"Mosi-oa-Tunya" a Victoria Falls Travel Page by PierreZA

There are places that one read about, see pictures of, watching travel programmes etc, but nothing could prepare you for the impact it really has on you. For me, The Victoria Falls is one of those places.
We visited Vic Falls during the month of April when the water flow is at its peak. And, even more, according to the locals, they last had this amount of water during the 1960’s. This might be one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen in my life.
As you fly into Victoria Falls Airport you see ‘smoke’, which you mind think could be a bushfire. This is actually the spray of the Falls, constantly formed by the immense amount of water plunging down 100m or more into the gorge.
It might also be spectacular in a different way if there is less water, as you will most probably “see” more of the falls in its entirety.

When planning the trip, we had to decide whether to stay on the Zambia or Zimbabwe side. Travel agents in South Africa offer many, many different packages to Victoria Falls. We eventually decided to stay on the Zimbabwe side, as the bigger part of the Falls are on this side. We also went to the Zambia side to visit the western end of the Falls.
Staying on the Zim side was confirmation of the impact the political situation has on this very beautiful country and its people. I read quite a few VT pages on Vic Falls before the trip, and I must say that many things have changed since some of the tips written a few years ago. Zimbabwe dollars are not in use at all, some of the restaurants closed down, you cannot buy much in the shops etc.
The poverty and struggle to survive for local people are evident in the amount of harassment you find in the streets. Local people are desperate for money, T-shirts, food, shoes etc. The craft sellers of the streets are extremely irritating, but one should see this in context of the situation of the country. Despite this, the people are actually extremely friendly and nice to talk to. The introduction of Tourist Police seemed necessary, and they are very helpful (see Dangers Tips).
Then, when you visit the Zambia, the situation is totally different. It is so clear how much better it is on this side of the Falls.
I do hope and believe, and so do many of the, local people I spoke to, that things will improve in Zimbabwe. They do rely heavily on tourism, and at this stage it is clear that Zambia draws many more tourists compared to Zimbabwe.

There is quite a lot to see and do at Vic Falls, other than just visiting the Falls itself. Most executions are unfortunately not very cheap. One can stay for 3 days and see enough, or you can stay for 5 days or more and still not seen and done enough.
Do take enough time to experience the greatness of the Victoria Falls