Victoria's Voyage

Saturday morning saw us departing South Africa in search of new pastures. The journey there however was not without its own unique complications… Our guide Melissa’s answer? Welcome to Africa.

Arriving on the second lot of transfers from our hotel in Johannesburg from the night before, we were met with a bit of a panic. Our flight had been moved – forward. We had an hour until boarding and a whole group of us to get through security. Needless to say, things were tight. I was one of the lucky ones who got through in enough time, but some of our party had to literally run to make it to the gate before an automatic system blocked them from boarding. The tension was unreal, but ultimately everybody did make it. The flight over to Zimbabwe was only short, but I’ve still never been on such a small plane, with a seat split of one and two.

Finally though – after a long stint at immigration buying our visas – we were free to step outside into a wall of thick, heavy heat and board our next coach to the Victoria Falls Bridge. This was a very interesting area, and much more similar to how I perhaps envisioned Africa having never visited than I did during the South Africa leg.

First, we met an enthusiastic man called TJ, who boarded our coach as a guide to the falls. From the moment he opened his mouth he was cracking jokes, making us all chuckle and feel instantly at ease with him. Within a few more minutes we pulled up at border control, No Man’s Land just up ahead. We drove past countless trucks, all queueing along the dusty road to Zambia. People meanwhile sat on the roadsides, whilst some even wandered up and down past the trucks, one more notable man pulling with him an ice-cream trailer. We got through though after only a relatively short while, crossing the Zambian border simply to do a U-Turn in the road. Yep, my time in Zambia lasted no more than a minute or two – but I still count it.

The Bridge Cafe was a beautiful little place, housed within a wood beam structure overlooking the bridge that ties the two countries. Here was also where we would get kitted up for our adrenaline adventures. The options were a bungee jump off the bridge, a bridge swing, a bridge slide (essentially a zipline), or all three. Needless to say I opted only for the tamest myself – the slide. And wow, what an experience. Brief as the journey from the Zimbabwean side to the Zambian one was, I loved every second of it. The view was perfect, coupled with the thrill of the wind rushing through my hair as I sailed along without a care in the world. The company also provided GoPros for those who wanted to capture video – and my own result I was definitely happy with. For data purposes though, some photos will have to suffice here.

And then, the main event – the falls themselves. Victoria Falls is one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the world, and I can see why. I cannot accurately put into words quite how gorgeous this place is, with its many thundering streams, causing splashback even over at the viewpoints opposite. We had a little over an hour to explore the area and trek the trail and this wasn’t really nearly enough time to fully appreciate the grandeur and majesty of the water there. I could have stayed all day. Still got some great pics though!

At every viewpoint, you think you have the optimal spot, but then you reach the next one and see things in a whole new way. The waterfalls themselves are impressive enough, without the lush jungle walk and the multiple rainbows sitting proudly against their frothy backdrop. Pure magic; a perfect slice of paradise.

Checking into the Shearwater Explorers Village – our hotel for the night – I was ready to crash. We had a few hours before the day’s evening activity, so relaxing around the pool with a trusty mojito in hand seemed like the ideal solution. This was really just filler though before a cultural experience I consider unmissable if staying here.

I didn’t really know what to expect when I signed up for the hotel’s nightly Simunye theatre show, but it certainly exceeded my expectations as one of the most creative and mesmerising performances I think I’ve ever seen. Every fluid movement, crafted to perfection, was projected with genuine passion, and the visual aspect too was wonderful. They were somehow able to create running rivers, an elephant, a lion. All with just people. It was truly spectacular and completely joyous, and it is so great to see such an energetic promotion of both African culture and the arts as a greater whole.

Honestly, I could not have asked for a better introduction to Zimbabwe, and I already look forward to what the rest of today may bring…