Kasane, Botswana - Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Departure 2014-Mar-24 - 12.00 Arrival 2014-Mar-24 - 14.00
Victoria Falls can either be approached from Livingston, Zambia or Victoria Falls,Zimbabwe - I skip Zambia in total and decide for Zimbabwe. Simply as getting into this country with a vehicle is cheaper and (more important) easier than getting into Zambia. And again... crossing the boarder from Botswana to Zimbabwe is smooth and quick. Great!
Victoria Falls is a very touristy place. Thus, it is pretty safe and has plenty of accomodation - yet, prices are crazy expensive! Charging 42$ per night for camping doesn't sound reasonable to me, at all. Zimbabwes economy and currency are weak, thus they are using the US $. Seems simple and easy, but eventually it comes down to everything being overpriced! I have no clue how locals are surviving here and I am positive it will be a challenge for me to travel on a budget in this country...
Anyhow, there is one place catering travellers like me: Shoestring Backpackers. For only 5$ a night they allow people to pitch their tents in the backyard. This truly is a chilled and great place with a big yard, pool, arts market and locals hanging out. This makes me stay a few nights and I have plenty of time to explore stunning Victoria Falls!
One afternoon I spend exploring Victoria Falls National Park. People suggest that 4pm, when the sun slowly starts to set, is the best time to visit. I am not going for a river-cruise, no white-water rafting, no helicopter flight, no bungee-jumping ... I simply take a walk through the rainforest that grows along the banks of the falls, due to the everlasting moist and humidity here. The forest is lush and extremely humid and it is funny to see all these soaking-wet tourists wandering around here. Soaked unless they are Asian and covered in a plastic poncho ...
It has been raining a lot here (as everywhere else in Southern Africa this year) and the falls are carrying a lot of water. From the Zambia-side you can more or less bath in the falls, whereas from Zimbabwe you are standing opposite the falls and can see the whole range of it - as long as the mist-cloud is not too dense, that is.
On the edge of the falls is an old iron bridge that is the boarder crossing to Zambia. Walking over the bridge you are in line with many trucks, vendors and tourists on their way to bungee jumping the falls. What a mix of creatures...
continue with ... LAKE KARIBA