Victoria Falls – A phenomenon to behold
A remote aerial view of Victoria Falls as my flight approaches Victoria Falls International Airport is a field on fire with white smoke bellowing into the sky. As you get closer to the falls, you realize that the ‘smoke’ is actually a cloud of water rising up as the Zambezi River pours over the falls with amazing force and power.
Once on the ground, the 15-mile drive from the airport to the city 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 modern small town in the developed world. Is it clean; the buildings are modern and very well maintained. The roads are very well paved and marked. Flower beds and well-kept 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 park entrance fee is paid at the entrance to the falls. Please note that park entrance fees are paid in US dollars, in cash. This is the preferred mode of payment. Any other mode of payment can be a huge hassle and give you unprecedented complications. A lady ahead of me in line had US traveler’s checks in $50 denominations and she had to leave because she couldn’t get her 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 rainwater 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-toed 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 the 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 Waterfall Island. Devil’s Fall is the western end of the falls and there is a huge force of water flowing down Devil’s Fall. From Cataract Island, the next stop is Main Falls. This is where one might experience the heaviest rain, although this is the best view to see the falls. Of the main falls, I head to Livingstone Island. Dr. Livingstone is said to have docked at 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 sight 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 the Devil’s Fall to the 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 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 declines are the first rapids and are in favor of Zimbabwe. The best country to see the falls now is on the Zimbabwean side and not the Zambian side. However, several centuries ago, Rapid 4, which formed the first cataracts along the Zambezi, favored Zambia. Then Rapid 3 was created and it was in favor of Zimbabwe. When Rapid 2 was created, it was pro-Zambia. Zimbabwe/Zambia’s famous Bungi Jump Bridge is located at Rapid 2. The current drops and Rapid 1 is in favor of Zimbabwe. Judging by the amount of water flowing down Devil’s Falls, the Zambezi River is already forecast to be making its way back to the Zambian side. This will create new falls and rapids that will be in Zambia’s favor. However, this will take hundreds of years to form.
Coming out of the falls after the eastern waterfall, we headed to the famous bridge linking Zimbabwe and Zambia on Rapid 2. This is the bridge where bungi jumping takes place. Rafting is also done from Rapid 2 down the river. 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 for 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 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 do 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 return flight to Harare stopped in Bulawayo. I couldn’t help noticing that Bulawayo International Airport seemed to have been expanding the airport with a massive modern airport building. However, this building seems to have stagnated several years ago.
Harare is a modern city with well-paved and well-maintained streets. While traveling through Zimbabwe, it is evidently notable that this is a country that previously had tremendous economic growth and focused development that now seems to have hit a brick wall.