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Our Story

and why we created this website about Victoria Falls...

My name is Tony and together with my wife Boo we created this website out of a passion for our home country Zimbabwe and our love for the African Bush, wildlife and adventure.

We met in Victoria Falls 35 years ago and have been married for 30 years. We have three wonderful sons, Daniel, Dean and Shane. When we met I was a Rafting Guide and Boo (that's right Boo, real name Aileen) was the secretary to the general manager of Victoria Falls Hotel.  Those were wonderful and exciting days and memories of them always bring a smile to my face.

From then until now we have had an incredible journey, with many highs and many lows. We've been through the mill and faced many challenges.

Zimbabwe is an incredible country and there is hardly ever a dull moment. The people are wonderful as is the countryside, it was once considered the Jewel of Africa and rightly so. Unfortunately Political madness has stripped it of that accolade but hopefully one day it will regain its rightful status.

We feel very fortunate that life has led us to the making of this website. It's a fantastic lifestyle, we work together and make a living doing what we love to do.

Victoria Falls Guide's Tony and Boo at Livingstone Island

Boo and Tony at Livingstone Island

This is our Story...

Both Boo and I were brought up in Harare in Zimbabwe, we were teenagers during the guerrilla war that shook Rhodesia (as it was called then) and its people during the 1970's, but which eventually brought about independence in 1980 and the dawn of a new era.

We started our careers in the travel industry Boo worked in Hotels (mostly in the food and beverage side) and I was a Canoeing Safari guide on the Lower Zambezi River.

We were both transferred to Victoria Falls in 1985. The company I was working for was expanding into a new and exciting operation… White Water Rafting.

Can you believe at that stage only a few very adventurous people had ever been rafting on the wild river below Victoria Falls. At the tender age of 20 I was brought in along with a few other guides to train and become an oarsman. It was an exciting time!

Zambezi River rafting in 1986

This photo was taken in 1986 and that's me in the purple life jacket. The river hasn't changed much, but I sure have!!!

Twenty five years later thousands of people have been rafting and Victoria Falls is considered the Adventure Capital of Africa with so many exciting activities to do it is almost impossible to list them all.

I must say that I feel very privileged to have been involved in those pioneering days, strong friendships were forged that still last to this day.

The Highs...

Several years later we decided to start our own business making Furniture from Teak wooden Railway Sleepers (Ties). It was a completely unique concept and this furniture proved to be extremely popular and our business flourished. We exported furniture all around the world and had a few outlets in Harare and one in the UK which was run by family living there.

During the early 90's we were extremely blessed to have 3 beautiful sons born, they continue to be our pride and joy, and are highest of the highs we have ever had.

Our dream was to own and live on an African Game Farm and in 1995 we managed to buy one. A beautiful 3500 acre farm of virgin bush only 50 kilometres north of Harare, we built it up from scratch putting in roads and fences, electricity and workshops. We built a beautiful house, and also a cottage for my Mum and Dad.

We sold our business and invested everything we had in this piece of land

We introduced lots of Game including Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeest, Eland and many more. Life was bliss and we were on a high.

The Lows...

However Zimbabwe was in for some tough times ahead as Robert Mugabe surged forward with his land redistribution policy. In 2002 when it was no longer safe for us to stay living on the farm and we had to abandon it.

We were more fortunate than some farmers during that time and we managed to get most of our possessions off the farm and we moved back into Harare. From a high to now a very low and a big lesson in life sent to teach us humility and forgiveness.

We decided at this stage to move to England as I had family there. We initially planned to go for 2 years thinking that the madness in Zimbabwe would not go on for any longer than that. Well five years later the situation in Zimbabwe had worsened and the prospect of moving back to our farm was more distant than ever.

A new opportunity came along...

While in England I was lucky enough to get invited to a World Internet Summit conference being held in London. It revolutionised my thinking. The power and the functionality of the internet meant that you can make a substantial living from your computer anywhere in the world, as long as there is an internet connection.  

Was this our ticket back to Africa ?

So I bought every "How To Make Money on the Internet" package I could find and did learn an awful lot, but still didn't make the vast sums of money promised in these packages. Great sales letters but then when you buy the program it is never quite as easy as they make out. Too many blanks.

Things were looking bleak but then I came across SBI (Solo Build It) whose approach was not a get rich quick scheme but a much longer deep rooted system based on a solid foundation. Building a website  about what you know and love, what turns you on… what flicks your switch!!

Let people know what you know about, on any given subject, in our case Victoria Falls and people will flock to your website eager for that information.

So there you have it, in December 2007 with the wind back in our sails we once again packed up all our belongings and moved back to Africa and started building this website, which thankfully has grown from strength to strength and provides us with the lifestyle we dreamed of. You can read more about how the website works by visiting our About-Us page.

Family Holiday in Botswana

Our Family on Holiday in Botswana in our overland Vehicle "Arnie"

We are extremely happy and settled here and despite the challenges that face Zimbabwe we are so grateful to be back in Africa where our hearts lie.

Victoria Falls is central to so many wilderness areas not only in Zimbabwe but also Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. We get to explore these areas on a regular basis, checking out all the camps and lodges which enables us to give our clients first hand information. We just love it...

If you are planning a visit to Victoria Falls or merely doing some research. We sincerely hope that our experience and information will be of some help to you.

We get so many people asking us about How SBI works

so I decided to add another page to our site to explain exactly what it did for us and How it has Changed our Lives.You can Read it Here

If you are at all interested in making a living out of what you know and love, I would highly recommend you having a look at Solo Build It they show you step by step how to do it. Even if you know absolutely nothing about websites or the internet.

They help you find the perfect topic for your site, How to build it, How to get traffic to it, and then they even teach you how to make money with it, no matter what it is about.

So if you are prepared to put in some hard work and can see the bigger picture, I would encourage you to do this too. If we can do this, I can assure you anyone can…

"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step"

Thanks for your reading this far, if you would like to ask a question or make any comments please do so in the box below.

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Questions or Comments

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Questions and Comments from other Visitors

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Inspirational 
I am a 'black' Zimbabwean living in the diaspora and I have learnt a lot from your story and for free, which I was never taught at school despite my parents …

Vic Falls Myths and Legends 
Hi, Tony and Boo; do you have information relating to the history and cultural groups found in Vic Falls, their myths and legends relating to the falls …

Moving to Victoria Falls? 
Hi Tony & Boo and many thanks for this web site. I have just subscribed to your Bush Subscription. I'll try and keep this brief, my wife Melissa is from …

Advertising 
Hi, I fell in love with your website. I run a backpackers lodge in Kasane, how can I place my advert in your website. Regards Simo Kabasiya Bananyana …

Zimbabwe Travel 
Traveled in the late 1990's to Victoria Falls but chose to do the Zambia side after all the political upheaval. Now taking a grandson to Africa and would …

Booking? 
Hi There, I have been looking down your excellent Victoria Falls site. I am interested in booking the following for April 25th 2017:- 1/ - Flight …

Inspiring 
Tony and Boo, well done for sharing such a story and being inspirational. I am a black Zimbabwean and I completely understand your story. The fact that …

Stay strong! 
You folks have been really strong and wise, I paint and Vic Falls features in my work. I left Byo in 2004 and live in England now so really appreciate …

WOW 
Tony & Boo...your story is amazing and I hope your children have learned from you both as well!! I have communicated past couple days with Boo about "what …

very informative website 
Was really Inspired by your story and your journey through life. You seem to have made the most of all your situations. Your website is very creative and …

convenient information! 
It's awesome! well informed website! can you do the same same with Lake Kariba???

ex Chipinge 
Hi Tony & Boo - your story and experiences are inspirational. Your web site has answered so many questions & so easy to link into for more information …

Victoria Falls for two days in November 
Hello, Thanks you for your wonderful site, it is by far the best we have come across in planning our trip! We are two couples from Northern CA (San …

Zambezi White water rafting 
We are coming over on 18th august staying in the Ilala Lodge as friends of Juliet King's family for the big wedding! I'm keen to go w w rafting but …

Elephant Hills Hotel 
Hi, I would like to know if they take Amex Credit Cards at Elephant Hills Hotel. How's their service? My coleagues (6 0f them) are to travel to Vic …

Help please 
Hello. I write mystery novels with a friend under the name Michael Stanley. They are set in Botswana, but also involve its neighbouring countries. In …

Use a pic 
Hi Tony. I have a small tour business in Cape Town. Went to varsity in Pmb where i met Fiona my wife. Here folks and family still live in Pmb. I …

Great Site 
Your site is great and a lot of what you say rang true with me... I am visiting Vic Falls at the end of next week and I am really looking forward to …

You have a GREAT site 
Looking forward to being in Victoria falls this September.

The Zimbabwe Land Question 
Do you agree Tony that your fore-fathers robbed and stole the African's Land? And that your fore-fathers ruthlessly dehuman and shed African's blood so …

Pictures 
Hello! I love your site! I am part of a women's group in Princeton,Illinois called Friends in Council. Our chapter has been meeting for 131 years. Each …

Great Website! 
I stumbled across your website today as I was doing some research on package holidays in Vic Falls. I am South African, from Durban, and it pains me that …

The way was long 
With great interest I read about the long time it took to where you are now. All the sad moments you had to live through at the moment of the Independance. …

Inspiration 
You inspire me. Thank you.

Click here to write your own.



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