And so it was time to leave the houseboat. Our bags were packed, and again we went up on deck to catch the early morning sunrise, having been served with an early-morning cuppa on deck courtesy of Colin. No matter how much we had enjoyed our stay on the houseboat, we were already looking forward to the next stop on our itinerary - the mighty Victoria Falls. Following a hearty breakfast, once again from Peter, we packed our bags onto the boats, and it was time to say goodbye to this special place, and with Donald and Robson at the helm of our two boats, Doctor and Peter waved us a hearty

goodbye.  A brief boat-ride took us back to the nearby jetty to collect our minibus and a return journey to our ferry across the Zambezi where Bibi was waiting with the truck. Onward then towards Livingstone, and shortly after 9 am we had a distant view of The Falls as the spray could be seen rising like a giant cloud into the air. Within half an hour we had arrived and made our way into the park. We made our way to the various viewpoints. One plus-point was our early-morning arrival - with the sun behind us, it made photography that much easier. Every viewpoint provided an impressive spectacle.

We made our way across the footbridge that provides access to view across towards the bridge at the Zimbabwe border. We had brought our waterproof coats with us, though the effectiveness of these was somewhat limited. Imagine walking through a rotary car wash. and this will give you a rough idea of how wet it was. It was with some relief that we retraced our steps later where we were able to dry out in the warm sun.
The scale of the Victoria Falls is awesome, one that cannot be appreciated from ground-level. Our visit had whetted our appetite for our helicopter flight that was to follow that

afternoon. First of all however, it was a trip to the Waterfront Hotel in Livingstone, our stop for that night. Having checked in we went to the bar for lunch, again choosing a simple cheeseburger with salad and chips. After lunch we had an opportunity once again to charge batteries, and at 2.30 pm we went to pick up our transport to the helicopter. We had to endure a delay however when a head-count showed one of us to be missing. Colin was absent. We wondered if he had overslept on a lunchtime nap. Bibi went in search to find that he had been locked in his room. Nobody could get in, and Colin -

on the first floor, could not get out!! After some discussion and head-scratching, a team from the hotel were dispatched with a ladder. A couple of us went scurrying with our cameras to capture Colin's rescue, but were disappointed as they managed to gain access by the front door - spoilsports!! So, after a delay of around 20 minutes, we were on our way to the heli-pad. On arrival we paid our fares - $95 a head for a 15 minute trip and patiently awaited the aircraft's arrival. A short time later we were embarking on our Eurocopter EC130, which took 5 passengers at a time, which was quite convenient

as two of our party, Trudi and Cedric, had decided to sit this one out, whilst Reg had chosen to take to the air over The Falls in a micro-light. As we headed towards the helicopter the crew ushered us towards the front, guiding us into the front row, where Nancy found herself sitting next to the pilot. I could sense a little nervousness on her part as she was belted in and "miked-up" with headphones. The engine started up and in an instant we were airborne. As the helicopter banked around the pilot assured Nancy, "Don't worry, you won't fall out. Just watch me - if I start sweating, then you can start worrying."

On taking to the air it becomes apparent of the vast scale of Victoria Falls. It was only on our flight that I realised that the current site of The Falls is the fifth in its 100,000+ years history, and that the site of the sixth falls is already being formed. These earlier sites are easily discernable from altitude. One could only marvel at the might of the Zambezi and the huge volume of water passing through. In addition to these views, the pilot was able to pick out herds of elephants grazing below, before our 15 minutes had flown by and it was time to return. A once in a lifetime opportunity - well worth $95.

On return, we did a swap - and the remaining five members of our party took their turn. Before long, they too had returned, and we returned to our hotel. Time to take an opportunity to catch up on e-mails, and to try and get our gear ready for eight nights in the wild. Although our full compliment of camera batteries were now fully charged, battery charging might still have been a problem had Rik and Karen not been in possession of a 12 volt charger. Being able to charge batteries on the road eased the worry of running out of battery power later in the trip. We dined at the hotel that evening. Whilst I enjoyed a
 T-bone steak, Nancy had an avocado and tuna salad. Time then for a couple of beers, a gin and tonic, and once again - early to bed in readiness for our return to the wild once again - which, despite the comfort of our hotel was being looked forward to by all.