Africa Part IV: Victoria Falls, with kids?

In June 2017, my husband and I took a much needed kid-free anniversary trip to Africa. Part of our trip involved three days, two nights in Zimbabwe, which I’ll discuss here. For general trip planning and itinerary, go here. You can also read about our experiences safariing at Umlani Bushcamp in South Africa and Muchenje Safari Lodge in Botswana.

How did we get to Zimbabwe?

En route from South Africa to Botswana, we had a three day, two night stop over in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The flight was a short two hour trip from Johannesburg to Zimbabwe, but do be aware that you will need to allow extra time for the international departure AND for clearing customs on the way in. Zimbabwean visas are not available in advance from the Embassy in DC and the line for visas was long and cash only ($30 for a single entry, $60 for multiple entry). As the State Department’s travel guidance states, it is also critical the you bring sufficient cash for the duration of your stay in Zimbabwe. Although the major lodges / restaurants / hotels / travel outfitters will accept credit card, it is nearly impossible to withdraw cash from the ATM and it is also extremely difficult to obtain change (more on this later), so small bills are critical.

Where did we stay? 

Although many recommended that we stay at the Victoria Falls Hotel, one of the oldest colonial style hotels overlooking the Falls, we elected to stay off the beaten path at the Batonka Guest Lodge, which had just opened about a year prior to our arrival. Although there ended up being a slight mix up with our travel reservation (I was very glad to have a printed copy of our confirmation with me!), the hotel quickly accommodated us and made sure that we had drinks to hold us over while we wanted for the rooms to sort themselves out.

The Batonka Guest Lodge is an ideal place for staying with kids. There is a large, grassy area for the kids to play, a clean, inviting pool, and both indoor and outdoor dining so parents can dine outside while watching their kids play in the grass.

As a small hotel, it is also able to more personally cater to the individual and the general manager was already around and ready to provide suggestions or assistance, including offering to pack a breakfast to take with us on the morning of our early departure. The hotel also offers a small lunch menu (sandwiches, salad, cheese board) and a prix fixe dinner menu that was $35/person – three courses, including dessert.

What did we do?

There’s a plethora of activities in Victoria Falls. The major outfitter for activities is Wild Horizons, but after looking at the activities offered by both Wild Horizons and Shearwater Adventures, we decided to book with Shearwater Adventures because we were interested in the Batoka Gorge Hike and Ndebele Village Tour. I was able to book both the hike/tour and a walking tour of the Falls over the internet prior to our departure and because we booked multiple adventures, was given a 10% discount off the total.

Batoka Gorge Hike and Ndebele Village Tour

On the morning of our scheduled hike, our guide, Charles, picked us up at the hotel. Charles explained that it was an approximately one hour drive to the starting point of our hike and that we would be dropped off, with our driving picking us up at a designated location to take us to our lunch destination. The drive was in an open air vehicle, similar to the ones we rode on during our safaris, and it was extremely cold and windy. Luckily, we were given heavy ponchos to use to shield ourselves from the wind.

I personally enjoyed leaving the main tourist part of Victoria Falls and going off into the countryside. We saw farmers, leading their cows and goats, family townships, and came across many children walking to and from school.

Approximately one hour into the drive, we were dropped off at the start of our walk. The walk began with an hour long walk through what would be a large field to the untrained eye, but Charles explained how we were actually on a walking path and passing through small tracts of land that were given to individuals by the local chiefs. Although I had done lots of prior research about activities and the logistics of travel, I had neglected to read up about the Ndebele people, but Charles was more than happy to explain the relationship between the Ndebele people and the Zimbabwean government. Along the way, Charles pointed out vegetation and other signs of wild life.

About an hour into the walk, we finally came across the Batoka river and Charles explained how the river is by the local people. For instance, he explained how the women would come down to the river to do the laundry, how the water pump was often a Friday night “date” location, and how groups of neighboring families can work together to support a garden.

As we walked, the Batoka River started dropping down to where it meets the Zambezi River, so we continued along the gorge that formed. The walk itself was peaceful and it was a nice change of pace to actually be able to be outside for a few hours and moving, instead of just sitting in a vehicle.

At the conclusion of our walk, we were picked up by our driver and taken to the home where we would be having lunch. In fairness, I was surprised as the description on the website suggested we would be visiting a “village.” I had no idea we would actually be visiting a single Ndebele homestead. Nevertheless, Charles was quick to put us at ease. He introduced us to the woman of the house and her children (the head of the house was not present), and we were given a tour of the homestead.

While we were touring the homestead, our driver was busy cooking a traditional meal for us using the outdoor kitchen. After we finished lunch, we thanked our guests and were driven back to our hotel.

I really enjoyed the Batoka Hike and Ndebele Village Tour. This was the highlight, for me, of our stay in Zimbabwe. It was an opportunity to see the non-commercial/tourist side of Zimbabwe and we learned a lot about how the local people live. Charles told us everything about how schools are funded, how families arrange marriages, how the Ndebele culture does not use money but instead trades in livestock… Although the website says that the minimum age to participate is 15, I would think this tour appropriate for children as old at 8. I would recommend reaching out to Shearwater prior to booking and perhaps, if they are unable to book you for the full tour, it would be possible to just arrange for the homestead visit. I know my son would benefit tremendously from seeing how other people and cultures live and this would be a fantastic opportunity to show him something that we would have difficulty experiencing otherwise.

Victoria Falls National Park

It’s safe to say that the only reason we visited Victoria Falls was to see the Falls itself. It’s not the tallest or the widest, but it is the largest (by volume) and does not disappoint. We were picked up from our hotel by another Shearwater guide and although it was not a private tour that we booked, we were the only two people on the tour that afternoon so we lucked out.

Our guide was knowledgeable and well versed in the history of the falls and provided us with some general background information about the discovery of the falls by David Livingstone and the measures that have been taken by the local government to secure the area around the falls.

As we entered the Park where it was located, we stopped to view the Baobab tree:

The tree was impressive in its girth and we were invited to get out of the car and take photos. Our guide warned us, prior to stopping the car, however, not to be alarmed by the men who would jump out of the bushes and surround us with wares that they were hoping to sell. He was right – the minute our car doors opened, men appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, asking us to purchase wooden animal figurines, carved bowls, etc. Our guide explained that these informal vendors are not permitted in the Park, so they hide until unsuspecting customers appear.

After the Baobab tree, we continued to wind our way over to the Park’s entrance where we paid our entrance fee of $30 per person to enter (credit cards accepted). Upon entry, we stopped for the bathroom and took in the educational signs, before starting down the Path towards the Falls.

The Park is organized so that you walk along the Falls, with a total of 16 different planned stops as possible areas of interest. The first stop was, not surprisingly, a statute of Dr. Livingstone.

Before you even see the Falls, you hear them and feel them. The sheer amount of water flowing into the Falls, especially while we were there, was overpowering at times, requiring us to wear rain ponchos and tuck our cameras away.

The walking tour of the Falls was a fun way to spend the afternoon and although you do not need a guide, I was happy to have one. Our guide not only came equipped with ponchos, but was also able to warn us about certain things, such as a slippery/moss covered rocks that we decided not to walk on, sticking to the path instead.

Overall, the tour of the Falls took about an hour. Although the Falls were incredibly wet when we visited, thus obscuring our view, the sheer force of the Falls was something to behold. I would not, however, recommend the Falls to those with toddlers or other young children unless you are prepared to hold onto them very firmly or stick to the paths in a stroller. Not only were there no fences along the drops, but there were thorny fences that marked the paths.

The Lookout Cafe

The Lookout Cafe is owned by Wild Horizons (the major tour operator in Vic Falls) and offers an ideal location for viewing the Falls while you relax with a cold beer or snacks. Although we were visiting between lunch and dinner, the cafe was well staffed and there was a good group of other tourists, mingling and enjoying the view.

Would I visit with kids?

With young children, I can say, without hesitation, that my answer is “no.” I would not visit Victoria Falls with young children for a number of reasons – one, there’s not a whole lot to do in Victoria Falls that is kid friendly and most of the adventures we looked into have minimum age requirements, including the Batoka Gorge hike! If you have children eight and under, you likely won’t be looking at white water rafting down the Zambezi, hang gliding, bungee jumping, or any number of high adrenalin activities that Victoria Falls is famous for.

I also would not recommend Victoria Falls as a place to visit with young children because the panhandlers are extremely aggressive. Although I have traveled the United States and many parts of the world, I have never felt more uncomfortable than in Zimbabwe where a man asked me for change and after I politely declined, he requested that I give him my socks… During one stop to purchase souvenirs for our children, we were also uncomfortable to learn that the vendors had no change among them – so we were put in the awkward position of having bargained the price down to $27 only to learn that we had $30 and they did not have three $1 bills. After this experience, I attempted to break the $20 bills I had by using them at The Lookout Cafe and at our hotel, but none were able to give us much, if any, change in the form of small bills.

Friends who visited Zimbabwe after us learned the hard way that you must bring cash with you into Zimbabwe as there simply isn’t enough cash to go around. ATMs were not an option and Zimbabweans wait in line daily to see a banking associate and are limited to withdrawing $20 a day after paying a withdrawal fee. Suffice it to say, when your five star accommodation can’t make change for you, it’s hard to be comfortable knowing the level of poverty you’re surrounded by.

All that being said, Victoria Falls strikes me as the perfect location to visit for a high school or college graduation trip. A short glance at the Wild Horizons or Shearwater Adventures website will reveal tons of activities for thrill seeking adventurers. And, if you do find yourself in Victoria Falls with young children, I highly recommend engaging the services of one of the tour companies. Not only did we learn a lot during our Ndebele Village tour, but the professionalism among both guides was second-to-none and I also noticed that the locals were less likely to accost us when out and about with a guide.