The Victoria Falls experience

When we arrived in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, we had ideas of travelling across the country to the city of Bulawayo amd maybe on to the capital Lusaka, but in that first week our plans changed. And rolling with the changes is just part and parcel of this experience. Before we get into that, let me tell you about the key reason we came here in the first place - the natural phenomenon of Victoria Falls.

The day after we arrived, rather than rush straight to the waterfall, we took the day to get some sleep (much needed) and explore the area - walking to the supermarket and getting provisioms for a few days. We also had to get acclimatised to the hot temperatures having just come from South Africa where it was much cooler.

Day 2, we knew it was going to be a hot day but could see that it was only about 2.5km to the falls entry gate, so we decided to walk there. The main street of Victoria Falls is lined with restuarants, shops, activity companies and banks, and whilst there are people that approach you to sell scenic helicopter flights and curiosities, they usually aren't too persistent. It can get annoying being constantly asked to take a helicopter flight, and in the end we just told them that we'd done it already so they stopped trying. In fairness it is worth considering the helicopter flight idea if you're planning to come here - see the note at the bottom of the page for info.

By the time we got to the Entry gate and visitor centre the sun was high in the sky, so we were pleased to find the walking route was partially shaded with trees and soon we were in the much cooler shelter of the rainforest at the edge of the canyon and feeling the welcome mist and spray from the falls. You hear the falls before you see them; thundering in the distance, and then suddenly there they are, appearing in front of you, your view flanked by the green of the rainforest.

It is simply incredible. Having visited Niagara Falls before, we of course debated which is more impressive. The truth is they are both incredible to see. Niagara is much more accessible (from the Canadian side) and you can see the full expanse of the falls there for free from the public walkway alongside the road. And its very affordable to take a boat out towards the base of the falls, which is great fun. However, Victoria Falls is simply immense in size. It is 1.7km in width and that in itself is phenomenal and difficult to comprehend unless you have been there and experienced it. The walk on the Zimbabwean side hugs the opposite edge of the long canyon where the Zambezi river drops away.

It was lovely walking through the rainforest and then seeing the falls reappear from a different vantage point at the next lookout point. In total we spent about two hours exploring and then took a well-deserved rest at the restaurant near the visitor centre for a cold drink.

Seeing the Falls was absolutely worth the trip to this friendly country. It feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity and we have some wonderful photos to support the memories we made there.

As I mentioned at the start, we had intended to travel on and see more of this country but when planning the next leg we received some useful information from some people who had travelled the route we were thinking of going and they recommended not going, partly because they advised that the places we wanted to see were hard to reach, with long travel times (14 hrs to Lusaka) and that the buses were not reliable. After accepting that we had only 5 weeks before our flights out of Windhoek, Namibia, we made the hard decision to cut our Zimbabwe trip short and begin to make our way to Namibia (via a brief stint in Zambia). We also reluctantly decided not to spend time in Botswana as this could be very expensive for us to visit the areas I particularly wanted to get to. Maybe one day we will come back and explore Zimbabwe more and experience Botswana; I'd like to very much, but for now they will have to remain on my bucket list.

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Walk the Falls or take a scenic flight?

Note: The following only considers the Zimbabwe side of the Falls.

Whilst you can book an organised walking tour of the Falls, we did a bit of reading beforehand on the history of Professor Livingstone and the history of the falls, then simply walked around the Falls on our own. Most people seem to do this, and the route from the Visitor Centre to all the lookout points is paved and clearly marked so you can't get lost. The route is fairly long and whilst there are opportunities to cut back to the entry point if you've had enough, the route is in a big loop of about 2.5km and it can take about 1 hr to walk to all 16 viewpoints so make sure you've got time to do it slowly and really enjoy the various views and take all the photos. The Livingstone monument is at the start of the route. Some of the best expansive views are towards the latter end of the route.

Price: US$50 pp (International visitors)

Time: 1-2hrs +

Other considerations: There are toilets at the entry point. There is also a restuarant and gift shop, so you can get refreshments and/or lunch if needed. If going in the dry season, be aware that walking in the intense heat can be tough and whilst the route is fairly level with a few small inclines, the sun beating down can be tough when not under the rainforest canopy. There is wildlife inside the park, so you may see monkeys, warthogs and mongoose on your walk. Taxis and Buses can be accessed across the road from the visitor centre.

Helicopter flights are offered throughout the town's main street. These can vary in length of flight, and price considerably, but a key thing to check is your seating position on the helicopter; some companies will guarantee a window seat, others do not.

Price: From US$100 - $200

Time: Usually 12 - 15 minutes

Other considerations: Flying over the falls allows you to see them in their entirety and from an angle you simply can't get from the ground. If you will struggle to walk the falls, are short on time, or simply want more of a thrill, then a helicopter flight would be a good choice.

Our thoughts: We really enjoyed our walk of the falls, but it was tough in the midday heat of the dry season. We walked a total of 8km that day, inc, the walk from our accommodation. We caught a taxi back which cost US$10. We spent a total of US$110 for our trip to the falls that day. We did seriously consider the flight but in the end because we were rich on time, we decided to walk it. Other people we spoke to took the flight option and loved it, but they were only in the area for a day or 2.