A Sunset Cruise on the Zambezi

Above the falls the Zambezi is another river entirely. It is wide, slow and scattered with islands, the banks are reeds and riverine forest, and the only sign of what is coming is the spray standing over the trees downstream. Late in the afternoon the boats go out on it, and for two hours nothing much happens, very pleasantly.

You sit with a drink while the guide reads the banks. Hippo in the deeper water, crocodile on the sandbanks, and on some evenings elephant coming down to the edge or wading across to an island. Fish eagles, kingfishers and herons along the reeds. None of it is promised, but the odds are good, and as the sun drops the whole river takes on the colour of the sky.

Three boats do this, and they are three different evenings. From the Zimbabwean side, the standard sunset boat is the easy one: cocktails, snacks and the river. Also from Zimbabwe, the Ra-Ikane is small and fitted out the way a river boat might have been in Livingstone’s day, with high tea and wine on board. The boat takes its name from one of the men who guided Livingstone to the falls.

From the Zambian side, the African Queen runs past Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park with local drinks and snacks, and the park bank gives it a good chance of game on the way.

Which one mostly depends on where you are staying, since each leaves from its own bank. For a small boat and a quieter evening, the Ra-Ikane. For elephant, the African Queen’s route past the park is the one to ask about. We book whichever suits the evening you have in mind.

It makes an obvious first evening, after a morning walk at the falls. If you want the same stretch of river closer in among the islands, the jet boat goes where the bigger boats cannot.

Good to know

• Each boat leaves from its own bank. Cruising from the other side means a border crossing, so most people sail from the side they are staying on.
• Sailing times move with the season, earlier in the southern winter. We confirm yours in writing.
• Bring a warm layer. On the water after sunset it cools quickly, particularly in the cooler months.
• Binoculars and a longer lens are worth packing. Much of what you see is on the far bank.
• Insect repellent for the dusk hour.