Victoria Falls: a phenomenon to behold
A distant aerial view of Victoria Falls as my flight approached Victoria Falls International Airport it is a burning field with white smoke rising into the sky. As you approach the falls, you realize that the ‘smoke’ is actually a cloud of water rising as the Zambezi River descends the falls with astonishing force and power.
Once on land, the 15-mile journey from the airport to the city of Victoria Falls is an extremely smooth road. Both sides of the road are lined with beautiful trees. The city of Victoria Falls can easily be mistaken for a small modern city in the developed world. Is it clean; The buildings are modern and very well maintained. The roads are very well paved and marked. Well-kept flower beds and gardens. The city does not have as much traffic, aside from the hordes of buses and minibuses that transport tourists from the falls to various hostels in the city.
The entrance fee to the park is paid at the entrance of the falls. Please note that park entrance fees are paid in US dollars, in cash. This is the most preferred mode of payment. Any other mode of payment can be a huge hassle and cause unprecedented complications for you. A lady in front of me had US traveler’s checks for $ 50 and had to leave because they couldn’t give her change back. Foreigners cannot use Zimbabwe dollars to pay for park entrance fees.
Before arriving at Victoria Falls, it is very important to prepare for a ‘rainy’ day. It’s guaranteed to rain while viewing the falls. This will not be rainwater but from the ‘smoke’ cloud I mentioned at the beginning. The best item to protect yourself from the rain is a poncho. A raincoat will also do. Also have shorts if possible because long pants will definitely get wet from the knee down. Open shoes that are not leather would be the best option for footwear.
The first stop would be at the Livingstone statue. This is a relatively large statue that was put under an immense security guard when the locals wanted to destroy it due to political differences between Zimbabwe and Great Britain several years ago. The next stop would be a view of the Devil’s Waterfall and Catarata Island. Devil’s Waterfall is the western end of the falls and there is a huge force of water flowing down Devil’s Waterfall. From Cataract Island, the next stop is the main falls. This is where one can experience the heaviest rains, although this is the best view to see the falls. From the main falls, I head to Livingstone Island. It is said that Dr. Livingstone docked at Livingstone Island and spent the night there oblivious to the falls right after that. As I continue east the next stop is Horseshoe Falls, followed by Rainbow Falls and finally Eastern Cataract. Words cannot express the view at Victoria Falls, as the scene is never static. The width of Victoria Falls from Devil’s Falls to East Falls is 1,700 meters. The average height of the main falls is 83 meters. The average height of the Rainbow Falls is 99 meters. The average height of all the falls is 93 meters. The average flow of water over the falls is 34,000 cubic meters per minute.
The best time to see the falls is between February and June. This is the time when the falls are full and complete from Devil’s Falls to East Falls. During the other months when less rainfall is experienced, Horseshoe Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Eastern Cataract have no water flowing over them. The paved walkways throughout all of the falls are well maintained and wheelchair accessible.
Immediately before the falls, the Zambezi River has 4 rapids that zigzag one after another. The current falls is the first rapid and is in favor of Zimbabwe. The best country to view the falls now is from the Zimbabwe side and not from the Zambian side. However, several centuries ago, Rapid 4, which formed the first drop along the Zambezi, was in favor of Zambia. So Rapid 3 was created and it was in favor of Zimbabwe. When Rapid 2 was created, it was in favor of Zambia. The famous Zimbabwe / Zambian bungi jumping bridge is located at Rapid 2. The current drops and Rapid 1 is in Zimbabwe’s favor. Judging by the amount of water flowing over Devil’s Falls, the Zambezi River is predicted to be already making its new path to the Zambian side. This will create a new and rapid fall that will be in favor of Zambia. However, this will take hundreds of years to form.
Leaving the falls after Eastern Cataract, we headed to the famous bridge linking Zimbabwe and Zambia in Rapid 2. This is the bridge where the bungi jumping takes place. Rafting also runs from Rapid 2 downstream. River cruises take place upstream before the falls.
The best method to see the falls is by helicopter. Flight Of Angels offers the perfect experience and a great view of the falls.
Victoria Falls has all kinds of lodgings and hotels to cater for all kinds of travelers. These include Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, A’Zambezi River Lodge, Elephant Hills Hotel, Nyati Lodge, Lokuthula Lodges, Victoria Falls Hotel, The Kingdom Hotel and Casino, among others.
Some of the activities available at Victoria Falls is a sunset cruise that provides a very good experience. A visit to Victoria Falls will not be complete without a visit to The Boma – The Place of Eating. This is a wonderful place to dine with traditional dances. You can also go on elephant rides and visit the crocodile farm. There is also canoeing and rafting along the Zambezi.
Botswana is only an hour’s drive from Victoria Falls, if one has more time, consider visiting Chobe in Botswana for a night or two.
My flight back to Harare stopped at Bulawayo. He couldn’t help but notice that Bulawayo International Airport seemed to have been expanding the airport with a massive, modern airport building. However, this building seems to have stalled for several years.
Harare is a modern city with well paved and maintained roads. As I traveled through Zimbabwe, it is clear that this is a country that previously had enormous economic growth and focused development that now appears to have hit a brick wall.