Darkness lay over the town like a heavy blanket as we wound our way down Zambezi Drive towards the rainforest. It was barely 6am, but we all felt wide awake as the excitement and anticipation of witnessing one of the world’s natural wonders washed over our small group. We heard the waterfall before we saw it- a distant roar that will quicken your pulse. Nothing prepares you for your first sight of this immense curtain of water cascading furiously down steep basalt rock. The sun was slowly creeping up behind the horizon, and the plumes of vapour caught the gold rays, transforming them into arcs of colour. This is how we started our perfect day in Victoria Falls.
We left the enchanting rainforest and drove a short distance to the hire wire site, ready for a dose of adrenaline. Standing on the rim of a 100-meter gorge, trying to convince your brain to jump between the cavernous lips, will turn your limbs to jelly.
But taking that real leap of faith left me with a memory that still sends fissures through my veins. For those glorious free falling seconds, every cell in your body screams and they keep up this exhilarated chant all the way back to the top.
Our next adventure was a Lunch Cruise, a definite highlight of the trip. After watching how the river raged over the waterfall, it felt surreal to be gliding over its now silky smooth surface. We watched Pied Kingfisher dive for their own lunch and listened to the satisfied snorts of wallowing hippo. We ate decadent food, sipped ice cold gin and tonics, and felt utterly immersed and indulged.
The grand finale of the day took us soaring into the African sky in a helicopter. With our bird's eye view, we saw the meandering river channel dotted with islands, and we marvelled at how the mist sat on the land above the waterfall like a cloud that had grown tired of hanging in the sky. The experience epitomised David Livingstone's thoughts of “scenes so lovely they must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight." It was a perfect day filled with idyllic moments that gave us amazing memories.