Victoria Falls

Our plan had been to only spend a few days with Paul, who we met through Couchsurfing.  That quickly changed after we realized how much there was to do and we spent over a week in the Victoria Falls area.  On our first day we had intentions of visiting the falls, but decided to learn a little more about what there was to do in the country first.  We wandered around town and got tourist information.  There was a canoe trip in the lower Zambezi that looked interesting, but we weren’t sure if a trip in that direction was worth it as we needed to head East towards Mozambique.

After coming up with a rough plan, we headed back to Paul’s.  The area near Victoria Falls is a conservation area so animals roam freely.  So much that a couple of the houses in Paul’s neighborhood have large holes in their concrete fences where elephants knocked them down.  Baboons and warthogs can also be found in the middle of town rummaging through trash or eating off the grass.  That night, we went out for a night drive.

 

Our drive took us to a private airstrip and around the outskirts of town.  Paul was also using the drive to collect animal poop for his composting.  On one occasion, he opened his door to scoop up buffalo droppings only to jump back in the truck quickly.  Using his light to shine on the nearby trees, we could see a herd of buffalo that were waiting to cross the road.  He was determined to get the feces so we waited for them to cross before he carefully scooped from a halfway open door.  As he couldn’t get out to put it in the bed of the truck, he drove with the literally steaming poop on the shovel as it hung out the window.

 

The following day Paul took us canyoning with 2 guys from Holland.  As we drove through villages towards the starting point, we could see the mist of the falls in the distance.  We parked and made our way to the river.  We reached the first waterfall  and worked our way down the rocks.  The next one was deep enough below that we jumped into the pool below.  For the following, we’d need to repel down so one-by-one we connected our harnesses to the rope and worked our way down.  About halfway down, you were in the waterfall and were forced to look down or you’d drink liters of water.  Once we were all in the pool below, Paul decided that we’d stop there and go back up.  The river was flowing too quickly for us to keep working our way down.  We looked over the edge at the next waterfall, but then individually climbed back up.  Afterwards, we decided to go to the village bar for a drink before heading back to town.  As we drove, guys would yell and wave as anyone that had anything to do with the river knew Paul.

 

 

 

 

Victoria Falls is known for its adventure activities.  So the next day it was our turn to pack in as many thrills as we could.  We started by cage diving with crocodiles.  Different from when we dove with the great white sharks, this time we were given air and would be submerged in the tank for around 30 minutes.  The same rules applied about keeping all fingers and toes in the cage.  The bait was raw beef on a long stick that we each took turns using to feel the power of their bite.  I accidentally played tug-of-war and felt how hard they jerk once they bite.  The guide that was with us helped us to touch his underbelly and shake his hand when he climbed on roof of the cage.  Even though there was a cage between us, when he ‘attacked’ you still wondered if the bars would keep him out.

 

 

 

From there we went to the edge of the Batoka Gorge, where we’d do the gorge swing.  It was a tandem setup so we’d be tied to each other and then have a 70 meter (230 foot) free fall before swinging just above the water.  As we walked to the edge, there was a feeling of uncertainty as to whether this was a good idea or not.  But before you have a chance to think twice, the countdown begins.

 

 

We took the step and had several seconds of free fall.  Tico laughed the whole way while I didn’t feel the same excitement until the ropes caught and we started to swing.  The speed continued even after the free fall and compared to the bungee jump, Tico says the swing beat it by a long shot.  The view as we swung back and forth was a rainbow that was created from the mist of the falls.  The water of the Zambezi River rushed beneath us as we slowly got lifted back up.  Once we were two-thirds of the way to the top, we started walking up the side of the gorge.  At one point, Tico’s harness dropped him down a few centimeters and he ended up sitting on top of me.  By then we were almost to the top and ready to be standing on firm ground again.  It was an unbelievable experience and even better since we got to do it together.

 

 

 

 

As we were already near the bridge, we had Paul drop us off to cross over to the Zambian side of the falls.  We went through Zimbabwe immigration and then walked across the bridge.  It was misting from the falls and we got our first glimpse of the water crashing down.  We reached Zambian immigration and were behind a group of 25 tourists.  Their tour leader suggested we use the other window, but he directed us back to the line we’d been in. We waited and watched the clock as the falls closed at 6 pm.  After about 20 minutes, we made a comment about only going in a day visit.  The leader immediately asked the immigration officer if she would mind if she processed ours first.  She agreed and stamped mine quickly as the visa was already in my passport.  We handed Tico’s passport with $20, the cost of the day tripper visa, and she stamped and handed his back without hesitation.

 

After thanking the group leader, we walked as fast as we could to the entrance of the falls.  We were given the option of the moonlight rainbow or the normal entrance.  Although seeing the falls by the light of the moon would be special, we chose the latter to get the full experience.  We walked toward the knife edge bridge and it wasn’t long before we started getting wet.  With each step, the water came down harder and harder.  Soon, we were in what felt like a downpour, but was just the mist coming off the crashing falls.  The pathway, which was through a rainforest, was on the edge of the gorge and we felt like we were in the waterfall.  The sun was setting on the other side of the falls creating a beautiful scene.

 

 

Once we reached the edge, we started to walk away from the falls and got a glimpse of the bridge that we’d crossed before.  Then, we wandered up to where the Zambezi river meets the gorge.  There was no fence, but pointy rocks to discourage animals from entering where the water was rushing past.  Meanwhile, the almost full moon had risen and was shining down on the falls.

 

 

By the time we left it was dark, but we knew where we were going.  We went through immigration in Zambia and then across the bridge into Zimbabwe before continuing to walk back to Paul’s house.  If our day hadn’t been exciting enough, once we arrived we found out they wanted to play blow darts.  We got a few practice shots each and then the game began.  Tico and I ended up losing, but it was fun to learn how to aim and shoot.

After so many activities the day before, we decided to take it slow the next day. We spent the day relaxing and trying to reserve campsites in Hwange National Park.  The woman in the office gave us a runaround, but after using the internet to find a working number we were able to make a reservation.  That evening Paul came home with dried mopane worms (caterpillars) for everyone to try.  They needed to be rehydrated before being fried so we ate them as dessert.  The smell was awful, which made the idea of trying the that much harder.  But, when else are you presented with such an opportunity?  So both of us grabbed one and tasted it.  As it turned out, the smell was much worse than the flavor.  They were crunchy, salty and weren’t bad at all.  In fact, good enough that we both went back for seconds.

 

On our last day in Victoria Falls, we finally managed to make it to the Zimbabwe side of the falls.  We wanted to go for sunrise so our walk there was in the dark.  We made our way towards the Livingstone statue to get the view of the falls with the sun behind it.  As the rays shined through the mist, the falls looked mystical.  The wind would blow and we could see the bottom of the falls for a second and then the mist would cover it again.

 

 

As we walked through the rainforest toward the middle of the falls, we started to get wet although it was nothing compared to the Zambian side.  That was until we reached the furthest point, aka Danger Point, which had to be similar to a small hurricane.  The wind would blow and you’d be pierced with drops of mist before calming to a heavy rain again.  When at the right angle a rainbow would appear in the mist and at one point we even found a double rainbow.  We spent hours walking back and forth and admiring the intensity of the falls.

 

 

 

 

On our way back through town, we passed the train station.  There was steam coming from a train so we walked over to investigate.  It turned out that once a year the steam train travels from South Africa to Victoria Falls and we were there to see it.  Tico started speaking with the engine guys and we got a tour.  They let Tico add coal to the fire and even sound the horn.  He loved every minute of it!

 

 

That night we were off to explore more of Zimbabwe.  Victoria Falls is a special place with so much to do that we could have stayed longer, if time allowed.  Paul was an amazing host who helped us find the activities we’d like most and the falls themselves are a spectacular sight.  The area was a great welcome to a country we’d been discouraged to visit by others we’d met while traveling.

Helpful tips:

• Be prepared to be tempted and spend too much money on thrill-seeking activities.
• The river typically closes in April so rafting is impossible until May/June depending on water levels.
• The ATMs work better here than anywhere else in the country so plan accordingly.
• If you have the time and the money, visit both sides of the falls. Each is different and provides something special. (If visiting in dry season, disregard this as Zambian side may be dry.)