Victoria Falls History, Culture And People – Small Group Tour

Lewis was wonderful helpful and polit. The village we went was awesome. Wonderful tour with a wonderful tour guide

Our guide and driver were wonderfully knowledgeable and personable. They even made an unplanned stop at a market for us so I could find a souvenir. Simon shared a great deal about urban life in Victoria Falls as we drove toward the village. He answered lots of questions and freely shared interesting information. The village tour was was great, except for two things that made me very uncomfortable: 1. When we got into the car for the start of the tour, our guide suggested that we offer some gifts or money to those in the village. After 2 minutes, he asked if I'd decided whether to offer gifts or money. I said money, so we did not go to a store to buy gifts. This was extremely uncomfortable for a few reasons: 1. I had not planned to spend any additional money on this tour, 2. I expected that each experience will be covered by the price of the tour. I don't know what would have been the outcome if I'd said I wouldn't pay any more - but I didn't want to start a private tour off on a bad note and ruin the entire day. 2. The first village homestead we approached was one the guide and driver had never visited before. I was shocked that we would surprise a woman at her home and ask her to let us in and show us around. She was obviously uncomfortable as our guide walked around her land, as she barely spoke and did not speak directly to us, but only softly to the guide. I wonder if she really wanted to host us or whether she was intimidated by two men and two foreigners at her gate. The second rural location we visited was amazing. The host was ready for us. He was gracious and lively and answered tons of questions. I'm grateful for that experience. I am concerned about whether the tour company compensates him for his time or if he relies on tourist "gifts". In all, I enjoyed this tour. I knew when booking a cultural tour that there was a risk that either I or the people involve would be exploited. It's nearly impossible to meet a tourist's expectations of "authentic" on a paid excursion. Outside of my two major concerns, I think Cuckcoo Safaris did a great job with this tour.