I had been to Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe side 11 years ago with Richard and Rin after we visited Rick studying in Cape Town, South Africa for a semester. Victoria Falls is an amazingly wonderful site to behold and I was excited to share it with Mike and see it again. It didn’t disappoint!
We elected to stay at a different hotel than the Victoria Falls Hotel which I stayed at the first time. VFH is the first and foremost hotel on the Zimbabwe side of the falls but it is extremely British colonial. Too formal — you feel like your grandparents are judging your manners! We walked around the hotel so Mike could see it in all its splendor. There are some interesting cartoons and sculptures at the hotel and a high end jewelry store if you need to stock up on diamonds.
We stayed at a lovely hotel called Ilala – enough luxury and amenities but also casual enough – no need to dress for dinner in the formal dining room! And there were banded mongoose running around the hotel grounds.
Here is how we spent our short time at Victoria Falls:
The first afternoon we got there, we had a boat ride on the Zambezi river with hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Although it was drizzling lightly, the boat ride was much better than I expected it would be. We could see birds and wildlife easily from the boat, the guide was extremely knowledgeable and fun to discuss a wide range of topics with and the hors d’oeuvres and drinks were tastefully prepared and served (and were yummy). Mike discovered a liqueur called Marula that he really liked – I also liked it, so we were feeling warm and happy!
The next day, we rose early, got on our running shoes and ran over to the Falls national park with our credit card to pay the park entrance fee. We timed it right – we didn’t see another person until an hour after we got there. It was so neat to run from viewpoint to viewpoint (farther than you would think) and have it all to yourself! We ran back and forth to see the viewpoints in every direction we could. Although the water was low at this time of the year, it was still very majestic and in the main waterfall area there was a great deal of mist which made it hard to see that area really well. I loved having it all to ourselves (guess I have memories from before of a lot of people and having to wait to get the best photo).
From there we ran over the bridge between the Zimbabwe side and Zambia side which is no-man’s land. If you lose your bridge visit pass you would be stuck in a small swatch of land watching people walk between Zambia and Zimbabwe. We managed not to cross the Zambian border but to go to a sign that says you have entered Zambia. Looking at the Falls from the Zimbabwean side is definitely the preferred option. You see so much more of the falls from the side the falls are coming towards. However there is a hike on the Zambian side that takes you down into the gorge and if you do that, you would get really good views of the falls.
We then ran into the small town of Victoria Falls to see what it offers. Lots of newer restaurants and shops for the tourists. Plus baboons galore. They are so common there that we stopped taking photos of them.
One benefit of running around the town and the tourist areas is that the local people selling carved animals, bracelets, art, etc. or trying to get you to ride in their taxi or to sell a tour package, don’t stop you! If you’re just walking, they do.
We then went to the Lookout Cafe that has stunning views of the Victoria Falls gorge where people do the gorge swing and the zipline and the bridge where people bungee jump from. Rin was one of those people who did all 3 of those crazy stunts 11 years ago! I really wanted Mike to see the drama that unfolds when people freeze up (Rin wasn’t one of the scaredy cats!!!) before they jump or they jump and think their fall won’t be arrested by the bungee cord and will fall into the gorge and die, but then the rain started and no one jumped while we were there. Missed seeing the crazy antics.
The rain cleared up in time for a helicopter ride over the Falls. My first helicopter ride ever and Mike’s second. It was fantastic! Once I was in the helicopter, the ride didn’t feel too different than a small plane flying at low altitude. The helicopter turns felt a little more pitched but not by much.
The views were brilliant! I’m glad we did the viewing by air right after our morning tour of them by ground. We had great views and could understand the topography of the area from above.
An excellent 1 ½ days of enjoying Victoria Falls, exercising and taking a helicopter ride. We’re so fortunate to have all these adventures together.