Our adventure to Africa focused on Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, where the continent’s largest herds of elephant and hippo reside, providing no shortage of game viewing opportunities. Of course, on any journey to this part of Africa, a must-see is Victoria Falls, better known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, or “The Smoke That Thunders.” The nickname is no exaggeration; standing at the lip of a waterfall twice as deep as Niagara Falls, we were enveloped by the spray’s mist and humbled by rainbows and the roar of the Zambezi River hitting rock bottom.

Highlights:

Zimbabwe

• We were able to view the entire curtain of magnificent Victoria Falls from this vantage point, looking onto the Zambian Falls from the Zimbabwe side
• As our visit coincided during a period of hyper-inflation, we had fun buying billions and billions of Zimbabwe dollars for souvenirs

Botswana

• We enjoyed game drives on land as well as on the river in Chobe National Park, where elephants and hippos are especially prevalent
• After a beautiful dinner under the stars, we taught the curious chefs and waitstaff how to make s’mores (with ingredients schlepped all the way from LA)

Zambia

• We kayaked the Zambezi River with the famous African explorer, Paul Connolly
• WOWees were treated to a (surprise!) concert on the riverbank by a group of AIDS orphans
• We saw Victoria Falls from a different vantage point: a helicopter
• We swam in the “Devil’s Pool,” a small natural jacuzzi at the very edge of the falls
• We had cocktails on a privately-chartered steam engine parked on the bridge spanning the Zambezi Gorge
• We enjoyed luxury accommodations in the 5-star Royal Livingstone Lodge