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#1
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VicFalls
Hi,
We would like to visit Victoria falls from Botswana in april. We will have a rental car but we're not allowed to take the car into Zimbabwe or Zambia. First of all, I would like to know if the Zimbabwean side of VicFalls is really much nicer than the Zambian side. Zimbabwe has its problems so I would prefer to go to Zambia unless the Zimbabwean side is much more spectacular. About Zambia, are you allowed to enter the country without a visa from an embassy ? Maybe they issue 1 or 2 day visas at the border considering the polularity of VicFalls. Is it possible to travel from the border to Livingstone by bus, or maybe there are 1 or 2 day tours from Botswana to the falls ? Any info greatly appreciated. Regards, Harry |
#2
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VicFalls
Just my opinion - but the Falls are best viewed from Zimbabwe,
if you are not going to take one of the flights. The Falls drop into a gorge, and the paved walkways along the opposite side of the gorge are all in Zimbabwe. From Zambia, you see the north end of the Falls from the side. Any tour operator can organize your land transfers to and from Vic Falls town from Kasane, Botswana. About $35US p.p. each way. And an operator can set up your hotel as well. If you do any reading, you don't really need a guided tour of the Falls. Entry is $20US p.p. It's even possible to have a boat transfer from Kasane to Zambia and be driven to one of the Zambian lodges/camps. The boat ride parallels the Kazangula ferry that carries trucks,cars, buses, back and forth between Botswana and Zambia. |
#3
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VicFalls
I can't answer on how to get to the Falls, but I don't think there is
any comparison in viewing the falls from Zim as opposed to Zambia. In the park in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, you walk along the edge of the Falls. looking across the chasm to the drop. You are face to face with the water. Remember the river does a 90 degree turn at the bottom of the Falls, so from Zambia you see the falls from the side, and you see the river. Cross if you possibly can, and go in April when the Falls at at flood. Magnificent!!! Peter |
#4
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VicFalls
On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 16:37:59 +0100, "Harry"
wrote: Hi, We would like to visit Victoria falls from Botswana in april. We will have a rental car but we're not allowed to take the car into Zimbabwe or Zambia. First of all, I would like to know if the Zimbabwean side of VicFalls is really much nicer than the Zambian side. Zimbabwe has its problems so I would prefer to go to Zambia unless the Zimbabwean side is much more spectacular. About Zambia, are you allowed to enter the country without a visa from an embassy ? Maybe they issue 1 or 2 day visas at the border considering the polularity of VicFalls. Is it possible to travel from the border to Livingstone by bus, or maybe there are 1 or 2 day tours from Botswana to the falls ? I don't have answers to most of your questions, but I have seen the falls from the Zambian side, although not from the Zimbabwean side. My daughter was working in Zambia at the time and took us there. She saw the falls a number of times and from both sides, so I will report her opinion as well. On the Zambian side there is a large park. You can hike to near the edge of the falls at the top, and you can hike down to the foot of the falls. We were there in early August, when the water flow is much depleted by the dry season. In any case, it was spectacular, but at that time of the year most of the water is on the Zimbabwean side. My daughter said that in the early summer, when the volume of water is great, it's difficult to see anything on either side because of the mist. I don't know how much water there is in April. (My daughter didn't arrive until June.) In any case, my daughter preferred the Zambian side to the Zimbabwean side when there was plenty of water. It is much less touristy, for sure. She also liked the view better. I would have liked to see both sides, but the tourist visa for Zimbabwe cost an awful lot and we didn't have enough time in the area to make it worthwhile. You can get Zambian visas on entry. The cost wasn't outrageous, but you had to pay in American dollars or British pounds. (You couldn't pay in Zambian currency even!) Maybe they've added the euro to those other currencies by now. -------- Barbara Vaughan My email address is my first initial followed by my last name at libero dot it. |
#5
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VicFalls
Second thought. From Zimbabwe, I could walk into Zambia without a visa,
using a Canadian passport. It is one of those informal arrangements that are allowed to happen. I believe I had a stamp on a piece of paper that I had to surrender on return. BUT, I don't know if the service is reciprocal. Peter |
#6
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VicFalls
I also recommend the view from the Zimbabwe side. I have seen the Zambian
side of the falls just one big, dry, black cliff in a drought year. The only water falling was in the horse shoe shaped falls in the Zimbabwe side. Not much of a view from Zambia. There were some people walking across the dry river bed at the top of the Zambian side trying to get over to where they could see the falls. I don't know how far they got. I would not be afraid of a short visit to Zimbabwe as a tourist. Most of the people are very friendly and helpful. It's just the government and some of their henchmen that are a problem. The tourist industry is desperate for income and will want to treat you very well. Scott Elliot http://www3.telus.net/selliot/ "Harry" wrote in message ... Hi, We would like to visit Victoria falls from Botswana in april. We will have a rental car but we're not allowed to take the car into Zimbabwe or Zambia. First of all, I would like to know if the Zimbabwean side of VicFalls is really much nicer than the Zambian side. Zimbabwe has its problems so I would prefer to go to Zambia unless the Zimbabwean side is much more spectacular. About Zambia, are you allowed to enter the country without a visa from an embassy ? Maybe they issue 1 or 2 day visas at the border considering the polularity of VicFalls. Is it possible to travel from the border to Livingstone by bus, or maybe there are 1 or 2 day tours from Botswana to the falls ? Any info greatly appreciated. Regards, Harry |
#7
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VicFalls
"Harry" wrote in message .. .
Hi, Zimbabwe has its problems so I would prefer to go to Zambia unless the Zimbabwean side is much more spectacular. Also: I don't believe there are ANY hotels on the Zim side that have a view of the falls, so you can stay on either side, and travel to the other to get the view. We stayed on the Zim side, and went to the parks on both sides of the falls. Walked down to the Zim side in the morning, then decided to walk across the bridge to see the view from Zambia in the afternoon. Since we wanted to get back in time for tea at the Vic Falls Hotel, we walked part way, then caught a cab just to save time. So you can do both in a day, on foot. About Zambia, are you allowed to enter the country without a visa from an embassy ? Maybe they issue 1 or 2 day visas at the border considering the polularity of VicFalls. Yes, definitely can get a visa at the border..I've done this several times. So easy it is not worth the trouble of getting one in advance. Have a great time! Is it possible to travel from the border to Livingstone by bus, or maybe there are 1 or 2 day tours from Botswana to the falls ? Any info greatly appreciated. Regards, Harry |
#8
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VicFalls
"Harry" wrote in message
... Hi, We would like to visit Victoria falls from Botswana in april. We will have a rental car but we're not allowed to take the car into Zimbabwe or Zambia. First of all, I would like to know if the Zimbabwean side of VicFalls is really much nicer than the Zambian side. Zimbabwe has its problems so I would prefer to go to Zambia unless the Zimbabwean side is much more spectacular. If you possibly can, see them from both sides. From the Zambian side you can get sunset over the Falls (never managed to get up earlier enough to get sunrise from the Zim side! You can see more of the gorge from the Zim side, but there was something special about the Zam side. -- Rita Daggett |
#9
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VicFalls
On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 04:26:42 GMT, "Scott Elliot"
wrote: I also recommend the view from the Zimbabwe side. I have seen the Zambian side of the falls just one big, dry, black cliff in a drought year. In April that "dry cliff" would be a very big waterfall. -------- Barbara Vaughan My email address is my first initial followed by my last name at libero dot it. |
#10
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VicFalls
Thanks everyone for the answers !
Harry "Rita Daggett" wrote in message ... "Harry" wrote in message ... Hi, We would like to visit Victoria falls from Botswana in april. We will have a rental car but we're not allowed to take the car into Zimbabwe or Zambia. First of all, I would like to know if the Zimbabwean side of VicFalls is really much nicer than the Zambian side. Zimbabwe has its problems so I would prefer to go to Zambia unless the Zimbabwean side is much more spectacular. If you possibly can, see them from both sides. From the Zambian side you can get sunset over the Falls (never managed to get up earlier enough to get sunrise from the Zim side! You can see more of the gorge from the Zim side, but there was something special about the Zam side. -- Rita Daggett |
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