Victoria Falls

Chapter Sixteen

Victoria falls is one of the natural wonders of the world. Straddling the Zambia/Zimbabwe border, this waterfall is a must see when traveling central Africa. I myself was hesitant to go. The park entrance fee is $20 and I’ve seen so many waterfalls in my life; I didn’t see the point in paying so much just to see another. However, a friend that had recently been there showed me a picture of a huge rainbow over the falls and I was convinced that I should go. I only experienced the waterfall from the Zambia side due to a limited number of visa pages in my passport. I hear the Zim side is even more spectacular but I felt quite satisfied with my experience over on the Zam side.

Walking Trails

You can easily spend half an afternoon at the falls. There are four different hiking trails you can explore. One wraps around the top, close to the Zimbabwe crossing. This trail gives you a zoomed out perspective of the falls. The second trail leads downward towards the boiling point, which is the bottom of the river. The rocks are slippery here so make sure you have shoes with a strong grip. The third trail requires a raincoat and it takes you up close and personal with the crest of the falls. I was amazed by the power of the mist. It felt like it was raining just from walking near these massive waterfalls. The fourth trail leads to the top of the waterfall before the water crashes down below. There is a picnic area here and it makes a lovely spot to enjoy a supermarket beer if you bring one.

Baboons

Watch out for the baboons! On the first trail, I was walking alone when I noticed a huge baboon holding a baby on the path ahead. I calmly walked forward assuming it would move as I got closer. I got within 5 feet and the baboon stayed on the path. Not willing to cross him, I then retreated back. If a baboon decided to bite me and I suddenly had to get rabies vaccinations, there would go all of my travel funds. More baboons started to gather on the path ahead of me and a few started walking towards me. Terrified, I retreated farther back. Luckily three people came walking down the trail. I asked them if I could cross behind them and we all made it through together. It would be a good idea to carry a rock while walking the trails. I don’t think you should actually hit a baboon but if the rock is big enough for the baboons to see, maybe they will leave you alone.

Livingstone

I was really awestruck by the massive size of these waterfalls. I’ve been to Krka Falls in Croatia and they don’t have anything on Victoria Falls. It really is something worth seeing. The town of Livingstone has a nice vibe as well. I’d recommend checking out Maramba Market for some amazing deals. I stayed with a friend I met while working in Malawi so I don’t know which hostels to recommend, but trust me there are many to choose from. Livingstone is at an ideal location for catching a bus to many different places. You can easily get to Botswana, Zimbabwe, or to Namibia. I caught the Intercape bus from Livingstone to Grootfontein. This bus company has a website and you can pay with a​ ​card. It is so high tech! It was the most expensive bus ticket I purchased in Africa but in general, Namibia is much more expensive than the other countries.