A couple of other things, or heads up, for people interested in coming here;
1. There is quite a heavy visa fee to pay at the airport of around $60.
2. Although you can use Rands, and Pounds everything is calculated in dollars so get at least $500 before you get here as the ATM's aren't reliable and the MasterCard and Visa links go down regularly.
3. Everyone wants cash, they will even drive you to the cash point rather than use the card machines.
4. Be aware that if you are picked up by falcon or any other of the main tourist operators you will be bombarded with a price list for activities and they will want you to commit to at least one of them even before you have got to the hotel.
5. You can walk around quite freely but there are people on every corner trying to sell you stuff, even walking next to you for at least a minute trying to convince you to come into their shop. It can become a bit annoying. And the trillion dollar notes are absolutely worthless.
6. You are expected to tip everywhere, even if the service isn't great, so make sure you have some $1 bills with you.
7. If you like water sports and adrenalin activities then get a visa for both Zimbabwe and Zambia as those activities tend to be on the Zambian side.
8. You have to pay $30 to get into the Falls Park. A guide is good because he explains the history and the times of year that are significant, but you would probably stay longer if you were on your own and the pathways are quite clear. You can also go to the park at sunset but it costs an extra $10.
All that said, it is a great place to come for a few days and although the falls aren't full here now, like after the rainy season, you get to see it quite clearly and it is still amazing. If you are on the Zambian side in October/November, they even have a company that lets you swim right out on the edge of the falls. This place is well worth a visit, just be aware that everybody wants your money and that if they can make an extra few dollars they will try.
So today I went for a guided tour of the Victoria Falls. My guides name was Brian and he was very patient with me considering the time I spent taking photo's. We were out for over two hours but I could have stayed for longer. He also drove me to see the Baobab tree. Although they call it "The Big Tree" I don't think it is the biggest in Africa, but it is still well worth a visit.
Once the walk was done I moved into The Kingdom hotel and went for a wander. Walking around the town was a bit of a mare and I was stopped so many times by people that wanted to sell me trillion dollar notes and take me into their shop that I decided to head back. I had a quick drink at the bar and then headed back to get ready for my elephant ride. I should have been more excited but I was up too late the night before and my malaria tablets are beginning to kick in.
The elephant back Safari well exceeded my expectations though. We were out for a good hour on them, and we got to pet them before hand and feed them when we got back. There were guides walking on the ground offering to take pictures using your own camera which was good, and to top it off they brought out Sylvester the cheetah who haws been raised from an orphan and they use him as an ambassador to educate the locals and tourists about the problems facing the cheetah population. A fact for you, in the last 100 years the cheetah population has dropped by 98%. There are only currently 10,000 left in the wild. I was the only one who made a donation, but then I guess cheetah's are one of my favourite animals in the world. Anyway, it made my day and I also managed to get a few shots of the sunset.
Victoria Falls
Check out the hand rail carvings.
Elephant skull.
More skulls.
The David Livingstone Statue
This is Brian, my guide.
People walking across the Zambezi near the falls.
Baboons in the forest.
The bridge that separates Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is also where you can bungee jump off of.
Bush buck.
The Big Tree
Goodbye Victoria Falls Hotel and Hello The Kingdom
Victoria Falls Hotel grounds.
The Kingdom Entrance
My bedroom.
The Elephant Back Safari
Water buck.
Here are the elephants all lined up ready for us.
I was teamed up with a Canadian man called Dave, sweet person.
See saw a crocodile on our walk as well a more warthog.
John and I with our elephant before we fed him.
Malanga (I hope I spelt that right) saying goodbye.
Sylvester the Cheetah Ambassador
Sylvester has a face book page. Please can I ask anyone reading this to like his page so that more people are aware of the problems facing the cheetah population.
Zimbabwe Sunset
No comments:
Post a Comment