On the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia is one of Africa’s most spectacular natural phenomena: The Victoria Falls.
In 1855 the Scottish missionary and explorer David Livingstone was on an expedition in Africa to explore the Zambezi River. The local tribes told him about “Mosi-oa-Tunya”, which literally means thundering smoke. Livingstone sailed up the Zambezi River with the help of local residents until he saw impressive cloud clouds in the distance. The cloud clouds looked like smoke rising from the ground, and even from a great distance it sounded like thunder. As Livingstone came closer to the falls, he was deeply impressed by the beautiful face. He named the falls after the then Queen of Great Britain, Victoria, and was the first European to see this African miracle.
The Victoria Falls are neither the highest nor the widest waterfalls in the world. But with a height of approximately 108 meters and a width of approximately 1,700 meters, they ensure the largest falling “water curtain” in the world! Every second, more than ONE million liters of water fall down and land in the gorge Batoka Gorge, which is around 108 meters lower. Here the river flows further and shows a fantastic zigzag pattern. The border between Zimbabwe and Zambia is approximately in the middle of the falls, so the western part is in Zimbabwe and the eastern part in Zambia.
This huge waterfall wasnamed one of the 7 natural wonders in the world in 2008, including the Grand Canyon in the US and Mount Everest in Nepal. The enormous masses of water, which continuously crash, cause colossal cloud clouds. This mist is not only a water supply for the surrounding rainforest, but also shows the most beautiful rainbows at the falls. In sunny weather you are almost certain that you will see these beautiful rainbows during your visit. If it is full moon during your visit, you may be lucky enough to experience the special moon bow phenomenon: the sun’s rays reflecting on the moon show rainbows in the dark.
In Zambia you can visit the Victoria Falls from the village Livingstone, on the other side in Zimbabwe the city is called Victoria Falls. The locals no longer have much fear of the impressive natural phenomenon, making it one of Africa’s most popular sights. It is possible to be taken on a tour by the locals, they will tell you everything there is to know about the impressive waterfall.
