RouteLivingstone

Zambezi Sunset Cruise: Sundowners, Elephants & River Life

Drift on the wide Zambezi as the African sun sets, sundowner in hand, while elephant herds cross the shallows and hippos surface beside the boat

1
Hotel Jetty Departure
Board a double-deck riverboat on the Zambezi above the falls — the water here is still and wide, a stark contrast to the gorge below
2
Elephant Herd River Crossing
The river's sandy bottoms between the islands are a favorite crossing point for elephants — calves swimming the deeper channels trunk-to-tail
3
Hippo Territory Passage
The captain carefully navigates around territorial hippos with ears folded back in warning as the boat passes their resting pools
4
Sundowners on the upper deck
Cold Zambian Mosi lager and gin served as the sun sets against Botswana's bank and the sky turns from gold to deep red
5
Fish Eagle Sighting
The haunting call of the African Osprey echoes across the river — seeing it perched on a dead tree above the water is virtually guaranteed
6
The anchor stop of the Milky Way
As darkness falls, the boat anchors in the middle of the river for stargazing — no light pollution anywhere on the Zambezi, the southern Milky Way shining overhead