We had to wake up early . . .again because we had to catch a plane that departed at 830am. We were unsure of how long customs and security would take, but from arrival at the airport to arrival at the gate took maybe 20mins tops. It was very quiet at the airport compared to something like LAX. We departed on South African Airways Connect on time in an ERJ-190. I have a type-rating in that plane, so I could have flown it if the need arose. Aren’t you impressed?
Anyway, it was about 2.5 hours to go from Cape Town to Victoria Falls in Northern Zimbabwe. It was a pretty small airport, but relatively modern and we had to complete a visa-on-arrival. We got a double-entry visa since we’ll be leaving and returning the country for one of the days. We received a visa the size of an entire passport page, so that’s kind of fun. We then took the shuttle to our hotel, but were told it was too early to check in to our rooms. We had some time to kill, so we figured we might as well walk to the falls themselves. It was maybe 1km or so to the entry point. It was $30 per person to access the falls, which seemed a bit steep, but I suppose anyone who goes out of their way to get here will pretty much pay anything, so they can get away with charging as much as they want.
Nicole and I were both surprised by just how few people there were on the trail inside the park. There were a dozen or so different viewpoints, and at most, I think we had to contend with a group of six at one of the overlooks. This time of year is a bit warmer and drier, so the falls were not at full force, but we were still able to see some good groupings of waterfalls. And perhaps this is why there weren’t many people as well. Even with just a “few” falls, the mist generated made it seem like it was raining on us. We had to shield our cameras a bit.
The horseshoe, as it is known, was completely dry, so we missed out on that, but I think I might still take a lack of crowds over a fully pumping waterfall. The trail ended near a bridge that goes into Zambia, so we doubled back, checking out the same viewpoints again, and made our way back to the hotel to finish check-in. We went out to eat dinner in the very small surrounding town, and returned to find that a turndown service had put up mosquito netting, placed an air horn on the bed stand, and we noticed that there is an electric fence surrounding our lodge. I guess there is a legitimate concern over animals attacking. Tomorrow we have to get up early again, but this time to go into Botswana and ultimately Chobe National Park.
Anyway, it was about 2.5 hours to go from Cape Town to Victoria Falls in Northern Zimbabwe. It was a pretty small airport, but relatively modern and we had to complete a visa-on-arrival. We got a double-entry visa since we’ll be leaving and returning the country for one of the days. We received a visa the size of an entire passport page, so that’s kind of fun. We then took the shuttle to our hotel, but were told it was too early to check in to our rooms. We had some time to kill, so we figured we might as well walk to the falls themselves. It was maybe 1km or so to the entry point. It was $30 per person to access the falls, which seemed a bit steep, but I suppose anyone who goes out of their way to get here will pretty much pay anything, so they can get away with charging as much as they want.
Nicole and I were both surprised by just how few people there were on the trail inside the park. There were a dozen or so different viewpoints, and at most, I think we had to contend with a group of six at one of the overlooks. This time of year is a bit warmer and drier, so the falls were not at full force, but we were still able to see some good groupings of waterfalls. And perhaps this is why there weren’t many people as well. Even with just a “few” falls, the mist generated made it seem like it was raining on us. We had to shield our cameras a bit.
The horseshoe, as it is known, was completely dry, so we missed out on that, but I think I might still take a lack of crowds over a fully pumping waterfall. The trail ended near a bridge that goes into Zambia, so we doubled back, checking out the same viewpoints again, and made our way back to the hotel to finish check-in. We went out to eat dinner in the very small surrounding town, and returned to find that a turndown service had put up mosquito netting, placed an air horn on the bed stand, and we noticed that there is an electric fence surrounding our lodge. I guess there is a legitimate concern over animals attacking. Tomorrow we have to get up early again, but this time to go into Botswana and ultimately Chobe National Park.
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