Holly Morris travels to the spectacular southern African countries of Zambia and Malawi, following in the footsteps of the famous 19th missionary explorer David Livingstone, en  routeto two of his greatest discoveries: Lake Malawi and the Victoria Falls.
Starting her journey in the southern Malawian city of Blantyre, named after the explorer's birthplace, Holly retraces Livingstone's epic journey by boat up the crocodile-infested Shire River through Liwonde National Park - which even today is thought to have one of the densest populations of hippos in the whole of Africa.
Reaching the shores of beautiful Lake Malawi, home to more species of fish than any other lake in the world, Holly goes scuba diving with World Wildlife expert Dr. Ken McKaye and encounters a huge variety of vividly coloured fish.
 Crossing Lake Malawi on a romantic old ferry, named the 'Ilala' after the place in Zambia where Livingstone died, Holly travels across the border to Zambia and on to the vibrant city of Livingstone, named after the explorer.
From Livingstone Holly travels on an inflatable down the mighty Zambezi River, braving fierce white water rapids which at times threaten to overturn the boat. Her journey takes her through myriad, landscapes where she witnesses herds upon herd of hippos and a wealth of Africa's wildlife species along the way.
Holly and the boat crew camping overnight on an island in the middle of the Zambezi which - unfortunately for them - they end up sharing with a bunch of cheeky monkeys who take a liking to their food rations. The next day, her journey continues further down the Zambezi, until finally arriving at Livingstone Island, on  the very lip of the totally awe-inspiring Victoria Falls. One of the world's biggest waterfalls, Victoria Falls is regarded as being one of the 7 greatest natural wonders of the planet. When Livingstone saw the falls for the first time, he wrote in his diary:
"Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight".
For Holly too, the Victoria Falls, framed by spectacular rainbow, are a glimpse of heavenly splendour, providing a truly fitting climax to an amazing journey. |
