It roars, it thunders, leaves the visitor speechless.
If you’ve never walked with the angels, this is a chance of a lifetime. The pristine white water forms a torrent of angelic faces, and you are sprayed by the bounty of nature, almost as if being touched by the angels themselves. Victoria Falls at the eponymous National Park in Zimbabwe is magnificent. Walking in the rain forest, take in the breathtaking beauty of the Mosi oa Tunya or Mosikalamosikala (the smoke that thunders) on the Zambesi River that forms the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia and stuns you into complete silence. In the year 1855, David Livingstone discovered this body of water even though our guide Fungayi begs to differ, saying categorically, “We, the locals discovered it first of course.”
The falls are on the Zambian side, but the best view is from Zimbabwe, as the river undulates and falls into a depth of brilliance. Drive past the sanctuary and gaze at the largest baobab tree as tusked elephants scurry across the road. The walk itself is exhilarating as you stop at nine vantage points to take in the spectacular sight of smoke and tufts of white colliding. The pathway is abundant with palm, acacia, mahogany, fig and ilala trees.
During the rains, a deluge of water engulfs you, but in summer, it is a gentle smoky spray, welcoming those trudging under the blazing sun. Do carry water as the walk in summer can be exhausting.
Greet warthogs, water bucks, bush bucks, baboons and monkeys abound as this largest waterfall on the planet with a width of 1,708m and height of 108m sits regally, almost bridging the gap between two countries in its fury.
There is a life-sized statue of David Livingstone and the falls have the highest tourist flow, with 300 people per day in peak season — August, September and October. It is believed that Vasco Da Gama had spotted the falls and marked it in his diary.
The solitary walk, only disturbed by shutter-happy tourists gets you close to one of the wonders of the world. “Last year, elephants in the area killed three people,” says Fungayi. There is a special walk in the moonlight that will enthuse you, but watch out for wildlife.
The River Zambesi starts at the Kanene Hills in Zambia as a spring and joins a tributary, the Chobe River, but Zimbabwe is the country to capture this sheet of unplundered white. The River Zambesi flows through Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia and ends in the Caprivi Strip, according to our friendly guide. And Namibia offers the closest you can get to the falls, though we saw a bunch of adrenaline-driven tourists lying in the gushing waters right next to its drop on the other side.
The spray of water envelops you and far off, you can see the twinkling lights of Livingstone Town in Zambia. The vista is inexplicably magnificent. The gentle Zambesi River keeps you company as it dips, turns, twists and plummets in a single vertical drop into a transverse chasm 1708m (5604ft) wide. Words fall short.
There is a small café, a gift shop where you can rest a while, shop, but you’d be best advised to pick up knick-knacks from the Victoria Falls market instead. The untouched nature of the area, with its offerings of safari camps, bungee dives, cable lifts, river rafting and rock climbing apart, the people’s friendly smiles and hospitality will remain, even as the vision of the Mosa a tunya engraves its memory onto your soul.
