A wonder between Zim and Zam (Victoria Falls)
Trip Start
Nov 26, 2011
1
2
5
Trip End
Dec 09, 2011
Where I stayed
The Elephant Camp
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Monday, November 28, 2011
On the one hand, Zimbabwe would be a better choice since about 80% of the falls are facing Zimbabwe...on the other hand, the political situation in Zimbabwe is far from stable, and we had received the "don't go there!" advice from several people...former Rhodesia - the "breadbasket" of Africa - Zimbabwe today is a poor country with inflation, corruption, political tensions...not your ideal tourist destination, to say the least.. actually in 2006 the United Nations considered revoking Victoria Falls' World Heritage Site status in part because of the potential complications for tourism in the area...
Despite all this, we did go to Zimbabwe...I cannot say about the rest of the country, but we felt safe in Victoria Falls...several locals gave us a digest of the country's history and political situation and assured us that it was safe for the tourists, especially since the tourists are big source of income...anyway, I am glad we made it to Zimbabwe...my only regret is that we didn't spend much time there...
We stayed 10 minutes drive from Victoria Falls in a place called The Elephant Camp...as the name implies - elephants (as well as other wild animals) are frequent visitors there...The Elephant Camp was actually a secluded spread-out compound of 9 canvas tents within the Victoria Falls National Park...
The word "tent" might be a little deceiving, because it almost implies roughing it in the wilderness...in reality there wasn't any "roughing it" whatsoever - all the tents were big and luxurious, with air conditioners, deep bathtubs, indoor and outdoor showers, well-stocked mini bars and plunge pools on the decks...from our deck (as well as from the central lodge of the camp) we could see this huge white column of mist raising over the falls...the staff - manager Jonathan, his assistant Kim and all the rest - were wonderful and helpful...if we had more time - we would've loved to just "vegetate" at the Camp and do nothing...
But if "do nothing" is not for you - there is plenty to do in and around Victoria Falls...you can visit nearby villages and do some shopping, or you can bungee jump from Victoria Falls Bridge...you can do white water rafting or swimming in the Devil's Pool (the closest you can get to the falls without falling over; it is seasonal though - you can only do it during low flow)...you also can take a microlight or helicopter ride over the falls and what not, but unfortunately we could only devote one day to Victoria Falls - otherwise, I would've loved to partake in most of these adventures...but at least - we saw the falls! :)
Now, despite us being there during the dry season (when the water flow was close to its lowest point), Victoria Falls is still a sight to behold!...and there is still plenty of water: near the falls we had to wear rain ponchos and cover our cameras...I was trying to imagine what it looks like when the water flow is at its highest, but our guide told me that I wouldn't be able to see anything then because of the thick impenetrable wall of mist ...the only way to see the falls during the rainy season is from the air...so I am glad that we could still see it from the ground...
It's been said that the former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt exclaimed "Oh, poor-poor Niagara!" when she first saw Iguazu Falls in South America...I haven't seen Iguazu Falls in person (not yet!), but I did see Niagara...and I could've easily said the same about Niagara when I first saw Victoria Falls...for those of you who - like myself - love trivia, here is some comparison: the highest point of Niagara Falls is 51 meters (= 167 feet), the highest of Iguazu is 82 meters (= 270 feet) and the highest of Victoria Falls is 107 meters (= 360 feet)...and that is without even mentioning the mist which rises to a height of over 400 meters ( = 1300 feet) above Victoria and can be seen from a distance of over 50 km (= over 30 miles)...so - poor Niagara indeed...
Despite all these impressive numbers, Victoria Falls is not the highest waterfall in the world - that honour belongs to Angel Falls in Venezuela that drops over the edge of Auyantepui mountain...nor Victoria is the widest...what it is, however, is the largest continuous curtain of water in the world...Iguazu might be wider, but it is split into more than 200 separate falls while Victoria is made by the full width of Zambezi River plummeting in a single vertical drop...during the dry season you might see a few islands, but otherwise the sheet of falling water is uninterrupted...you walk and walk and walk - and it goes on and on and on...
It is a relatively long and very pleasant walk through the National Park...everything is clearly marked there...you usually begin the walk at the monument to David Livingstone (this Scottish explorer was supposedly the first European who saw, described and named the falls "Victoria") and just follow the path along the falls...since we didn't have much time, however, we used a guide who was able to point out things that we might have missed on our own...for example, I don't think we would've given Victoria Falls Bridge a second glance...but it turns out this bridge over Zambezi River that connects Zimbabwe and Zambia has quite a history...the bridge was constructed in England, shipped to Mozambique and then transported here...it was officially opened in 1905 by none other than Charles Darwin's son (who happened to be the president of the British Royal Society at the time)...
After this tour of the falls our guide drove us to the sundowner cruise on the Zambezi River..the drive (much like our walk in the National Park) was a mini-safari in itself - we saw elephants, baboons, various antelopes, warthogs and other animals...by the end of this whole vacation we would become almost jaded, often shrugging: "just another antelope - no big deal!", but it was only the beginning, and we were still in this wondrous state of "Ohh!" and "Ahh!"...
The sundowner cruise was very pleasant, and we saw many hippos - some in the river, others grazing on the banks...it was a relaxing journey, and we liked it a lot...the surroundings were beautiful, the weather - nice and pleasant, the drinks and snacks kept coming - what's not to like?...we were on the top deck of the boat with a group of about 10-12 people - all from the US, travelling with the same travel company...the Zambezi river was flowing languidly and the alcohol was flowing freely, and so our initial pleasant chatting led to having a really great time together...I hope the feeling was mutual, because we remember this evening very-very fondly...
Next morning we had early breakfast, met a pet cheetah named Sylvester on the terrace of our main lodge and said good-bye to the Elephant Camp...a mini bus picked us up to take to Botswana...the border crossing was fast and uneventful...the only curious part was that we had to wipe our feet on some disinfectant substance before entering the country...but - as they explained to us - foot-and-mouth disease is a problem in this part of the world...in Botswana we moved to a jeep which was now taking us - along with two other couples - to Kasane airport...
Kasane is a small town almost at the junction of four countries - Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia...true - we didn't see much of it, but from what we saw I wouldn't call it "charming"...yet it was here that late actors Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton married each other for the second (!) time in 1975...I can't decide if I find this fact weird or exotic...well, maybe the location is exotic...but divorcing a person and then marrying him/her again - that is definitely weird: haven't you learned your lesson the first time around?....it's like that Marcel Proust quote that my dear angel likes: "It is seldom indeed that one parts on good terms, because if one were on good terms, one would not part” ...no wonder the re-marriage in Kasane didn't last even a full year...
But I've digressed...in Kasane we got on a little plane that took us to our safari destination...one of the couples that we rode to Botswana with - Bruce and Marianne from the US - were with us on this plane, and the other couple - the Spaniards whose names I do not remember - were on a different plane...we all were going to Okavango Delta even though to different safari lodges...our first stop would be Sandibe, and we would have an amazing time there...so - stay tuned! :)
