Victoria Falls: 2008 vs. 2020.

I’d been to Victoria Falls before – in May of 2008. Back then it was high water season, and much of the time practically nothing was visible – all shut off by a white shroud of spray. I decided then I wanted to return when the water was low. And 12 years later – here I was again: during low water season. Time for some photographic comparisons. And the differences, as you will see were sometimes like night and day. Check them out!…

What was; what became:

2008 vs 2020:

Zoomed in:

In 2020 an umbrella wasn’t absolutely necessary ->

In some places in 2008 visibility was down to zero, while in 2020 – a completely different picture ->

Wet path:

The view from the side – along the waterfall:

Flow below ->

Guess what year this was taken in?

A wild Zambezi in May 2008; and a calm Zambezi in January 2020.

View from the bridge:

Waterfall cloud – from different angles:

And now let’s compare high-water-2008 and low-water-2020 from a helicopter:

Head-on view ->

Profile view:

From ‘behind’:

Bridge; spray!

The Zambezi River: high water, low water. And on those there island hippos have been living for thousands of years:

One thing you don’t get these days that you did in 2008: crazy helicoptering. Check out these pics from 2008. Our pilot, Nina, performed all kinds of stunts right down in the valleys. Scary. Risky, surely?…that must be why they don’t do it anymore.

Here’s a vid from back in 2008. Toward the end you there’s some Star Wars footage. At the end when the rebel fighters are flying down that channel on the Death Star! ->

Apparently, ‘old school’ choppering is still possible on the Zambian side. But not the Zimbabwean side any more. Now it’s all ‘health and safety’ and sterility.

All the pics from Victoria Falls are here.