Victoria Falls from Zambia.
A day after visiting the falls from Zimbabwe I decide to hire a taxi to take me to the Zambian side of the falls. We agree upon a price and the amount of time I’ll have in the park and then I am whisked away.
The park on the Zambian side is much smaller than that on the Zimabwean side, but no less dramatic. After paying my entrance fee I follow the path towards the falls themselves, passing a glimpse of the falls and the border bridge before arriving at the Knife Edge Bridge that traverses the river.
I follow a group of Asian tourists as we wind our way along the path, sometimes ahead, sometimes behind, using them to help show the vast scale of the falls.
There’s not as much to see from the Zambia side along the cliffs, but what there is to see is still awesome. I walk to the end of the path and then loop back around on the back side of the cliifs for a more forested walk and another view of the Knife Edge Bridge.
Back near the entrance I take another path that hugs the canyon headed south away from the falls. It runs towards the Victoria Falls Bridge, and I follow the path until I see another that leads down to the Boiling Pot. I check the time; there should be enough. I begin my descent.
At the bottom I look up at the Victoria Falls Bridge in time to see a bungee jumper reach the end of their tether. They hang patiently while they’re hauled back up to the bridge. A motorboat comes around a bend and guns its way up the rapids. It’s a lot of adventure in a short amount of time. A neat trick would have been someone bungee jumping into the motorboat. I wonder what it would take to arrange that.
Climbing back up the path I come across a family of vervet monkeys. I walk slowly so as not to disturb them and crouch down to take a photo before moving on.
The path along the ridge offers great views out over the forest back towards the falls. They’re some of my favorite views, offering greater context for the falls by placing them within their surroundings.
The path itself is by turns wooded and exposed. Monkeys line the route as I walk towards the end, where a gate keeps me from accessing the road and the bridge to Zimbabwe. On the way back, the monkeys have gone.
Another statue of Livingstone greets me in another small plaza near the entrance. A group of schoolchildren sit at his feet, either waiting to begin their visit or at its end.
I check the time and continue along a path that runs north for more views of the falls. One viewpoint is famous for the moon rainbows that form under a full moon. During the day, it’s still a beautiful spot with great views of the falls.
The path opens out onto a large sandy area and groups of visitors arrange themselves along the banks of the river to take photos. A guide leads his group to a large map that shows the path of the Zambezi River. I think it’s then that I start to formulate an idea about visiting the Lower Zambezi, wanting to see where the river flows.
Meeting my driver back at the parking lot, I ask him if he’d drop me off in Livingstone rather than back at the lodge. He agrees and offers to pick me up in an hour or two. It sounds like a plan. He leaves me at the Livingstone Museum to explore the exhibits and see a little bit of the town.
After touring the museum I head to the post office to mail a stash of post cards that have been collecting in my pack. Back at the museum I wait for my ride back to the lodge. A group of dancers and musicians have gathered in the parking lot in front of the museum and I linger on the portico along with a number of other people to watch and listen to them perform before the car comes to take me home. 🇿🇲
