Prepare To Get REALCLOSE To Victoria Falls!

That is the largest line of falling water in the world – and we are standing right across from it! And wait until you hear about this!

Oh yes, that’s a very wet “me” and a “MOONBOW” too! I will explain!

As part of our incredible “5 lodges 3 countries” Safari in Southern Africa, we ended up at the incredible Victoria Falls River Lodge, nestled along the mighty Zambezi River!

The river, which flows through Zimbabwe, is very tranquil at night, just a few miles from Victoria Falls, where it cascades over the cliff and into Zambia!

We spent every night on the river, in a beautiful “floating bar” that gave us gorgeous sunset views and a great time with our friends Danny and Colin!

So naturally, we all decided to head into the town of Victoria Falls – to walk the path that runs parallel to Victoria Falls – and what a great adventure it was! First, a look from the air:

That was our view from high above: now it was time to see it up close!

Victoria Falls – or Mosi-oa-Tunya (“the smoke that thunders”) is one of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls. It can be seen from both the Zimbabwe or Zambia side of the Zambezi River.

You park outside the entrance to the Falls, where the area is lined with tourist shops so you can go home with your mementos of the area:

You pay a small fee to go inside the Victoria Falls Park…oh, and you are warned to wear a rain slicker and shoes that can get wet…why?

Because you get SO close to the Falls that they literally block out the sun and drench you with rain – it’s a massive amount of water coming back up from the gorge!

We donned our ponchos and headed out for fun! Let’s go!

There are many different viewing spots along the path, as we were shown before we began: 16 stops in total…it begins very peacefully: the “smoke” aka wet mist rising up from the gorge is in the distance, and you hear the falls as a nice “white noise” a bit away…here’s what it’s like to walk toward it:

The volume of sound – and water – rises noticeably as you walk the path, which Danny, Colin and Alex did with me filming it – and after a few minutes the Falls themselves are revealed:

At that point, you can walk carefully down some very wet stones to get a very closeup view of the Falls!

Stunning!

This view is truly spectacular: as you can see, the water roars over the cliff in some areas, but not always a straight line, and it gets very loud and wet! It is truly stunning to experience:

Depending on how long you decide to stand and gawk, the entire hike takes about an hour. Here’s our 8th stop on the hike:

As you can see, we were getting drenched! It was difficult to shoot because my phone kept getting waterlogged!

Here’s how it worked: we’d get a photo, then head closer to the falls, where we were quickly drenched…but we soldiered on!

Oh, and look at mother nature does every day here:

The Falls create “Moonbows!”

A rainbow is beautiful; a moonbow is a special and unique phenomenon which only occurs in two places around the world, with Victoria Falls being one of them. A lunar rainbow happens when the light of the full moon hits the Falls, and it is a sight to behold:

I had never heard of a “Moonbow” and since there are only two places in the world that have them, I know why! I even found a shot someone took at night!

I love this shot, but we also got drenched! Why, there’s a reason for it! Alex explains:

It rains at Victoria Falls all day!

On the Zimbabwe side of the Falls you will find the Victoria Falls Rainforest, which is the only place on earth to see rain every single day of the year. The rains bless the area with lush greenery in the forest, so Alex, Danny and Collin trudged through the wetness!

Watch this: it’s a sunny, clear day but when you get close to the gorge, the “reverse rain” drenches us!

Here is the last stop on the tour, where some VERY slippery rocks await!

After our very wet walking tour, it was time to clean up, climb back into the Jeep, and bid Victoria Falls farewell:

One last note: remember this aerial view?

The Falls actually separate Zimbabwe from Zambia: you can view the falls from both sides and walk across the Victoria Falls Bridge to cross the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, but you will need the proper visa and a ticket to enter the national parks on each side

Here’s more of the aerial view when you take a helicopter to the Falls:

This was just one of our incredible safari adventures, like when we came upon SEVENTEEN Lions!

Or were there twenty? Watch as we try to count them all as they wander by our Jeep from all directions!

I want to remind you that all of these animals are protected – click here for the conservation efforts underway here!

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Categories: Africa, Exotic Travel, Memoirs, nature, safari, Sports, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir

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