Dec 15, 2015 | meetourpeople, Wild Horizons Activites, Wild Horizons Lookout, Wild Horizons Staff
A barista is defined simply as ‘a person, usually a coffeehouse employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks.’ Tawanda Dube is one of the employees at The Lookout Café and the definition above does apply to him in the true sense.
However Tawanda also has something more- a real passion for the work he is doing. The Lookout Cafe’s espresso machine arrived a few months ago and Tawanda began learning the art of coffee making. He was immediately drawn to it and says he loves making art from coffee. After making me a perfectly delicious cappuccino Tawanda drew out his cell phone and showed me the only videos on it- of how to make coffee art, how to clean the machine and more. ‘One day’ he said proudly as he showed me a video of a man shaping a flower by pouring milk into espresso ‘I will make you a coffee like that!’
I don’t doubt he will with his passion to learn in his spare time and wanted to take the time to say that it doesn’t go unnoticed. Thank you Tawanda for your hard work!
Dec 14, 2015 | Accommodation, cultural Victoria Falls, Green Tourism, Sustainiable Tourism, The Elephant Camp, Victoria Falls, Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, Wild Horizons Activites
The Elephant Camp has recently been invited, with other leading hospitality establishments in Victoria Falls, to spearhead a new project in Zimbabwe. This is to be part of Green Tourism, the largest and most established sustainable certification programme in the world, with the aim of achieving one of their respected awards.
A Green Tourism Award means that a business works responsibly, ethically and sustainably; contributes to their community; reduces their impact on the environment and aims to be accessible and inclusive to all. Businesses that meet the required standard receive a Bronze, Silver or Gold award.
The Elephant Camp has worked tirelessly since its inception, to reduce the impact of the business on the environment and improve links with the local community and now feels the time is right to join the programme. We currently have the following initiatives in place and look forward to expanding upon these:
- Solar Heating: All of our water heating systems are either solar or currently in the process of being converted to solar.
- Worm Farm: All plant waste there from Elephant Camp, as well as most elephant dung from our resident herd, is fed into our worm farm, creating valuable compost for use in our organic vegetable garden.
- Organic Garden: In order to supply as much organic produce to our guests as possible The Elephant Camp produces much of its own herbs, spices and vegetables for use in our kitchens.
- Indigenous Tree Planting Program: To rehabilitate areas that were once denuded of trees by uncontrolled wood collection, we created an indigenous tree nursery. Trees are grown from seed and are transplanted once established, into areas in need of rehabilitation.
- Biological Monitoring and Erosion Control: The Elephant Camp employs a qualified Environmental Officer to monitor the biology of the reserve and assists with mitigation. Bi-annual biological surveys are conducted, alien vegetation is eradicated and soil erosion is carefully managed in the reserve and on neighbouring communal areas.
- Community Relations: We make every effort to employ staff from neighbouring areas, and work closely with the community on projects such as transporting thatch from neighbouring areas annually for roofing of homes in neighbouring areas annually for roofing of homes.
- Education: The Elephant Camp frequently hosts school children on educational trips, teaching them about and allowing them to experience, the beautiful natural environment and the threats that face it today.
The Elephant Camp will be graded on-site by a qualified team of assessors against a rigorous set of criteria, covering a range of areas such as energy/water efficiency, waste management, biodiversity, social involvement and communication.
Craig White, Operations Director said:
Wild Horizons pride ourselves on being driven by a team that is passionate about our environment, and fully committed to sustainable environmental practices. The inclusion in Green Tourism is an exciting development to our business, as The Elephant Camp strives to be a leader in sustainable tourism practices. Whilst we have come a long way on our own initiatives, the inclusion in such a prestigious body gives us a host of new challenges which we are determined to meet in our quest to reach Gold Standard status.
It is also extremely exciting on a National level, to see that Zimbabwean Tourism has evolved to the stage where international bodies such as Green Tourism are keen to establish a foothold in the country. This inevitably encourages local companies to strive toward sustainable environmental practices. International travellers are seeking out establishments that practise environmentally sustainable tourism. This naturally encourages operators to look closely at their businesses from an environmental perspective, or risk being left behind as tourists become more discerning in their holiday choices.
About The Elephant Camp
The Elephant Camp is a luxurious and intimate lodge under canvas within easy reach of Victoria Falls. Situated on a private concession with breathtaking views of the Victoria Falls’ spray, and the spectacular gorges which separate Zimbabwe from Zambia. We also cater to exclusive groups and families at The Elephant Camp West, which has exclusive suite accommodation for 8 guests in 4 luxury tents.
About Green Tourism
Green Tourism awards recognise places to visit that are taking action to support the local area and the environment in general. Green Tourism is the largest sustainable certification programme of its kind, assessing hundreds of fantastic places to stay and visit worldwide, with Zimbabwe being the latest addition to their portfolio.
Oct 10, 2015 | Wild Horizons Activites, wildhorizons, Zambezi river
A helicopter flight over the Victoria Falls offers an entirely new perspective on a truly special sight. It is only from the air that the scale and majesty of the zig zagging gorge carved by the progression of the Waterfall over millennia are apparent.
The flight over the waterfall is nicknamed ‘The Flight of Angels’- a phrase taken from what Davis Livingstone said upon seeing the Falls “Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by Angels in Their Flight”.
As you take off you first follow the incredibly wide lazy path of the upper Zambezi- an entirely different character than when it spills over the waterfall’s chasm and crashes through the narrow gorge. Then you encounter the majestic spectacle of the Victoria Falls- the entire width apparent as you fly lazy figure eights giving everyone a chance to view the Falls and capture the rising spray and plumes of falling water. It truly is something that gives a sense of awe- and in the helicopter you glide in such a smooth way that it’s easy to forget what is propelling you. To me, it truly feels like a magic carpet ride.
If you are taking a 13-minute flight, your pilot will then fly you back upstream and return to the launchpad. If taking the longer 28-minute flight, you will continue down to the Batoka Gorge. This offers the opportunity to spot wildlife from the sky as you take in the beautiful scenery of the Batoka Gorge.
Flights take place every day (weather permitting) from dawn to sunset. For enquiries and bookings contact info@wildhorizons.co.zw or visit our website.http://wildhorizons.co.za/helicopter/#6 The ‘Flight of Angels’ Helicopter Ride
Sep 17, 2015 | Uncategorized
The water levels at Victoria Falls are lower than is normal for September. This has resulted in the best viewing being from the Zimbabwean side of the Falls. The image above shows the two sides of the Falls with Zambia being to the right of the bridge in the image and Zimbabwe to the left you can clearly see how little water is visible from Zambia.
We encourage all agents with guests staying in Zambia to ensure they purchase a KAZA Visa for Zambia and Zimbabwe so they can view the Falls from Zimbabwe and avoid disappointment. There is still good viewing from the Zimbabwean side to be had but we expect water levels to continue to drop in the following months (until mid January dependant on the rains further upstream.)
One upside of the low water levels is great white water rafting. On the whole, lower water levels means higher thrill levels and more rapids in the river. As the water level drops, so the river follows the contours of the river bed more closely and the white water starts to really boil and crash through the gorge. You can read more about what is rated as the best one day rafting trip in the world here.
Sep 11, 2015 | The Flying Fox, The Gorge Swing, The Wallow, The Zip Line, Things to do in Victoria Falls, wild horizons activities
A High-wire Activity is an adrenaline rush and a must do when visiting Victoria Falls.
There is a range of activities from the family friendly and exciting Canopy Tour to the extreme gorge swing for those who are more adventurous. Wherever you fall on the adrenaline scale try something new and you won’t regret the memories you make.
There are 4 levels of Activity:
The Canopy Tour: The gentlest of the high-wire activities. This exciting and scenic activity offers amazing views of the turbulent rapids, the Victoria Falls Bridge and the spray of the Falls. This unique experience is suitable for families or groups who will be able to enjoy the activity together. Adventure seekers of all ages can partake. Observe the riverine forest from a variety of vantage points – from above, below and within the canopy itself. Experience forest bird-life, which can include the Black Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Knysna and Purple-crested Turaco (Lourie).
Flying Fox: You get clipped into a harness that is attached to a pulley which then glides along an almost horizontal cable across the gorge, 125m above the canyon floor. This gives you the sensation of flying. It looks tame in comparison to the Zip Line and Gorge swing, but this is still a thrilling experience.
The Zip Line: This is similar to the Flying Fox but here the cable is not horizontal it is at a steep angle so once you let go you accelerate down-hill at speeds of over 100km/h. It is extremely exhilarating and can be done singly or in tandem. It is twice the distance as the flying fox.
Gorge Swing: Leave your stomach behind, this is only for the totally insane. Your harness is attached to a rope, the rope is attached to the middle of a cable that runs across the full width of the gorge.
Once you are all set, you stand on a platform on the edge of a sheer 120m cliff, say a quick prayer and jump off – how crazy is that? You jump off and free-fall for about 70m straight towards the river below, then as the rope becomes taut you start to swing away from the ravine you were hurtling towards, fractions of a second ago. You then swing in a gentle arc giving you time to appreciate both the beauty of the scenery and the adrenaline rush.
