Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World,

presents a spectacular sight of awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur on the Zambezi River. Statistically speaking, it is the largest waterfall in the world. This recognition comes from combining the height and width together to create the largest single sheet of flowing water. In more modern terms, Victoria Falls is known as the greatest curtain of falling water in the world. The name Victoria Falls was given to the falls by the Scottish explorer Dr. David Livingstone. He named the falls after the reigning queen at the time. The locals called the falls Mosi-oa-Tunya, meaning “smoke that thunders.” Many people still refer to this nickname, which accurately defines the falls.

Victoria Falls is located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and travelers can access the falls through either Livingstone, Zambia or Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The falls are also close to the border of Botswana. The Zambezi River, which originates in northern Zambia, serves as the fall’s water source.

Columns of spray can be seen from miles away as, at the height of the rainy season, more than five hundred million cubic meters of water per minute plummet over the edge, over a width of nearly two kilometers, into a gorge over one hundred meters below.

The wide, basalt cliff over which the falls thunder, transforms the Zambezi from a placid river into a ferocious torrent cutting through a series of dramatic gorges.

Facing the Falls is another sheer wall of basalt, rising to the same height, and capped by mist-soaked rain forest. A path along the edge of the forest provides the visitor prepared to brave the tremendous spray, with an unparalleled series of views of the Falls.

One special vantage point is across the Knife-edge Bridge, where visitors can have the finest view of the Eastern Cataract and the Main Falls, as well as the Boiling Pot, where the river turns and heads down the Batoka Gorge. Other vantage points include the Falls Bridge, Devils Pool and the Lookout Tree, all of which command panoramic views across the Main Falls.