Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Visiting Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Last Summer ( ’19) we ( my friend Sarah and I ) embarked on a two week African Adventure. Our first stop was Zimbabwe to see the incredible Victoria Falls. ( We had a little trouble getting there .. and you can hear all about that here.)

Some Fun Facts about the Falls
There are lots of ways to compare waterfalls, but VF is often considered one of the biggest due to its width.
It’s traditional name: Mosi-oa-Tunya literally means ‘The Smoke that Thunders”
It is a natural border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, thus both are popular with tourists and travellers.
The Falls are part of the Zambezi River and are naturally most powerful in the rainy season (Jan-March)
Victoria Falls are considered as one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

Our Trip. – Day 1
After arriving into Zim a day later than planned we made our way to The Kingdom a beautiful hotel, which blended perfectly into its surroundings, with waterfalls, pools and generous sized bedrooms ( if you have watched the above you’ll know what I am talking about 10:40 – onwards). After a complete fresh up and a generous lunch we decided to take a walk to the falls. The Kingdom actually has its own direct path to the falls but we decided to walk along the main path, just outside of the hotel. ( it’s around 15-20 minutes) Alternatively I’m sure you could drive in about 3 minutes. Entrance was $30US which I felt was a little steep for a natural phenomenon but this did not take away from the beauty.
Like most things, The Falls isn’t quite what you expect. There were lots of different view points ranging from within the rainforest to out on the plain and overall the trail felt very safe.
That evening we had a buffet dinner at our hotel which put on an excellent offering of food to suit everyones taste ( I don’t necessarily speak for any allergy sufferers/vegans here.)

Day 2
This was our first opportunity to try Zimbabwe bacon, and if you are a bacon eater, this is not an opportunity to be missed.
After breakfast we actually spent most of this day in neighbouring Botswana.

I haven’t written up a full review of this yet, but the video explains it all.

Day 3
We had hoped that this would be the day we would be visiting Devils Pool in Zambia, unfortunately because of our previous delay this wasn’t possible and tbh, we were pretty devastated. However, this did mean that for the first time we could have a lay in and relax down by the pool with some drinks.

That evening we embarked on a sunset river safari ( included drinks, duh), I can’t remember the price but I want to say it was around £15 each. We were picked up from The Kingdom and driven down to the Zambezi river before boarding. Animal viewing wasn’t overly spectacular but a beautiful sunset none the less.

Other things to note about Zimbabwe and Victoria Falls
Whilst we were there, there was a bit of an issue with generators. ( Hotel was immune from this). This meant that during the night time there were no street lights in Victoria Falls as well as lights frequently going off in restaurants.
As a whole Zimbabwe has had a heap of problems in the last 50 years but according to what I have read Victoria Falls has still remained an incredibly safe destination, even throughout these times. I personally felt safe during my visit .( although, I would have preferred some street lights) Although I am not in a position to comment on Zimbabwe as a whole I think being sensible goes a long way.