Tuesday 2 November 2010

Victoria Falls

Victoria falls is the biggest tourist attraction in Zambia and I feel it as my obligation to write at least something about the falls. It's a magnificent sight but unfortunately my strengths do not lie in poetic descriptions on beautiful nature. Luckily, I can quote David Livingstone who was (fortunately for the tourist boards in various African countries) a lot more poetic in his words. He wrote about the surrounding areas: “Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.".



I saw the falls both from the Zambian side and from the Zimbabwean side. Actually, I went twice to the Zambian side (about a month apart) just because the entrance was less than $1.5 for a Zambian resident like me. It would've been worth it to visit the falls also during the wet season and during the dry season. During the wet season, there is so much mist that you can't see the falls but only feel it. So dry season is actually better for the viewing (or for the photographing).



At the moment I think it's also possible to swim in the Devil's Pool, which is a natural swimming pool very near the edge of the falls. Just google for some really crazy photos. They claim it's safe. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to swim there in July.

Which side is better? I enjoyed both but I kind of prefer Zambian side (then again, I might be slightly biased). You are closer to the falls which means that you can't really avoid getting wet. (You can naturally rent rain gear from there.) I do know others who don't like getting wet and therefore prefer Zimbabwean side. Which one is better for the views probably depends on the day.

My Lonely Planet describes them this way: “Admission is cheaper on the Zambian side, but the Zimbabwean side is less tourist-oriented and much quieter.”. The first visit to the Zambian side was a bit of shock. You know, it is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, so I was expecting something really touristy. Well, there are the obligatory souvenir stalls but that's about it. On the Zimbabwean side there was also a nice display about the falls.



There is plenty to do around Victoria Falls besides just watching the falls. I skipped jumping down the bridge, which seemed to be hugely popular. (We also developed a great business plan: Selling bungee jumps to those who won't dare to jump. There are plenty of people who pay for the bungee jump but don't dare to jump in the end thus losing their money. So, we could start a business trying to convince the ones who are least likely to jump to buy the jump.) We also went to a “booze cruise” on the Zambezi river. It was wonderful, we even saw some animals. And yes, also the gin tonics were good.

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