Abseiling a hit with Vic Falls tourists

22 Apr, 2018 - 00:04 0 Views
Abseiling a hit with Vic Falls tourists

The Sunday News

Abseiling3

Wilson Dakwa, Business Reporter
A new adventure — abseiling — has gained momentum in Victoria Falls as it is offering tourists a unique experience of swimming in the rock pools underneath the majestic Victoria Falls.

The adrenaline pumping adventure is run by Abseil Victoria Falls (AVF) and started operating last month during the Easter holidays. Abseiling involves being kitted up in full body harness, going down about 100 metres down to the bottom of the Falls while taking in the surrounding scenic views and then landing on the apron of a flat solid rock while overlooking the boiling pot of the Falls.

Once at the bottom, the client will be unhooked from the harnesses and can then explore a unique view which can only be seen from this location.

When at the bottom, tourists will be a mere stone throw away from the amazing Zambezi white water rapids and can view the Historic Bridge from below. AVF director Mr Comfort Chinengundu said the uptake of the high wire activity by locals and foreign tourists was overwhelming.

“The uptake of abseiling has surpassed expectations given that this is a new concept and people are not usually that adventurous. A lot of foreign tourists have been participating in this high adrenaline activity and locals have also overcome the misconception that such high wire activities are only for foreigners. Without a doubt, Victoria Falls will soon become the world’s tourism capital,” said Mr Chinengundu.

He added that kids under the age of 14 get a 50 percent discount of adult price. He highlighted that AVF has also avoided two and tier-pricing so as to avoid backlashes from travel agencies. Mr Chinengundu guaranteed clients’ safety citing that the firm is currently employing experts from abroad who have more than three decades experience in abseiling.

“High wire activities fully depend on safety and we can’t afford to have any accidents. Hence, we have acquired the services of experienced foreign operators from South Africa, Zambia, Canada and New Zealand. These specialists have zero records of accidents and they are training our local crew.

We also have a $250 000 public liability insurance cover by a reputable local insurance company,” he said.

Mr Chinengundu said the adventure will be expanded to other parts of the country.

“Expansion is the ultimate goal of every organisation but before spreading to other cities, we want to first focus on growing our product into a full blown product. We want to be able to offer tours and also serve drinks under the Falls. Our ultimate goal is to contribute towards tourism revenue and also make Victoria Falls the world tourism capital,” he added.

Other high-wire experience activities which are available in Victoria Falls include crocodile cage diving, gorge swing, flying fox, bridge swing, white-water rafting, game reserve tours and bungee jumping. Bungee jumping involves jumping 111 metres off the Victoria Falls Bridge and this is the activity that most people who visit the resort town engage in.

Crocodile cage diving involves being put in a cage and then lowered into the water using an elevator before a client is given the chance to feed crocodiles. The foofie slide, also known as zip line is one of the world’s most spectacular zip line slides, running 425 metres across the Zambezi River while the flying fox is a cable slide 120 metres above the green water of the Zambezi. -@WilsonDakwa1

 

Share This:

Survey


We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey

This will close in 20 seconds