Incredible Victoria Falls

Most often when I travel for work, holidays are absorbed by work and so forth. This year, I had missed every holiday there had been, but I wasn’t going to let the same thing happen for the 4th of July (I know – I’m a bit behind these days!). I made a point to get away for the four day weekend to Victoria Falls. It was a perfect, and much needed break after six months with no holidays or vacations.

There is good reason that Victoria Falls is one of the wonders of the world. It is simply phenomenal.

If you know nothing more than that it is a massive waterfall, the second widest in the world, then you are in for a treat with all of its quirks. It is unlike you would expect of a typical waterfall. Vic Falls, as called by those in Southern Africa, marks the half way point for the Zambezi river; the fourth largest in Africa (behind the Nile, Congo, and Niger).Spanning a mile in width (5,604 ft), it rushes over the edge of the falls and plummets into a gorge that is approximately 360 feet deep and only 20 to 60 feet wide, then it channels in a raging river only 20 feet wide. This means that when viewing the falls, you are right in front of the falls, rather than standing at a distance as you normally would to see something in Niagara Falls.Being such a narrow area where the falls descend into, means that all of the water billows up into a massive blowhole type spray, shooting high in the air at times of high water. The local name for the Vic Falls, Mosi-oa-Tunya, means “Smoke that Thunders”, since from a distance the clouds of water spraying upwards appears very much like smoke. As you come closer, the sound is thunderous. When first discovered, it was thought to be a massive fire.
Victoria Falls is also pretty incredible, in that the falls have continued to move over time, as the water breaks through the basalt and creates a new set of falls, zig zagging from one place to the next.When you view the falls from the Zimbabwe side, as Victoria Falls rests with Zimbabwe on one bank and Zambia on the other, you can view the falls from 73 steps down to see the falls from one side looking across lengthwise. The rest of the falls, you are up on the edge parallel to the cascading falls, looking down, if you dare, into the plunge of the falls.

Victoria Falls is very seasonal, depending on the level of the water. In rainy season, November – May, it is nearly impossible to see the falls, as there is simply a white wall of water between you and the falls. In the dry season, September – October, you can see the falls best, without as much spray, but the water isn’t as intense either.

In my opinion, the mid-season, June-August, is the perfect time to view the falls. You have raging waters, and still plenty of spray, but not so much as to block the view entirely. At the end of the walk, at Danger Point, the spray was so heavy during my visit that it was as if there was a torrential downpour – though in reality there was no rain at all. Even with a rain jacket past my knees, which you can rent for a few bucks, my pants were completely soaked through.I recommend going early morning on a weekday for a private viewing. I went on a Monday morning around 8am and saw most of the falls without crossing paths with anyone else. It was like my own little oasis. I walked the path, becoming drenched, and sang the songs I learned from Australian Aborigines in a sort of walking meditation. It was simply lovely.

While most places I have been, I realize that it is less than likely that I will return, Victoria Falls is one that I am most certain to make a point of returning again with family. It was a great solo trip, but Vic Falls is too fabulous not to share with others.

Miel