Mosi Oa Tunya - The Smoke That Thunders - Victoria Falls!

When I first heard the translation of Mosi Oa Tunya I was captivated by the evocative description of Victoria Falls – in the language of the Kololo or Lozi people it means “the smoke that thunders”. I knew instantly that one day I had to experience it for myself! Earlier this year I finally had the opportunity to fulfil my long-held ambition. As our flight drew closer to Livingstone I spotted the “smoke” rising on the horizon as if there was a large bonfire. A ripple of excited chatter ran through the plane as everyone leaned over to catch a first glimpse of this magnificent natural phenomenon that is justifiably one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The Victoria Falls border both Zambia and Zimbabwe on either side of the mighty Zambezi River, which is the largest river in Africa and one of the longest. It flows through Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and Mozambique before finally reaching the Indian Ocean. I had read that you must see both sides of the Falls as they are quite different, and I wanted to be able to explain this to my future clients, so we queued up on arrival at the small airport to obtain our KAZA UniVisas. We stayed at the wonderful colonial Royal Livingstone by Anantara Hotel on the Zambia side of the Falls. We were greeted by the commanding Edward in his colourful national dress that was apparently bestowed upon his forbears by visiting Scotsmen in the 17th Century. Edward takes charge of arranging your check-in and from that point on he greets every guest by name. It was a delight to meet him and enjoy a welcome drink and a complimentary hand and arm massage whilst our room was given one last check. The grounds of the Royal Livingstone are superb with zebra, impala and giraffe amongst the animals that wander freely. The hotel has its own entrance to the Falls and stables – it seemed surreal to see a beautiful horse being ridden past the swimming pool! A sunset cruise aboard the African Queen was a gentle introduction to the mighty Zambezi River. We sipped drinks and nibbled canapes watching the hippos wallowing in the mud with just their eyes and little pink ears visible. The tranquillity of the sunset was punctuated with occasional snorts as they frolicked in the cool of the evening. My enduring memory of dinner at the Royal Livingstone is that as soon as I sat at the table a delightful little footstool was immediately produced at my side for my handbag to rest on! This is a tradition started when a guest requested a chair for her handbag and I now look wistfully for my footstool everywhere I go! Our next day began with a tour of the Zimbabwe side of the Falls. It is the more interesting side with many different viewpoints. We started with a visit to the statue of David Livingstone, the intrepid Scottish missionary explorer who discovered the Falls. He was taken to a nearby island (now Livingstone island), saw the Falls from the island and immediately named them after his Queen. Despite wearing heavy duty raincoats, we were soaked to the skin after visiting most of the viewpoints! We had lunch at the famous Lookout Café overlooking the spectacular gorge and the Victoria Falls Bridge which was completed in 1905 as part of Cecil Rhodes’ vision to build a railway from Cape Town to Cairo. Sadly, it never quite reached Cairo but had a vast impact on the local economy. The locals told us that the Bridge is now so unstable that only one large truck at a time can cross it. The town is named after David Livingstone and was once the capital of what was then known as Northern Rhodesia. It has many fascinating historical connections and the National Museum is the largest and oldest in Zambia. It is possible to bungee jump, do white-water rafting, take a helicopter flight, go horse riding and enjoy many more activities around the Falls. We chose to do a micro-light flight over the Falls which was absolutely thrilling, and I recommend it to everyone. My pilot was a former fighter-jet pilot and the commentary was crystal clear and highly informative (when I managed to tear my thoughts away from the fact that I was effectively sitting behind a lawnmower!) It was the most exhilarating feeling to look down through the sparkling rainbows shimmering in the mist and know that there was absolutely nothing separating you from the Falls except water droplets and air! As well as the iconic Falls we were able to see hippos, giraffe and elephants from the microlight. It really is the most exciting way to appreciate the Falls and surrounding area. All too soon we were back on terra firma to explore the Zambian side of the Falls from the grounds of our hotel. More iconic viewpoints and another soaking later we were glad to sink into our comfortable chairs on the terrace, cocktail in hand and watch the sun setting over the Zambezi. Next morning, we were lucky to have a close encounter with a family of giraffe in the hotel grounds before we checked out for the next leg of our adventure on safari in Botswana! For your own bespoke African Adventure contact Julie Welfare of Travel Counsellors on 01932 809330 or at www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/julie.welfare