Written by: Abbey Pratt M.S., CCC-SLP

The #1 recommendation by my Zambian coworkers (and Google) was to make a trip to Victoria Falls in Livingstone. After very little convincing, a couple of my new friends and I set up a weekend of a lifetime. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint!

I was told the best time to see the falls was in mid-April to embrace the full effect of the Falls being full of water. Thankfully, we had four days off for Easter weekend and set out on Good Friday. From Lusaka to Livingstone, it’s about a 7 1/2-hour drive by car. Once arrived, we settled for the night to rest for the full day ahead.

Saturday was dedicated to exploring Victoria Falls. The only word that came to my mind when trying to describe the Falls was: AMAZING! Nothing compares to the beauty we saw that day. It had rained the previous night, so the water level was unmatched. The amount of mist from the Falls made it invisible to see the bottom. It was incredible!

Side note: Beware of all the monkeys!

There are two sides to Victoria Falls, Zambia and Zimbabwe. On the Zambian side, there is a small park area where there are trails to walk safety around to view the spectacular falls. You can even walk down the ‘Boiling Point,’ which is the bottom of the Falls. Because I love a good adventure and hike, I made it down to the bottom and was once again stunned by the beauty.

Of course, I needed to cross the bridge to cross off another country. So, after we made it up from the ‘Boiling Point,’ we headed over to the Zimbabwe side. On the bridge, you have the opportunity to bungee jump. Sorry to disappoint, but I could not get myself to do this adventure. I played it safe and cheered on the other delusional people wanting to jump. On another note, the Zimbabwe views are just as (or even more) stunning!

Throughout the whole day, I was just in ‘awe’ of God’s amazing creation here on Earth!

Highly recommend going on a sunset river cruise!

On Sunday, we made our way to interact with lions and tigers at Mukuni Big Five. The anxiety the people were feeling yesterday that were bungee jumping is what I was feeling today with interacting with those wild animals. However, it was the most riveting and exciting feeling in the world.

One of my Zambian coworkers’ tribes was based out of Livingstone. I was fortunate enough for him to show me around his village and engage with the locals at one of the markets. Let’s just say, my family and friends will be very excited for their African gifts when I return to the US!

The rest of the day was filled with laughter and good food with some local friends my coworkers had in Livingstone. It was the perfect way to end the majestic weekend we had spent in Livingstone.

Monday was set for heading back to Lusaka to get ready for the work week ahead. I can’t thank my new friends enough for taking me on another trip of a lifetime to Livingstone!

I am forever blessed and grateful to be here on this beautiful Earth God has created!