 |
| Our guide, Shamizo, with Seven Lands and Seas Jim Work, at Victoria Falls. |
If you're traveling all the way to South
Africa, I highly recommend a side trip to Victoria Falls. You'll be glad you
did, and may kick yourself if you don't. Reaching Victoria Falls is an easy
2-hour flight from Johannesburg with both
British Airways and South African Airways offering regular service.
Upon arrival, our jovial and enthusiastic guide, Shamizo,
greeted us and transported us to our hotel, the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. We
stayed at the lodge for 2 nights, which is adequate. Here is what we packed
into those 2 days:
Tour Victoria Falls.
 |
| A rainbow colors the falls at Victoria Falls. |
In 1855, Scottish explorer David Livingston became the first European to discover Victoria Falls, known by the locals as "Smoke that Thunders." Livingston was awe-struck by what he saw, describing the grandeur of the falls as a "scene gazed upon by angels in their flight." Indeed, Victoria Falls are one of the world's most spectacular water falls, twice as high as, and significantly wider than, Niagara Falls. Victoria Falls sit on the boarder between Zimbabwe and Zambia, where water from the Zambezi Rivers crashes over 354-foot-high cliffs.
You'll need at least a half-a-day to walk around the falls and admire their beauty from all their vantage points. There's no bad time of year to visit the falls, although your unique experience will be shaped significantly by the time of year you are there. For example, the volume of water cascading over the cliffs is significantly larger in the wet months of March and April than it is during the dry months of November and December. The spray from the falls in March and April can rise high into the air (hence the nickname "Smoke that Thunders"), shrouding from sight the depths of the canyon below. Those depths, and all their beauty, however, are on full display in November and December.
 |
| Sitting at the edge of Victoria Falls |
In addition to walking around the falls, I recommend seeing the falls from above, especially if you are visiting during the wetter months. There are several helicopter companies that offer flight tours over the falls of varying lengths. My group took the shorter 10 to 15 minute flight. Though a little pricey at $150/person, the experience is incomparable, giving you a true sense of the magnitude of Victoria Falls.
 |
| Helicopter ride over Victoria Falls |
Zambezi River Sunset Cruise
 |
| Our group preparing to board our Zambezi River sunset cruise |
On our first night in Zimbabwe, we booked a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. Oh my goodness, the sunset alone made this an exceptional experience, one not to be missed. To add to that, this was the first time we spotted elephants in the wild! The herd, including several baby elephants, appeared at the banks of the river just before sunset to drink and frolic at the water's edge.
 |
| The elephants we saw on our Zambezi River sunset cruise in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. |
 |
| The setting sun on the Zambezi River sunset cruise |
The Boma Dinner & Drum Show
 |
| Seven Lands and Seas Travel's Jim Work with friends Judy and Sandy at the Boma Dinner & Drum Show |
This 3+ hour event is an upbeat, heart-thumping, rousing experience over a traditional-themed African buffet meal. It's lively and fun, and I'm so glad we did it. The evening starts when you first arrive. You're warmly greeted and wrapped in a traditional African "chitenge," followed by having your face painted. After a brief hand-washing ceremony, the feast begins, offering a wide array of wild game and traditional African dishes. There are choices for less adventurous eaters, too, like chicken and beef. Then the fun really begins, with a dazzling high energy interactive drum show.
It's a very fun way to spend an evening.
 |
| Jim eating a Mopani Worm at the Boma Dinner & Drum Show, Victoria Falls |
The Hide Experience
 |
| Going into the Hide at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge |
If you're staying at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, put this on your list of "must do's," and book it early. If you haven't decided where to stay, this is a reason to strongly consider the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge. The lodge overlooks a large watering hole located down the slopping landscape below the hotel. The watering hole attracts all kinds of wildlife, all visible from the hotel's open-air bar, restaurant, and rooms offering a water hole view. One of the highlights of my entire experience in Africa was the hide experience offered directly by the lodge. The hide is just that, a small dirt-colored structure built directly adjacent and close to the watering hole. It is disguised to look like a termite mound. In the afternoon, the hotel offers 6 guests the opportunity to sit in the hide for 3 hours. An armed guide accompanies and stays with the guests throughout the experience. In our 3 hours, we were within feet of a herd of elephants (consisting of 2 babies, 2 females, and a bull elephant), several giraffe, warthogs, cape buffalo, egrets, and other wildlife. To participate, you have to be able to sit still and be nearly completely quiet. These are wild animals and you'll be in their habitat, and for those reasons, you really do not want them to know you are there. But the experience is thrilling (if not a little frightening) and the close-up pictures you can take are astounding. The experience is well worth its $50 price tag.
 |
| I took this picture of Cape Buffalo while I was sitting in the Hide at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge |
 |
| Elephants we saw from the Hide. They look huge from this vantage point. |
The Lion Experience
 |
| This is me walking with 11-month-old Shaka the lion. |
I booked this experience, but nearly cancelled the night before. Because my effort to cancel occurred after business hours, I was told it was too late to cancel. I'm so happy that I was thereby "forced" to do this experience. The Lion Experience is part of a 3-stage conservation effort to reintroduce lions back into the wild, thereby replenishing the lion population sadly depleted by illegal poaching. The lions kept on the reserve in Victoria Falls are cubs that range in age from just a few months old to 2 years old. Guests who visit have the opportunity to literally walk with these cubs, petting them along the way. The proceeds benefit the conservation efforts. The cubs here will eventually go to a private game reserve where they will have no further human interaction. Their offspring will never have human interaction, and will therefore be able to be successfully released into the wild outside the sanctuary of a private game reserve. When in Victoria Falls, I strongly recommend that you book this experience.
 |
| Shaka and half-brother Kion. Aren't the cute? |
Visit a Traditional Village and Homestead
 |
| Our visit to an African village took us to this gentleman's homestead |
I loved the brief two days we spent in Victoria Falls because of the diverse activities we did there. This cultural experience was no exception. With a knowledgeable guide, we visited a traditional African village. A village is comprised of 100 homesteads spread out over many acres of land. Each homestead is home to a single family. The color and shape of the structures on an individual homestead will identify the tribe or tribes (in inter-tribal marriages) to which the family belongs. In the village we visited, the homes have no electricity and retrieve their water from communal wells. There was a single store, but without electricity, the store sold only non-refrigerated and dry goods. The individual homestead we visited was fascinating. Each round structure served a different purpose -- there was a winter kitchen, a summer kitchen, a girls' bedroom, a boys' bedroom, etc. We learned about customs and a way of life that is so different from the lives we lead at home. This was worth more than the time and small cost we invested in it.
 |
| The village near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe included this dry-goods shop |
I recently read a forum on Trip Advisor wherein a traveler planning her trip to Africa asked whether a visit to Victoria Falls was worthwhile, given that her family had already been to Niagara Falls. One of the respondents wrote that in her opinion, it would be best to skip Victoria Falls. Given what I have written above, and the rich experiences Victoria Falls offers even beyond seeing the falls themselves, I could not disagree more. Take the time, invest the extra money, and visit Victoria Falls. I'm confident it will be a highlight of your trip.
Let us help you plan your visit to Victoria Falls. I am a certified South Africa Travel Specialist (see my listing here). Visit my website devoted to South Africa here. Then email me, or call me or one of my travel colleagues at Seven Lands and Seas Travel. We love to talk all things South Africa, and can customize the ideal South Africa experience for you.
Bob Miller
Seven Lands and Seas Travel
2161 Jamieson Avenue
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
(866) 368-7327
Visit my profile.
Comments
Post a Comment