Victoria Falls - Found Travel

I was eager to see how Victoria Falls had changed since I was last there in 1997, which I remember vividly as the day Princess Diana died. It was a sad occasion but didn’t dampen my experiences then, I remember it was full of excitement and beauty.

A colleague and I flew from Cape Town on BA’s Comair via Johannesburg, with the first segment full of pax and the second leg, Joburg to Vic Falls mostly empty. Was tourism still suffering from bad Zimbabwean press? We were just about to find out.

We landed on time and made our way, with cash in hand, to the small arrivals hall. We had not planned to visit any other country during our two night stay, so our visa was a single entry. It’s always quite amusing when you arrive at a small airport in Africa, there are normally quite a few officials there to process you and it can take a while.

If you queue in an orderly fashion, don’t raise your voice and keep smiling, you will be just fine. One official took my US$55 another gave me a receipt and another stamped in the visa, luckily we were first in line. Our driver was holding up our name card and we were whisked away to our hotel, Ilala Lodge.



During the journey, it was all coming back to me and when we arrived at the lodge, which is next to the falls, the surrounding area looked no different to how I remembered it, but it was a little more deserted.

We checked in to 4 star Ilala and made our way to our rooms. Ilala really is a beautiful place to stay, you can literally feel the dampness from the spray of the falls, which is a short walk away. The porter carried our bags past the main restaurant, which opens out onto the lawn, past the outdoor swimming pool and to our rooms, where we unpacked and got ready for a walk to the falls.

It is advisable to take a waterproof jacket, failing that you can buy or hire one at the falls, but at the very least, take an umbrella, which our hotel provided. For the nervous amongst you, a guide can escort you through a handful of locals selling local currency and artefacts, or if you can deal with them yourselves, a friendly no about 5-6 times should do it. I didn’t feel threatened but it does distract you from viewing the scenery during the short walk to the falls, but once inside, it’s pure beauty.

Several viewing platforms offer different views of the falls and various amounts of spray. Wildlife can also be spotted at the falls, we saw this female spotted antelope, which just popped up in front of us.

You can also view the falls by helicopter, which we did arrange, but unfortunately our flight was cancelled due to low cloud and mist and we had no time to re-schedule.

After buying some Zimbabwean notes from the sellers during our return walk, which incidentally made me a trillionaire, we dried off back at the hotel and got ready for our sunset cruise on the Zambezi. What a way to finish the day.

The cruise offers as much as you can drink, and breathtaking scenery. The spray from the falls can be seen from a safe distance. You certainly wouldn’t want to cool off in the Zambezi and take a dip, its full of hippos and crocs.
Your hotel will arrange the trip and offer a transport service, it’s a must. Another must is dinner at the Victoria Falls hotel, which we experienced the second night, you really get the sense of colonialism.



An elephant safari provided a different perspective on the Zimbabwean bush, my colleague and I were placed on the elephants saddle along with the guide. I have to say last time I was in Vic Falls I was solo on the elephant, which I found much less cramped, it does provide a good experience though if you’ve never done it before. A guide led the 4 elephants, with a rifle, just in case, but we saw no wildlife at all, apart from a few birds and got a little wet in the process from a passing shower.

For guests with more time, you may want to get a multi entry visa and experience Zambia. You can do a boat cruise, which takes you across the border and dine at some stunning restaurants by the Zambian waters edge.

As well as walking to the falls or flying over you can also bathe right next to the drop. I did it back in 1997 and it’s quite an experience, well worth it. The pool, called Devils Pool, you have to enter from the Zambian side and in between sprays of water you can look over at the 360 feet drop, quite impressive.

All in all the experience to Victoria Falls was amazing. There are so many activities, which you can do. It did seem a little less busy than in 97, but still retains all the activities, charm and beauty to this day.

Victoria Falls offers daily connections from Johannesburg on BA and SAA with a low budget airline providing flights to Livingstone on the Zambian side. If you don’t have a Zimbabwean or South African passport make sure you budget extra for Zambian and Zimbabwean visas if flying in to Livingstone. You will also need to check with your hotel on the cost of the transfer, as it’s further than Victoria Falls airport, if you’re staying on the Zimbabwean side.

Malaria does exist in Victoria Falls but it’s classed as low risk and it depends on the time of year you go as to how many mosquitoes are around. We were there in January and I didn’t see one, but check with your hotel and consult your doctor. The local currency doesn’t buy you anything so it’s best to trade in dollars or use your credit card. South African Rand can also be used but the exchange rate to a dollar is not favourable.

All our activities were organised by Shearwater Adventures who are the most popular and leading adventure activity operator in Southern Africa. To organise your activities in advance tel: +263 13 44472 / 45806 or email: reservations@shearwatervf.com Website: www.shearwateradventures.com

Ilala lodge Found Travel Portfolio recommends for comfort, accessibility and value for money. Reservations can be contacted on Cape Town (021) 683 6576 email: info@ilalalodge.com or visit their website at www.ilalalodge.com