Diary

October 14-17, 2024

We left Namibia. To reach our destination, we had to cross the border twice—first from Namibia to Botswana, and then from Botswana to Zambia. The process on the Botswana side took a bit longer because we needed to sort out the car import paperwork. While we waited, we had some fun. Next to the border point, there was a huge baobab tree that we checked out. Baobabs are among the largest trees, and this one measured about 4.5 meters in diameter at the base. According to Wikipedia, trees of this size can live for over 4,500 years! The whole border crossing took us 1 hour and 20 minutes. However, crossing from Botswana to Zambia was more challenging; we spent over two hours there.

While we waited for the paperwork to be finished, we added another star to the side of our car! Let us know in the comments if you know what that means!

We arrived in Livingstone by 4:30 PM. We had two nice surprises: first, we were welcomed with music, and second, Alex Abramov joined us for a couple of days. Our hotel is right by the Zambezi River, where we even spotted a crocodile that evening.

Next, we visited the majestic Victoria Falls!

Names like Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River have been part of our lives since childhood. Nestled along the Zambezi River, Victoria Falls spans an impressive 1,800 meters in width and rises 120 meters high. Its unique feature is the way the water cascades into a narrow gorge along its entire width.

Back in 1855, the renowned Scottish explorer David Livingstone named these falls in honor of Queen Victoria. The local Lozi people refer to them as Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning “The Smoke That Thunders.”

At present, it’s the driest season in Africa, leading to significantly low water levels in the river. As a result, two-thirds of the riverbed have dried up, with the falls reducing to about 400 meters in width. After trekking around two kilometers along the dry riverbed, some members of our team opted for a refreshing dip in the waters of the Zambezi.
Expedition diary Stage 4