Summer Hartley

Victoria Falls is one of those places that lives up to its reputation—but only if you experience it fully. On our month-long trip across East and Southern Africa, we spent the final week exploring Victoria Falls from both the Zimbabwe and Zambia sides, took a helicopter tour above the gorge, walked the mile-long trail to the Knife Edge Bridge, enjoyed a sunset dinner cruise on the Zambezi, and added a cross-border day safari to Chobe National Park in Botswana. This trip report covers the logistics, the properties, the adventure activities, and the dining that made this portion of our journey exceptional.

Victoria Falls is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, but what most travelers don’t realize is that it’s also one of Africa’s premier adventure destinations. This itinerary is designed for active, thrill-seeking travelers who want more than a photo at the viewpoint—it’s nine days of helicopters, white water rafting, overnight canoe safaris, walking safaris with white rhinos, Devil’s Pool, bungee jumping, zip-lining, and game drives, all anchored by exceptional lodges on both sides of the Zimbabwe-Zambia border. Fly roundtrip into Livingstone, Zambia from Johannesburg, South Africa, and spend the first six nights on the Zimbabwe side before crossing to Zambia for the final two nights. With an optional one-day extension, you can add a Chobe National Park safari in Botswana, bringing the trip to ten days. This is Victoria Falls for the traveler who wants to feel it, not just see it.

East Africa has a special place in my heart—I lived in Uganda in my twenties and worked across the continent as a nurse. When I returned after nearly twenty years with my husband, I wanted to design a trip that went beyond the typical safari-plus-Zanzibar formula. We spent a month traveling through Tanzania and Kenya, and this trip report covers the East Africa portion: four nights on safari in the Serengeti, a week on Kenya’s Diani Beach, and time exploring Zanzibar. If you’re considering combining safari with the East African coast, this is what I learned about making that combination work.

My husband and I spent 17 days traveling through Peru in December 2025, and the defining thread of the trip was riding both of Belmond’s Peruvian trains—the Andean Explorer (a three-day, two-night sleeper from Arequipa to Cusco) and the Hiram Bingham (a scenic day train to Machu Picchu). I went in expecting beautiful scenery and came away with something deeper: a real understanding of how these two journeys differ and how to match each one to the right traveler. If you’re considering a rail journey through Peru, this is what I wish I’d known before booking.

Most travelers treat Arequipa as a footnote on the way to somewhere else—if they visit at all. That’s a mistake. Peru’s White City, built from pale volcanic sillar stone and flanked by three towering volcanoes the locals call guardians, has a depth that surprised us at every turn: a culinary scene that rivals Lima’s ambition in a fraction of the space, centuries-old monasteries with stories stranger than fiction, and two traditional markets that reveal more about Peruvian food culture than any restaurant menu ever could. We spent two full days here before boarding the Belmond Andean Explorer, and those days turned out to be among the richest of our entire 17-day trip. Arequipa also sits at roughly 7,600 feet—high enough to begin acclimatizing for the extreme altitudes ahead, but comfortable enough to enjoy every moment on the ground.