Victoria Falls Tour Journal

I was lucky enough to be able to do a Victoria Falls tour in Zimbabwe on my honeymoon and it did live up to both mine and my wife's expectations. It is one of the wonders of the natural world and if you are ever able to it's well worth a visit especially when the river is in full flow.

Accommodation:

The Lokuthula lodge is an excellent place to stay on a Victoria Falls tour We stayed in a two bedroom unit which was very spacious and luxurious. The lodge is only three kilometres from the falls themselves and the grounds are beautiful with elephant, warthog and vervet monkey roaming free. There is also a waterhole nearby with a deck and restaurant overlooking it.

Trip Highlights

Where to start with the highlights on this trip. I particularly enjoyed watching the wildlife that roam around in the grounds of the lodge. Watching warthog "mow the lawn" by feeding on the grass not three feet away from where we were sitting on the veranda enjoying a breakfast of bacon and eggs is a great thrill. And they were around for a visit every morning.

Then there are the vervet monkeys who are a lot more cheeky. One of them actually had the gall to climb onto the table and start drinking the orange juice while we were in the kitchen. When I tried to chase it away it bared its teeth. You don't want to be bitten by one of these monkeys as they can do some damage so I want to fetch the broom and when the monkey saw my "weapon" he decided it best to retreat to a nearby tree.

The falls themselves are an awesome spectacle. We went across the bridge to the Zambian side of the falls because the entry fee was cheaper there. When the river is in full flow prepare yourself for getting soaked to the skin. The spray from the water thundering down blows across the lookout points that run along the front of the falls. But don't worry, the African sun will dry you out very quickly.

And then there are the adventure activities on any Victoria Falls tour that you can take part in. The river was too full for us to go white water rafting because it apparently becomes more dangerous at those times due to the possibility of being sucked under and not coming back up.

So we decided to go for a gorge swing that involves getting into a harness which is attached by wire to the middle of a cable that spans the gorge and then stepping off the edge to swing across the gulf like a human pendulum. It's an awesome adrenaline rush. Well worth it.

We also went for a ride on the Zambesi in a jet boat. These boats are hugely fast and can reach speeds of 80kmph on the water which the drivers are not shy to prove. They also do 380 degree turns at a moments notice so this one is not for the feint hearted. And they try and drive as close to the rock wall as possible. We clipped the edges of rocks at times but the boat is sturdy so all that happened was it lost a layer of paint.

Victoria Falls Tour Tips & Recommendations:

• When we went to the falls it was cheaper to gain entry on the Zambian side. That may have changed in the interim, so make sure you find out the entry fees for both sides before you go. You will have to take your passport with if you plan on going in on the Zambian side.

• You can also do a bungi jump from the Victoria Falls bridge which is all 111 metres high if you enjoy that kind of thing and its a good idea to take your passport along too.

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