Sure Travel Journey 5.4 Spring 2019 | Page 52

Touch
Down
F O O D ,
N E W S ,
P E O P L E
&
R E V I E W S
ALL PHOTOS © MELANIE VAN ZYL
5
of the best
CELESTIAL
BEDS
FROM THE KALAHARI DESERT
TO THE MIGHTY VIC FALLS, THERE’S
NOTHING QUITE LIKE DRIFTING OFF
UNDER THE AFRICAN NIGHT SKY.
MELANIE VAN ZYL WENT IN SEARCH
OF FIVE ULTIMATE SAFARI STAYS THAT
CELEBRATE THE CELESTIAL.
52 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
BEST ROMANTIC RETREAT:
Royal Chundu Island Lodge,
Livingstone Zambia
Waking up on any island is the stuff of
holiday dreams, but rising from slumber
to the spectacle of the Zambezi River
is nothing short of ethereal. Forty steps
lead up to the astonishingly tall Island
Treehouse at Royal Chundu Island Lodge,
which is perched at the apex of an island,
spliced by rushing rapids and boasting a
view that David Livingstone himself would
still recognise, so untouched is the scene.
At dawn, mist swirls up from the
churning river, colouring the air like cotton
candy as it rises to meet the sun. Three
fishermen float by in a wooden mokoro
to lay woven, basket-like fish traps, while,
overhead, trumpeter hornbills float by
in twos and threes. Our outdoor abode
is so tall that they land right beside us
in the tree canopy. The fluffy bedspread
and smell of morning coffee are the only
reminders we are in the 21st century.
Once night falls, however, the sky
transports us to a spectacular world that
is truly timeless.