Birding Victoria Falls area - urgent (1 Viewer)

[pandachris]

A bit of a long shot, this.

We've ended through no fault of our own with about 6 hours of daylight at Victoria Falls. Can anyone give me a few tips about how to get the most out of birding in that time (and see the falls as well).

Locations within walking/short taxi drive distance and key species to look out for would be most appreciated.

Thanks

Chris

 

[Jos Stratford]

The whole of the Vic falls area is excellent for a few hours birding (or at least it was when I lived there prior to the Mugabe roadshow took the country into a downward spiral). I don't know the Zambia side so well, but the actual walk to the Falls on the Zimbabwe side goes through a small area of spray forest, that is rich, with turacos, etc. Also you can walk downriver along the river itself and again plenty of the usual species present, plus occasional elephant, etc. The gardens of the Victoria Falls Hotel used to be quite good too. If you fancy something a little further afield, Chobe (though in Botswana) is only an hour away and also excellent.

I have no idea as to the ease of visiting these sites now, but I would imagine the actual falls area is still easy enough, though petrol is near non-existant in Zimbabwe, so taxi might be hard (you don't need them if just around the falls area).

You didn't mention which side of the falls you will be, but if staying on the Zambian side, I don't know specific sites, but would guess walks along the river in either direction will easily fill those hours.

 

[pandachris]

Thanks Jos

I’m sure that there are all kinds of hypocrisy involved but we couldn’t in all conscience visit Zimbabwe at the moment, so we’re on the Zambia side. We were hoping for (and paid for!) three nights in an hotel upriver from the Falls which would have given us a day to hire a local guide, but our travel agent cocked things up and we only have two nights, staying right by the Falls. Serves us right for using an agent, I suppose.

One full day will be taken up with a trip to Chobe about which we’ve been able to find very little in the way of birding info, though I’m sure it will be marvellous, which is why we’ll need to get most of our birding done on the afternoon of arrival, plus perhaps an hour or two before departure