now the focus is on conferencing. We're going to convert the whole thing into a 1,200-seater facility, with lots of ...
great | escapes
Testing the waters Victoria Falls remains an epicentre for luxury and adventure
I don’t know why we’re singing the national anthem or why we’re singing it so loud and so off-key, much to the bemusement of nonchalant hippos and contemplating crocodiles. But I like to believe that we’re not the first people to find ourselves so inspired by the mighty Zambezi River that our emotions have no choice but to flow freely like the water itself. Above: The Bridge Slide is a 300m zip line under the Victoria Falls Bridge
28 09 17
It’s hard to believe that getting to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe was just a 90-minute flight from Johannesburg. But the city feels far away as we sail along on the river boat, taking advantage of the open bar by ordering endless gin and tonics – you know, to keep the mosquitoes away. “The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa,” the captain explains to the few people who can tear themselves away from the scenery to hear him out.
Eastern interest Despite all the food and drinks, we’re still hungry for dinner at Elephant Hills Resort, one of five Zimbabwean properties recently acquired by South Africa’s Legacy Hotels and Resorts. Overlooking an 18-hole Gary Player-designed golf course, dotted with wildlife that occasionally forces locals to change the rules, the restaurant is an ideal place to enjoy a relaxed and sumptuous buffet.
simple to prepare and it makes them happy.” During our tour of the property, Landry explains that, for the growing Asian market, there is a dedicated inhouse travel agency run by a Chinese local who can speak to guests in their language. And, in addition to ongoing maintenance, there are also plans to upgrade the hotel: originally opened in 1975, destroyed in a fire caused by a missile during the Rhodesian Bush War two years later, and then rebuilt a decade after that. “We have lots of work to do in terms of improving and renovating, but we’re excited about it,” Landry says. “The property has been repainted, re-thatched and replastered. The garden has undergone a makeover, the pools have been redone, and the golf course is looking the best it has in years.”
The Kingdom Hotel takes architectural cues from the Great Zimbabwe monument
Kingdom come
The breakfast selection is even more impressive. I’m happy to stick to my standard travel meal – an omelette – but am surprised to see a group of Chinese tourists enjoying white noodles and duck soup. It’s the first time I’ve seen a hotel cater so specifically to what a growing market wants. “The buffet menu was redone in its entirety and we have a new wine list based on the Da Vinci Hotel in Johannesburg,” general manager Adrian Landry says. “Not everybody wants to order a bottle of wine, but they’re impressed when they look at the options. And not everyone who goes on holiday wants to eat new food. Some prefer to eat what they’re used to at home. So we cater to them. We make everything in-house. It’s
It’s much the same at The Kingdom Hotel, where guests are welcomed in an elaborate royal ceremony that mirrors those that take place in certain African tribes, and where traditional dancers and singers perform at dinner every night. The hotel is built around a manmade water feature, with distinctive architectural design based on the Great Zimbabwe monument in Masvingo. “This is the Great Enclosure,” guest relations manager Michelle Gapara says as we walk through the cavernous casino area, which closed because it was unprofitable. “There was a gym and shops and other facilities. But now the focus is on conferencing. We’re going to convert the whole thing into a 1,200-seater facility, with lots of breakaway rooms and a kitchen to cater for it effectively.” Indeed, with Elephant Hills Resort also opening a conference centre, Landry believes that it will be a “game changer” for the country, which is already an ideal meeting point for the 15 states that form part of the
29 09 17
great | escapes
The Kingdom Hotel at night
Southern African Development Community. And both hotels provide easy access for those who want to leave business behind and enjoy some leisure. The Kingdom Hotel is located a short walk from the Victoria Falls Rainforest, where one can get a close look at this incredible phenomenon. And if you don’t want to find yourself screaming like a child as you get too close to the edge and inevitably soaked when the inverted rain chases you away, Elephant Hills Resort is a short walk from a helipad that provides scenic flights
The Zest WEG Group has been servicing the mining, infrastructure, construction and manufacturing sectors for more than 35 years and by leveraging best practice engineering and manufacturing capabilities, the group is able to offer a range of standard off-the-shelf products as well as end-to-end energy solutions.
1
2
that keep you high and dry. Our flight is only 15 minutes long, but it’s the perfect way to see what is considered the largest sheet of falling water in the world. And because our visit coincides with the annual rainy season – running from late November to early April, with the river’s annual flood from February to May – we marvel at the sheer size and scope of the waterfall below, with the spray rising up to a height of several hundred metres and visible from almost 50km away.
RELIABLE ENERGY SOLUTION
4
for the entire industry.
3 5 7
17 6
8
An in-depth understanding of the operational conditions found across all these sectors and years of experience have ensured that the Zest WEG Group service offering is fit-for purpose.
16 15
9 14 13
12 11
Tel: +27 11 723 6000
www.zestweg.com
10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Overhead Lines Distribution Transformers Motor Control Centres All Weather Outdoor Control Panels Diesel Generator Push Buttons and Pilot Lights Motor Protective LV Switchgear Direct Online Starters (DOL) LV Motors and Drives Invicta Vibrator Motors Mini Substations MV Motors MV Generators Automation Control Room MV Switchgear Tiger Ring Main Unit Power Transformers
Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone said of the falls he named after the British queen: “No one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”
A bridge over troubled waters Just as impressive is the Victoria Falls Bridge, inspired by the unfulfilled ‘Cape to Cairo’ railway ambitions of Cecil John Rhodes, who wanted it built across the Zambezi River “where the trains, as they pass, will catch the spray of the Falls”. To learn about the engineering feat, completed in 1905 after being constructed in England over only 14 months, we attend a fascinating presentation by a local actor playing the role of designer George Andrew Hobson. Staying in character, he then joins us as we are strapped into harnesses and walk the 200m under the main deck of ‘his’ bridge. It’s not easy to make our way across. We have to clutch our cameras for dear life and can’t help but look down at the water 130m below, even though doing so only makes us more afraid. But walking underneath gives us the courage to try the Bridge Slide, a 300m zip line that simply requires us to keep our legs up and enjoy the smooth ride over the Batoka Gorge. The fear returns as I stand on the platform preparing for the Bridge Swing. This time, I’m jumping off, feet first, for an 80m free fall. There’s no looking down into the abyss. Indeed, there’s not much of anything, besides the sheer terror that comes from realising that human beings evolved to fear heights because the early men
Contact details For more information, contact: • Legacy Hotels and Resorts: call +27 (0)11 806 6888, visit www.legacyhotels.co.za, or email
[email protected]. • Shearwater: call +263 (0)13 44471-3, email
[email protected], or visit www.shearwatervictoriafalls.com.
and women who fell from high places didn’t live to tell the tale. Still, it’s exhilarating to conquer my innate biology and feel like Tarzan for a few seconds. It’s so enjoyable that, after climbing back to the top, I’m eager to go again. This time it’s a standard bungee jump into a ring of rainbows, with the expected whiplash as I dangle like a yo-yo and wait to be pulled up. I’m singing again, loud and off-key, but not bothered about who might hear. It’s the sound of success. Text | Eugene Yiga Photography | Supplied
Above: The pool area at the Elephant Hills Resort
