Needless to say, we were excited about the prospect of seeing the king of beasts. Our guide was paying keen attention to the birds and their non-stop chatter. He maneuvered the jeep to a clump of trees where the birds were in agitation. Sure enough, two male lions were bedding down for the day.

With an adrenaline rush going through my system, I bid my goodbyes to giraffes poking their heads out of treetops, the lilac-breasted roller gracing the sky and the elephants greedily slurping water in this wildlife paradise.

 My last article was written on our authentic bush camp and safari experience in Zimbabwe. Now, we were off to Victoria Falls, located on the Zambezi River between the African countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. They are one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

David Livingston, the Scottish missionary and explorer, is believed to be the first European to view and record the thundering falls. Wanting to honor his Queen Victoria, Livingston named the falls after her. The falls actually have two names — Victoria Falls and The Smoke that Thunders.

 Victoria Falls aren’t in the record books for being the highest or widest falls. But they are considered the largest. There are two distinct seasons on the Zambezi basin above the falls. The rainy season is from November to early April, and the dry season the remainder of the year.

The end of the rainy season was when we visited the falls. From a distance, a smoky cloud hovers over the land. It took me a few minutes to realize this cloud was the mist from the falls. We visited the falls in the early morning. We had our cameras locked tight in zip lock bags and were decked out in ponchos.

 A rocky trail leads down a path with several viewing points. The first viewing point provides an opportunity to quickly pull out your camera for a panoramic photo shot of the falls. As you descend the path, more viewing points are carved into the hillside, but the mist from the falls makes it almost impossible to take photos. I looked like a drowned rat at the final viewing point. The mist is like a tropical rain storm that won’t stop.

Victoria Falls offers an endless list of adventures. You can view the falls from a helicopter, cross a bridge from Zimbabwe to Zambia, take a canoe trip down the Zambezi River and ride an elephant. I had an opportunity to take an early morning hike from our hotel with a guide and naturalist.

 Walking on the ground and actually seeing and smelling the fauna up close appealed to me. This adventure took a bit of a twist while spotting two male adolescent elephants playing tug of war. One of the elephants saw us, flapped his ears, flung his trunk into the air, delivered a roar and charged. Our guide yelled, “Run.”

While running, I heard a shot and was stunned to think the elephant had been shot. Unknown to me, our guide had a loaded rifle filled with blanks. The blank was shot and thankfully scared and stopped the elephant. With a layer of spear grass woven into my hair and pants, I was glad to return to our hotel and sit and watch the animals from the safety of our porch.

 The adventures of Victoria Falls are vivid with the mist and thunder from the falls and unexpected elephant-induced 50-yard dash. Our trip did not stop at Victoria Falls, as we made one more stop in Cape Town.

Each part of our journey provided a piece of Africa not to be missed. I hope you join me again in my next column as we enjoy our final days in Cape Town.

 Ann Griffith is owner of Aggie Travel Points International, 311 S. College Ave., Fort Collins. Call her at (970) 482-1235, visit www.travelpoints. com or send e-mail to annj@travelpoints.com.

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