Mosi-oa-Tunya (victoria falls)
Victoria falls
Vic falls, one of the most famous place in Africa for international tourists and locals alike. The falls, the largest in the world both in height (108m) and width (800m), sit along the border of both Zimbabwe and Zambia, over one million visitors come by each year, although you wouldn’t know it on this November weekend. On the Zimbabwe side of the falls sits a quaint small town, a tourist trap with overpriced americanised restaurants and shops, my jaw dropping when I had to pay Australian prices for a meal after not forking out more than $4 this whole trip, but stomach happy after treating myself to an açai bowl, my first and last nod to home since leaving Cape Town. My wallet would survive the 3 nights spent here, my heart growing fond of Zimbabwe already, having already lost at least 4kg’s in pure sweat and having taken over 1000 photos.
The falls themselves are iconic, as much as the $50USD entry fee hurts, it would be a crime to not go and see the falls in Victoria Falls. The African and original name of the falls, Mosi-oa-Tunya translates to the smoke that thunders, only becoming Victoria falls after the discovery of the falls in 1855 by Sir David Livingstone. Since then, despite gaining independence in 1980, Victoria falls and Zimbabwe as a whole utilises American Dollars as their main currency, and thus the falls fall (pun intended) into charging extortionate amounts for food, drink and entrance fees, the conversion from US to AUS dollars was killing me!
The $50USD aside, I’m so glad we went to view the falls from all 18 view points on the Zimbabwe side, some more than once. Being the first through the gates after walking down to beat the heat and the crowds worked, and we just about had each viewpoint to ourselves whilst we took in the magic of the Victoria falls. The many rainbows formed from the falls spray magical, today’s spray fortunately not too big, as some days your view is obstructed by the force of the water, and clothes soaked at the same time. We didn’t need our rain jackets this morning, just cameras and eyes out, in awe of the largest waterfall in the world. As the sun came up over the horizon the lighting continued to change, ‘wow’ definitely the word of the morning. You can view the falls from the Zimbabwe side as we did for $50USD, or cross into Zambia and view them for $30USD. The general consensus was that the viewpoints from Zim are bigger and provide a more Birds Eye view of the general scale of the falls, whilst Zambia provides a more up close and personal experience, guaranteed spray. Zambia’s side is accessible with stairs, whilst Zim is wheelchair friendly, but no matter where you see the falls from, helicopter or on foot, it’s magical.
Beating both the crowds and the heat meant we could enjoy a few hours of unobstructed views without sweating out our body weight, saying goodbye to Kelly, my roommate for the first leg was bittersweet, and the lookout cafe nearby the perfect spot for a morning coffee before making the hot walk back to the campsite. On the streets of vic falls you’ll be pestered to buy things and to go on tours, a polite smile and wave approach is useful, although by day 4 my patience had worn too thin to take my own advice. The pit holes we soon learnt were also troublesome, a new friend on our next leg taking a tumble into the ditch, a head torch definitely recommended for night. If budget isn’t an issue for you, vic falls offers many adrenaline seeking ventures for the more adventurous. White water rafting, bungee jumping, big swings and wildlife encounters are all experiences I’ve ticked off before, helicopters were out of my budget, but hanging off the edge of the biggest waterfall in the world? How was I going to pass up that opportunity!?
When my instagram quickly filled with Africa to do lists before coming here, I became fixated on photos of people literally hanging of the edge of the falls (from the top!). The location links all took me to Devils Pool, accessible by the Zambia side of the falls and only with a tour, the small rock pools at the top of the falls have become famous for adrenaline seekers and influencers alike. The speed boat to Livingstone island was a part of the experience, avoiding shallow rocks and hippos to get to the base camp before wading and pulling yourself along with fixed ropes along the waterfronts fast moving water. The falls expel over 500 million litres of water per minute, now imagine trying to swim through that. Once safely (kinda) on top of some rocks you take it in turns taking pictures by the edge, leaping from one edge to the other daunting, just hoping you’ll be caught by the stranger you met 10 minutes ago. From seated to literally hanging off the edge held by the two hands of that same stranger, the 15 minutes of thrill is exciting and nerve wracking, I was keen to get back onto the safety of the rock. Yesterday we watched fellow nutters do this from the Zimbabwe side, and only over there can you really grasp the true extent of how close you are to death. One slip of foot, hand or body and that’ll be goodbye, the guides making me more nervous than the swim itself. I obviously survived, luckily for you.
The breakfast on Livingstone island overlooking the falls from a much safer distance was a much calmer way to end the morning, Sir Livingstone standing in that exact spot 168 years ago to declare it “the most beautiful place on earth”. A taxi back to Zimbabwe was appreciated after we literally ran the 6km’s from our campsite across the border that morning in the heat of the day. The bridge that connects the two countries, Zimbabwe and Zambia, is ‘no man’s land’ and is most accessible by foot, the views of the river flowing below worth the walk along the rather dodgy single lanes path, also a lovely sunset spot. The border crossing itself is easy enough, the Zambia exit not as busy as its immigration, although if you’re not intending to go to the falls themselves you can go on the bridge without paying for visas or passing immigration, just get a bridge pass ticket from Zimbabwe’s border and whatever you do just don’t cross the Zambia border! Our double entry visa meant our exit and entry was smooth sailing, thank god otherwise we would have missed devils pool entirely!!
Happy to spend the rest of our time in Vic falls browsing shops (definitely not buying anything here!!) and sneaking into resorts swimming pools (much nicer than ours!). 3 monkeys, shearwater village, lookout cafe, Brooks’ cafe, the river brewing co were all great recommendations for food and beers, whilst Mama Africa provided a more authentic experience. I’m not sure I’ll be rushing back to Mosi-oa-Tunya, as much as I loved the experience, I have a feeling Zimbabwe is going to be a busy shock compared to the slow paced journey up from Cape Town.