for the falls
DESTINATIONS ZIMBABWE AND ZAMBIA | AFRICA
t
he largest waterfall in the world certainly lives up to expectations. As I
stand beside the Devil’s Cataract, overwhelmed by the sight of triple rainbows and the ceaseless roar of water cascading into the chasm below, it is easy to appreciate why this World Heritage-listed wonder is a must-see on any southern Africa itinerary. “Traditionally, Victoria Falls has
always been the first or last stop on a tour,” says Jamie Henson, a young Zimbabwean who recently opened a 19-room boutique hotel, Shongwe Oasis, in a leafy residential neighbourhood. “This means our guests arrive exhausted, either from a long overnight flight or after days of early starts and dusty, bumpy game drives.” To create a relaxing ambience, Henson has made his designer bolthole adult-only, invested in a $5,000 coffee machine and added an intimate spa that offers treatments using baobab milk and African green clay. This step-up is typical of the upbeat mood in a close-knit town of 35,000
residents, keen to dispel the hackneyed view that Victoria Falls is only for backpackers queueing to make a full-scream bungee jump off the mighty 1905 railway bridge that straddles the Zimbabwe-Zambia border. “Are the young getting soft?”
wonders Mike Davis, the British chief executive of Shearwater Adventures, which has been organising tourist activities here since 1984. “In the 1990s we were doing 20 white-water rafting trips a day – now it’s half that.” This year the company will
open a 150-seat open-air theatre in the town centre, reflecting its transition to a more rounded leisure destination. Other initiatives appealing to families and older travellers include the vintage-look Bamba Tram that trundles across to Zambia, and the steam-pulled dinner train Bushtracks Express, which relaunched in June. E-bike rentals have also arrived, although it pays to remember Victoria Falls is surrounded by national parks and wild animals frequently come ²
travelweekly.co.uk
2 NOVEMBER 2023
47
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