Victoria Falls - a photo essay

The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of sightseeing.  We've taken two separate walking tours along the crest of the falls, gone bush with African elephants, and traversed girders underneath the local frontier bridge.  I've posted photos of our elephant excursion in a separate post.

Today's excursion to the falls was perfectly timed. We arrived at the national park entrance just as the sun broke through the clouds. As a result, the falls had a delightful sheen, and vivid rainbows were visible from several vantage points. We walked as far as the rock platforms overlooking the spectacular "Corner Viewpoint". This is where the Zambezi River turns south and begins weaving its way through a gorge it's carved over millennia. That's us above with the gorge entrance visible to the right.

The disposable ponchos are essential gear around the falls.  Their thundering water throws up a cloud of mist that eventually settles like drizzling rain. Depending on the wind direction, you can shift from clear skies and sunshine to wet and shaded conditions in just a few metres.  I'll post more about this bizarre experience shortly.

Our bridge walk was a magical experience. Much to our surprise, we were the only people on the tour. As a result, we enjoyed a private guided tour that took us down grated stairs by the bridge's foundations in Zambia, along a northern gangplank underneath its road deck, and then up onto the deck in Zimbabwe. 

The gangplank offered spectacular gorge-framed views of the falls and a fascinating close-up look at its girders and other infrastructure. We then spent time watching fearless tourists bungy jumping off the bridge, while others screamed their way along a Zipline strung over the gorge.

We learned that the bridge was actually prefabricated in England, shipped to Africa via Mozambique, and finally opened after 14 months of construction in 1905. It's 198 metres long, with a main arch spanning 156.50 metres at a height of 128 metres above the lower water mark of the river in the gorge below. Interestingly, it carries a road, railway, and footway making it a vital transport in Southern Africa.

There's honestly nothing I could write that would tell the story better than the images I've posted here.  Therefore, I'll leave you in peace to admire the scenes we've been enjoying.

Finally, here are a couple of images we took on our first afternoon at Victoria Falls. The weather was rather inclement when we arrived in Zimbabwe, so we only ventured out briefly to get our first glimpse of the falls. These two images were taken overlooking the Devil's Cataract along the fall's western boundary.