THE MIGHTY VICTORIA FALLS(THE MOSI-OA-TUNYA: THE SMOKE THAT THUNDERS)

Life is good when you are smiling, cooking, exercising, traveling….. speaking of traveling 😀”yup you guessed it right, I am a nomad at heart and jump at any opportunity to be on road, of course in my car with my family, listening to music, munching on delicious snacks and soaking the beauty of journey  leading us to a beautiful destination.

Okay, I already mentioned in my previous article that I live in a beautiful country called Zambia, in central Africa. Africa is famous for its raw beauty, jungle safaris, its unique tribal culture and Zambia is no different, it is full of natural scenic beauty. There are a lot of places to visit in Zambia, some have historical values but the most of them are pure holiday getaways. The most visited tourist spot in Zambia is “THE MIGHTY VICTORIA FALLS”.

The world’s largest waterfall, situated on Zambezi River, lies on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.

After coming to Zambia, around 4 years ago, I have been to Livingstone – the city in southern province of Zambia – home to mighty falls twice and each time I couldn’t get enough of this picturesque town, discovered by famous Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone.

So folks, Livingstone town is around about 480kms from Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. It takes around 7 hours to reach Livingstone by road, that’s what our beloved uncle Google is gonna tell you, but here you are in luck my lovelies, the road leading to Livingstone is world class leaving a few patches so it takes us around 5 and ½ hours to reach the magical city. If you are not a fan of spending so much time on road, take up aerial route and you would land in Livingstone in an hour and ten minutes.

We start early morning around 7am from Lusaka, said that let me remind you to stock up on your supplies a day before you travel including, a first aid box; a must when you are traveling with kids, light snacks – don’t forget to read my healthy avocado dip recipe(a separate article in travel and food category) that I’m sure even your kids are going to love with any crunchy snacks with.

Since I have a 2 year old, I pack a separate bag for her with all her essential things in it like cloths to change, her changing mattresses, bibs, nappies, her feeding bottles. Being a paranoid mother, like we all mothers are, I like to place my kids’ things in order so that they have everything they need on the way, right at their disposal. Please pack both warm and summer cloths, irrespective of the season you are traveling, since the temperatures in Livingstone vary drastically in day and night – making you sweat in the day and shiver at nights. Don’t tell me that I didn’t warn you….

One of the perks of commencing our journey early is that we always take a detour through the lush green sugarcane fields of Mazabuka. The normal route, as per the uncle google will never tell you this secret. The lush green scenic sugarcane fields are a feast to your eyes through this sleepy sugar bowl, just 120 kms from Lusaka. You will find a lot of small towns en route to Livingstone… you can take small pit stops, a necessity when you are traveling with kids.

Oh! Did I forget to mention that Victoria Falls closes at 5 Pm so you better hurry up if you want to feel that roaring mist on your face on the same day otherwise you can lodge that day and visit the falls the next day.

When I reached Livingstone, I was mesmerized by the calmness and cleanliness of the city and as we closed the distance towards the falls, we could see the mist of the falls forming clear white clouds, it’s a sight that would imprint on your heart for a long time to come. You can hear and feel the thunder and roar of the might falls from a long distance. So my advice is not to take very small kids to falls because it could scare them and you don’t want to give a scary impression of such a beauty in the innocent mind, hence if a kid is not comfortable with thunder please don’t take him/her to the falls till they start appreciating a different kind of beauty full of thunders, mist, rain yes – it’s constantly raining around the falls in April at the end of rainy season.

If you ask me which is the best season to visit Falls, I would say April because I love to see the falls at its peak and love to experience the incessant rain in the localized area because of the rising mist produced by falling water. But if you are not the fan of thunders and rains, October and early November is your season when the flow of water is at its lowest level. However, during the rest of the year Victoria Falls is a roaring machine that strikes anyone with its power, you will go inside the reserved area with all make-up and fancy cloths intact and come out with soaked cloths, vanished make up and mascara spread, consider yourself warned because it happened to me the first time but second time was wiser and well equipped – chose to wear my shorts and t-shirt, no makeup and of course no mascara, but am telling you even if you wearing a rain coat, the falls will make sure that you are drenched to your soul in its pure and mystic water.

The greatest curtain of falling water in the world “Victoria falls” enchant you not only with its roaring sound of falling water from the whopping height of 355ft, its mist soaked forest but it has lot more to dazzle you, so I decided to pen down some fun facts about the Mighty falls, which is one of the “seven natural wonders” of world that would definitely entice you to visit this grandeur and spectacular natural site.

A walk across the knife edge/razor blade bridge.. the bridge joins the mainland to the island and gives  spectacular view of the eastern cataract and up the main gorge. it really proved to be a thrilling experience for us since it was very slippery due the amount of water falling on it but thrill is what we live for don’t you.

Boiling pot hike is a seasonal activity only available during the months of August through to December when the water level of the Zambezi river is at right height to make the access possible, that’s what I have heard – because I haven’t done it, that it involves a breathtakingly picturesque but strenuous hike – not recommended when traveling with small kids .

The Devil’s pool – during the drier months of September to December the level of the Zambezi river drops considerably allowing daredevils to swim to the very edge of the Victoria Falls in a naturally formed pool overlooking the edge. The pool is made by a rock wall that halts the current just enough for a swim.

Moonbow – Victoria falls could easily be called the house of rainbows but during high water (April to July) with a cloudless sky and at full moon enough light is reflected to create the Moonbow which always occurs in the sky opposite to the moon in relation where you are standing and Mark my word this sight of Moonbow would capture your heart and mesmerize your soul. I can still remember the colors of that lunar rainbow and beautiful night in Livingstone which took my breath away.

I think it’s the wrap of my visit to Victoria Falls but there is much more left to be written by the picturesque town Livingstone. So next time we will discuss the best places to stay, adventures, activities and must visit places in Livingstone. The magical town of Livingstone offers a great mix of calmness that soothes your senses and adventures that thrills you and sets your heart rate racing.

Adieus lovelies till we meet again here on Gokhushi…follow your happiness

Jyoti Rathore

passionate for travelling, absolute foodie, mother of two beautiful angels and living the best life in AFRICA.