water – Cheetah Travels

Victoria Falls is the number one must see if you come to Zambia. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Entering the park on the Zambian side is about 7 kwacha for locals and about $10-20 for foreigners. There are curio shops, and little cafés right inside the entrance. As you’re walking through the park there are three trails… well four really. One goes up by the river before the falls, depending on the time of year is how far this trail goes. The main trail goes right in front of the falls, during high season you get SOAKED. Do not bring phones or electronics on this path, my friend lost his new iphone this way. They also sell rain coats and other bags to wear to stay dry but I think its such an amazing experience to just get soaked by the falls and to feel the mist hitting you. But I realize that experience is not for everyone. This path also leads to a bridge right in front of the falls, walk slowly as it is slippery when wet. It leads to an island/mountain/hill where you can get views of the Zimbabwe side of the falls, and the walkways on the Zimbabwe side. The second trail is more of a hike. It goes straight down into the first gorge to what is called the boiling point. From the bottom you can see where all the water from the falls comes together to push through a small opening. Seeing the strength of the water is truly incredible. Hiking this trail takes about 40 minutes each way. Bring water, and take breaks if needed. The third trail goes along the back of the gorge for more of a distance view of the falls. You also get a nice view of the bridge here, the one the first trail goes over, as well as the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Beware, we got to the end of the trail and there were men reaching through the fence trying to sell us bracelets, and to get us to come on a tour, it was a little creepy, so we just walked away. Another warning, on the boiling pot trail, and the last trail I discussed there are a lot of monkeys (baboons? Some sort of primate). They are known for steaking things from tourists, they’re definitely not afraid of people. DO NOT bring shop rite bags on the trail! The monkeys know that they contain food and they will be stolen from you. Hold on to your passport and wallet well when on this trail. The trails here are also not like those in America where there is a guard rail to keep you from falling off the edge of a cliff. You will fall off if you get to close to the edge and slip. I was trying to get a picture near the edge and slipped on the loose gravel and realized how easily I could have slid farther. Be careful and use common sense. The falls are highest in March-June, and lowest in October-January. High or low it is still incredible to see, it’s one of the 7 natural wonders of the earth and the pride of Zambia.

I don’t have too much useful things to say about Lake Tanganyika. It’s easy enough to hitch to Mpulungu, the town that lays next to the lake. Or you can take a bus, but we started by the side of the Kasama-Mbala Road. They dropped us at the turnoff, one road goes to Mbala, the other to Mpulungu. That wasn’t too hard to find another hitch the rest of the way to Mpulungu. It’s a nice town. I heard the fish market was pretty big but I didn’t see it. I took a b-line to an ice cream place. We stayed at a lodge I will talk about in the lodges section of Zambia, that was right across from the lake and a bar. We went to the lake-side bar to hang out and get dinner. It had beautiful views, although you cant swim because there’s crocs. We ended up staying at an school run by the Dutch across the lake called Eventure, because they knew some friends of ours. It’s a really cool place, not a place for vacation though. They had volunteers working there that seemed busy and I felt like we were just mooching off their space. I would check out Luke’s beach if you’re looking for a place to go. I’ve never been there but I’ve had a lot of friends who have, and I know Luke. It’s a nice quiet place on the water where you can set up tents, bring your own food to cook because I’m not sure if they sell food there. And I understand it’s a nice hike down to the water. So maybe not for someone looking for a nice, fancy, lake, vacation, but good for backpackers looking for an adventure and experience and somewhere to swim and hang out on a beach.