Conveniently, the airport shuttle took us back and we managed to log lots of steps as we had to go back and forth through the terminal for check in, security and customs, and then to our terminal. I also managed to make the check-in agent giggle as I said he had a nice laugh which immediately made him snort laugh. While waiting in the airport bus that took us to our Fastjet plane, I took a photo of our airport hotel:
On the plane, we were treated to a snack box which has a helpful map for all you blog fans as we will fly up to Victoria Falls and back down to Kruger airport on Monday:
In just less than 2 hours and a disinfectant spray later, we could see the mist from a distance as we arrived at Victoria Falls airport in Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls, also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya means "Thundering Smoke” is a waterfall on the Zambezi River. You can really see the “smoke”!
Upon arrival, we had to pay for our visa in USD and in cash and opted for the double entry priced at $45 as we’ll have to return to Zimbabwe when flying back to South Africa. In this area of Zimbabwe, the US dollar is heavily used versus the local currency.
We met Shamiso, our guide arranged by our hotel who drove us about 20 minutes to the national park where we were greeted by a few monkeys. At the park, we had to pay $50 each as we were non-African foreigners to enjoy the “Zim” side. A photo of the monkeys:
Like the other major waterfalls, it traverses borders - here we’re at the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia; Iguazú crosses Argentina and Brazil; and Niagara has the US and Canadian sides. By visiting here, I have completed the trifecta. Here’s a sign comparing the three largest waterfalls. We learned that Victoria Falls is the tallest, Iguazú is the widest, and Niagara has the most volume of water…
The Scottish missionary, David Livingstone identified the falls in 1855 and gave it its colonial name after British Queen Victoria. A sculpture of Livingstone at viewing point #1:
There are 16 viewing points and what’s incredible, we’re here during low season. So the water is least voluminous in November and builds back up again for the peak season which runs from May to October. Apparently December is most popular with the locals as we saw many Zimbabwean families. At its peak, it’s also difficult to see the falls because of the intensity of the mist, so Shamiso said it’s best to take a helicopter then. Plus, it’s so wet that not all the viewing points are reachable on the stone pathways.
Here’s us at stop #2 where you walk down 38 steps and arrive at a viewing platform:
The skies were crisp and the falls beautiful as the sprays created rainbows galore!
The last stop views the bridge crossing between Zimbabwe and Zambia and handles foot, vehicle, and train traffic as you can see this train:
Shamiso was impressed and surprised how expedient we were and as we left the park, she took a photo of us at the entrance with the Zimbabwe flag on the left:
She then drove us to the border crossing where we exited the car to obtain our exit stamp, and passed us on to Robert, who was going to transport us to our hotel on the Zambia side. It doesn’t make sense for her to deal with the hassle of exit and re-entry. Robert navigated us through trucks across the bridge, then we obtained our entry stamp where Zambia does not require a visa. A photo of the parked cars and trucks as we learned many choose to also walk over and take a taxi as vehicle entry is more expensive:
Robert drove us about 10 minutes north to the Protea Livingstone which is in Zambia’s former capital of Livingstone named after the missionary. We settled in, confirmed our activities, and rested.
We then headed to dinner at the hotel for a buffet dinner that included a super tender goat curry that paired marvelously with the local Mosi beer which shows the thunder!
What a long day as we slogged through on little rest. But I was hyped up as I have played several times Shakira’s World Cup song from 2010, “Waka Waka, This Time for Africa”. Unbelievably, we were in three African countries today!
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