Victoria Falls

The Road Chose Me Volume 2 OUT NOW!!
The Road Chose Me Volume 2: Three years and 54,000 miles around Africa

Victoria Falls at sunrise

The main falls during a brief break in the “rain”

We’re extremely excited as we drive into the town of Victoria Falls, and can even hear the falls when we’re still half a mile away. Entry is $30 USD each, and so we setup camp and just wander around town for the afternoon waiting anxiously for the main event.

The stats of the great African river systems are fascinating. Look at the Congo flow rate!!!

We’re up before sunrise and are second in line to enter the falls at 6:01am, hoping to capture a beautiful sunrise over the falls. We soon learn we have arrived during the highest of high water, and the consequence is spray from the falls so heavy it’s like torrential rain. Whenever we’re even remotely close the falls we’re utterly saturated, and try as we might our cameras are soon drenched. Taking photos is extremely difficult, and we barely catch more than a glimpse of the falls when the wind shifts.
If I’m being honest, Niagara is more impressive – the viewing area here at Vic Falls is so close it’s impossible to see very much – certainly impossible to get an overview of the whole thing.

Emily taking photos in the “rain”, serious business!

Feeling a little let down by the world’s most expensive let-down waterfalls we wander around town checking out the sights. Walking the canyon edge is great, and of course we stop for a drink at the famous and extremely fancy Vic Falls Hotel.

The bridge across to Zambia

The bridge, and the spray from the main falls in the background

Dr. Livingstone

In the early afternoon we stop at the Vic Falls Snake Park, which turns out to be an extremely well-run and interesting place. We’re given a tour, where each and every snake is explained in great detail. All our questions are answered, and we leave feeling like the entrance price was well worthwhile.

The mighty Green Mamba. I’m sure we saw one on the side of the road in Mozambique

I really, really don’t like the look of the Gabon Viper. Checkout it’s evil head!

This little chameleon was friendly

We find our way back to the falls and basically beg to be let back in using our tickets from the morning. Officially we’re supposed to pay another $30 USD each, though after talking around and around for twenty minutes I convince the person on the gate to let us in. After all we already paid today and were only in the viewing area for less than an hour.
We make another lap and don’t see anything more than we did in the morning – there is just too much spray.

Snakes usually don’t bother me so much

Although Emily was petrified and this lasted about half a second

Unfortunately the extremely high water also means rafting in the canyon is closed, and I’m not interested in just rafting the lower stuff that isn’t so exciting.

In the evening we find our way to the new brew pub, The River Brewing Company. Friends of friends alerted us to the fact it’s run by an Alaskan, and soon we’re chatting away about adventures in the great White North.

Our time in Zimbabwe has been eye opening and unforgettable. It’s only the third country on the continent where I have extended my visa, so based on that you can see how much I have loved it.
Zimbabwe is a very special and beautiful place, I only hope it has a happy and prosperous future in front.

Now, we’re driving into Zambia!

-Dan