September 3
Today we had a guided tour of both sides of the Falls, one of
the Seven Natural Wonders of the World; Victoria Falls, locally known as
Mosi-oa-Tunya, “The Smoke That Thunders.” Is at its peak flow in February to
May, when the falls are at their fullest. We got wet from the spray and the rain forest even in the dry season. In season, you may only get photos of mist and will be drenched!
Breakfast was good, though service was spotty. (good for us, but Tom & Cathy had to ask to see a menu) There was a buffet of fruits, yogurts, cereals & breads and then main dishes were ordered from a menu.
MJ picked us up around 8:30 and we started on the Zimbabwe
side. The path winds for about 1.7 kilometers through the rainforest, and you stop to take in the views of the gorges and cascades. Here are the various viewpoints. We
could only imagine how it would look when they are at their fullest.
Viewpoint 1: Features the David
Livingstone Statue and looks down onto the rushing Devil's Cataract.
Viewpoint 2: Known as The
Chain Walk, leading close to the edge.
Viewpoints 3–5: Provide a clear,
striking frontal look at the Devil's Cataract and New Falls.
Viewpoints 6–8: Focus heavily on
the wide expanse of the Main Falls (Viewpoint 8 offers a direct, head-on
angle).
Viewpoints 9–10: Set deep in the wet
rainforest canopy near Horseshoe Falls and glimpses of Livingstone
Island.
Viewpoints 11–13: Surround the areas
where mist creates constant rainbows, offering angles toward Rainbow Falls
and Devil's Pool.
Viewpoints 14–15: Overlook the
roaring Eastern Cataract.
Viewpoint 16: The final stop, looking out at the Victoria Falls Bridge and the churning Boiling Pot down in the second gorge.
We again had a different guide on the Zambian side. While we really liked MJ’s style, Daliso on the Zambian side was repetitive and was a bit annoying. He was, however, very helpful getting us to the front of the line on the Zambia side at immigration.
MJ noted that we didn’t have any lunch reservations and asked if we would like him to make them for the Lookout Café. We agreed it was a great choice, and he said he had already made them. I guess I should have clarified what time he made them as we took off driving, and I assumed we were going to the restaurant since it was just after noon. The next thing we know we are at the border and waiting for our guide (he was late since there were elephants in the road that wouldn’t move) and I thought maybe it’s on the Zambian side? It wasn’t. So, we are starving and that didn’t help when our guide Daliso wanted to drag out his tour. The Zambian side is smaller and not as much to see and it seemed he was dragging it out. (or we were just starving and wanted to eat)
Here are the highlights of the Zambian side:
Knife-Edge Bridge: A footbridge in
Zambia giving panoramic views of the Eastern Cataract and Main Falls.
Livingstone Island
& Devil's Pool: Located right on the lip of the waterfall where daring
visitors swim during the dry season.
The View of the Angels: The classic aerial perspective from a helicopter or microlight flight, looking down the deep basalt chasms.
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Luckily, it was a short drive to the Lookout Café (so, we could have easily done it before crossing the border). Another issue was that the sunset river cruise serves a lot of appetizers and that started at 4:00 so it was silly to eat lunch right before boarding.
The Lookout Café is perched high over the Batoka Gorge near the bridge, offering lunch with a dramatic view of the canyon. Pretty dry this time of year but it was fun to watch the zipliners. The food was very good, and we probably should have split a sandwich to save more room for the boat food.
We stopped to pick up people from a couple of other lodges that were also doing the boat trip. It was a peaceful cruise along the Zambezi River and was a nice sunset. We were on the Signature Deck, and it was all inclusive of beverages and canapes. The canapes were brought out automatically so there was nothing to order. (eat it or not) I was busy spotting wildlife and didn’t take photos of all the courses. Whatever you were drinking they kept it coming.
There were hippos and crocodiles, and a couple of elephants were sited. There were a few fellow birders, and we found quite a few. (no decent photos) The cruise lasted around 2 hours, and the staff performed for us at the end. It really capped off our day at the Falls.
After the cruise we had a 3 Course Dinner at The Eatery by the Pure Africa Waterfront, which also included all drinks. It was a beautiful setting, and we had pre-ordered our food on the boat. We had Springbok for dinner. Mine was tough and Greg’s was melt-in-your-mouth yummy. I was so full I didn’t care and enjoyed a few bites of Greg’s. There was a choice of soup or salad and we chose the salad. The chef was very excited about her surprise Lava Cake dessert, but it was a bit of a disappointment as it was a bit overbaked and not that tasty. Greg said that my lava cake was safe from being replaced as a favorite. LOL (Tom and Cathy agreed) However, we all ate it. HA!
What a full day of activities and we were picked up by MJ and taken back to Ilala Lodge for our last night there.
Tomorrow, MJ will drive us to the border of Botswana where will meet our driver to Ngoma Safari Lodge for Chobe National Park.
Photos & Videos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dwBs54UoxmMP16iUA
