Reviews: Ra-Ikane River Cruise

"We were not sure what to expect from this cruise as it was part of our booking for Victoria Falls. It exceeded any expectation we might have had.

The guide and boat captain were very knowledgeable and informative. We saw hippopotami, crocodiles, amazingly beautiful lilies and a variety of bird life with wonderful plumage. Amazing flora and fauna. On the shore we saw monkeys and mongoose. Breakfast on the river not to be missed.

A real treat." Read more about this whole safari

"We have previously done a Zambezi River Cruise on the Zambian side but this one was so much better.

The Ra Ikane is charming and intimate taking only 16 people but there were only 12 people on our cruise. The staff were very clever at getting us close to the wildlife without any other boats being around (there were several other boats on the water) and we saw a lot of wildlife - elephants, hippos, crocodiles and many species of birds.

The refreshments were very tasty too." Read more about this whole safari

"We took the Ra-Ikane Sunset cruise 2 years ago and repeated it this past August, and we are glad to have done so. It's a very relaxing, quiet way to start the evening.

A small vessel with individual tables and benches/chairs for about 10 guests (mostly in groups of 2). Easy to view the river, shoreline and animals from either side. Congenial Captain Abel (he helped me with my Shona pronunciations) and first mate/server.

We were served a plate of mixed appetizers and our choice of drinks. On the cruise we saw 2 groups of elephants (one a small breeding herd), a kingfisher, several white fronted bee-eaters, 2 juvenile crocs, one large adult croc, several hippos." Read more about this whole safari

"The only slightly less-than-optimal thing about this cruise was the fact that if you don't get in the first half of the queue at the boat, then you don't get a seat next to the edge of the boat. If you don't know the people who did, you can't exactly lean across them to get a decent view. That said, it proved perfectly possible to find a gap at the rails at which one could stand and get a perfect view, although one did have to keep hopping back to the table get the very nice snacks.

However, once posted in the right place, the trip was wonderful. Our captain (Ephraim?) and steward (Dixon) were extremely well-informed about local history, wildlife, climatic conditions, traditions - all sorts of interesting things. Whatever one asked, one of the two could answer it. We saw elephant, crocodile and hippo and several birds, one of which was the apparently rarely sighted African Finfoot. The sunset was pure magic...

All the arrangements were smooth and punctual. A most enjoyable afternoon and evening." Read more about this whole safari

"Slightly disappointed as we were expecting to cruise slightly further and see a bit more of the river and unfortunately on that particular night not much of a sunset.

The boat was lovely, and the crew excellent and we did still enjoy it but the emphasis seemed to be on the drinking rather than the scenery.

Maybe just spoiled after our cruises in Chobe." Read more about this whole safari