Mar 18, 2001 12:24 AM
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I lived in Zimbabwe for three years, from August 1994 to August 1997, and during my stay, was privileged to see some of the greatest sites of my life. I visited Victoria Falls, one of the wonders of the world, as well as going within 5 metres of lions in the Hwange National Park, and witnessing the pure beauty of going fishing on the Lake Kariba. I had a superb time, an I hope to convey my experiences to you:
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe would not be Zimbabwe without Victoria Falls. I visited it three times, once with friends, once with relatives and then with my family. Normally, after the 3rd time you?d expect to be bored out of your mind, but this is a rarity in that the enjoyment simply gets greater every time. It is situated on the East Coast, right on the border with Zambia, and is pretty close to the Hwange National Park.
It has got to be the top destination for all visitors to Zimbabwe and must surely be one of the most memorable sights in the world, I have ever seen. The Zambezi River expands to an incredible width of over a mile before thundering 100 metres down a waterfall and into turbulent white waters. This is no ordinary waterfall, but one from which you can barely see the bottom. Before reaching the falls, the river is a peaceful place with palm-dotted islands scattered throughout the water. The area around the falls is rainforest fed by the constant spray from the falls. I tell you the feeling of that cool water on your face in the 30 degrees Celsius summers was sheer joy. Rainbows can be seen from all angles. Viewing of the falls is done from within the Victoria Falls National Park where you can see antelope, vervet monkey, warthog and banded mongoose living amid the spray. (Man I wish I lived there!!!) To be within a couple of feet of wild animals is amazing, and something I can?t imagine happening in many other places in the world. Beyond the falls, the river winds its way down the gorge and provides some of the best white water rafting in the world. Finally, it flows under the Victoria Falls Bridge and between the borders of Zimbabwe and Zambia towards Lake Kariba, on the Northern border with Zambia. What makes it better than Niagara Falls though is the fact that you can get so close to the falls- You could literally get to within 5 feet of the edge, and the look down was simply the most amazing thing I have ever seen.
To see the falls from the ground, you must enter the national park and it was only like the equivalent of £1 for locals, but up to maybe £15 for visitors (this was also the case with hotels in the vicinity). There were no catering facilities inside the park area so this didn't really encourage you to linger all day, although it did take a good few hours to take it all in, and gain maximum enjoyment from the park. We normally took our own food, because it was so good that you did not want to miss it just to get some food (plus the food from the vendors is not exactly reliable!!!) The park itself is quite well kept and provides viewing points dotted along the cliff walkway. However, its quite difficult to take any photographs without getting drenched by the spray (But is this a bad thing???). Mind you, just seeing the Falls was good enough for me, although obviously I did take some photos for the album!!!
The town of Victoria Falls is only a few minutes walk from the falls and is the tourist hub for a huge range of activities covering both general tourism and the adrenaline adventure seekers. The town has many craft and African art shops. They only cost a couple of £s, but I hear they can sell for about £50 over here, so good is the quality. This is a tourist area and you will inevitably be approached by money-changers or people trying to sell drinks or souvenirs. However, its not that annoying and they can quite easily be ignored - there are many places around the world that are much much worse. They are genuinely trying to sell you something which they think you will like, or in the first case trying to help you because you are a tourist. They certainly treat you as their own. I visited it on one occasion, but if you are here to do some serious shopping then you are in the wrong place, maybe this was better simply for browsing I would say.
At the other end of the falls, the Zambezi Road leads you along the river before turning inland and heading for the Zambezi National Park. The park runs along the river for over 20 miles and contains a wide range of Zimbabwe's wildlife. The rest being in the Hwange National Park, and other National Parks, mainly located in Harare. One creature you are quite likely to see in this area is the Banded Mongoose which are rather cute little beasts, usually seen in large groups foraging through the undergrowth. I can tell you I made the most of this experience, as I doubt I will ever get the chance to go back again.
If you can afford it, the Victoria Falls Hotel is highly recommended but there are many places to stay to suit all pockets. What they do is charge high prices for tourists (which I was fortunately not) which were like 10 times more than locals were charged. Ilala Lodge is less expensive and is situated in the heart of the town only a short walk from the falls. There are several excellent lodges along the Zambezi River offering guides and activities. The Elephant Hills Hotel is a was by far the best, but an eye-sore, from the outside!! This was certainly one of the best hotels I have ever stayed at, and certainly better than any I have seen in England. It was a bit like living in a lodge, and the beautiful view of the Victoria National Park made the experience even better. The food served was excellent and the staff very friendly. They really made you feel at home, and could not have done anything more to make our stay any better.
Anyway, I have now seen one of the greatest attractions in the world, and I suggest that anyone visiting Zimbabwe would visit here. It is simply amazing, particularly in them summer time, and it is certainly an experience which will remain with me for the rest of my life. I visited it three times, but I am sure you will enjoy it just as much if you only go once.
