Rainbows shimmer in the mist that rises more than a thousand feet into the air. An umbrella would have been helpful at times. Some tourist wore raincoats and encased their cameras in plastic bags. Unlike Niagara Falls, there is no development around the African cataract. Only a paved footpath skirts the gorge and, if you're foolhardy, you can dangle your feet over the rocky lip opposite the falling water.
Tourists also can get a bird's-eye view of the falls from a light plane, helicopter or ultralight.
A minivan took us from Victoria Falls to a small airport at Kasane, Botswana, about 50 miles away. Shortly after we crossed the border, our driver pulled to the side of the road and was directed to drive the vehicle through a shallow concrete depression filled with a chemical fluid. We and the four others in the van then had to wipe our feet on a treated pad. The ride ended at an airport, followed by our first low-level flight over Botswana. At 2,000 feet, the sight was spectacular, with strolling herds of elephants, giraffes eating off trees and hippos lollygagging in river pools.