Mosi-O-Tunya National Park, Zambia

I was in Zambia in December 2003. In 2003 and 2004 I was working in South Africa. Around Christmas I flew my family to Johannesburg and we arranged a holiday in Zambia. We flew to Livingstone and stayed near Victoria falls. I hired a car and we drove around the Mosis-O-Tunya national park which is situated situated along the upper Zambezi stretching from and including the Victoria Falls for about 12kms up the Zambezi River above the Falls. The park takes its name from the falls which were referred by the local tribe as "smoke on the thunder, "Mosi-O-Tunya". The Park is only 66 square kilometres but there are plans to extend it in future.

Because the park is small, it affords a serene drive alongside the river for much of the circular route and the wide variety of species can be easily seen. You'd have to be unlucky not to spot a giraffe, hippo or zebra. The Park has the only white rhino in Zambia. Believe it not there's just three. The others were all wiped out by Poachers.


In fact, these rhino graze like royalty constantly flanked by soldiers with AK 47s. It's rather odd to watch the party of five soldiers who walk like an armed escort around the rhinos following them as they graze. The soldiers walk within ten metres of the Rhino's.

We drove around the park in a little red Dawae as all the 4WD were taken.

The soldiers (or were they wildlife rangers) obligingly move out of the way when you want to photograph the Rhinos. Around 6pm a herd of elephants regularly cross the Zambesi river. I drove to the crossing point but didn't see them having just missed them as they crossed. The park has no predators and so its generally safe to get out and walk as long as you are away from the river and the hippos.

Pictures: 1. Victoria Falls, 2 and 3. Mosi-O-Tunya Rhino