After saying our goodbyes to Cape Town and Bo, we were off to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls. The 3 hour flight went by quickly and the next thing we knew we were standing in line to get our visa for Zimbabwe. We did the online declaration which eliminated the need to complete the form handed out on the plane. You can also do the online e-visa but you still have to wait in the line so we opted to skip that step. With the online declaration, you just present your passport and $30 and you are in. Zimbabwe’s official currency is the US dollar…they switched in 2015 due to hyperinflation and the volatility of the Zimbabwean dollar thanks to government corruption. It was convenient but due to Victoria Falls being such a tourist destination all prices are very similar to US…a big change from South Africa.
What an absolutely amazing time we had visiting the falls! While the falls are generally viewed from Zimbabwe, only one-third of them are in Zimbabwe…the other two-thirds are in Zambia according to our guide. The locals call the falls Mosi-Oa-Tanya which translates to The Smoke That Thunders. There are just not words or pictures to do it justice but hopefully these pics and videos will give you an idea of how massive the falls are.
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| David Livingstone was the first European to discover the falls and named them after his queen. |
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| After the falls, we had lunch at the Lookout Cafe and this was the view from our table! |
We finally got around to trying a drink with Amarula and had this amazing view of the Zambezi River from our hotel bar.
These signs definitely make you wonder what is living in the area! We saw warthogs, mongoose and bushbuck but no elephant or hippo which a security guard told me are often seen. Apparently the bushbuck and grass clipper live in harmony as the bushbuck was not phased in the least bit by the grass clipper.
On our second morning in Victoria Falls, we had another truly unbelievable experience…A Walk With Giants. We thought we were just going to an elephant sanctuary where we would see an elephant or 2, pose for a pic and feed them but this was so much more! We boarded a safari jeep and headed deep into the bush and along the way we saw wildebeests, impalas, guinea fowl, giraffe and Marabou Stork. On board with us was Mike and his trusty rifle…if you are walking in the bush where big game is an armed escort is required by Zimbabwean law. Once we reached the trackers, we were given instructions on how to walk and act while around the animals…they have 17 elephants currently and we met up with a family of 5 ladies.
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| Mike was with us to keep us safe should any of the big game get a little skiddish…fortunately he never had to use his rifle. |
We were walking in the bush following the elephants after they got bored with us petting them. Notice we are right behind the man with the rifle…better believe we wanted to be next to him in case things got wild 😂
Do not blink or you will miss LuLu feeding the elephant 🤣
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| LuLu got pretty good at climbing in and out of the safari vehicles! |
Our final night in Zimbabwe we went on a sunset river cruise on the Zambezi River. What an absolutely lovely evening and beautiful sunset! We saw all sorts of wildlife from the water…elephants (cannot get enough of them!), crocodiles, hippos sleeping on the bank and baboons. It was the perfect ending to our time in Victoria Falls!
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| Hippos napping |
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| Reminded me of the boat in “The African Queen” |
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| I know it is a little hard to notice in the pic but in the center the mist you can see a little bit of a rainbow in the mist from the falls…we actually saw it from the plane when we were landing too! |
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| Only fitting to have a Zambezi beer on the Zambezi River |
Many thanks for the memories Victoria Falls! We are off to Johannesburg for the last stop of our trip.
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