Victoria Falls Travel Tips

My wife and I visited Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Dec 16- 19, 2008. While we were there we realized that there were lots of things we would like to have known before we visited so that we could have prepared a bit better. So I thought I would post a blog here with some info if you are planning on traveling to Vic Falls anytime soon.

Vic Falls Isn't Affected By The Situation In Zimbabwe Is It?

A lot of the people we talked to in South Africa said that Vic Falls was not being affected by the issues the rest of Zimbabwe is dealing with but it's not true. The lack of local currency, skyrocketing inflation, and lack of staple foods and supplies are still prevalent issues within the Vic Falls economy. There is a bit of relief in the fact that Vic Falls has tourism resulting in an influx of USD$ and SA Rands. They are also right on the border with Zambia and therefore have some access to food and supplies from the Zambian side.

That being said, there is still no mistaking the fact that the country is in major turmoil. We found the hotels were insanely expensive, but despite the high rates you could tell they were having to cut costs as much as possible. They had one copy of the menu for the restaurant, and it was quite scaled down. Our hotel (Rainbow Hotel) would be considered "Middle of the Road" for luxury and price, but we were one of only a couple of tourists in the hotel. Other hotels, both higher and lower-end were all the same for occupancy and food supplies.

At the time, Cholera was not an issue because all the major hotels had gotten together to buy the chemicals for the local water treatment plant to continue treating the tap water. I imagine that that will continue for some time.

Money Issues

We had been told to bring small bills in either SA Rand or US currency, which we did but it was used up within the first day. We felt compelled to tip everywhere we went. The locals and hotel staff try to do anything they can for you. They carry your bags, bring stuff to your room, help plug in your hair dryer for you, etc. They are happy with any tip you give them and you can tell that they really do live off the tips. After the first day we ran out of $1 bills and 10 & 20 Rand bills. We had more money, but it was all in larger bills. Unfortunately, there was no change anywhere. We went to all the banks and they were out of change for either US dollars or SA Rands.

The economy in Vic Falls runs on US Dollars and to a lesser extent the SA Rand. There were no credit card facilities that we were aware of. (One guy we met said that one of the hotels had a SA credit card machine, but another guy said it no longer worked.) The Zimbabwe Dollar is not accepted at any of the tourist related shops or services. I did make a trip to the local supermarket (which only had a shelf of bottled water, and a few racks of cookies). At that shop, because it is for locals, they only accept Zim Dollars. It was the only place we found that actually accepted the local currency. Not that it really mattered because none of the bank machines were in order and therefore we couldn't get any local currency even if we wanted to.

Despite the serious economic issues, everything in Vic Falls is really expensive. The limited menu meals at our hotel were $37.00 US each, plus drinks. Things in the shops are quite expensive too. Even the local outdoor souvenir market was outrageous. Things that we see in South Africa all the time for ZAR40 (US$4) are going for USD$40. Or at least that's what they are trying to get for it. Most of the folks won't even entertain a negotiated price. It felt like inflation had caused everyone to forget the actual value of money. I kind of thought that people would be happy to sell things for a regular price because they needed the sale, but many people were happy to let you walk away without even negotiating a price lower than the outrageous price they first mentioned.

Within the town of Victoria Falls, it is a bit difficult to walk down the streets because hoards of people surround you trying to trade or sell products. They are quite desperate and can be very forceful. You may want to help out, but if you show any interest more people crowd and begin pushing in. We found that if you wanted to help someone or buy a product from someone, you need to find a way to do it very privately.

Friendliest People In All Of Africa

Besides the forceful nature of the street hawkers, every single person we met in Vic Falls was extremely friendly. The hotel staff, the tour operators, the parks employees, even the folks we would pass walking down the street were all really friendly and genuine people. The hotel staff were great and would always exceed our expectations. They work hard, knowing that tourism is the only hope for the community. The sad thing is that most of the employees do not get paid very much for the hard work that they do.

We had a chance to chat at length with a security guard from one of the high-end hotels. His room and board is $50USD per month, but his monthly wage from the hotel is less than that. He essentially lives off of tips from visitors. As food and supplies are difficult to come by, we were curious as to where locals get their supplies. He explained that locals can buy a monthly border pass to get in and out of Zambia for supplies. So most locals will walk across the border into Livingstone, Zambia to buy food, clothes and supplies. Unfortunately, Zambia does not accept Zimbabwe dollars and therefore all items must be purchased in $USD. In Zimbabwe, employees are only paid in Zimbabwe Dollars, so essentially they can only spend their wage on the few products available in Zim and rely on tourist tips in $USD to buy anything of real value across the border in Zambia.

Giving The Shirt Off Your Back

One of the byproducts that this economic system has created is an informal system of trading goods for products. The hawkers on the street will trade anything you have for their souvenir products. They constantly ask to trade for food, T-shirts, hats/caps, running shoes, etc. But like I said before, some of the guys don't always understand the value of the stuff they are asking for. I'm not sure that trading my shoes for a small $5-10 carving is a good deal. Well, I guess it's a good deal for him, but not for me.

We brought a suitcase full of staple foods and some toiletries which we gave away before we left. We didn't give it out until the end of our trip because when word gets out that you have stuff to give away the hassling by some of the hawkers apparently really kicks into high gear.

We gave the hotel staff the extra toiletries that we brought (soap, tooth brushes, toothpaste). They were all very grateful. The folks in the street market acted like it was their right to be given stuff. The rest of the food (long-life milk, rice, maize meal, sugar, salt, tea, crackers and peanut butter) went to a few moms who were walking through town. They were all very grateful and appreciative. Our buddy the security guard also got a care package of food (and most of my clothes), for his wonderful tour guiding expertise and the wealth of information that he was to us.

Now Onto the Positive Stuff

Victoria Falls is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The Falls themselves are magnificent and majestic. The Zambezi river flows through five countries before widening out to almost 2km across as it plunges over the basalt of Victoria Falls. The millions of gallons of water crashing at the bottom of the falls creates a cloud of mist so large that it can be seen 20 miles away giving the falls their original name Mosi-oa-Tunya (The Smoke that Thunders).

Once-In-A-Lifetime Activities

Victoria Falls is set up to cater to tourist with many activities to take in. Some of the options include:
- Canoeing on the upper Zambezi river, filled with crocodiles and hippos
- Whitewater rafting down the lower Zambezi river
- Helicopter flights over the falls
- Lion Walks
- Elephant back Game/Safari walks
- River boarding, when the water level is too low for rafting
- Zambezi Sunset cruise
- Cultural tours of Vic Falls townsite
- Bungee jumping off the border bridge
- Abseiling into the gorge
- Jet boating
- Horse trail riding
- and lots more

We spent four days in Vic Falls and did four activities (plus visiting the Falls themselves). All the activities were expensive, but all were also a fantastic experience.

Walking With The Lions

The Lion walk was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go for a walk through a game reserve with a family of lions. The lions were comfortable enough with humans to let you pet them as you walk along side them. Before we went, I was under the impression that the lions were part of a rehabilitation program for orphaned or deserted lions who were eventually released back into the wild. That is not the case here. The original lions were captured from the wild and their cubs, who have been bred and raised in captivity, are used for our tourist pleasure. Cool experience, but it would have been cooler if we weren't taking advantage of the lions by robbing them from their natural habitat.

Riding Elephants

The Elephant Back Safari was a bit more eco-friendly. The elephants are all orphaned or deserted and therefore relocated to the site. After a quick safety briefing, we hopped on the back of a herd of elephants and headed out into the bush. Each elephant has a guide and two tourists. We spent about 45 minutes riding above the bushes spotting deer-like animals from our unique perch. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and explained and answered all of our questions. At the end of the trip we got to pet and feed our elephant. Another once-in-a-lifetime experience. Then before you leave you get to watch a 10 minute DVD recorded from your trip. Really cool, but a bit too pricey for us at $30USD each.

Flying Over the Falls

We also did the "Flight of the Angels" helicopter ride over the Falls. We were driven a few minutes outside of town to the Helipad where four of us (plus the pilot) took off for a 12 minute flight over the falls. The view is unexplainable. It was such a great perspective of the falls and how massive they are. Take your camera and video camera! The pilot circled over the falls in both directions so everyone could see them. If you do decide to go on the helicopter, here is a tip; try to get the front seat! The view is the best from the front. Barring that try to get one of the outside window seats in the back. Just try not to get the middle seat in the back as the view is a bit difficult to see. The trip was a great experience no matter where you sit, but if you can, get the front seat and stay away from the middle seat in the back.

Canoeing Past Hippos

The last activity we did was the Upper Zambezi canoeing. We thought that it would be a much more casual and relaxing activity than whitewater rafting, but we were wrong. The canoes are a inflatable version resembling a very narrow whitewater raft holing only two people. The river has some small rapids, but nothing major. What is major is the wildlife! The river is filled with crocs and hippos. The crocs didn't seem to mind us that much, but the hippos are extremely territorial and will charge and attack you and your boat if you get too close. It was a much more adrenaline filled two hours than we expected, but just like everything else was another once-in-a-lifetime experience that we will never forget.

Viewing the Falls

It wasn't until the last day that we actually made the journey to see the Falls close up. Victoria Falls Park is a short walk (1-2km) from the townsite. At the time it was $20USD for a single entry (or 50 million Zimbabwe Dollars, if you happen to have that in your wallet). Once in the park there are about 15 different lookout points to view the falls. We went to each one and spent about 1.5 to 2 hours there. The views are fantastic and the mist is drenching! In some places it feels like a monsoon as the mist dumps back down as rain on top of you. When it isn't drenching you, the mist creates rainbows that almost come full-circle as they bend out of the gorge, over the falls, and back into the gorge almost touching together at the bottom.

Beautiful Place, Difficult Circumstances

All in all, our trip to Victoria Falls will be something that we will remember forever. We will remember not only the great opportunities that we had and the beautiful landscape we experienced, but also the difficult circumstances and frustration that we felt the entire time that we were there.

We decided to go to Vic Falls because we heard it was a beautiful place, and we thought we could also help the struggling economy in Zimbabwe. We left feeling like we had seen a beautiful place and had certainly done some really cool activities, but were frustrated that we weren't able to really help the economy in a way that would help the local people. We spent a small fortune on our accommodation and some really great activities, but left feeling like the people who did the work weren't actually getting much of that money.

It sounds harsh, but I have told a few people that if they want to do some good in Zimbabwe, send a $1000 cheque to the UN World Food Programme and then go on a nice vacation elsewhere.

Have You Considered Zambia?

As an alternative, you might want to check out the Zambian side of the falls. The Zambian side seems to have a lot of the same activities without some of the difficult issues that the Zimbabwe side has. I'm not sure if the local staff are paid as poorly or if your tourism dollars trickle down to the workers any better than they do in Zimbabwe, but it may be worth looking at. If you plan your vacation on the Zambian side (Livingstone), I would suggest getting a multiple entry visa so that you could go across the Border Bridge into Zimbabwe for a half day in Vic Falls park. The view from the Zimbabwe side is fantastic and the view from the Zambian side is a bit limited. But if you stayed in Zambia it would be a very short walk across the border and into Victoria Falls Park in Zimbabwe as long as you had a visa.

I hope this helps give a bit more background info to help you prepare if you are headed to Victoria Falls sometime soon or if you are looking to book a vacation and Victoria Falls is on your potential list. If you want more specific info and you think we can help, please send us a comment or message. In the mean time, we can all continue to pray that the political, economic and health care situation in Zimbabwe begins to change and that the people can begin to have a reason for being so friendly again.

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