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Water life

Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe offers more than the grand spectacle of falling sheets

“Ready, steady and go,” yells the jump master and the girl throws herself into the air from Africa’s most famous railway bridge, connecting Zimbabwe and Zambia across the mighty Zambezi River.

The teenager is bungee jumping — an adventure-filled sport that gives lots of adrenaline rush, not only to the player, but also to spectators like me, watching the nerve-breaking spectacle from the sidelines. With an elastic chord attached to her body, the other end of which is tied tightly to the jumping-off point, she swings up and down within the 110 metre deep gorge, until the initial energy of the jump dissipates.

Experts revere this to 
be the best jump of its 
kind in the world and tourism authorities tout this as an added attraction for 
visitors who have landed here to see the gushing waters of majestic Victoria Falls that lies on the border of both nations.

Recognised as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the waterfall emerges where Zambezi River, after travelling a distance of over 3,000 km through Angola, Zambia and Congo, flings herself over a 1,700-metre wide cliff into the110 metre 
deep gorge at a rate of 550,000 cubic metres of water per minute.

Based on these numbers, it’s the world’s largest sheet of falling water, which generates loud thunderous roars and columns of rising, misty water-sprays that looks from a distance like smoke coming out from a bellowing fire. This is why local Africans call the natural phenomenon “Mosi-oa-Tunya”, meaning “smoke that thunders”.

The dense forest of Southern Africa hid this pageant from the outside world for centuries till Scottish missionary David Livingstone, while exploring Africa, came across its magnificence in 1855. He was mesmerised by the intrinsic beauty. “No one can imagine the beauty of the view, scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight,” he wrote in this journal.

Since then the site, accessible from twin towns — Livingstone in Zambia and Victoria Falls (the town) in Zimbabwe — have been touched by thousands from all parts of the world.

I approach it from Zimbabwe because 16 out of 19 prime viewing points are on this side and staying at the 1905-built Victoria Falls Hotel, often referred to as the “the grand old lady of the Falls”, has been on my wish list ever since my feet became itchy.

Like most visitors do, I opt to get the ground view from a guided trek of around 3km leading along the edge of the falls. Starting at the statue of Livingstone, we stop at various vantage points through dripping leaves of untamed rainforest for best viewing breaks.

The falls’ precinct is a national park and hence its wilderness is well-preserved, unlike its Canadian/American counterpart Niagara, where 21^st century attributes take away the buff out of a natural wonder.

Though I had earlier seen several images, all my imagination blows up at first sight as the grand water-spectacle unfolds before me. As far as the eyes can go, I see incredible amounts of water falling ceaselessly and hear noises like a fiery storm not far away. The rising water sprays are so intense that at times it blocks our views and gets us soaked to the skin with water. Umbrellas and waterproofs are of no use and taking photos is almost impossible, unless the camera is waterproof.

Alternatively, jump on to a helicopter for a bird’s eye view of the awesome water. The experience is very rewarding as you see the entire length of the falls, spanning over two neighbouring countries; remain dry; and get plenty of opportunities for photo shoots. But you have to pay a premium for it; a 15-
minute sojourn costs $120 per person.

There are other activities in Victoria Falls that takes visitors beyond admiring the water magic.

For the adventure-minded, there is bungee jumping, kayaking, white water rafting and ultra-light flying while for more sedate-minded people like me, there are the sunset river cruises, the wildlife safaris to nearby national parks or simply a chance to cool off at the Edwardian-styled Victoria Falls Hotel where soaking up the history and ambience of a bygone era is unforgettable.

Cruising down the fourth-longest river in Africa, particularly when the dipping sun changes the colour of the flowing water, is an exhilarating experience. You sip wine, munch on finger food and make new friends, while crocodiles and hippos swim beside the boat. You may also spot elephants having a bath after a day under the sun.

No visit to Africa is complete without rubbing shoulders with exciting wildlife and Victoria Falls will not disappoint you. Close by is the Zambezi National Park which has a good variety of animals.

Another popular option is to visit Chobe National Park in neighbouring Botswana, less than two hours drive from Victoria Falls. Nestled along the banks of Chobe River and sprawling across 12,000 square kilometre of sun-blistered grassland, mopane, baobab and acacia terrain, it is one of the world’s largest remaining wilderness areas, most well known for its large herds of elephants, though that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Local tour operators offer day trips to give visitors the opportunity to witness a diverse array of wildlife, including predators such as lions and leopards.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com

FACT FILE

· Getting There

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies to Johannesburg (fares start from around Dh3,500) and then South African Airways (www.flysaa.com) to Victoria Falls (fares start from around Dh1,650)

· Getting around

Taxis are cheap and easily available to take you around.

· Where to Stay

Being a tourists-infected destination, there are several quality hotels, but Victoria Falls Hotel (www.africansunhotels.com/victoriafall) is the most popular. Tariff starts at Dh450.

· Currency

It’s perhaps the only country outside the US, where the US dollar acts as the official currency; the Zimbabwe Dollar is of no value, other than as a souvenir.