No trip to Victoria Falls is complete without a spectacular sunset and a bottomless bar; followed by a 4 course gourmet dinner freshly prepared on-board, and served while cruising along the the calm waters of the Zambezi River above the Victoria Falls with the African wildlife offering free entertainment.
In 2017, I went on my very first cruise on a gigantic 8 floor mega ship across the Mediterranean with a bunch of nomad freelancers.
It was a super exciting experience that I talk more about in this post here.
While the experience had both the good, the bad, and the ugly, I was sold to the cruise lifestyle.
So during planning for my trip to Zimbabwe, a Zambezi sunset dinner cruise found itself in my Victoria Falls bucketlist.
And I’m glad that it made it up there.
So if you’re still debating what some on things to do in Vic Falls, I got you covered.
It was the perfect ending to the day after a mid-morning visit to Victoria Falls and crocodile-meat tasting at Three Monkeys estaurant & Bar, Victoria Falls.
The wonderful staff at Shongwe Lookout Lodge where I was staying during my visit to Victoria Falls organized for me US$80 Zambezi dinner cruise ticket – which combines a Sunset Cruise with dinner – from Wild Horizons.
At exactly 15:30 pm, a driver came by the hotel to pick me up.
It took us about 15 minutes to get to the dock on the Zambezi River mostly due to stops at various hotels to pick the other guests who would be joining us on the cruise.
Checking in for the Zambezi sunset dinner cruise took less than 1 minute.
This is unlike on my last 14 day Nomad Cruise ship experience where embarkation was as serpentine as catching an international flight.
Zambezi River Cruise
On arrival at the dock, I walked down a stair case, handed over my receipt which the captain cross-checked with his list of names, and welcomed us making sure we didn’t miss a step as we walked the plank, onto the top most deck on the boat – easy peasy.
Whether we were lucky or that’s how they do their stuff I don’t know but with the small number on board (we were about 18) the service was spectacular from the moment we were met on the top deck with refresher towels and glass of sparkling wine to sip as we settled in before the journey along the Zambezi River begun.
It was free seating but not so solo friendly to the less-sociable solo traveler in my opinion. Somehow, everyone ended up sitting together as couples or in the groups they had come with.
I was pleasantly surprised by the new, modern and tastefully decorated interior of the boat.
The reed lounge chairs adorned in greenish African inspired cushions arranged in groups of 4 per table were uber comfortable and well arranged each affording spectacular views during the gentle 3 hour cruise.
A couple minutes later, everyone was on board and the captain kicked off the cruise with a quick introduction of the staff, a brief background of the Zambezi River, and itinerary of the cruise.
As we waited for everyone else to board, the bar man came over and offered us a tasty variety of amouse bouche aka hors d’oeuvres as well as the Zambezi dinner and drinks menu.
The boat soon departs from the Wild Horizon Waterfront on the Victoria Falls Zimbabwe side and we start cruising downstream towards Vic Falls.
We had barely finished going through the menu when the Captain spotted an elephant in a nearby island trying to cross from the river from Zambian side to the Zimbabwe side.
The Captain steered the boat towards the island as the rest of us on-board left our seats to catch a glimpse of this magnificent phenomenon…
We got a chance click a few pictures as the elephant went about its business swimming across the river.
A few moments later, an excite boat came forth and the excitement of those on board it scared the elephant and it retreated back onto the island.
As the elephant retreated down, our Captain aborted the downstream journey and took a detour upstream and treated us to a beautiful Zambezi River sunset.
The drinks kept flowing and glasses were topped up throughout the cruise with all manner of drinks – both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
The highlight for me on the entire 3-hour cruise was watching the sun as it sunk into the mighty Zambezi River. It was also a great pleasure checking out the boats that cruise these mighty rivers.
Zambezi River Dinner Cruise Dress Code
There is no dress code for the Zambezi River dinner cruise.
You basically dress as you feel comfortable but remember to carry an extra layer as it gets a little chilly as the night progresses.
As for me I wasn’t gonna waste this opportunity so I killed it akin to Agatha Christie aboard the Steam Ship Sudan in this multi-color maxi dress from the one and only Tun’gare254.
I even got me a Zambezi Sunrise and Tropic of Capricorn to match my dress… but do I say…
A Luxury Safari Dinner on Water
The rich aroma of fresh ingredients whirled around the boats as the chefs plated our meals.
At about the time the sun had just set, we were ushered to the main deck for the rest of our 4-course candle lit dinner – the soup, main course and dessert.
In a bit, the wait staff arrived with our soup accompanied with bread rolls.
This was soon followed by the appetizer. I had selected the black olives costini which was served topped with blistered balsamic cherry tomatoes, fresh avocado, crumbled feta cheese, drizzled with a capsicum and basil infusion.
For the main course I took the herb and garlic crusted Zambezi bream fillets served with a medley of sauteed vegetables, mustard mashed potatoes, and a white wine sauce.
Lets just say it was okay… even though I swept my plate clean and unashamedly challenging my self-discipline as I waited for dessert time.
Just the thought of the crème brûlée I had selected for my dessert made my mouth to water
Then the most unbelievable thing happened.
“Excuse me ma’am,” one of the waitresses whispered in my ear, “I am sorry we’re not able to serve Crème brûlée this evening.”
I couldn’t believe my ears…
I felt like I was in a “the cat ate my homework” kind of scenario.
But I decided to behave and give her the benefit of doubt.
Apparently, the Zambezi cruise dinner meals are prepared on board in the on-board kitchen; so as the chef was swaying the roasting tin to check if the crème brûlées were ready, he mistakenly poured the entire pot into the water below.
Wow!
The waiter kindly offered me the cheese board but I wasn’t having it.
How is cheese even a dessert? Someone please educate me.
And just like that! I didn’t get to have dessert on the cruise.
Far removed from the glare of city lights and noise, a candle in a wooden and glass frame placed a top each table is our only source of light, illuminating an arc of brilliant gold in the blackness.
Time seems to stand still as the boat gently glides along to the sound of water swathing up against her hull.
The boat’s more relaxed vibe suddenly turned romantic as couples stared into each other’s eyes and stole kisses under the dimmed light.
Woe unto us who were traveling solo…
And in the absence of a full moon, the captain relied on a flashlight held by his colleague to navigate the boat to its final resting place for the night.
At about 20:30 hours we called it a night.
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