My journey across Tanzania and Zamia was far too eventful – from railway strikes to crazy taxi drivers – but I made it to Victoria Falls. It’s truly one of the natural wonders of the world.
The Zambezi River plunges over 300 feet into a deep gorge along a huge fissure. The mists can be seen from miles away, giving the falls its nickname – “The Smoke that Thunders.”
The first and most impressive spot I visited was Livingstone Island, where its namesake caught his first glimpse of the falls. Naturally, I got in the water and leaned over the edge. The blue rope is the final safety rope before the plunge. In this area, the current is quite strong.
If you’re around at the right time of day, there’s always a beautiful rainbow. From the island, the rainbow made a full circle.
After two days doing absolutely nothing except relaxing, I went with a friend to the edge of the gorge below the falls by bicycle. The views were amazing there as well. Here too I decided to sit on the edge.
Later I crossed the border to Zimbabwe across the Victoria Falls Bridge, built in 1905.
Several elephants broke down the fence to welcome tourists to a new country.
From there, I walked with a few friends into the national park on the Zimbabwe side, which undoubtedly provides the best views of all.
That evening I boarded the night train to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second-largest city. It ran extremely late, thwarting my plans to move on the next day.
