Victoria Falls, A Feast for the Senses

Story and Photos by Vivienne Mackie

FUN FACTS

• The falls are 1.7km wide and drop between 90 and 108m into the narrow Zambezi Gorge.

• They are 1000km from the source of the Zambezi River in the northeastern corner of Zambia. The Zambezi River flows 2,700km to the delta in the Indian Ocean, meandering through 8 countries.

• Flood stage of the river is March-May, when up to five million cubic meters per minute pour over the falls, and the spray can be intensely thick. During low water from September-November, views are clearest and you’ll have photos with the most rock showing between the falls.

• The Scottish missionary-doctor, Dr. David Livingstone, was the first white person to see the falls, in November 1855. He named them in honor of Queen Victoria. The name has stuck, even though Zimbabwe became independent in 1980, mainly because officials realized that the name-recognition is strong and they didn’t want to lose tourist revenue.

Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls are one of the Natural Wonders of the World, and are actually a World Heritage Site. They are a must-see for anyone lucky enough to get to southern Africa.

The local Batonga people have long called the falls Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning “The Smoke that Thunders”, and you’ll soon understand why.

Long before you reach the falls you’re very aware of them; plumes of spray rise and swirl in the air like thick white smoke, and the incessant roar of falling water is a hypnotic background sound. Once you get into the park surrounding the falls all your senses are assailed. The bright African sun blazes down, hot even in the mottled shade in the rain forest. The warm moist air wraps around you so you’re damp even before meeting the showers of spray. The white curtain of spray swirls upwards, and falls softly, wetly. The leaves glisten and drip, the path becomes a series of puddles, and you get wetter and wetter (remember to protect your cameras with plastic bags). It’s not called the rain forest for nothing!

A troop of Vervet Monkeys may scamper along the path next to you, tiny babies with cheeky faces clinging tightly to their mothers’ stomachs, peering out like naughty little gnomes. Bigger baboons, long tails curled like large question marks, jump from branch to branch in the trees above, furry grey bodies swinging. In a small clearing, a snuffling and rustling turns out to be a bushbuck, nibbling on the grass, its brown mottled fur a great camouflage in the vegetation.

Head first for the David Livingstone Statue and the overlook to Devil’s Cataract, the first falls at the edge of the chasm. You’ll stand in awe, as part of the wide Zambezi River throws itself over the rim, a torrent of water roaring and frothing. The force at the base, 90m below, creates instant spray. The water must find an outlet, so is channeled into the narrow gorge, and will merge into the waters from the other falls.

Wander along the path, which follows the rim, stopping at each viewpoint. The barriers between you and the chasm are flimsy—twigs and branches laced with thorns and vines—so be careful to respect the power and danger of this astounding spectacle. Look over the narrow gorge, directly to the series of falls—Devil’s Cataract, Horseshoe Falls, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls, Eastern Cataract—a 1.7km thundering whiteness, cascading endlessly.

The sunlight catches droplets in the spray, creating rainbows. Look down and you’ll likely see a rainbow arcing over the rocks at the base, shimmering and moving as the wind and currents change the spray. Perhaps a twin rainbow. And at Rainbow Falls you may even see two double rainbows; one above the rocks projecting from the foaming water below, and one above the falls, a perfect arc framing the rushing water.

The rain forest ends abruptly and the path continues through scrub and finally ends at Danger Point. This point of land, bare of vegetation, just a series of rocky outcrops, is where the gorge turns at right angles to continue its twisting path away from the falls. At Danger Point all the foaming waters in the gorge converge in the aptly-named Boiling Pot. When the river water level is high, it does look like a giant outdoor cauldron boiling and spitting. Even when the waters are low, there’s still furious water movement.

The rocks at Danger Point shine from the spray and are extremely slippery. Here there are no barriers, so beware. There’s nothing between you and this marvel of nature; besides feeling the spray, you sense the power, the force, evoking thoughts about the vastness of nature and the insignificance of mankind.

One path from here winds to a viewpoint overlooking the bridge. Victoria Falls is on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, and this bridge was built 100 years ago, as part of the proposed Cape-Cairo railway. You can walk onto the bridge into Zambia and get a wonderful view of the gorge below and the edge of the Boiling Pot.

The bridge is also where bungee-jumping takes place, supposedly the highest place for bungee-jumping outside of New Zealand. We watched a couple of young students jump, screaming, then get pulled up, their parents capturing the whole experience on a video camera. (At the Immigration Checkpoint Building, you show your passport and sign the “Bridge Book”).

How you see the falls, what kind of spectacle you get, will depend on time of day and time of year. But, whatever the variation, it’s always magnificent, one of the marvels of the natural world that defies adequate description. Even the normally prosaic David Livingstone became poetic, when he said, “On sights as beautiful as this, Angels in their flight must have gazed” (hence the name of the small planes for sightseeing over the falls: Flight of Angels).

The Victoria Falls area has become an adventure playground of adrenaline-rushing experiences—bungee-jumping, white-water rafting, gorge-swinging, hot-air ballooning, micro-lighting. If this is your choice, there are plenty of tour companies. For example, check www.africa-adventures.org/s/shearwater/bungi.

Other activities of a quieter, but still exciting, nature are:

1) a short walk from the village, just outside the Falls Park close to Devil’s Cataract, takes you to the Big Tree, an old baobab tree. This good example of these strange-looking, upside-down trees was used by early settlers and traders as a meeting point as they waited for the ferry across the Zambezi River to Old Drift (now Livingstone) in Zambia.

2) a 2-homur cruise up the river, to view the river environment with hippo, crocodiles and other wild game. The most popular cruise is the late afternoon one, officially called the Sundowner Cruise, but affectionately known as the “Booze Cruise” because free drinks and snacks are served, and for many it’s become tradition to partake liberally of the alcohol (booze). The local Zambezi beer is excellent, by the way! But, even if you don’t like alcohol it’s still a great cruise and I highly recommend it, as you really do get
to see the river above the falls. All the hotels and tour companies can arrange this. Cost should be around US$25-30 per person.

3) the Crocodile Ranch and Nature Sanctuary, 5km up the river, close to the Mercure A’zambezi Lodge. Entrance US$10, or ZAR40 per person. A short tour explains a lot about crocodiles, how they are bred there, and you see hundreds of all sizes. A number of other wild animals are included, notably two lions, and a cheetah. It’s well maintained and has a lovely picnic area next to the small café.

4) a wildlife tour into the Zambezi National Park upriver. Early morning, or evening, are best for game viewing. You’ll likely see many wild animals, including giraffes, zebras, many types of antelopes, warthogs, elephants, and buffaloes. All hotels can arrange these tours.

PRACTICALITIES:

• wear suitable clothes and a hat to protect yourself from the sun, and carry plenty of bottled water.

• prices (and inflation rate) are high in Zimbabwe, partly as a result of the serious economic and political difficulties there at this time. Most tour companies, and even the local fast food places, don’t post prices, so you have to ask when you get there. Entrance to the Falls should be around US$20, or ZAR80.

• costs for tours vary depending on your nationality (there’s a 3-tier system: Zimbabwe nationals, South Africans, and all others). Generally, everyone prefers to deal in US$, although they do accept Sterling, Euros, Japanese Yen. No-one wants Zimbabwe $, as everything costs thousands, or millions, of Z$.

• many people go on a package deal, which includes hotel and tours. The advantage is that prices are pre-paid and fixed.

• if you want to do it yourself, you can fly in to Victoria Falls from South Africa or from Harare. Catch a taxi (should cost US$20 into the village) to a pre-arranged hotel. There are a number of very nice Safari Lodges, which all have restaurants, bars, and other entertainment, such as ethnic music and dancing. One is the Vic Falls Safari Lodge (www.vfsl.com). Look for other accommodation at www.afrizim.com/Places/Victoria_Falls/Accomodations.asp.