Victoria Falls
October 13, 2011
The journey from Kasane to Victoria Falls is quite short, only 85 km or so. However, that does not account for the border crossing into Zimbabwe. We have started to get used to the inefficiencies of traveling between countries in Africa, but I think Amanda and her mom were ready ton lose it on somebody! I’m sure Amanda will write about it in more detail, so I’ll just recap what is involved at the border crossing. First, you need to leave Botswana which involves filling in a form, waiting in line and getting your passport stamped. Then you move on to the Zimbabwe border. At this point, you join a line with all the other tourists going to visit Victoria Falls. They have two people working to accomplish this. The first fills out a paper receipt after you pay him for your visa. He then passes the form to the second person who fills out the visa sticker and places it in your passport. Seems simple enough but with so many steps, it is no surprise that we spent over an hour at the border and this isn’t even high season!
We spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool and headed into the Victoria Falls Park after dinner. Three nights a month, they open the park in the evening to see the Falls at night. They choose the three nights based on the full moon since the moonlight creates a rainbow with the mist from the Falls – the lunar rainbow. We purposely planned to arrive the day we did in Victoria Falls as it was the last night of the moonlight tour for October. It was really amazing to see one of the wonders of the world lit up by only moonlight as well as see the lunar rainbow.
October 14, 2011
We went back to Victoria Falls Park to see it in the daylight and we are certainly glad we did. While it was great to see it at night under the full moon, the full scale of Victoria Falls cannot be appreciated until seeing it during the day. We went in the morning to try and beat the heat which was somewhat successful.
The volume of the water of the falls varies greatly with the time of year. May has the highest water levels and November has the lowest. Being October, we are approaching the lowest but that doesn’t mean the amount if water flowing is disappointing at all. In fact, we have heard that the mist can be so great at times during the high water season that you get very wet and pictures are difficult. Although we are probably biased, I would say we were here at the perfect time of year. The falls are not yet at their lowest, and the amount of mist is low enough that we were able to get some decent pictures.
The park itself is very well done. There are lots of viewing points so it never felt overcrowded. There also isn’t a tacky feel to Victoria Falls Park that people sometimes talk about when discussing a certain falls in Canada.
In the afternoon, we went to the Victoria Falls Hotel. It is the oldest hotel in Zimbabwe and while it is predominantly Victorian in style, there are definitely nice touches of Africa in the decor. We treated Amanda’s mom to high tea as part of a belated birthday present. We also had time to explore the inside of the hotel and the grounds before heading back to our accommodation.
I haven’t mentioned anything yet about where we are staying. It is called Victoria Falls Rest Camp. It is by far the most basic of the three places we have stayed this week. We are in a small two bedroom self-catering lodge. All I will say is that it is very simple and we don’t spend much time in the room. The property is clean, it has a reasonably nice pool and restaurant1, and it leaves us more money to spend on activities.
October 15, 2011
Our last full day in Victoria Falls and what better way to spend it than whitewater rafting on the Mighty Zambezi River! It was an early start as we were picked up just before 7 am. After picking up a few other guests and stopping for a brief safety lesson, including signing our lives away, we hiked down a steep path into the gorge and onto the river. JB was our guide and he did an excellent job of directing and steering.
We started the day at Rapid No. 1 just near the Victoria Fall bridge and ended the trip at Rapid No. 19. We did skip Rapid No. 9 since it is a Class 6 rapid and as JB put it, “It’s not good for business.” We did have the chance to do many Class 5 rapids though which were very exhilarating.
There were a few moments that were quite exciting, although I think Amanda found them to be a little too much so. During one of the rapids, our entire boat flipped leaving everyone floating through the remainder of the rapid, and on two other occasions, I ended up in the river. In all three cases, I was quickly and safely helped back into the boat without harm. In talking with the guides afterwards, people ending up in the river is a very common occurrence. (I know I have said this a few times lately, but even I am looking forward to Amanda’s take on these events as I’m sure we will be treated to a different, yet magnificent story!)
All good things do come to an end, and unfortunately the end of the rapids on the Zambezi means a steep and steady climb back out if the gorge. Lunch was waiting at the top though giving us a last bit of incentive to finish strong.
We obviously couldn’t bring our camera so the only picture we have is of our survival certificate which includes a map of the rapids. It’s too bad because the scenery down in the gorge was spectacular.
For our last evening in Victoria Falls, we went to The Boma restaurant. While it is definitely geared towards tourists, its aim is to provide a cultural experience in addition to the meal. Guests are provided with a traditional wrap to wear over their clothes and face painting at the entrance. Dinner is a buffet with many selections of African game meats. I had the warthog and the eland. They also give you a certificate if you eat a Mopani worm. I’m happy to say, I did earn the certificate!
During dinner, there is African singing and dancing. When the meal is completed, each guest is given a drum and the whole place erupts into an African drumming session. It was a good time for everyone and a nice way to end our trip.
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I had the crocodile steak our first night and the ostrich burger the second night. They were both tasty. ↩