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“Pic of the Week”, August 16, 2013. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls is one of the Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spanning 1700 meters (1 mile) between two countries, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the falls represents a 100 m (330 foot) drop of the Zambezi River into its gorge.
The appearance of the waterfall differs greatly from season to season. During the rainy season, the Zambian side is the preferred place to watch the falls as you really can`t see much then in Zimbabwe (high flow kicks up so much mist you get drenched and obscures the falls — hence the nickname,`The Smoke that Thunders`). During the dry season, the Zambian side literally dries up, with little more than bare rocks visible, but Zimbabwe …
.All Trips / Europe / Iceland
An all too brief visit of South Iceland
Only a single day was left on this visit to Iceland, not nearly enough time but I did want my wife to see more of South Iceland. Most travelers think the Southern part of Iceland has the country’s best and most dramatic scenery — from lovely waterfalls, recently erupted volcanoes, large glaciers (one with a very memorable glacial lagoon), to vast stretches of people-less space.
Of greatest importance was to get Sylvia on the back of an Icelandic horse and on a trail ride. The staff at our hotel in Fludir recommended a nearby stable (one of dozens around South Iceland), so we headed there for the morning. Sylvia had a wonderful ride on these small smooth-gaited horses (which she will …
Tagged beach, Iceland, Icelandic horse, South Iceland, volcano, waterfall
.All Trips / Europe / Iceland
Highlights of Iceland’s Golden Circle
The most interesting and diverse day-trip from Reykjavik is to Iceland’s “Golden Circle“. I’m not certain where the name “Golden Circle” originated, but it is a golden travel opportunity. During this excursion you have a chance to see Iceland’s largest lake and explore the historic site of its first parliament (situated in no less than a rift valley). You’ll visit one of the world’s few sites of geysir eruption, and an amazing waterfall. By any standards, that’s a pretty good list of attractions to see in one day’s travel.
Sylvia and an Icelandic horse near Geysir
There are several commercial vendors that offer tours of the Golden Circle from Reykjavik for those who don’t want the hassle of car rental or driving (the most popular including Reykjavik Excursions and …
.All Trips / British Columbia / North America / Western Canada
Yoho National Park: Yoho Valley, Twin Falls and Whaleback Circuit
In a region of beautiful and dramatic scenery, Yoho Valley holds its own. The Yoho Valley Road is only a few kilometers east of the small town of Field, British Columbia, just off the very accessible TransCanada Highway. Don’t expect to be here alone — this a popular area, especially on nice summer days. Many who drive into the valley just stop to see Takakkaw waterfall, then continue on with their car trip. At 384 m high (with 254 m “free fall”), Takakkaw — pronounced Tah-kuh-kah, Cree for “it is wonderful” — is the tallest of a number of memorable waterfalls you’ll find when exploring Yoho Valley. It is one of Canada’s highest waterfalls.
I generally like to hike alone or with a small group …
.All Trips / Africa / Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls: The Zimbabwe Side
After our introduction to the Falls in Zambia, we wanted to venture to Zimbabwe to see how the Victoria Falls experience in that country compared. We were visiting during the dry season and, as outlined in my prior blog post, the falls in the Eastern Cataract were all but completely dry, though the gorge was still very dramatic. Our first inclination was to travel via guided tour arranged by the Activities desk of the Royal Livingstone Hotel until we found out how corrupt and unfair their pricing mechanism is, so we decided to go by ourselves. I’m glad we did it this way. We were a little concerned about visiting Zimbabwe by ourselves because …
.All Trips / Africa / Zambia
Victoria Falls: The Zambian Side
Our journey took us from the magical place that is Chobe National Park, across the Chobe River and into Zambia. This journey required a boat ride, a rather lengthy wait (and a sizable visa fee) at Zambian immigration, and a bus ride to our next destination, The Royal Livingstone Hotel at Victoria Falls.
Victoria Falls is included in most trip itineraries to the region and with good reason. The Seventh Natural Wonder of the World and a World Heritage Site, Victoria Falls represents a 100 meter drop of the Zambezi River — that drop stretching over a kilometer in width. And the drop is into a very narrow and …
.All Trips / Idaho / North America / Pacific Northwest
Don’t forget to stop at Twin Falls
Most travelers seem in a big hurry to complete their drive on I-84, through the lava fields of the Snake River Plain. Their destinations are often Boise to the north, Yellowstone National Park to the east or Salt Lake City to the south. I’d encourage people to slow down and use Twin Falls as their base of operation if they want to explore places in south-central Idaho like Craters of the Moon National Monument or the Sun Valley area.
Twin Falls is a small, clean neat city — typical of so many in the heartland. It provides very reasonably priced services to travelers (a large …
Tagged desert, Idaho, Snake River, Snake River Canyon, Twin Falls, waterfall
.All Trips / North America / Pacific Northwest / Washington
Palouse Falls State Park
In a most improbable feat of natural engineering, a beautiful nearly 200′ waterfall was plopped in the middle of nowhere. At least many would call the rolling grasslands and eroded lava formations of the Palouse “nowhere”, though not your humble narrator because I find this is a great region to explore in the springtime. It’s climate is milder than eastern Washington’s so the snow melts earlier and grass and wildflowers have a head start. And summer’s heat is a distant memory so spring is definitely the best time to visit — when the weather is cool and the water on the Palouse River fills its channel and pours over …
Tagged mountains, Pacific Northwest, Palouse Falls, Washington, waterfall
