Welcome to Victoria Falls- We were greeted with a really nice cultural show. I loved the drums! (and the outfits, let's be honest!)
Victoria Falls
Victoria falls is, of course, the quintessential landmark of the region. As you approach, it looks as though a fire is roaring there's so much mist. You'll have to pay to enter the rainforest park to get the best views of the falls(or any view for that matter)
The Victoria Falls Bridge
This bridge crosses the Zambezi River, linking Zimbabwe and Zambia. You can bungee jump from the middle of the bridge! Even if you're not planning to enter Zambia, you can go halfway across the bridge between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Lion walk
Unforgettable. It's relatively expensive but just do it. I've never regretted this.
Victoria Falls Town
Victoria Falls was a no-frills small town. I don't remember particularly loving or hating it. There was some nice art in the most touristic area of town.
Wild Elephants on the Street
Elephants on the street is something you'll see in India and Thailand(among others). Wild Elephants on the Street is something you're likely to see only here in Africa. I remember watching as a herd of elephants crossed the street and then followed along the train tracks in Victoria Falls and wondering what would happen if they tripped on the tracks, or if they were heavy enough to bend the tracks by simply stepping on them at an awkward angle. Awestruck, I scrambled for my camera, but didn't manage to get a photo of them until they were almost gone.
Oh, there's monkeys, too!
Monkeys and so much more
Map of the Park
I think this map of the Victoria Falls rainforest park does a good job of showing how exactly the terrain is and where you can go to get good vantage points of the falls. It's not that huge of an area so you can easily get to every viewpoint in the park.
Note: Most of the adrenaline activities are operated from the Zambia side of Victoria Falls
Monopoly Money
One Hundred Trillion Dollars- Hyperinflation caused notes to be printed in the thousands, then the tens of thousands, soon hundreds of thousands, followed by millions, then billions, and eventually denominations in the trillions. Not like one trillion- One Hundred Trillion Dollars. Now you can wipe your ass with it as it's completely worthless other than as a novelty souvenir.
Needless to say, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe couldn't keep up with inflation so the country switched over to using USD.
Speaking of money- You'll want to bring mint condition USD to this area. We stocked up on $1's and $5's before the trip. If you get change, it will be in some of the saddest, most tattered dollar bills that you have seen in your whole life. Even a small tear that wouldn't typically make a cashier bat an eye in the USA, will prompt a "Do you have a bill that is in better condition" response here. The people know that the only way to get new bills is from tourists. Conversely, they will purposely give you the WORST condition bills they can as change. For me, I was happy to take these off the streets here and simply piled them up and brought them back to California with me and spent them at home without incident.
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