Connecting African Culture Through the Seas
The Amazing Journey of Bill Pinkney Imagine leaving your life and the familiar touch of soil beneath your feet to sail across treacherous seas around the globe with only a …
Victoria Falls was first “discovered” by the Western world when explorer David Livingstone set his astonished eyes on the magnificent cascade in 1855. He was so impressed that he named it after his queen, even though it already had a local name, Mosi-oa-Tunya (“the smoke that thunders”). Since then, Victoria Falls and the town that grew up around it have become some of the most-visited places in Africa, and a symbol of the power and majesty of the continent.
Though it went through a period of decline during the worst years of the Mugabe regime, Victoria Falls has bounced back with renewed vigor. Hotels are again operating at near capacity, restaurants are lively and crowded, and the adventure activities that the town made famous are running full throttle. It’s also a town with much to offer the outdoor enthusiast.
The city was designed specifically with tourists in mind. Most of the hotels, bars, restaurants, craft shops and the train station are found right downtown, within easy walking distance of each other and the falls, which are less than 3 km to the west. Shopping is a popular pastime in Victoria Falls, with the Mukuni Village Craft Market, Victoria Falls Craft Market, and Elephants Walk Shopping & Artist Village offering an endless array of souvenirs such as Shona sculpture, beauty products, and wall hangings.
Due to the city’s limited size, hotels range from luxury to mid-range, with little in the way of budget offerings.
But of course the primary reason to come to Victoria Falls is the falls themselves. The Zambezi river, which is more than 2 km wide here, plunges down a series of basalt gorges, making a deafening roar and causing an iridescent mist that’s visible 20 km away. The falls are one of the seven natural wonders of the world and equally awe-inspiring whether you see them in the wet or dry season (the water flow differs dramatically between the two). If just looking isn’t enough, there are numerous excursions, including cruises, canoeing, bridge swinging, bungee jumping, and whitewater rafting on the Zambezi River, which allows you to actually immerse yourself in the waters that feed the falls. And Victoria Falls is also the gateway to Hwange National Park (about a 90-minute to two-hour drive away), which offers incomparable wildlife viewing opportunities.
SAFETY: Most of Victoria Falls is safe these days and filled with tourists so you should have no problem getting around. At times, you can expect to be approached by enterprising, slightly annoying, but harmless youth trying to sell authentic money from the days when inflation was spiraling out of control. It is safe to wander the streets of Vic Falls by day, but at night it is less safe, because wild animals are known to roam the town.
The Amazing Journey of Bill Pinkney Imagine leaving your life and the familiar touch of soil beneath your feet to sail across treacherous seas around the globe with only a …
Africa’s undisputed adrenaline hub, Victoria Falls, is officially back. After a few dark years that saw many visitors choosing to stay in Livingstone, on the Zambian side of the falls, …