Dear All,
To those that have decided to make the lengthy journey to join Holly and Joe’s wedding celebrations in Zimbabwe, firstly thank you!
The following is intended to give you some idea of what to expect. For those of you that don’t know we are the owner of Shearwater Victoria Falls which we’ve run for 35 years. We have a hotel called Explorer’s Village for accommodation and a very large selection of activities in and around the Falls.
Everything can be viewed on the Shearwater website www.shearwatervictoriafalls.com. Please note that all quoted rates will be subject to a 20% discount for the wedding.
Lulu and I will always be available to help and advise and your point man at Shearwater is Arnold Gotosa. Contact details at the end of this message.
Apart from flights, we suggest you book as much as possible through Shearwater. Not only do our consultants have the most extensive knowledge of travel in Southern Africa but, for the wedding, there are all sorts of discounts we can arrange. It also means that, in the unlikely event of any glitches occurring while you are here, our team will be on hand to sort it all out.
We'd really like to convert a trip out for Holly and Joe's wedding into the holiday of a lifetime.
Victoria Falls is kind of Ground Zero for our family. It is where Holly spent the first six years of her life and where we have always kept a home. It has been the starting point for innumerable adventures into the wilds. The roots of Holly's love of the African bush grow on the banks of the Zambezi and we are incredibly excited that we can welcome so many of her and Joe's friends and family to Southern Africa.
The Main Event
Try to be in Victoria Falls from Wednesday, April 29th to enjoy all wedding-related celebrations, culminating in the big one on Saturday, May 2nd.
Time of Year/Weather
Early May in Victoria Falls is at the end of the rainy season, which is usually over by end of April. It won’t rain again until November.
May is early autumn in Zimbabwe with temperatures between 16° (at night) and a balmy 25-28°s during the day - and we hope no rain!
The falls themselves are reaching their glorious peak, the grass is high and the bush is leafy and in flower. Perfect wedding weather!
For those thinking of a Cape Town add-on... (very easy to do). Cape Town is coastal and its rainy season begins in earnest from June to Oct. May is my favourite month with temps between 13-25°C with a possibility of some rain, but a blissful absence of the howling South Easter. Fantastic time to be visiting wine farms in their autumn colours, hiking Table Mountain or some selective beach time. Cape Town is generally excellent value with world-class restaurants and wine at very affordable prices.
We have lived in Cape Town for over 20 years so again, please let us help in booking anything down here.
Bit of General Info
Victoria Falls is at the epi-centre of the KAZA region.
KAZA is the largest trans-frontier wildlife area in Africa, approximately the size of Texas, or Germany and Austria combined! KAZA boasts eleven World Heritage Sites, including the Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta, and 36 National Parks, including the iconic Chobe, Hwange, Kalahari and Kafue National parks. Collectively, it is the largest and most diverse African wildlife habitat on the planet.
Our backyard is home to 50% of the African continent’s Elephant population, 25% of the Painted Dog population, 20% of the Lion population and 15% of Africa's Cheetah population
So, in a nutshell, for Victoria Falls and surrounding countries think safari and traditional Africa experiences. For Cape Town, think mountains, sea, cosmopolitan city, world class wine and restaurants, galleries etc.
Getting Here
Most international and European airlines fly to Johannesburg in South Africa, and there are a number of regional airlines that connect daily to Victoria Falls from there. (SAA, Fastjet, Safair, Cemair and Airlink)
Ethiopian Airways and Kenya Air both fly straight to the Falls from London, with short change-overs in Addis Ababa and Nairobi respectively. We use these flights regularly - both good, reliable and cost competitive.
There are two direct flights between Cape Town and Victoria Falls (Air Kenya and Airlink)
For those considering Cape Town, Air Kenya is a good option, as after London to Nairobi direct, it flies from Nairobi to Cape Town via Victoria Falls and back daily.
N.B. On certain days Kenya Air lands in Livingstone on the Zambian side of the river, but that is only 20km from Victoria Falls and just as easy to arrange transfers.
If you plan to safari any where else in the region, a number of options are available from the Falls including flights and road transfers. Please ask us for suggestions.
Accommodation in Victoria Falls
We of course would like to host as many of you as possible at Shearwater Explorers Village - perfectly located in the centre of everything and close to the falls. This will be the hub for most wedding guests.
We would highly recommend booking your flights and accommodation sooner rather than later. The Falls, especially the Village, does get booked up early. Deposits will only be needed nearer the time and it’s easier to release unneeded rooms than to find space at a later date.
Anyone from the H & J wedding party will receive the mate’s rate 20% discount on the Village, airport transfers and all Shearwater activities - of which there are many!
Everything can be viewed on the Shearwater website www.shearwatervictoriafalls.com
N.B. Included in the wedding events will be a sunset cruise, a bush braai and transfers to and from the wedding venue.
If you prefer not to stay at the Village, there is a lot of choice of places to stay in Victoria Falls to suit different budgets and tastes including guest houses, hotels and self-catering homes.
Anywhere within the city of Victoria Falls works well for the wedding. We would advise not booking camps outside of Victoria Falls during the wedding period or you will spend much of your time sitting in buses.
As suggested, apart from flights, we would advise booking your accommodation, transport and activities through your point man Arnold Gotosa and his team. He is head of sales and marketing for the Shearwater group. Born and bred in Victoria Falls, Arnold knows all there is to know.
He can be contacted on arnold@shearwatervf.com and just identify yourself as H & J wedding guests. He can also help with certain onward travel options.
As far as safari experiences are concerned, there are a lot of options, but some can be quite pricey when staying in private lodges in the National Parks. Arnold and his team will advise.
A good first-time and affordable option would be the Chobe overnight trip. It includes a cruise on the Chobe River, which is a wildlife rich environment, two game drives in Chobe National Park, relatively comfortable camping inside the National Park and a palatable three course bush dinner. Further details on the website.
We hope this has been useful. Most importantly we are here to help so please contact Arnold or ourselves to get you sorted out.
The Davis and Marley families are starting to get very excited about the forthcoming event and look forward to hosting you all.
Warmest regards,
Mike & Lulu
mike@shearwaterct.co.za
lulu@lindani-safaris.co.za
arnold@shearwatervf.com
