Victoria Falls

posted in: African Safari 2024 | 0

Friday, August 2, 14:00

We just crossed the border from Botswana to Zimbabwe and our on our way to Victoria Falls, about an hour away.

I am amazed at the variety of wildlife encounters we had. I tried my best to keep up with the checklist, but I’m sure I missed a lot of species, especially birds. On every drive we saw at least one species for the first time, even on the final morning drive to the airstrip at each camp.

This morning we flew from Linyanti airstrip near DumaTau Camp to Kasane International Airport. There we were at a place where four countries come as close together as at any point on earth. Some older sources identify this as a true quadripoint, but technically, Namibia and Zimbabwe don’t share a border; there’s a narrow slice where Botswana and Zambia touch.

The border between Botswana and Zambia is 135 meters (443 feet). Kasane Airport is just off the map to the left, and the road we took to cross from Botswana is below the bottom of the map. The Kazungula Bridge opened in 2021. Before that, there was a ferry crossing. 

Kasane International Airport is fairly new, opened in 1991, and is probably the nicest African airport we’ve seen thus far. We met our porter, who brought us to meet our driver. He brought us to the border and assisted us with our Visa application. It cost $30 USD. Then we met our Zimbabwean driver, Arnold and are en route to Vic Falls.

It’s clear they haven’t had much rain here. It’s pretty brown.

I hope there’s enough water going over the falls to be impressive.

Saturday, August 3, 22:00

Our time in Vic Falls is just about over. Even though this is a tourist destination, it doesn’t feel like a tourist trap. There are some genuinely worthwhile things to see and do here. A lot of activities like whitewater rafting, bungee jumping, helicopter rides over the falls, and such.

We didn’t do any of that.

Last night we had a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River. It was pleasant enough, with food and drinks included. There wasn’t really much to see along the river, and the sunset didn’t rival some of the ones we enjoyed in Botswana, but we enjoyed it. We were seated among a big tour group from Türkiye, and we chatted with a few of them, which was nice.

The crew performed for us.

The falls

This morning we visited the falls. They are not as impressive as Iguazu or even Niagara, but they are very beautiful. It was actually good that they wasn’t as much water flowing as there would be at peak levels. When the falls are at peak, all you can see is a huge cloud of mist. We were able to see the water flowing over the cliffs and into the river below. The river rock is basalt, which doesn’t erode to a smooth surface but rather breaks off in chunks. This makes it look rough and powerful.

We had a guide who brought ponchos for us, which we definitely needed. The spray fell like rain in places. Although the climate here is very dry, the area around the falls is considered a rainforest, with lush vegetation and colorful flowers.

You can see how much mist is created, even though the water level is fairly low. We were about to walk through that mist, and thank goodness our guide brought ponchos! You can also see how that kind of mist creates a rainforest microclimate around the falls. And you can imagine how much more mist there would be when water levels are higher. We wouldn’t have been able to see anything!
Depending on how this is measured, Victoria Falls can be considered the largest waterfall in the world. When water levels are higher, this would be a continuous sheet of water. The dimensions of that sheet (1,708 meters wide and 108 meters high) make it the world’s largest sheet of falling water.
Of course I couldn’t resist getting a pic of this bird. It’s a blue waxbill.
This is the bridge to Zambia. It opened in 1905. I hope it’s still sturdy: we’ll drive across it tomorrow.

Victoria Falls, the town

This afternoon we walked around the town for a while, visiting a lot of shops that mostly all sold the same kinds of crafts made from wood and stone. carvings of animals, jewelry, clothing, and lots more. There was a large craft market with very aggressive vendors who all insisted they made everything themselves, even though it was all the same as what everyone else was selling.

Negotiation was essential. Mary Ann bought a couple of things. The vendor asked for $70 USD; she eventually got him down to $35.

I bought this art piece. I actually think I bought it from the artist. She described how she worked, using natural materials and dyes. She asked for $35; I got it for $23.

We took a break for lunch after a lot of browsing though numerous gift shops. We were both pretty worn down after a few hours of shopping, and I took a good long nap after we got back to the hotel.

This evening we got tickets to what turned out to be a really good show called Simunye. It pulled from legend and told a story with music and dance, and it was very well done.

Tomorrow we’ll cross into Zambia for our flight to Kigali via Lusaka.

For now, we’re watching some Olympics before sleeptime.

About this post

I didn’t blog during this trip, but I kept a journal. This and all my posts consist of journal entries I wrote during the trip and transcribed into this blog after I got home, with some editing and embellishing.

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