Arriving at the Zimbabwe side of the falls, I'm surprised to find the landmark's unremarkable, easy-to-miss entrance leads to an equally unassuming ticket booth, beyond which no vendors, slick signage or overcrowded viewing platforms await. Rather, visitors are greeted with a forest so verdant the only hint of what the trees hide is a continual light showering of mist and the muffled rumbles of what sounds like an approaching storm.
As the mist teases the imagination, you follow a meandering pathway flanked by trees only to arrive at a fork in the road where you must rely on chance or, if you're lucky, the advice of a visitor returning from a viewing, on where to turn next. But not to worry: all roads lead to the falls and soon I'm standing on a precipice overlooking one of the world's most notable wonders.
Almost as astonishing as the view is the dearth of visitors. There are no crowds (or guard rails, for that matter - only branches and bushes act as barriers between viewers and the edge of the falls) and so there is no need to jockey for position. On Zimbabwe's side of the falls, you're as likely to run into foraging warthogs or cheeky vervet monkeys as you are into other visitors.
The lack of visitors is hardly surprising; although Zimbabwe offers the best views of the falls, its troubled history means that its neighbour, Zambia, receives the most visitors.
The truth is that aside from the falls, I was not expecting much from this overlooked country. But Africa has a talent for subverting expectations.
On the bus ride to my hotel, I see wild elephants calmly grazing along the roadside, reckless warthogs weaving between cars and baboons solemnly grooming one another, heedless of traffic. Garrulous vendors holding aloft copper bracelets and wooden carvings run alongside our bus, expertly dodging the smiling, waving children who demand of us equally joyous greetings in response to their top-of-the-lung hellos.
I finally arrive at The Stanley and Livingstone, a boutique hotel situated in the 2428ha Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve, to discover that my plans for a nap must be postponed thanks to the appearance of a herd of more than 50 buffalo lounging by a waterhole just metres from the hotel grounds.
Little do I realise that this is just the beginning: over the course of my stay, zebras, warthogs, springboks, kudu and eland make frequent visits to the waterhole. It's a site that rivals even the most prolific safari offering, and better still, all animal appearances can be easily viewed in the comfort of one's pyjamas.
The next day we head to the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve for an elephant safari. Atop our tusked transportation (all of whom are rehabilitated rescues), we are each paired with elephant handlers. The patient pachyderms manage to move as quietly as cats through the reserve and thanks to their stealth and the unique vantage point, I spy kudu, impala, buffalo and a pair of rare wild dogs.
When our ride ends we are invited to hand-feed the elephants. The trunk tickles my palm and I realise I'll probably never again be so close to these giants. Inked copies of our elephant's footprints are for sale and I buy one, even as I know that, like my postcards of Victoria Falls, I will only come away with pale copies of some of nature's greatest originals.
IF YOU GO
Getting there: Qantas operates flights to South Africa. From there you can travel to Zambia and Zimbabwe.
