Unfortunately going to Victoria Falls is not cheap.
As I mentioned before Canadians can get a visa at the border but it is single entry and cost US$75, most other nations needing to pay for a visa at the border are charged around US$35.
Entrance to the Rain Forest (the only way to see the Falls from land) single entry is US$30, or 240 Rands.
Fifteen minutes in the helicopter is US$130.
What they call "Sundowner cruise" is US$45 plus US$10 for "park entrance".
A no frill dinner, one course, with no drinks will cost you about ZAR200 (about 25US$) per person
This brings to mind the all money thing in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has no official currency. Mostly US dollars are used but they will also accept South African Rands. Getting change is always a problem and I even was given change in Pula (the currency of Botswana). This to me would indicate that they accept Pulas, but good luck with that!
If you plan to go to Victoria Falls to get the best view you pretty much need to get on the Zim side in which case I recommend taking US dollars in small bills. Take with you a ridiculous amount of one and five dollar bills. I truly truly cannot emphasize this enough.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Victoria Falls- part 3- views from the bridge
As I said in the first post about Victoria Falls at this point the Zambezi River is the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. I was not sure whether or not I would be able to go on the bridge in the no-man-land between the two borders. It was a concern for me especially since my visa for Zim was not cheap (US$75, Canadian have the most expensive visa in Zim, most other nations are either free or charged around US$35) and was single entry and I had no visa for Zambia since Canadian need to have a visa before even showing up at the border. But it was no problem. I just explained that I wanted to go on the bridge but not pass the border and did not want a stamp in my passport. They see a lot of tourists doing just that, especially since there is bungee jumping from the bridge and they just stamped a little piece of paper that I gave to the border guards both on my way onto the bridge and off the bridge and all was done.
Anyway this is the views from the bridge.
Down river: (The hotel you can see in the distance is in Zambia)
And up river towards the Falls.
Here are a few shots of walking to and from the bridge, it is a busy international border and trucks were lining up to cross the border...at least on the Zim side since I never saw the other side.
....And for the geologists reading this the Falls are jumping over basalt:
The geometry of the Falls is obviously controlled by the rocks and I may just get around to posting about the why and how of the "wide-to-narrow" result I keep on going on about.
Anyway this is the views from the bridge.
Down river: (The hotel you can see in the distance is in Zambia)
And up river towards the Falls.
Here are a few shots of walking to and from the bridge, it is a busy international border and trucks were lining up to cross the border...at least on the Zim side since I never saw the other side.
....And for the geologists reading this the Falls are jumping over basalt:
Victoria Falls- part 2- some photos
I had forgotten that I had taken a photo of the sign at the entrance of the Rain Forest. I think it shows well how close the path is to the falls.
Following the path you first get to see how narrow the gap the river is falling into really is.
It is amazingly hard to take pictures of the Falls during the flood season because the volume of water is such, and you are so close to it that there is a lot of mist even on a perfectly clear day 500 metres away from the Falls. You see a lot of this:
But the mist is not all. It actually rains a lot. It is not mist, it is not spray, it is rain.
I mean rain, heavy rain. these two photos, clearly of the same spot are taken within seconds of each other.
Following the path in the heavy rain, crazy gusty wind you end up pretty close to the edge. Near the end of the trail you can go to "danger Point" where you just walk to the edge on slippery wet rocks polished by thousands of foot steps, and of course it is a very windy spot. The rain was so heavy anyway that I didn't go to the edge of the rock.
There is no hand rail, fence or anything. You do what you want at your own risk. There is something pretty decent about this...as long as you do not have kids with you. I would hate to take a young kid there.
I am still on the path taking the photo below, and remember it was raining heavily. In fact this is where my umbrella was torn by the wind. (the second day I went I took an umbrella to protect the camera so I could take pictures)
All things included, rain, wind, path near the edge and all I have to say that it was great to see Victoria Falls. I don't know why I waited so long to go. I would love to go again when the water is low to see the difference....and I bet you it rains a lot less and it is easier to take pictures.
Following the path you first get to see how narrow the gap the river is falling into really is.
It is amazingly hard to take pictures of the Falls during the flood season because the volume of water is such, and you are so close to it that there is a lot of mist even on a perfectly clear day 500 metres away from the Falls. You see a lot of this:
But the mist is not all. It actually rains a lot. It is not mist, it is not spray, it is rain.
Following the path in the heavy rain, crazy gusty wind you end up pretty close to the edge. Near the end of the trail you can go to "danger Point" where you just walk to the edge on slippery wet rocks polished by thousands of foot steps, and of course it is a very windy spot. The rain was so heavy anyway that I didn't go to the edge of the rock.
I am still on the path taking the photo below, and remember it was raining heavily. In fact this is where my umbrella was torn by the wind. (the second day I went I took an umbrella to protect the camera so I could take pictures)
All things included, rain, wind, path near the edge and all I have to say that it was great to see Victoria Falls. I don't know why I waited so long to go. I would love to go again when the water is low to see the difference....and I bet you it rains a lot less and it is easier to take pictures.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Victoria Falls- part 1- The peculiar thing about Vic Falls
OK, I am back from Victoria Falls. I had a nice long week end. I still have to download the photos I took, but in the mean time here is the thing about Victoria Falls.
One of the peculiarity of Victoria falls is that the river (the Zambezi River) at that point falls into a fairly narrow gap, so when you go on the Rain Forest Path you are right in front of the falls and really close to them. If it wasn't for the incredible rain and mist you would see it really really well. The map below from one of the many Victoria Falls travel sites shows well how it works. On the map it looks like the river goes from very wide to very narrow, and it does. It goes from 1.7 kilometres to less than 200 metres. The very wide part is above the fall, the narrow part is in the gorges below the falls and the bright light green area in between the two is the Rain Forest where the path is (t.he path is the doted yellow line)
Of course you can take helicopter rides to see the falls from the air but honestly I didn't want to spend the money so here are two photos from this site showing how this wide to narrow transition takes place and how close you are to the falls when you are on the other side.
On the fun trivia side the river is the Zambezi River and it forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia at this point...how many "Z"s can you really get in one place. Unfortunately there aren't any zebras
One of the peculiarity of Victoria falls is that the river (the Zambezi River) at that point falls into a fairly narrow gap, so when you go on the Rain Forest Path you are right in front of the falls and really close to them. If it wasn't for the incredible rain and mist you would see it really really well. The map below from one of the many Victoria Falls travel sites shows well how it works. On the map it looks like the river goes from very wide to very narrow, and it does. It goes from 1.7 kilometres to less than 200 metres. The very wide part is above the fall, the narrow part is in the gorges below the falls and the bright light green area in between the two is the Rain Forest where the path is (t.he path is the doted yellow line)
Of course you can take helicopter rides to see the falls from the air but honestly I didn't want to spend the money so here are two photos from this site showing how this wide to narrow transition takes place and how close you are to the falls when you are on the other side.
On the fun trivia side the river is the Zambezi River and it forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia at this point...how many "Z"s can you really get in one place. Unfortunately there aren't any zebras
Thursday, March 22, 2012
The next trip ...small but still a trip
Tomorrow morning I am taking off for Victoria Falls, on the Zimbabwe side since Canadians visiting Zambia require a visa before showing at the border and typically enough I decided today to go tomorrow.
I am looking forward to it.
With a little luck I should be posting some photos soon.... I am only going for a long week end. However I cannot promise anything since it is the rainy season and the flood season and the mist around the falls may be too much to take pictures.
I always said I wanted to see Vic Falls both during the rainy season and the dry season but somehow Vic Falls are so close to Jo'burg that it always felt like it was a place where I could go some other time.
I am looking forward to it.
With a little luck I should be posting some photos soon.... I am only going for a long week end. However I cannot promise anything since it is the rainy season and the flood season and the mist around the falls may be too much to take pictures.
I always said I wanted to see Vic Falls both during the rainy season and the dry season but somehow Vic Falls are so close to Jo'burg that it always felt like it was a place where I could go some other time.
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