Following Dr David Livingstone’s epic African achievements

Over the time he explored Africa it was reckoned the good doctor was hit by malaria no less than 30 times. A myriad tropical diseases eventually claimed him at the age of 60. An explorer extraordinaire indeed and his legacy in Zambia is still very much revered including a main city bearing his name for almost 120 years.

But there I was standing – more like quivering – gripped by irrational fear at the edge of the four-metre-deep Devil’s Pool perilously close to the breathtaking Victoria Falls – known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya - questioning my next move.

The idea was to swim less than a few metres in fastish-moving water for the classic ‘life on the edge’ photo with the raging Falls immediately behind, having just learned that the volume of water cascading down can be 500 million litres per minute.

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My mantra that fear is simply an acronym for ‘false expectation about reality’ didn’t help even with two capable-looking lifeguards on standby.

Then, in a sudden moment of clarity, I took a very deep breath and thought if Dr Livingstone could do what he did back in the day I can stop being such a snowflake (an old one, at that) and just go for it. In I plunged, swam over into position and struck that pose. My fellow travellers cheered. Job done with the photo to prove it.

From an early age I had the wanderlust and at school became somewhat obsessed by Dr Livingstone’s truly epic African achievements.

My imagination ran riot thinking about how he found his way around these corners of the world without reliable maps never mind satnav and how much difficulty he faced with extremes of temperature, unknown diseases and inhospitable terrains, not to mention the wildlife. By the age of 10 I was agog, devouring stories of Livingstone’s travels.

Of course, school project work barely scratched the surface of his amazing travel achievements, and I long nursed an ambition to retrace even a tiny part of the great man’s footsteps by visiting that torrent of water he named the Victoria Falls after seeing for the first time on November 16, 1855. Livingstone proclaimed the scenes were so beautiful they ‘must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight’. So apt a description and the Victoria Falls later were named one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

Earlier that day we’d taken a helicopter trip to savour spectacular aerial views of the Falls and the surrounding gorges.  The country, which last year marked its 60th anniversary of becoming independent, has been in the grip of the worst drought for decades but the Falls remain a sight to behold and continue to prove hugely popular with visitors from all over the world.

A bird's eye view of The Victoria Falls (Image: P Samson)

With our expert pilot Kyle at the controls, we then swooped James Bond-style along Batoka Gorge, taking less than a thrilling five minutes before landing at a newly opened private picnic spot on the Zambezi River called Bobo Camp. There we spent a few hours relaxing in the 32c sunshine before lunch provided by the Royal Livingstone Hotel ahead of Kyle arriving to deliver more striking sky-high vistas on our way back to base.

For me Africa’s nations with a focus on wildlife are the must-visit ones and Zambia scores highly via its 20 national parks and string of managed game reserves. On our trip we saw lions, giraffe, zebra, elephants, buffalo, wart hogs, impala, crocodile, hippos and a very chilled out cheetah reclining after it had consumed its kill of that day.

A highlight was a walking safari taking us within a few metres of the rare – and very much endangered - white hippos, only 11 of which are in Zambia. Armed guards escorted us to and from the spot where nine of them basked lazily in the shade just a few metres from where we stood. It was indeed a very special moment.

Close encounter with one of Zambia's big five (Image: P Samson)

Thanks to amazing tour guides, Frazer and Kelvin from the beautiful Ila Lodge, on our Kafue National Park game drives I learned so much. Not only had they Sir David Attenborough-like know-how of the bush and its wildlife residents during the early morning and later afternoon drives, but Frazer royally entertained us with birdsong and animal sounds mimicry. There was no question too much for our guiding duo. We even learned how to determine the gender of an elephant from its pile of dung!

Ila Lodge is part of the aptly name Green Safaris group and the firm’s focus on eco-friendly and earned it the accolade of Best Zambian Eco-Lodge Award when it opened in 2016.

Today the company works hard at its sustainability credentials and liaises closely with the Zambian Carnivore Protection Scheme, a non-government organisation, focusing on the conservation of the country’s large carnivores, their prey and habitat via research, education and working with local communities.

The lodge, which housed us in well-appointed tents, uses an electric powered jeep for what it calls its ‘silent safari’, delivering a noise-free drive through the bush and alongside its wilder inhabitants.

Moving onto Livingstone via an hour-long internal flight from Lusaka we stayed at Ila’s stunning sister lodge Tongabezi on the banks of the Zambezi River. The world’s first electric dhow was used as part of its eco-focus by Tongabezi’s team to take to the Zambezi River, again allowing us to serenely float alongside hippos and crocodiles in relative silence and at a respectful, safe distance.

A candlelit dinner on the lodge’s sampan moored about 10 metres from the bank also remains a lasting memory. 

Peter with endangered white rhinos (Image: P Samson)

The city of Livingstone houses a 90-year-old museum with an important collection of David Livingstone letters and memorabilia. We got to the city via an hour-long internal flight from Lusaka. Outside Livingstone Airport is a statue of the great man himself and his two faithful companions Sussi and Chuma. As I posed alongside the statue of the trio memories of those Livingstone focused school lessons flooded back into my brain.

To paraphrase another journalist, Henry Morton Stainley, on finally encountering the great Scots explorer on his travels, “Dr Livingstone, I presume” had indeed made quite the impact on this old schoolboy.

Travel Notes

Peter travelled to Zambia as a guest of Zambia.travel

He flew from Glasgow to Lusaka via Dubai with emirates.com

Accommodation and game drives by Tongabezi and Ila Lodges. Packages start from $600 per person per night including meals/drinks, selected safari excursions and laundry - see greensafaris.com

For general activity/excursion details livingstonesadventure.com

For more information about Zambia see https://zambia.travel/