Victoria Falls – A phenomenon to behold
A remote aerial view of Victoria Falls as my flight approached Victoria Falls International Airport is a field of fire with white smoke billowing into the sky. As you approach the falls you realize that the ‘smoke’ is actually a cloud of water rising as the Zambezi River rushes down the falls with amazing force and power.
Once on land, the 24km drive from the airport to the town of Victoria Falls is an extremely smooth road. Both sides of the path 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 signposted. Well kept flower beds and gardens. The city does not have much traffic apart 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 payable in US dollars, in cash. This is the preferred payment method. Any other mode of payment can be a huge hassle and create unprecedented hassles for you. A lady who was ahead of me in line for her had US traveler’s checks in denominations of $50 and she had to leave because she couldn’t get the change back. Foreigners cannot use Zimbabwean dollars to pay park entrance fees.
Before arriving at Victoria Falls, it is very important to prepare for a ‘rainy’ day. You are guaranteed to get rained on while viewing the falls. This will not be rain water but from the ‘smoke’ cloud I mentioned earlier. 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. Non-leather open shoes would be the best choice for footwear.
The first stop would be at the Livingstone statue. This is a relatively large statue that was placed under a huge security guard when locals wanted to destroy it due to political differences between Zimbabwe and Britain several years ago. The next stop would be a view of the Devil’s Waterfall and the Waterfall Island. Devil’s Cataract is the western end of the falls and there is a huge force of water flowing down Devil’s Cataract. From Cataract Island, the next stop is Main Falls. This is where one could experience the heaviest rain, 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 landed on Livingstone Island and spent the night there forgetting about 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 of Victoria Falls as the scene is never static. The width of Victoria Falls from Devil’s Cataract to Eastern Cataract is 1,700 meters. The average height of Main Falls is 83 meters. The average height of 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 rain is experienced, Horseshoe Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Eastern Cataract do not have water flowing over them. The paved walkways along all of the falls are well maintained and wheelchair accessible.
Immediately before the falls, the Zambezi River has 4 rapids that zigzag one after the other. The current falls are the first rapid and are in favor of Zimbabwe. The best country to see the falls now is on the Zimbabwe side and not the Zambia side. However, several centuries ago, Rapid 4, which formed the first cataracts along the Zambezi, was in favor of Zambia. So Rapid 3 was created and it went in favor of Zimbabwe. When Rapid 2 was created, it was in favor of Zambia. The famous Zimbabwe/Zambia Bungi jump bridge is in 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 already projected to be making its new way to the Zambian side. This will create new drops and rapids that will be in Zambia’s favour. However, this will take hundreds of years to form.
Leaving the falls after the eastern waterfall, we headed to the famous bridge linking Zimbabwe and Zambia in Rapid 2. This is the bridge where the bungi jump takes place. Rafting is also done from the Rapid 2 downstream. River cruises take place upstream before the falls.
The best method to see the falls is by helicopter. The Flight of the Angels gives one the perfect experience and a great view of the falls.
Victoria Falls has all kinds of accommodations and hotels to cater to all classes 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 in Victoria Falls is a Sundowner Cruise which provides a very good experience. A visit to Victoria Falls would 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 take elephant rides and visit the crocodile farm. There is also canoeing and whitewater rafting along the Zambezi.
Botswana is only an hour’s drive from Victoria Falls, if you have more time consider visiting Chobe in Botswana for a night or two.
My flight back to Harare stopped in Bulawayo. I 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 stagnated for several years.
Harare is a modern city with well-paved and well-maintained streets. While traveling through Zimbabwe, it is evidently remarkable that this is a country that previously had tremendous economic growth and focused development that now seems to have hit a brick wall.