book with Bushtracks).
- You can’t visit Zambia without a game drive and the Mosi-o-tunya National Park is handily close ($46; book with Bushtracks).
- For a best-of-all-worlds experience that combines a five-course dinner, a safari and a luxury train, go on the Royal Livingstone Express ($168; Wed and Sat, 5.30pm-9pm;royal-livingstone-express.com) which runs through the Mosi-o-tunya National Park.
- Livingstone town has its share of charms and a souvenir market.
Top tip
If you happen to visit Livingstone close to the full moon, you must go on the Moonlight Rainbow Walk ($50, on three days around full moon; book with Bushtracks) where you might catch a lunar rainbow as moonlight refracts through the incessant spray.
South Africa
Getting there
Sun City is 3-4hrs from Johannesburg by road. Ingelosi Transfers has scheduled transfers from the airport at 8am and 12am (ZAR800 per person for a round trip; ingelositours.co.za). Or try Mankwe Safaris (ZAR3,700 for a round trip; +27-14-5557056, mankwesafaris.co.za).
Where to stay
The Sun City Resort (suninternational.com) has four hotels. The Palace of the Lost City
(from ZAR5,115 doubles) combines myth, opulence and luxury. From the vivid Danie de Jager sculpture ‘The Cheetah Hunt’ at the entrance to the ornate courtyards and plush rooms, it’s a dizzying experience. There are also the Cascades (from ZAR3,190 doubles), Sun City Hotel(from ZAR3,000 doubles) and the three-star Cabanas (from ZAR2,465 doubles).
(from ZAR5,115 doubles) combines myth, opulence and luxury. From the vivid Danie de Jager sculpture ‘The Cheetah Hunt’ at the entrance to the ornate courtyards and plush rooms, it’s a dizzying experience. There are also the Cascades (from ZAR3,190 doubles), Sun City Hotel(from ZAR3,000 doubles) and the three-star Cabanas (from ZAR2,465 doubles).
Where to eat & drink
Dinner at the waterside Villa Del Palazzo in the Palace of the Lost City is an elegant Italian affair. At the Cascades, Santorini serves excellent Mediterranean fare.
What to see & do
- The Pilanesberg National Park (parksnorthwest.co.za) is just 10km from Sun City and a safari through it is a must (ZAR395/adult). You can book with the Game-trackers desk at the Welcome Centre or call +14-5525020 or see gametrac.co.za.
- Go on a Segway ride (from ZAR 240; segwaytours.co.za/suncitytours), which is a great way to see the lavish resort.
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