Must Do Activities

· The Victoria Falls Bridge Bungee Jump

If you go to Zimbabwe or Zambia the 111m jump off the Victoria Falls Bridge is the biggest must do. Before doing it I was absolutely terrified. If you lean over the bridge and look down knowing that is what you are jumping your heart literally stops.

Right before doing it I thought to myself 'I can't do this, no way' but the man tying my legs together encouraged me and I shuffled toward the edge of the platform. My heart rate has never been so high. Before jumping you are told to jump out at least three meters for safety and to prevent injury - as if doing the jump itself wasn't petrifying enough!

The countdown came… THREE… TWO…ONE and I had leapt and I was falling, head first, toward the magnificent Zambezi containing a large amount of crocodiles. It sounds ridiculous but I can honestly say I have never felt so liberated, which is strange, because I was plummeting at a high speed, off a bridge toward almost certain death. It was the weirdest sensation I have ever had. But it was absolutely amazing - indescribable. The backdrop of Victoria Falls whilst falling was definitely a bonus as well!

If you don't do this jump whilst you are there you are missing out because it is incredible. It takes adrenaline junkie to the next level!

If you are brave enough you can even do the 'Full Moon Bungee', which occurs once a month and you dive off into the darkness, if only I had done it!

· The Tandem Gorge Swing

As if the bungee jump wasn't enough, Sarah and I felt that we should put our lives at risk once more, tie ourselves together, jump feet first off a cliff and after 75 meters swing outward the middle of the gorge.

I can't actually decide which I preferred - the bungee or the gorge swing. Although the free-fall of the bungee was a lot longer, I definitely found the gorge swing funnier; I was tied to Sarah (my partner in crime during the volunteering project), and we were both screaming like ten-year-old girls, grabbing one another as we went! The getting back up from the gorge swing was also hilarious. They should have really told us how to do this before me jumped off the cliff but instead they thought shouting down instructions would be easier. This caused me and Sarah to be stuck 60/70 meters above jagged rocks, supported only by a piece of rope, I didn't find this bit as funny!

The drop itself was great because rather than going headfirst you just kind of stepped off the cliff. I definitely advise you to do the tandem rather than do it by yourself - much more hilarious.

· White Water Rafting

My brother and I had both been rafting before in France, and we enjoyed it immensely, so we thought why not try it out on the Zambezi; surely it will be the same. Little did we know, Rafting on the Zambezi was another level. It was an EXTREME version of what we had experienced before.

To get to where the rafting begins we had to climb down a mountain, which, to be honest was an experience in itself. We had to climb down rocks, go through streams, and over mossy, slippery stones, so we'd had a little adventure before the rafting even started!

We'd got chatting to those who were going to be in a raft with us and they were all lovely and easy to talk to. We had a lesson on how to use our paddles, what to do when we went over rough water and even what to do if the raft capsized or we fell in.

We reached some white water and watched two raft go before us, I believe this section of the river was known as 'the washing machine', both rafts flipped causing all those inside to be thrown into the water. All you could see was bodies here, paddles there and a lonely raft with no one in it.

It was our turn next. Thankfully, we did not capsize, however, a few of us fell in, including myself. I swallowed A LOT of water. As you can imagine the water in the Zambezi is not the cleanest, so I was slightly worried that, that night I would become extremely ill (thankfully I did not).

Once I was hauled back into the raft we were off again, synchronized paddling quite sufficiently. For the rest of the journey down the river I fell in once more. I had become a master at holding onto the raft as if my life depended on it. Some of the others were not so good at it so were in much more than I was!

Although the water is freezing and you are quite scared for your life (I forgot to mention that as you are going down the river you can see crocodiles on the sides bathing in the sun), it really was exhilarating! The water was a lot more fun and dangerous than our previous rafting experience, which made it twice as exciting! A definite must do whilst you are in the area - you don't know what you are missing out on!

· The Booze Cruise

The booze cruise was great. Who'd have thought that there would be a booze cruise in Africa! I know I definitely thought they were only in places like Magaluf or Ibiza - I thought wrong!

Pretty much every single volunteer on my project went on the booze cruise. As we climbed aboard we all took our seats, not really knowing what to expect. Once we had set off across the Zambezi and appreciated the picturesque view of the river, the wildlife and the setting sun, we all got our drinks in. The drinks were free, as we had all paid a set amount to board the boat. This caused some of the volunteers (including myself) to go slightly overboard - pardon the pun!

All I know is that there was a lot of laughing, joking, chatting, card games and forfeits. It was a fabulous night and the views from the boat really were breathtaking. It was a fantastic experience and well worth the money. I'd say we definitely got our moneys worth in drinks!

· Elephant Ride

This for me was amazing. Sarah and I had become well acquainted with the manager of our lodge and he happened to own the elephant encounter so lucky for us we got a free trip to interact and ride with the elephants!

I think the experience we had will be a lot different from the elephant rides you have with the tour guides and pay over $150 dollars for. For example, I don't think you will have the chance to bring a bottle of beer with you and swig away whilst having a leisurely wander through the bush on the back of an elephant. However, even without the cool, refreshing beer in hand it would still have been a wonderful experience.

The elephants were very tame and were really good around humans, we were even able to sit on their bent front legs whilst feeding them through their trunks. I was able to stroke the face of the elephant we were riding and stand right under her.

It's safe to say that after this experience I will not be so enthralled be the elephants you see at the local zoo in England!

· Go to Victoria Falls

You can't go to Victoria Falls for a month and not go se THE Victoria Falls, it just wouldn't be right! The Victoria Falls is known as 'Tokaleya Tonga', meaning The Smoke that Thunders. The spray of the falls can be seen from miles away, we can even see it from the school that we volunteered at in Monde.

You haven't seen a waterfall until you see Victoria Falls. It is known to be largest sheet of falling water due to its height and size. It honestly is magnificent. Once you are there you truly understand why the locals refer to it as the smoke that thunders, the sound of the water falling is astonishing.

Whilst walking around because of the spray from the aggressive torrent you do get extremely wet. We saw a lot of tourists with raincoats and umbrellas but I don't think it necessary. It was enjoyable to actually feel the effects of the tremendous waterfall.

We got some magnificent photographs of the waterfall, and the rainbows created from it and also the lush rainforest. The sight of the falls and its surroundings was awe-inspiring. Do not miss the opportunity to go if you are ever close by.

· Walk with the Lions

I have dedicated an entire blog to the lions and what we did whilst we were with them, so if you are interested in that then please give it a read! Nevertheless, I thought I'd put it on this blog as a 'must do' activity as it really was incredible to have the chance to interact with the lions, stroke them and play with them. It's an experience that I have now been able to tick of my never-ending bucket list!

· Boma

I have briefly mentioned Boma in a previous entry, but it is a definite must do whilst visiting Zimbabwe. It is a restaurant with an excellent atmosphere, beautiful food, containing a variety of game meat, for example, warthog, which was to die for! Probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever eaten!

There was also great entertainment, including drumming, where we were all given a drum to play along with the dancers and professional musicians. Along with this there was facepainiting, hair braiding, dancing and fortune telling. All in all it was a great night and a perfect way to say goodbye to all the volunteers!

I hope this entry has helped you to see the amount of amazing activities there are to do during your travels, whether it is in Zimbabwe or anywhere else around the world. The wanderlust I already had has definitely been reinforced because of this trip!