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Nicole's
Travelogues and Budget Travel Tips..
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MOSI-OA-TUNYA NATIONAL PARK, ZAMBIA
Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park is situated along the upper Zambezi stretching from and including the Victoria Falls for about 12kms up river. It’s 66 sq km and is home to Elephants, numerous Antelope, Zebra, Giraffe, and three White Rhinos. These are the only 3 white Rhinos in all of Zambia - all the rest were killed by poachers. Now the 3 Rhinos have 24-hour guides guarding them from the poachers.
We got out of the truck and walked within 5 feet of them. They were not raised with humans - they were wild but didn't see us as a threat. There was one point when we were stuck between both rhino's with just a log between us and them. They both started scratching their horns on the log and were just 2 feet away from us. The guide told us not to be nervous or we would make them nervous. What??? These guys were HUGE! I had no idea rhinos were so tall! They started grazing and walked a couple more feet away from us. The guide told us that we were perfectly safe because of the log. We then went on game drive and ran into 18 elephants blocking our road. They were magnificant! Wow! I can't describe how awe inspiring seeing these wild animals up close. We also saw zebras, of course baboons, giraffes, and impala. Very coool! |
Rhinos have very poor eyesight and rely mostly on smell to find out what is happening in their environment.
VHS: Zambia Safari - The Luangwa Valley & Kafue Flats
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You can drive around the whole park in a couple of hours yourself (there are no predators) or you can take a Rhino Walk. We opted for the Rhino Walk where you can track the 3 Rhino on foot (trips are offered 2 times per day). We were picked up in our hostel in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and driven to park entrance where we were met by our guide. He drove us into the park where Rhinos were last seen and we walked for about 10 minutes and found them lying down.
Things were fine until another truck passed and the rhinos all got up in a flash. Whoa! The guide told us to follow him and he would get us closer. Uh, I thought 5 feet was close enough but apparently it is called Rhino Walk for a reason. 
The rhinos don't like tripping (can easily break their necks) so they go around large logs and stuff in their way - instead of trompping through it. It was so cool being that close to an animal that could gore you in a second. But they were feeling comfortable with us and turned their backs to graze. 
