One of the most candid people I've met is Georges C Imbault. "It's just four seconds but it's the longest four seconds of your life," he half-shouts from his perch at the end of the walkway under the Victoria Falls Bridge. Admittedly, this is not the real Imbault, a Frenchman appointed as chief construction engineer of the bridge in 1903, but a modern-day impersonator. (Real name) Kim Adams is a guide with Shearwater Victoria Falls, and he dons a pair of period spectacles, braces, a fedora and tie to play an Imbault "scorched by the African sun", to tell visitors a most animated tale of how the bridge, completed in 1905, was built.
That was phase one of the bridge tour. But now we are in phase two and "Imbault" has just led us - harnessed and attached to the 116-year-old structure with carabiners - along the length of the walkway.
This is arguably the spot with the best view of the rainbow rising magnificently from the Boiling Pot - the pool at the bottom of the falls, where the water gathers in a fury before spurting into the Batoka Gorge.
As for the "four seconds", our guide is, of course, referring to one of the most popular activities in the Zimbabwean town of Victoria Falls: jumping into a free-fall from the bridge. Over dinner and wine the night before, I almost convinced myself I'd muster the courage to bungee. But when the moment arrives, the bridge swing is the most I can bear.
After the quickest countdown and on the verge of fear-induced tears, I leap over the edge. A primal scream swells up from a cavity inside me I didn't know existed. Imbault's words return to me as I am overcome by the force of the free-fall until the plunge gives way to a graceful swing above the rapids raging below, my breathing deep and heart wild in a moment that will stay with me forever.
READY AND WAITING
For a tourism town with a population of just over 35,000, Victoria Falls was knocked hard by lockdown. Mike Davis, chair of Shearwater Victoria Falls, says it was an incredibly difficult time but that people and travel companies rallied to keep people fed and to see them through the worst of the crisis last year.
Despite a drive by the government to vaccinate the whole town (by the end of July, 60% of the Victoria Falls population had been vaccinated), during my visit in late May it was still largely devoid of visitors - and so a rare chance for me to see one of the world's wonders without crowds.
AFFORDABLE JOY
Shearwater started in 1982 with a focus on curating adventure activities in Vic Falls. Its Explorers Village, a 96-room lodge, is in walking distance of the falls. From here, you can see the mist rising from the crash of the water in the distance and once your brain makes the switch that it's the sound of the waterfall you're hearing - not a highway - it's a soothing sound to fall asleep to.
Just before Covid shut down tourism, Shearwater finalised a big expansion and opened a number of deluxe rooms as well as a bar, dining and beautiful poolside relaxation area. It offers a range of budget-friendly accommodation options, from camping to serviced rooms, and is the perfect base from which to set out on a number of adventure activities or to wind down over dinner and drinks around a fire at night.
Shearwater runs the bridge tour and activities - including the bungee jump, bridge swing, and zipline. You can also book sunset cruises, game drives and walks in Zambezi National Park, white river rafting, a jetboat ride under the falls in the Boiling Pot, helicopter flips, day trips to Chobe National Park, an educational elephant experience at the Zambezi Elephant Welfare and Conservation Trust, and guided tours of the falls.
ANGELS AND AWE
After a heavy rainy season, the falls were in brilliant flood. The deeper we went into Victoria Falls National Park to see them, picking up interesting bits of information from our guide Mafios Tshuma, the mistier it became.
I was thankful for the unstylish green poncho I'd picked up at the entrance as we made a mad dash through showers of droplets at the closest viewpoints to the falls. I had been warned by a fellow traveller the night ebefore: "It's a baptism."
It feels as though every second spent in the cascade of the falls is more impressive than the last. And yet, I imagine that even on days when clouds of mist don't envelop you and the falls loom before you clear as day, it's not until you've had the opportunity to see them from the sky that you will truly grasp the magnitude of the 1.7km-long curtain of water.
The 13-minute helicopter Flight of Angels has been named for explorer David Livingstone's diary entry on the falls: "Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight."
Wearing noise-cancelling headphones, you can almost feel the crash of the falls so
popularly dubbed by the Kololo people living in the area in the 1800s "Mosi-oa-Tunya", the Smoke that Thunders.
From this vantage point, the confluence of opposites is striking: not only the incredible calm this force of nature stirs in you but also the small pocket of deep green rainforest - nourished by the vapours of the falls - in a landscape that is otherwise remarkably brown. It's a carved-out corner of lush abundance in the middle of the African bush.
LAP OF LUXURY
A 40-minute drive from town is Matetsi Victoria Falls, a luxury lodge on a 55,000ha private concession. Its private villa, family suites and luxury suites spread along 15km of private riverfront on the Zambezi.
Here, unpretentious luxury is the order of the day, as was evident in the first bite of truffle-infused pasta I enjoyed for lunch on arrival, interspersed with sips of wine alongside the lazy river. There was also a generous feast prepared exclusively for us in the wine cellar the following day. Meals are served by your private butler and each is lovelier than the one before.
A highlight was the exquisite bush dinner, complete with chandeliers hanging from trees, glasses of bubbly that don't run dry, and a local group of musicians who provided the evening's entertainment. It made for a perfect post-game-drive surprise dinner where new friends were made over plates of food and singing around a glowing fire. "Matetsi magic" was the phrase going around.
The suites each have a plunge pool and deck from where we contemplated what we'd do
if the ellies showed up on our doorstep. The nervousness of the first day eased into a laid-back approach by the second. We realised they preferred munching outside our suite at night and loitering around the spa area during the day, making me late for a massage.
You can arrange to do a number of activities in town. Alternatively, there are canoe trips on the river and daily game drives or sunset cruises with sundowners, snacks and sightings of elephants, lions, and a hyena family thrown into the mix, to name a few.
But after the busyness of the past few days, I found that the best pastime comes in the form of just being. With thoughts of the falls and the thrill of my daring swing still fresh in my mind, the sound of elephants breaking branches nearby, and my every need tended to, I simply could not think of a better place to do just that.
PLAN YOUR TRIP
Covid rules: Covid-19 PCR tests are required when entering Zimbabwe and returning to SA. For the test in Zimbabwe, Lancet Laboratories offers a call-out service for $70 (R1,063), including delivery of your results.
Getting there: Fastjet offers daily direct flights between OR Tambo International Airport and Victoria Falls International. A return flight will cost about R5,000.
Accommodation: Shearwater Village: Pitch your own tent from R225 per person per night or stay in a serviced tent from R380 per person sharing. There are also standard and deluxe rooms. They have a B&B special running until December 31 for R2,650 pps for two nights or R3,300 pps for three. See their website for details.
Matetsi Victoria Falls is running a special for African residents from R5,900 per person sharing per night in a luxury river lodge suite, until December 20. Includes meals, a river cruise, a tour of the falls, and more. See their website for details.
• Oberholzer's trip was arranged by travel experts Steadfast Africa. She was a guest of Steadfast Africa, Shearwater Victoria Falls, Matetsi Victoria Falls and Fastjet.
WIN A TRIP FOR TWO WORTH R140,000
Steadfast Africa, Shearwater Victoria Falls, Matetsi Victoria Falls and Fastjet are offering a once-in-a-lifetime trip for two to Victoria Falls, including return flights from Johannesburg, accommodation at both hotels mentioned above, and several incredible adventure activities. Enter on the Sunday Times Lifestyle Instagram page. Full details of the prize, plus terms and conditions here.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.