Victoria Falls an angel’s delight
MAISHA FROST is in awe of the sights and sounds of Zimbabwe’s world wonder and captivated by the country’s wildlife, which rangers are keen to protect
IN THE distance I can see a great white plume billowing up from the solid green of the southern African bush. I have just arrived in Zimbabwe and fear a big blaze is about to erupt. But stupid me, I’ve failed to link the striking spectacle to where I am –Victoria Falls. That hazy spiral is actually spray of a very special sort, sent up to the heavens by the all-powerful falls, the largest body of falling water on the planet and one of the world’s seven natural wonders.
Set in Zimbabwe’s north-western tip, the mile-wide, volcanic masterpiece, fringed by rainforest, funnels the flow of the mighty Zambezi river as it forms the country’s border with Zambia.
Carving out a zigzag of jagged gorges, ferocious cataracts and boiling pools, the torrents topple over precipices, plunging 350ft into chasms sprinkled with iridescent rainbows and the odd night time moonbow too.
Devout Scottish explorer Dr David Livingstone, the first European to see the landmark, was so moved he thought it had been touched by angels and in 1855 named it in honour of his queen.
But its original local name, the poetic Mosi-oa-tunya (The Smoke That Thunders) perhaps best evokes the crescendo awestruck visitors experience.
In April, usually peak flow time although climate change is making the seasons more variable, 83,000 cubic metres of water can cascade every minute, and during my visit in February the gushing was on glorious form. The falls are an ever-present on must-see
lists and the views from the Zimbabwe side are rated the most picturesque. But violent political and economic upheaval, leading to immense poverty, have taken their toll on both the country’s population and its wildlife.
Contrary to many accounts however the patient resilience of its people has ensured the preservation of a culturally rich land, widely known as Africa’s friendliest and with some of its best game viewing and conservation projects.
Signs of improving fortunes are evident invictoria Falls.the clean and safe town has lively crafts and recycling scenes as more groups join the push to make it one of Africa’s greenest destinations.
Overnight flights via Johannesburg to its airport are the most direct way of getting there and as it is just two hours ahead of the UK there is no jet lag eating into holiday time.
The base for my stay, the eco-conscious Victoria Falls Safari Club, Lodge and apartments complex stands out, and not just as the place for watching epic sunsets. Small monkeys and baboons bound about its grounds, and its airy, natural wood-and-thatch design offers panoramic views of the Zambezi National Park.
Here hyena, warthog and kudu roam, but it is the watering hole just beyond the estate’s boundary that is the most beguiling, giving me Dumbo moments galore as I watched the park’s celebrity inhabitants, the elephants, flicking their enormous ears as they picked their way daintily down to the pool to drink.
The club’s spacious bedrooms have Nespresso machines and a choice of pillows, its bathrooms are well stocked with natural toiletries, and there’s a split-level swimming pool and fitness centre delivering genuine luxury here. Fine dining is semi-alfresco and the cuisine creative.watermelon gazpacho is a highlight, along with ostrich carpaccio in a red wine jus and homemade ice cream, infused with the citrusy caramel flavours of the local marula fruit.
Later on, ancient baobab trees and flame lilies – Zimbabwe’s national flower – were my companions in the national park as I followed the paved trail tracking the falls.
The fairly easy two-hour guided tour, that works just as well for wheelchairs, gives everyone ample space to be amazed.
And that’s what happened when I came face to face with the legendary falls. Nothing could have prepared me for the sight of this foaming curtain – it was so big and powerful – a wow like no other.the thrill of seeing it from the skies is pretty hard to beat too I found after taking a 15-minute trip in a light aircraft with Bonisair. Four swooping circuits deepened my awareness of the falls’ scale and its complex grid structure. To complete the magical picture a tower of graceful giraffes obliged, suddenly trotting into view.
“There’s no hurry in Africa,”
I was often told and as the sun turned the skies to orange gold, Wild Horizons’ cruise along the placid Zambezi was the essence of serenity.
LIKE EARLY morning, late afternoon is a good time for wildlife spotting. In the two hours we chugged along my tally included crocodiles, malachite kingfishers and bug-eyed hippos whose displays of giant incisors, I was later told, probably indicated how grumpy they were about sharing their bath time with crowds of camera-toting tourists.
But it’s people’s passion for wildlife that might just save it in the face of devastation from an array of challenges including poaching, poisoning and loss of habitat.
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