Zambezi River Cruise, Zambia

Posted By Ben Nickel-D'Andrea on Sep 8, 2016 | 8 comments

As we only had a few days left in our trip, and just three days, two nights in Zambia in particular, we didn’t want to just do nothing. So we decided to book a River Cruise tour of the Mighty Zambezi River instead, which would allow us to wine and dine while at the same time requiring no extenuating activity from out part.

R&R Time

We booked it once again from Euma Tours, who arranged a hotel pickup not too long after we had arrived to the Protea Hotel Livingstone. There were a few people already on the van by the time they picked us up, but in total it was about eight people. After a rather short drive where all of the passengers introduced to one another, we got to the river port where we would sign some release forms (in case we were eaten by crocodiles or hippopotamus I assume) and then be on our merry way to the catamaran.

Alright then…

Once we took off (wait, I’m too used to planes … what is it that boats do?). Once we left port, we headed up river along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe around Siloka Island and then downstream nearer the waterfalls. Plenty of opportunities for amazing sunset views and wildlife along the way.

We opted for the smaller vessel, since being swarmed by dozens of bus tour hordes is definitely not our style, and it was great. We got to talk to the crew and all the passengers, which when you’re in the middle of bum freaking nowhere, Africa, tends to be a pretty interesting crowd. The cruise is an all inclusive food and drinks, of which the latter becomes crucial when it’s a million degrees and 348% humidity.

Open Bar

Dining area

Along the way, we spotted very few crocodiles (who were too fast for us to take pictures of) and many hippopotamuses, which come incredibly close to the boat and yawn and grunt at the passersby.

Hippos!

More Hippos!

It isn’t just animals you get to look at in marvel, it’s also the unbelievably beautiful views of the sunset.

Unbelievable Sunset Views

The end of the ride is very near to where the Victoria Falls are, which is awesome because you’re close enough to hear the roar, yet far enough so that you’re not dragged down and die, which is my favorite middle ground when travelling.

Almost at the Waterfall

After the boat docked back at the port, we swiftly got back into the van and were dropped off at the Protea once again. We had arranged to meet with Eugene, Euma Tour’s owner, and his wife for dinner. We had a Hawaiian pizza and talked endlessly about traveling and what the tourism industry is like in Zambia and agreed to keep in touch and send people his way.

If you’re interested in booking a tour like this, you can shoot us a message or tweet at us and we can make sure to contact them on your behalf to get you the best price.