Toka Leya, Zambia

Lovely Toka Leya camp on the edge of the Zambezi River.  The silky water runs silently by.  High flood stage when we were there but starting to recede slightly.  A couple of pythons and a black mamba had slithered into camp the previous week when the water level peaked - glad we missed that happening, I do not like snakes!

Camp consisted of 12 spacious, bright and comfy en-suite safari style tents - again I must reiterate that these are beautiful rooms unlike any tents I'd ever seen!  Expansive wood deck overlooked the river - bird songs, grunting hippos and elephants provided the usual lullaby sounds.

Main camp area consisting of dining, bar and lounge decks under a shady canopy of jackalberry, knobthorn and waterberry trees, complemented by the infinity pool and a large outdoor pizza oven. Lovely seating areas to relax and all dining was open air.

Native crafts were everywhere, woven into the more light and bright contemporary decor, giving the camp a special touch that I loved...............even though you know I'm a shabby chic/vintage/romantic French style decorator!!!

Paula, Jen, Babs and me..........after the Vic Falls soaking we all enjoyed lunch on the deck where you can see the river was actually flowing underneath.  Great food here at every meal...........

.....such as bruschetta..................

........and the popular outdoor oven made excellent pizza!

Toka Leya kept us jumping.......perhaps that's why I missed getting a shot of the entire interior of my tent, I was fixated on the lovely little decorative bits when I did have a few minutes to spare.

Crystal chandeliers, created locally, adding a pretty touch to the main camp areas.

Although we had no game drives here, we did spend some delightful hours on the river.  This was our six passenger boat.....................

........and our captain, Donald, who knew the Zambezi like the back of his hand. Behind him you are able to see the spray from Victoria Falls down river.  We took a late afternoon cruise the day of our arrival, then an early morning one on our final day at Toka Leya........

The Zambezi's banks were so interesting with a great mix of trees and shrubs, including palm trees..........

.............along with wildlife including really huge crocodiles which we insisted Donald stay far away from!

In the early morning light, sightseeing boats, including one named the African Queen, lay quietly at their moorings on the Zimbabwe side of the river.

Hippos, some already active, munching on their breakfast..........

.........others still sleeping on the edge........

African Openbill Stork and Egyptian Geese

...and of course many waterfowl and birds both in the water and in the trees.

The glassy surface of the mighty Zambezi River broken only by our little boat.......and in the distance the spray from Victoria Falls.

Visiting the village of beautiful, friendly children............come back for my next post which will touch your heart.