How not to do Niagara Falls

Easily the most famous waterfalls in the world, Niagara Falls is also the largest by the sheer volume of water that powers down over the crest – apparently more than six million cubic feet every minute. So definitely a sight to behold… if we were able to see it that is!

So my title is a bit misleading, we definitely got to experience the might of Niagara Falls and I am so glad we visited,  its just the trip we took to see it wasn’t that great. We only had a short time in Toronto, before we had to head to Regina for my cousin’s wedding. We were unlucky that the only day we had to see the Falls was one of the wettest and foggiest Ontario had seen recently. We were also travelling with my extended family (12 of us), so a guided tour was the best option to take all of us to meet everyone’s needs from kids to older parents. In hindsight, we would have just hired a car and driven ourselves and its definitely what I would recommend others to do.

I am not a fan of big organised tours and this trip reminded me why. Big coaches, having to stick to a rigid schedule, being ushered to places that we didn’t really want to go and constantly clock watching, rushing to get back to the coach on time. I don’t want to tarnish all tours with this brush, but with this trip meant we didn’t really the experience.

Niagara Falls is obviously a huge tourist spot, so don’ expect the most natural of settings, but there is lot to see and do there. We only had time to run down to the Hornblower boat – which thankfully saved the day. Although pouring with rain and foggy, the boat takes you right up to the thundering Horseshoe falls. The sound of the water is deafening and you feel very insignificant as you look up at the torrential wall of water pounding down towards you. It’s also great fun, all dressed in red ponchos (the Maid of the Mist on the American side wear blue) getting absolutely drenched – just like a theme park ride.

Kitale stayed warm and dry under the poncho and thought it was all great fun. She was completely entranced by the water and the massive swells beneath the boat.

After rushing back to the coach we had a quick stop off at the top of the falls. The fog cleared slightly so we could see where the water drops off – no wonder people used to think the world was flat. Looking down into the mist, it feels like you’ve reached the end of the world.

If we get the chance to visit again, I would definitely take the opportunity to do the walk behind the falls and perhaps treat ourselves to a helicopter flight to see the Falls in all their glory (we had actually planned this but due to the weather all flights were cancelled). Oh and as I stated before, drive ourselves there.

This trip was just a little reminder that not all adventures are what you planned and expect. However we always try to make the best of everywhere we go and sod it, we were at blooming Niagara Falls!