Let’s start right at the beginning, and usually this means deciding what activities to do during your trip to Victoria Falls.
Deciding whether or not to do a gorge swing
For those that are adrenaline junkies and want to feel one of the greatest rushes on offer in Victoria Falls, then this decision is easy. It’s a must! For those that need a little persuasion, here’s a couple of points to consider when deciding whether the gorge swing is for you.
- It is not for the faint hearted and takes a fair bit of courage to leap off the edge of the cliff.
- Having said that, it is open to anyone over 6 years old. So whilst you need to be brave, kids do it!
- It’s an incredibly unique activity in that you are a mere 100m above the thundering Zambezi River, and just a few hundred meters from the might Victoria Falls. Not many people get to say that.
- Once you take the plunge, you will not regret it. The thrill is incredible, but taking in the scenery around you as you are hoisted back up to the platform is just as spectacular.
In other words, if you are still on the ropes and unsure about whether the gorge swing is for you, our advice – Do it!
Now you have decided, the next step is booking.
Booking your gorge swing
There are literally hundreds of different websites, travel agents, tour operators and product owners who sell the gorge swing. Many don’t even live in Africa, let alone Victoria Falls, and have probably never even done the activity.
So the first thing you need to know is to shop around, don’t settle for the first place you find to book the activity. Just as there are hundreds of people selling it, there are hundreds of variations of the price! To make it easier for you, you should pay no more than US$120 for the gorge swing.
Best is to book this experience through someone on the ground, who actually lives in Victoria Falls. Such organizations are intimately connected to the sustainable growth and development of this beautiful part of the world. Support their efforts.
Don’t forget, you also have the option of doing the gorge swing in tandem with a friend, partner or family member. Just check with your booking agent on maximum weights. But it’s always more fun when there is two of you.
Now you’ve booked, here’s what to expect.
The day of your Gorge Swing: Blow by Blow of what to expect
Included in your price is a pick up from your lodge or hotel. No doubt you are traveling with someone and they are more than likely coming to watch you. Or maybe you doing the swing together.
As you wait for the transfer bus to come and pick you there are some butterflies in your stomach, but in all you are light-hearted and excited for the adventure.
Your transfer goes by in a flash as you start to think about what it is you have signed up to-“is jumping off a cliff really that cool?” You temporarily forget any hesitation as you arrive at the incredible Look Out Café.
Talk about a Café with a view! Built literally on the edge of the gorge, with a 300m drop below down to the Zambezi River. Built initially as the viewing deck to watch friends and loved ones partake in the various high wire activities that happen from this location. Most prominently, the gorge swing, right in front of you!
An experienced guide takes you through to the preparation room. The walls are littered with pictures and posters of action shots as people take the plunge off the edge of the cliff. There is a TV at the back with videos on repeat, fear and screams as people step off the platform, then joy and success as they are hoisted back up. It gives you confidence to carry on, and determination to overcome this challenge.
It’s hard to focus on the instructions being given to you as you take in all the pictures and videos around you. That is until the harness comes out and you begin to have it strapped on. Now the guide has your full attention! There is something about this moment that separates those that do it and those that almost do it. There is a mental barrier, once the harness is on, there is no turning back.
Or so you think!
Waiting in line on the edge of the gorge!
For the vast majority that make it past strapping on the harness, a slow walk of contemplation awaits you. It’s only about 200 meters from the preparation room to the jumping platform, but its takes you along the edge of the gorge.
As you move slowly along, keeping one eye on the path, the other constantly peering over the edge watching those ahead of you take their leap of faith.
It’s now, for the first time that you hear the screams, just for a second as their feet leave the platform, then gone.
You round the corner and are a little surprised to see just how many people are waiting in line for their turn. It can’t be that bad if so many people want to do it!
You forget for a moment what you have signed up for as you examine the faces of the people ahead of you. Nowhere have you ever seen such contrasting expressions in one place.
You have those, like you strapped into harnesses, looking very solemn and slightly pale. Getting worse as they edge closer and closer and closer to the front. Seriously wondering if they have done the right thing and coming up with multiple justifications in their head as to why they can’t do this.
Some, especially the young jocks, put on a brave exterior. Full of laughs and chuckles, even commenting that it doesn’t look bad at all. But their eyes tell the truth, and there is certainly trepidation in them.
Then you have the other side of the platform. Those that have completed the task and lived to tell the tale. That side of the platform is jovial, loud and full of people that are pumped with a mixture of adrenaline, and self-satisfaction on having successfully taken on the infamous gorge swing, and won.
Mounting the Platform
All too soon you find yourself at the front of the queue and it’s your turn. The platform master summons you up to the deck. You are numb, but mange to clamber up the few steps to reach the landing.
Immediately you have three safety ropes attached to you, just as a precaution whilst they strap you into the multitude of cables and ropes that make up the gorge swing.
The only thing going through your mind is the weight of the cables pulling you towards the edge. You are trying now to look down, but it’s impossible!
The platform master is shouting that all is ready as he begins your countdown. You feel the safety ropes being detached from you harness and you know that there is no turning back now. The weight of the cables in front of you is now overbearing and you start to shuffle towards the edge.
The Leap of Faith
As you succumb to the weight pulling you over, your only thought is that you hope you’re strapped in properly. Then it happens! You plummet at speeds of up to 180km/hr, the only thing you remember is the roaring of the wind in your ears.
Then in an instant, it’s over, the rushing in your ears clears as the freefall turns into a gentle swing, arcing you up to the far side of the gorge, before swinging you back to where you came from.
As you pendulum back and forth, you can’t help grinning from ear to ear. The adrenaline and fear you felt just seconds before up on the platform have turned to utter joy and triumph.
It’s only now, as you swing back and forth in your harness that you actually take in the incredible scenery around you. The towering jagged cliffs above you and the thundering Zambezi River below you. A few lucky ones get to see hippos and crocodiles in the waters below as the slow hoist back to the top begins.
Reaching the top, alive and proud!
Before you know it you have been winched all the way back to the platform you leapt off juts minutes ago. The first face you see is the proud smiling face of the platform master. He must have seen thousands of people do the gorge swing, yet the genuine happiness and pride on his face reminds you
how unique you are.
Then your family and friends appear on the other side of the platform full of smiles and admiration for what you have just achieved. As you step down you are swamped with high fives, big hugs and well dones from all around.
The world feels so much lighter then when you arrived at the platform as you start your walk back to the Café for a well-deserved beverage.
You smile subtly as you walk past those that have just arrived to have their gorge swing. You see the anxiety of their faces, and the doubt in their minds. You try to offer a kind word of support, and whilst there is some form of acknowledgement, you know that they are thinking about nothing else but a multitude of justifications as to why they can’t do the gorge swing!