Victoria Falls A Piece of Paradise

•Mark Musutu THE Victoria Falls was introduced to the Western world by the great missionary, explorer and physician David Livingstone.

Livingstone arrived in Africa in 1840 and went on to discover the falls in 1855 on 17 November.

History states that he was introduced to it by his two beloved servants named Chuma and Susi.

Livingstone was renowned for his love for Africa. He loved Africa so much that his heart was buried at a place called Ujiji.

Victoria Falls was the height of Livingstone’s explorations. He named it after the then Queen of England and the nearby town was named after him.

On our way to Victoria Falls, we made several stops to view the wildlife that surrounds the area because the Zambezi River borders a national park.

Baboons, elephants and crocodiles are most common. The road to the Victoria Falls is laced with beautiful lay-bys overlooking the rising smoke.

The Victoria Falls can be seen from kilometres away as it makes large smoke-like clouds of moisture and droplets of water which rise in the air. This is known as the smoke that thunders.

It acts like a kind of call or lure and you cannot help but visit the falls when you see it.

David Livingstone described this as the five pillars of smoke, while the locals call it ‘Mosi-ao-Tunya’ (Silozi) or ‘Syungu namititima’ (Tonga).

We were greeted by the sound of mighty waters that tell the story of something way larger than life when it evoked the myths, fables, and stories about it such as the spirit of the falls requiring a life every year or that someone falls in to it every year.

As we drew closer, we toured the curio market just outside. We also saw some monuments and all the myths and fables turned to naught and petty talk in the wake of its grandness.

Indeed, it’s a rumble like no other – something divine and very awesome.

The last time I visited the Victoria Falls, I was nine years old, under maximum supervision. I was too young to comprehend what it really was, neither did I have a chance to get very close because at that time there were no safety barriers.

Nevertheless, thanks to a primary school education, documentaries and publications, I learnt about the Falls. I envisioned it as a river falling off a cliff spanning about half the size of a football field.

Going past the entry gates and peering down in the gorge, contrary to my memory and imagination, the water falls 111 metres deep.

We got more caught up as we visited its several vantage points, each having a different expression of it: view of its depth, view of the rainbow, knife-edge bridge and boiling point, to name a few.

We got soaking wet as we got caught up in a piece of paradise.

The Victoria Falls is a colossal water body as wide as a lake (thanks to a delta formation) which plunges into the Batoka Gorge, it’s a sight beyond what the five senses can fully fathom.

I can’t describe what can only be experienced. I saw what caused David Livingstone so much excitement to describe the falls as: “No one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England, scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight. Indeed, it will make you feel small.”

Although though science describes it as formation from a cataract in the earth, I saw signatures of divinity, a magnanimous piece of work which is indescribable. I heard so much but knew so little until I experienced it.

On the opposite is a marvel in engineering; the Victoria Falls Bridge which was championed by Cecil Rhodes, It was set up in 1905 as part of the Cape to Cairo Railway dream.

The bridge is also part of the tourism track and the home of the world’s longest bungee jumping.

Livingstone is a continental hive of tourist activity as thousands of tourists from around the world flock there to see the Victoria Falls.

Other must see features while in Livingstone include; the Livingstone Museum, the Railway Museum, Bush Tracks five Star Train Tour through the national park, Taonga Safaris and various sunset boat cruises on the Zambezi which borders the national park.

Also worth noting is the Tongabezi rafting, safaris, helicopter rides, gliding, bungee jumping and Maramba Cultural Village. Also, why not pay homage to the chief and visit Mukuni Village?

I highly recommend that Namibians experience Victoria Falls especially given that it’s right in our backyard – 1 428 kilometers away from Windhoek to be exact, a two-and-a-half hour flight from Windhoek or a 14-hour bus ride.

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