This Virtual Cache will take geo-visitors on a tour of the world famous Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and is designed to be possible for both independent self-guided geocachers as well as those visiting the Victoria Falls as part of an organised guided tour. We have chosen the Victoria Falls Rainforest National Park as being the most visited location by geocaching tourists to Zimbabwe, thus giving the opportunity for a smilie on the first and only Virtual Cache in Zimbabwe at the time of placing. However, beware - any logs that do not fulfil the criteria listed below WILL be deleted, so no armchair logging!
The Difficulty rating reflects the number of questions and the tasks required to qualify for a smilie, while the Terrain rating takes into account that at certain times of the year you will get VERY wet!
At each location, you will need to answer questions and/or take a photo. Please read the requirements very carefully as you need to answer each question accurately to earn a smilie. Do NOT post your answers in your log but send them to us via the “Message this owner” link on this cache page.
The posted coordinates are for the Victoria Falls Rainforest car park, with the tour starting directly across the road via the pedestrian/zebra crossing at the right hand set of steps leading down towards the entrance to the Victoria Falls Rainforest National Park. NB - Park Fees are payable to enter the National Park in order to be able to undertake this tour.
Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and now a UNESCO World Heritage site, was first seen by David Livingstone in 1855 and has been visited by millions of tourists since.
In brief, the approximately 1,500 meters of pathways will lead you from the parking area, through the entrance gate where a fee is payable, to the first information boards just inside the gate. From there you take the left hand path past a small Natural History display, then on to the first viewpoint looking along the length of the Falls above Devil’s Cataract. Further around there is the Statue of David Livingstone and another spectacular viewpoint looking across to Cataract island and the gorge into which the waters tumbles. You retrace your steps for a short distance and then continue on to the numerous viewpoints, looking out over the gorge to the islands and the colossal volume of cascading sheets of falling water until you reach Danger Point, the furtherest point on the Zimbabwe side. A short spur in the path will lead you to the outlook to the Bridge that spans the first gorge and carries the road and railway links to Zambia and Northwards. You may even see people jumping off the bridge - for fun!
The Zambezi is Africa’s fourth largest river. The eerie rumble from the volume of water crashing into the gorge, formed by millions of years of erosion along an ancient fault line, can be heard for miles around, while the spray created is thrust skyward for up to 400 meters and can be seen from up to 50 kilometres away. It is this combination of noise and spray that gave rise to the African name for the Falls: Mosi-oa-Tunya - “the smoke that thunders”. March and April are the months of peak flow, reaching on average 550 million litres of water per minute plunging into the gorge - you will get wet while wandering along the pathways at this time of year. In contrast the lowest water levels occur in November, when an average of 20 million litres of water per minute cascade into the gorge - at this time of the year the spray offers a welcome relief from the hot summer temperatures.
WP1 - S 17° 55.505’ E 025° 50.818’
There are wooden carved handrails and supporting posts on either side of the steps - you need to count very carefully:
1 - How many elephants are carved into the woodwork?
2 - How many human faces are carved into the woodwork?
3 - A few meters away is a granite cut out in the shape of Zimbabwe between two flagpoles flying the Zimbabwe and National Park flags. Engraved on the plaque it says “Welcome to Mosi-oa-Tunya Victoria Falls Zimbabwe”. Post a photograph of yourself or your GPS in front of this granite cut out. Alternatively post a photo that clearly shows your geocaching name and the date of your visit in front of this map. This photo MUST be uploaded with your log.
WP2 - S 17° 55.465’ E 025° 50.817'
At this waypoint there is a small roofed structure that displays a number of skulls and related information:
4 - What animal does the second to left hand skull in the cage under the shelter belong to?
5 - According to the fact sheet posted for the second to left hand skull what is the age in the wild and weight range of this animal?
WP3 - S 17° 55.366' E 025° 50.820'
At this waypoint there is a drinking fountain:
6 - What is the brand name (not the number) you see on the drinking fountain tap behind Livingstone’s statue?
WP4 - S 17° 55.372' E 025° 50.829’
At this waypoint is a statue of David Livingstone:
7 - Post a photo of yourself or your GPS in front of the statue of David Livingstone. Alternatively post a photo that clearly shows your geocaching name and the date of your visit in front of the statue. This photo MUST be uploaded with your log.
Retrace your footsteps, and after you pass by the 38 steps on your left, fork left on the pathway. Look out for the interesting “Square” tree on your right hand side in the triangle of the paths (square from the base to about 1.5 meters up).
WP5 - S 17° 55.417' E 025° 50.850'
At this waypoint is a plaque:
8 - What do the three lines directly below “Victoria Falls, peerless jewel of Africa!” say?
WP6 - S 17° 55.444' E 025° 50.985'
9 - What is your altitude as per your GPS at this waypoint (not the height of the Falls or the distance to the abseiling)?
10 - Post a photo of you or your GPS showing the Victoria Falls behind you at this waypoint. Alternatively post a photo that clearly shows your geocaching name and the date of your visit with the Victoria Falls as the backdrop at this waypoint. This photo MUST be uploaded with your log.
On the far right of the above viewpoint there is evidence of an early visitors cocktail hour Gin and Tonic, in the form of an out of place large Lemon Tree!
On the way to WP7 look out for the tree stump impersonating a rhino! There is another good viewpoint of the Falls at this location.
WP7 - S 17° 55.507' E 025° 51.148'
At this waypoint there is a tree with an identification plaque on it:
11 - What is one of the names of this tree as listed on the plaque?
WP8 - S 17° 55.536' E 025° 51.297'
At this waypoint there is a signpost:
12 - What is the name of this viewpoint?
13 - What is the height of the Victoria Falls at this point according to the signpost?
WP9 - S 17° 55.561' E 025° 51.368'
At this waypoint there is another signpost:
14 - How far is the Bridge View/Boiling Pot/Abseiling according to the signpost?
Fork left to the next waypoint.
WP10 - S 17° 55.558' E 025° 51.451'
At this waypoint:
15 - How many lines of text are there on the sign you can see from this waypoint?
16 - What man made feature is beneath your feet?
WP11 - S 17° 55.646' E 025° 51.418'
This waypoint provides a view across to the Victoria Falls Bridge, from where you may be able to watch someone bungee jumping:
17 - How many lamp posts can you see on the bridge from this viewpoint?
18 - How many benches are there at this waypoint?
19 - How many steps are there down to this viewpoint?
20 - Post a photo of someone bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge from this viewpoint, or alternatively post your favourite photo taken during this tour. This photo MUST be uploaded with your log.
We recommend that you walk back the same way you arrived and ignore the left turns signposted to the Exit until you reach the Exit sign just before WP5 as listed above - the back path takes you through dry bushveld close to the boundary fence and has no aesthetic features and is only very slightly shorter. This way you get a second chance to visit the various viewpoints along the length of the magnificent Victoria Falls - after all, how many times do you plan to visit? You can log the cache once you have completed the requirements and sent through your responses to the questions. We hope you enjoy your walk through the Victoria Falls Rainforest - one of the 7 Wonders of the World.
***CONGRATULATIONS TO SOLRAC TWO FOR FTF!!!***
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2021. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.
P.S. Don't forget to do our Victoria Falls Adventure Lab!