Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

 

Victoria Falls is considered the largest waterfall in the world. It can be found on the Zambezi River on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. You can access the waterfall from either country. I flew into Zambia and then took a quick car ride over to Zimbabwe.

If you are flying into Zambia make sure you bring some cash with you to pay for a visa. The visa costs about 30 USD. If you plan on doing any shopping most places in Zimbabwe prefer American dollars. Most of the activities listed at the lodge were also priced in US dollars.

Hotel

We stayed at the Victoria Falls Safari Club.  Everywhere we went in southern Africa the hospitality was amazing. The staff was friendly and ready to help us with whatever we needed. The lodge provided breakfast and also had a cocktail/coffee hour in the afternoon. The mini fridge in our room was also well stocked and complimentary. The lodge also provided a complimentary laundry service which was much needed after a week of traveling.

The views from the Safari club were unbelievable. Our room overlooked a watering hole and we were able to watch the elephants gather there in the evenings.

The room itself is very spacious and comfortable. I would definitely stay there again and highly recommend it.

The Boma Dinner and Drum Show

When you enter the restaurant they will tie a traditional shawl around you so that you have the full cultural experience. To be completely honest I wasn’t a huge fan of the food. The dinner is served buffet style. There is a campfire soup and wide array of appetizers and bread set up. The next course is a bbq course and you are able to select from a variety of different meats that they will grill for you right there. There is also a lamb on a spit that you can get a piece of. Dessert is also available buffet style with many options including cakes, pastries pudding and mousse. There was a wide variety of food but I still felt like I left hungry.

During dinner there are various dance performances and drum shows. They also pass out drums to the audience so you can play along. The cultural aspect of it was great and I did enjoy the show.

Sunset Cruise

The second night we went on a sunset cruise along the Zambezi River. The cruise also provides beverages and appetizers while you take in the scenic views of the wildlife. The sunset over the water is stunning. If you are lucky you may even catch a glimpse of the elephants, hippos and giraffes as you make your way down the river.

Victoria Falls

The waterfall tour is pretty easy and you can either get a guided tour or do it yourself. We ended up just going ourselves and moving at our own pace. There are several spots marked out that give you a view of the falls from different angles. The mist from the waterfall is pretty heavy and you will get wet when taking the tour so dress appropriately.

Helicopter Ride

The best way to really get a sense of how large and breathtaking the falls are is to take a helicopter ride above them. You can book a 15, 22 or 25 minute ride over the falls. We did the 15 minute one and trust me you won’t regret it. The views are stunning and they provide a much more magnificent perspective than just seeing them from the ground.

White Water Rafting

So the main reason for heading to Victoria Falls was to experience white water rafting there. Unfortunately we arrived in the rainy season and the water levels were too high. Rafting here is huge so if you have a chance to do it check it out and tell me about it so I can live vicariously through you!

Gorge Swing

Since we weren’t able to go white water rafting my friend needed an adrenaline fix and somehow convinced me to go on a gorge swing with her. This doesn’t seem too difficult right?  I mean after all its just a swing. No, wrong. You jump off of a cliff into a 10 second free fall. “Well Maria 10 seconds isn’t that bad, it seems pretty short,” you say? Well let me tell you, ten seconds feels like an eternity when you are falling towards crashing waves on rocks below. I don’t regret it though, I loved every second of it. The hardest part was stepping off the platform. Luckily we were doing the jump tandem so I had no choice but to jump with her.

For the adrenaline junkies out there they also have bungee jumping and zip lining available.

Town

The first day were were there we took a shuttle into town. There are plenty of small shops set up with art, jewelry and clothing. There are also a wide variety of street vendors. It is pretty easy to walk all around town in a short amount of time. If you are hungry I would recommend Chicken Inn. They serve some of the best fried chicken I have ever had.

 

You can probably see most of everything in Victoria Falls over 2-3 days so if you are heading to Southern Africa I think it would be worthwhile to make the detour.