Falling in Love with Victoria Falls

Bucket list places are interesting. You can’t wait to be there, and you start thinking of all of the experiences you will have, which creates expectations. But expectations simply tee you up for disappointments. This fact is why I try not to plan trips too far in advance. I don’t want to build up the experience… and expectations. However, Victoria Falls is one of those places I couldn’t help it.

After escaping our corrupt traffic stop in Zimbabwe, we crossed over the bridge and border to Zambia. This part would be our first look at Victoria Falls! Our driver says, “Look! Here is where the falls usually are, but they are all gone and dried up due to the drought. A lot of people don’t know about the drought and think they are going to see water here.”

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I almost started to cry. From our bridge view, the falls were almost completely dry. This also meant that the Zambezi River was likely very low, and the hotel we splurged on for this “once in a lifetime” experience was probably a huge waste of money. I felt sick to my stomach.

Then the guilt set in. What the hell is wrong with me? There is a major drought nearby, and people are experiencing horrific hunger. I needed to get over it because people are actually suffering with real issues like food shortages, and being sad about not seeing a pretty waterfall is not the appropriate or the right perspective. Plus, TLC has been explicitly telling me since I was a child not to chase waterfalls. Lesson solidified. I was going to enjoy this time, with or without water.

We arrive at the Royal Livingstone Hotel in Zambia and are greeted with the most friendly singing and dancing welcome. After checking in, I was excited and relieved to see that the Zambezi River was not completely dry. Sure, it was recessed some, but there were still hippos chilling, towering giraffes, and adorable animals running around the resort. We settled in for dinner and Owen was out!

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We did several activities while there, and I would highly recommend two of them to anyone visiting. First was a boat tour. Not the big Queen Mary or whatever it’s called, where it’s a slow boat with a lot of people, but a small boat tour that fits about 10 max, and you troll around checking out elephants, hippos, birds, and crocodiles. This was an absolutely beautiful experience and one of the highlights for the entire family. Our guides were so kind, the drinks quenching, and I can’t express enough the beauty of being on the Zambezi River. It was magical.

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The second was the Devil’s Pool at Victoria Falls. This was a true bucket item for me, and Jeff made it clear before the trip that he was never going to do it. Well, as I am booking the tour for just Dre and I, Jeff had a change of heart. Family activity here we come. Due to the water being low enough, Owen was even able to participate. It was a heart-pounding thrill experience and will be a lifetime memory for sure. The tour staff did an excellent job, one literally walking along the edge of death taking pictures of us.

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I have never been so nervous in my life. As they held Owen’s legs and he looked over the edge, I could have thrown up. It was so crazy to think a stranger is literally the only thing keeping Owen from falling to his certain doom. The water is so powerful. The drop is an impressive 354 feet, but when looking over the edge, it looks like a good 3,054 feet.

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Over the next several days, we went to a local cultural show, had some massage time, and played at the pool. Another favorite thing for the family to do, as mentioned previously, is tea time! The hotel was kind enough to squeeze us in last minute.

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The only real trouble we ran into was the damn monkeys again!! These little adorable bastards were very playful but determined to ruin Jeff’s and my coffee time. At first, relatively innocent. Coming up with their little babies and looking around. We were able to keep them away from our cappuccinos.

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Then the Lost Boys came to town. A rowdy group of teenage monkeys came in a pack and infiltrated our balcony from all sides. We did a pretty good job influencing them to retreat. Then Jeff went inside to use the restroom, and I went in about 30 seconds later to grab a napkin. Booom!! Those monkeys immediately commandeered the balcony. They started drinking Jeff’s cappuccino, and then this other one grabbed 3 sugar packets, opened them, and downed the white crystals like a full blown coke addict. They were hysterical but also unapproachable. We had to have a staff member correct our negligence.

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As we wrapped up the final night, nervous and sad to be finished with Africa, we saw one of the giraffes on campus sitting down and relaxing by our room. We couldn’t believe it. We pulled our chairs up and watched this majestic creature relax under the trees. It was a wonderful end to our African adventures.