We are in the water by 06:30 for the quick 1 km paddle to the haul out point, where we load the canoes and gear onto a special trailer and then pile into the truck for the long drive back.

Immediately upon settling down in the vehicle, Doug deadpans, "I get bored easily". Everyone dissolves into laughter, after which we attempt to make ourselves as comfortable as possible, arranging our canoe seat pads and sleeping pads while fantasizing about chocolate ice cream. The dirt track was brutal.

Arriving at the paved road, a quick stop to be sprayed at the tetse fly station, and then on to Makuti and the promised ice cream. We arrive at the Kariba airport in plenty of time, so we haul out our picnic table and make lunch in the parking lot with the remainder of our food.

The short flight to Victoria Falls took us to Hwange airport (our destination after the Falls) and then on to what is probably the most famous natural attraction in Africa.

Victoria Falls is a small town, and though it was described to me as "excessively touristy", I do not find it so. We reach our hotel at midday, and after so many days in tents, the Nyala Lodge seems sinfully luxurious. The substantial buildings have heavy thatched roofs, and the view from our room looks out over brushland with grazing buffalo and scampering mongoose, even though the hotel is located directly off the main road through town.

Although we are anxious to see the Falls, we pause for a serious shower and bath. Rosemary insists on washing some clothes first.

We ask for directions to the Falls, and are told it's just a five minute walk down the road just out of town. It was actually a twelve minute walk at our usual brisk speed. There is a gated entrance to get in, and we pay our Z$100 entrance fee. Another fifty metres down the road is the border checkpoint going into Zambia.

I can hear a low rumbling. A flock of guinea fowl wander past. We walk on and simultaneously look at each other, startled, feeling a few drops of water on our skin. There is no sign of the falls through the trees, but the sound is become louder, a low roar. We follow the paved path and suddenly come to the edge of a cliff: the Falls spread out before us, a truly spectacular sight. A rainbow arches across the broad expanse of water that plunges over 100 metres (330 ft.) down to a bottom I can't see.

I can only stand and stare. This viewpoint is the same spot that my paternal grandfather stood at to take a photograph that I have at home, the colors now faded to shades of blue-black.

It's getting towards the 6:00pm closing time, and we hurry down the trail to try some other observation points. The air is thick with mist, and the character of the vegetation is entirely different from that found just 60 metres away; it is almost tropical in nature.

At intervals the trail wends its way towards the edge of the chasm, fenced in by woven acacia branches. At some spots the fence is breached and people stroll out to the edge to peer down. I can't resist, and the sight is thrilling. The light is dying down in the gorge, and good pictures are not possible.

Regretfully we have to leave. That night we have a terrific pasta dinner at the Lodge and are asleep by nine. In the night I arise to find two buffalo just a few metres from our window.

A Few Falls Facts:
In the local Kololo language, they are called Mosi Da Tunya, or "the smoke that thunders". In the Ndebele language they are aManzi Thunquayo, or "The water that rises like smoke". In October, at the end of the dry season, the flow is at its minimum, as shown in the photos above. In flood season the water volume rises over 300% to an incredible 545 million litres/min, and the spray can rise up to 500 metres high. The mist can be so thick that sometimes the Falls cannot be seen. The height of the Falls ranges from 61 to 108 metres and they are nearly two kilomoetres wide. The first European to see the Falls was the missionary David Livingstone in 1855. View some aerial images of the Falls at zambezi.com.