Victoria Falls

Scheduling the visit to Victoria Falls in between two safari stays was the best decision ever. It afforded us a much needed break from the hectic pace of early morning and late afternoon game drives – each lasting 3 to 4 hours.

We began our Friday watching the vervet monkeys frolic around our balcony and rooftops. Then we enjoyed a delicious breakfast from Gift, our chef, followed by time on the balcony taking in the morning sun. Our guide, Blessed (pronounced “bless-ed”) arrived around 11:00 am to escort us on a private tour of Victoria Falls.

On our way, we saw warthogs and baboons – several mommas with their babies! The baobab tree, iconic to the African landscape, was present throughout the nature preserve. Many of them had wire wrapped around the lower trunks to prevent elephants from eating away at the bark and wearing down the base of these massive trees. You could see where they had worn down full sides of these tree trunks from constant rubbing up against them. We also passed a partial jawbone from an elephant on the side of the road (Blessed explained that it died recently from natural causes). Speaking of elephants, we rounded a bend to find one slowly walking ahead of us on the road. We waited patiently until it veered back into the bush, allowing us to pass.

After the 20-minute ride through the nature preserve surrounding our lodge, we made way though town to the falls’ entrance. A short walk through the rainforest led us to the first of 14 lookout points. What we saw took our breath away!

One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls is a breathtaking spectacle on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, “the smoke that thunders,” the falls span more than 1.7 kilometers (or approximately one mile) and plunge more than 100 meters (or 328 feet) into the Zambezi Gorge, creating a mist visible from miles away. It’s the largest sheet of falling water on Earth and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During peak flow, which is happening right now – following their rainy season, some 500 million liters of water cascade every minute, forming rainbows that dance in the spray. We were so fortunate to experience several of these vibrant rainbows!

We stayed reasonably dry at points 1 through 5, and then the rain and mist came! Thankfully, Blessed provided us full rain ponchos just before lookout 6 otherwise we would’ve been soaked to our core! You have a trade off in viewing the falls this time of year. Their fullness is a sight to be seen, but it also means impaired visibility as you make your way further into the park. Lookout points 7 through 11 exposed essentially white clouds of mist and spray from the raging falls with no visibility.

The rainforest itself is equally as lovely and serene, filled with all kinds of tropical flora and fauna. Back at our villa, we enjoyed a light lunch and time on the balcony watching two elephants play in the river below.

Blessed returned in the late afternoon to pick us up for our sundowner river cruise. We boarded the pontoon boat, stocked with wine and the essentials for a good gin and tonic, plus some delicious finger foods (including Mark’s new favorite – biltong), and proceeded to cruise the Zambezi River, taking in all the sights and sounds from the water’s view. As we looked toward the falls, we saw what can only be described as a rainbow cloud – the hues of the rainbow lighting of the cloud of mist and spray coming from the falls. Spectacular!

We saw so many birds, including the white-fronted bee-eaters (so interesting and beautiful!), maribou storks, great egrets, African darters, African openbills, and pied kingfishers.

We also passed crocodiles and several bloats of hippos, but they were quite shy – only popping up for air seconds at a time before disappearing under the surface again. Hannah managed to get one fantastic photo as a hippo emerged with his mouth fully open!

The sunset delivered a golden gift of hues across the water. Breathtaking. Being on water is indeed my happy place, and this was no exception!

We had a quiet evening with dinner, including delicious grilled ostrich (like a very lean beef) and butternut squash. Tomorrow, we leave this peaceful reprieve and make our way to Botswana for our next safari experience at Sable Alley in the Khwai Concession on the Okavongo Delta.