We started on the park side of the falls, and immediately noticed that there weren’t 14 separate waterfalls; due to the rainy season being in full swing, the 14 had combined into one massive horseshoe-shaped mini-Niagra! Although the water was a little muddy, the mist formed a rainbow right through the middle. We also met some local young men, who jumped off of the falls into the rapids and luckily sustained no injuries. Quite a sight to see, as the mist from the falls rose behind them, although a little bit nerve-wracking to observe from safety.
After a late lunch on-the-go of Sammy’s delicious samosas and mendazi, we crossed a bridge to the other side of the falls. We brought the 4 cliff jumpers with us, as they told us that they could take us on a boat ride to the island right in the middle of the falls. We parked our matatus and walked down to the shore to begin the second part of the adventure. Most of us piled into a rickety wooden row boat with no oars, that was pulled along the shoreline before being launched into the river. There were times that we weren’t sure we were actually going to make it to the island (it can be rather tricky to navigate a boat with no oars) but our trusty guides managed to get us there in one piece. Turns out our time on dry land was only going to be temporary. We walked across the island to a spectacular view of the falls from close up. Rather than our adventure being over, our guides asked us to take off our shoes, and proceeded to jump into the rapids, heading towards another island even nearer to the action.This new step in the voyage was not for everyone, but an intrepid few removed their footwear and followed our new friends into the river. Team building took upon a new meaning, as we held each others’ hands for balance while jumping across the slippery river rocks. After a few minutes of careful foot placement and maybe a tense wobble or two, we made it safely to an island right in the centre of the crescent-shaped falls. What a spectacular sight! We had arrived at a perfect time of day, so that sunlight was streaming over the falls as we stood in the mist. I don’t think any of us had ever experienced such an amazing natural sight first-hand, with the view ingrained into our minds forever.
All good things must come to an end, unfortunately, and for us that ending was a solid 3 hour matatu ride in the middle of “the JAM” as our Kenyan partners show it. The 401 at its worst rush hour hold-up cannot hold a candle to Thika Road at 7pm on a Saturday evening, let me tell you! It was still a thoroughly Kenyan experience, and I know that we are all going to reflect positively on our many adventures throughout the day.-Matt
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