An Internet search will tell you that Victoria Falls is Africa’s Adventure Capital. Follow this three-day itinerary, and you will soon see why.
Day 1: Swimming with the devil then flying with the angels.
Devil's Pool
When I jumped into Devil’s Pool, everything slowed down- I felt my feet leave the slippery rock face, my body breaking the surface of the water and my hands frantically scrabbling for something solid to grasp on to. When you see the pictures, you will think they are photoshopped.
It looks as though someone has reached down and parted the cascading curtains of water to reveal a small pool swirling calmly between them
I floated on the edge of the world, engulfed by tendrils of shattered water, in moments of pure, mind-blowing bliss.
The Flight of Angels
I have seen the splendour of Victoria Falls in small pockets- the river, the rainforest, the markets and the wilderness. But as we climbed higher into the sky on a helicopter flight, I saw this splendour strung together like jewels on a necklace, and for the first time, I was given a holistic glimpse of this green and blue mosaic of beauty. My eyes trailed along the islands dotted around the river channel, before coming to rest on the plumes of mist that hang over a giant crack in the earth's surface. Sparks of fear weren’t dancing around my mind and apprehension wasn’t tingling through my cells- the form of adventure I discovered between the clouds transcends a typical adrenaline rush, but that made it all the more special.
Day 2: White water rafting
With a paddle in one hand and helmet in the other, I felt entirely unequipped to raft down the furious Zambezi Rapids that seethed, frothed and spat at us from their tremulous corridor. If it weren’t for the phenomenal rafting guides, I probably would have scurried back up the gorge leaving a puff of sunscreen in my wake. In changing my mind, they gave me a life-changing experience. After the first rapid, I craved the next, secretly hoping to flip and feeling ecstatic when we did. It was thrilling, exhilarating and everything in between. What I hadn’t expected was to discover that the natural wonder of Victoria Falls does not end at the bottom of the waterfall. The gorge that creates this natural phenomenon is absolutely breathtaking. The black basalt walls stretch to reach the clouds, wearing the imprints of time and nature, and ensuring that even during the lulls between rapids, we were enveloped by an essence of adventure.
Day 3: Half-Day Adrenaline Package
The half-day adrenaline package took me onto the rim of the Batoka Gorge, where I flew along the Flying Fox, raced along the Zip Line, and finally, took a leap of faith that found me free falling into the masses of open Africa air. When I stood on the edge of that wooden platform to do the Gorge Swing, the rest of the world fell away. All I could hear was my own heart pounding in my ears as I stared, fixated, at the jarring rocks and raging rapids 110 meters below. My toes curled around the rough wooden edge, a small yet desperate attempt to stop my inevitable free fall into the cavernous chasm of the gorge.
These moments before the Gorge swing were the scariest- when I was trying to comprehend what I needed to do, and fought a mental battle with common sense. When I jumped, all the fear fell away. It was the most memorable and thrilling way to end the adventure weekend of a lifetime.