The town of Livingston, which lies next to the Victoria Falls in Zambia, offers a decadent combination of first-class safaris, relaxation and adrenaline.
By Lisa Johnston

There is a bridge across the mighty Zambezi river that connects Zambia with Zimbabwe and forms an arch overlooking the gushing heart of the Victoria Falls. The Mosi-oa-Tunya (smoke that thunders) pumps about five-million litres of water per second over its two kilometre-wide lip sending plumes of water vapour sky high, only to return to Earth in a rain-like trickle that soaks the tourists gawping at the display from its opposite edge. It creates a landscape so magnificent that when the British explorer David Livingstone first set eyes on it in 1855 he uttered his famous description: “Scenes so lovely they must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”

Livingstone was the first European to see the waterfall and promptly named it after his queen. Yet, despite the all-conquering colonialism of the act, residents of the little town surrounding the falls on the Zambian side seem quite happy to retain the old Scott as their town’s namesake. In fact, he is seen as something of a hero who dedicated his life to finding the source of the Zambezi and “opening up” the African continent for British trade. It was, Livingstone believed, a combination of Christianity and commerce that would save Africans in the region by replacing slavery with a legitimate industry.

According to installations at the town’s Livingstone Museum, the tough-as-old-boot-leather explorer had great empathy. On several occasions he traded bits and bobs in exchange for the lives of slaves, who he would then set free. The museum itself is nothing special, but is worth a visit on cold and rainy days for its interesting collection of battered objects once owned by the famous Dr Livingstone.

Five years after Livingstone “discovered” the falls the first tourist had followed in his footsteps and these days the little town is humming with the ka-ching of the tourist dollar. Many visitors come to the area on the brochure promise of a “real” African adventure, then end up having their woes kneaded from their shoulders by a riverside masseuse or lounging by a poolside being fed fruit kebabs.

Still, who can blame them if their final destination turns out to be the area’s signature hotel, The Royal Livingstone, a place so unashamedly genteel and opulent that any resistance to relaxation is skilfully carved away at the reception desk. It is a fabulous sort of life lived right on the banks of the Zambezi in the heart of the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park.

There are no predators in the park, but fat zebra make a habit of grazing on the lawns surrounding the hotel and giraffes nibble from tall branches along the driveway to the reception. It is quite something to sit by the banks of the river, sipping an iced tea and watching the game amble past. Though, be warned, the monkeys can be quite pesky and take any opportunity to steal food or sugar from tables. The hotel has specially appointed staff members who chase them away with catapults, which can make quite amusing viewing.

For a serious safari, game drives into the heart of the park are easily organised and it is here that you will find two exceptionally well-protected rhinoceroses. Park officials are so worried that the pair will be poached for their horns that they have 24-hour armed bodyguards to track their movements around the reserve.

The area also has plenty on offer for thrill seekers, from elephant-back safaris, quad biking and horse trails to microlight flips, kayaking and that nasty, gut-wrenching obsession people have of leaping off bridges attached to a giant elastic band. The bungee jump looks pretty intense, but another and, in my opinion more sensible, world-class adrenaline rush can be found in the form of white-water rafting.

The Batoka Gorge is famous for “the wildest one-day whitewater rafting in the world” with class-five rapids (described as “extremely difficult, long and violent rapids, steep [with] drops and pressure areas”) that send the little yellow boats whirling like dervishes across the skin of the river, or suck adrift passengers below its surface for seconds at a time. It sounds extreme, but the most daunting part is clambering down the steep gorge to get to the inflatable dinghies. Once in the little plastic boats the main aim seems to be to paddle and paddle and paddle even when the boat lurches skywards and the skimpy little oars only make contact with thin air.

It is all quite nerve wracking until the “worst” happens and the boat flips, spilling its passengers over the edge. The instruction is to hang on to your paddle and the rope running around the rim of the boat, though this seems quite redundant when the flip actually happens, for there is nothing on Earth that would make your fists unclench from that bit of plaited thread when the boat spills you into the churning water.

Once you have experienced a flip and realise it isn’t as dangerous as it seems, there isn’t anything left to be afraid of and the rest of the trip is just plain fun.

For folk with a healthier sense of self preservation, however, there are a number of soothing activities, including helicopter flips and sunset cruises. The helicopter rides last for about 15 minutes and offer a truly impressive birds-eye view of the falls. It is amazing to fly through the mist of the falls and come out the other side to view the magnificence of the mighty waterfall. The cruises take place on an old-style riverboat that motors past Elephant Island where the crew do their utmost to allow passengers to spot the elephants that swim to this piece of land to graze.

All in all the laid-back little town of Livingstone makes for a charmed sort of getaway with options for solo adventurers, honeymooners, couples, families and groups of friends. The town is much like William Cotton Oswell’s description of the town’s namesake, “a plucky little devil”, with a lot more on offer than what initially meets the eye.