The crimson flush of sunset stains the water as our small powerboat pulls out from a clump of reeds and heads for the African Dream, CroisiEurope’s 16-passenger luxury vessel on Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba. High overhead, a fishing eagle gives its lonely-owl cry, while a crocodile pokes sly eyes above the water to assess us. Then a baby hippo wanders into view and nibbles at a patch of grass in the shallow water. He continues browsing, content as any domestic cow, until we’re just a few yards away. Then he gives an angry little snort, tumbles heavily into the water and paddles off. If you love cruising and you also want to see Africa’s “Big Five”– lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and Cape buffalo – CroisiEurope’s nine-day Safari cruise is a great way to have your cake and eat it. With three days sailing, there are numerous shore excursions, plus several days in a remote Namibian safari lodge, so the opportunities to spot wildlife up close are endless. “I think we would give your money back if you didn’t see anything”, jokes our press officer. The itinerary criss-crosses Africa’s “Four Corners”, the point where Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe all meet, and we soon discover that it involves frequent (though usually interesting) stops at immigration offices to get the appropriate stamps in our passports. The flight from Victoria Falls in a six passenger prop plane is thrilling – our pilot swoops low over the snaking silver estuaries and small islets of Lake Kariba, as herds of startled impala scatter below. From the airport it’s a short drive along a muddy, bumpy track, where we meet zebra and baboons, before hopping aboard the powerboat that takes us to the African Dream.
