Woodbridge Safaris

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Travelling by Boat

Travelling by boat offers a very different perspective on both the landscape and the wildlife. Africa has some of the world's great rivers and lakes, and particularly in the dry season this water is a magnet for game. An evening sunset cruise can be a very relaxing alternative to game drives by vehicle, some camps are only accessible by water and others offer fishing trips.

My personal by boat safari highlights include:

• Rafting on the Zambezi below Victoria Falls. Depending on the time of year (and hence the flow of water) you literally start from right under the falls, which certainly offers a different perspective! Travelling down the river is a mix of gliding serenely on flat water through a beautiful gorge, and being hurled around in rapids which offer some of the biggest white water in the world. These trips are not for the faint-hearted, but even for non-rafters Victoria Falls (or Livingtone on the Zambian side of the river) is an excellent place to spend at least a couple of nights. In addition to the falls themselves (Mosi-oa-Tunya, or The Smoke that Thunders) activities on offer include elephant-back safaris, bungee jumps and light aircraft, helicopter or microlight sight-seeing flights.
  
• Canoeing on the lower reaches of the River Zambezi is another "once-in-lifetime" trip, that I've been fortunate to experience several times! Below Kariba Dam, the river flows through a game-rich landscape comprising Mana Pools in Zimbabwe and the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia. Multi-day trips are available, and safari camps offer canoeing as an activity alongside game-drives and walking. It is possible to drift close to elephants as they come down to the river to drink, and viewing hippo at eye-level certainly qualifies as a different perspective.
  
• Last but by no means least, there are Mokoro trips in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Again, short excursions into the maze of channels are on offer at most camps, but multi-day trips are also possible for those seeking the full experience. Depending on season, the delta flows with crystal-clear water, covered with a carpet of lilies and offers some of the most beautiful vistas in Africa. The birding is exceptional, and I've been fortunate to see specials such as Pels Fishing Owl and African Skimmers on several occasions.