🇿🇼 Victoria Falls: Our First Day at the Falls
After Johannesburg, we change countries. We fly to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe with Fastjet. A pleasant surprise: efficient, quick and friendly service.
On arrival, the first practical detail: our taxi from the airport costs us 40 US dollars. We later realise there was room to negotiate.
In the afternoon, we walk from the B&B to the falls. The spectacle is immediate. The flow is enormous and we end up soaked. Hard to complain: it is magnificent.
We continue towards the bridge to see the falls from another angle. A temporary free permit allows us to access it. Wildlife is everywhere: elephants, warthogs, mongooses, baboons and birds. A young elephant even crosses the road in front of us. Small, perhaps — but still more imposing than a car.
In the evening, we have dinner at Three Monkeys. Good atmosphere and a pleasant setting.
Good to know: entry to the falls costs $60 per person. Contrary to what we had read on several blogs, we were able to pay by card.
Why Victoria Falls creates its own “rainforest”
Victoria Falls has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1989. Here, the Zambezi forms an enormous curtain of water around 1,708 metres wide. The spray sustains unusually lush vegetation immediately around the falls: even under a blue sky, some viewpoints feel as though you are walking through continuous rain.
Gorges that are still evolving
The spectacle is not only about the volume of water. The falls cut through layers of basalt that erosion gradually breaks apart. The zigzag gorges visible downstream mark former positions of the waterfall. From ground level, you mostly see the curtain of water; understanding this process gives the landscape another dimension.
The bridge: do not assume our experience will still apply
We were able to obtain a temporary free permit to walk onto the border bridge and see the falls from another angle. Border procedures can change, so check the current formalities and keep your passport with you rather than assuming our experience is a guaranteed procedure.
