The only way to really see Victoria Falls…
It’s been another big, but stimulating couple of weeks! We’ve finally made our way into to Southern Africa. We spent more than a few days enjoying the relaxed and idyllic surroundings of Nkhata Bay in Malawi, before working our way across Malawi and Zambia to Livingstone, the home of one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls.
Following our relaxing week in Zanzibar, we decided to make some inroads into our travels by going directly from Dar Es Salem in Tanzania and into Malawi, a significant 1000 odd kilometre journey. We were told that this required a 12-18 hour bus ride (fair tolerance level, but remember, this is transport in Africa!).
After a 4am start, a night in a very dingy guest house, an 8 hour wait at the Malawian border, we finally arrived at our Malawian destination of Nkhata Bay some 2 days later. Given between us, we have the patience level of a formula 1 driver, we were very much at the end of our tether.
Fortunately we awoke the next day to a little hidden gem overlooking Lake Malawi called Nkhata Bay which quickly evaporated memories of the journey to get us there!
The beauty that greeted us we steppd out of our bungalow in Nkhata Bay
There was a hint of a hippie atmosphere around the place but it couldn’t have been more peaceful. We even considered growing dreadlocks to fit in with the local crowd! Each morning we were presented with a gorgeous and refreshing view, local fruits, freshly made bread and jams and good local coffee…happy days!
The lake itself was a gigantesque aquarium in which colourful fish could easily be spotted from the waters edge. It also provided a host of activities such as kayaking around the hidden beaches and inlets around the lake, incredible snorkelling from the doorstep of our bungalow, perfect walking trails, the local 100 odd step challenge which we used for our intervals each morning and the opportunity to climb Bunghulu Mountain. From the summit we enjoyed 180 degree views over Lake Malawi and could even see Mozambique raising up on the other side.
Aurelie powering through the seemingly tropical waters of Lake Malawi
We befriended one of the local guys, Benson, a self proclaimed ‘artist‘! With little interest in his local crafts, we told him that we were more interested in trying the local food. He said he could help us out here and told us to be at his place for a BBQ lunch of freshly caught fish accompanied with the local staple food, nshima (pounded maize meal - Aurelie’s favourite!).
As per local etiquette, no cutlery was provided. The whole neighbourhood cottoned onto the fact that we had purchased some fish and therefore there was a free feed on offer. It's funny how quickly the locals pop up when there’s a free meal to be had!
Typical local Malawian dish of fish from the river served with a bit of nshima...delicious!
The meal was followed by a local game of bow (cross between chess and checkers). Benson was supposed to be the expert and provided a quick run down of how to play, Shane proceeded to win all the games convincingly. We thought that his obvious appreciation for ‘Bob’ Marley (which he called his smoking habit!) that may have affected his ability to concentrate.
They say when you like a place stay there, and our 2 day interlude in Nkhata Bay quickly turned into 10...the joys of travelling with a little bit of time up your sleeve!
It was however time to move on and Victoria Falls awaited. Bypassing Malawi’s capital Lilongwe, we continued straight on to the Malawian / Zambian border. We crossed the southern part of Zambia, spent a night in Chipata, 2 nights in its capital Lusaka, before arriving at Livingstone, the entry point to view Victoria Falls.
More through luck than any sort of ingenious planning (although Shane claims otherwise!) it was Easter Sunday when we caught our first glimpse of the falls. Baboons welcomed us as we made our entry to the park, we could hear the thunder and feel the spray of the falls as we approached. The falls are so powerful that the spray creates an immense cloud of mist raising over 400m into the air. We were advised to hire ponchos before going any closer. Good advice as we were then suddenly hit by a torrent of water coming from the mist, feeling like a bucket had been tipped on our heads. Those who decided they were too cool for ponchos or were maybe a bit more adventurous got drenched and were looking at us with envious and superior looks.
Arrival at Vic Falls (quick happy snap before being drenched by the spray of the falls!
The Victoria Falls spreads over 1.7km separating countries Zambia and Zimbabwe. Because of the thickness of the mist and resultant limited visibility, the vantage points from the ground simply did not do the falls any justice. We addressed this gap by jumping onto a micro flight, a little flying machine that looked like it was straight from the 19
th century.
Microlight flights that were fortunately alot sturdier than they looked!
Aurelie’s legs shook as the micro flight took off, Shane being the epitome of stress free attitude probably did not even notice that the machine was rising off the ground (all a facade!!). The flight delivered 15mins of pure wonder. Once the adrenaline rush was tamed, we were finally able to admire the immensity of the falls, the grandeur of the Zambezi river and the beauty of the scenery. The pilot was even pointing to what seemed to be miniature elephant, giraffes, zebras and hippos. This was one of those experiences that seemed so surreal that it was hard to take it all in! Definitely a must do and the only real way to see the wonder of Victoria Falls.
Incredible sight of Vic Falls in all it's glory!
From here we move on to Okavango Delta in Bostwana, and then into the Namibian desert.
Fun and games continue!!
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