RICHARD HOLMES flew his family to Victoria Falls and discovered that the ‘smoke that thunders’ offers so much more than adrenalin-fuelled adventure.
I had hoped for birdies and expected a few bogeys, but when stepping onto the first tee at Elephant Hills Golf Course, what my son and I hadn’t counted on were the warthogs.
But there they were, snuffling away on the approach to the green, no doubt giving the groundskeeper sleepless nights. On the next tee, the sign at the water hazard warned of crocodiles, so we let one ball stay in the shallows. And an impala almost caught my wayward wedge on the 7th. So while this course on the banks of the Zambezi River may have been laid out by the legendary Gary Player as a parkland track amid the bush of northern Zimbabwe, it was the wildlife that was the star of the afternoon. And a highlight of our trip to the Victoria Falls.
Which may seem odd, as a great round of golf is rarely part of the package when planning a visit to Victoria Falls. The region has long been marketed as Africa’s adventure capital, a place where your days are packed with adrenalin- fuelled activities that typically involve throwing yourself off bridges or paddling into the maelstrom of the Zambezi River as it thunders down the Batoka Gorge.
But, eager to share the beauty of the waterfall with my wife and 13-year-old son, I recently discovered a different side to what the Tonga people have long known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, the ‘smoke that thunders’.
And with direct flights linking Cape Town and Victoria Falls, you can leave home after breakfast and enjoy lunch on the banks of the Zambezi. Which is how we found ourselves on the pool deck at Chundu Island.
This private island is set in the heart of the Zambezi National Park, a lush conservation area home to four of the Big Five – no rhino – and a popular day trip for travellers tagging a safari drive onto their days of exploring the falls. But overnighting at Chundu was a far better choice, the perfect way to ease into our trip; an opportunity to exhale and reconnect.
Chundu is a charmer. Part of the Seolo Africa group, which also runs lodges in Kruger National Park, it’s a low-key island escape where the two family suites, alongside six other under-canvas rooms, offer the best views on the island. Set at the western tip of Chundu, gazing upstream along the Zambezi, we toasted the sunset to the sound of chortling hippos and the distant cry of fish eagles.
Days here can be as busy or laid-back as you like. If you can’t wait to see the falls, they’re just a 30-minute drive away, with guided tours on offer. We chose to wait and instead immersed ourselves in the languid pace of Zambezi living. Kayak tours take a leisurely paddle along the southern bank of the river and, even though we returned empty-handed, my son loved the ‘fun fishing’ outing to cast a line for the Zambezi’s legendary tiger fish.
Morning game drives meander through the Zambezi National Park, and while children can’t join walking safaris in the park, guided walks around Chundu Island offer the magical opportunity to spot birds, vervet monkeys and bushbuck on foot.
After a day of lounging poolside, watching flocks of storks roosting on the sandbanks and a crocodile lurking in the shallows, a sunset cruise had us motoring up close to wary hippos. And unlike the rafting adventures downstream, this ride was smooth enough to enjoy with a G&T in hand.
But you’ll want to spend a few days in and around the town of Victoria Falls, and so we swapped the wilds of Chundu for the manicured gardens of Pioneers guest lodge. It’s a large property, with 50 rooms – including four spacious family suites – scattered around wide lawns and a pair of swimming pools; the perfect antidote to the heat.
On our first morning in town, the Bamba Tram was a delight. We had seen the bright yellow electric ‘Bamba Bikes’ whizzing along the streets – and added that to the list for next time – but the highlight is a trip on the vintage-style Bamba Tram.
It departs from the centre of town for a gentle 15-minute rumble through the Zambezi National Park and across the historic bridge spanning the Batoka Gorge. With entertaining guides to share the history of the bridge and a guided tour to the best viewpoints on the Zambian bank, it was a fine way to enjoy our first glimpse of the falls.
We were back the next day for a closer look at the falls and the remarkable Victoria Falls Bridge.
Soaring 128m above the Zambezi River, the bridge was the keystone in Cecil John Rhodes’s plan to link the Cape to Cairo by rail. And although he died before construction began, we do have him to thank for its location. Rhodes insisted that the railway line run close enough to the falls ‘to have the spray of the water over the carriages’.
Clipped onto a gantry below the bridge, my son and I felt the warm Zambezi spray settling on the steel while a guide dressed up as George Imbault – the French engineer who constructed the bridge from late 1904 until the opening in 1905 – led us on a dizzying tour through history. With each step we learned of the remarkable ingenuity involved in surveying the bridge and having it cast in England before shipping it out to Zimbabwe via Mozambique.
In the very middle of the span, our guide pointed out where the bridge, constructed from both sides of the gorge, eventually met. Family snaps with one foot in each ‘country’ were a must.
It’s hungry work in the heat, but happily there seems to be a flush of energy in the town’s foodie scene. One lunchtime we settled in at Three Monkeys, where the menu runs from wood-fired pizza to smoky pork ribs, with craft beer on tap from the River Brewery around the corner. The Victoria Falls Distilling Co. is on the doorstep too, offering craft gin infused with local flavours of baobab, buffalo thorn and ‘grains of paradise’. And the food is as good as the views at The Lookout Café, a 10-minute walk from town. Here tables peer down into the Batoka Gorge and across to the bridge, while the menu runs from light bites and wraps to hearty burgers – something for any picky young eater.
The Lookout Café is run by Wild Horizons, one of the largest operators in town, which also manages the fantastic Canopy Tour through the hardwood forests of the Batoka Gorge. With nine slides and a rope bridge to tackle, it’s a fun – rather than frightening – aerial adventure at the falls, and ideal for younger travellers.
As is Wild Horizons’ Elephant Encounter, which takes place on its 2200ha conservancy within the nearby national park. While the region once traded on dubious lion walks and elephant-back rides, a new appreciation for ethical nature-based tourism has seen these mostly fall by the wayside. And yet the Wild Horizons herd of eight orphaned and habituated elephants once used in these activities still needs to be cared for. This educational and unintrusive elephant experience allows guests to interact with the herd on a purpose-built deck overlooking the Masuwe River, combining a conservation ethos with the chance to learn more about Loxodonta africana.
We shared the herd’s conservancy for our last nights, checking into the Elephant Camp and a tented suite perched on a hillside high above the landscape of grassland and forest. It’s a magical spot, hidden amid the mopane, where a plunge pool and private deck offered sprawling views and warm hospitality.
In the distance, the ‘smoke’ rose above the gorge and shone orange in the Zambezi sunset. And yes, we did explore the falls, wandering slippery paths and enjoying the shower of falling spray. It was a highlight, and one for the family memory bank, and yet not the only reason to visit.
Beyond the cascade, Victoria Falls is a destination with so much more to offer, with activities for all ages. We’ll go back for the river rafting, and my son swears he’ll do the bungee one day. But for now he still chuckles at those warthogs on the fairway.
Need To Know
WHEN TO GO: The Victoria Falls reaches its peak in May and June each year.
GETTING THERE: Airlink flies direct (2 hours 50 minutes) from Cape Town to Victoria Falls. flyairlink.com
VISAS: South African passport holders do not require a visa to visit Zimbabwe.
Plan your trip: wearevictoriafalls.com