Victoria Falls Area (Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia) Finale

We chose to see Victoria Falls from the three countries that meet there: Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Zambia. Because we really didn’t venture too far from the falls, we only saw a small corner of these large countries. We would love to explore more of each of these countries one day! There were many similarities between what we saw of these three countries, and a few differences.

What we loved most:

Victoria Falls, of course! The pictures we had seen did not do this incredible natural phenomenon justice. Having the opportunity to see the falls from Zimbabwe and Zambia gave us such a better appreciation for its power and size. Spending the better part of a day listening to the falls roar and watching the sun alter how it looked was amazing. Being able to swim above the falls and sit in the Devil’s Pool on the edge of the falls was so thrilling. Zigzagging down the Zambezi and crashing through the rapids below the falls was exhilarating. Watching as hippos and elephants move through the water above the falls while the red sun sets, breathtaking.

The wildlife! We absolutely loved our safari experience, as well as all of the animal encounters we had when we weren’t on safari. Well, aside from our first elephant encounter. We feel so very lucky to have seen so many lions and elephants, as well as hippos, crocs, giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and a huge variety of birds.

Experiencing the lifestyle and traditions. Although we did not stay in any of the traditional huts, we did have a chance to experience staying in a few different rural communities. We got to know local families and what their daily activities involve. We both loved meeting the children in these countries and observing them playing with their friends and simple toys made from recycled materials. We could have done without all of the people trying to sell us things in Zimbabwe, but were thankful we didn’t experience this in Botswana or Zambia. Staying with local families also gave us the bonus of having personal tour guides and someone to answer questions we had about the area and the people. The people we crossed paths with were a great mix of helpful, kind, welcoming, and fun!

Experiencing local food. Because Victoria Falls is such a huge tourist attraction, there were many westernized restaurants in Zimbabwe and Zambia. We really flip flopped about how we felt about this. It felt like such a treat to have a delicious pastry or a veggie filled wrap (for me)/burger (for Will) at times, but we also hated the fact that finding local dishes in restaurants was so difficult. We were glad not to see a bunch of modern fast food chains in these countries, but we did learn that KFC is a favourite around here. Our stomachs thanked us for familiar foods at times, but we were also thankful that the families we stayed with in Zimbabwe and Zambia introduced us to their traditional dishes. We became accustomed to eating some form of maize flour/water mix (‘sadza’ in Zimbabwe, ‘pap’ in Botswana, and ‘n’shima’ in Zambia) and rape (leafy green cut into thin strips and then cooked) with our hands. I have been practicing eating with my right hand only, in preparation for Ethiopia and Southeast Asia, where eating with your left hand is frowned upon. Both families we stayed with ate after 8:00pm though, so we are happy to return to an earlier dinner time!

Meeting amazing people from different corners of the world. We loved having the opportunity to talk to people about their own countries, and other countries they have travelled to. We shared many laughs and created incredible memories!