Fun at the Falls

‘Creeping with awe to the verge, I peered down into a large rent which had been made from bank to bank of the broad Zambezi, and saw that a stream of a thousand yards broad leaped down a hundred feet and then became suddenly compressed into a space of fifteen to twenty yards....the most wonderful sight I had witnessed in Africa’.

Although David Livingstone wrote those words in 1855, with a description like that it is not hard to see why the Victoria Falls is one of the most spectacular natural wonders on the planet, and still continues to delight and capture the imagination of travellers.

The Victoria Falls, often just known as the Falls, is the result of thousands of years of erosion. The Zambezi River, flowing across a basalt plateau, in ancient times found cracks in the basalt that were filled with sandstone and started wearing away the softer rock, eventually creating a series of magnificent and dramatic gorges. In fact Victoria Falls has been gradually receding for over 100,000 years. This process of erosion has been repeated over and over again, and the zig-zagging gorges downstream of the current falls represent the formation and abandonment of seven previous waterfalls. Today, the Zambezi crashes over a wide cliff, plunging down 108 metres into a powerful whirlpool, forming the greatest curtain of falling water on Earth, and transforming the placid river into a ferocious torrent. In the height of the rainy season more than five hundred million cubic metres of water a minute surge over the edge of the almost twokilometre-wide falls and plummet into the gorge below. Columns of spray can be seen from miles away, hence its local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya, ‘The Smoke that Thunders’.

I first visited the Victoria Falls as a child, nearly thirty years ago, and have been back repeatedly, even working in Livingstone for a year in my distant, carefree youth. I can safely say that no matter how many times you visit, the Falls are never the same twice – different seasons, different water level, different times of day and different light conditions (including by moonlight) all combine to make each visit unique. The sheer scale and power never ceases to awe and astound. The Zambian and Zimbabwean sides offer very different views of the Falls, so if you have time it’s worth visiting both sides to appreciate fully the whole waterfall. Our latest visit, however, was going to focus on the Zambian side.

Facing the Falls is another sheer wall of rock, crowned with a mist-soaked rainforest. We walked the various paths on the Zambian side, through the rainforest, over the Knife-edge Bridge (with its spectacular views of the eastern cataract, main falls and down the gorge), ducking out to brave the spray and admire the view. Finally, we made our way around to a point where we could see the Aside from the lure of the Victoria Falls themselves, there are numerous activities to keep even the most ardent adventure seeker busy…

Jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge is one of the ultimate adrenaline activities. It is the highest commercial bridge jump in the world and in the most spectacular setting. I, of course, was neither brazen nor foolish enough (depending on your point of view!) to throw myself off the bridge, but I had brought along my 16- and 17-year-old sons to do just that. Shearwater Victoria Falls offers bungee jumping, bridge swinging and zip lining off the iconic bridge. Without any trouble at all I convinced our boys to throw themselves into the abyss. It was only once both boys were fully kitted out in safety harness etc. that my husband voiced what was in both of our minds, ‘We’veonly got two children; do you think it is wise for them to both be throwing themselves off this bridge simultaneously?’ My heart stopped beating and I held my breath as I watched them leap into space, free-falling for what seemed forever, before stopping and being propelled upwards again, at speed, by the rebound of a giant elastic band. The looks of excitement on their faces when we were reunited said it all – they were on an adrenaline high for the rest of the day.

I, on the other hand, thought I would ease myself gracefully into the ‘adrenaline business’ and so signed up with Livingstone’s Adventure for an afternoon’s privately guided canoeing safari on the Zambezi, upstream of the Falls. We paddled between the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Parkon the Zambian side and the Zambezi Game Park on the Zimbabwean side, gliding past elephants, pods of hippos and a great selection of birdlife. I was a little surprised how much we actually saw, given how much noise my husband and younger son were making in the other canoe! Having been told clearly as we set off that the person in the back seat was in charge of steering and the person in the front was the ‘powerhouse’, there was a great deal of gesticulating and exasperation as the two of them ‘discussed’ who was supposed to be doing what and got progressively off course. Silence reigned supreme in my canoe, and I was feeling rather smug about it, until I turned round and discovered that my eldest son was doing what teenagers do best, and having a ‘power nap’ in the back seat whilst I both paddled and steered! Clearly the adrenaline rush of the morning bungee jump had taken its toll.

Not to be left out of the fun, we ‘oldies’ decided to get our hearts pumping the following day, on a family rafting trip with Bundu Adventures, down what is quite probably the wildest commercial white-water in the world. A rafting adventure on the Zambezi River is definitely an adrenaline rush not to be missed. Downstream of the Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River is a

kilometre-long stretch of deep, zig-zagging, tortuous channels gouged out of the surrounding basalt, and the incredible volume of water guarantees an exhilarating day of white-water adventure. When, at the pre-departure briefing, you hear that the rapids have names like ‘The Terminator’, ‘Oblivion’ and ‘Gnashing Jaws of Death’, you have an inkling of what lies ahead, but words cannot describe what a fantastic day it would prove to be. Starting with a hike down to the ‘Boiling Pot,’ a massive whirlpool at the base of the Victoria Falls, we clambered aboard our raft and set off. The sun was shining andthe water was surprisingly warm. Our guide, nicknamed Black Lizard (apparently his real name, Kelvin, didn’t sound tough enough for a river guide!), was the perfect person to take us down the river. He knew exactly which line to take through the rapids, usually giving us the option to choose the route based on whether we wanted to ‘flip’ or not… and a few flips certainly happened! Although stretches of the route are classed a high-octane Grade 5, there are several expanses of scenic, calm water. After lunch and the first string of huge rapids, things became a little quieter and we had the chance to swim alongside the raft for some reaches of the river – an ideal way to pass the time. The whole day was an unbelievable experience for the whole family and definitely worth the steep hike out of the Batoka Gorge at the end of the day.

If flying over the Falls in a contraption that resembles a couple of garden chairs, attached to a beach umbrella, with a lawnmower engine for propulsion is your cup of tea, then microlighting is definitely for you! Seriously though, whilst a microlight may look as fragile as a dragonfly, it is obviously far stronger than it appears. In the hands of the passionate and experienced pilots it is, without doubt, one of the most breathtaking ways to see one of the seven natural wonders of the world in all its magnificence. My youngest son came back brimming with excitement, telling me that he had flown so low over the Falls that he had actually flown through the clouds of mist that are permanently suspended above it. I heard all about how they had flown upstream, downstream and all around. Not only had he had a bird’s eye view of the Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River and the animals in the game park, he was quite excited to tell me that the pilot had flown them over the quad-biking course where my boys had spent the previous afternoon. Apparently the pilot had had quite a giggle as he’d flown over the boys just in time to see one of them fall off!

To alleviate jealousy in the family, and my own fear of missing out, I was carefully dividing the multitude of activities that Livingstone has to offer between my sons, my husband and myself. Not to be outdone by our children in the microlights, my husband and I opted for a spectacular helicopter flight over the Falls, again with Livingstone’s Adventure. Known as the ‘Flight of Angels’, this thrilling flight over the waterfall is a definite bucket-list activity. Not only did we have the luxury of a private flight just for the two of us, but the views were breathtaking and anentirely new perspective on the landscape below. Flying over the national park, we had a fabulous view of elephants

crossing the river and pods of hippos congregating – a brilliant wayto observe many of the park’s inhabitants from on high. The sun was starting to set as we came back to the aerodrome, and the golden light reflecting on the river below was really spectacular.

In between all this action, we somehow managed to have some down time and a little relaxation. Our first few nights were spent at Livingstone’s most recently opened and luxury Thorntree River Lodge, and what an awesome experience that was; with perfectlyappointed rooms right on the banks of the Zambezi, delicious meals served with an unbeatable view of the river, and staff that went out of their way to look after us at every turn. Sundowners by our private pool, waking up each morning to drink tea in bed with the vast expanse of the river stretching out before us – these were all parts of an experience we would never forget. There was even a ‘gym with a view’ for those who couldn’t handle too much relaxing. I would visit the treadmill every morning while my husband was ensconced in bed with his coffee, and would come back with reports of the beautiful birds, monkeys, baboons, giraffes and even elephants I had watched while running – better than any TV in a gym to keep you distracted from the boredom of running to nowhere.

Thorntree is located in the 66-square-kilometre Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, home not only to Cape buffalo, Burchell’s zebra, Angolan giraffe (also known as Namibian giraffe and asubspecies), elephants, various antelope, warthog and more, but also home to 12 endangered white rhino. We were able to combine a game drive through this tiny park with the unique opportunity to get up close to a few of the white rhino. After some searching, we found a female and her baby and were able to approach pretty close on foot without upsetting themother. The baby, Virginia, was in a remarkably playful mood, scampering from side to side and looking quite longingly in our direction. I’d be willing to bet that if her mother hadn’t been there ‘cramping her style’, she would have come even closer and really checked us out.

From the tranquillity and luxury of Thorntree River Lodge, we moved closer to town and based ourselves at Maramba River Lodge, a peaceful oasis amongst all the adrenaline that is Livingstone. Whilst we were close enough to all the action that we could see the microlight passing over the lodge, we still felt part of nature as we breakfasted on a terrace overlooking the resident pod of hippos, who, complete with numerous babies, kept us thoroughly entertained for hours. When we weren’t watching the hippos, we were amazed by the vervet monkeys who, clearly as a means of avoiding crocodiles, preferred drinking from the lodge swimming pool rather than the river; they didn’t seem remotely bothered by our presence, even bringing their tiny babies with them. Maramba was close to all the activity and hustle and bustle of Livingstone, but still maintained an air of serenity, and was a perfect place to rest our weary heads at the end of an action-packed day.

Apart from being home to the Victoria Falls, ‘The Smoke That Thunders’, Zambia is also one of Africa’s most acclaimed adventure and extreme sports destinations. Explore a few of the many activities only available on the Zambian side: • Catch an exciting Batoka Gorge cable car after a thrilling white-water rafting experience • Take to the skies and enjoy a scenic helicopter ride through the magnificent gorge • Feel the spray on your face as you soar above the majestic Victoria Falls and breathtaking rapids in a microlight • Take a luxurious water taxi transfer to The Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara and arrive in style – a service unique to Minor Hotel Group • Visit historic Livingstone Island and go for a daring swim in Devil’s Pool on the edge of the Falls • Enjoy an exhilarating jet-boating experience along the roaring Zambezi • Admire the iconic Victoria Falls with unlimited access from AVANI Victoria Falls Resort and The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Zambia Hotel by Anantara