A Mosi-oa-Tunya farewell from Namafu

Most of us know it as Victoria Falls, but the locals call it Mosi-oa-Tunya: the smoke that thunders. How do I begin to describe a place that refuses to be strung together by words? A place that demands a personal experience because no amount of metaphors or personification could do it justice. How do I explain to you that watching the smoke thunder feels like an out-of-body experience. You look around to remind yourself that you are really there. Ten fingers, ten toes and feet firmly on the ground. You admire it yet fear it at the same time because it looks alive, sounds rageful and is known to be unforgiving.

You know that feeling when you land in an unfamiliar place that somehow warms its way up to you quickly enough to feel like home? That is what arriving in Victoria Falls felt like. The town greeted us with a warmth we could not help but appreciate; one that does not just relate to its weather but especially to its people.

Checking into The Victoria Falls Hotel felt like a dream. I walked into what resembled a curated film set and I was the main character. Cameras, lights, action! Vintage flooring, high teas and exquisite service are what awaited us.

Stepping outside, we acquainted ourselves with the town’s turns and twists, and along the way we discovered the people who keep it alive and the animals that give it character.

Let me leave you with a few must do’s when visiting Victoria Falls:

1. Go to the Falls (that’s a given) and if you can, definitely go on a helicopter ride.
2. Join the Dusty Road Township Experience (you’ll thank me later).
3. Attend a theatre performance at the Elephant’s Walk Shopping and Artist Village (you won’t regret it).

Victoria Falls was incredible, and I look forward to going back to Zimbabwe someday and exploring more of the country and all that it has to offer.

I would not have wanted to end my year as Face of FlyNamibia any other way and I sincerely thank you for tagging along on this journey. This is not the end of my travels; it is only the beginning.