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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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
· 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.
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