Victoria Falls
While Victoria Falls is not located in Zimbabwe, I am putting this post under the category of Botswana, because for me it was all one trip. The last day of the safari we headed across the border to Zimbabwe to see the amazing Victoria Falls. Up until a week before I headed to Africa it was not clear that the border was going to be open between Botswana and Zimbabwe. The changing state of the pandemic created quite a bit of uncertainty around how the various governments were going to react. If the border remained closed, the safari would add an extra night at Chobe Elephant Camp, if the border opened, the last night would be in Victoria Falls. Luckily for us, the Zimbabwe government decided to open the border for tourists, even if not for Botswana citizens. Consequently, reaching the last day of our booked trip, it was time to say good-bye to Shabba, who had to hand us off, like packages, to a driver on the Zimbabwe side. Claudia, Freddy and I, after clearing customs, presenting our negative PCR tests, and purchasing the $30.00 required visa, met Albion, the driver who would be taking us to the lodge in Victoria Falls, an hour or so away.
The road to Victoria Falls from the Botswanan border goes through a national park and this was evident when a giraffe darted across the road in front of us. As a matter of fact, in Botswana, it was amusing to see signs indicating “elephant crossing” demarked by a picture of an elephant crossing the road. There were also signs along the road for “giraffe crossing” and “antelope crossing”. Knowing how dangerous it was to inadvertently hit a deer in the U.S. I could not imagine coming across an elephant or giraffe in the dark. Apparently, the Botswana government also thought that was bad and hence at night they close the major highway that cuts through the park, a black-top road connecting north Botswana with the south on the east side of the country, to prevent accidents. But this was daytime and Zimbabwe and the animals were more easily avoided so we sped to Victoria Falls while Albion explained a bit about the town as we traveled.
The view of the Falls changed slightly from scenic view point to scenic view point. They were way too big to see all at one time, unless taking a helicopter ride.
Victoria Falls, being a major tourist center because of the proximity to the famous waterfall of the same name, had achieved a 90% vaccination rate and the tourism bureau closely monitored the local traffic in and out of the area. They were determined to make it safe for people to come and visit. The town is also popular for United Nation and African Union conferences and the country was eager to get the economy moving. U.S. dollars are accepted everywhere in Zimbabwe despite the country having their own currency and Albion warned us NOT to get any Zimbabwe money. He also took us on a small tour of the town and when we spotted a pleasant café with a spectacular view of the gorge which formed part of the waterfall, we stopped for lunch. After lunch Claudia and Freddy signed up for a dinner cruise the following night on the river above the falls. We had tried to sign up for that evening, but the cruise was not running every day due to the lack of guests. I was disappointed to miss it as I was leaving the next morning, but still happy to have the chance to see the waterfall.
Rainbows were everywhere. This picture was taken right at the edge of the gorge that defines the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. A single lane bridge spans the gorge off to the right and only one truck at a time is allowed across, resulting in quite a big pile up waiting their turn.
After we got to the lodge, situated about 5km away from the Falls, and settled in, we immediately met back in the lobby to take a taxi to the park which provided a view of the Falls. The park, which cost $30 to enter, had about a mile of lookout points from which to view the different parts of Victoria Falls, located right across the gorge. The gorge was very long and the water fell along the full length, including crossing the border into neighboring Zambia. Because it was the dry season, the water level spilling over the Falls was at a medium level, neither at the lowest point nor at the highest level, reached during the rainy season. However, regardless of the relative amount of water present, the Falls were still very impressive. The amount of power that the water generated spread a dense mist and stinging spray that even reached where we were standing across the ravine. It is possible for those walking in the park to get completely soaked if the wind was in the right direction. We got a little wet avoided a complete soaking.
Me at Victoria Falls with a shot of a small piece of the Falls behind.
Numerous rainbows formed in the mist, and it was fun to try and get the perfect picture; rainbows in the foreground, the Falls in the background. The park was practically deserted, attendance a victim to the COIVD pandemic, and it was nice to have the place to ourselves rather than having to jockey for position to get a good view as is necessary in large crowds. We spent two and a half hours slowly walking from scenic view to scenic view. The landscape was incredible. It basically looked like the Earth just cracked open at one point, forming a huge ridge and the water, having nowhere else to go, simply fell of the edge along whole length of the fissure and at the bottom, drained out one side. (This is probably exactly what happened1) The walls on either side of the gorge were incredibly steep, the height of the Falls varying between 250-300 feet. There was also a small viewing park front on the Zambia side, but the majority of the length of the Falls are better viewed from Zimbabwe. Because of the visa hassles (requiring another entry visa back to Zimbabwe as well as a visa for Zambia) we did not bother to visit the Zambia side of the Falls.
Later that night, after having dinner at the lodge, as I was sitting on the terrace in front of my room, writing up the day’s events, I became annoyed at the constant traffic noise I was hearing in the distance. After experiencing such tranquil and peaceful settings for the past ten days, I did not appreciate the return of civilization. It was only after listening carefully for a few moments that I realized, the distant roar I was hearing was not man-made, but the roar of the water as it spilled over the edge of the Falls. Wow!
Map with info about the various watersheds in Africa.
Sandy those are some awesome pictures. Ted said he met his 1st Warthog on a path to the Falls when he visited in 1969. The Warthog was bigger than him so it won. He said the sky turned pink at night and he loved that part of his trip best. Thx for sharing.