Visit Victoria Falls
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Reviewed by:
Kunjani Safaris
Rating:
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Yes it is still safe to see the magnificent Victoria Falls from the Zimbabwe side.
Whilst Zimbabwe faces a massive crisis and is racked by economic despair and violence, visiting Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe is still an option. The little town that has remained a major tourist attraction is a great distance from Harare and has been largely unaffected by the political havoc that is being wreaked in the capital.
About the falls: stretch a mighty 1.7 km across the Zambezi River, and the most spectacular are in Zimbabwe. From the Devil's Cataract on the banks of the river you stroll slowly through the Rain Forest in front of the Main Falls and Horseshoe Falls. One of the most spectacular parts of seeing the Falls is that you are literally right in front of them. A narrow gorge is all that separates you from the incredible force of tons of water thundering down a height of 108 metres. And you'll get very wet!
You only need a couple of nights to be able to experience the sheer beauty and majesty of this natural wonder of the world. There are some wonderful places to stay, with my all-time favourite being the Victoria Falls Hotel. It's a gentle colonial giant, originally opened in 1904 and visited by royalty and heads of state over many years. Regularly refurbished, it still smacks of old-fashioned splendour. The extensive gardens lead down to the entrance to the Falls and, if you're sitting on the hotel's terrace (preferably with a G&T in hand) you'll see the spray rising over the Falls bridge.
The Falls are so vast that the only way to see them all at once is from the air, and it's well worth taking a flip to catch the enormity of this natural wonder. Also there are fabulous photo opportunities from the air. If you're heading on to Botswana it's worth going via Zambia and spending a couple of nights in Livingstone, to see the Falls from the "other" side. But that's another story...
Jacquie Stafford designs tours to some of Africa's exciting destinations, and has visited Victoria Falls on numerous occasions.
Category: Adventure Travel
