Visiting Victoria Falls is a thrilling experience. And it can be made even more thrilling by hurling yourself off a cliff over the Zambezi River. Over the past four years I have become totally addicted to ziplines. I have gone from an eyes closed, white knuckled tight hand grips, screaming, heart palpitating experience to eyes open, waving and still screaming, but for the fun of it. My ziplines have included the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Grouse Mountain, Whistler Mountain, Argentina, and three in Alaska. This year I added the two ziplines at Victoria Falls. They are very different from each other but each has its own unique thrills.
Our first zip was a short but fast ride from a clifftop on the Zambian side of the Zambezi River. What makes it unique is where you finish, which is beneath the opposite side of the International Bridge and inside Zimbabwe. So cool; a country to country zipline. And, short though it was, the views are spectacular. Also, from my limited experience, this was by far the most comfortable and safe feeling harness I have ever worn on a zip. Landing in the arms of two charming young men who helped me to clamber over the bridge structure to the landing platform was an extra perk.
The second zipline is more expensive but definitely full of thrills. The company provides transportation from the National Park entrance to their site. Again a heart stopping leap from a clifftop. But there is no landing on the other side for this one. The line is about a mile long and dips down, down, down, into the gorge of the Zambezi River, before it begins a climb back up the other side. However, despite reaching a speed of 106 km/hour there is no way you will reach the other end. You come to a stop on the final upswing and then gently glide backwards to about 140ft above the river. This is one zipline on which there is lots of time to take photos - of the river, the distant International Bridge, and the precipitous island in the middle of the sharp bend of the river. After a short time hanging and enjopying the view I looked up to find myself staring at a pair of boots, and then at the young man attached to them. On this zipline one of the crew actually travels a parallel line to your position where they hook you to their harness and you both get winched back to the starting platform. Again, the harness I wore was comfortable and I had confidence in the safety of their operation. Their sense of humour was a bit ribbald and warped, but hey, so is mine.
If you are visiting the area contact
http://www.shearwatervictoriafalls.com/activities/bridge-slide/ - for the Zambia to Zimbabwe zipline
http://www.wildhorizons.co.za/highwire/#zip_line - for the fast and deep gorge zipline on the Zimbabwe side
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