On arrival at Fawlty Towers Backpackers in Livingstone, on the recommendation of friend and fellow blogger, Jonny Blair, I immediately signed up with Livingstone Walking Safaris, where we would visit the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park and walk with White Rhinos.
What attracted me about this particular Safari was that we would be walking for quite a bit. I had done a self-guided walking safari in Kenya at the Crescent Island Game Sanctuary, just before Covid made life complicated.
The tour started with a 6:20 am pick up from the Fawlty Towers Backpackers in Livingstone:
Driving out to the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park in the cool early morning:
I waited for 2 others to arrive:
Then it was off to another part of the park where the White Rhinos had been in the last few days.
With Gift and Kangwa as the guides and our Anti-Poaching Park Ranger with her AK-47 leading the way, we followed, in single file, on the lookout for wildlife.
In the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, besides the White Rhinos, there are elephants, zebras, impala, wildebeests, giraffes and hippos and crocs in the Zambezi.
This is a national park. Not a museum or zoo. Sightings are never guaranteed.
In the first 90 minutes, we saw about 10 impalas, 5 zebras and a family of warthogs. But no White Rhinos.
Decades of hunting and poaching had almost wiped out the White Rhino population.
In 2007, 4 White Rhinos were brought from South Africa to the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park here in Zambia.
Anti-poaching park Rangers patrol the park 24/7. Ours was in contact with the others, and White Rhinos had been sighted in another part of the park.
So we drove for 20 minutes (the park is 26mile²), and were rewarded with our first sighting of the White Rhino.
The White Rhino is NOT White
So here’s the story. The White Rhino is not white.
The name White Rhino comes from a miscommunication between the English and the Dutch. The word is in fact ‘Weit’, the Afrikaans word for wide. The White Rhinos have a wide and square mouth, differing from the Black Rhino, which has a pointed mouth.
There were 3 White Rhinos seeking shade under the tree, along with 6 elephants. Due to their presence, it wasn’t safe to get closer. Normally, you could.
So we headed off again and saw mother and baby.
As of September 2023, there are 12 White Rhinos at the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park. 2 were born last year, the one we saw was born this year, just 2 months ago, and there is one rhino expected to give birth next year, bringing the total to 13.
Of course, we had to keep our distance.
But I was super stoked to have seen my first White Rhinos.
Apologies for the substandard photos.
The safari lasts about 5 hours. You are offered coffee and muffins at the start and much-needed cold drinks and cake at the end. There are snakes. That’s why you walk in a single file, but best if you wear long pants and closed footwear with a decent sole. Cost as of September 2023 with Fawlty Towers is 95 USD, paid in cash.
Fawlty Towers Backpackers is a very convenient place to stay in Livingstone, before visiting Victoria Falls. They can also organise many other activities, including river-rafting and bungee jumping.