Jon Mountjoy

The Elephant Camp

After my incredible stay Old Drift Lodge (see my photos, and the lodge website), I got to stay at The Elephant Camp, meet another set of wonderful people, and see some incredible birds & wildlife, which you'll see a summary of here.I loved the view from the main decking - with the spray from the Victoria Falls in the distance.

Victoria Falls

While staying at the fabulous Old Drift Lodge and The Elephant Camp, I had two opportunities to visit the Victoria Falls and the surrounding national park.There's something incredibly mesmerising by the falls itself, that makes me just want to stare at it. It really is a visceral experience—it's not just the continuous stream of water, the sheer volume, but also the thunderous sound that accompanies the water.I also wanted to visit the falls in order to track down the Schawlow's turaco - a rather flamboyant bird found in the area. The surrounding forests held many more surprises, including a copper sunbird.Many thanks to Wonder Siandongwe and Jabulani Made for helping me track down these lovely creatures.

Old Drift Lodge

I had an truly amazing time staying at Old Drift Lodge near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, at the beginning of 2022. It's a lodge situated on the banks of the Zambezi river, which provides for some great opportunities to see land and river animals and birds—and to hear the hippos snorting at night.I received a very warm welcome from all the staff on arrival, and not only because I was one of the first post-covid international visitors. Everyone seemed genuinely happy to see me, which made the trip even more wonderful.