Mosi-oa-Tunya - The Smoke that Thunders. The evocative local name for Victoria Falls sets expectations high, but the waterfall, regarded by many as the best in the world, doesn't often disappoint. The massive falls span a 1.7 kilometer (a little over a mile) wide chasm, dropping a spectacular 107 meters (351 feet) below as the mighty Zambezi River snakes its way through a few canyons, forming the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the area certainly isn't unknown to tourists who come from all over the world, once frequently the Zimbabwean tourist city of Victoria Falls before a bit of civil unrest has led many to congregate in Livingstone on the Zambian side, just about 10 kilometers from the actual falls.
During my first day in Livingstone, I simply relaxed and took some time to run a few errands, building up the anticipation for seeing the falls from all different angles and vantage points over the next few days as I would begin my tour. Though I was now officially on the tour, our first three days in the area were free, meaning that we'd basically just come back to the campsite for dinner, our tents and breakfast, doing as we pleased during the day. As the most significant stop on a backpackers trail from Nairobi to Cape Town, there are innumerable activities on offer in the town, ranging from wildlife encounters to skydiving and bungee jumping to high tea at the edge of the falls, and everything in between. Given all of these choices, it's easy to find your money drifting away quickly, in sizeable chunks of $100-200 per activity.
For my first experience of the falls, I chose to simply catch a taxi down the empty road from town to the national park, passing by a few stalls selling souvenirs right at the gate, along with a few rather tame baboons jumping on parked cars and digging through the trash cans. Just a few minutes after paying my entrance fee, I laid my eyes upon the magnificent sight that is Victoria Falls - a roaring curtain of water pouring over the massive cliff to the bottom of the gorge. I continued down the trail to get closer to the edge of the opposite cliff, looking straight across the chasm to the water about 40 yards away. I also soon realized that it was going to get really wet along that trail, so I headed back to the gate to rent one of the ponchos ($1) to keep myself and my camera dry. Moving back to the rim trail, the heavy mist blew in and out from the falls, drenching everything in its path, though when the wind pushed the mist away from the falls, the sweeping views were miraculous. I have obviously seen hundreds of pictures of the falls before, but the volume, width and sheer size of the falls can't really be captured in just one photo, and I was blown away by the sight. Fortunately the hot sun and arid climate was quick to dry my clothes when I did take a break from the views and backed off the trail a bit.
As this is early in the dry season, the falls were still pretty full with water rushing from further up the basins of the Zambezi. During April and May, the water surges to its highest level, and apparently the mist simply covers the area, soaking everything around it (and probably obscuring most of the close views of the falls). Conversely, the falls get down to only about 5% of its peak volume during the height of dry season in November, so I was glad to have made it at a time of strong flow and decent visibility. In terms of comparisons, Victoria Falls is a little more than twice as high as Niagara Falls and half a kilometer wider, though its water level fluctuates more, giving Niagara a higher average volume. It's also higher than the famous Iguacu Falls of Brazil/Argentina, though not as wide as that expanse.
Still in awe, I spent a few more hours just walking around the park, circling around for a few more views from more distant viewpoints. On the Northern side of the falls, I sat along the edge of the Zambezi, watching a few crazy visitors hiring local guides to wade out into the wide river, carefully stepping through the rushing waters as they maneuvered to get the footing right and end up at one of the many rock islands that sit on the lip of the falls, offering great but somewhat dangerous views of the water falling off the edge just meters from their feet. (Although I'm sure it's a great view, I was told that about 5 or 6 tourists die every year doing things like this, and there was even a Zambian guide who died the day before as he attempted to give a hand to one tourist who decided it would be a good idea to go swimming in a huge whirlpool just a few hundred feet away from where the falls come into the gorge, known as the Boiling Point.) Finishing off my day, I walked down to the huge bridge that spans the river and crosses over into Zimbabwe. This bridge is also the jumping off point for the bungee, ziplines and other aerial activities, so I was able to watch a few crazy souls throw themselves towards the river below before heading back, haggling with the taxi drivers who are quick to overcharge tourists for the short ride back to town and then back to my group to get a bit of orientation and get my bearings regarding the tents and truck that would be my home for the next few weeks.
(One of my first views of the incredible Victoria Falls, as seen from the Zambian side.)
(The powerful falls were still high filled with water from the previous rainy season. There is actually quite a bit of fluctuation in the falls, completely blanketing the area with mist in April and nearly running dry in November.)
(1.7 kilometers long and 107 meters high (351 feet), it's no wonder that this waterfall is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. In addition to that, a nice double rainbow is almost always lurking when the bright sun hits the mist.)
(Pictures really can't even do justice to this massive falling sheet of water.)
(As you can see, I rented a cheap poncho for a few hours to protect me and my camera from the persistent mist blowing around from the falls. Although I got completely drenched, the warm sun dried me off in just a few minutes.)
(Heading towards the bridge over the Zambezi to Zimbabwe, this is a view of the canyon just past the falls, with a small piece of the falls visible through the gorge. A huge whirlpool called the Boiling Pot where a guide died the day before trying to save a tourist is just to the right of this view.)
(Back up on the Zambian side, you can walk around the side to get views of the falls from behind, watching the water fall over the lip and into the crevasse.)
(Some of the more daring tourists hired local guides to walk out through the rushing waters (usually just a few feet high as the river is very wide here) and climb around on the rocks at the very edge of the falls. I was not so daring/foolish. (Around 5 or 6 people die every year trying this.))
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