Trip to South Africa

05 June 2025 From May 2nd to 9th, we took a unique trip to South Africa, where we planned to explore the wildlife and see the famous Victoria Falls. The journey to Cape Town took us over a day, with two transfers. We stayed at the City Lodge Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. We walked the old streets of the historic part of the city, seeing numerous monuments to the history of South Africa's colonization. We visited the ancient fort and the first building built by Europeans in South Africa. We strolled along Aderley Street and the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. We took the funicular up Table Mountain, a "wonder of the world." From there, we enjoyed magnificent views of the coast and the city of Cape Town, as well as the Twelve Apostles mountain range. In the evening, over dinner, we took in a drum show. The next day, we took an excursion to the Cape of Good Hope and visited Boulders Penguin Beach. On the way to the cape, we saw the white beaches of Camps Bay. From the village of Hout Bay, we took a boat cruise to an island popular with fur seals. After the cruise, we reached Cape Point, where, from a height of two hundred meters, we saw the confluence of the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Later, we saw a wild penguin colony. The next day, we dedicated ourselves to wine routes. We visited one of the Wine Valleys, learned about the history of winemaking in South Africa, and, of course, tasted wines at two estates. That concluded our excursion to South Africa; the next day, we flew to Zimbabwe. That evening, we had an unforgettable dinner with a tasting of local dishes and watched colorful dances. Perhaps the main reason we came to South Africa was the Victoria Falls excursion. It was spectacular! Victoria Falls is one of the wonders of our planet, created by nature itself. Words cannot describe the beauty and power of these falls. During the excursion to the falls (from the Zimbabwean and Zambian sides), we walked, accompanied by the constant roar of cascades and refreshing spray, through the rainforest along the gorge where the Zambezi River cascades – "The Smoke That Thunders" is what Africans call the falls. In the evening, we sailed along the banks of the Zambezi. That evening, we were unable to observe the life of the National Park's inhabitants. Giraffes, elephants, lions, rhinoceroses, zebras, buffalo, and antelope did not come to the river to drink at sunset. However, we did see hippos languidly dozing in the water. On the boat, we were offered light snacks and refreshments. The very next day, while participating in a safari in Chobe National Park (in another Southern African country, Botswana), we encountered four of Africa's Big Five: a rhinoceros, an elephant, a buffalo, and a leopard. The lion was elsewhere. We managed to do this first by boat and then by jeep. So, we had an unforgettable experience, visiting four Southern African countries, and on the way back, with a layover in Addis Ababa, we visited Ethiopia.