Victoria Falls Transportation

You best is flying. Your least expensive is by bus and train. There are various options:
Bus: www.greyhound.co.za; www.translux.co.za
You can take the train from Vic falls to Buluwayo and then catch the bus to JHB. Better to travel 1st class as it is one of the old colonial trains (the waiters even serve food with white gloves when I did the trip!)
Flying - you can fly to Vic falls, or Livingstone which is on the Zamiban side of the border. Check out www.flysaa.com; www.nationwide.co.za; www.britishairways.com

Zimbabwe seems to have shortages of everything, so when you plan your trip decide if you want to rent a car or pay for transfers via taxi. Taxis and transfers can be very expensive. We got a package deal that included transfers and the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge where we stayed had a free shuttle.

For example, many people eat at the BOMA restaurant for dinner to experience Zimbabwean culture and some of the meats unavailable elsewhere--like Kudu, Ostrich, Crocodile, Warthog. Transfers to and from the dinner would have been US $16 each if we had not been staying at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge that has the BOMA restaurant on property.

Similarly, we paid for the guided tour of the falls US $25 each that included transportation, but our lodge had a free shuttle that would have taken us to the Falls and back that runs on an hourly basis.

If we did it without a package that included free transfers, we would rent a car and drive everywhere ourselves for the freedom that would provide.

Arrival at Victoria Falls airport is quite pleasant, but it takes at least an hour to clear 120 passengers. There is no difference whether you have a visa or not. Both queues most just a slowly. A visa for Europeans is US$55 or US$60 depending on your nationality. make sure that you have something to drink as there is nothing in the airport and it can be warm.

Once I got to my hotel, I walked to and around the town. I am believer in exploring on foot. Along the way, you'll find paths that lead to villages. It's very easy to find your way around since there's only one main street.

I got hassled a lot walking around in the company of me, myself, and I. Folks came up trying to sell me stuff, asking if they could have my shoes, telling me they have problems and need help. Just keep walking, pretend you didn't hear or speak a jibberish language. They'll leave you alone.

Vic Falls airport has a swarm of taxi drivers ready to take you to your destination. Nothing in town is too far from the airport, less than 5 miles. So don't simply accept the taxi driver's price and get ripped off like I did. I gave the man $20 for a ride from airport to my hotel. Later realized I probably took care of his whole family for the month.

The plane from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg is not full, so we can spread out. Just as we are about to take off, the captain announces that there is a problem with the plane. A seal is broken and it is leaking hydraulic fluid. He is concerned, and after further checks, orders us off the plane while they try and repair it.

More time passes and he decides that the plane cannot be flown in its present state, so he will have to arrange another plane. Unfortunately, the airport closes in half an hour, so we won't be going anywhere until tomorrow.

SAA hastily arranges transport (the only two large buses in Victoria Falls) to take us to the Kingdom Hotel for the night.

The next day, everything goes smoothly, apart from the fact that there is no food on the plane. Instead we are given a voucher to spend at Jo'burg airport, a much better idea in my opinion.

The open safari trcuk that picks us up at 07:00 has provided blankets against the early morning chill, which is a really nice touch.

On the banks of the river, we are provided with a full fry-up breakfast before we get on board the canoes.

The whole scene is very romantic - the early morning sun twinkling in the river and casting eerie spells of long shadows on the water.

Life jackets are provided, but I squash my glasses as I try to put mine on and decide not to wear one. They won't protect you against hippos or crocdiles anyway!

We glide silently through the still waters, effortlessly moving up river. The atmosphere is lovely, such a realxing experience. We try our hand at paddling, but it isn't required, apart from when we inadvertently get too near a hippo and have to move away rapidly.

Drifting downriver, we see the odd elephant in the distance and hippos wallowing on the river's edge. On one of the islands we are so lucky to see over 20 elephants frolicking in the river, playing, washing and drinking. There are babies too, enjoying an early morning swim. You feel really quite vulnerable being within feet of wild African elephants in a small canoe. They appear to take no notice of us whatsoever though, and we stay watching them for ages. In fact we moor on an island opposite for our picnic lunch. A meal with a view! Everything here is so well organised with beer and soft drinks, rolls, salad, ham, quiche, chutney, fruit and crisps. All the excursions seem to include food and drink.

Colin and Ellis pick us up at 06:15 for the game walk in Zambezi National Park. The walk starts from Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, a super place out in the bush, with a lovely veranda overlooking a water hole.

Colin is armed with a 375 rifle and Ellis brings up the rear. The walk is more about the interaction betweem animals, plants and humans and the consequences of an imbalance, than it is a game spotting outing.

We are shown how to recognise trackes and droppings of different animals, whether they'd been running or walking, the age of the animal etc. The medicinal uses of various plants are explained to us, and how saving the elephant has caused untold damage to the fragile ecology.

The ranger picks up a wild almond from some elephant dung, cracks it open and we all have a taste!

On the way we see warthog, impala, baboons and crocodiles by the water hole. We also hear the roar of a lion - thought to be about a mile away.

Colin explains that on a walk a few days earlier, a tourist had been attacked by a buffalo when he ventured a little too near it in order to take photographs. He is still seriously ill in hospital.